University of Virginia Library

Fra thyne, strekis the way profund onone
Deip onto hellys flude of Acheron,
With holl bysme and hydduus swelch onrude,
Drumly of mud, and skaldand as it war wod,
Popland and bulrand furth on athir hand
Onto Cochitus all his slyke and sand.
Thir ryveris and thir watyris kepit war
By ane Charon, a grisly ferryar,
Terribil of schap and sluggart of array,
Apon his chyn feil cannos harys gray,
Lyart feltrit tatis; with burnand eyn red,
Lyk twa fyre blesys fixit in his hed;
Hys smottrit habyt, owr his schulderis lydder,
Hang pevagely knyt with a knot togiddir.
Hym self the cobill dyd with hyss bolm furth schow,
And, quhen hym list, halit vp salys fow.
This ald hasart careis owr fludis hoyt
Spretis and figuris in hys irne hewyt boyt,
All thocht he eildit was, or step in age,
Als fery and als swippir as a page;
For in a god the age is fresch and greyn,
Infatigabill and immortall as thai meyn.
Thiddir to the bra swarmyt all the rowt
Of ded gostis, and stud the bank abowt,
Baith matronys and thar husbandis all yferis,
Ryal pryncis, and nobill chevaleris,
Smal childering, and ȝong damysellis onwed
And fair springaldis laitly ded in bed,
In fader and moderis presence laid on beir.
Als gret numbir thiddir thikkit infeir
As, in the first frost eftir hervist tyde,
Levis of treys in the wod doys slyde;
Or byrdis flokkis owr the fludis gray
Onto the land seikand the nerrest way,
Quhom the cald sesson cachis owr the see
Into sum benar realm and warm cuntre.
Thar stude thai prayand sum support to get,
That thai mycht with the formast owr be fet,
And gan vp heving petuusly handis twa,
Langand tobe apon the forthir bra.
Bot this soroful boytman, with brym luyk,
Now thir, now thame, within his veschel tuke,
And other sum expellit, and maid do stand
Far from the ryvage syde apon the sand.
Awondrit of this sterage and the press,
“Say me, virgyn,” quod Ene, “or thou cess,
Quhat menys sik confluence at this watir side?
Quhat wald thir sawlys? Quhy nyl thai nocht byde?
Quhilk causis beyn, or quhat diuersite,
Sum from the brays thame withdraw I se;
And other sort, eik, of thir sawlys ded
Rollys owr this ryver, cullorit as the led?”
Thys ancyant relligius woman than,
But mair delay, to answer thus began:
“Anchises get, heynd child, curtass and gude,
Discend ondowtabill of the goddis blude,
The deip stank of Cochitus doith thou se,
And eik the hellis puyll, hait Stix,” quod sche,
“Be quhais myghtis the goddis ar full laith
And dredis sair to sweir, syne fals thar aith.
All thir thou seis stoppit at the schor
Beyn helples folk, onerdit and forlor;
Ȝon grysly ferryar to name Charon hait;
Thai beyn all bereyt he careys in hys bayt.
It is not to him lefull, he ne may
Thame ferry owr thir rowtand fludis gray,
Nor to the hydduus ȝonder costys haue,
Quhil thar banys be laid to rest in grave.
Quha ar onbereit ane hundreth ȝer mon bide,
Waverand and wandrand by this bankis syde;
Than, at the last, to pass owr in this boyt
Thai beyn admyt, and costis thame not a grote,
And frely may behaldyn or espy
Tha lakis, quhilkis thame langis to vissy.”
Anchises son tho styntis a litil stownd,
And baith his futsteppis fixit in the grond,
Musyng in mynd sum deil, sad in a part,
And of this hard forton kauch rewth in hart.
Thar saw he, dolorus and wofull of cheir,
But funeral seruyce, nevir laid on beir,
Lucaspes and Orontes, baith twane,
Quhilum masteris of the schyp Lyciane,
Quham baith yfeir, as said befor haue we,
Saland from Troy throw owt the wally see,
The dedly storm ourquhelmyt with a quhiddir,
Baith men and schip welt vnder flude togyddir.
Lo, Palynurus eyk, his sterysman,
Amang otheris fast to the watir ran,
Quhilk laitly saland in the Libyane see,
As that he gan behald the starnys hie,
Togidder with the helmstok, quhar he stude,
Owr schipburd swakkit was amyd the flude.
And skarsly as he, Ene, gan hym espy,
Amang dirk skowgis standand full drery,
First he him gretis, sayand to him thus:
“Quhilk of the goddis, O Palynurus,
The ws bereft, and drynt amyd the see?
Quhow tyd that cace? Declar me, I pray the.
For certis, bricht Apollo nevir or now
Was fals to me; bot I wait neuer how
Of hys answer twiching the he ravyt,
And hess my mynd tharin al hail dissavit;
That schew thou suld hailskarth owr the see
Onto the grond of Ital cum,” quod he.
“Se, thus his lawte and promyt is keip!”
The tother answeris with a petuus peip:
“Maist worthy duke, Anchises son sa deir,
Nowder hath the of Phebus the answer,
Vndir his secrete cortyne, so dissave,
Ne ȝit na god sa far hass me bywave,
Nor drownyt in the deip, as ȝe beleve.
Bot, as I slaid our burd to my myscheve,
The helmstok, or gubernakil of tre,
Quharwith I rewlit owr courss throu the see,
Lenand tharon sa fast, per cace it threw,
And rent away owr burd with me I drew.
The wally seys to wytnes draw I heir,
That for my self tuke I nane sa gret feir
As of thi schip, quhom that I knew ful quyte
Spulȝeit of hir graith, and lodysman furth smyte,
Dreding scho suld haue perist in sik neid,
Owr the huge swelland fludis rayss on breid.
The sowth wynd Nothus thre days me drave
Throw owt the see, with violent wallys wave;
Skarss on the ferd day at morn dyd I spy,
Heich from the wallys croppis, Italy.
Huly and fair onto the cost I swam,
And tho almaist in surte cummyn I am,
Ne war the crewel pepil of tha landis,
As that I grippit with my crukit handis
The scharp rolkis toppys at the schoyr,
In hevy wayt frog stad, and chargyt soyr,
Thai gan with irne wapynnys me invaid,
Wenyng a spy that I had beyn, thai said,
From thar cuntre sum pray to dryve away.
So now I am bedyit in fludis gray,
And wyndis warpis my corps apon the strandis,
Quhar for I pray the, hevand vp my handis,
And be the plesand light of hevyn requiris,
And be the hailsum ayr at thou inspiris,
And be thi weilbelovit fader dyng,
And gud hope of thi ȝong sonnys ofspryng;
O thou onvenquyst valyant champyoun,
Delyuyr me fra thir gret harmys onon,
Or, at the leist, grave me in sepulture,
Sen weil thow kan and may perform that cur;
Speir to the portis quhilkis Velynos hayt;
Or gyf thar may be fundyn ony gayt,
Quhilk thy blyssit moder hess the techit rycht,
Reke thy rycht hand onto this wrechit wight,
And haue me with the our thir fludis red;
So, at the leist, I may, eftir my ded,
Into sum plesand sted remane and rest—
For I beleve fermly thou nocht addrest
Sa large fludis but goddis authoryte,
Nor Stix this layk fortil owr swym,” quod he.
Quhen that he had thir wordis said express,
Syk answer til hym maid the prophetess:
“Palynurus,” quod scho, “thou sary syre,
Quhiddir is becummyn sik ondantyt desyre
To the, and ferss will sa onressonabill?
Wenys thou, onerdyt now, and thus onhabill,
Owr Stix the hellys puyll sik wyss to fair,
And grysly fludis, abowt quham doith repar
Thir dreidfull fureys, to behald and se?
Oncallyt, on the ȝondyr bra wald thou be?
Desist, and cess to weyn with thy prayer
The goddis decrete at thou may brek or steir.
Bot now inprent in thy ramembrance
Thir wordys, in solace of thy hard chance.
Quhar thy body is at this tyme present,
For feir tharof, the pepil adiacent,
By wondir takynnys from the hevynnys schaw
Constrenyt, sal bygrave thy banys law,
And on thy corps erect a sepultur,
Doyng tharto solempnyt funeral cur;
Palynurus to name that place for thy
Sal bar, and clepit be perpetualy.”
With thir wordis assuagyt hys hevy thocht,
And fra hys sorofull hart, as that he mocht,
Sum deil expellyt hess the dolorus cayr,
Reiosyt of the grond hys surname bayr.
Quharfor Eneas and Scybill, baith tway,
As thai begunnyn had, held furth thar way.