Complete Works of Virgil

by Virgil

  All pane and laubour that ou list me send.

  Bot, O faynt fortoun, gyf thou doys pretend

  And mannancis ony myschewoss cace,

  Now, now furthwith, into this sammyn place

  Suffir me swelt, and end this cruel lyfe,

  Quhill dowtsum is yt all sic sturt and stryfe,

  Quhil hope oncertane is of thing tocum,

  And quhil I thus, my deir child, all and sum

  My lustis plesance, and my last weilfair,

  The in myne armys enbrasis but dispar;

  So that, eftir, na sorowfull messynger

  With smert ennoy hurt nevir myne agit eyr.”

  The fader Evander with full sory hart,

  At lattir poynt quhen thai war to depart,

  Thir wordis spak, syne fel in swoun rycht thar:

  Hys men hym hynt and to hys chalmyr bar.

  Be this, the rowt of horsmen strang in fyght

  War ischit at the portis euery wight;

  Amangis the formast the duk Eneas,

  And eik the trast Achates, furth can pass,

  Syne other nobillis of the Troianys stowt;

  The yng Pallas rydyng amyd the rowt,

  So farrand and so lusty personage,

  Cled in a mantill in hys tender age,

  Quhilk dyd ourheld hys burnyst armour brycht —

  On hym to luke was a mor gudly syght

  Than on the day stern, quhilk at morn ayrly

  Baithit in the occeane rysys in the sky,

  Quhois fyry bemys Venus in speciall

  Chosys abuf all starnys gret and small,

  Heich in the hevin liftyng hys vissage schene,

  To chayss away the myrknes with hys eyn.

  The wofull moderis, quakand for cald dreid,

  Stude on the wall behaldand quhar thai eid,

  And dyd convoy or follow with thar sight

  The dusty sop, quharso the rak went rycht,

  Govand apon thar bryght armour at schane,

  So fer as that thar luke mycht thame attane.

  The cumpany al sammyn held array

  Throw scroggy bussys furth the narrest way,

  Enarmyt rydyng thyddir as thai wald.

  The brute and dyn from thame vpsprang thik fald,

  The hornyt hovyt horss with four feyt

  Stampand and trottand on the dusty streyt.

  Quhou that Venus ontill Eneas brocht

  The godly armour be Wlcanus wrocht.

  Thar growys a gret schaw, neir the chil ryver

  Quhilk that flowys with hys frosty stremys cleir

  Down by the cite of Agillyna,

  That other wyss is clepyt Cereta,

  Quhilk is in wirschip haldyn and in dreid

  By faderis ald, the large boundis onbreid,

  As sanctuar; and with deip clewchis wyde

  Thys schaw is closyt apon euery syde —

  Ane thyk ayk wod of skowgy fyrris stowt

  Belappys all the said cuthill abowt.

  The fame is that the Grekis ancyane,

  Quhilk clepyt bene to surname Pelasgane,

  That quhilum lang tyme in the formast eildis

  The Latyn boundis occupeyt and feildis,

  To Syluanus fyrst dedicat this schaw,

  The god of bestis and of feildis faw,

  And constitut to hym solempnyt fest.

  Duke Tharcon, and the Tuscanys maste and lest,

  Not fer from thens, intyll a strenthy place

  Thar paleonys all had plantyt apon cace,

  That from the top of the hillys hyght,

  The army all thai mycht se at a syght,

  With tentis stentit strekand to the plane.

  Thyddyr held Eneas, the souerane Troiane,

  And all the bernys of hys ryall rowt

  Chosyn for the batall, lusty, stern and stowt,

  And, wery of thar travale, thocht thai best

  Thar self and horssis to refresch and rest.

  Bot than Venus, the fresch goddes, bedene

  Amang the hevynly skyis brycht and schene,

  Berand with hir the dyvyne armour cleir,

  To mak tharof a presand, can draw neir,

  And as on far hir son scho dyd behald,

  Secret allone by the chill ryver cald,

  Amyd ane holl cleuch, or a dern valle,

  Of hir fre will tyll hym apperis sche,

  And with sic wordis to hym spak, sayng:

  “Lo, my reward heir, and my promysyng

  Fulfillyt iustly by my husbandis wark;

  So that, my son, now art thou sovyr and stark,

  That the not nedis to haue ony feir

  Fortill resist the prowd Latynnys in weir,

  Nor it the strang Turnus to assaill,

  Hym to provok, or challance for batale.”

  Thus said the scheyn Citherea fair of face,

  And, with that word, can hyr deyr child enbrace,

  And thar the schynand armour forgane his sycht

  Vndre a bowand aik layd dovn full rycht.

  Seand sic gyftis of this trast goddess,

  This gentill knycht reiosyt wolx, I gess,

  Glaid that so gret honour ressauyt he,

  That scarsly kowth he satisfyit be

  Forto behald thir armour bryght and schene;

  On euery peyss to vissy kest hys eyn,

  Tharon wondrand; betwix hys handis two

  And byg armys thame turnys to and fro.

  The grysly crystit helm he can behald

  On feirfull wyss spowtand the fyre thik fald,

  The fatale swerd, dedly to mony ane,

  The styf hawbryk of steill yburnyst schane,

  Of huge weght and bludy sangwyne hew,

  That sic a glanss or variant cullour schew,

  As quhen the byrnand sonnys bemys brycht

  The watry clowd persand with hys lyght,

  Schynand on far, forgane the skyis how

  Schapys the figour of the quent rayn bowe.

  The lyght legharnes on that other syde,

  Witht gold and burnyst laton puryfyde,

  Grathit and polyst weill he dyd aspy,

  The speir, and eik the scheild so subtelly

  Forgyt that it was ane ontellabill thyng.

  For Vlcanus, of fyre the lord and kyng,

  Knawand full weill the art of prophecy,

  And syndry thingis tocum eik by and by,

  The valeand dedis of Italyanys,

  The gret triumphys als of the Romanys,

  And of Ascanyus stok all nobil knyghtis,

  Thar batalys all per ordour, weir and fyghtis,

  Had tharin porturat properly and grave,

  Amang all otheris, in Martis gresy cave

  The sukkyn wolf furthstrekand breste and vdyr;

  Abowt hir pappys, but feir, as thar moder,

  The twa twynnys, smal men childer yng,

  Sportand ful tayt gan to wrabill and hyng;

  And scho hir lang rovnd nek bane bowand raith

  To geif thame sowke, and can thame cule baith,

  Semyng scho suld thar bodeis by and by

  Lyk with hir tong, and clenge full tenderly.

  Not fer from thens Rome cite eikyt he,

  Quhar by ane new inuentioun wonder sle,

  Settand into ane holl valle or slak,

  Within the lystis for the triumphe mak,

  War Sabyne virgynys revyst by Romanys,

  As that thai war assemblyt for the nanys

  The gret gammys Circenses forto se,

  Quhilk iustyng or than turnament cleip we.

  With hasty sterage thar most thou behald

  The werys rasyt aganys Romanys bald

  By agyt Tatyus and fell Curitanys:

  Syne the ilk princis, and the said Romanys,

  The weris sessyt sammyn all infeir,

  Enarmyt stad befor Iovys alter,

  With cowpys full in hand for sacryfyss

  Thar mycht thou se thame, efter the ald gyss,

&nbs
p; The swyne stekit brytnyt sone and slane,

  Conferm thar trewys and mak paix agane.

  Quhou that Wlcanus thar, amang the laif,

  Storys tocum dyd in the armour graif.

  Fra thyne not far the chariot thou mycht knaw,

  Metus Suffytius in seir pecis draw;

  Albeit thou thocht this cruelte, Kyng Albane,

  Quhy wald thou not at thy promyss remane?

  Quhy list thou not thy faith obserue and saw?

  Thys faithles wyghtis entralys war outdraw,

  By command of Tullus Hostilyus,

  And throw the woddis harlyt, euery buss,

  Quhil that the tharmys and the bowellys rent

  Scroggis and breris all with blude bysprent.

  Thar mycht thou se Tarquynus in exile

  Furth cast of Rome, and syne, within schort quhile,

  By Kyng Porsenna into batale plane

  Commandit fortobe ressauyt agane;

  With that a felloun sege al Rome about

  Dyd ombeset, and closyt with hys rowt;

  The Romanys than discendit from Enee

  Rusch onto wapynnys for thar liberte.

  Thou mycht behaldin eik this ilk Porsen

  Lyke as he had dyspite, and bostand men;

  For that the hardy Cocles, darf and bald,

  Durst brek the bryg that he purposit to hald,

  And eik the virgyn Chelya, quhar scho stude,

  Hyr bandis brast, and swam our Tibir flude.

  Manlyus the knycht abufe into the scheild,

  In the defens for Iovys tempil beild,

  Kepand the strenth and castell Tarpeia

  And haldand the heich Capitoll alssua,

  Stud porturat, neir the chymmys calendar,

  Quhais ruffis laitly ful rouch thekit war

  With stra or gloy by Romulus the wight.

  Thar was alsso engravyt all at ryght

  The siluyr ganer, flyghterand with lowd scry,

  Warnand all reddy the gilt entre by,

  Quhou the Franchmen dyd the et assaill:

  Thar mycht thou se the Franch army alhaill

  Haist throu the bussys to the capitoll,

  Sum vndermyndand the grond with a hoill,

  So that almaist thai wan the forteress;

  Gret help thame maid the closs nychtis myrknes;

  Thar haris schane as doith the brycht gold wyre,

  And all of gold wrocht was thar rich attyre,

  Thar purpour robbys bygareit schynand brycht,

  And in thar hand withhaldand euery knycht

  Twa iavillyng speris, or than gyssarn stavis,

  Forgit in the montanys al sik maner glavys,

  Thar bodeis all with lang tergis ourheild.

  Syne onder mar was schapin in the feld

  The dansand prestis, clepit Salii,

  Hoppand and syngand wonder merely,

  And Panos prestis, nakit Lupercanys,

  The toppyt hattis quhar the woll threid remanys,

  And bowyt buklaris falland from the sky.

  Thar mycht besene, forgyt maste craftely,

  The chaist matronys throw the cite all

  In soft charis thar gemmys festual

  Ledand, and playand with myrthis and solace.

  A far way thens ful weill engravit was

  The vgly hellis set Tartareane,

  The deip dungioun quhar Pluto dois remane,

  And of the wikkyt pepill all the pyne;

  Thar was thou markyt, cursyt Catylyne,

  Hyngand out our ane schorand hewch or bra,

  And trymland for the feirfull dreid and wa,

  To se the furyus grysly sisteris facis,

  That with thar scurgis wikkit pepill chacis;

  The rychtwyss folkis, at levit deuotly,

  Fra thame war partit in a place far by,

  And the wyss man Censorius Cato

  Gevand thar iust rewardis till all tho.

  Myd way betwix the other storeis seir,

  The swelland seys fygour of gold cleir

  Went flowand, bot the lippyrrand wallys quhyte

  War pulderit full of fomy froith mylk quhite;

  The delphyn fysches, wrocht of siluer schene,

  In cirkill swepand fast throu fludis grene,

  Sewchand swyftly salt stremys; quhar thai far,

  Vpstrake thar talys the stour heir and thar.

  Eneas mervellys of the storeys seir

  Wrocht be Wlcanus in hys armour cleir.

  Amyd the seys mycht be persauyt weill

  The weirly schippis with thar snowtis of steill,

  The Actiane batalys, semyng as quha dyd se

  The mont Lewcata, standand by the seye,

  For ostis arrayt glowand as the gleyd;

  Of glitterand gold schane all the flude on breid.

  On that a party, thar myght thou behald

  Cesar August Octauyan the bald,

  Movand to batale the Italyanys,

  With hym senatouris and worthy pepill Romanys,

  And goddis domestik, quhilk Penates hait,

  With all the gret goddis of mair estait;

  Heich in the forstam stand he mycht be sene,

  From hys blyth browys brent and athir eyn

  The fyre twynklyng, and hys faderis star

  Schew from hys helmys top schynand on far.

  The byg and stowt Agrippa, hys frend deir,

  Hys navy led at hand weil by neir,

  As he that in hys help and succurss fyndis

  The prosper favouris baith of goddis and wyndis:

  Quhais forhed schane of ane prowd syng of weris,

  A crown with stammys sic as schippis beris.

  Marcus Antonyus cummys thame aganys

  With hail suppovel of barbaryanys,

  As nobill victour and cheif conquerour,

  Careand with hym of Orient the flour;

  Diuerss armyis and pepillys for melle,

  From Perss, Egipt and costis of the Red See,

  The power all assemblit in hys flote,

  Ane huge rowt and multitude, God wote,

  The ondermast pepill, clepit Bractanys,

  Quhilk neir the est part of the warld remanys.

  Hym followys to the feild, ane schame to say,

  Hys spouss Egiptiane, Queyn Cleopatra.

  Thai semyt sammyn ruschand all togidder,

  Quhill all the sey vpstowris with a quhidder;

  Ourweltit with the bensell of the ayris,

  Fast fra forstammys the flude swowchis and raris,

  As thai togiddir matchyt on the depe.

  Thou suld haue wenyt, quha tharto tuke kepe,

  The gret ilandys, Ciclades, hail vprent,

  Apon the sey fletand quhar thai went,

  Or huge hie hillys, concurrand all atanys,

  Togiddir rusch and meyt with other montanys;

  On athir hand with sa gret forss and weght

  The men assalys in schip of towr to feght.

  Thai warp at other brycht blesys of fyre,

  The kyndillyt lynt and hardis byrnand schire;

  The castyng dartis fra hand to hand dyd fle,

  Slang gaddis of irne, and stane cast gret plente:

  Neptunus feildis, all the large flude,

  For new slauchter wolx blandit red of blude.

  Amyd the ostis Cleopatra queyn

  The rowtis dyd assembill to feght bedene,

  With tympane sound, in gyss of hir cuntre,

  Prouocand thame to move in the melle:

  Nor it beheld scho not the eddris twane

  Behynd hir bak, that efter hes hir slane.

  The monstruus goddis figuris, of al kynd

  That honorit ar in Egipt or in Inde,

  And eik the barkand statw, Anubis,

  Agane Neptune, agane Venus, I wyss,

  And als agane Mynerva, porturat standis

  In that bargane, with wapynnys in thar handis.

  Amyd the feld stude Mars, that felloun syre,

&
nbsp; In plait and mail, wod brym and ful of ire;

  The sorofull Fureys from the firmament

  By the goddys to tak vengeans war sent;

  In went Discord, ioyus of that iourne,

  With mantill rent and schorn men mycht hir se;

  Quham followit Bellona of batell,

  With hir kynd cosyng, the scharp scurgis fell.

  Actyus Appollo, seand in the sky

  Of this melle the dowtsum victory,

  Hys bow abufe thar hedis hes he bent,

  Lyke forto schote hys dartis and down sent;

  For dreid of quham all the Egiptianys,

  All thai of Ind, and the Arabyanys,

  And thai of Sabey, turnyt bak to fle.

  Cleopatra the queyn thar mycht thou se

  Wynd sayll about, and gang befor the wynd,

  Ay mar and mair dredand persute behynd,

  Sclakand schetis, and haldand rowme at large,

  With purpour saill abufe hir payntit barge.

  The mychty god of fyre hir wrocht and maid

  Ful pail of hew, sorowfull and not glaid,

  In syng tocum of hir smert hasty ded,

  Amangis ded corpsis new of slauchter red,

  And, with the west wynd and the wallys haw,

  Frawart the flude of Nyle our stremys blaw;

  Quhilk Nylus ryver, murnand for thar diseyss,

  Hys large skyrt onbrede spred thame to pless,

  With all his habyt oppynnyt thame to call,

  As thocht hym list ressaue the venquyst all

  Within hys watry bosum, large and rude,

  And hyde in secret condyte of his flude.

  Within the wallis syne of Romys cite,

  Cesar, ressauyt with triumphis thre,

  Thou mycht behald, thar offerand on his gyss

  Till Itale goddis immortal sacryfyce;

  Our all the cite, in maist singular ioy,

  The blysfull fest thai makyng man and boy,

  So that thre hundreth ryall tempillys dyng

  Of ryot, ryppet and of revellyng

  Ryngis, and of the myrthful sportis seir

  The stretis soundyng on solacius maner;

  At euery sanctuary and altar vpstent

  In caralyng the lusty ladeis went;

  Befor the altaris eik, in cirkyll round,

  The brytnyt bestis strowyt all the ground.

  Cesar hym self, seysit in sete ryall,

  Within the snaw quhite statly merbill wall

  Of God Phebus tempill, thar as he sat

  Visseand the pepillis gyftis, this and that,

  And on the prowd pillaris, in takynnyng

  Of hys triumphe, maid thar be vp hyng.

  The pepill by hym venquyst mycht thou knaw,

  Befor hym passand per ordour, all on raw,

  In langsum tryne; and how feil kyndis seir

  Of tungis and of langage men mycht heir,

  Alss mony diuerss habyttis wor thai strange,

  Alss feil sortis of armouris dyd thai change.