Complete Works of Virgil

by Virgil

  Trymlyt, Inaryme and eik Prochita;

  Quhil Inaryme, at Iupiteris command,

  Full hard bed is to Typheus the gyand.

  At this tyme Mars, the god armypotent,

  Ekyt the Latynys fors and hardyment,

  With felloun ire prikland so thar myndis

  That as hym lyst he turnys so and wyndis;

  And makis the Troianys tak the flycht gud speid,

  On thame he kest sik feir and schamfull dreid.

  The Latyn pepill flokkis on euery syde

  Quhen thai beheld the port sa oppynnyt wyde,

  Seand thai had a rowm to fecht at will;

  The god of stryfe thar curage steris thartill.

  Quhou Turnus the byg Pandarus smat doun,

  Lyke a wod lyoun past within the town.

  Pandarus, seand hys brotheris corps at erd,

  And on quhat wyss thus fortune with thame ferd,

  And quhou the chance of batale eid al wrang,

  Full forcyly with hys braid schuldris strang

  He thristis to the levys of the et,

  And closyt queym the entre, and furth schet

  Without the port a gret sort of hys feris,

  In hard bargane amyd the mortal weris;

  And of hys ennemyss sum inclosyt he,

  Ressavand all at thrang to the entre.

  A fuyll he was and wytles in a thyng,

  Persauyt not Turnus, Rutilian kyng,

  So violently thryng in at the et;

  Quham he onwar within the cite schet,

  Lyke as ane rageand wild tygyr onstabill

  Amang the febill bestis onfensabill.

  Sone as Turnus hym hess inclusyt seyn,

  A glowand new lyght brystis from hys eyn,

  Hys armour ryngis or clattris horribilly;

  Hys crystis trymlyt on hys hed in hy,

  That in hys sanguane bludy scheild als straucht

  Kest schynand fyry bemys lyke fyre flaucht.

  All suddanly, affrayit Eneadanys

  Hys face onfrendly persauit and byg banys.

  The hydduus Pandarus than hym self furth schew,

  That wonder fervent in hys furour grew;

  Hys broderis slauchter to revenge in will,

  Thus austernly he spekis Turnus ontill:

  “Thys is not Queyn Amatais cheif cite,

  Suld the begeif into dowry,” said he,

  “Nor it the myddis of Ardea cite bald,

  Thi faderis burgh, Turnus, doith the withhald.

  Thou seys thy fays strenth and wallys wyde;

  eild the for thy, thou may eschape na syde.”

  Turnus agane, with curage blyth and glaid,

  Nocht abasyt, ful baldly to hym said:

  “My frend, begyn, gif thou hess hardyment,

  And mach with me allone apon this bent,

  And hand for hand, gif at it be thy will,

  Thou sal schaw Pryam heir thou hes fund Achill.”

  The tother tho a huge speir of haill tre,

  With bark and knottis altogidder, leyt fle

  In al his forss, bot the dynt dyd no deir;

  Nocht bot the ayr was wondyt with the speir,

  For wikkyt Iuno, the ald Saturnus get,

  Choppyt by the schaft, and fixt it in the et.

  “Ha!” quod Turnus, “sa sal thou not astart

  Thys wapyn now in faith or we depart,

  Nor on sik wyss eschape this bytand brand,

  Quhilk my gret forss thus rollys in my hand;

  For he that aw this swerd, and wond sal wyrk,

  Is not sa faynt, ne sa sone sall nocht irk.”

  And with that word, standand on hys typtays,

  Hevyng hys swerd, heich hys hand dyd rayss;

  Down with the dynt duschit the steil blaid keyn

  Amyd hys forhed, hard betwix hys eyn,

  Hys berdless chekis or hys chaftis rownd

  In sondyr schorn hess with a grysly wound:

  Sa felloun sownd or clap maid this gret clasche,

  That of hys huge weght, fell with a rasche,

  The erd dyndlyt, and all the cite schuke.

  So large feild hys gowsty body tuke,

  That fer onbreid ourspred was all the plane,

  Hys armour sparkyt with hys blude and brane.

  Baith to and fra, apon hys schuldris tway,

  Hys hed clovyn in equale halfis lay.

  Of dreidfull raddour trymlyng for affray,

  The Troianys fled rycht fast and brak away,

  And gif Turnus had than incontinent

  Ramembryt hym, and kauch in mynd to rent

  The lokkis vp, and oppyn the ettis wyde,

  So that hys feris without the port that tyde

  Mycht haue entryt, and cumyn in the cite,

  The last day of the batale that had be,

  And latter finale end to the remanys

  Of Phrigiane folkis and pepil Troianys.

  Bot sic ardent hie furour marcyall,

  And of slauchter desire insaciall,

  Draif hym to follow thame that hym gaynstandis;

  And first he kyllit Phalarys with his handis,

  And ane other, that Gyges hecht, alssua,

  Of quham the howchys bath he smate in twa;

  Syn speris rent and hynt vp all on raw

  And at the flearis bakkis fast dyd thraw,

  That wondir was to se hym quhar he went,

  For Iuno ekyt hys strenth and hardyment.

  Syne ane Hales onto the corpsis ded

  In cumpany he ekyt in that sted;

  And Phegeas doun brytnys in the feld,

  Spetit throw owt the body and hys scheld;

  Alchandrus syne, and the prowd Halyus,

  Nemonas eik, and keyn Prytanyus,

  Quhilkis mysknew Turnus was within the wall,

  And to the bargan dyd that feris call,

  Apon the grund onon al ded he layd,

  In bargan full expert; syne dyd invaid

  With schynand swerd, hard at the dykis syde,

  Ane Lynceus, the quhilk the sammyn tyde

  Resistys, as he myght, with fell afferis,

  And efter help cryis apon hys feris;

  Bot with a strake he smate hys nek in twa,

  Baith helm and hed flaw far the body fra.

  And, efter thir, ane Amycus he slew,

  That bayn had beyn to wild bestis enew;

  Was nane other mair happy nor expert

  To graith and til invnct a castyng dart,

  And with vennom to garnys the steil hedis.

  By Turnus handis the ilk tyme done to ded is

  Eolus son, hait Clytius, the heynd,

  And Creteus also, was the Musys frend —

  Creteus, poet to Musys famyliar,

  That in hys mynd and breist all tymys bar

  Sangis and gestis, musyk and harpyng;

  Apon hys stryngis playd he mony a spryng,

  Lays and rymys on the best awyss,

  And euermar hys maner and his gyss

  Was forto syng, blason and discryve,

  Men and stedis, knychthed, wer and stryve.

  The Troianys set on Turnus dyntis rude,

  Quhill at he fled, and lap into the flude.

  At last Mnestheus and strang Serestus,

  The Troiane capitanys, herand quhow that thus

  Thar pepill slane war doun, dyd convene;

  Thar feris fleand pail and wan haue thai sene,

  And thar cheif ennemy closyt in thar wallys.

  Mnestheus on thame clepys thus and callys:

  “Quhar ettill he to fra hyne? Quhidder wald he fle?

  Quhar other wallys seik he, or cite?

  Quhat haue e other strenth or forteress?

  O citesanys, behaldis heir express

  Nane bot a man standand ou aganys,

  Closyt within our dykis and wallys of stanys,

  Onrevengit, sa gret occisioun

  And huge slauchter sal mak within our tovn,

  Or
sa feill valeand yng capitanys kend,

  Onresistit, thus down to hell sall send!

  O maste onworthy cowartis, ful of slewth,

  Of our onsilly cuntre haue he na rewth,

  Nor piete of our ancyent goddis kynd?

  Think he na lak and schame into our mynd,

  To do sa gret owtrage to strang Enee,

  In hys absens thus catyfly to fle?”

  The Troianys by sik wordis as he said

  In curage grew, and fermly all abaid,

  Abowt thar fa man flokkand in a rowt.

  Turnus a litil, thocht he was stern and stowt,

  Begouth frawart the bargane to withdraw,

  And sattil towartis the ryveris syde a law,

  Ay peyss and peyss, to that part of the tovn,

  Was closyt with the ryver, rynnand dovn.

  Troianys, that seand, the mar apertly

  Assaleit hym with mony schowt and cry,

  And thikkyt fast abowt hym inveroin.

  As quhen abowt the awfull wild lyoun,

  With thar invasibill wapynnys scharp and squar,

  Ane multitude of men bilappyt war,

  And he full fers, with thrawin wlt, in the start,

  Seand the scharp poyntis, recullys bakwart,

  Bot forto gif the bak and fle away

  Nowder hys greif nor curage suffir may;

  And, thocht he wald, for all hys mekill mycht,

  Agane samony men and wapynnys brycht

  To press fordwart may he cum na speid.

  Nane other wyss Turnus, at sik a neid,

  Steppys abak with huly payss full still,

  Hys mynd scaldand in greif and egir will;

  And forthir eik amyd hys fays he

  Twyss ruschit in, and schuddrit the melle;

  And twyss also that onrebutit knycht

  Endlang the wallys put thame to the flycht.

  Bot al togidder, intyll ane convyne,

  Apon hym haill the town assemlyt syne,

  Nor Saturnus get, Iuno, in that fyght

  Agane thame durst him minster strenth nor mycht;

  For Iupiter had from the hevynnys fair

  Send dovn Iris, quhilk duellis in the ayr,

  Onto hys spouss and sister thar at hand

  Ful scharp chargis bryngis and command,

  Less than Turnus, quhou evir the chance befallis,

  Withdrew hym fra the fatale Troiane wallys;

  Quharthrow this valeand campioun ong and keyn

  Nowder with his scheild sa mekil mycht sustene,

  Nor sic defens mak with his hand, as ayr.

  With dartis at him swakkit heir and thar

  On sik wyss is he quhelmyt and confundyt,

  That euer in ane hys boss helm rang and soundyt,

  Clynkand abowt hys halfheddis with a dyn;

  Hys sovir armour, strang and na thyng thyn,

  Is brokkyn and byrsyt with feill stonys cast;

  So thik war dyntis, and strakis smyt so fast,

  That of his helm down bettyn war the crestis;

  Sa sair the bosys of hys target prest is,

  Hys scheild na langar mycht sik rowtis sustene;

  The Troianys, with this Mnestheus, in thar teyn

  Dowblys thar dyntis at hym with speris cast,

  As it had bene the hydduus thundris blast.

  Our all hys body furth et the swait thik,

  Lyke to the trynland blak stremys of pyk;

  Ne gat he laser anys hys aynd to draw —

  The febillit brath ful fast can beit and blaw

  Amyd hys wery breist and lymmys lasch.

  Than at the last, al suddanly, with a plasch,

  Harnes and al togiddir, quhar he stude,

  Him self he swakkis and lap into the flude.

  With giltyn stremys hym keppyt the ryver,

  And bar hym vp abuf hys wallis cleir,

  Syne blithly careit to hys feris bedene;

  All blude and slauchter away was weschyn clene. &c

  Explicit liber nonus Sequitur prologus in decimum

  BUKE X

  Incipit prologus libri decimi

  He plasmatour of thyngis vniuersall,

  Thou renewar of kynd that creat all,

  Incomprehensibill thy warkis ar to consave,

  Quhilk grantyt hess to every wight to haue

  Quhat thing mast ganys onto hys governall.

  Quhou mervellus beyn diuisions of thy gracis,

  Distribut so to ilk thing in all placis!

  The son to schyne our all and schaw hys lyght,

  The day to laubour, for rest thou ordanyt nycht,

  For diuerss causys schupe seir sessonys and spacis,

  Fresch veir to burgioun herbys and sweit flowris,

  The hait symmyr to nuryss corn all howris

  And breid all kynd of fowlys, fysch and beste,

  Hervist to rendir hys frutis maste and leste,

  Wyntir to snyb the erth with frosty schowris.

  Not at thou nedyt ocht, all thyng thou wrocht,

  Bot to that fyne thou maid al thing of nocht,

  Of thy gudnes to be participant;

  Thy Godhed na rychar, nor it mar skant,

  Nowthir now nor than, set thou ws wrocht and bocht.

  Thy maist supreme indiuisibill substans,

  In ane natur thre personys, but discrepans,

  Regnand etern, ressauys nane accident;

  For quhy? thou art rycht at this tyme present

  It at thou was, and evir sal, but varians.

  Set our natur God hass to hym vnyte,

  Hys Godhed incommixt remanys perfyte,

  The Son of God havand verray naturis twane

  In a person, and thre personys all ane

  In deite, natur, maieste and delyte.

  The Son the self thing with the Fader is,

  The self substans the Haly Gaist, I wyss,

  Is with thame baith; thre distinct personage,

  Ar, war and be sall, euer of ane age,

  Omnipotent, a Lord, equale in blyss,

  Quhilk souerane substans, in gre superlatyve,

  Na cunnyng comprehend may nor discryve;

  Nowther generis, generat is, nor doith proceid,

  Allane begynnar of euery thing, but dreid,

  And in the self remanys etern on lyve.

  The Fader, of nane generat, creat ne boir,

  Hys only Son engendris evirmor;

  Not makis, creatis, bot engendris all way

  Of hys substans; and all tyme of baith twa

  Procedis the Haly Gaist, equal in glor.

  Of baith, from ane begynnyng, procedis he;

  So bene the warkis of the Trinite

  Maist excellent, and wondirfull to consave —

  it thame to traste the mair meryte we have,

  That be na manys rayson prevyt may thai be.

  The Fader knawys hym self, quhilk knawlege spredis

  Be generatioun etern, that evir bredis

  Hys Son, hys word and wysdom eternall:

  Betwix thir twa is luf perpetuall,

  Quhilk is the Haly Gaist, fra baith procedis.

  Not at the Faderis natur mynyst is,

  Of hys substans he generis his Son in blys;

  Ne so the Son of hys kynd is ybor,

  That he a part hess tharof, and na mor;

  Bot all he gevys hys Son, and all is hys.

  The ilk thing he hym gevis, that he remanys:

  Thys syngill substans indifferently thus ganys

  To thre in ane, and ilkane of tha thre

  The sammyn thing is in a maieste,

  Thocht thir personys be seuerall in thre granys:

  Lyke as the sawle of man is ane, we wait,

  Havand thre poweris distinct and separate,

  Vndirstandyng, rayson and memor;

  Intelligens consideris the thing befor,

  Rayson discernys, memor kepys the consait.

  As thai beyn in a substans knyt all thre,

  Thre
personys ryngnys in a Deite.

  We may tak als ane other similytude,

  Grosly the sammyn purposs to conclud;

  Flambe, lyght and heit bene in a fyre we se.

  Quhar euer the low is, lycht and heit bene thar,

  And had the fyre bene byrnand euermar,

  Evyr suld the flambe engendrit haue hys lyght,

  And of the byrnand low the flambys brycht

  Perpetualy suld heit haue sprung alquhar.

  So generis the Fadir the Son with hym etern,

  From baith procedis the Haly Gaist coetern.

  Thus rude exemplys and figuris may we geif;

  Thocht, God by hys awin creaturis to preif,

  War mair onlikness than liknes to discern.

  Frend, farly nocht, na causs is to complene

  Albeit thy wyt gret God may nocht attene,

  For mycht thou comprehend be thyne engyne

  The maist excellent maieste dyvyne,

  He mycht be reput a pretty God and meyn.

  Considir thy raison is so febill and lyte,

  And hys knawlage profund and infynyte,

  Considir quhou he is onmensurabill:

  Hym, as he is, to knaw thou art not habill;

  It sufficis the beleif thy creid perfyte.

  God is, I grant, in all thing nocht includyt;

  Gevis all gudness and is of nocht denudyt;

  Of hym hss all thing part, and he nocht mynyst;

  Hail he is alquhar, not diuidit ne fynyst;

  Without all thing he is, and nocht excludit.

  O Lord, the ways beyn investigabill!

  Sweit Lord, thy self is sa inestimabill,

  I can write nocht bot wondris of thy mycht,

  That lawyt sa far thy maieste and hyght

  Tobe born man intill ane oxis stabill.

  Thow tuke mankynd of ane onwemmyt maid,

  Inclosyt within a virginis bosum glaid,

  Quham all the hevynnys mycht nevir comprehend;

  Angellis, scheiphyrdis and kyngis thy Godheid kend,

  Set thou in cryb betwix twa bestis was laid.

  Quhat infynyte excellent hie bonte

  Abufe thy warkis all, in wonderfull gre,

  Lord, quhen thou man wrocht to thyne awyn ymage,

  That tynt him self throu hys fulych dotage!

  Thou man becam, and deit to mak hym fre.

  Maid thou not man first president vnder the,

  To dant the bestis, fowlys and fysch in see,

  Subdewit to him the erth and all tharin,

  Syne paradice grantit hym and all his kyn,

  Gave him fre will, and power nevir to dee,

  Enarmyt him with raison and prudence,

  Only bad hym kepe thyne obediens,

  And to hym suld all creatouris obey?

  Bittir was that fruyt for his ofspryng, and fey,

  Maid deth onknawin be fund, and lyfe go hens.

  O thyne inestimabill luf and cheryte

  Becam a thrall to mak ws bondis fre,