Complete Works of Virgil

by Virgil

  On the hie towris hedis stud on raw.

  Ful thyn the cirkyllys of the wallys law

  Thai mannyt abowt, for in the first front stude

  Iasyus, Imbrasus son, and eik the gude

  Tymetes, son of strang Icetoan,

  And by thame alsso the Assaracus twane,

  The eldar Thybrys with Castor full wroth,

  Brethir germane to Kyng Sarpedon boith,

  Quham Clarus had and Hemon, ferys twa,

  Followyt from the hie realm of Lycya.

  Ane Agmon of Lyrnesya fast thar by

  Presys with all the forss in hys body

  A felloun stone to welt the wallys tyll,

  Quhilk semyt be a gret part of a hyll;

  Na less of statur than hys fader Clytyus

  Was he, nor ellys hys brother Mnestheus.

  With dartis thai assaill the cite fast,

  And thai defend with slungis and stane cast;

  Sum presys thik the wyld fyre into slyng,

  The arrowys flaw spangand fra euery stryng.

  The Dardane child, the yng Ascanyus,

  Principall thocht and cuyr of Dame Venus,

  Amyd the rowtis, in covert quhar he eid,

  Thar mycht be seyn in hys fresch lustyhed,

  Lyke as ane gem, with hys brycht hew schynyng,

  Departis the gold set amydwart the ryng,

  Or in the crownell pyght, or rych hynger,

  Quhilk doys the nek array or the hed ger;

  And mair semly than evor bane to se,

  Craftely closyt within the box of tre,

  Or than amyd the blak terbynthyn

  Growys by Orycia; and, as the geit dois schyne,

  Hys curland lokkis hyngis down weill dek

  About hys schuldris our hys mylk quhyte nek,

  Ane circulet of plyabill gold so bryght

  Abuf hys haris apon hys hed weil pyght.

  Thow Ismarus, of magnanymyte

  Fulfyllit, eik thar myght men the se,

  Invnctand venemus schaftis the ilk tyde,

  Address dartis, and wyrk wondis full wyde;

  Cummyn of the gentill blude of Meony,

  In Lyde cuntre born thou was, fast by

  The plentuus sule quhar the goldyn ryver

  Pactolus warpys on grund the gold vre cleir.

  Reddy at hand was Mnestheus wight,

  Quham the renowne of this istir nycht,

  For that he Turnus our the dychys drave,

  Full prowd maid in hys curage our the laif.

  With hym was Capys thar alsso, quham by

  The town Capua is namyt in Champany.

  Thus athir party into hard barganyng

  Stude at debait, quhill Eneas the kyng,

  With all hys ferys, baith day and mydnycht

  Slydis throw owt the salt famys lyght.

  For efter that fra Kyng Evander he

  Departit was, as heir abufe said we,

  And entrit in amyd the Tuscane tentis,

  The kyng he socht, and tald hym hys ententis,

  Hys name to hym rehersyng and hys blude,

  And hys desyre, fully to conclude,

  Hess schawyn planely, twychand quhat he socht,

  And quhat supple alsso with hym he brocht,

  And tald quhat army prowd Meentyus

  Had convenyt, and how the bald Turnus

  So violent and ferss was in hys will,

  Exhortyng hym to tak gude heyd heirtill,

  And how instabill was all warldis chance,

  All manis surte hyngand in ballance;

  And onto this hys request and prayer

  Adionyt hess on ful gudly maner.

  Thar was na mair delay, bot Tarchon kyng

  All reddy was to fulfyll hys lykyng,

  With moblys and all ryches at command,

  And vp gan knyt thar fordward and cunnand

  Of amyte and perpetuall ally.

  Than of the fatys fre, in thar navy,

  At command of the goddis, pepill Tuscane

  Ar entrit in thar schyppys euerilkane,

  Submytting thame ontill a strange duke.

  Eneas barge than furth the vayage tuke

  Befor the laif, as almeral of the flote,

  And in hir stevyn kervyn full weil, God wot,

  The lyonys that the Phrygyane armys bene,

  Abufe the quhilkis porturat fair and greyn

  Was Ida forest, to fugytyve Troianys

  Thar best belovyt forest and natyve wanys.

  In hyr was set the gret prynce Eneas,

  That with hym self can mony thing cumpas

  Twychyng the chancis of batal in that tyde.

  Pallas adionyt sat by hys left syde,

  And he at hym dyd wysly ask and speir

  The curss and namys of the starnys cleir,

  Quhilk in the styl hevyn schynys on the nycht;

  Now speris he, franand with all hys myght,

  To knaw Eneas wandryng be the see,

  And quhou huge payn he had on landis dre.

  Heir comptis Virgill the pepil of Tuscane,

  Quhilkis with Eneas com to the bargane.

  he Musys now, sweit goddessis ychone,

  Oppyn and oncloss our mont of Helycon,

  Reveil the secretis lyand in our mycht,

  Entone my sang, address my style at rycht,

  To schaw quhat pyssance, ostis and army

  At this tyme from the boundis of Tuscany

  In falloschyp com with the prynce Ene,

  And stuffyt schippys of weir set to the see.

  Fyrst, Prynce Massycus cummys with hys rowt,

  Into hys barge Tygrys, with stelyt snowt,

  Sowchand throw owt the fludis quhar scho went,

  A thowsand stowt ong men of hys talent

  Vndir hym ledyng, for the batale bown,

  From Clusyum com vmquhile, that nobill town,

  And fra the Tuscane cite of Cosa;

  Baith castyng dartis and flanys vsyt tha,

  With arrow casys and other quavyrris lycht,

  And mortal bowys buklyt for the fyght.

  Sammyn furth salys Abas, and hym by

  Hys barnage stud enarmyt rychly;

  Hys weirlyke schip our the fludis ilkane

  Of god Appolloys goldyn statw schane.

  The rych cyte of Populonyas,

  Hys natyve cuntre, quharof born he was,

  Sax hundreth men of armys in wer expert

  With hym hess send, and the ile in that part

  Illua callyt, within the Tuscane see,

  Sa rych of steill it may nocht wastyt be,

  Thre hundreth eik hess send with hym to pass.

  The thryd capitane, worthy Asylas,

  Of goddis eik and men interpretur,

  Of euery spayng craft that knew the cuyr,

  Quhat the hart pypis and bestis entralys ment,

  Quhat signyfeit the starnys, quhar thai went

  Thar rycht cursis abufe the hevynnys hie,

  And euery byrdis vocis weil knew he,

  And quhat betaknyt, schynyng from the hevyn,

  Thyr fyry blastis or this thundris levyn;

  A thousand men assemlyt with hym ledis,

  With awful speris and scharp grundyn hedis;

  Quham the Hetruscane cite, Pysa gud,

  Inhabyt first from Alpheus that flude,

  Send tyll obey hym as thar capitane.

  Syne followys Astur, the semlyast of ane,

  Astur, maist sovyr horsman forto seik,

  Of variant cullour was hys armour eik;

  Thre hundreth walyt men with hym he led.

  All of a will, furth to the batal sped

  The folkis alhail dwelt in the cite sweit

  Of Agelyn, otherwyss callyt Cerete,

  And thai that dwellys in tha feldis, I wyss,

  Endlang the bankis of flud Mynyonys,

  Or intill ancyent Pyrgus town alssua,

  Or inhabytis the cyte Grauyssa,

  Ful cont
agius of tempest and grewss ayr.

  Suld I the pretermyt, sen thou was thar,

  I meyn the, Cygnus, of Lygurianys

  The cheif ledar, amang other capitanys

  Ane the maist forcy into batal sted?

  Ne wil I not foret, suld I be ded,

  The, strang Cupauus, with thy few mene,

  Fra quhais tymbret rysys apon hie

  The lusty swannys fedrame, brycht and scheyn

  (The cryme and cawss of all our woful teyn

  Was luf and amouris), or pompus array

  Schrowd in our faderis connysans al to gay.

  For, as thai tell, quhil dolorusly Cygnus

  Maid hys complant amang the scroggy buss

  Of poppill tre branschis lang and squar,

  Quharin the twa systeris transformyt war,

  And gan bewail Phaeton, hys best belovyt;

  Quhil that he sang and playt, as hym behwyt,

  The dolly tonys and lays lamentabill,

  With sic regrate to comfort and astabill

  Hys hevy amorus thochtis ennoyus,

  In quhite canoss soft plumys ioyus

  Became ourheld, in lyknes of a swan,

  And led hys age na mar furth lyke a man,

  Bot tuke hys flycht vp from the erd in hy

  And with a swouchand voce socht in the sky.

  Hys son, this tyde, havand hys falloschippys

  Distribut equaly into syndry schippys,

  Amang the navy and the flote at large,

  With ayris rollys furth hys bustuus barge,

  Clepyt Centaurus, and ithandly syne he

  Dryvys throu fludis of the stormy see.

  Byg of statur stude he lyke to feght,

  Bostand the streme with ballast of huge weght,

  And with hys lang and lusty ballyngar

  Ourslydis the deip fludis in thar fair.

  The nobill Ocnus from hys natyve land

  A fair army assemlyt brocht at hand,

  Son of god Tibris, the Tuscane ryver,

  Beget apon Manthus the lady cleir,

  That was baith nymphe and famus prophetes.

  Thys Ocnus was the ilk man quhilk express

  Of Mantua the cite dyd he wall,

  And eftir hys said moderis name can call

  Mantua, myghty of ald ancystry

  And forfaderis. Bot hys geneology

  Was not of ane kynrent cummyn all,

  For that town had thre clannys principall,

  And, vnder euery clan or trybe of tha,

  War other sobyr famyllis twyss twa;

  Mantua eik was cheif and principall hed

  Till all thir pepill wonnyng in that sted,

  Takand thar forss and hardyment ilkane

  From the lynage and nobill blude Tuscane.

  Meentius, throu hys auld tyrranny,

  Furth of this cite aganyst hym in hy

  Fyve hundreth men till armys maid do steir;

  Quham Myncyus, the fresch rynnand ryver,

  That from the lowch of Bennacus ischis down,

  And is ourheldyt all with redis brovn,

  Hess careit to the braid seys large

  Within thar weirly schip and awfull barge.

  Furth held the stowt and degest Aulestes,

  Quhilk with gret strenth of rowaris in that press,

  Rasyng thame on thar thoftis for the nanys,

  The fludis smate with hundreth arys at anys,

  Quhill that the fomy stowr of stremys le

  Vpweltis from the braid palmys of tre.

  The mekill howke hym bair was Tryton callyt,

  For in hir forstam was the monstre stallyt,

  With watry trumpe fleyand the fludis gray;

  Quhar as scho salyt, men mycht se hym ay

  With byrsy body porturyt, and vissage

  All rowgh of harys, semyng of cullage

  In mannys form fra hys cost to hys crown,

  Bot from hys belly, and thens fordwart dovn,

  The remanent straucht lyke a fyschis tayll,

  In symylitud of huddon or a quhaill;

  Vndre the breist of this ilk bysnyng thyng

  The sey wallys bulrand makis murnyng.

  Sa mony walyt capitanys, nobill men,

  In help of New Troy, with schippys thryss ten,

  Slydis throw the salt stremys of the see

  With stelyt stevynnys and bowand bylge of tre.

  Eneas schippis, translait in nymphis of see,

  Tald hym quhou Turnus assegit cyte.

  Be this declynyt was the days lyght;

  The moyn intill hyr waverand cart of nycht

  Held rollyng throw the hewynnys myddil ward,

  As Eneas, the Troiane prynce and lard,

  For thochtis mycht na wyss hys membris rest,

  Samony curys in hys mynd he kest,

  Bot sat in proper person, and nane other,

  To steir hys carvell and to rewle the ruther,

  And forto gyde the salys takand tent.

  Onone, amyd hys curss, thar as he went,

  Recontyris hym hys falloschip in hy

  Of nymphis, quham of schippys and his navy

  The haly moder, clepyt Cybele,

  Maid to becum goddessys in the see.

  All sammyn swam thai, hand in hand yfeir,

  And throw the wallys fast dyd sewch and scheir,

  Als feill in numbyr nymphys throu the flude,

  Als laitly with thar stelyt stevynnys stude

  Of Troiane schippys by the costis syde.

  A weil far way, as our the streme thai glyde,

  Thar kyng thai knaw, and all in carralyng

  About hys schyp went circulyt in a ryng,

  Amangis quham, in speche the maist expert,

  Cymodocea to the wail astart,

  And with hir rycht hand can the eft casteill

  Do gryp onon, that all hir bak ilk deill

  Abuf the sey watir dyd appeir;

  Beneth the calmyt stremys fair and cleir

  With hir left hand craftely swymmys sche;

  Syne on this wyss spekis till Enee,

  That of this wonderus mervell knew na thing:

  “Walkis thou or not, thou verray goddis ofspryng,

  Our prynce and master Eneas? Now awaik,

  Takill thy schippys, and thy schetis sclaik.

  We beyn thy navy and thy flote,” quod sche,

  “Bowyt sum tyme of fyr and bych tre,

  Grew in the haly top of mont Ida,

  And now, as present thou behald ws may,

  Nymphes we beyn, and salbe euermor.

  For, as on faithles Turnus by the schor

  Invadyt ws with glavys and with fyre,

  On forss constrenyt for the flambys schire,

  Thy cabillys we in sundyr brak in haist,

  To seik the throw the sey, as we war chaist;

  And than the moder of goddis, Cybele,

  Havand of ws compassioun and piete,

  In this figour hass ws all translait,

  For euermar tobe deificat,

  As goddessys, quhar so ws lykis best,

  Amangis the fludis forto leif and lest.

  Bot thy deir child, yng Ascanyus stowt,

  Besegyt is, and closyt rownd abowt

  With wallys, fowcy and trynschis, ather syde,

  Amyd dartis or quarrellys fast doys glyde,

  And dreidfull hostis of stern pepill Latyne,

  By weir enforsyng to distroy all thyne.

  Evandrus horsmen, clepyt Arcadanys,

  Mydlyt sammyn with Hetrurianys,

  Quham in thy help thou sendis by the land,

  Thai placis now, quhar as thou gaue command,

  Can occupy, abydand thy cummyng:

  Bot Turnus hess determyt, as certane thing,

  Gret garnysonys to send betwix thame sone,

  That our hostis sall not togidder ioyn.

  Get vp, haue done, and sone in the mornyng,

  Alsswyth as the brycht day begynnys to spryng,


  Thy ferys haill thou fyrst to harnes call,

  And with thy scheild invynsibill tharwithall

  Thy selvyn schrowd, quham mychty god of fyre

  To the, as ane maist souerane lord and syre,

  Hass wrocht and gevyn, and with gold sa brycht

  The bordouris hass ourgylt and forgit at rycht.

  Gyf thou belevys not my sawys invayn,

  The lyght of day to morn, I schaw the playn,

  Huge hepys sal behald in feld dung down

  Of Rutilianys by fell occisioun.”

  Thus said sche, and, departand with a skyp,

  By hir rycht hand schowys furth the schyp

  As scho that was in that craft rycht expert,

  And throw the wallys on the tother part

  Glydys away vndir the fomy seys,

  Als swyft as gane or feddyrrit arrow fleys,

  That stryvys forto pyngill with the wynd:

  The remanent hir followys fast behynd.

  Anchises son, the gret Troiane Ene,

  Awondris, onwyttyng quhat this mycht be,

  And, netheless, hys curage dyd avance

  With this ilk fatale augury or chance;

  Syne schortly, lukand to the hevyn abone,

  On this maner can pray and maid hys boyn:

  “O blyssyt moder of the goddis,” quod he,

  “That hallowyt art in the montane Ide,

  Quhamto the toppys of mont Dyndymane,

  And eik the towryt citeis mony ane,

  With renyt lyonys okkyt to the char,

  Ful tendyr bene and hartly euermar;

  Be thou in batall now my president,

  Be my protectrix, dewly takand tent

  At this orakyll be hastyt to our weill;

  O haly goddess, with happy fute of seill

  Cum and assistis to thyne awyn Troianys.”

  No mor he spak, bot, with that word atanys,

  In the meyn quhile vpspryngis the brycht day,

  Chasand the clowdis of the nycht away.

  And fyrst Eneas gan hys ferys command

  Thar baneris to displayt and follow at hand,

  Thar curage eik and curace to address,

  And graith thame for the batail all express.

  For he, be than, hys Troianys mycht behald,

  And of the eft schyp into hys town and hald

  Men mycht hym se and knaw, quhar at he stude,

  Hys schynand new scheild from amyd the flud

  Into hys left hand rasyt hie on hyght.

  The Troianys from the wallys of that sycht

  War sa reiosyt, vp thai rasyt a cry

  That rerdis to the starnys in the sky.

  The hoip of hys returnyng hait as fyre

  Dowblyt thar curage, and vprasyt thar ire,

  That with thar handis fast thai dartis slyng,

  With sic a dyn of clamour and crying,

  And trumpys blast rasyt within the town

  Sik maner bruyt, as thocht men hard the sovn

  Of crannys crowplyng, fleand in the ayr

  With spedy fard in randoun heir and thar;