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“Bot quhat maner man be ȝon,” quod Anchyss,
“With olyve branch on sik gudly wyss
Arrayit, and eik berys mony a syng
Of sacrifyce and ritis of offeryng?
I knaw hys canoss har and lyard berd
Of the wysast Roman kyng into the erd,
Numa Pompilius, quhilk sall in hys days
Begyn and statut with lawys and haly lays
The cheif cite Rome; and he sal pass
From a pur land, and smal cite Curas,
Send forto rewle and bruke a gret empire;
Quhamto thar sal succeid a lordly syre,
Tullus Hostilius, that first of hys land
The peyss and quiet, quhilk solang dyd stand,
He sal dissolue and brek, and dolf men steir,
Quhilk lang hath bene disosyt fra the weir,
To armys and triumphe of victory,
And thame array in hostis by and by.
Quham nixt followis Ancus Martyus,
Of hys estait mar prowd and gloryus,
And ourgretlie evin now, persaue and se,
Vaynglor and favour of pepill desiris he.
Pless the behald the Tarquynys kingis two,
And the stowt curage of Brutus alsso,
Quhilk can revenge the wrang in hys cuntre,
His gret honour gif thou lest heir or se,
And ensenȝeis send fra Ethrurianys:
This ilk Brutus sall first amang Romanys
Ressaue the dignite and stait consular;
With heding swerd bath felloun, scharp and gar,
Befor hym born throu all Romys tovne,
In takin of iustice executioun,
Hys awin sonnys, movyng onkyndly wer,
To punytioun and ded sal damp infeir,
To kepe frensches and souerane liberte;
And thus onsilly fader sall he be,
Quhou sa evir the pepil hys fatel dedis
In tyme tocum sal blason, quha thame redis;
The feruent lufe of his kynd natyve land,
And excedand desyre he bar on hand
Of honour and hie glory to ressaue,
Mot at evil rumour fra his lawd byvaue.
Attour, behald, lo, athir Decyus,
And standing fer of, twa that hait Drusus;
Considir Torquatus ȝondir, doith him rax
So brym and fellon with the heding ax;
And Camyllus, the vailȝeand capitane,
Bringand the Romane standartis hame agane.
Ȝon twa sawlys, quhilk thou seis, sans faill,
Schynand with elike armys peregale,
Now at gud concord stad and vnite,
Ay quhil thai stand in myrk and law degre:
Allace, how gret batale and debait
Salbe betwix thame, gif thai til estait
May cum abufe, and to the lyght of lyfe!
O, how gret slauchter, assembleis and huge strife
Sal thai exerce and move into thar days!
Cesar, the eldfader, by the strait ways
With his gret rowtis our the Franch montanys
Discendand dovn Lumbardy throu the planys,
His mavch Pompey sal strech agane him went
With rayt ostis of the orient.
O my childring, cum nocht in vss to hant
Sik fremmyt batalis, bot ȝour curage dant;
Exers ȝhe neuer ȝowr vailȝeand forss,” quod he,
“Amangis the entralis of ȝour awin cuntre.
And O thou Cesar, thou formast in the press,
Cum of hevinly kyn, abstene and cess;
Myne awin lynage, obeys my command,
Do cast sik wapynnys fer furth of thy hand.
And he that standys ȝonder, Lucyus,
Onto his surname clepit Munyus,
Efter he venquist haue Corinthe tovne,
And in batale the worthy Grekis bet dovn,
His char, with mekil glor triumphale,
Sal steir furth to the hie capitol wal.
And he ȝon other, Quintus Metellus,
Ful gret honour sal conquess onto ws,
For he sal bet dovn and distroy al clene
Baith Arge and Agamenonys realm Mycene;
And ȝonder Curyus with his fallow syne,
Pyrrus, cummyn of Kyng Eacus lyne
And of Achillis armipotent ofspring,
In batel sal ourcummyn and dovne thryng,
And thare eldris of Troy wreke and revenge,
And the tempill of Mynerve pollute clenge.
Quha wold the, gret Cato, lefe onhyt?
Or quha with silens Cossus pretermyt?
Quha list forȝet the kynrent of Gracchus?
Or athir of the Scypionys gloryus,
Thai twa thunderis of batale in thar rage,
Fynale rwyne of Affrik and Cartage?
Quha wald, Fabricius, of the say na thyng,
That art ful myghty bot of litil thing?
Of the, Seranus, quha wald na thing schaw,
Quhar thou thi ryggis telys forto saw,
As thou was chosyn capitane of weir?
Quhidder withdraw ȝhe, Fabyus, cum neir,
Thole me na mar be irkyt ȝou tobehald:
Thow art that ilk mast souerane Fabius bald,
Quhilk only, throu thy slycht and tareyng,
Restoris the common weill of our ofspryng.”