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The quhile as thai thus carpyt to and fra,
Hir rosy charyot the fresch Aurora
Amydwart of the hevynnys assiltre
Begouth fortil vproll and rayss onhie.
The myd declynyng of hir cowrss was went,
And thai, percace, on sik wyss mycht haue spent
The tyme compleyt was for thar iourne grant;
Bot sone hym warnys Scibilla the sant,
His trew marrow gan schortlie to him say:
“The nycht, Eneas, slydis fast away;
Weping the howris we consume and waist;
Heir is the place quhar owr passage inhaist
Departit is, and sched in stretis twane.
This way, towart the rycht hand, strekis plane
To the hie wallys of Schir Ditis kyng;
It is our reddy went, quhilk sall ws bring
Onto the plesand playn of Elyse.
This other gait, on the left hand ȝe se,
Convoys onto the sted of fell torment,
Quhar dampnyt schrewis in Tartarus ar sent
In woful pyt perpetual to remane.”
Than Deiphobus maid this answer agane:
“Beis nocht agrevit, souerane nun, I pray,
I sal no langar dwel, bot go my way:
I sal compleyt my numbir furth,” quod he,
“And to dym schaddowis rendrit sall I be.
Pass on, pass on, our wirschip and renown,
Mair prosper chance to hant go mak the bown!”
Thus fer spak Deiphobus, and, with that saw,
About turnyt hys payss, and gan withdraw.
Eneas blent him by, and suddanly
Vndir a rolk at the left syde dyd spy
A wondir large castell, strang and stowt,
With wallys thrynfald lappit rownd about,
Quham the grysly Tartareane Flagiton,
That ravenus flude, closys enveron,
With watir blesand brym in fyry low,
And rolland stanys rumland deip and how.
The port in foirfront was ful huge gret;
Of ferm adamant war the pillaris bet,
Sa that na forss of men mycht thame down myne,
Nor ȝit the strenth of goddis with strang ingyne;
Ane irne towr stude beildit wondir hie,
Quhilk semyt forto reke vp in the skye.
Tysiphone, that furyus monstre wild,
In bludy caip revestit and oursild,
Sittys kepand, but sleip, baith nycht and day,
That sory entre and this porch alway.
Tho begouth thai first in this sted to heyr
Murnyng, granyng, gowlyng and duylfull beir;
Feil crewell strakis smytyn hard thai sovnd,
Frasyng of irne fettris and chanys rovnd.
Ene gan him arrest, in mynd within
Al abasit, herknand this feirfull dyn.
“O haly virgyn, say furth now,” quod he,
“Quhat kynd of grysly turment may this be?
In quhat punytioun, panys and distress
Beyn sawlis ȝondir strenȝeit, prophetess?
Quhat menys this bruyt, weping and woful cryis,
With sik walyng semys fordyn the skyis?”
Scibilla thus begouth answer agane:
“O wirschipfull and gentil duke Troiane,
It is nocht lesum to nane innocent wight
Within boundis of wikkytnes or onrycht
Til entir, nor attayn to neir that ȝet,
Bot the first tyme Proserpyn maid and set
Me mastress of Avern, hir hallowit schaw,
The goddys turmentis gan scho to me schaw
And me convoyit thar throw euery sted.
This maist dolorus realm to steir and led
Hess Radamanthus, vmquhile of Creyt kyng,
Haldand maste scharp and sayr lawys in hys ryng;
Chastiand folkis, speris thar offence express;
By turment thame compellis thar cryme confess,
Synnys committit abufe in the erd,
Quham ony, ioyand to thar awin wanwerd,
But proffyt doith conseil, hyde or delay,
Onamendit quhil dedis lattyr day.
Syk wikkyt and condampnyt wightis, als tyte
As thai cum in that dolly pyte of syte,
Tysyphone, the wrekar of mysdedis,
With quhip in hand al reddy fast hir spedis
Thame to assail, to tor, skurge and bete,
And with hir left hand terribil eddyrris gret
Thik at thame swakkis; syne to pyne thame, doith call
Of fel torment the rowt of systyrris all.
And tho at last with horribil sovndis trist
Tha wareit portis, iargand on the hirst,
Warpit vp braid. Lo, ȝondir may thou se
Quhat kynd wardane syttis in the porch,” quod sche,
“And quhou terribill of contenans and cheir
Thou hir behaldis kepis the entre heir;
Ane mair feirful monstre and mair fell,
Ane vgly serpent, syttis within ȝon hell,
With fyfty hydduus blak throtis gapand.
And forthir eik ȝon Tartarus ay trymland,
Quhilk is of hell the dirk dungeon and pyt,
Dippis twyss als holl down, I lat the wyt,
Semyng so law vnder the erth reke,
As that our sight may vp to hevynnys streke.
Tharin the ancyant lynage of the erd,
Thir gyantis hait Tytanas, be wanwerd
With thundris blast dovn smytyn and ourthraw,
Ar warpyt in ȝon pottis boddum law.
Thar saw I eyk Aloes twynnys twane,
Othus and Ephialtes, bredir germane,
With huge bodeis, that pressyt dovn to rent
With thar handis the large firmament,
And by thar forss begouth expell the kyng,
Hie Iupiter, furth of his hevynly ryng.
Thar I beheld Salmoneus alsswa,
In crewel torment sufferand mekil wa,
For that he gan to contyrfet him cast
Gret Iovis fyre and hevynly thundris blast.
By horssis four furth rollit was his char,
Secret condytis of fyre smytand sayr,
Throwout the pepil of Greyss and of Arcad,
Amyd the cite of Elys, blith and glaid,
Prowd and haltand in hys hart, walkyt he,
And as a god bad honorit he suld be;
For that, intil his dotage and fuyl heyt,
By sownd of brass and stampand stedis feyt,
He maid hym forto feyn a simylitude
Of clowdis blast and rumland thundir rude,
Quhilk on na wyss aucht tobe contyrfet.
Bot the hie fader almychty from hys set
Throw thyk clowdis at hym hys dart dyd thraw,
Nowder blak fyre brand, nor reky flambys law,
Bot suddanly, with a fel bless of thundyr
Threw hym to grond and smayt him al in sondyr.
To Tytyos thar was I schawin in deid,
With body speldyt nyne akyr on breid,
That fostyr child vmquhile was cleyp and call
Onto the Erth, quhilk moder is of all.
Ane hydduus grype with bustuus bowland beyk
Hys maw immortal doith pyk and owrreik,
Hys brudy bowellys torryng with huge payn,
Furth rentyng all, hys fuyd to fang full fayn,
Vndir his cost holkand in wail law,
And sparis nocht to rug, ryfe and gnaw:
All thocht the entralis springis new ilk day,
Thai get na rest, the fowle hess thar hys pray.
Quhat suld I rekkyn tha pepil of Thessaly,
That Lapytas ar hait, for gluttony
Distroyt all? Of Ixion to tell,
Or Pyrothous, quhat nedis langar dwell?—
Abuf quhom hyngis blak quhyn stanys gret,
Ay semand reddy to fall and thame to bete.
Befor Tantalus, and ane othir sort,
The goldin trestys schynand standis ourthwort,
Vndir ryche tablys dight for maniory,
Quharon, forgane thar face, is set reddy
All danteys langand tyl a kyngis fest.
Bot ane the gretast Fureys gan arest,
Syttand tharby, and hungyr in thame blawys,
And netheless thar handys scho withdrawys,
So that the mesys twichyn dar thai nocht;
As that thai mynt tharto, than all onflocht
With hait fyre brand in hand vp dois scho ryss,
Fleyis thame with flambe, grym luke and vgly cryiss.
Thai beyn alsso within ȝon pyt turment
Quhilk at thar bredir envy held or haitrent
Quhil that thai levyt in this present lyfe;
And tha quhom by, throu thar deray and stryfe,
Thar faderis warryn chasyt in exile;
All tha that ony falset, slyght or gyle
Aganys thar seruandis or famyliaris wrocht;
And tha that, only setting all thar thocht
Apon thar rychess quhilk wonnyn thai haue,
Tuke nocht thar nedis tharof, nor na man gave,
Of quhom ȝondir beyn ane ful huge rowt;
And all tha for adultry schent, but dout;
And tha that movyt wrangwyss batall or weyr;
Tha not eschamyt thar promyss to forswer,
Brekand lawte plight in thar lordys hand:
All sik inclusyt ar ȝondyr, abydand
Every day new panys perpetualy.
Speir not at me, for nocht declar can I,
Quhat diuerss kyndis of torment ȝondir thoil thai,
Nor ȝit quhat sort of payn is deput ay
For ilk trespass: to rekkyn I tak na keip
Quhat mysforton thame plungis in ȝon deip.
For sum weltris a gret stane vp the bra,
Of quhom in numbir is Sisyphus ane of tha;
On quhelis spakis speldyt otheris hyngis.
The maist wrechit of all princis and kyngis,
Phlegyas, vmquhile kyng of Thessaly,
All mortale wightis admonysys with his cry
And lowd voce throw the dyrk awytnessyng:
‘Be myne exampill all wightis, prynce and kyng,
Lernys,’ quod he, ‘to hant iustice and rycht,
And not contem the goddis strentht and mycht.’
Thar syttis eik, and sal syt evir mair,
The fey onhappy Thesyus, full of cair.
Sum ȝondir beyn, for reddy gold in hand,
Sald and betrasyt thar natyve realm and land,
And tharin brocht a myghty tyrrant strang;
Sum otheris eik, for pryce or meid to fang,
That lawys maid and onmaid, as thame list.
Thar beyn alsso, ful sorofull and tryst,
Thai quhilk thar dochteris chalmer vyolate,
Or, havand na regard to thar estate,
Forbodyn or incestuus mariage
Gan hantyng by ondantit lustis rage.
And schortly, all durst ymagyn or compass
Mastirfull wrang, myscheif or wykkytness,
Or ony sik consait brocht to effek,
Heir evyrmar the charge lyis on thar nek.
All thocht ane hundretht scharp tungis had I,
Ane hundreth mowthis forto clepe and cry,
Tharto my voce war strang as irne or steill,
All kynd of vicis to comprehend, half deill,
Nor all the namys of tormentis and of panys
I mycht nocht rekkyn, that in ȝon hald remanys.”