Complete Works of Virgil

by Virgil

  With hys awyn hand ong mennys sport and play.

  Than euery man, accordyng thar strenth ful meyt,

  Thair byg bowys gan bend, and at thar feyt

  Dyd schaik onone thar arowys of thar cayss.

  ong Hippocaon, quhilk had the first place,

  A quhidderand arow leyt spang fra the stryng,

  Towart the hevyn fast throu the ayr dyd thryng;

  The mastis top it hyt, and tharin stak,

  Quhil al the tre trymlyt with the swak;

  The fowle affrayt flychtris on hir weyngis;

  Of gret rumour than al the feildis ryngis.

  Nixt scharp Mynestheus, war and avysye,

  Onto the hed hess halyt vp on hie

  Baith arow and eyn, etland at the mark.

  Bot it was reuth, the fowle, for al hys wark,

  Ne mycht he twich; and netheless yt quyte

  The bandis and lyamys in twa dyd he smyte,

  Quharwith, by baith the feyt, thar fast was sche

  Attachit at the mastis top onhie;

  Sche in the ayr and dyrk skyis flaw onon.

  With arow reddy nokkyt than Ewricion

  Plukkis vp inhy hys bow, and maid hys vow

  Onto hys brothir Pander; with that the dow

  Heich in the lyft ful glaid he gan behald,

  And with hir weyngis sorand monyfald;

  Hys arow he threw vndir the clowdis blak,

  And persyt hir quyte owtthrou the bak;

  Hyr lyfe sche lost heich vp in the ayr,

  Down fallys ded, and hass brocht with hir thar

  The arow brochyt throu owt hir body.

  Acestes now alane stude all reddy

  To schute, quhen that the pryce was tynt and won;

  And netheless to schuyt he hess begun,

  And threw ane arow in the ayr on hycht,

  Schawand hys craft, and hys byg bowys mycht,

  That lowsyt of the takill with a spang.

  And sone betyd and in thar sychtis sprang

  A fellon grysly monstre and wondryng,

  As weil was knaw syne at the endyng;

  The feirfull spa men tharof pronosticate

  Schrewyt chancis to betyde and bad estate.

  For quhy, this schaft, fleand in the moyst ayr,

  Brynt in a bless, and the randoun alquhar

  With low and flambys gan do notyfy,

  And al consumyt vanyst in the sky,

  As doys oft starnschoit fallyng fra the hevyn,

  Drawand thar eftyr a taill of fyry levin.

  Estonyst in thar myndis, abasyt stude

  The folk of Sycill and all the Troiane blude;

  And netheless maist douchty Eneas

  Reffusyt nocht the takyn, bot gan embrass

  Acestes glaidly, and rych gyftis hym gave,

  Syne said hym thus: “Tak, fader myne, ressaue

  Sik favorabill aspectis benevolent

  As the gret kyng of hevyn heth to the sent,

  That lyst with onkouth syngnys honour the.

  Thou sal haue heir this reward and degre,

  A cowp of gold engrave with figuris seir,

  A presand vmquhile of my fader deir,

  Ancyant Anchiss, quham Cysseus, of Trace kyng,

  In remembrance hym gave and lufe takynnyng.”

  And sayand thus, hys tymplis al, but weir,

  He gan involue and belt with grene lawrer,

  And syne hess causyt, al the othiris befor,

  Proclame Acestes and declair victor.

  Nor gentill Euricion hys gloyr envyes nocht,

  Quhoubeyt that he only the fowle down brocht,

  And in the skyis smait hir ded, yt than

  The secund place he tuke as curtass man;

  Nixt eftir quham, the wageour hess ressaue

  He that the lysch and lyam in sondir drave;

  And last rewardyt was he, that hys flycht

  Into the mastis top festynnyt on hyght.

  C L B marginal note or kavill.

  C L B marginal note or leisch.

  Quhou that Ascanyus and ong childer gent

  Assaileit othir, in maner of turnament.

  Eneas syne, the derenys not al done,

  Epytides to hym hes callyt sone,

  Mastir and gydar of Ascanyus ong,

  Quhais secrete haris warryn yt onsprung,

  And in hys trasty eyr thus prevaly

  He rownys, sayand: “Pass thi way inhy,

  Se gyf Ascanyus hes now reddy dycht

  Hys falloschip of childir and horssys lycht,

  Arrayt for the rynkis and the play.

  Byd hym bryng hyddir hys rowtis to turnay,

  And do hys grandschir honour and renown,

  In hys harness schaw hym self reddy bown,”

  Sayd Eneas, and tharwith gave comand

  About the cowrt the pepil on rowm to stand,

  That al the feild within suldbe patent.

  Than sone the childir, arrayit fair and gent,

  Enterit in the camp alsammyn, schynnand brycht,

  On stedis pransand in thar faderis syght;

  And, quhar thai went, al the gallandis of Troy

  And Sycill wondyrris with gret brute and ioy.

  Thar harys all war tukkyt vp on thar crown,

  That baith with how and helm was thrystyt doun;

  Twa iavillyng speris with blunt hedis sum bair,

  Sum on thar schuldyr a cace with dartys fair;

  The wryth of gold, or chane lowpyt in ryngis,

  About thar halss down to thar breistis hyngis.

  Thai war in nowmyr cumpaneys thre,

  On horssis rydand; and for ilk mene

  A capitane walkis rewland al hys rowt;

  Twyss sax childir followys ilkane about

  In thar parsmentis, arrayit in armour brycht;

  The chiftanys warryn equale of a hycht.

  A ward thar was of childir quham, ful ioyus,

  Berand hys grandschiris name, ong Priamus

  Led and rewlyt, quhilk thi genealogy,

  O Polytes, plantyt in Italy;

  Apon a horss of Trace dappil gray

  He raid, quhays formest feyt bath tway

  War mylk quhyte, and hys crest on hycht bair he,

  With bawsand face, rynggyt the forthir e.

  The secund, Atys, on a cursour bay,

  Fra quham the Latyn lynnage to this day

  Actii bene nemmyt; and this litill Atys

  With child Ascanyus weilbelovyt is.

  Lusty Iulus, in bewte dyd all exceid,

  Come last montyt on a Sydon steyd

  Of cullour quhyte, quham Dydo, the fair lady,

  In hir remembrance hym gave and luf drowry.

  The remanent of the falloschip, euery one,

  Sycill horssis gan swyftly ryde apon,

  That from the auld Acestes purchest wer.

  With revell, blythness and a maner feir,

  Troianys ressauys thame, and rycht glaidly

  Thar vissage gan behald, and dyd aspy

  The prent of faderis facis on childir yng.

  Eftyr thai had all cirkillyt in a ryng,

  On horsbak, hail the place and feild abowt,

  And ioyusly behaldyn all the rowt,

  All reddy hufand thar coursys fortotak;

  Epytides on far a syng gan mak,

  Smait with a clap, and cryis, “Go togidder!”

  Than ran thai sammyn in paris with a quhidder;

  The rowtis thre brak; ilkane chesyt hys feir;

  And, quhen thai by war runnyn, thar horsis thai steir,

  And turnys agane incontinent at commandis

  To preif thar forss with iavillyngis in thar handis;

  Syne went abak in sondyr a far space,

  Ilkane at othir rynnyng with a rayss.

  Syndry coursys and returnyngis maid thai;

  Fast athir sort gan othiris rowt cumray,

  And gan excers, by semblance, vndir scheild

  The symylitude of batell or a
feild.

  Sum tyme the bak thai turn, as thai wald fle;

  Sum tyme at othir threw dartis, he and he;

  And, sone eftyr, assemmyl wald with a crak,

  Thar handis schak, and pess togyddir mak.

  Swa, as tha say, vmquhile the howss in Creyt,

  Hait Laborynthus, with mony went and streyt,

  Had wrynkillyt wallys, a thousand slychtis wrocht,

  Forto dissaue al onkouth tharin brocht,

  To wavyr and er thar onreturnabilly,

  The subtell throwgangis followand sa quently —

  Nane othir ways, in coursys mony ane,

  Quhirlys thar trayss thir ong childir Troiane.

  Thai lowke togiddir, and countryfatis a chayss

  In maner of bargane, makand mony a rayss

  And seir dereneis in thar sport and play;

  Als swyft as dalphyn fysch, swymmand away

  In the wak sey of Egyp or Lyby,

  Persand the wallys, that plays iolely.

  Thir maner of rynkis and iupertyis of bataill

  Ascanyus hantyt, and brocht fyrst in Itaill,

  Quhen he with wallys closyt lang Albay,

  And taucht the ald Latynys to hant syk play

  The sammyn gyiss as he, a child, now wrocht,

  And othir Troiane childir with hym brocht.

  The Albanys taucht thar childir the sammyn way;

  And mychty Roym, syne efter mony a day,

  Syk oyss ressavyt hess, and gan vphald

  In wirschip of thar antecessouris auld;

  And now, childering hantyng syk gem and ioy

  Beyn Troiane rowtis namyt, and weir of Troy.

  Quhou Irys, send fra Iuno in gret ire,

  Gart Troiane wemen set thar schippys in fyre.

  Thus, hyddyrtyllys, warryn derenys seyr

  Excersyt in wyrschip of hys fader deyr,

  And in this tyme gan forton fyrst remove

  Fra thame agane hir fykkill faith and lufe.

  For, as Troianys dyd hallow on this wyss

  By diuerss gemmys, as was tho the gyss,

  Solemnytly, the seruyce anniuersar

  Besyde Anchises graf, furth of the air

  And hevynnys hie, Saturnus get, Iuno,

  That gan of wreth and malyce nevir ho,

  Not satisfyit of hir ald fury ne wrok,

  Rollyng in mynd full mony kankyrryt blok,

  Hess send adoun onto the Troiane navy

  Irys, and, that scho suld go spedely,

  The prospir wynd gan eftyr hir inspyre.

  Thys virgyn sprent on swyftly as a vyre,

  And throu the clowdis hir trace, quhar scho went,

  Schupe lyke a bow of diuerss hewis ment.

  Sone slaid sche doun, onseyn of ony wy,

  Gret confluence of pepill dyd aspy;

  Scho walkis about the costis of the see,

  Havynnys and flote left dissolate fand sche,

  And al the Troiane wemen dyd sche ken

  Syttand on the schor, secret far fra men,

  The gret loyss of Anchises regratyng sair,

  And al togiddir gan to weip and rair,

  Behaldand the deip seys sorowfully,

  And, with a voce, sayand al halely:

  “Allace! behald, samony stremys gray,

  And of thir salt fludis sa braid a way

  Remanys yt, fortyl ourslyde and sayll,

  By ws wemen irkyt of lang travaill!”

  Thai al besocht God send thame sone, ilkane,

  A cite or a town forto remane,

  And tedyus thocht the seys laubour to bair.

  Iris heirfor aspyis hir tyme best thair,

  As scho that was in myscheif ful expart;

  Amyddis of thame all in gan scho start,

  Hir godly figur and hir weid laid by,

  And bycame agyt Beroes inhy

  In maner schap of symylitude and face

  (That was Doryclus spowss, born of Trace,

  Quhilk vmquhile was of hie genealogy,

  Of gret renoun, and childir had mony),

  And on syk wyss amang matronys Troiane

  Transformyt entrys scho, and in is gane.

  “O woful wrachit wemen all,” quod sche,

  “Quhilk to the deth, vndir the wallys hie

  Of our natyve cite and kynd landis,

  War not in batell harlyt by Grekis handis!

  O pepill onhappy, to quhat myschewss end

  Forton reseruys ou of this warld to wend?

  Lo! sen the fal of Troy and dolorus weir,

  Byrunnyn is the sevynt symmyr and eir,

  Sen that samony seys, and alkyn landis,

  Sa huge wilsum rolkis, and schawd sandis

  And stormys gret, ourdrewyn and sufferyt haue we,

  Lo, thus saland throw out the mekill see,

  Quhar that we chayss Itale, that fleys ay,

  And we ly warpyt on the wallys gray.

  Heir beyn the bredyrly boundis of Erix stowt,

  Our frend Acestes is our host but dowt:

  Quha wil wss warn to beild vp wallys hie,

  And to our citesanys set heir a cite?

  O natyve land, and kynd goddis al invane

  Reft from our fays, sal nevir nane agane

  Troiane wallys be namyt nor vpbeild?

  Sal I nevir se, allace! in all my eild,

  Hectoriane fludis, Exanth and Symois?

  Haue done tharfor, and now with me, I wyss,

  Thir fey onhappy schippys al bedene

  Lat ws go byrn, for in my sleip istreyn,

  The figur of Cassandra, prophetess,

  Gave me byrnand fyre brandis and said express

  Heir suld we rest, bad seyk Troy na forthar —

  Heir was our dwellyng place for euermar.

  Now is the tyme ganand our wark to speyd;

  To tary ma fatale syngnys quhat suld neid?

  Lo! ondir beyn four altaris byrnand schyre;

  Neptune the god thir hait brandis of fyre

  Distributis to ws, and alsso hardyment.”

  And sayand thus, to perform hir entent,

  The peralus fyre first hynt scho forsably;

  With flambys schynand on far thai mycht espy

  Hir rycht hand rasyt, the blesys in tocast.

  Of Troiane wemen the myndis worth agast,

  And al thar hartis sum deil stupefak,

  Quhen ane, the eldast amang thame al, spak,

  Clepyt Pirgo, the quhilk had beyn, feil syss,

  To mony of Kyng Priamus childir nuryss:

  “O matronys, on was nevir Beroys,” quod sche,

  “Born a Troiane, and Doryclus spouss, traist me.

  Considir of hir bewte syngnys dyvyne:

  Behald so brycht as baith hir eyn doith schyne,

  Quhat sweit savour and smel from hir spryngis,

  Quhatkyn vissage hess scho; quhou thynk e ryngis

  Hir vocis sown, or quhat payss goys scho now?

  My self left Beroes, as I come hyyddir rycht now,

  Lyand seyk at hame, and ful ennoyit wight,

  That scho alane suld want this ryal syght,

  And, as scho wald, mycht not mak sacryfyce

  In Anchyss honour and funerale seruyce.”

  Thus said Pirgo, bot than the matronys all

  Stude fyrst in dowt quhat thing tha do sall,

  And with evil willy eyn the schippys behaldis,

  On hovir betwix wrachyt desyre, thame haldis

  Forto abyd within that present land,

  And of the fatis, on the tother hand,

  That onto othir realmys doith thame call;

  Quhen lo, the goddes, in form celestiall,

  With equale weyngis fleys vp to the hevyn,

  And, in hir went, schup vndir the clowdis evyn

  The figur of a raynbow huge grete.

  Than pryncipaly begouth thar hartis bete;

  Of syk wondris estonyst, thai al inhy

  Cachit with wodnes begouth raym and cry,


  And from the hallowyt ingill reft the fyre;

  Part spuleis altaris of thar flambys schire,

  And byrnand branchis, faggottis and fyre brandis

  Into the schippys swak thai with thar handis;

  The flambe vpkyndilling blesys braid at large

  Throw hechis, ourloft, ayr and payntyt targe.

  Of the fyre sloknyng, quhilk the navy derys,

  And quhou in Sycill Ene hes left hys feris.

  Ontyl Anchises graf and theatry

  First brocht Ewmolus word, quhou the navy

  Was al infyryt. Thai luke and gan behald

  The fyre sparkis fleand vp thyk fald

  In a blak sop of reik, and fyrst Ascanyus,

  As he on horss playt with hys ferys ioyus,

  Als swyft and fersly spurris hys steid fute hoyt,

  And but delay socht to the trublyt flote.

  Hys mastirys, half ded for affray and draid,

  Mycht nocht withhald hym — thyddir gan he speid,

  And cryit: “Allace, O wrachit citesanys!

  Quhat new wodness be this ou ourtane is?

  Quhou now, quhou now, quhat meyn e for to do?

  our ennemyss floyt, nor Grekis schippys, lo,

  e byrn not, bot al hope of our weil fair!

  Se, this is I, our awyn Ascanyus, ayr

  Onto my fader!” And with that word his helm

  Befor thar feyt al voyd doun dyd he quhelm,

  Quharwith in the derenys cled was he

  And contryfait the maner of a melle.

  Eneas than and al the rowtis Troianys,

  Fast as thai mycht, sped thame thiddir atanys.

  Bot than the wemen al, for dreid and affray,

  Fled heir and thair endlang the cost away,

  Socht to woddys and cavys in euery rolk,

  Eschamyt with thar deid, knew thar awyn folk,

  Thar myndis changit, fled the lycht for dispyte,

  Al Iunois rage smate from thar breistis quyte.

  Bot not for this the flambys and byrnand bleyss

  Dyd stanch thar forss ondantyt, ne appeyss.

  The tuffyng kyndillys betwix the plankis wak,

  Quharfra outthrawis the pykky smoke coil blak;

  The hait fyre consumys fast the howe;

  Our al the schip discendys the peralus lowe;

  Thar was na strenth of vaillyant men to waill,

  Nor large fludis on et, that mycht avail.

  Reuthful Ene than of hys schulderis tway

  The claith hess rent, and gan the goddys pray,

  Vp baith hys handis hevand in the sky:

  “Almychty Iove,” quod he, “aluterly

  Gyf thou hess not al Troianys at haitrent,

  Of gif thi reuthfull clemens takis tent,

  As thou was wont, to mennys travel and pyne,

  Now, haly fader, thi maieste inclyne;

  Grant at our navy this fyre may eschaip,

  And from distructioun delyvir and outscrape