University of Virginia Library

The kyng thir ansueris of his fader Fawnus,
And admonitions be nyght gevin thus,
Ne hydis nocht nor closys in his moutht;
So that the fame tharof walkis full couth
Our all the citeis of Italy wyde quhar,
Quhen as the ȝonkeris of Troy arryvit war,
And at the schor, vndre a gresy bank,
Thar navy can thai ankyr fast and hank.
Eneas, and othir chiftanys gloryus,
And the fresch lusty springald Ascanius,
Vndre the branchis of a semly tre
Gan lenyng dovn and rest thar bodeys fre,
And to thar dyner dyd thame all adress
On grene herbis and sonkis of soft gerss.
The flowr sconnys war set in by and by,
With othir mesis, sik as war reddy;
Syne bred trynschouris dyd thai fyl and charge
With wild scrabbis and other frutis large.
Betyd, as was the will of Iupiter,
For falt of fude constrenyt so thai war,
The other metis all consumyt and done,
The paryngis of thar bred to mowp vp sone,
And with thar handis brek, and chaftis gnaw,
The crustis and the coffyngis all on raw;
Ne spar thai not at last, for lake of met,
Thar fatale four nukit trynschour forto eyt.
“Och!” quod Ascanius, “quhou is this befall?
Behald, we eyt our tabillis vp and all!”
He said na mair bot this, half deil in board.
Thame thocht thai hard a fatale voce or word,
Quhilk was as finale end of thar vayage.
Hys fader first of all, with glaid curage,
The word reft from his mouth as that he spak,
And followis on the answer stupefac:
“All hail thou grond and land,” quod he, in hy,
“By the fatis onto me destany,
And ȝe, O trast Penates,” said Enee,
“Alhail our natyve goddis, weil ȝe be!
Heir is our dwelling place quhar we sall leynd,
Forto remane heir is our cuntre heynd.
Certis, now I ramembir my fader Anchyss
Syk secret takynnys of fatis on this wyss
Schew and rehersit, sayand this to me:
‘Son, quhen in sik hungyr thou stad salbe,
As thou art careit till a strange cost,
That, all the mesis etyn, done and lost,
Thou art constrenyt thy burdis gnaw and fret,
Than thou, al irkyt, may thar beleif to get
A sovir duelling sted perpetualy.
Ramembir, in that place, or neir fast by,
To found thy first cite with thi hand,
Dychit with fowsys and wallys hie standand.’
This was that hungir tareit ws so lang,
This sall mak end of our myschevis strang.
Quharfor, tomorow ayrly, I ȝou pray,
First as the son vpryss, we glaidly may
Serss and inquir quhat place and land is this,
Or quhat maner of pepill tharin duellis,
And of thys kyth quhar standis the cheif cite;
Lat ws seik syndry ways fra the see.
Now mak we mery, away dolf hartis dull,
Now skynk, and offer Iupiter cowpis full,
And in ȝour prayeris and orisons infeir
Do call apon Anchyss, my fader deir!
Bryng wyne agane, set in tharof plente!”
And sayand thus, with a grene branch of tre
He dyd involup and aray his hed,
And Genyus, the god of that ilk sted,
He dyd wirschip, and gan in prayeris call
Erth, the gret moder and first god of all,
The nymphis and the fludis ȝit onknaw,
The nycht syne, with hir syngnys al on raw,
And Iupiter Ideus of Ida,
And Cibylla the mother in Phrigia;
He gan also beseik, quhar that thai dwell,
Athir of his parentis baith in hevin and hell.
The fader than almychty with cleyr lycht
Gan thundir thryss dovn from the hevynnys hycht;
And schakand in his hand, quhar as he went,
A byrnand clowd schew from the firmament,
With fyry sparkis lyke to goldyn bemys
Or twynkilland sprayngis with thar giltin glemys,
And tho belyve dywlgat round abowt is
The noyss and rumour throu the Troiane rowtis,
The day was cummyn, and the place quhar thai
Thar cite promist suld beld and array.
For ioy thai pyngill than fortill renew
Thar bankettis with all obseruancis dew,
And, for thir tithingis, in flacon and in skull
Thai skynk the wyne, and wauchtis cowpis full.