Complete Works of Virgil

by Virgil

  Is now conform onto thy moderis sawys.”

  And scarsly haith he all thir wordis spokkyn,

  Quhen that the clowd abowt thame swith was brokkyn

  And vanyst tyte away amang the ayr.

  Vp stude Enee, in cleir lycht schynyng fair,

  Lyke till ane god in body and in face

  For his moder grantit hir son sik grace,

  Hys crysp harys war plesand on to se,

  Hys favour gudly, full of fresch bewte,

  Lyke till ane ongker with twa lauchand eyn —

  Als gracyus fortobehald, I weyn,

  As evoir boyn by craft of hand weill dycht,

  Or as we se the burnyst siluer brycht,

  Or it the quhite polist marbill stane schyne

  Quhen thai beyn circulit about with gold sa fyne.

  Or evir thai wist, befor thame all inhy,

  Onto the queyn thus said he reuerently:

  “Hym quham e seik behald now present heir,

  Enee the Troian, delyverit from danger

  Of storm and wallys of the Libiane see.

  O thou only, quhilk rewth hess and piete

  On the ontellabill pyne of the Troianys,

  Quhilk ws, the Grekis levyngis and remanys,

  Ourset with all maner necessiteis

  And euery perrell baith be landis and seis,

  Within thy cyte ressauys till herbry

  And to famyliar frendschip and ally;

  To quyte the, rendring ganand thankis rycht,

  That lyis nocht, Dido, intill our mycht,

  Nor all the laif of the Troian mene,

  Throw out this warld skatterit quhar euer thai be,

  Bot the hie goddis, gif ony deite takis tent

  To thame at petuus beyn and pacient,

  For iustice eik gif euer reward beis get,

  And rychtwyss myndis ramembrit and nocht foret,

  Thai ilke goddis mot dewly reward the

  Accordyng thy desert in all degre.

  Quhou happy and ioyus was that tyme serene

  That the producit hess, sa nobill a queyn!

  Quhou wirschipfull eik war thai parentis of mycht

  Quhilk the engendrit hess, sa worthy a wight!

  Quhill fludis rynnys in the sey but dowt,

  Quhil sonnys schaddow circlys hillis about,

  And the firmament starris doith conteyn,

  Thy honour and thy fame sall evir be grene,

  And thy renown remane perpetualy,

  Throu all realmys quharto that drevyn am I.”

  Thus sayand, til his frend Ilioneus

  Hys rycht hand gave he, and to Serestus

  Gave his left hand, syne welcumit euery man,

  The strang Cloanthus and the stowt Gyan.

  The queyn Dido, astonyst a litill wie

  At the first syght, behaldand his bewte,

  Awondring be quhat wyss he cummyn was,

  Onto him thus scho said with myld face:

  “Son of the goddes, quhat hard aduersite

  Throw owt so feill perrellis hass catchit the?

  Quhat forss and violens drave the hyddir till ws,

  Apon thir costis that beyn so dangerus?

  Art thou not theilk compacient Eneas

  That apon haly Venus engendrit was

  Be the Troian Anchises, as thai say,

  Besyde the flude Symois in Phrigia?

  Weill I remembir, to Sydon the cyte

  Sen Tewcer com, banyst from his cuntre,

  Sekand supple at Belus, and sum new land;

  My fader than, Belus, I vndirstand,

  The rich realm of Cipir wastit by weir,

  And wan it syne and gave it to Tewcer,

  And evir syne of Troy, that gret cyte,

  The distructioun hass beyn weill knaw to me,

  Thy name alsso, and pryncis of Grece sans faill

  With quham thou faught seir tymys in batale.

  This ilk Tewcer hys ennemys of Troy

  Rusyt and lovit, and with excellent ioy

  Full oft him self extoll and vant he wald

  Of Troiane blude tobe discend of ald.

  Tharfor haue done, gallandis, cum on our way,

  Entir within our lugyng, we ou pray.

  Siclike fortoun, throu mony feill danger,

  At last onto this land hass dryve me heir;

  Thus, nocht mysknawand quhat payn is ennoy to dre,

  I lernyt to help all tholis aduersyte.”

  Rehersyng this, convoys sche Eneas

  Towart the place quhar hir ryche palyce was,

  And tharwith eik commandis halyday,

  Throwe owt the cyte all suldbe game and play.

  And netheless, the sammyn tyme sendis sche

  Down to his folkis at the cost of the see

  Twenty fed oxin, large, gret and fyne,

  And ane hundreth bustuus bowkis of swyne,

  Ane hundreth lammys and thar moderis tharby,

  With other presandis, and wyne habundandly.

  The place within maist gloriusly and gay

  Adornyt was all our with ryall array;

  Amyd the hie rufe of the mekill hall

  For the banket mony rich claith of pall

  Was spred, and mony badkyn wonderly wrocht.

  Of siluer playt ane huge weght furth was brocht

  To set on burdis, and veschell forgit of gold

  Quharin was grave (maste curyus tobehold)

  The valeant dedis of forfaderis past by

  Sen first begynnyng of thar geneology,

  Man eftir man lyke as thai dyd succeid,

  In lang rememberans of thar worthyheid.

  Ene, for that his faderly piete

  Wold nocht suffir hys mynd in rest tobe,

  In haist Achates to the schippis send

  To schaw Ascaneus all fra end till end,

  Onto the cite that he onon war brocht;

  On ong Ascaneus was haill the faderis thocht.

  Seir gyftis eik he bad bryng with him syne,

  Hynt and deliuerit from the Troian rewyne —

  Ane rych garmont brusyt with stife gold wyre,

  The purpour mantill and rycht quent attyre

  That pliabill was with the gilt bordour large,

  Sum tyme array of Helene, queyn of Arge,

  Quhilk from the realm of Myce with hir sche brocht,

  Quhen scho to Troy forbodyn hymeneus socht,

  This wondrus gift gottin at hir moder Lyda;

  And forthir eik, of fair Illionya

  He bad hym bryng with hym the ceptre wand

  Quhilum Priamus eldast douchter bair in hand,

  The collar pight with orient peirlys als

  That sche vmquhile wair about hir hals,

  Off gold alsso the closs or dowbill crown

  Set full of precyus stonys enveroun.

  To do his charge, Achates bissely

  The way towart the schippis socht in hy.

  Quhou that Venus, all perrellis to seclude,

  Send Cupide in Ascaneus similitude.

  In the meyn tyme, Venus a sle wile socht

  By new consait in hir mynd quhou scho mocht,

  In form the vissage of sweit Ascaneus tho

  Transformyt, send hir awin son Cupido

  To beir thir presandis, so that the amorus queyn

  He mycht inflambe, within hir banys greyn

  The hoyt fyre of lufe to kyndill and steir:

  For in hir mynd scho had a maner feir

  Of this lynnage waverand and ontrew

  (Tyrrhyanys dowbill tongit weill sche knew);

  Of cruell Iuno the dreid brynt hir inwart,

  With mony thocht ran hastely tyll hir hart.

  Onto the weyngit god of luf, but weir,

  For thy scho spak, and said on this maner:

  “O thow my child, my strenth and my gret mycht,

  O thou my son, quhilk only art so wight

  That thou the dartis of Iupiter dar ganestand,

  Quharwi
th he slew Typhon, the fell gyand,

  To the I cum, to the I seik,” quod sche,

  “Lawly askyn thy power and supple.

  Quhat wyss thy broder Eneas, but dowt,

  Is blawyn and warpit euery cost about,

  Of wykkit Iuno throu the cruell invy,

  All this to the is manifest, weill wait I,

  For quhen I wepit tharfor, thow murnyt also.

  Now hym withhaldis the Phenycian Dido

  And culeis hym with slekit wordis sle,

  Bot to quhat fyne, richt sair it dredis me,

  Sall turn this plesand gestnyng in Cartage,

  Quhilk is the burgh of Iuno — for in hir rage

  As is begun the mater sall not remane.

  Quharfor I ombethynk me of a trane

  This queyn first forto cawch in luffis lace,

  And so with flambe of amouris till enbrace

  That by na mycht tharfra scho may remove,

  Bot strangly sall with me Eneas lufe.

  Hark my consait, quhat wyss this may be done:

  The riall child Ascaneus full sone,

  On quham maist is my thocht, grathis to pass

  At command of his fader Eneas

  To the cyte of Cartage, and gyftis seir

  Tursis with hym of the ald Troian geir

  Quhilk fra the storm of sey is left ontynt

  And from the fyre remanys it onbrynt.

  Hym sall I sownd slepand steill away

  And hyde apon the hight of Citheray

  Or in Idalium, my hallowit schaw,

  That our dissait he nowder persave ne knaw,

  Nor onprovisitly cum thidder, thocht he mycht.

  Tak thou his lyknes, na mair bot a nycht,

  Fortobegile Queyn Dido of Cartage.

  My child, cleith the with on kend childis vissage,

  So that quhen scho all blythast haldis the

  Into hir skyrt perchance, or on hir kne,

  At hir fest ryall sittand at the tabill

  Amang danteis and wynys amyabill,

  And gan the forto hals and to enbrace,

  Kyssand sweitly thi quhyte nek and thi face,

  Than may thou slely thi vennamus ardent fyre

  Of fraudfull luf amyd hir breste inspyre.”

  The god of luf obeys hastely

  Hys moderis wordis, and laid his weyngis by,

  And blythly steppis furth lyke Iulus.

  Bot Venus to this ilke Ascaneus

  The sweit vapour of plesand sleip and rest

  On all the membris of his body kest,

  And softly the goddess in hyr lap hym bair

  Amyd hyr schaw of Idalium, quhar

  Tendir mariolyne and sweit flowris thar out

  With thar dulce smell hym schaddowit rownd about.

  Of Typhon or Typheus, in the xi c. of the ix buke.

  Of the banket, and of the gret deray,

  And quhou Cupyd inflambis the lady gay.

  Now passys furth Cupyd, full diligent

  Fortyll obey hys moderis commandment,

  Berand with hym the kyngly gyftis scheyn

  Quhilkis suldbe present to the ryall queyn,

  Blythly followyng hys ledar Achates.

  And as thai come, the quene was set at dess

  Vndir hir gloryus stentit capitale;

  Amang provd tapetis and mych rych apparale

  Hir place scho tuke, as was the gyss that tyde,

  Ourspred with gold amyd a beddis syde.

  Abuf all othir the fadir Eneas,

  And syne ong gallandis of Troy, to mete set was

  Apon rich beddis sydis, per ordour,

  Ourspred with carpettis of the fyne purpour.

  To wesch thar handis seruandis brocht watir cleir,

  Syne breyd in baskettis, eftyr thar maner,

  With soft serviatis to mak thar handis cleyn.

  Fyfty damycellis tharin seruyt the queyn,

  Quhilkis bair the cure eftir thar ordour haill

  On purvyance of howshald and vittaill,

  To graith the chalmeris and the fyris beld.

  Ane hundreth madynnys had scho ong of eld

  And elyke mony of the sam age ong swanys

  The cowrsis and the mesys, for the nanys,

  To set on burdis, sik as we call sewaris,

  And to fill cowpys, goblettis and eweris.

  And mayratour, the Tyrryanys halely

  At the blith ettis flokkis to the maniory,

  And as thai come, thai war down set onone

  On brusyt or payntit tapetis eueryone.

  Thai mervellit the rich gyftis of Eneas;

  Apon Ascaneus feill awondrit was,

  The schynand vissage of the god Cupyte

  And hys dissemblit slekit wordis quhite,

  The precyus mantill and quent garmond also;

  Bot principaly the fey onsylly Dydo,

  For the myscheif to cum predestinat,

  Mycht not refreyn nor satisfy hir consait,

  Bot ardently behaldis all on steir,

  Now lykand weill the child, and now the geir.

  As Cupyd hyngis about Eneas halss,

  Enbrasit in armys, feneand luf full fals,

  By semlant as he his fader had beyn,

  Full slely than he blent apon the queyn.

  Scho with hir sycht and all hir mynd rycht thar

  Hym to behalf sat musand in a stayr;

  Sumtyme onwar hym in hir bosum held sche,

  Mysknawand, allace! by fals subtilite,

  Quhou the gret god of luf with all hys mycht

  Wachit forto dissave hir, wofull wight.

  Bot he, remembering on his moderis command,

  The mynd of Sycheus, hir first husband,

  Furth of hir thocht peyss and peyss begouth dryve,

  And with scharp amouris of the man alyve

  Gan hir dolf spreit forto preveyn and steir,

  Had beyn dyssvsit fra luf that mony eir.

  Eftyr the first pawss, and that cowrss neir gane,

  And voduris and fat trunschuris away tane,

  The goblettis gret with myghty wynys in hy

  Thai fill, and coverit set in by and by.

  Than rayss the noyss quhill dynnyt rufe and wallis,

  So thik the vocis fleys throu the large hallys.

  From the gilt sparris hang down mony a lycht,

  The flambe of torchis venquyst the dyrk nycht.

  The queyn than askis of gold for the nanys

  A weghtty cowp, set all with precyus stanys,

  Bad fill it ful of the rych Ypocras,

  Into the quhilk gret Belus accustomyt was

  To drynk vmquhile, and fra hym euery kyng

  Discend of hys genology and ofspring.

  And quhen silens was maid our all the hall,

  “O Iupiter,” quod scho, “on the we call,

  For this rayson, that by wyss men is said

  To gestis thou grantis the herbry glaid.

  We the beseik this day be fortunabill

  To wss Tyrranyanys, happy and agreabill

  To strangearis cummyn fra Troy on thar vayage,

  In tyme cummyng remembrance of our vsage

  To our successioun and posterite;

  The gevar of glaidness, Bachus, heir mot be,

  And gentil Iuno to ws fauorabill and meik;

  And ou, myne awyn Tyrryanys, I command eik

  Hallow this fest with blythnes and with ioy,

  Bair frendly falloschip to thir noblis of Troy.”

  This beand said, the cowpe with the rich wyne

  Apon the burd scho blyssit, and eftir syne

  With hir lyp first tharof tuke bot a taist,

  And carpand blythly gaif it Bythyus in haist.

  He merely ressavis the remand tayss,

  All owt he drank, and quhelmyt the gold on his face;

  Syne al the nobillis tharof drank abowt —

  I wil nocht say that ilkman playt cop owt.

  Bot on his gylt harp berdy
t Iopas,

  Playand the gestis of the gret Atlas,

  The monys change and oblike cowrss sang he,

  And quhy the son eclipsis, as we se;

  Quharof mankynd is maid he schew ful plane,

  Quharof bestis, and quhat engendris rayn,

  Quharof cummys thundir and fyry levyn;

  The rany Hyades, quhilk ar the sternys sevyn,

  And eik Arcturus, quhilk we cal the laid stern,

  The dowbill Vrsys weil couth he decern,

  And quhy the son into the wyntir tyde

  Hastis in the sey sa fast his hede to hyde,

  Quhy makis the nycht that tyme sa large delay,

  And in somyr quhy sa lang is the day.

  The gyld and ryot Tyrryanys dowblit for ioy,

  Syne the rerd followit of the onkeris of Troy.

  Onhappy Dido alsso set all hir mycht

  With sermondis seir forto prolong the nycht,

  The langsum lufe drynkand inwart ful cald.

  Full mony demand of Priam speir scho wald

  And questionys seir twichyng Hector alswa;

  Now with quhais armour the son of Aurora

  Come to the sege, and now inquir wald sche

  Quhat kynd horss Diomede had in the melle,

  Quhou large of statur was ferss Achillis.

  “Haue done, my gentill gest, sone tell ws this

  Per ordour,” says scho, “fra the begynnyng, all

  The dissait of the Grekis and the fall

  Of our pepill and of Troy the rewyne;

  Thi wandring be the way thou schaw ws syne,

  For now the sevynt symmyr hyddir careis the,

  Wilsum and errant, throu euery land and see.”

  C L B marginal note or oblique.

  Eneas first excusys hym, and syne

  Addressis to reherss Troys rewyne.

  Thai cessit all atanys incontinent

  With mouthis closs and vissage takand tent.

  Prince Eneas, from the hie bed, with that,

  Into hys sege ryall quhar he sat,

  Begouth and sayd, “Thi desyre, lady, is

  Renewing of ontellabill sorow, I wyss,

  To schaw how Grekis dyd spule and distroy

  The gret rychess and lamentabill realm of Troy,

  And huge mysery quhilk I thar beheld

  (Quharof myself a gret part bayr and feld),

  Quhat Myrmydon or Gregion Dolopes

  Or knycht wageor to cruel Vlixes —

  Sik materis to reherss or it to heir,

  Mycht thame conteyn fra weping mony a teir?

  And now the hevin ourquhelmys the donk nycht,

  Quhen the declynyng of the sternys brycht

  To sleip and rest perswadis our appetite.

  Bot sen thou hast sic plesour and delyte

  To knaw our chancis and fal of Troy in weyr,

  And schortly the last end tharof wald heir,

  Albeit my spreit abhorris and doith gryss