Complete Works of Virgil

by Virgil

  The entre oppynnyt Hercules the bald,

  Bet doun the closeris, and syne brocht to the lycht

  Hys oxin fra him reft by subtel slycht;

  And by the feyt furth harlyt was onon

  Of Cacus the deformyt carion.

  The hartis than and myndis of our mene

  Mycht nocht be satisfyit on him to luke and se,

  As to behald hys vgly eyn twane,

  Hys terribil vissage, and hys grisly gane,

  The rouch byrsys on the breist and creste

  Of that monstruoss half deil wilde beste,

  And in his gorge stikkand the sloknyt fyre.

  Evir sen that tyme, to Hercules the gret syre

  We haue this honour mayd and sacrifice;

  Al our ofspring and ong men on this wyss

  This day kepis solempnyte, as e se.

  Potitius first master heir with me,

  And the famyll of Pynaria the bald,

  The cheif keparis of Hercules hallowyt hald,

  on altar in this cuthyll dyd vpbeild,

  That onto ws in euery tyme of eild

  Is clepyt maist solempnyt and hie altar,

  And salbe reput gretast euermar.

  Tharfor haue done, ong gallandis; now in hy

  In wirschip of this fest and mangeory,

  Of greyn branschis plet for our hed garlandis,

  Do waucht and drynk, bryng cowpys full in handis,

  Call on our patron common god dyvyne is,

  And with gud will do skynk and birl the wynys.”

  Thus sayand, the party popill grayn

  Heldit his hed with skug Herculyane,

  The levis from the plettis dovn hyngand,

  Ane haly cowp fillit in hys rycht hand.

  Than ilk man smertly tastis the wyne at tabill,

  Prayand thar goddis fortobe aggreabill.

  In lovyng of the douchty Hercules

  The pepill syngis hys warkis mar and less.

  In the meyn sesson Hesperus drew neir,

  Throw the declynyng of the hevynly speir:

  Tharwith the prestis of the sacryfyis,

  Gyrdyt in skynnys, eftir thar auld gyss,

  Gan trasyng furth togidder in a rowt,

  And formest went Potityus the stowt,

  All do thai beir the byrnand hait fyre brandis,

  And, to renew the bankat, with thar handis

  Ful delicat danteis for the secund mete

  Thai dress onone, and furth of platis gret

  With paysit flesch plenyst the altaris large,

  Tharon bestowyng in hepis mony a charge.

  Syne the menstralis, syngaris and danseris,

  To syng and play with soundis, as afferis,

  Abowt the kyndlit altaris, quhil thai brynt,

  Assemblit ar ful swyth, and wald nocht stynt,

  With poppil tre hattis buklyt on thar hed.

  The onkeris onder in ane other sted

  Led rowndis, dansys and fresch caralyng;

  Other agit persons thame addressit to syng

  In ympnys, ballettis and lays, throu the press,

  The lovabill gestis of mychty Hercules:

  Quhou the first monstreis of his stepmoder sle,

  Lugyng a bab in creddill, stranglit he;

  That is to knaw, twa gret serpentis perfay,

  The quhilk he wyrreit with hys handis tway;

  And how this ilke Hercules of renovn

  The ryall citeis assegis and bet dovn,

  Of Troy, and eik the strang Echalia,

  A thousand hard iourneis sufferyng alssua,

  Vndre the kyng clepit Euristeus,

  By Iunoys frawart will mast envyus.

  And thus thai syng: “Invyncybill weriour,

  That bair of strenth and hardyment the flour,

  The stern Centawres thou slew and dovn bet,

  Dowbill of form, and on the clowd byget;

  Thow brytnys eik and with thi hand hess slane

  Pholus and Helyus, stalwart gyantis twane;

  Of Creit the monstreis dantis thou at full,

  The savage bestis, as wild bair and bull;

  Vndre a roik, Nemee forest within,

  Thou slew and rent the hydwyss lyoun skyn.

  The laik off Stix trymlyt for dreid of the;

  The grisly portar of the hellys see,

  Lugyng in caif on ded banys half gnaw,

  Dyd quaik for feir, quhen he thy vissage saw.

  Na kynd of bysnyng figour dyd the gryss,

  Nor byg Typheus, that agane Iove oftsyss

  Movyt batell, with wapynnys fell in hand

  Mycht the affray, nor thy gret strenth ganestand;

  Nor the serpent of Lern, thou put to ded,

  Fand the want nowder wysdom nor manhed,

  Thocht scho, of hedis with hir mekil rowt,

  The dyd assail and ombeset about.

  Hail, verray child of Iove; hail, honour hie

  Adionyt to the goddis in maieste!

  Baith ws and eik thi sacrifyce infeir

  We pray the wissy, at thou may cum heir

  With prosper presens and ful happy fut,

  In our helpyng fortobe our bute.”

  In sic sangis thar fest thai sanctify,

  And Hercules hie lovyng syng and cry.

  Bot principaly, and last of the laif,

  Thai maid mensioun of Cacus slane in caif,

  And quhou that he the flambis furth dyd blaw.

  The wod resoundis schill, and euery schaw

  Schowtis agane of thar clamour and dyn,

  The hillys rerdis, quhil dyndlis roik and quhyn.

  Syne, quhen dyvyne seruys was at end,

  To the cite bownys ilk man to wend.

  Furth held the kyng onweldy in ald eris,

  Fast by hym haldand, as his frendis and feris,

  The prynce Eneas and his ong son Pallas,

  And, quhil thai thus towart the cite pass,

  With syndry sermondis schortis he the way.

  Eneas awondris of that he dyd say,

  And kest his eyn about delyuerly,

  Thai stedis all to serchyn and espy;

  Sa fair placis to se and vissy tyte

  This strange knycht caucht plesance and delyte,

  And glaidly can inquiryng euery thing,

  And hard the answer of the agit kyng,

  Quhilk teching him perordour to him tald

  Memorialis of seir forfaderis auld.

  Quhou Kyng Evander rehersis til Enee

  In eldris days the rewle of that cuntre.

  Thys kyng Evandrus than, the first foundar

  Of Romys burgh or palyce, can declar

  And dyd reherss ontil his gest Enee:

  “Thir woddis and thir schawis all,” quod he,

  “Sum tyme inhabyt war and occupyit

  With nymphis and fawnys apon euery syde,

  Quhilk fairfolkis, or than elvys, clepyng we,

  That war engendryt in this sam cuntre,

  That with ane kynd of men yborn, but leys,

  Furth of ald stokkis and hard runtis of treis;

  Quhilkis nowder maneris had nor polecy,

  Na couth thai eir the ground, nor occupy

  The plewis, nor the oxin ok infeir,

  Nor it had craft to conquyss nor wyn geir,

  Nor kepe thar moblis quhen it gadderit was;

  Bot, as thir bestis, or the doillit ass,

  Thar fude of treis dyd in woddis fet,

  Or of the wild veneson scharp to get.

  First from the hie hevynnys into this land

  Saturnus com, fleand gret Iovis brand,

  Hys realmys reft, and banyst eik was he;

  Bot tha ontaucht pepill of this cuntre,

  That skatterit dwelt in hie hillis greyn,

  He maid forgadder togidder and conveyn,

  Gaue thame lawys and statutis thame to lede,

  And wald also this regioun euery sted

  War callit Latium, and clepit to hyss name,


  For that he surly lurkyt in the same.

  And as thai tel, and redis in mony ryme,

  Of gold the warld was in that kyngis tyme;

  Sa lykandly, in paix and liberte,

  At eyss his common pepill governyt he;

  Quhil, peiss and peiss, the elde syne war and war

  Begouth to wolx, that cullour fading far,

  As, in the sted of paix, the rage of wer

  Begouth succeid, and covatyss of geyr.

  Syne the pissance com of Ausonya,

  And the pepill Sycany hecht alsswa,

  By quham the land of Saturn, war and wyss,

  Hes left and changit his ald name oftsyss.

  Syne kyngis com, amangis quham for the nonys

  Stern Tybrys rygnyt, a man byg of bonys,

  Fra quham, ay syne, all the Italiane blude

  Thar gret ryver hess clepit Tibrys flude;

  Thus Albula hys auld trew name hes lost.

  And me also to duel within this cost,

  Banyst and flemyt of my natyve land,

  Strang destany, quhilk may nocht be gaynstand,

  And fortoun eik, clepit omnipotent,

  Throu all extremys of sey hes hydder sent.

  The reuerend alss and dreidfull monysyngis

  Of Carmentes my moder, in mony thingis

  Expert as nymphe and prophetes dyvyne,

  And the autorite of god Appollyne,

  Hes me constrenyt to dwel in this hald.”

  Scarss hes Evandrus all thir wordis tald,

  Quhen, walkyng thens furth bot a litil space,

  He can do schaw the altar and the place

  Quhilk in the langage Romane it, sans faill,

  Is to this day clepit port Carmentaill,

  Quharby ramemmorit is in the ilk tovn

  This ald Carmentes wirschip and renovn,

  Quhilk was baith nymphe and fatale prophetes,

  That first declarit, in hir sawys express

  The gret pryncis fortocum of Ene,

  And of Pallanteum the nobilite.

  The kyng syne schew him to the haly schaw,

  Quhilk strang Romulus dyd reduce and draw

  In maner of franches or of sanctuary.

  He schew him eik, but ony langar tary,

  Vnder the frosty bra, the coif, was call

  Ful mony eris in thar leid Lupercall,

  Efter thar gyss of Arcaid and estait,

  To Pan the god of Lyce consecrait.

  He schew alsso the wod hait Argilete,

  That to the man of Arge, thar lost the swete,

  Was dedicat, and drew to witnes that sted

  That he was nevir culpabill of his ded,

  And can to him declar the mater plane,

  Quhat wyss his gest, this man of Arge, wess slane.

  Fra thyne, to mont Tarpeya he him kend,

  And beknyt to that sted, fra end to end,

  Quhar now standis the goldin Capitoll,

  Vmquhil of wild buskis rowch skroggy knoll,

  Thocht, the ilk tyme, it of that dreidfull place

  Ane feirfull reuerent religioun, per cace,

  The ery rural pepill dyd affray,

  So that this crag and scroggis wirschippit thai.

  “In on schaw, on this woddy hillis top

  That skowgit is with mony buskis crop,”

  Quod Evander, “tharon a god dois dwell,

  Bot quhat god at he be can na man tell:

  My pepill that bene cummyn from Arcaid

  Wenys thai saw onder, as thai me said,

  Gret Iove hym self, as he ful oft at large

  Dyd schake his tawbart, or his beknyt targe,

  And with his rycht hand dyd assembill and steir

  The watry clowdis, that makis thundris beir.”

  And furthir eik he said ontill Enee,

  “on twa town stedis thou behaldis,” quod he,

  “With barmkyn down bet and euery wall,

  Of forfaderis thai bene memoriall:

  This cite beldit our ald fader Ianus,

  And onder cite fundit Saturnus:

  Ianiculum this hecht, myne awin leif brother,

  And Saturnya clepit was that other.”

  Amangis thame with sic carpyng and talk,

  Towart Evandrus pur lugyng thai stalk:

  The catal eik behald thai raik on raw,

  And in that sted thar pasturand thai saw,

  Quhar now in Rome is the cheif merkat platis,

  Baith squeil and low in thai ilk plentuus gatis

  Quhilk sum tyme hecht Caryne, fair and large,

  Quhar the howsis war like a turnyt barge.

  And quhen thai cummyn to the palice wer,

  Quod Evander, “At thir ilk ettis heir

  The conquerour entrit, douchty Hercules;

  This sobir manss ressauyt hym, but less.

  My gentil gest, enforss the and address

  To lern to dar contemp welth and richess,

  And do thi self compone, and schaw in deid

  In goddis steid worthy to succeid,

  With thame equal ressauyt in sic herbry;

  Amang smal geir now entris bowsumly.”

  And sayand this, the myghty gret Ene

  Within hys narrow chymmys ledis he,

  And maid him sytting doun apon a bed,

  That stuffit was with levys, and ourspred

  With the rouch skyn of a bustuus wild beir

  In Affrik bred befor mony a er.

  Ontil Eneas Venus armour requiris

  Fra Wlcanus, quhilkis grantis hir desiris.

  The nycht approchis with hir weyngis gray,

  Ourspred the erd and put all lycht away,

  Quhen Venus moder till Ene efferd,

  And not but causs, seand the felloun rerd,

  The dreidfull bost and assemly attanys

  Aganys hir son of pepill Laurentanys,

  To Wlcanus, hir husband and gud man,

  Within hys goldyn chalmyr scho began

  Thus forto spek, and with hir wordis the fyre

  Of dyvyne luf can towartis hym inspire.

  Quod sche: “Quhil that the kyngis of Grece and Arge

  Down bet the Troiane wallys wyde and large,

  That destinat war, bath towr, town and wall,

  Of ennemyss be flambys to down fall,

  Na help onto thai wrachit folkis I socht,

  Nane armour axit, nor thy craft besocht,

  Nor the, my deirest spowss, exerss bad I

  Thy craft, nor wark invane wald occupy,

  Albeit that to the childring of Pryam kyng

  I was bedettit into mekill thing,

  And the ontollerabill laubour of Ene

  Bewalit oft wepand ful sair,” quod sche,

  “Quhilk now by Iovys power stad remanys

  Within the boundys of Rutilyanys.

  Quharfor this tyme I, thy ilk spowss and wyve,

  Thy blissyt godhed, derrest to me on lyve,

  Cummys lawly tobeseik and requer

  For wapynnys, harness, armour and sic ger:

  For my deir son I, moder, prays the,

  Sen Nereus douchter, Thetys, mycht,” quod sche,

  “Induce the till enarm hir son Achill,

  And eik Tythonus spouss, at hir awin will,

  Aurora, with hir terys so the brak

  Fortill enarm hir child Menon the blak.

  Behald quhat pepill, lo; assemblit bene,

  Quhat wallit townys with ettis closyt in teyn

  Gryndys thar wapynnys aganys me and myne,

  To bring ws to distructioun and rewyne.”

  Thus said the goddess, and in hir milk quhite armys

  Ful tendirly belappys him and warmys,

  Quhil that he musys so, that hait fyre sle

  Of luf bekend onon ressauyt he;

  The natural heit into the merch dyd glyde,

  Persand the banys maid soft on every syde:

  Nane other wyss than as, sum tyme, we se

&
nbsp; The schynand brokkyn thundris lychtnyng fle

  Wyth subtil fyry stremys throu a ryft,

  Persand the watry clowdis in the lift.

  Venus hys spowss, confiding in hir bewte,

  Ful glaid persavys that hym caucht had sche.

  The fader than Vulcanus, god abuf,

  Lokkyt in the eternal cheyn of luf,

  Answerd and said: “Quharfor, myne awin hart deir,

  Sa far about thou glosys thy mater?

  Why axis thou nocht planely thy desire?

  Quhiddir is becum of me, thy lord and syre,

  The ferm confidence, thou suld haue, goddess?

  Quhat nedyt mor bot schaw thy mynd express?

  Gyf siclike curis and desire had bene

  Into thy mynd that sam tyme, I meyn

  Duryng the subuertioun of Troys ryng,

  To ws it had bene bot a lesum thing

  Troianys til haue enarmyt at thy request:

  Nowder the fader almychty at the lest,

  Ne it the fatis contrary dyd ganestand,

  Bot Troys cite mycht haue langar stand,

  So that Kyng Priamus ryng, by our power,

  Mycht haue remanyt fully othir ten eir.

  And now, gif thou the grathis forto fecht,

  And tharto be thy mynd set, I the hecht

  All maner thing, with solist diligens,

  That may be wrocht in my craft or sciens,

  Or it may be forgit in irne or steill,

  Or moltyn mettal graif and burnyst weill,

  Sa far as fyre and wynd and hie engyne

  Into our art may cumpass or dyvyne.

  Tharfor desist of thi strenth to haue dreid,

  Or me to pray in ocht at thou hess neyd,

  For in sic cacis thar nedis na request.

  Am I nocht reddy to fulfill thy behest?”

  Thir wordis beyng said, this hait syre

  Gan hir enbrasyng al at his desyre,

  And, lappit to hys spowsys breist in armys,

  The plesand natural sleip, to beit his harmys,

  And eyss hys wery membris, can he tak.

  Syne as he had slummyrrit bot a snak,

  Quhen the first silence of the quyet nycht

  Hys myddil curss and cirkill run had rycht,

  Provokyng folk of the first sleip awaik;

  Lyke as the puyr wife, quhilk at evin had raik

  Hyr ingill, rysys fortobeit hir fyre,

  As scho that hess nane other rent nor hyre

  Bot with hir rok and spynnyng forto thryve,

  And tharwithall sustene hir enty lyve;

  Hir day wark to encress, or scho may se,

  Thartill a part of the nycht eikis sche,

  And at the candill lycht hir handys tway,

  And eik hir pur damysellis, as scho may,

  Natly exercis forto wirk the lyne,

  To snoif the spyndill, and lang thredis twyne,

  Quharby scho mycht sustene hir powerte,

  Kepe chaist hir spowsys bed in honeste,

  And tharwith eik foster hir childer lyte —