Complete Works of Virgil

by Virgil

  Amang the montanys in the wild forest,

  The rynnyng hundis of cuppillys sone thai kest,

  And our the clewys and the holtis, belyve,

  The wild beistis doun to the dail thai dryve.

  Lo! thar the rays, rynnyng swyft as fyre,

  Drevyn from the hyghtis, brekkis out at the swyre;

  Ane othir part, syne ondyr mycht thou se

  The herd of hartis with thar hedis hie,

  Ourspynnerand with swyft courss the plane vaill,

  The hepe of duste vpstowryng at thar taill,

  Fleand the hundis, levand the hie montanys.

  And Ascanyus, the child, amyd the planys,

  Ioyus and blith hys startling steid to assay,

  Now makis hys rynk ondir, and now this way

  Now prekis furth by thir and now by thame,

  Langyng, amang faynt frayt beistis ontame,

  The fomy bair, doun from the hyllis hycht,

  Or the dun lyoun discend, recontyr he mycht.

  In the meyn quhile, the hevynnys al about

  With fellon noyss gan to rummyll and rowt.

  A bub of weddir followyt in the tayll,

  Thik schour of rayn myddillit ful of haill.

  The Tyriane mene skalis wydequhar,

  And al the gallandis of Troy fled heir and thar,

  And eik with thame the ong Ascanyus,

  Nevo to Kyng Dardan and to Venus.

  For feir, to diuerss stedis throu the feildis,

  Thai seik to haldis, howsis, hyrnys and beildis:

  The ryveris rudly ruschit our hillis bedene.

  Within a cave is entrit Dido queyn,

  And eik the Troiane duke, al thame alane,

  By aventur, as thai eschewyt the rane.

  Erth, the first moder, maid a takyn of wo,

  And eik of wedlok the pronuba Iuno,

  And of thar cuplyng wittering schew the ayr:

  The flambe of fyreslaucht lychtnyt heir and thar

  And on the hillys hie toppis, but less,

  Sat murnand nymphis, hait Oreades.

  This wes the formaste day of hir glaidnes

  And first morrow of hir wofull distress.

  For nother the fasson nor the maner sche

  Attendis now, nor fame ne honeste,

  Ne from thens furthwart Dido ony mor

  Musis on lufe secrete, as of befor,

  But clepis it spousage, and with that fayr name

  Clokyt and hyd hir cryme of oppyn schame.

  C marginal note Gnyppand.

  Of Fame that monstre, and Kyng Hyarbas fury

  And how fra Iove wes send the god Mercury.

  The fame heirof, belyve, gan walx and spreid

  Throu cheif citeis of all Affrik on breid:

  Fame is myscheif, quham na harm vndyr the lyft

  In motioun nor sterage is mair swyft.

  Movand scho growis, and, passand our alquhar,

  Hir strenth encressis and walxis mair and mayr.

  Lytil, for feir, the fyrst tyme semys sche,

  Sone eftir rysys to the starnys on hie;

  Apon the grond scho walkis fra sted to sted,

  And vp amang the clowdis hydis hyr hed.

  Throu greif of goddis commovyt, and nocht glaid,

  Erth, the gret moder, bayr this child, as is said,

  Last systir to Ceyos and Enchelades,

  Ane huge, horribill and strange monstre, but less,

  Spedy of fut, and on weyngis swyft as wynd.

  Quhou mony fedderis bene on hir body fynd,

  Als mony walkryfe eyn lurkis thar vndir,

  Als feil tongis, that for totell is wondir,

  With als feil mouthis carpis sche and beris,

  Als mony hess scho prik vpstandand eris.

  By nycht scho fleys amyd the hevyn throu owt,

  Circuland the schaddow of the erth about

  With huge fard, nother cuyr gevand nor keip

  Hir eyn anys to rest nor tak a sleip;

  Al day scho syttis, wachand byssely,

  Apon the top of nobillis howsis, to spy,

  Or on thir princis palyce with towris hie,

  And with hir noyss gret citeis affrays sche —

  Als weil ramembring feneit and schrewit sawys

  As scho the treuth and verite furth schawis.

  Thys ilke wensch, that tyme, with mony a taill,

  Glaidly this rumour gan throu the pepill skaill,

  Telland the thing wrocht, and not wrocht, togiddir;

  Quhou of the Troiane blude wes cummyn thiddir

  Ene, with quham the fair Dido be wed

  Dedenyt, and as husband go to bed;

  And how the wyntir sesson betwix thame tway

  Thai spend in lang reffell, lust and play,

  Of thar realmys na thing remembring,

  In fowle delyte ybond by Cupyd kyng.

  Thys menskless goddes in euery mannys mouth

  Skalys thir newis est, west, north and sowth.

  Hir courss, onon, but langar tarying,

  Addressys scho ontill Hyarbas kyng,

  With hir sawis his mynd inflambyng as fyre,

  Prouokand hym to wreth and fellon ire.

  To Amon he wes son, beget alswa

  Apon the maid revist Garamantida;

  Within his large realmys huge braid

  Ane hundreth tempillis to Iupiter he maid,

  Ane hundreth altaris, quharon the walkryfe fyre

  He dedicate, altymys byrnand schyre,

  Set wachis in honour of goddis perpetuelly,

  Of beistis blude the fat grond nevir dry,

  Strowit with garlandis and flowris of diuerss kynd.

  This ilke kyng, wod wroith, half owt of mynd,

  And for thir schrewyt rumouris sor ammovit,

  In presens of the goddis quhilk he luffit,

  Befor the altar, to Iupiter, as thai say,

  Hevand vp handis, devotly thus gan pray:

  “Almychty Iove”, quod he, “quhamto, feill syss,

  On brusyt beddis hie fest and sacryfyss

  Of Mawrusya the pepill hantis thus,

  Offeryng to the the honour of Bachus,

  Consideris thou this? or quhidder, fader, gif we

  For nocht the dredis, quhen thou lattis thundir fle?

  Or gif thi fyreslauch, the blynd clowdis within,

  To fley our myndis, invane makis noys and dyn?

  one woman, lait exile and vagabund

  Com to our boundis, that by pryce bocht the grund

  A litil village to byg, and quhamto we

  For to manuyr gave the strand of the see,

  Quhamto our lawis and statutis we gart mak,

  Our mariage gan lychtly and forsaik,

  And in hir ryng hess tane Ene for lord.

  And now that secund Parys, of ane accord

  With his onworthy sort, skant half men beyn,

  Abufe his hed and halffettis, weil beseyn,

  Set lyke a mytir the Troiane foly hat,

  Hys hair enoynt weil pruneit vndir that,

  By reif mantemys hir suld owris be —

  Becauss onto thi templis dayly we

  Bryngis offerand and invane hallowis thi name.”

  With syk wordis Kyng Hyarbas at hame

  Makyng hys prayeris, and grippand the altar,

  Him hard onon almychty Iupiter,

  And hys eyn turnys towart the riall wallis

  Of Cartage, and thir luffaris (quhilkis so fallis

  At thai thar fame and gude renown foret),

  Syne thus said to Mercuryus, but let,

  And with sik maner charge gan hym direk:

  “Pass, son, inhaist, graith the wyndis in effek;

  Slyde with thi feddyrame to on Troiane prynce,

  Quhilk now in Cartage makis residence,

  Gevand no cuyr of citeis in Italy

  To hym ygrant by fatale destany.

  Do beir my message swyftly throw the skyis,

  Sa to hym thus my w
ordis on syk wyss:

  His derrest moder promist ws not that he

  Of hys gydyng sa faynt a man suldbe,

  Nor, for syk causys, hym delyverit twyss

  Furth of the Grekis handis, hys ennemyss;

  Bot at he suld haue beyn wyss, sage and grave,

  Hie seneoreis and gret empyre to have,

  And Itale dant, quhilk brandysis in battell,

  And, by his dedis, declair and cleyrly tell

  Hym cummyn of Teuceris hie genealogy,

  And to subdew the warldis monarchy.

  Of sa gret thingis thocht na wirschip hym steris,

  Nor for hys honour list not laubour as efferis,

  yt than, the fader aucht na wyss to envy

  That Ascanyus bruke Romys seneory.

  Speir quhat he beildis, or how that he dar dwell

  Amang a pepill salbe hys ennemyss fell.

  Hys lynnage tocum in Itale forettis he,

  And gevis na compt of Lavyne the cuntre.

  Byd hym mak saill. This is all in effek;

  Thiddir on our message thus we the direk”,

  Said Iupiter, and Mercur but arest

  Dressyt to obey hys gret faderis behest;

  And first ontill hys feyt fast buklyt he

  Hys goldyn weyngis, quharwith he doith fle,

  Quhen so hym lyst, abuf the fludis on hyght,

  Or on the erth, with gret fard and swyft flycht;

  Syne tuke his wand, quharwith, as that thai tell,

  The pail sawlis he cachis furth of hell,

  And other sum tharwith gan schet full hoyt

  Deip in the sorofull grisly hellys pote —

  Quharwith he makis folk sleip, magre thar hed,

  And revis fra othir al sleip, and to the ded

  Closis thar eyn, and brekis the stryngis tway —

  Throu help tharof he chasys the wyndis away,

  And trubly clowdis dyvidis in a thraw.

  Tho furth he fleys, till at the last he saw

  The heich top and sydis braid onevyn

  Of hard Atlas, baryng on his crown the hevyn,

  The mysty clowdis cirkilland his hed about

  (Quharon of fyrryn treis stant mony rowt,

  With wynd and storm full oft to schaik and blaw),

  Hys schulderis heildit with new fallyn snaw;

  Furth of the chyn of this ilk hasard auld

  Gret fludis ischis, and styf ise schokyllis cauld

  Doun from his stern and grysly berd hyngis.

  Heir first Mercur, with evynly schynand weyngis,

  Gan hym arest, and with hail fard fra thens

  Vnto the sey fludis maid hys discens.

  Lyke till a fowle that, endlang the cost syde,

  About the strandis, of fysch plentuus, and wyde,

  Fleys by the watyr, skummand the fludis law;

  Betwix the hevyn and erth, the sam wyss, flaw

  Mercury, clepit the child Cyllenyus,

  Discendyng from hys moder granscher thus,

  The sandy costis and desertis of Lyby,

  And eik the wyndis, persyng by and by.

  And, with the weyngit solys of hys feyt,

  As he of Cartage fyrst tred on the streyt,

  Eneas foundand towris he gan aspy,

  And garrand beild new lugyngis byssyly:

  Belt he wes with a swerd of mettale brycht

  Of quham the scawbart with brown iasp wes pight;

  His rych array dyd our hys schuldris hyng,

  Bet of a purpour claith of Tyre glittering,

  Fettysly stykkit with prynnyt goldyn thredis;

  Of mychty Didois gift wrocht all his wedis.

  Mercur recontris hym and said onon:

  “Of Cartage now the prowd wallis of stone

  Thou foundis,” quod he, “and biggis at al devyce

  A cite, excersyt intill a wyfis seruyce,

  Thyne awyn materis and realm foretting, allace!

  Hiddir onto the, from his bricht hevynly place,

  The governour of goddis heth me sent,

  Quhilk rewlys at will erd, hevyn and elyment;

  He bad me throw the skyis bair this charge:

  Quhat beildis thou heir in Lyby or Cartage?

  Or to quhat fyne or beleif takis on hand

  To waist thi tyme into this fremmyt land?

  Gif that na lavd ne honour move the list

  Of sa hie thingis as ar to the promyst,

  Nor thi selvyn thou wil not occupy

  To purchess thine awyn renown ne glory,

  yt than behald Ascanyus vpwalxing,

  And the gret hope of his seid and ofspring,

  Quhamtil the realm and kynryk of Itaill,

  With Romys boundis, beyn destinate, sans faill.”

  On syk wyss thus carpys Mercuryus,

  And in the myddis of his sermond, thus,

  He vanyst far away, I wait nevir quhar,

  Furth of this mortale syght, in the schyre ayr.

  Quhou Eneas hym grathys to depart

  To quhom Dido heir carpys with sayr hart.

  Bot than Ene half mad and dum stude als,

  Vpstart his hair, the voce stak in his hals.

  Sayr he langis to fle and to depart;

  And that sweit cuntre, on the tother part,

  To leif ful laith wes hym, or go at large.

  Astonyst he wes to syt sa hie a charge —

  Or dysobey the gret godis beheste

  (Allace! quhat suld he do? oneth he wist);

  Or with quhat wordis suld he now assay

  The amorus queyn forto requir and pray;

  Or on quhat wyss hys taill he mycht begyn;

  Baith to and fra compasyng, hys breist within,

  Feill purpossys for euery part about.

  And, at the last, thus as he stude in dout,

  Thys resson hym semyt fynaly the best:

  He callys to hym Mynestheus and Sergest

  And strang Cloanthus, and bad thai suld in hy

  Do graith hys schyppys and navyn secretly,

  And gaddir hys folkis towart the cost togydder,

  Armour and al thyng necessar bring thyddir,

  And to dissymyll, gif ony axit quhy

  Thai thus addressyt thar geyr sa suddanly.

  Hym self, he said, the meyn quhile, suld assay

  To purches leif to pass and go away,

  And wait hys tyme to speke tharof maist habill,

  Quhen that the queyn Dido, maist honorabil,

  Suld not beleif sa sone he kouth depart,

  Nor sa gret luf dissyvir mycht be na art.

  At hys command thai al glaidly furth went

  And bissely begouth speid hys entent.

  Bot sone the queyn persavyt al the slycht —

  Quhay may begile a luffer, day or nycht?

  Thar departing at hand fyrst scho aspyis,

  Dredyng all sovir thing, as is the gyss

  Of euery luffar altyme to stand in feir.

  This ilke cursyt Fame we spak of eyr

  Bair to the amorus queyn noyss and gan rown,

  “The schippis ar grathand, to pass thai mak thaim boun.”

  Quharfor, inpacient and myndles in hir rage,

  Scho wyskis wild throu the town of Cartage,

  Syk wyss as quhen thir nunnys of Bachus

  Ruschis and relis our bankis, brays and buss,

  Quhen, euery thryd eir, on thar payane gyss,

  Thar goddis feist thai hallow with lowd cryis,

  That, al the nycht, the mont of Cytheron

  Resoundis of thar clamour, quhar thai gone.

  And at the last, it thus, of hir fre will,

  Eftir lang musyng, scho spak Eneas tyll:

  “With dissymulance wenyt thou, onfaithfull wight,

  Thou mycht haue hyd fra me sa fals a slycht,

  And, myne onwyttyng, steill furth of my land?

  That nothir our gret lufe, promys, nor rycht hand

  Gevyn me vmquhile, may the heir withhald,
/>   Nor cruel deth of Didois corss so cald!

  Gif thou depart (and forthir quhat wald thou do,

  In wyntir sesson press graith thi navy, lo!)

  And the address to pass throu the wod see,

  Myd tyme quhen stormys and wyndis blaw maist hie —

  Art thou sa cruel? I put the cace, alsso,

  That to nane onkouth landis the list go

  Nother to fremmyt place, nor stedis will,

  Bot that auld Troy war yt vpstandand still;

  Aucht thou, it than, leif this weilfair and ioy,

  And in sik perrell seik throu the sey to Troy?

  Quhat! wilt thou fle from me? allace! allace!

  Be all thir teris trygland our my face,

  And be that rycht hand vmquhile thou me gave

  (Sen to my self nocht ellis left I have,

  Now wrachit catyve), be our treuth plychting eyk,

  And be our spowsage begunnyn, I the beseik,

  Gif euer ony thank I deservit towart the,

  Or ocht of myne to the wes leif”, quod sche,

  “Haue mercy of our lynnage reddy to spill;

  Gif tyme remanys yt thou heir prayeris will,

  This fremmyt mynd, I pray ou, do away.

  For the I haue beyn hatyt, this mony a day,

  With all the pepill of Affrik, and with the kyng

  That rewlys the land of Numyda and ryng;

  For the myne awyn Tyrianys ar with me wraith;

  For the is womanheid went and wirschip baith,

  And my first fame, lavd and renownye,

  Quharby I wes rasyt to the starnys hie.

  Reddy to de and my selvyn to spill,

  My sweit gest, quhamto thou me leif will?

  My gest, ha God! quhou al thyng now invane is,

  Quhen of my spowss nane othir name remanys!

  Bot quharto suld I my ded langar delay?

  Sal I abyde quhile thou be went away,

  And quhil myne awyn brothir, Pigmaleon,

  Bet down the wallis of my cite onon,

  Or stern Hyarbas, kyng of Getule,

  Led me away into captiuite?

  Bot, at the leist, tofor thi wayfleyng,

  Had I a child consavyt of thyne ofspryng,

  Gif I had ony ong Eneas small,

  Befor me forto play within my hall,

  Quhilk representit by symylitude thi face,

  Than semyt I nocht, thus wyss, allace! allace!

  Aluterly dissauyt nor dissolate.”

  Thus said the queyn Dido, in febil estate.

  Bot, apon Iovis message fermly he

  Stude musyng so, he movit nocht ane e,

  Refrenyt his will, hydand in hart his thocht,

  And, at the last, thir few wordis hess furth brocht:

  “O gentil queyn, that sall I nevir deny,

  Thy gude deid and desart is mair worthy

  Than thou with wordis or tong may expreme;

  Nor it sal nevir me irk, na yt mysseym,