Complete Works of Virgil

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Complete Works of Virgil Page 68

by Virgil


  Eftir the feild Enee maid sacrifyce,

  Offerand the spule to Mars, as was the gyss.

  Duryng this quhile, furth of the sey dyd spryng

  The fresch Aurora with the brycht dawyng.

  Ene, albeyt hys hasty thochtfull curis

  Constrenyt hym, as twychyng sepulturis

  Of hys folkis new slane and berying,

  Forto provide a tyme mast accordyng,

  And gretly eik in mynd he trublyt was

  For the slauchtyr and ded corps of Pallas;

  it netheless, as first the son vpsprent,

  Scheddyng hys bemys in the orient,

  As victor he onto the goddis als tyte

  With sacryfyce can hys vowys acquyte.

  Ane akyn tre, was huge gret and squar,

  The branschis sned and kut abowt alquhar,

  Apon a motys hycht vpset hass he,

  And all with schynand armour cled the tre;

  The coyt armour and spule tharon hang

  Of Meentius, the vaileand campion strang;

  To the, gret god of stryfe, armypotent,

  In syng of trophe tharon was vpstent

  Hys cryst and hewmet all besprent with blude,

  The brokyn trunschions of hys speris rude,

  And hys fyne hawbyrk, with speir, swerd and macis,

  Assayt and persyt into twyss sax placis;

  Hys stelyt scheild dyd on the left syde hyng;

  Abowt hys gorget, or hys nek armyng,

  Was hung hys swerd with evor scawbart fyne.

  And thus exortis Ene hys ferys syne,

  The chiftanys all abowt hym lowkyt war,

  Quhilk glaidsum warryn of this ioyus fair:

  “O douchty men,” quod he, “worthy in weris,

  The grettast part of our warkis and afferis

  Beyn endit now, sa that in tyme cummyng

  All feir and dreid ar passyt of ony thyng:

  Thir bene the spule and first weirly weid

  Reft from the prowd kyng be my handis in deid;

  Lo, heir Meentius venquyst lyis doun bet.

  Now to the wallys of Lawrent and the et

  The way is maid to Kyng Latyn to wend.

  Tharfor address our myndis, and attend

  To armys and to weirfar euery ane,

  Provydand in our consatis for bargane;

  So that he reddy be, and na delay

  May stoppyn ou, nor stunnys ane other day,

  Be our awyn sleuth, for lak of gude forsycht,

  Gif e onwarnyst beys callyt to the fycht:

  Alssone as fyrst the goddis omnipotent

  By sum sygnys or takyn lyst consent

  The enseneis and baneris be vphynt,

  And all the onkeris meyt for swerdis dynt,

  Of thar tentis convoyt in array,

  Se he all reddy be than, but delay.

  And in the meyn quhile, lat ws to erd haue

  The corpsys of our fallowys onbegrave,

  Quhilk only honour is haldyn in daynte

  At Acheron, the lawest hellys see.

  Pass on,” he said, “tha sawlys valeant,

  Quhilk, with habundans of thar blud besprent,

  Hass conquyst ws this realm apon sik wyss,

  Do honour with thar funeral servys,

  And wirschip with thar finale last rewardis.

  Bot first, befor all corpsis of tha lardis,

  Ontill Evandrys dolorus cite

  Of ong Pallas the body send mon we,

  Quham, wantand na vertu nor prowes,

  The wofull day hess ws byreft express,

  And with a wofull slauchter caucht, allace!”

  Thus said he, wepand salt terys our hys face;

  Syne tuke hys vayage towart the ilk sted

  Quhar Pallas lyfless corps was lyggand ded;

  Quham ancyent Acetes thar dyd kepe,

  With flottyryt berd of terys all beweip;

  The quhilk Acetes had tofor ybe

  Squyer to Kyng Evander, from the cite

  Of Parrha cummyn into Arcady,

  And at thys tyme was send in cumpany

  With hys deir fostyr child he had in cur,

  Bot not, as ayr, with happy aventur.

  About the corps alhaill the multitud

  Of servyturis and Troiane commonys stud,

  And dolorus Phrigyane wemen, on thar gyss,

  With hair down schaik, and petuus spraichis and cryis.

  Bot, fra that enterit was Eneas bald

  Within the portis of that large hald,

  A huge clamour thai rasyt and womentyng,

  Betand thar brestis quhill all the lyft dyd ryng;

  So lowd thar wofull bewalyng habundis

  That all the palyce dynnys and resoundis.

  Thys prynce hym self, fra that he dyd behald

  The snaw quhite vissage of this Pallas bald,

  Hys hed vphald, mycht nocht the self sustene,

  And eik the gapand dedly wond hess sene,

  Maid by the sperys hed Rutilyane

  Amyd hys sneith and fair slekyt breist bane,

  With terys brystand from hys eyn, thus plenyt:

  “O douchty child, maist worthy tobe menyt,

  Hass fortoun me envyit sa far that, eft

  Our weill is cummyn, thus thou art me bereft,

  Sa that thou suld not se our ryng,” said he,

  “Nor it as victor with prosperyte

  Onto thy faderis cite hame retour?

  Syk promyss hecht I not the lattir hour

  To thy fader Evandrus, quhen that he

  At my departyng last embrasyt me,

  And send me to conquyss a large empyre;

  And, dredand syk for the, that lordly syre

  Vs monyst tobe war and avyse,

  Becauss the men quhamwith to do had we

  War bald and stern; said we had wer at hand

  With bustuus folk that weill in stryfe durst stand.

  Now, certis, he levand in hoip, invane,

  For thy prosper returnyng haym agane

  Perchans doith mak prayer and offerandis,

  Chargand the altaris oft with hys awyn handis:

  Bot we hys lyfless child, quhilk aw na thyng

  Onto the goddis of the hevynly ryng,

  With womentyng heir menand tendyrly,

  And vayn honour, accumpaneis by and by.

  O fey onhappy kyng Archadian!

  Now thy sonnys ded corps crewelly slane

  Thou salbehald: allace, the panys strang!

  This is our haymcom thou desyrit lang;

  This salbe our triumphe thou lang abaid,

  To se thy a son on hys beir tre laid!

  Ha, quhat, is this my promyss and gret faith?

  Bot, O Evander, beys not with me wraith;

  Thou sall not se thy son was dryve abak

  With schamefull wondis that he caucht in the bak;

  Ne thou hys fader, war he alyve this day,

  Suld nevir haue lak of hym, ne for hym pray

  For hys desert he deit a schamefull deth;

  And now with honour hess he ald the breth.

  Bot, netheless, quhat harm, ful ways me!

  Quhou large support, hey, quhat beld or supple

  In hym hess tynt Ausonya the ryng,

  And quhou gret deill hess lost Ascanyus yng!”

  ong Pallas corps is till Evander sent,

  With all honour accordyng hys tyrment.

  Quhen he bewalyt had on this maner,

  This wofull corps he bad do lyft on beir,

  And with hym send a thousand men in hy

  Walyt of euery rowt and cumpany,

  Forto convoy and do hym falloschip

  At hys last honour and funeral wirschip,

  And tobe present at the lamentyng

  Of hys fader, to comfort hys murnyng;

  Thocht smal solace was that to hys regrait,

  Quhilk was sa huge, bot to hys estait

  Accordit weill that sik thingis suld be,


  Quhen all wightis mycht rew on hym to se.

  Sum of Eneas ferys bissely

  Flakis to plet thame presys by and by,

  And of small wikkyris fortobeld a beir

  Of sowpill wandis and of bronys seir,

  Bund with the syonys or the twystis sle

  Of small rammell or stobys of akyn tre.

  Thyr beddis beldyt, or funeral lytteris,

  Syk tumbys as for ded corpss efferis,

  With greyn burgionys and branschys fair and weill

  Thai gan ourheld, and stentys euery deill:

  Amyd the quhilkis, of blumys apon a byng

  Strowyt full hie, thai laid this Pallas yng;

  Lyggyn tharon als semly forto se

  As is the fresch flowris schynand bewte,

  Newly pullyt vp from hys stalkis smaill

  With tendyr fyngeris of the damysaill,

  Or the soft violet that doys freschly schyne,

  Or than the purpour flour, hayt iacynthyne;

  Quham all thocht the erth hys moder with sap

  Hym nurys not, nor comfortis on hir lap,

  yt than hys schene cullour and figur glaid

  Is not all went, nor hys bewte defaid.

  Eneas syne twa robbys furth gart fold

  Of rych purpour and styf burd of gold

  Quhilk vmquhil Dydo, quheyn of Sydones,

  Of sik laubour full byssy tho, I gess,

  As at that tyme to pless hym wonder glaid,

  With hir awyn handis to hym wrocht and maid,

  Wovyn full weill, and brusyt as rych wedis,

  Of costly stuf and subtell goldyn thredis;

  And with the tane of thir full dolorusly

  Eneas cled the yng Pallas body,

  Tobe hys finall and hys last honour;

  Hys lokkis and hys harys the self hour,

  Quhilkis war forto be brynt in assys cald,

  Into the tother habyt dyd he fald.

  Abuf all thys, rewardis mony ane,

  Yconquest in this batall Lawrentane,

  In haill hepys with hym hess he send,

  And bad thai suld tak gud kepe and attend

  To leid the pray per ordour pompusly.

  Feill horssys als he gaue thame by and by,

  With wapynnys eik, and other precyus geir,

  That he had reft hys fa men in the weir;

  The presoneris alsso, quham he had tak,

  He sent with handis bund behynd thar bak,

  Quhilkis, at the obsequeis or entyrment,

  To the infernal gostis suldbe sent,

  And with thar bludis sched, as was the gyss,

  The funerall flambe strynkyll in sacrifyss.

  He bad the capitanys and the dukis all,

  In syng of trophe or pomp triumphall,

  Gret perkis bair or treyn saplyng that squair is,

  Cled with the armour of thar aduersaris,

  To wryte and hyng tharon baith all and sum

  The namys of thar ennemyss ourcum.

  Furth led was the onsilly Acetes,

  Ourset with age, and sorow mycht nocht cess;

  Now bludyand hys awyn breist with hys fystis,

  Now with hys nalys hys face rentis and brystis,

  And oft down fallys spaldit on the erd,

  With mony gowl, and a full petuus rerd.

  And furth war led rych cartis for the nanys,

  Besprent with blude of the Rutylianys.

  And eftir com Aethon, hys werly steid,

  Dispuleit of hys harnessyng and weid;

  Wepand he went for wo, men mycht haue seyn

  With gret terys floddyrrit hys face and eyn.

  Ane bair hys helm, ane other bair hys speir;

  For the remanys of hys harness and geir,

  Syk as hys rych gyrdill and cotarmour,

  Turnus victor byreft hym in the stour.

  Furth haldis syne the drery cumpany

  Of Troianys, and Tyrrheyn dukis thame by;

  And wofull Archadis, in syng of dolour, weris

  Scheldis reversyt, and doun turnyt thar speris.

  And efter that, per ordour, by and by,

  Thai beyn furth passyt euery cumpany,

  Eneas tho can styntyng and abaid,

  And with a petuus regrait thus he said:

  “The horribill batellys of thir sammyn weris

  Tyll otheris funerall womentyng and terys

  Callys ws from thens; we may nocht follow the,

  Thyne entyrment forto behald and se.

  Adew for ay, Pallas, beluffyt best,

  Fair weill for evyr intill eternall rest!”

  Na mair he said, bot went towart New Troy,

  Entrand tharin with terys of ennoy.

  Quhou Eneas onto the Latynys gave

  Twelf days of respyt the ded corpsis to grave.

  Be this war cum fra Kyng Latynys cyte

  Ambassatouris, with branch of olyve tre,

  Besekand favouris and benevolens;

  That he wald suffir tobe careyt from thens

  Tha corpsys ded, quhilkis on the feldis broun

  Lay strowyt heir and thar, with swerd bet down,

  And thame restor agane of hys gentre,

  To suffyr thame begravyn fortobe;

  Assuryng hym, thar mycht be led na weir

  On venquyst folkis, that lyfless mycht not steir,

  And prayt spair thar pepill at syk myschans,

  Quhylum clepyt hys frendis and acquentans.

  Quhen that Eneas, heynd, curtass and gud,

  Thar peticioun sa ressonabill vndirstud,

  As man that was fulfillyt of bonte,

  Thar hail desyre full glaidly grantit he,

  And forthir eik onto thame thus he said:

  “O Latyn folkis, quhat mysfortoun onglaid

  Hass ou involuyt in sa onhappy weir

  That he chayss ws away, our frendis deir?

  Desyre he paix bot for thame that bene lost

  By marcyall fayt, and slane into this ost?

  And I, forsuyth, tyll all that levand be

  Wald glaidly grant the sammyn, I say for me.

  Neuer hyddyr had I cummyn, wer not, perfay,

  Into this sted the fatys hecht for ay

  Our restyng place providit and herbry;

  Ne na weirfar with our pepill led I.

  Bot our kyng hass our confiderans vpgeif,

  And rather hess settyn all hys beleif

  On Turnus vassalage and his hie prowes;

  Thocht mor equale and ganand war, I gess,

  To this Turnus, the brekar of our paix,

  Till aventour hym self to de in press.

  Gif he pretendis in batale with a brand

  To end the weir, or Troianys of this land

  Forto expell, heir semyt hym vnder scheild

  With wapynnys to recontre me in feild,

  That nane bot ane of ws war left levand,

  Quhais lyfe God lyst withhald, or hys rycht hand.

  Now haldis on, and all the lyfless banys

  And corpsis of our wofull citeanys

  Do byrn and bery efter our awyn gyss,”

  Says Eneas, the Troiane war and wyss.

  Than of hys speche so awondrit war thai,

  Kepit thar silens, and wist nocht quhat to say;

  And athir towartis otheris turnys, but mayr,

  And can behald his fallow in a stair.

  The eldast man amang thame, finaly,

  Clepyt Drances, that had full gret envy

  At yng Turnus, all way to hym infest

  For ald malyce or of cryme manyfest,

  Begouth to speke and ansuer thus agane:

  “O huge gret is thy fame, thou duke Troiane,

  Bot far grettar all owt we may aspy

  Thy dedis of armys and thy chevalry;

  With quhat lovyngis equaill may I compair

  The to the goddis in hevyn abuf the ayr?

  Quhidder sall I fyrst extoll, and wonder in the,

  Thy gret gentryce
and sa iust equyte,

  Or thy gret fors and laubour bellicall?

  Glaidly, forsuyth, now haymwart bair we sall

  Ontill our natyve bundis and cite

  Thir sa gret sygnys of humanyte:

  And, gif that ony chanss can fynd the way,

  We sall do fully all that evir we may

  The to conione with Kyng Latyn in hy:

  Lat Turnus quhar hym list go seik ally.

  And forthir eik weil lykis ws at all

  To help till rayss this fatale massy wall,

  And fortober apon our schuldris war ioy

  Thir stonys gret to this new wark of Troy.”

  Thus said Drances, and all the remanent

  Tharto annerdis with haill voce and consent.

  Twelf days of trewys thai band, to stanch debait,

  Forto kepe paix, and werys sequestrate;

  Than throu the woddis and thir holtis hie

  Troianys and Latynys sammyn, he and he,

  Quhar so thame list, wandris but danger.

  The heich eschis soundis thar and heir

  For dyntis rude of the scharp stelyt ax;

  Down weltit ar with mony granand strakis

  The fyrrys rekand to the sternys on hie;

  The mekill syllis of the warryn tre

  With weggis and with proppis beyn devyd;

  The strang gustand cedyr is al to schyde;

  Na cess thai not apon the iargand wanys

  The gret akys to turss away atanys.

  The kyng Evander complenyt sor and wareit,

  Quhen his son Pallas ded was to hym careit.

  Than Fame with this, alsfast as scho mycht spryng,

  As messynger of sa gret womentyng,

  Flaw furth, and all with murnyng fillys sche

  Evander kyng hys palyce and cyte,

  Quhilk layt tofor had schawyn that Pallas

  In Latyum landis sa victoryus was;

  Now says sche, “Lo, is he brocht on beir!”

  The Archadis ruschit to the portis in feir,

  And euery wyght in handis hynt als tyte

  Ane hait fyre broynd, efter the ald ryte,

  In lang ordour and rabill, that all the stretis

  Of schynand flambys lemys brycht and gletis,

  Quhil all the large feildis of the light

  Myght seueraly be raknyt at a sight.

  The Troiane rowtis, on the tother hand,

  With thame adionys thar folkis sair wepand,

  Quham as the matronys beheld on sik wyss

  So duylfully wend to the kyngis palys,

  The dolorus town in euery streit and way

  With petuus scrykis and gowlyng fyllit thai.

  Than was na fors Evander mycht refreyn,

  Bot in amyddis thame with gret disdene

  He ruschis, plenand on wofull maner,

  And fell on growf abuf ded Pallas beir,

  Wepand and waland as his hart wald breke;

  Embrasyt hym, bot no word mycht he spek

  And scars at last with gret difficulte

 

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