Complete Works of Virgil

by Virgil

  Quhou Eneas in Affrik dyd arryve,

  And thar with schote slew sevin hartis belyve.

  Eftyr that the fader of the fludys Neptune

  Had on sik wyss behaldyn the seys abone,

  Vndir the stabillit hevin movit in his chare,

  Slakking his reneis with prosper courss and fair,

  Eneas and his feris on the strand

  Wery and forwrocht sped thame to the nerrest land,

  And at the cost of Lyby arryvit he.

  Ane havyn place with a lang hals or entre

  Thar is, with ane ile enveronyt on athir part,

  To brek the wallis and storm of euery art;

  Within the watir in a bosum gays.

  Baith heir and thair stant large craggis and brais.

  To se the hewis on athir hand is wondir

  For hycht that semys pyngill with hevin, and vnder

  In a braid sound sovir from all wyndis blawis

  Flowis the schore deip, euer stabil but ony wawis.

  A wod abufe ourheldis with his rank bewis

  And castis a plesand schaddow our the clewis.

  Rycht our forgane the forret of a bra

  Vnder the hyngand rolkis was alswa

  Ane coif, and tharin fresch watir springand,

  And satis of stane neuer hewyn with manis hand

  Bot wrocht by natur, as it ane howss had beyn

  For nymphis, goddessis of fludis and woddis greyn.

  Perbrakit schippis but cabillis thar mycht ryde,

  Nane ankyr nedis mak thame arest nor byde.

  Of all his navy thidder Eneas brocht

  Bot sevin schippis. With gret desyre and thocht

  Tobe on grund, Troianys sped thame to land,

  As thai desyrit set softly on the sand;

  Thare lethis and lymmys in salt watir bedyit

  Strekit on the cost, spred furth, bekit and dryit.

  Bot first Achates slew fyre of the flynt

  Keppit in dry leiffis as tunder, quhil thai brynt;

  Syne stikkis dry to kyndil thar about laid is,

  Quhil al in flambe the bless of fyre vp bradis.

  Than was the quhete (with fludis chaffit and wet)

  And instrumentis to purge it swith out set.

  For skant of vittal, the cornys in quernys of stane

  Thai grand, and syne buke at the fyre ilkane.

  In the meyn quhile, Eneas the bank on hie

  Has clummyn, widequhar behaldand the large see

  Gif ony schip thar on mycht be persavit

  Quhilk lait tofor the wyndis had bewavit,

  Or ony Troiane galay, bark or barge,

  Antheus, Capis or Caicus stremeris large

  Wavand or schawand from thar top on hycht.

  Na schip he saw, bot sone he gat a syght

  Of thre hartis waverand by the cost syde,

  Quham at the bak, throu out the gravis wide,

  The mekil herdis followit in a rowt

  And pasturit all the large valle about.

  Tharat he styntis and hynt his bow in hand;

  Swift fleand arowis fast by him had berand

  The traist Achates; and first the ledaris thre,

  Quhilk on thar hedis bair the tyndis hie,

  Smertly he slew, syne al the rangald persewis

  With grundyn arowis amang the thik wod bewis,

  And styntis not with dartis thame to bete

  Quhil he to grond had brocht sevin hartis grete,

  And with his schippis thar nowmyr equale maid.

  Syne to the havin sped him for out abaid

  And thame distribut amangis his feris all.

  The wyne thar with in veschell gret and small,

  Quhilk til him gave Acestes, his ryall host,

  At his departing from Sycilly the cost,

  To thame he byrlis and skynkis fast but weir,

  And with sik wordis comfortis thar drery cheir:

  “O e my feris and deir frendis,” quod he,

  “Of bywent perrellis not ignorant bene we.

  e haue sustenyt grettar dangeris onkend,

  Lyke as heirof God sal mak sone ane end.

  The rage of Silla, that huge swelth in the see,

  e haue eschapit, and passit eik haue he

  The euer rowtand Charibdis rolkis fell;

  The craggis quhar monstruus Ciclopes dwell

  he ar expert. Pluk vp our hartis, I ou pray,

  This dolorus dreid expell and do away.

  Sum tyme heiron to think may help perchance:

  By diuerss cacis, seir perrellis and sufferance

  Onto Itale we ettill, quhar destany

  Has schape for ws, in rest and quiet, herbry;

  Predestinat is thar Troy sal ryss agane —

  Beis stowt on prosper forton to remane.”

  Syk plesand wordis carpand he has furth brocht,

  Set his mynd trublit mony grewouss thocht,

  With feneit comfort by his cheyr outwart

  The dolorus payn hyd deip gravyn in hart.

  Hys feris has this praye ressauyt raith

  And to thar met addressis, it to graith,

  Hynt of the hydis, maid the bowkis bair,

  Rent furth the entralis, sum in taileis schare,

  Syne brochit flykerand, sum gobbettis of lyre

  Kest in caldronys, and othir sum bet the fyre;

  Thame to refresch thus all the cost on lenth

  Sped thame with fude to recover thar strenth,

  On the greyn gers sat doune, and fillit thaim syne

  Of fat venyson and nobill auld wyne.

  Quhen hungir thus with metis was chasit away

  And dischis drawin, than with lang sermond thai

  Bewalit thar feris lossit on the flude:

  Betwix gude hope and dreid in dowt thai stude

  Quhidder thai war levand or tholit extreme ded all;

  Thai answer nocht set thai oft pleyn and call.

  Bot principally the pietefull Eneas

  Regratis oft the hard fortoune and cace

  Of stern Orontes new drownyt in the sey,

  And now Amycus harm complenys he,

  Now hym alone the cruel fate of Lycus,

  Now strang Gyan, now stalwart Cloanthus.

  C f marginal note setts; L B marginal note or settis.

  Nympha may be clepit a spowss or a damysell. Bot thai bein taken wyth poetis for goddessis of woddis, wildirness, fludis or wellis, and Nympha is a generall naym to all syk. Nymphis of wellis bein callit Naydes; of hillis or montanys, Oreades; of woddis and forestis, Dryades; of salt fludis, Nereides; of flouris, Napee; and Hamadriades ar feneit to grow and de wyth the tre, as quha wald say the sawll of the tre.

  e sall ondirstand Virgill in all partis of his prosess, quhat maner or fasson he discrivis ony man at the begynnyng, sa continewys he of that samin person all thro, and Eneas in all his wark secludis from all vylle offyce; bot as twychand materris of pyety or devotion, thar labowris he euer wyth the first, as e may se in the beginyng of the vi buke.

  Thocht sum wald say, perchans, that in Affrik bein na hartis, therto answeris Landinus that, albeit perchans now ther be nain, in tha days tha war not to seyk, or thocht in the ferther partis of Affrik be nain, in the hiddir partis, quharto was Eneas dryve, ther beyn mony.

  or gydaris.

  Acestes, kyng of Sycilly; of quham in the first c. of the thrid buke.

  Sylla and Charybdis bein twa gret dangeris in the Sycill sey; of quham in the vi and viii c. of the thrid buyk.

  Off thir Cyclopes alsso in the ix and x c. of the thrid buyk.

  Wyne the eldar the bettir, sa that it be fresch, and euery man knawis vennyson owt of ply tynys the sesson.

  Quhou Iove beheld the large costis on fer

  And how Venus carpis with Iupiter.

  Gone was the day and all thar lang sermoun

  Quhen Iupiter, from his heich speir, adoun

  Blent on the sailrife seys and erth tharby,

  With pepill dwell
yng on costis fer syndry,

  Heich in the hevynnys top he baid hoverand

  And of Lyby beheld graithly the land.

  Within his breist on diuerss curis as he thus

  Musys and thynkis, ontill hym spak Venus

  All dolorus, hir eyn full of brycht teris:

  “O thou,” quod sche, “quhilk governys, rewlis and steris

  Baith goddis and men be thyne etern empyre,

  And oft affrays with thundyr and wyldfyre,

  Quhou mycht myne Ene sa gretly the offend?

  Or quhat mycht Troianys trespas, quhilk now at end

  Ar brocht and sufferit, sa feill corsis laid ded

  Throu owt the warld debarrit in euery sted

  And drevin from Itale? Thou hecht vmquhill, perfay,

  Of thame suld cum, efter this mony a day,

  The worthy Romanys, and of Troianys ofspring

  Princis of power our sey and land to ryng.

  Quhat wikkit counsale, fader, has turnyt thi thocht?

  Forsuyth at Troys distructioune, as I mocht,

  I tuke comfort heirof, thinkand but baid

  That hard wanwerd suld follow fortoun glaid.

  Bot it the sammyn myschance persewis thame sayr,

  In syndry dangeris cachit heir and thair.

  Of thair travell quhat end grantis thou, gret kyng?

  Sen Anthenor mycht throu myd ostis thring

  Of Grekis, and perss the soundis Ilyria,

  And sovirly pass the strait regionys alswa

  Of Liburnanys, and our Tymavy the flude,

  Quharat nyne movthis rynnand as it war wode

  The hillis resoundis, sa rudly doith it rowt,

  And like a sey bettis on the brays abowt;

  Thar netheless of Padva the cite

  A dwelling place for Troianys biggit has he,

  And nemmyt the pepill efter hym, and full or

  The armys of Troy has set vp in memor:

  Bot we thi blude, thi kynrent and ofspring,

  To quham in hevin thou grantis a place to ryng,

  Schame forto say, all throw the feid of ane,

  Has lossit our schippis, and ar betrasit ilkane,

  And fer from Itale bene withhaldin eik —

  Is this reward ganand for thame ar meik?

  Is this the honour done to thame bene godlyke?

  Restoris thou wss on sik wyss our kynryke?”

  Smylyng sum deil, the fader of goddis and men

  With that ilk sweit vissage, as we ken,

  That mesys tempestis and makis the hevynnys cleir,

  First kyssit his child, syne said on this maneir:

  “Away sik dreid, Cytherea, be nocht efferd,

  For thi lynage onchangit remanys the werd.

  As thou desyris, the cite salt thou se,

  And of Lavyne the promyst wallis hie.

  Eik thou salt rayss abuf the sterrit sky

  The manfull Eneas and hym deify.

  My sentence is nocht alterit as thou trastis;

  Bot I sal schaw the, sen sik thochtis the thrastis,

  And heir declair of destaneis the secreit,

  Full mony heris tofor thai be compleit.

  This Eneas, with hydwyss bargannyng,

  In Itale frawart pepill sal doune thring,

  Syne efter statut lawis for tha men

  And beld townys and wal his citeis then.

  Quhen thre someris in Latium or Itail

  And thre wynteris he rungyn has all haill

  Fra tyme Rutilyanys bene subdewit in fecht,

  That the ong child, quhilk now Ascanyvs hecht

  And to surname clepit Iulus sans faill,

  For he in Ilion was of the blude ryale,

  Quhill that of Troy and Ilion stude the ryng,

  Thretty lang twelfmonthis rolling our sal ryng,

  From Lavyne realm the seyt translait alswa

  And forcely wall the cite lang Alba.

  Thar sal thre hundreth eris togidder remane

  The ryng vnder the pepill Hectoriane,

  Quhil Ilya, nun and dochter of a kyng,

  Consavit of Mars, twa twynnys do furth bring;

  Than with the glitterand wolf skyn our his aray,

  Cled in his nuryss talbert glaid and gay,

  Romulus sal the pepill ressaue and weld,

  And he the mercial wallis of Rome sal beld,

  And efter his name cal the pepill Romanys.

  To thir folkis quhou lang thar ryng remanys,

  Nowder term of space nor boundis of seneory

  Nane wil I set, for to thame grant haue I

  Perpetual empyre, bot end to lest,

  Apirsmert Iuno, that with gret onrest

  Now cummyrris erd, sey and ayr,” quod he,

  “Sal turn hir mynd bettir ways and with me

  Fostir the Romanys, lordis of al erdly geir,

  And Latyne pepill kepe bath in payce and weir.

  This is determyt, this lykis the goddis, I wyss.

  Eftyr mony lustris and eris ourslydyn is,

  The tyme sal cum quhen Anchises ofspring

  The realm of Pthythia in bondage sal doune thring,

  And eik of Myce subdew the regioune large,

  And vndir thar lordschip dant al Grece and Arge,

  Cesar of nobill Troiane blude born salbe,

  Quhilk sal thempyre delait to the occiane see,

  And to the sternys vpspring sal the fame

  Of Iulius, that takyn haith hys name

  From Iulus, thi nevo, the gret kyng,

  As prince discend of his blude and ofspring,

  Quham, efter this, sovir of thyne entent,

  Chargit with the spule of the orient,

  Amang the nowmyr of goddis ressaue thou sall,

  And as a god men sal him clep and call.

  The cruel tyme sone therefter sal cess,

  And weris stanche, al salbe rest and pess;

  Ancyant faith and valiant knychthed,

  With chaste religioune, sal than the lawys led;

  The dreidful portis salbe schet, but faill,

  Of Ianus tempill, the takynar of bataill;

  With hard irne bandis claspit fast in cage,

  Of wykkit bargane tharin the furyus rage

  Set apon grisly armour in his seyt,

  And with ane hundreth brasyn cheneis grete

  Behynd hys bak hard bund hys handis tway,

  The horribil tyrrant with bludy mouth sal bray.”

  This beand said, Iupiter ful evyn

  Hys son Mercury send doune from the hevyn,

  So that of Cartage baith realm and new cite

  To luge the Troianys suld all reddy be,

  Less than Dido, the destany mysknawand,

  Wald thame expell hyr boundis or hyr land.

  He with gret fard of weyngis flaw throu the sky

  And to the cuntre of Lyby come in hy,

  Thar dyd hys charge, and the folkis of Cartage

  Thar ferss mudis and hartis gan asswage

  At the plesour of the god, quhilk thame taucht.

  And first of othir, the quene hir self hass kaucht

  Towart the Troianys a ful frendly mynd

  As on to thame tilbe bowsum and kynd.

  Iove or Iupiter by the gentillis was clepit the mast soueran god, fader of goddis and men, and all the otheris war bot haldyn as poweris dyuerss of this Iupiter, callit “iuuans pater,” the helply fadir; bot quham we cleip swa I haf writyn in my proloug of the x buyk. Of Iupiter, as writis Sanct Augustyn in his volume clepit the Cyte of God, in the vii buke and ix c. therof, thus writis poetis:

  Iupiter omnipotens, regum rex ipse, deusque,

  Progenitor genitrixque deum, deus vnus, et omnes.

  “Iupiter omnipotent, king of kingis, and god, fader and moder of goddis, an god, and all the goddis.” Of him largly spekis he alsswa, reprevand the gentile opinionys, in the sam volum, in the first buk and xi c. therof; and in the xii c. repreuys the opynion of Plato, that haldis God the sawll
of the warld. Of Iupiter sais the poet Lucan:

  Iupiter est quodcunque vides, quocunque moueris.

  “Iupiter is all that euer thou seis, and all that euer movis.” Bot quhou ther beyn thre syndry Iupiteris, reid Iohn Bocas in his Genealogy of Goddis, in the first c. of the xi buyk, quhar he tretis of Iupiter, kyng of Crete, quhilk was Iupiter the thrid; and ther at the full of all the fiction and fabillis therof, and quhy he is clepit gret god, and of this Iupiter in the recollectis of Troy. Of the secund Iupiter, kyng of Archad and syne of Athenes, quhilk slew Lycaon and was fadyr to Dardanus, of quham cam the Troianys, he writis in the first c. of his v buyk. And of Iupiter the first, callit Lysanyan, and kyng Athenes, in the ii c. of his ii buke, quhar he tretis the proprieteis of Iupiter the planeyt. And now to speyk of Iupiter the planete, quhilk is secund in ordour, and vnermaste nyxt Saturn. He is gentyll and meyk, and full of gud influens, and profitabill aspectis, in sa fer that gif he conionys with a frawart planete, sik as Mars or Saturn, he meysis ther wreth. Gif he conionys with a meyn planete, as the Sone, the Moyn or Mercury, he drawis thaim and makis inclyn to his gudness. Quhen he conionys wyth Venus, or is participant wyth her, as he stud in the ascendent at this tym of Eneas landyng, quhilk is feneit the commonyng betwix hym and Venus, than, as heir apperis, batakynnys all gud; for Iove is clepit “Fortuna maior,” and Venus “Fortuna minor.” He completis his curss in xii eris, and by this constylation betwix him and Venus, Seruius ondirstandis felicite tocum be a woman, as followis be Dido. And that Venus was sorofull, that is to knaw, discendent, and nocht in hir strength, signifeis the sorofull departyng and myschans of Dido.

  Becauss ther is mension of Anthenor, quham many, followand Gwydo De Columnis, haldis tratour, sum thing of him will I speyk, thocht it may suffis for his purgation that Virgill heir hayth namyt him, and almaste comparit him to the mast soueran Eneas, quhilk comparison na wyss wald he haf maid for lak of Eneas, gif he had bein tratour. Bot to schaw his innocens, lat vs induce the mast nobill and famus historian and mylky flud of eloquens, gret Tytus Lyuius, quhilk of Anthenor and Eneas sais thir wordis in his beginning: “It is weill wyt that, Troy beand takin, in all the otheris Troianys crudelite was exersit, exceppand twa, Anthenor and Eneas, to quham the Grekis did na harm, bot abstenyt fra all power of batall as twichyng thaim, becauss of the rayson of hospitalite, for thai had beyn ther ald hostis, and all tymys thai war solistaris and warkkaris to rendyr Helen and to procur paice.” Now I beseik ow, curtess redaris, considdir gif this be punctis of traison, or rathar of honour, and wey the excellent awtorite of Virgill and Tytus Lyuius wyth our pevach and corrupt Gwido. Landinus sais als of this Anthenor that, for his sone Glaucus followit Paris, he depechit him of him, and for that sam caus, quhen he was aftyr slan by Agamenon, he maid na duyll for his ded.