Complete Works of Virgil

by Virgil

  Vndre quhais myghtis all tyme Troy vpstandis,

  All thocht the weill tharof in dowt remanys,

  it list ou not distroy all the Troianys,

  Ne thame so clene defait aluterly,

  Sen sa stowt myndis as we heir aspy

  And sa bald reddy breistis gevin haue he

  To thir ongkeris.” And sayand thus, can he

  The rycht handis and schuldris of baith embrace,

  With terys tryncland our his chekis and face.

  “O manly knyghtis, quhat reward condyng

  May ganandly be geif for syk a thyng,

  Forsuyth I can nocht in my mynd devyss;

  Bot our maist cheif ganeld and gyft to pryss

  The gret goddis mot rendyr ou,” said he,

  “And our awin vertu mot be renowne;

  The remanent onone e sall ressaue,

  Sa that na wyss e sal our medis crave,

  By the handys of reuthfull Eneas;

  Or, gif he sone from this lyfe happynnys pass,

  Ascanyus, quhilk as it is bot page,

  ong and fordward into hys hailsum age,

  Sall render our desert, I tak on hand,

  And sik thankis, quhil that he is levand,

  Sal nevir be foret nor do away.”

  The sammyn word onon, as he dyd say,

  Furth of hys mowth Ascanyus hes hynt:

  “I hecht forsuyth that deid sall nevir be tynt,

  For all my weil alanerly doys hyng

  Apon my faderis prosper hame cummyng.

  Nysus,” said he, “I ou pray and beseik,

  Be our Penates, kyndly goddis meik,

  And be Assaracus goddis domesticall,

  Quham e the cheif stok of our kynrent call,

  And be the secret closettis or entre

  Of the venerabill auld canus Veste,

  Bryng hame my fader sone, I ou exort:

  All that perteynyng is to me, at schort,

  Baith twychand consale and commandment,

  Or aventouris of fortoun, in our entent,

  In our willys, I put all haill,” quod he,

  “Bryng hame my fader that I may hym se,

  For had we hym ressauyt, I dar say,

  Is no thing suld ennoy ws nor effray.

  Twa siluer cowpys, wrocht rycht curyusly

  With figuris grave, and punsyt ymagery,

  I sall ou geif (the quhilk my fader wan

  Quhen conquest was the cite Arisban),

  Twa charis rych, or trestis quently fold,

  And twa gret talentis of the fynast gold,

  And eik the crafty ancyent flacconys two

  Quhilkis to me gave the Sydoness Dido.

  And gyf, certis, as victouris ws betydis

  To conquyss Ital, as the fatys provydis,

  Tharin to bruke the crown and ceptre wand,

  And to distribut the pray, as lord of land —

  Beheld e nocht quhat kyn a cursour wycht,

  Quhou prowd armour, weil gilt and burnyst brycht,

  That Turnus bair this ister nyght?” quod he.

  “The sammyn scheld, and helm with crestis thre

  Semyng of fyre all rede, and the ilk steid,

  Fra this sammyn hour, Nysus, salbe thy meid;

  I sall thame sort fra all the remanent.

  And forthir eik my fader, of hys ascent,

  Twelf chosyn matronys sall ou geif all fre,

  To be our sclavys in captiuite,

  With all thar childryng and thar hail ofspryng,

  Thar moblys, catal, rentis and armyng;

  And eik that feild and pryncipal peyss of land

  Quhilk Kyng Latinus hess now in hys hand.

  And O thou wirschipfull ong child, quhais age

  Is to my outhed in the nerrest stage,

  With all my hart I the ressaue evin heir,

  In all cacis as tendir fallow and feir.

  But the, na glorius act in my materis

  Salbe exercyt, nother in paix nor weris:

  In euery thing, baith into word and deid,

  The maist trast salbe geif the for thy meid.”

  Ewrialus maid this answer for hys syde:

  “That day sal neuer cum, nor tyme betyde,

  For my defalt onworthy sall I be

  Fortyll attene sa souerane dignyte.

  Lat fortoun send ws gude luk, gif scho lest,

  Or mysaventour, I sal do my best —

  Lo, this is all, na mair I may promyt.

  Bot, abuf all thingis, a gift grant me it,

  That I beseik the oft and monyfald:

  Ane moder, cummyn of Priamus blude of ald,

  Within this town I haue, quhilk silly wyfe,

  Me forto follow not comptand hir lyfe,

  The realm of Troy mycht not withhald,” said he,

  “Nor it in Sycyll Acestes fair cite.

  Now hir I leif onhalsyt as I ryde,

  Of this danger, quhat so evir betyde,

  All ignorant and wait no thyng, puyr wight;

  To wytnes draw I heir this ilk gude nycht,

  And thy rycht hand, my lord and prynce maste hie,

  The wepand teris may I not suffir nor se

  Of my deir moder, nor that rewthfull syght.

  Bot I beseik thy gentyll hart of ryght

  Forto comfort that cayrfull creatur;

  That desolat wight to succur schaw thi cuyr.

  Grant this a thyng, and suffir that of the

  This a gude hop I bair of town with me;

  And far the baldar, quhat so fortoun send,

  Ontill all dangeris glaidly sall I wend.”

  The Troianys all for reuth, at speke hym heris,

  Smyte with compassioun, brastis furth of terys,

  With tender hartis menand Ewrialus.

  Bot principaly lusty Ascanyvs,

  The ymage of hys faderly piete

  Prent in hys mynde, hym strenys swa that he

  Wepand answerd, and said: “My brother deir,

  I promyss all thou desiris, out of weir,

  For thy commancement and stowt begynnyng

  Is sa douchty I may the nyte na thyng.

  Forsuyth this woman, quhat so evir scho be,

  Fra thyne fordwart sal moder be to me,

  Wantyng na mar of my moder in plane

  Alanerly bot Creusa, hyr name;

  And thus of sik a byrth na litill blyss

  Sall hyr betyde, quhou evir efter this

  The chans turnys, owder to weill or wo.

  Be this ilk hed I swer to the also,

  By quhilk my fader wont was forto swer,

  All that I haue onto the promyst heir

  Gyf thou returnys in prosperyte,

  Faileand tharof, as Iove defend swa be,

  To thy moder and onto thy kynred

  Sall fully bene obseruyt, in thy sted.”

  Thus sayd he wepand, and tharwith alssua

  Hys gyltyn swerd he hynt his schuldris fra,

  Quham wonder craftely in the land of Creyt

  Lycaon forgyt had, and wrocht it meyt

  Within a burnyst scheith of evor bone;

  Thame baith togiddir he gaue Ewrill onone.

  Syne Mnestheus a bustuus lyon skyn,

  That rowch and weirlyke tawbart na thing thyn,

  To Nysus gave; and the traste Alethys

  With hym hes helmys cosyt, and gaue hym hys.

  Furth haldis Nysus and Eurillius baith tway,

  And huge slauchter thai haue maid be the way.

  Onon thai held enarmyt furth thar way,

  Quham all the nobillys yng and ald, perfay,

  Convoyt to the portis, na thyng fayn,

  Prayand full oft Iove bryng thame weil agane.

  Bot principaly the fresch Ascanyus yng,

  Abufe al otheris in hys commonyng

  Schawand the wysdome, consait and forsyght

  Of agit man, and eik the curage wight,

  Gave thame feill chargis and commandmentis

  T
o beir hys fader, twychand hys ententis;

  Bot with the wynd tha skatterit war on raw,

  And all for nocht amang the clowdis flaw.

  Furth ischit thai, and by the fowcyis went is,

  In silens of the dyrk nycht, amangis the tentis

  And perellus paileonys, to thame ennemy,

  Thai entrit ar, and caucht gret harm tharby

  (Bot netheless, or ony skaith thai hynt,

  The ded of mony was thar douchty dynt).

  Apon the gyrss, ourset witht sleip and wyne,

  Fordoverit, fallyn down als drunk as swyne,

  The bodeys of Rutylianys heir and thar

  Thai dyd persaue; and by the cost alquhar

  The cartis stand with lymowris bendyt strek,

  The men lyggyng, the hamys abowt thar nek,

  Or than amangis the quhelys and the thetis;

  All sammyn lay thar armour, wyne and metys,

  Baith men and cartis myddillyt all our ane.

  With ane bass voce thus Nysus spak agane:

  “Ewrialus, the mater now thus standis,

  Fortobe stowt and forcy of our handis.

  Thys is our passage, quhilk way we mon wend.

  Thy part salbe to kepe and to defend

  That nane onset cum on ws at the bak;

  Spy far about, tharto gude tent thou tak.

  I sall befor mak voyd passage and way,

  And the convoy throu a large streit away.”

  Rehersand this, onon he held hym closs,

  So that na noys mycht thar be hard or voce,

  And tharwith eik with drawyn swerd in press

  He can assail the pompus Rhamnetes,

  Quhilk lay, percace, slepand soft and sownd

  On prowd tapetis spred apon the grond;

  A kyng he was, and a spa man, suyth to sayn,

  To Turnus kyng mast trast auguriane,

  Bot with hys diuinatioun nor augury

  The trake of deth ne cowth he not put by.

  Thre of hys seruandis, that fast by hym lay,

  Ful raklesly he kyllyt, all thocht thai

  Amang thar speris lyggyng war infeir;

  And quellyt ane to Remus was squyer.

  The cartar syne, luggyng apon the streit,

  He hynt onon amang the horssis feyt,

  And with hys swerd hys nek, hyngand on syde,

  In twane hes hakkyt; and the sammyn tyde

  Thar lordis hed, I meyn this said Rhamneyt.

  Of smytis he, quhill all the bed wolx weyt;

  Lyke a ded stok the corps wantand the hed

  Lay bullerand, al besprent with sprayngis red,

  And als the erth grew warm with teppet blude.

  Attour he stekit hes eik, quhar he stude,

  Twa forcy men, Lamus and Lamyrus,

  And als the lykly ong child, Serranus,

  That all the fornycht in ryot and in play

  Had spendyt as he lyst, and now he lay

  With membris strekit, and plesand vissage brycht,

  Ourset with god Bachus mekill of myght:

  Ful happy and weill fortunat had he be,

  In sport and gam on the sam wyss gif he

  All the remanent of that nycht had spent,

  Quhil the lycht day, and tyl hym self tane tent.

  Lyke as the empty lyoun, lang onfed,

  Be nychtis tyde quhen all folk sleip in bed,

  Trubland the fald full of silly scheip,

  The wod rage of hys hungir is so deip

  That he constrenyt is sik wyss to fair;

  He ryvis and he harlys heir and thar

  The tendir bestis, that for awfull feir

  Of hys presens dar nowder bleyt nor steir;

  He rummysis with bludy mowth and brays —

  So dyd Ewrilly, and none other ways,

  And na less slauchter maid he in the plane,

  Of ire inflambyt in his wod brane.

  A multitude of commonys of birth law,

  By quhilk resson thar namys ar onknaw,

  He ombeset and put to confusioun,

  And Fadus syne with Hesebus dang he down,

  And Arabys also onwarnystly,

  And Rhetus eik, lay walkand hard thame by

  Behaldand all thar sterage and deray,

  Bot, of the stowt Ewrialus for affray,

  Behynd a wyne bote or a pype hym hyd,

  Quham Eurialus, as the cace betyd,

  Keppyt on hys swerdis poynt, that all the blaid

  Hyd in hys cost vp to the hyltis glaid —

  To ded he duschis down bath styf and cald,

  And vp the purpour spreit of lyf he ald,

  And blude and wyne mixt he can furth schaw,

  At he last drank owt eskis in the ded thraw.

  And, by sik slyght full brym, thus he enforcis

  To mak huge slauchtir of onweldy corpcis,

  Etlyng wightly to the nixt stude fast by.

  Thar as Mesapus feris all dyd ly,

  And the last fyris almaste quynchit owt,

  The horss, per ordour, tyit weill abowt,

  Etand thar meit he mycht behald and se;

  Quham schortly Nysus bad sess and lat be,

  For he persauyt Eurialus by his feris

  Had our gret lust to slauchter, and dangeris

  Persauyt nocht quhilkis war apperand eft.

  “Desist,” quod he, “this mater mon be left,

  For the day lycht, quhilk is to ws onfrend,

  Approchis neir, we may na langar lend.

  Gret harm is done, eneuch of blude is sched,

  Throw owt our fays a patent way is red.”

  And sayng thus, thai sped thame on thar way:

  Behynd thame, for vptakyng quhar it lay,

  Mony brycht armour richly dyght thai left,

  Cowpys and goblettis, forgyt far, and beft

  Of massy syluyr, lyand heir and thar,

  Prowd tapysry, and mekill precyus war;

  Salf that Eurialus with hym tursyt away

  The rial trappouris, and myghty patrellys gay,

  Quhilkis war Rhamnetes stedis harnessyng,

  And, for the mair remembrance in takynnyng,

  Ane rych tysche or belt hynt he syne,

  The pendentis wrocht of burnyst gold maste fyne

  (Quhilk gyrdill ane Cedicus, that was than

  Duryng his tyme ane the myghtyast man,

  Bereft a strang Rutiliane, as thai tell,

  Quham he venquyst in singular batell,

  And send it syne to ane Remulus hes he,

  That duke was of the Tiburtyne cite,

  In syng of frendschip and ferm acquentans:

  Thus athir absent ionyt allyans;

  Syne this ilk prynce, into hys legacy,

  That tyme apon hys ded bed dyd he ly,

  This gyrdill left to ongar Remulus,

  Hys tendyr nevo, that is heir slane thus);

  Euryll, as said is, hess this iowell hynt,

  Abowt hys sydis it brasyng, or he stynt —

  Bot all for nocht, supposs the gold dyd gleit.

  Mesapus helm syne, for him wondir meit,

  With schynand tymbret and with crystis hie,

  Apon hys hed onon buklyt hes he.

  Furth of the tentis with this bownyt thai,

  And fra thar fays held the sovyr way.

  Quhou capitane Volscens, cumand Turnus till,

  Recontrit Nysus and hys fallow Ewrill.

  In the meyn quhile, as this other army

  Thus at the sege gan in the feildis ly,

  From Lawrentum, Kyng Latinus cite,

  War horsmen sent to Turnus, forto se

  Quhat he plesyt, and the kyngis entent

  Tyll hym to schaw; thre hundreth men furth went

  With scheild on schuldir vndre capitane Volscens,

  And be this cummyn war to the distens

  Neir to thar ost, and, as the cace dyd fall,

  Thai held fast vnder this new cite wall.

  Quhar as on f
ar towart the left hand thai

  Turnand thar curss bakwart persauyt tway

  (For the brycht helm in twynkland starny nycht

  Mythis Eurilly with bemys schynand lycht,

  Quhilk he, onwar, persauyt nocht, allace!),

  And as thai scars war thus aspyit on cace,

  Volscens the capitane, from amyd his rowt,

  Said, “Stand, fallowis,” and cryis with a schowt,

  “Quhat is the causs of our cummyng,” said he,

  “That rydis thus enarmyt? Quhat e be,

  And quhidder ar e bown, e schaw ws plane.”

  The tother twa maid nane ansuer agane,

  Bot in the woddis hyis at the flicht,

  Assurit gretly in dirknes of the nycht.

  The horsmen than prekis, and fast furth sprentis

  To weil beknawin pethis, and turnys wentis

  Baith heir and thar; sone ombeset haue thai

  The owtgatis all, thai suld nocht wyn away.

  The wod was large, and rowch of buskis ronk,

  And of the blak ayk schaddowis dym and donk,

  Of breris ful, and thyk thorn ronnys stent —

  Scarsly a strait rod or dern narow went

  Tharin mycht fundyn be that men mycht pass,

  Quharthrou Eurialus gretly cummyrrit was;

  Quhat for myrknes, thik buskis, branch and breir,

  And weght also of the new spuleit geir,

  Tharto the hasty onset and affray

  Maid hym gang will in the onknawin way.

  Nysus wes went, and by this chapyt cleir

  Hys ennemys, onwar quhar was hys feir:

  And as he stude at that sted, efter syne

  From Alba cite clepit was Albyne,

  Quhar, for the tyme, this forsaid Latyn kyng

  Hys horss at pastour held in stabillyng,

  He blent abowt to se hys frend so deir,

  Bot all for nocht, thar was na man hym neir.

  “Ewrill,” quod he, “allace onhappely

  In quhat part of this land the left haue I?

  Or quhar sall I the seik? O wailaway!”

  Tharwith this ilk wilsum perplexit way

  Bakwart he held, euery futstep agane,

  Throw the dern wod dissaitfull and onplane;

  Quhil, at the last, amang rank buskis he

  Errit by the way, becauss becaus he mycht nocht se.

  The horss stampyng and the dyn he heris,

  The wordis and the takynnys come to his erys

  Of thame quhilk at persewit hym at the bak.

  A lytil space efter tent gan he tak,

  And hard a scry; harknand quhat that suld be,

  Eurilly takyn in handys dyd he se,

  Quham the dissaitfull onbekend dern way,

  The myrk nycht, and the hasty dowtsum fray,

  Betrasyt had, that all the mekill rowt,

  Or he was war, hym lowkyt rownd about.

  Full gret debait he maid, as that he mocht;

  Ourset he was, defens was all for nocht.