Complete Works of Virgil

by Virgil

  Thus said scho forto dissimyll hyr self, or than becauss that in Cypir was scho wirscheppit only wyth insens and flouris and nayn other sacrifyce, sa that it was onlefull ony blud war sched in hir tempyll.

  Of Agenor e sal knaw that Iupiter engendrit Ephaphus, quhilk gat Belus the first, that engendrit this Agenor, and he begat Phenix, fra quham the realm of Tyre was namyt Phenycia and the pepil bath of Tyre and Cartage Phenycianys or Punycianys. This Phenix begat Belus the secund, otherwyss callit Methres, and he was fader to this Pygmaleon and Queyn Dido, otherwyss nemmyt Elissa. This ilk Phenix also engendrit Philistenes, quhilk begat this Sycheus, otherwyss callit Sicarbas, spouss to this ilk Dido and gret preste to Hercules.

  Sum sais scho gave alss mekyll gold as wald gang in a bul hid for this grund; sum haldis opynyon that in thai dais the monye was mad of cuyrbule or leddyr, and this castell hes his naym therfra, for in the langage of Affrik, “byrsa” betakynnys leddyr or a hyd. Bot Seruyus is of Virgillis opynion, sayand Dido maid carve the bull hid in sa small twhangis that it cumpassyt abowt the spass of xxii stageis, that is, thre myllis quarter less.

  That Eneas heyr commendis his self, it is not to be tayn that he said this for arrogans bot forto schaw his styll, as a kyng or prince onknawin in an onkowth land may but repreif reherss his estate and dygnite to mak him be tretyt as afferis. And alss, becauss he trastyt he spak wyth a goddess, that scho suld nocht aschaym to remayn and talk wyth hym therfor; and becauss scho was a woman, he schew that he was a man of autorite, wyth quham thai nedis nocht ascham to speyk, for he was that man quhilk by the common voce was clepit Eneas full of pyete. And for that Virgill clepis hym swa all thro this buyk, and I interpret that term quhylys for “rewth,” quhils for “devotion” and quhilis for “pyete” and “compassion,” tharfor e sall knaw that pyete is a vertw or gud deid be the quhilk we geif our dylligent and detfull lawbour to our natyve cuntre and onto thaim beyn conionyt to vs in neyr degre. And this vertw, pyete, is a part of iustyce and hes ondyr hym twa other vertwys: amyte, callyt frendschip, and liberalyte.

  Varo sais that Eneas, fra his departing of Troy quhil he coym in the feldis of Lawrentum, all the day saw the starn of Venus, and quhen he was thiddir cummyn he saw it na mair, quharby he ondirstud that was his grund fatayll.

  Parentis betakynnys the childis fader and moder baith.

  The Egill be poetis is feneit tobe Iovis fowle, and that he maid minstration to him of the thunder and wapynnys the tyme of the batale betwix the god Dis and the Gyantis. Bot war it lefull to compar prophane fabillis to Haly Scriptour, Sanct Iohne the Ewangelist is verray Iovis egill and clepit son of thundir.

  Eneas, at his moderys commandment,

  Cled with the mysty clowd, to Cartage went.

  Thai in the meyn tyme hastit furth thar way

  As the rod led thame, quhil ascend ar thai

  The hill fer rysand abuf the town on hycht,

  Quhar all the cite forgane thame se thai mycht.

  Eneas wondrit the gretnes of Cartage,

  Quhilk lait tofor had beyn ane smal cotage;

  The fair portis alsso he ferleit fast,

  And of the brute of pepill tharat inpast,

  The large stretys paithit by and by.

  The byssy Tyrryanys lauborand ardently,

  Ane part haistis tobeild the wallys wight,

  And sum to rayss the gret castell on hyght

  And welt vp stanys to the wark on hie,

  Sum grathis fast the thak and rufe of tre,

  And sum abowt delvys the fowsy deip,

  Sum chesis officeris the lawys forto kepe

  With counsalouris and senatouris, wyss folkis,

  onder othersum the new havyn holkis,

  And heir alsso, ane other end fast by,

  Lays the fundament of the theatry,

  And otheris eik the huge pillaris grete

  Out of the querrellys gan do hew and bete

  Fortill adorn that place in all degre

  In tyme cummyng quhar gret triumphe suldbe —

  Lyke to the beys, in feildis floryst new,

  Gaderyng thar wark of mony diuerss hew,

  In soft somyr the brycht son hait schynyng,

  Quhen of thar kynd thame list swarmys furthbryng,

  Or in camys incluss thar hwny cleyn

  And with sweit liquour stuffis thar cellis scheyn,

  Or ressavys the byrdyngis from othir tharowt,

  Or fra thar hyve togyddir in a rowt

  Expellis the bowbart beist, the faynt drone be;

  Thar labour is bissy and fervent forto se,

  The hwny smellys of the sweit tyme seid.

  “O,” quod Ene, “full happy ar he in deid,

  Quhais large wallis rysys thus on hie!”

  A quhile he visseit the boundis of this cite,

  Ane wonder thyng, coverit with a clowd about:

  He entrys syne amyd the thikast rowt,

  Amang the men he thrang, and nane hym saw.

  Amyd the cite stude ane semly schaw,

  With hys maist plesand sobir schaddowis, quhar,

  As the Punycianys first vpwarpit war

  Efter the stormys blastis and seys rage,

  Thai delvand fand the takynnar of Cartage,

  Ane mekill horss hed that was, I weyn,

  As Iuno had schaw tofor, of goddis queyn,

  That signyfyit the cite excellent in batale,

  And plentuus eik al tymys of vittale.

  In the ilke place, the Sydonas Dido

  Begouth to byg a prowd tempill of Iuno

  With dowreis seir and gyftis of rychess

  And eik the goldyn statw of the goddes.

  The entre rayss with hie stagis of brass,

  With brass alsso the cupplys festynnyt was;

  The brassyn durris iargis on the marbill hirst.

  In this tempill, seir novelteis first

  Schawin till Eneas mesyt gretly hys feir:

  The first assurance of comfort was heir

  And hope of releif eftir aduersite,

  For as he went diuerss thingis to se,

  Rowmyng about the large tempill scheyn

  Fortobehald the cummyng of the queyn

  And of the cite the gret prosperite,

  The mony warkmen and thar craftis sle,

  In dew proportioun, as he woundrit for ioy,

  He saw perordour all the sege of Troy,

  The famus batellis, wlgat throu the warld or this,

  Of Kyng Pryam and athir Attrides,

  And, baldar than thame baith, the ferss Achil.

  He styntis, and wepand said Achates tyll:

  “Quhou now, quhilk place is this, my frend,” quod he,

  “Quhat regioun in erd may fundyn be

  Quhar our mysforton is nocht fully proclame?

  Allace, behald, se ondir Kyng Priam,

  Lo, heir his wirschip is haldin in memor.

  Thir lamentabyll takynnys passit befor

  Our mortal myndis aucht to compassioun steir.

  Away with dreid, and tak na langar feir!

  Quhat, wenys thou na this fame sall do the gude?”

  Thus said he and fed hys mynd, quhar he stude,

  With thir plesand feneit ymagery,

  Murnand sair and wepand tendyrly,

  The flude of terys halyng our hys face,

  For as he lukit on the wark percace,

  He saw porturate quhar in sik a place

  The Grekis fled and Troianys followis the chace

  Abowt the wallys of Troy as thai dyd fyght.

  At ondir part the Troianys tak the flycht,

  With creste on hed Achillis in hys chair

  Persewand strangly. Not far thens saw he quhar

  The quhite tentis of Kyng Rhesus, evill kepe,

  Betraisit war apon the first sleip,

  Quhar with gret slauchter bludy Diomeid

  Distroyt all, and till hys tent gan leid

  The mylk quhite horssis, fers, swift and gude,

  Or evir thai t
aistit ony Troiane fude

  Or drunkyn had of the flude Exanthus.

  And ondir, lo, beheld he Troilus

  Wantyng his armour, the fey barn fleand,

  Fortill recontyr Achilles onganand,

  The horss hym harland behynd the void cart

  Hyngand wyde oppyn, and hys hed dounwart;

  Supposs he held the reneis fast but faill,

  Hys nek and harys on the erd gan traill,

  The speir ourturnyt in the duste dyd write.

  The sammyn tyme, the Troian madynnys quhite,

  With hair doun skalit, all sorofull gan pass

  Onto the tempill of the grevit Pallas

  To ask supple; with thame a wympill bair thai,

  With handis betand thar breistis by the way:

  This fremmyt goddess held hir eyn fixt fast

  Apon the grund, nocht a blenk list thame cast.

  Abowt the wallis of Troy he saw quhat wyss

  Achilles harlyt Hectoris body thryss;

  The ded corps syne for gold he saw hym sell.

  Law from his breist murnand he gave a ell,

  Seand the void cart and spule of the knycht

  And the corps of his derrest frend sa dight.

  Priam onarmyt streke furth handis dyd he spy

  From Achilles hys sonnys body toby.

  Him self alsswa mydlit persavit he

  Amang princis of Grece in the melle.

  The orient hostis knew he one by one,

  And Vlcanus armour on blak Menon.

  The madynnys cum fra Amason saw he soyn,

  With crukit scheildis schapyn like the moyn,

  Led by thar furyus queyn Pantissylle;

  Amyd the thousandis egyrly feghtis sche,

  And quhar hir pap was for the speir cut away,

  Of gold tharon was belt a rych tyschay:

  Ane worthy weriour suythly thai mycht hir ken,

  This wench stowtly recontir durst with men.

  Kyng Agamenon and Duke Menalay.

  Heir to the tempil cummys Queyn Dido

  Quhar that Eneas his feris fand alsso.

  Quhill as the manfull Troian Eneas

  To se thir nyce figuris thocht wonder was,

  And as he musyt, studyand in a stair

  Bot on a sycht quhar on he blenkit thar,

  The queyn Dido, excellent in bewte,

  To tempill cumis with a fair mene

  Of lusty yngkeris walkyng hir about.

  Lyke to the goddes Dian with hir rowt

  Endlang the flude of Eurot on the bra,

  Or vndir the toppis of hir hill Cynthia

  Ledand ryng dansys, quham followis our alquhar

  A thousand nymphis flokkyng heir and thair;

  On hir schulder the arrow cace baris sche,

  And quhar scho walkis abufe the laif on hie

  May weil be seyn; to Latone hir moder this

  Gevis reiosyng and secrete hartis blyss:

  Sikane was Dido, sykane hir blithly bair

  Amyd thame all, the warkis and weilfair

  Providing for the realm in tyme tocum.

  And quhen sche to the tempill dur is cum,

  Syne entryng vnder the myd volt, tuke hir sete

  Heich in a trone, and cumpaneis grete

  On athir half standyng of armyt men,

  The domys and law pronuncis sche to thame then,

  The feys of thar laubouris equaly

  Gart distribut; gif dowt fallis tharby,

  Be cut or kavill that pled sone partit was.

  Bot suddandly persavis Eneas

  Quhar with gret haist com rynnyng Antheus,

  Sergest he seis, and stalwart Cloanthus,

  With diuerss otheris of the Troian mene,

  Quham the blak storm had skatterit on the see

  And at ane other cost drevyn to the land.

  He and his fallow awondris this seand.

  Achates half estonyst stude in affray;

  With feir and ioy smyttin baith war thai,

  And langit sair to schaik handys; bot thar hart

  The onkouth cace amovit in sum part

  Forto dissymyll, as na thing seyn thai had,

  And with the dyrk clowd hyd, to spy thai baid

  Quhou it stude with thar ferys, or chansyt eft,

  Or on quhat cost thar navy thai had left,

  Quhat thai desyrit, for, as full weill thai saw,

  From thar schippis per ordour thai com on raw,

  Besekand grace and peax fast, as thame thocht,

  And to the tempill with gret clamour socht.

  Fra thai war enterit in the tempill tho

  And licens grantit thame to speke alsso,

  The gretast oratour, Ilioneus,

  With plesand voce begouth his sermond thus:

  “O hie princes, quhamto Iupiter hass grant

  To beld ane new cyte, and to dant

  The violens of prowd folk by iust law,

  We wrachit Troianys, with the wyndis blaw

  Throu strange stremys and mony diuerss see,

  Forbyd on cruell fyre, besekis the,

  Suffir not to byrn our schippis in a rage,

  Haue reuth apon our petuus auld lynage.

  Considir frendly our mater quhou it standis:

  We com nocht hiddir with drawyn swerdis in handis

  To spule templis or rychess of Lybia,

  Nor by the cost na spreth to dryve away.

  Sik violens nane within our myndis is,

  Nor sa gret stowtnes to venquyst folk, I wyss.

  Thar is a place quham the Grekis, thai say,

  Onto hys name clepis Hesperia,

  Ane nobill land, richt potent in bataill,

  And fructuus grond, plentuus of vittalle,

  By Kyng Onotryus inhabit first, we trow,

  Bot in our days laitly, the fame is now,

  Eftir thar duke it is namyt Italy.

  Thidderwart our courss was laid, quhen suddanly

  The flude boldnyt, and stormy Orion

  Amang blynd bankis cachit ws onon;

  The byttir blastis, contrarius al ways,

  Throw wallis huge, salt fame and wilsum wais,

  And throw the perrellus rowkis gan ws dryve;

  Hidder at our cost ar few of ws arryve.

  Quhat kynd of pepill duellis heir?” quod he,

  “Quhou beyn sik thewis sufferit in this cuntre?

  We ar defendit to herbry on the sand,

  Prouokyt eik to batale, and, drevyn to land

  By forss of storm, the slyke thai ws deny.

  Albeit the strenth of men he set not by

  And mortal weris contempnys and comptis nocht,

  Belevis weill it than and haue in thocht

  The goddis sall remember, traistis me,

  Baith of gud dedis and iniquite.

  To ws was kyng the worthy Eneas,

  Ane iustar man in all the warld nane was,

  Nor mair reuthfull, nor wisar into weir,

  And mair valiant in dedis of armys seir,

  Quham gif the fatis alyve conservit haith

  To tak this hevinly ayr and draw his braith,

  And not with cruell gostis hyd vnder erd,

  We neid not dreid, sall nocht mak ws efferd,

  Nor thou sall neuer repent the sykkyrly

  To schaw ws first frendschip and curtasy.

  Into the realm of Sycill als haue we

  Frendis and citeis, with armyt men plente,

  And of the Troian blude Acestes kyng.

  Gyf ws war levit our flote on land to bryng,

  That with the wynd and storm is all to schaik,

  And grantit eik wod leif to hew, and take

  Tymmyr to beit ayrris and other mysteris,

  So that our kyng we mycht fynd and our feris,

  Blithly we suld hald towart Italy,

  And to the cost of Latium seik inhy.

  Bot gif our weilfar and beleve cleyn gayn is,

  And the, maist souerane fader of ws T
roianys,

  The Lybian sey withhaldis, gif thou be gone,

  Nor of Ascanyus comfort remanys none,

  Than suythly, at the leste, the Sycill see

  And placis reddy fra quham hidder drevin ar we,

  We sall seik, and to the kyng Acestes.”

  Thus said Ilioneus, and sa can he cess,

  Bot than the noyss rayss amang the Troianys —

  Thai murmuryt and complenyt all at anys.

  Than schortly Dido spak with vissage doun cast:

  “Remove all dreid, Troianys, beis nocht agast,

  Pluk vp our hartis, and hevy thochtis dovn thring.

  Ane hard myschans and novelte of this ryng

  Constrenys me sik mastry forto schaw,

  And with discurriouris kepe the cost on raw.

  Quha knawys nocht the lynnage of Enee?

  Or quha myskennys Troy, that ryall cyte?

  The gret wirschip of sik men quha wald nocht meyn

  And the huge ardent batalys at thar hass beyn?

  We Phenycianys nane sa blait breistis hess,

  Nor so fremmytly the son list nocht address

  Hys curss frawart Cartage cyte away.

  Quhiddir he will to gret Hesperia,

  The grund of Saturn, quhilk now is Italy,

  Or to the cost of Sycill fast tharby,

  And at the kyng Acestes lyst ou be,

  Thidder sall he suyrly pass with my supple;

  I sal support ou with all geir may gayn.

  And pless he with me in this realm remane,

  The cite quhilk I byg is ouris fre;

  Bryng in our schippis hidder from the see;

  Betwix a Troiane and ane Tyrriane

  Na differens — all sall I rewle as ane;

  And with this sammyn wynd hidder blaw in feir

  Wald God Enee our kyng war present heir!

  Endlang the costis and far partis of Lyby

  I sall forsuyth exploratouris send to spy

  In ony wod gyf that he be vpdryve,

  Or it perchance at ony cyte arryve.”

  Quhou Eneas with all his rowt bedene

  War thankfully ressauyt of the queyn.

  Uith thir wordis the spreit of Eneas

  And of the strang Achates reiosyt was,

  Gretly desyryng the clowd to brek in tway.

  Bot first Achates till Enee gan say:

  “Son of the goddes, quhat purposs now,” quod he,

  “Rysis in thy breist? All is sovir, thou may se,

  Thyne navy and thy ferys recoverit beyn,

  Wantand but ane, amang the fludis greyn

  Quham we saw droun. All other thingis, thou knawis,