by Virgil
Quhou, myne allane with swerd in thar presens
I sall revenge and end our allyris offens;
Or than, gyf so betyd he wyn the gre,
Lat ws all venquyst to hym subiect be,
eld hym the crown enduryng term of lyve,
And lat hym ioys Lavinia to hys wyfe.”
Kyng Latyn tho with sad and degest mynd
To hym answeris, and said apon this kynd:
“O douchty yngkeir, excellent of curage,
Quhou far as by thy forcy vassallage
My febill age thou doith exceid,” quod he,
“Als far mair diligently pertenys me,
And ganand is, to consell and provyde,
And exemyn euery chance may betyde,
As I that hass in part a maner feir,
Be lang experiens knawand the dowtis of weir.
Thow weldis Dawnus thy faderis realm and land,
And feil citeis conquest with thyne awyn hand;
Tharto thou hass alsso a gentill hart,
Liberall and fre, and in weir most expert,
And Kyng Latyn hess gold to geif the eik.
Perfay, enew otheris, not far to seik,
Of madynnys beyn onwed in Latyum wyde,
And in the Lawrent feildis heir besyde,
Of blude and frendschip na thyng myssemand,
Bot worthy to be queyn of ony land.
Thoill me, I pray the, al dissait done away,
Thir wordis quhoyn of weght to the till say,
And sammyn prent thir sawys in thy wyt.
Onlesum is I suld in wedlok knyt
My douchtir till ald wowaris of this land,
That hir tofor had axit in sik band:
All the spa men and goddis revelyng
Declarit plane that was onlesum thyng.
And netheless, I, venquyst cleyn but weir,
For luf of the my spowsys cousyng deir,
Ourcummyn be hir wofull terys and syte,
All maner bandys now hess brokyn quyte;
And fra my son in law, full wrangwisly,
Hys spouss onto hym promyst reft haue I,
And forthir on hym movit a wikkyt weir.
Sen syne in quhate chance I stand and danger,
And quhou fers batellis now persewys me,
Full weill thou wait and seis, Turnus,” quod he,
“And quhou huge travale thou has tholit and pane,
As principall maste douchty capitane.
Lo, twyss in batale venquyst haue we be,
And now scantly within our wallit cite
The hope and weill of Italy defendis;
Now of our recent blude, as noterly kend is,
The flude of Tibir walxis hait agane,
And of our huge banys quhite semys the plane.
Quhou am I sterit thus in purposs seir?
And quhidder flow I thus oft thar and heir?
Quhat mad foly all tochangis my thocht?
Gyf that I reddy be and dowtit nocht
The Troianys for my frendis to ressaue,
Gif so war Turnus ded war and bygrave,
Quhat, aucht I nocht far rather end the weir
He beand in prosperyte haill and feir?
Quhat wald our cosyngis, the Rutilianys,
Or quhat wald say the other Italianys,
Gyf the I suld thus wyss sa wilfully,
Axyng our douchteris wedlok and ally,
Expone or offer to the ded?” quod he.
“Forton defend that chance at sa suld be!
Behald the chance of batale variabill,
Persave of weir the fykkill ward onstabill:
Haue reuth and mercy of thy fader ald,
Quham Ardea now, hys cuntre, doys withhald,
Diuidit far and disseuerit from the,
And for thy saik quhou wobegone is he.”
Thus said the kyng, bot the violent curage
Of Turnus hie mynd bowit neuer a stage;
Quha wald with cuyr of medycyne hym meyss,
The moir encressys and growys hys mail eyss;
And, eftir that he first mycht speke agane,
Thus he began expreym with wordis plane:
“O thou maist souerane fader, I the pray,
To salue my honour, thou wald do away
Thir curis, thochtis and solicitude
For me thou takis; and, schortly to conclude,
Suffir me forto plege my deth in wage,
For gloryus renovn of vassillage;
For we, fader, can swak dartis and brandis,
Nocht with febill bot stalwart rycht handis,
And of our wondis the red blude ruschis owt.
To onder provd Troiane, clepit sa stowt,
Hys moder at this tyme salbe far to seik,
Quhilk goddes with hir subtell slychtis eik
Hir son, accustumat to tak the flycht,
Was wont to dek, and to hyde owt of sycht
Within a wifly clowd, as for a trayn,
And heild hir self alsso in schaddois vayn.”
The queyn perswadis Turnus fra stryfe desist,
Bot he for batal can agane resist.
Be than the queyn Amata, all in feir
Of this onkouth and new maner of weir,
Wepyng full soir, all dedlyke, full of harmys,
Hyr son in law Turnus hynt in hir armys,
That was sa fervent in his ardent desyre.
“Turnus,” said scho, “thou best belovit syre,
Be thir ilk wofull terys I the pra,
And be the wirschip thou aw till Amata,
Gyf ony honour of hir or thy kyn
Twichys or movis into thy breist within,
I the beseik a thyng, myne awyn knycht;
Desist and cess to mach Troianys in fight.
Thou only comfort of our febill eld,
Thou all our rest, our weilfar and our beld,
Haue reuth and piete of my wofull baill:
In thy power and mycht restis alhaill
The wirschip and empyre of Kyng Latyn;
Hys howss and famyll, now lyke to declyne,
In the remanys, and is by the vpbor.
I the assuyr, and certifeis tharfor,
Quhat aventour in this fight sall happyn the,
The self chance, Turnus, sall betyd me:
Sammyn with the, gif thou endis in that stryfe,
I sal depart furth of this irksum lyfe,
Nor nevir thrall sall I remane to se
on ilk Eneas son in law to me.”
Lavinia the maid, with soir smert,
Hyr moderis wordis felt deip in hyr hart,
So that the rud dyd hyr vissage glow,
And full of terys gan hyr chekis strow;
The fervent fyre of schame rysys on hie,
Kyndland mar large the red culloryt bewte,
So that the natural heit the blude dyd chace
Our all the partis of hir quhitly face;
Quhill that this virgyn, in this wofull rage,
Syk cullouris rendris from hir fresch vissage,
As quha byspark wald the quhite evor Indane
With scarlet droppis or with brovn sangwane,
Or quhar the scheyn lylleis in ony sted
War pulderit with the vermel rosys red.
The hait luf trublys sor the knyght,
That on this maid he fixis all hys sycht,
And all the mair he byrnys in desyre
Of bargane into armys, hait as fyre;
Syne to the queyn Amata, but abaid,
In few wordis on this wyss he said:
“O my deir moder, of thy wepyng ho,
I ow beseik, do not, do not so,
Persew me not thus with our grete and teris,
Nor quhen I pass onto thir mortall werys,
In marciall bargane contrary my fo,
Do wa to present me sik takyn of wo:
In Turnus myghtis lyis nocht,” quod he,
“The chance of deth to mak hym selvyn fre,
I say, gyf deth this way be to me schaip,
Now may I not astart, nor it eschape,
For at this tyme instant my messynger,
Idmon clepyt, my credens hecht tober
Now to one Troiane tyrrand, rehersyng
My wordis, quhilkis lykis hym na thyng,
That is to knaw, to morow, als ayrly
As brycht Aurora in the orient sky
With rosy chariot lyftis vp hir hed,
The firmament schrowdyng in cullour red,
That he move not aganys Rutilyanys,
Hys ostis, nor nane army of Troianys,
Bot athir half fra batale, for the best,
Baith sall Troianys and Rutilianys thame rest;
And lat ws twa, this bargane to conclude,
Betwix ws only dereyn with our blude,
And into onder feld, in stalwart stryfe,
Lat athir seik Lavinia to hys wyfe.”
Fra this was said, fast to hys in he spedis,
And bad onon do lat hym se hys stedis:
Behaldand thame reiosys he in hart,
To se thame stand sa fers with curage smart;
Quhilk kynd of horss quhilum, as thai say,
Orythia, the lusty fresch may,
Of Athenis the kyngis douchter and ayr,
As ane maste ryall presand, wonder fair,
Send from hir cuntre to Kyng Pilumnus,
Was forgrandschir onto this ilk Turnus;
The quhilk stedis, schapyn at all delyte,
Excedit far the snaw in cullour quhite;
To speke of speid, thar swyftnes was ontald,
For thai the wyndis blast forryn wald.
The byssy knapys and verlettis of hys stabill
Abowt thame stud, full aip and seruyabill,
And with thar holl luyffis gan thame cheir,
Dyd clap and straik thar leyndis to mak thame steir,
Thar lokrand manys and thar crestis hie
Dressys with treleis and camys honestlye.
Fra thens onto hys chalmyr went he syne;
Abowt his schuldris assays hys halbryk fyne,
Of burnyst maill, and schynand rychely
Of fynast gold and quhitly alcomy.
Tharwith alsso hys swerd addressis he,
Quhat way he wald it oys in the melle;
Hys sovir scheld assays he alsso,
And eik hys tymbret helm with crestis two;
Quhilk swerd was maid onto Dawnus hys syre
Be Wlcanus, the myghty god of fyre,
That forgyt this blaid and temperit with hys handis,
Hait glowand dyppyt in the Stigiane strandis.
Syne with gret fors, enarmyt in all hys geir,
Full lychtly vp he hynt hys stalwart speir,
Quhilk tho amyddis the hall lenand stud
Vp by a pillar huge squar and rude,
Quhilum the spule he byreft from ane
Clepyt Actor, a capitane Auruncane;
The schaft he schuke and branglys lustely,
Tharto with lowd voce thus can he cry:
“O now thou speir, that nevir faileit thy deid
Quhen I the callyt to my desyre in neid,
Quhilum the weldit Actor, mast douchty knycht,
Now the in hand withaldis Turnus wight;
Now is the tyme that I maste myster the;
Forto dovn bet the corps thou grant to me
Of ondir Phrigiane, is skant half a man,
That with my stalwart handis I may than
Hys halbrik of hys body to arrass,
Hakkyt and rent and persyt in mony place,
And in the dusty puldyr heir and thar
Suddill and fyle hys crispand allow hair,
That ayr maid creyss, and curlys now sa weill,
Yplet ilk nycht on the warm broch of steill,
Dekkyt and donk, on hys wifly maner,
Of fragrant myr and other envnctmentis seir.”
With sykkyn fury rage catchyt is he,
That thus he carpys till a schaft of tre;
And from the vissage of this ardent syre
The sparkis glydis as the hait fyre,
For veray fervour of the feirfull teyn
Schynys and brystis furth of baith hys eyn —
Lyke as the bull, that bargane begyn wald,
Gevis terribill rowstis and lowis monyfald,
Or than aggrevit, bustuus and furthborn,
Presys hys ire to assay with hys horn,
Lenand hys spald to the stok of a tre,
And with hys dynt the wynd torentis he,
Or, forto mak debait apon the land,
With hys hard clufe vpwarpys fast the sand.
In the self tyme, na less of curage, Enee,
Cled in hys moderis armour awfull to se,
Scharpys hym self in furour marciall,
Rasand hys greif for ardour bellicall,
And ioyus wolx of weir to mak ane end
By syk proffer and poyntment as was send.
Syne comfortis he hys ferys dolorus,
And mesyt the dreid of sad Ascanyus,
Declarand thame the fatale ordinans,
Thar destyne, and goddis purvians;
And to the kyng of Lawrenteis, Latyn,
Twychand this forsaid trety and convyne,
Bad the messyngeris bair hame but delay
Sovir answer, as thai desyrit alway,
And of the peyss and trewys, as thai spak,
Proclame articulis and lawys of contract.
Iuno, knawand Turnus last day at end,
To stop the bargane hass Iuturna send.
Scarsly vpsprang the nixt day followyng,
Scheddand the bemys of hys bryght mornyng
Apon the toppis of the montanys hie,
As Phebus stedis first of the deip se
Rasyt thar hedis and noyss thirlys on hight,
Our all the feildis blawand the cleir lyght;
Quhen that the Troianys and Rutilianys
The grund myssouris, evynnys, dichtis and planys,
Vndir the wallys of the cheif cite,
Thar as the feild and fechtyng place suldbe;
Amyddis quham the harthis vp thai set,
Quharon the fyris suldbe maid and bet,
And to the common goddis eik bedeyn
The altaris coverit with the scherald greyn.
Sum otheris brocht the fontane watir fair,
And sum the haly ingill with thame bair;
With lynnyng valis or lyke apronys lycht
Thai war arrayt, and thar hedis dicht
In wyppys of the haly herb vervane.
The legionys tho furth haldis to the plane,
And all the rowtis of Awsonyanys,
That otherwyss ar hait Italyanys,
Furth thryngis at the portis full attonys,
With lancis lang and pykkis for the nonys.
Thydder all the Troianys wardis, by and by,
And Tyrrheyn ostis ruschis hastely,
Bodyn full weill in nobill armour seir;
Nane otherwyss with wapynnys and with geir
Arrayt for the batale all at rycht,
Than thocht the fury of Mars thame callit to fycht.
Amyd the thousandis swyftly throw the planys
Furth sprentis lustely thir capitanys,
In rich purpour arrayt and fyne gold brycht,
Assaricus sonnys and Mnestheus wight,
And on the tother part strang Asilas,
And bald Mesapus also with hym was,
Neptunus son, expert in horss dantyng.
And eftir that the trumpet blew a syng,
Than euery partyment bownys to thar stand,
And gan thar speris stik doun in the land,
Set by thar scheildis, to behald the fyne.
The wemen wedois and the matronys syne,
Desyrys forto se the bargane stowt,
Of childyr and of commonys mony a rowt
That couth na wapynnys weld, nor armour weir,
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br /> With the onweldy agit folk infeir,
Clam on the hight and hedis of the towris,
The wallys all and howsis ryggyngis flowris;
And sum abufe apon the portis hie
Ascendit ar to behald the melle.
Bot Iuno tho dovn from the hycht, I wyss,
Of the montane that Albane clepit is
Now in our days (set than this hyllys dovn
Had nowder name, honour nor renovne),
Scho dyd behald amyd the feildis plane
Athir batellis and the ostis twane,
Baith of the Troianys and the Laurenteis,
And Kyng Latynus cite eik scho seys.
Onon to Turnus systyr vp on hie,
That clepit was Iuturna, carpys sche,
Thys goddes to that haly nymphe, mastres
Of wellys, stankis and rowtand stremys express,
Quhilk honour Iove, the kyng of hevynnys hie,
Hyr gave for the byreft virginite,
Said: “O thou nymphes, wirschip of fludis cleir,
That to my saul is hald maste leif and deir,
Thow knawys weill, I the preferrit ay
To all the otheris damysellys, perfay,
Of Latyn cuntre, quhat so evir thai wer
That wrangwisly ascendit or drew neir
The bed onprofitabill of Iupiter mast hie;
And glaidly eik haue I not stakyt the
Intill a party of the hevyn alssua?
Hark now thy sorow, thou Iuturna,
And wyte me not bot I the warnyt haue.
Turnus and thy cheif cite haue I save,
Sa lang as that the fatis sufferit me,
And quhill werd sisteris sa tholyt tobe;
Bot now I se that ong man haste, but faill,
To mach in feild with fatis inequaill;
The lattir day and term approchis ne
Of fatale fors and strangast destyne.
Nowder this bargane onder on the greyn
Nor confideratioun may I se with eyn.
Pass thou on, for thy deir brothir germane
Gyf thou dar suffir ony mar dreidfull pane;
To the this semys and pertenys,” quod sche,
“Gyf that, perchans, ony bettyr may be,
Or eft betyd onto on catyvis kend.”
Scars had Iuno thir wordis brocht to end,
Quhen that the nymphe Iuturna bedeyn
Plente of terys furthet from hir eyn;
Hyr fair quhite breist, thar as scho dyd stand,
Thryss or four tymys smait with hir awyn hand.
Saturnus get, this Iuno, says: “Tha terys
Na wyss to this tyme pertenys nor efferys.
Hast the, gyf that thou can be ony way
Withdraw thy brother from the deth away;
Or than do mak the ostis baith on steir,
Provok the batale, and thame move to weir,
And this convyn and trety, new consave,
Do brek, disturb and with the wynd bywave.
I sall the warrand and the wyrkar be