Complete Works of Virgil

by Virgil

  The mychty god of fyre this tyme als tyte,

  And no slawar, bot on the sam maner,

  Furth of hys bed startis, and hynt his geir,

  And to hys smyddy craft and forge hym spedis.

  Thar standis ane ile, with reky stanys as gledis,

  Vpstrekyng hie betwix the cost Sycille

  And Lyparen, god Eolus wyndis ille;

  Vndre the quhilk byg iland in the see

  Ane coif thar is, and hyrnys feill thar be,

  Lyke till Ethna holkyt in the mont

  By the Ciclopes fornace worn or bront,

  That makis rumlyng, as quha dyd thunder heir,

  The bustuus dyntis on the styddeys seir;

  Ane huge dyn and noys the strake doyth mak.

  The irne lumpys in tha cavys blak

  Can byss and quhissill, and the hait fyre

  Doith fuf and blaw in blesys byrnand schire;

  Quhilk forges bene Wlcanus duellyng call,

  And efter Wlcan that cuntre nemmyt all.

  The mychty god of fyre dovn from the hevin

  Into this forsaid ile discendit evin,

  Quhar as, intill hys large and gowsty caif,

  The hydduus Ciclopes forgit furth and draif,

  Brontes, Steropes, and nakyt Pyracmon,

  The glowand irne to well and peyn onon.

  The fyreflaucht, yt nocht formyt perfitely,

  Quhilk the fader of goddis oft throw the sky

  From euery art dovn in the erth doys cast,

  Thai had into thar handys wirkand fast;

  That ane part polist, burnyst weill and dycht,

  Thar other party not perfytit rycht.

  Thre rawys wel tha of the frosyn hail schour,

  Thre of the watry clowd, to eik the stowr,

  Thre blesys of the byrnand fyris brycht,

  With thre blastis of the south wyndis lyght,

  Syne to thar wark, in maner of gun powder,

  Thai myddillyt and thai myxit this feirful sowder,

  A grysly sound, gret dreid, and goddis ire,

  Quham followys ay the fel flambys of fyre.

  Ane other sort ful bissely to Mart

  The rynnyng quhelys forgis, and weir cart,

  Quharwith the men to batale doys he steir,

  And movys citeis to rayss mortal weir.

  Thai dycht and polyss egirly alssua

  The horribill terget, bustuus Egyda,

  Quhilk is the grevyt Pallas grysly scheild,

  With serpent scalys puldrit in goldyn feild,

  Togidder lynkyng lowpyt eddris twa

  And in the breist of the goddess graif thai

  Gorgones hed, that monstre of gret wondir,

  With eyn wawland, and nek bane hak in sondyr.

  “Away with this, he Ethna Ciclopes,”

  Quod Wlcanus, “and all sic warkis sess,

  And at I say enprentis in our thocht.

  Ontill a forcy man ar tobe wrocht

  Harness and armour; now nedys it,” quod he,

  “our strenth exerss and pythis schaw; lat se

  Quha nymlyast can cum and turn thar handis;

  Now on all master poynt of craft it standis.

  Do put away in haist all maner delay.”

  Na mar he said, bot wondir frakly thai

  Onto thar laubour can thame all address,

  Assignand euery man hys part express:

  The irne the mettal throw ther cundyttis flowys,

  The moltyn gold and weirlyk steil hait glowys,

  And furth of gousty furnace fundyt ran.

  Maste craftely to forgyng thai began

  A hug gret semly target, or a scheild,

  Quhilk only mycht resistyng into feild

  Agane the dynt of Latyn wapynnys all;

  In euery place sevin ply thai well and call.

  Sum can ressaue the glowand heyt, sum wynd

  With blawand bellys bet the fyre behynd;

  Sum of the trowch apon the sparkand gledis

  The byssand watir strynklys and ourspredis.

  The huge coif and all the mont within,

  For strak of styddeys, can resound and dyn.

  Amangis thame self thai grisly smythys gret

  With mekill forss dyd forge, peyn and bet,

  And can thar armys hesyng vp and dovn

  In nowmyr and in dew proportioun,

  And with the grippand turcass oft alsso

  The glowand lump thai turnyt to and fro.

  Evander telland Eneas thingis seir,

  Vlcanus armour dyd in the sky appeir.

  Quhil that the fader of Lemnos, Wlcanus,

  Within the boundis of wyndy Eolus

  To wyrk this geir hastis on euery syde,

  The blisfull lycht ayrly at morrow tyde,

  And myrthfull sangis of the byrdis bay,

  The swallow, syngis on the ruf hir lay,

  Awalknyt Kyng Evander, and maid ryss

  Within his sobir chymmys quhar he lyis.

  Vpstart the ald, and cled hym in hys cote,

  Apon his feyt hys meit schoys hote

  War buklyt on the gyss of Tuscany;

  Syne our hys schuldris, down hys myddil by,

  Hyngis buklyt hys trasty swerd Arcaid;

  From hys left arm, about the rycht syde layd,

  Ywymplyt was the spottit pantheris skyn;

  Hys twa keparis can furth by hym ryn

  From the hie palyce, bustuus hundis two,

  That haldis thar lordis payss quhar evir he go.

  Furth held this heir the secret prevy way

  Towart the sted quhar as Eneas lay,

  Hys Troiane gest, ramembring al at rycht

  Hys help and promys grantit ister nyght.

  On the sam wyss, at morow ful ayrly,

  Eneas hastis vp, and mycht nocht ly.

  The kyng only bot with his son Pallas,

  Achates with Eneas accumpaneit was.

  Thai ionyt handis sone as thai war met,

  And syne amyd the chalmer doun thame set,

  Quhar, finaly, thai fel in commonyng

  Of secret materis and attentik thing.

  The kyng begouth, and said first til Ene:

  “Maist souerane ledar of Troiane cumpane,

  Quha beand on lyfe nevir grant I sall

  Troy is distroyt, nor castyn doun the wall,

  Nor it the Troiane power put at vnder;

  We haue bot sobir pissance, and no wonder,

  To help in batale, and to mak supple

  Onto so hie excellent maieste:

  On this half closyt with the Tuscane flude,

  On onder syde ar the Rutylianys rude,

  Nyddris our boundis, as full oft befallis,

  With thar harnes clatteryng about our wallis.

  Bot I purposs adione to the onon

  A huge pepill, and landis mony one,

  Ostis of fertill realmys neir fast by.

  O fortoun, or we wyst, so happely

  Thou schawist the in our help and supple!

  And O maste douchty campioun Ene,

  Desyrit of the destany and fatis,

  Heir e be weill arryvit many gatis!

  Fundyt of ald stanys, not far hyne,

  Inhabyt stand the cite Agyllyne,

  Quhar that the worthy pepill Lydyane,

  Vaileant in batale, duellis and dois remane

  Apon the egge of the Hetruscan hillys.

  Thir folkis all in lykyng at thar willis

  This land inhabyt, vale, mont and swyre,

  Quhil fynaly, ful prowd in his empyre,

  Meentyus begouth thar tobe kyng,

  And in gret forss of armys tharon ryng.

  Suld I reherss the ontellabil myscheif,

  The cruel dedis, slauchter and huge greif,

  Of that tyrant, quhilk it the goddis dyng

  Apon hys hed reseruys and ofspring!

  For he, besyde his othir wikkyt deyd,

  The quyk bodeis, speldit furth on breid,
<
br />   Adionyt to the corps and caryoun ded,

  Layd hand to hand, baith face to face and hed,

  Quhil quyk mowthis dyd ded mowthis kyss —

  O, quhat maner of torment call e this!

  Droppand in worsum and filth laithly to se,

  So miserabilly enbrasyng, thus wyss he

  By lang process of ded can thame sla.

  Quhil, at the last, of this ennoy and wa

  Hys citesanys irkyt, syne in a rowt

  Enarmyt ombeset his manss abowt.

  Hym al enragit on his wild maner

  Besegit thai, and of his complicis seir

  Hes slane onon, and all in pecis hakkit,

  And fyre blesis on his hie biggingis swakkit.

  Amyd the slauchter, on cace, eschapit he,

  And to the feildis Rutilyane can fle,

  Quhar intill armys, be Turnus hys ost,

  He hym begouth defend apon that cost.

  Quharfor Hetrurya all, full iustly

  Aggrevyt, rayss in armys by and by,

  Onto punytioun and all tormentis seir

  Thar kyng to ask, and seik in feir of weir.

  To thir mony thousand pepill,” quod he,

  “Souerane ledar I sal the ione, Ene.

  For now thar schippys ful thik reddy standis,

  Brayand endlang the costis of thir landis.

  Thai byd display thar baneris owt of faldis,

  Bot ane ancyent dyvynour thame withhaldis,

  Schawand the fatale godly destyne:

  ‘O e mast valeand ong gallandis,’ quod he,

  ‘And pepill cummyn from Meonya,

  he that bene flour of chevalry alssua,

  The vertu and the strenth of vassallage

  Of ancistry and men of our lynnage,

  Quham iust dolour steris on this wyss,

  Baldly aganys our ennemyss to ryss:

  All thocht Meentyus, to hys myscheif,

  Hess weil deservit aganys hym our greif

  Thus in commotioun forto rayss and steyr,

  yt neuertheless belevys, owt of weir,

  So gret a pepill, as vnder Turnus kyng

  And Latynus leyndis, forto down thryng

  Onlesum is till ony Italyane —

  ow behuffis to seik a strange chiftane.’

  Of Hetrurya the ostis vnder scheild

  With that word stoppit in the sammyn feild,

  Of the goddis admonysyng all effrayt.

  Tarchon hym self, thar duke, lyst not delay it,

  Bot to me send ambassatouris all bovn,

  Offerand to me the ceptre and the crovn

  Of al thar realm, and thar enseneis brocht,

  Requyryng me that I refusyt nocht

  Tocum and be chiftane of thar army,

  The realm Tyrrheyn eik to ressaue in hy.

  Bot my febill and slaw onweldy age,

  The dasyt blude gane far by the hait rage,

  Or than the owtworn dait and mony eris,

  With forss faleit to hant the strange weris,

  Envyis that I suld ioys or bruke empyre.

  My son Pallas, this ong lusty syre,

  Exhort I wald to tak the steir on hand,

  Ne war that of the blude of this ilk land

  Admixit standis he, takand sum strynd,

  Apon hyss moderis syde, of Sabyne kynd.

  Bot thou, quham baith thi eris and thy blude

  The fatis favouris, and is so conclude

  By the goddis abufe as, owt of weir,

  Tobe callyt and schaip for this mater,

  Go to the batal, campyoun maste forcy,

  The Troianys baith and Italyanys to gy.

  And forthir eik, this sammyn yng Pallas,

  Our son, our hop, our comfort and solace,

  I sal adione in falloschip,” quod he,

  “As his master, to exerss vndre the,

  And lern the fayt of knychtly chevalry,

  Hard marcyall dedis hantyng by and by,

  Tobe accustummyt and behald thy feris,

  For wondyr followyng thy warkis in yng eris.

  Twa hundreth walyt horss men, wight and stern,

  Of Arcaid, sal I geif onto that bern,

  And of hys awin behalf, in thy supple,

  Alss mony Pallas sal promyt to the,

  Quhilk in the hail may weill four hundreth bene.”

  Skant this was said, quhen castyng dovn his eyn,

  Trast Achates, and Anchyss son Ene,

  Sat starrand on the grond, baith he and he,

  And in thar hartis dyd full oft compass

  Ful mony hard aduersyte and cace,

  With drery cheir and myndis sad bath twa,

  Ne war Venus, lady Citherea,

  Dovn from the hevin of comfort to thame sent

  Ane oppyn takyn, cleir and evident.

  For suddanly thai se, or thai be war,

  The fyreslaucht betyng from the lyft on far,

  Cum with the thundris hydduus rumlyng blast,

  Semyng the hevyn suld fall and all doun cast;

  The ayr onon can dynnyng vp and doun

  With brag of weir and Tyrreyn trumpys sovn.

  Thai lysnyng to persaue and heir the dyn,

  Ay mar and mar agane it dyd begyn

  To rerd and rattill apon a feirfull wyss,

  Quhill at the last thai se and al espyiss

  Throw the cleir sky and regioun of the hevyn,

  Amang the clowdis, brycht as fyry levyn,

  The glitterand armour burnyst lemand schene,

  And, as thai schuke, thar rayss thunder bedene.

  Abasyt in thar myndis worth the laif,

  Bot this lord Troiane knew and dyd persave

  Full weil the sound and all the cace express

  Be promyss of hys moder the goddes;

  Syne can rehers it plane, and thus gaitis said:

  “Forsuyth, forsuyth, my gentill ost, be glaid,

  The nedis not to ask, ne it speir

  Quhat signyfyis thir wondris dyd appeir;

  For I am callyt to the hevin,” quod he.

  “The haly moder, my genitryce, schew me

  That sic a takyn suldbe send, scho said,

  Gyf ony wald with batale ws invaid,

  And, in my helpyng, hecht doun throu the ayr

  To send Wlcanus armour, gude and fair.

  Allace, how feill slauchter now apperis

  To wrachit Latynys in thir mortal weris!

  By me, Turnus, quhat panys salt thou dre!

  O Tybir fair that rynnys in the se,

  Quhou mony scheldis, helmys and stern body

  Vndre thy fludis warpyt law sall ly!

  Lat thame array thar ostis now lat se,

  And baldly brek thar frendschip maid with me.”

  Evander sendis hys son, the ong Pallas,

  With hys army in help of Eneas.

  Fra this was sayd, from his hie set he start;

  And first the sloknyt fyris hes he gart,

  The rakyt harthis and ingill ister nycht,

  On Hercules altar beyt and kyndill bryght,

  And glaidly went to wirschip and to call

  Sobir Penates, goddis domesticall;

  And walyt twynteris, efter the auld gyss,

  He slew and brytnyt onto sacryfyss,

  With hym Evander eik, and all hys feris

  Of Troiane mene, lusty fresch onkeris.

  Syne doun in haist he went onto hys schippys,

  Hys folkis he visseyt and his falloschippys,

  Of quhais nowmyr hess he walyt owt

  Ane certane, the mast lykly, bald and stowt,

  Quhilk suld hym follow into euery place.

  The remanent tuk byssely thar rayss

  Down by the watyr, on the followand flude

  Discendand slawly, to beir message gude

  Sone efter this ontill Ascanyus yng,

  Twychand hys fader and of euery thing.

  The horssys syne war gevin and furth brocht

  To the Troia
nys that onto Tuscane socht;

  And till Eneas led onon thai gaue

  A gentill steyd excedand all the laif,

  On quham at all partis was ourspred and fold

  A dun lyonys skyn with nalys of gold.

  Than throu the litil cite all on raw

  The fame onon dywlgat swyftly flaw,

  Quhou that the horsmen spedis thame bedene

  To go onto the land and cost Tyrrene.

  The wyssys and avowys than, for feir,

  By woman and the matronys dowblet wer;

  Mor grew the dreid the narrar drew dangar,

  Now Martis ymage semys walxin mair.

  The fader than Evander, as thai depart,

  By the rycht hand thame gryppyt with sair hart,

  Hys son enbrasyng, and full tenderly

  Apon hym hyngis, wepand ontellabilly,

  And thus he sayd: “O sen omnipotent

  Hie Iupiter my yng heris by went

  Wald me restor! in sic strenthis and eild,

  So as I was quhen first in batal feild

  The armys of the ostis down I dang

  Of Preneste vndir the wallis strang,

  And victor of myne ennemyss, as prowd syre,

  Hail hepys of thar scheildis brynt in fyre;

  Quhar, with this sammyn rycht hand quellyt and slane,

  Vndre the hellys grond Tartareane

  Kyng Herylus was sent to dwell for ay,

  Quhamtill hys moder Feronya the gay,

  Into the tyme of hys natiuite,

  Grisly to say, had gevyn sawlys thre,

  And that he suld beir armour thryss in fyght,

  And thryss behwyt to the ded be dicht;

  Fra quham that tyme this rycht hand, not the less,

  Tha sawlys all bereft, and thar express

  Of alsmony enarmouris spuleit clene.

  Gyf so war now with me as than hess bene,

  Ne suld I nevir depart, myne awyn child deir,

  From thyne maste sweit enbrasyng, for na weir;

  Nor our nychtbour Meentyus in hys fed

  Suld na wyss, mokkand at this hasard hed,

  By swerd haue killyt so feill corpss as slane is,

  Nor thys burgh of samony citesanys

  Left desolat and denudyt,” quod he,

  “Bot O e goddis abuf, and Iove mast hie,

  The governour of hevynly wyghtis all,

  On ou I cry, on ou I clepe and call;

  Begyn to haue compaciens and piete

  Of our awin wofull kyng of Arcadye;

  Oppyn and inclyne our dyvyne godly erys,

  To heir and ressaue the faderis meik prayeris.

  Gyf it be so our godhed and gret myghtis

  Be presciens provyd hess, and forsychtis,

  Pallas my son in salfty hail and feir,

  Gyf the fatis preservys hym of danger,

  So onys in my lyfe I may hym se,

  Agane togidder assemblyt I and he;

  I ow beseik my febill lyfe to respyte,

  That I mycht lyf, and endur yt a lyte