Complete Works of Virgil

by Virgil

To seik thar solace, and on thar gyss to sport;

  Weill soundyng wriblys throw thar throtis lang

  Swouchyng makis in maner of a sang,

  That of thar bruyt resoundis the ryveir,

  And all the laik of Asya fer and neir —

  So, in like wyss, on far was nane mycht ken

  That rowt had bene ane ost of armyt men,

  Bot of the swouchand swannys suld he wene

  A sop fleand in the ayr thai had bene,

  Quhilk chasyt, or affrayt, iolely

  Socht crowpyng to the costis syde fast by.

  it comptis the poet the chiftanys al and sum,

  Aganys the Troianys sal in weirfar cum.

  Lo, Clausus eik, that douchty was and gude,

  Discendit of the ancyent Sabinis blude,

  A mekil rowt furth ledis to the weir,

  As gret man worthy syk ane ost to steir;

  Fra quham the clan and pepill Claudyane

  Is cummyn our all the boundis Italiane,

  Eftir that Rowme was gevin and maid fre

  To the Sabynys, as thar proper cite.

  Togiddir can assembill a huge rowt

  That fra the cite Amatern flokkis owt;

  The ancyent Sabynys hait Quyrites then,

  And of Erety all the fensabill men,

  Of Mystisca, quhilk now heicht Tribule,

  Quhar growys of olyve treys gret plente;

  All thai that dwellis in cite Momentyne,

  Or rosy feildis besyde the laik Velyne,

  Or on the scharp craggy rochis hie,

  Quhilk for harsknes ar clepit Tetryce,

  With hyngand hewys and mony a skowland bra;

  Thidder held the cite of Casperia,

  Thai that inhabittis Forolas that towne,

  Or on the flude Hymella vp and downe;

  All thai that drynkis of Tibir the ryver,

  Or Fabarus that rynnys fresch and cleir;

  And thai that wynnys in Nursya so cald,

  And of Ortyne the navy gret and bald;

  The Latyne pepill alsso, and all tha

  Quhar the onhappy flude of Allya

  Flowis throw the boundis and bedyis thar land.

  Alss thik thai gadder, and flokkis fra hand to hand,

  As evir the fomy bullerand wallis hie

  Is seyn weltyr on the large Lybyane see,

  Quhen the stormy Orion hys hed schrowdis

  In wyntir vnder the blake watry clowdis;

  Or how feil eichyrris of corn thik growyng,

  With the new sonnys heit byrsillit, doys hyng

  On Hermy feildis in the symmyr tyde,

  Or in the allow corn flattis of Lyde —

  Alsmony scheildis clattris and targatis,

  That for dynnyng of thar feyt all the gatis,

  For stamping stedis, and for trumpys blast,

  The grond wolx all affrayt and agast.

  The ennemy to Troiane name onon,

  The bastard son of Kyng Agamenon,

  Hait Halesus, can with ferss mud acwart

  Adioyn hys horss forto draw his cart,

  And, in the aid of Turnus and supple,

  A thousand ferss folkis assemlyt he:

  Thay quhilkis with rakis ourturnys euery bra

  Fertyll of wynys in the mont Massica;

  And thame alsso dwelland in hillys he,

  Send from the ald faderis of Arunca cite;

  And thai that dwellis hard on the sey bray

  Besyde the cite of Sydycina,

  Or come fra Cales into Champany,

  With all tha pepillis into cumpany

  Inhabitant the schauld flude Wlturnus,

  And frawart folkis, hait Saticulus,

  Togiddir eik with the haill multitude

  Of Oscores, that pepill stern and rude.

  Thyr bair in feild, of wapynnys in the stedis,

  Round casting dartis, or macis with pikit hedis,

  Quhilk in thar leid is clepit ane “aclyd”;

  And, so it mycht the mair suyrly abyde,

  Onto thar armis is knyt with a tewch stryng,

  Quharwith thai do it at thar fays slyng.

  A ballen pavys coverys thar left sydis,

  Maid of hart skynnys and thik oxin hydis;

  And crukyt swerdis, bowand as a syth,

  Thai bair at hand reddy to draw ful swith.

  Nor thow, Oebalus, onreknyt sal nocht wend

  By our metyr, but lovyng and commend,

  Quham Kyng Telon engendrit, as thai say,

  On Sabetrydes, the lusty nymphe or may,

  That tyme quhen he ryngnyt as lord and kyng

  Our Capreas ilys, and in governyng

  Led the pepill hait Theleboes bald;

  Or than, far step in age was he and ald.

  Bot hys son, this Oebalus, in his entent

  Of his faderis boundis stud nocht content,

  That lang afor to his obeysans he

  Subdewit had the pepill Sarraste,

  And all the large feildis, bonk and buss,

  Quhilk ar bedyit with the ryver Sarnus;

  Thai that occupyit Rufa and Batulane,

  In Champany rich and strang townys twane;

  The planys eik and sule of Celene,

  Quhilk dedicat ar onto Iuno quene;

  And thai behaldis the weirly wallit cite

  Of Nola, witht his stalwart towris he,

  Quhar gret plente of apillis orrange growis;

  Quhilk pepill in thar weirfar had na bowis,

  Bot war accustumit forto thraw oft syss

  The castyng speris on the Duchmenis gyss;

  Quhais hed ger war of ful sobir extent,

  Maid of the cork or bark fra treis rent;

  Bukclaris thai bair, with boyss or plait of steill,

  And schynand swerdis of mettal burnyst weill.

  Thai pepill eik that clepit beyn Nursanys,

  Quhilkis in the strait and hie montanys remanys,

  Send to the feld ane chiftane of defens,

  Of worthy fame, the renownyt Vfens;

  Happy in armys and redowtit was he,

  Bustuus abuf al otheris his mene,

  The folkis clepit of Equicola,

  That hard furrys had telit mony a da,

  And all enarmyt laubour thai thar land;

  Thai hant ful oft huntyng in woddis at hand;

  Evir lykis thame to cach and dryve away

  The recent spreith and fresch and callour pray,

  And on spule to leif and on rapyne.

  Onto this batale bownys the preste dyvyne,

  Vmbro to name, the strenthyast a man

  Of all the pepill in Marrubya clan,

  Send fra the kyng Archippus with his feris,

  As thar chiftane and rewlar in the weris,

  Hys helm arrayt with a garland schene

  Plet of the happy olyve branschis grene.

  All kynd of eddir and hissand serpent fell

  With incantatioun he couth gar ryfe and swell,

  Or cast apon thame sleping with his sang,

  And, with his charmys and his herbis strang,

  Thar wraith and wenom couth he dant and mess,

  And heill thar stangyng, and sik hurtis eyss.

  Bot he couth fynd no curis nor remede

  To salf hym from the Troiane speris hed:

  Hys slepy charmys had no forss nor mycht,

  Ne herbis gadderit on Marsys montis hycht,

  To help thai hurtis he caucht in the melle.

  O soverane preist, quhat reuth was it of the!

  For the the woddis wepyt of Angytus,

  The cristal strandis murnyt of Fuscynus,

  The bewalit cleir lakis and spryng wellis,

  Nymphis, virgynys, matronys and damysellis.

  Furth to the batale eik held Virbyus,

  The son mast semly of Hippolitus;

  Hys cheif maternal cite, ful of mycht,

  Aricya, furth sent this worthy knycht;

  In schawis schene,
endlang the watir bra

  Of flud Hymetes, by Agerya

  That nymphe he fosterit was ful tenderly,

  Quhar as of manswete Diane fast tharby

  The altar, eith fortyl apless, vpstandis,

  Oft ful of sacrifice and fat offerandis.

  For mony haldis opinion, sayand thus

  Be common voce and fame, Hippolitus,

  Efter that he slane was and to ded dycht

  By falss dissait of his stepmoderis slycht,

  And had eik sufferit by his blude and breth

  The cruel panys of his faderis wreth,

  As tobe harlit with horss that caucht affray

  And skeichit at a merswyne by thir way;

  it nevir the less, for the luf of Dian,

  He was restorit to this ilk lyfe agane,

  And come to dwell vndir our hevin and ayr,

  That heir abuf contenys thir starnys fair;

  Quhilk cuyr was done by Asculapyus sle,

  Throw the mychtis of the royss Pyone.

  Than Iupiter almychty fader hie,

  Havand disdene ony mortal suld be

  Rasyt to lyfe, or over warldis lyght,

  From the dyrknes of neddir hellis nycht,

  The fyndar of this crafty medycyne,

  Quhilk was byget be the god Appollyne,

  That is to knaw, this Asculapyus,

  With thunderis dynt bath fell and dangerus

  Vnder the erth smate dovn, forto remane

  In hellis ground and watir Stigiane.

  Bot than the thrynfald Diane ful of blyss

  In secret place Hippolitus with this

  Hyd, and betaucht Agerya the may

  Tobe kepit in the ilk forest gay,

  Quhar, him allane, in woddis of Italy

  Hys lyfe he led onknaw of ony wy,

  And quhar he, first was hait Hippollitus,

  Changit his name, yclepit Vyrbyus.

  And, be this self resson it alsso,

  From the tempill of Dian euermo

  Thir horny hovit horsis bene debarrit,

  For sa mekil as thai at the sey monstreis skarrit,

  And brak the cart throw thar ondantit mycht,

  And furth swakkit Hippolitus, gentil knycht.

  it netheless, hys son, this Virbyus,

  The ardent stedis fers and chevalrus

  Throw owt the plane feild dryvis al in feir,

  And furth hurlis his chariot to the weir.

  Quhou Turnus to this batal bownys to ga,

  And als this weirlyke woman Camylla.

  Turnus him self, of weir the cheif capitane,

  Amyd pryncis and gret chiftanys ilkane

  Enarmyt walkis, turnand to and fro

  With corps of statur eligant, that so,

  Quhar as he went throw out the rowtis on hie,

  Abuf thame all hys hed men mycht weil se,

  Quhar on his helm set ful richly schane

  With cristis thre lyke til ane lokkyrrit mane;

  Tharon as tymbrill standing Chymera,

  That wondrus monstre, with wide chaftis bla

  Furth blawand fyre and flambe sulphureus,

  Lyke byrnand Ethna, that mont peralus;

  The mair wod wraith and furyus wolx sche,

  With sorofull fyre blesys spowtand hie,

  Evir as the batale worthis mor cruell

  By effusioun of blude and dyntis fell.

  Hys schynand scheld was all of fyne gold bet,

  Quhar in thar was in sted of armys, set

  Io the wench, sum tyme but hornys, now

  With hair ourgrow, transformyt in a kow;

  Quhilk was gret argument and probatioun

  That he was of his blude a Gregioun.

  The kepar eik of this ilk maid, Argus,

  Was porturit thar, and fader Inachus,

  Furth of ane pantyt pig, quhar as he stude,

  A gret ryver defundand or a flude.

  Ane ost of fut men, thik as the hail schour,

  Followys this Turnus, dryvand vp the stour;

  With scheildis schrowdyt mony huge rowt

  Thik forgaderis the large feildis about:

  Thai onkeris quhilk of Grekis war discend

  The power of Arunca thiddir send,

  The garnysons alsso of Rutilyanys,

  And the ancyent pepill hait Sycanys,

  Of Sacrane the army bald in feildis,

  The Lybicanys eik with thar pantit scheildis,

  Quhilk telys on thy bankis, Tybyr flude,

  Or it endlang thy gresy brays gude

  Of Munycus, thou hallowit fresch ryver,

  And thai that with scharp cultyr teil and scheir

  Of Rutuly the hilly knollis hie

  Or camy eyge and holtis fair to se,

  That Circeus to surname clepit ar —

  Quhar Anxurus, the berdless Iupiter,

  For patron is hallowit our the planys,

  And Iuno eik ful ioyusly remanys

  In Feronya, hir sweit schaw ay greyn,

  Neir by the blak laik clepit Satureyn,

  Quhar as the chil ryver, hait Vfens,

  Sekis with narrow passage and discens

  Amyd holl valeis his renk and ische,

  And hydis hym self within the Tyrrhene see.

  Abuf all thir the stowt wench Camylla,

  Of the famyl and kynrent of Volsca,

  Com ledand armyt ostis and stern feldis

  In burnyst plait arrayt and schynand scheldis.

  Forsuyth, ane worthy weriour was sche:

  Hir womanly handis nothir rok of tre

  Ne spyndill vsit, nor brochis of Mynerve,

  Quhilk in the craft of claithmakyng doys serve;

  Bot it this maid was weil accustumate

  To suffer bargane dowr and hard debait,

  And throu the speid of fut in hir rynnyng

  The swift wyndis prevert and bakwart dyng;

  Or than alsso so spedely couth scho fle

  Our the cornys, ourtred thar croppis hie,

  That with hir curss na reid nor tendir stra

  Was harmyt ocht, nor hurt by ony way;

  And, throu the boldnand fludis amyd the see

  Born soverly, furth hald hir way mycht sche,

  The swyft solis of hir tendir feyt

  Nocht twichand anys the watir hir to weit.

  All ong folkis, on hir forto ferly,

  Furth of howsys and feildis flokkis in hy:

  Litil childer and matronys awondring

  On far behaldis hir stowt pays in a lyng,

  So manfully and baldly walkis sche,

  With spreit abasyt thai gove hir forto se

  Quhat wyss hir slekyt schuldris war array

  With kyngly purpour, honorabill and gay;

  And quhou the hair was of this damoysell

  Knyt with a button in a goldyn kell;

  And how a quavir closs scho bair alssua,

  With grondyn dartis wrocht in Lycia;

  And ane hail sipplyn of a gret myr tre,

  Quhilk hyrdis mycht ourheld with bewis he,

  In maner of a speir in hand scho bair,

  Hedit with forgit steill ful scharp and squair.

  Alswith as Turnus, our the master towr

  Of Lawrentum, hys baner quhite as flour

  In syng of batale dyd on breid display,

  The trumpys blast and hornys maid deray,

  And stern stedis stampyng for the dyn,

  The armour clattris, fast ilk man can ryn;

  Incontinent togidder, with myndis amovit,

  All Latyum assemblit sone controvit

  Ane coniuratioun or hasty convyne,

  As in feirfull affray thar land to tyne,

  And wod wraith wolx thir onkeris, he and he,

  With byrnand hartis fers to the melle.

  The first chiftanys for assay or defens,

  The gret Mesapus, and the strang Vfens,

  With Meentyus, of goddis contempnar,

  The rowtis for supple
baith neir and far

  Compellis to assemble with thar poweris,

  And large feildis laid waist of lawboreris.

  Ane Venulus alsso was send, a Greik,

  To gret Diomedis cite, to beseik

  Supple and help, and to schaw all and sum

  Quhou Troianys war discend in Latyum;

  Ene with navy arryvit vp at hand,

  And brocht his venquyst goddis in thar land,

  Sayand that, by the fatis and destanee,

  He thiddir callit was as kyng tobe;

  And that he suld eik to Diomedis schaw

  That mony pepill war adionyt and draw

  Onto this ilk forsaid strangear knycht,

  For he was cummyn of Dardanus the wyght,

  And wyde quhar our al partis of Italy

  Hys name begouth to spreid and multiply;

  And sen he had begun sic thing on hand,

  Quhat syne he etlyt mycht be vnderstand,

  That is to knaw, gif forton war so heynd

  By aventour of weir tobe his frend,

  Mair evidently he covat to proceid

  Agane his ancyent ennemy, Diomed,

  Than to ourset the ong knychtly Turnus,

  Or it ourcum the ald kyng Latynus.

  Heir endis the sevynt buke of Eneados And syne begynnys the proloug of the aucht buke

  BUKE VIII

  [The Proloug of the Aucht Buke]

  Of dreflyng and dremys quhat dow it to endyte?

  For, as I lenyt in a ley in Lent this last nycht,

  I slaid on a swevynnyng, slummyrrand a lite,

  And sone a selcouth seg I saw to my sycht,

  Swownand as he swelt wald, sowpyt in syte

  (Was nevir wrocht in this warld mair wofull a wycht),

  Ramand, “Resson and rycht is rent by fals ryte,

  Frendschip flemyt is in Frans, and faith hes the flycht,

  Leys, lurdanry and lust ar our laid starn,

  Peax is put owt of play,

  Welth and weilfar away,

  Luf and lawte baith tway

  Lurkis ful darn.

  “Langour lent is in land, all lychtnes is lost,

  Sturtyn study hes the steir, distroyand our sport,

  Musyng marris our myrth half mangit al most;

  So thochtis threthis in thra our brestis ourthwort,

  Bailfull bessynes baith blyss and blithnes can bost.

  Thar is na sege for na schame that schrynkis at schort,

  May he cum to hys cast be clokyng, but cost,

  He rakkis nowder the rycht nor rakles report;

  All is weill done, God wate, weild he hys will.

  That bern is best can nocht blyn

  Wrangwyss gudis to wyn;

  Quhy suld he spair, for ony syn,

  Hys lust to fulfyll?

  “All ledis langis in land to laucht quhat thame leif is:

  Lufferis langis only to lok in thar lace

  Thir ladeis lufly, and louk but let or releifis,

  Quha sportis thame on the spray sparis for na space;