Complete Works of Virgil

by Virgil

  To mak the baldly vndertak,” quod sche.

  On this wyss Iuno can this nymphe exort,

  And left hir hail in weir and dowt, at schort,

  With mynd full tryst, wobegone and onsound,

  Full deip smyttyn with the sorowfull wound.

  Heir followis the sacrifyce and prayer

  Fyrst of Eneas, syne Kyng Latyn infeir.

  In the meyn tyme, the kyngis of athir rowt

  From thar citeis and strenthis ischis owt.

  Amyd a four quhelit char Latyn that thraw

  With huge pomp by stedis fowr was draw,

  Quhais haris and hys tymplis war weil dycht

  With ryall crown of fyne gold burnyst brycht,

  Quharon stud turrettis twelf, lyke bemys scheyn,

  As it ane rych enornament had beyn

  Of cleir Phebus, that was hys grandschir hald:

  Nixt quham furth rollyt was Prynce Turnus bald

  Within a twa quhelyt chariot of delyte,

  That drawyn was with stedis twa mylk quhyte;

  In athir hand held he, in feir of weir,

  The braid hed brangland on the ievillyng speir.

  The fader Eneas alsso furth withall,

  Of Romane lynnage the originall,

  Apon the tother half com thame agane,

  With byrnyst scheild that brycht as starris schane,

  And hevynly armour lemand all of lycht:

  Besyde hym raid Ascanyus the sweit wyght,

  That semyt weil, till euery manis doym,

  Ane other gude beleif and hope to gret Roym.

  Furth come the preste, quhamto accordyt mak

  The sacrifice of concord and contract,

  In vestment cleyn, for syk religioun wrocht,

  And a ong byrsyt swyne befor thame brocht,

  With a rowch twyntyr scheip sammyn infeir,

  Quhais woll or fleyce was neuer clyp with scheir;

  The bestis furth hess tursyt this ilke syre

  Onto the altar blesand of hait fyre.

  The princis tho, quhilkis suld this payce makyng,

  Turnys towartis the brycht sonnys vprysyng,

  With the salt meldyr in thar handis raith;

  The forrettis of thir bestis toppys baith

  They clyp and myssour, as tho was the gyss,

  And cowpys full of wyne in sacryfyss

  Abowt the altaris ettis he and he.

  With drawyn swerd syne the reuthfull Enee

  Hys orison furth maid, and thus he said:

  “O thou brycht son, with thy scheyn bemys glaid,

  Be wytnes now till my behest, I pray;

  And this ilk grund mot testyfy quhat I say,

  For quham sa gret payn and aduersyte

  I sufferit haue feill syth on land and see;

  And thou almychty Iove heir my prayer;

  Saturnus douchtir, thou hys spowss sa deir,

  Now mor benyng than thou was of befor,

  Sweit goddess, heir me now, I the implor;

  And gentill Mars now takis tent heirtill,

  That withhaldis and writhis at thy will

  Every batale, stryfe, weirfar or debait

  Vndyr thy hie power deificait;

  All fludys I call, fontanys and stremys cleir,

  And all maner of reuerend goddis seir

  Abuf the hevyn ydred and starrit sky;

  And ow eik, blissyt wightis, I testify,

  That vnder erth or law in hell doun beyn,

  Or in the fomy seis stremys greyn:

  Gif so betyd, that fallys the victory

  To Turnus on the Ausonyan party,

  It is conuenient, and we grant to fle,

  As venquyst folk, till Evandrus cite;

  Ascanyus sall als tyte thir feildis withdraw,

  Nor Eneadanys neuer, from the ilk thraw,

  Aganyst ou sall rebell nor move weir,

  Ne with na wapynnys eft thys cuntre deir.

  Bot gif so beys, Mars our god glorius

  The victory and ouyrhand grantis ws

  (As I beleif far rathar sal befall,

  And that als tyte conferm mot goddis all

  Throw the gret mychtis of thar deite!),

  Gif that sa fair fortoun betydis me,

  Ne will I not command Italianys

  Tobe subiect, nor obey the Troianys,

  Ne it this realm desyre I not to me;

  Bot athir of our pepill mot go fre,

  Onthrall, onvenquyst, in lawys all evynly

  Confiderat in perpetuall ally.

  The wirschipyng of goddis in sacryfice

  I sal thame lern and tech at my devyss:

  My fader in law, the kyng Latinus heir,

  Most rewle the pepill baith in peax and wer;

  My fader in law, as souerane lord and syre,

  Duryng hys lyfe most bruke solempnyt empyre.

  Suffir my Troianys than, as we ar bovn,

  For me to beild a strenth and wallyt tovn,

  And to this cite, quhar we sall duell at hame,

  Lat the madyn Lavinia gif the name.”

  Thus first Eneas said, and efter syne

  Apon this wyss hym followys Kyng Latyn,

  Behaldand towart hevyn quhar he dyd stand,

  And to the starnys vphevyis hys rycht hand:

  “By this ilk erth, seys and starnys hie,

  I sweir inlike wyss onto ou, Enee,

  And by Latoneis byrth, or twynnys twa,

  The brycht Apollo, and chast Diana,

  And by the dowbill frontit Ianus, and all

  The pyssans of the goddis infernal,

  And by the dyrk sanctuary, blak as sabill,

  Of grevoss Pluto, that god revengeabill:

  The hie fader abuf mot heir my cry,

  That dois with thundir sik concord ratify.

  I twich thyr altaris and ingill present,” quod he,

  “And testifyis ilk godly maieste;

  Sall nevir tyme, sesson nor day betyd,

  To breke this peax on the Italian syde,

  Ne this confiderans anys part in two,

  Quhat way that evir happynnys the mater go;

  Ne na manner of violens, bost nor aw

  Sall ony wyss me tharfra withdraw,

  Bot ferm and stabill all sall haldyn be:

  All thocht the erth wald myddill with the see,

  And with diluge or invndatioun schent

  Covir and confund athir eliment;

  Or thocht the hevyn in hell resolue wald,

  Our promyss sall inuiolat be hald.

  Lyke as this ilk ceptour wand he see,”

  (Perchans that tyme a ceptour in hand bair he)

  “Sall nevyr burgioun, nor spred branchis lyte,

  Nowder rank levys, nor blosum of delyte,

  Sen it is anys in wod, thar as it grew,

  Law from hys stok hard by the rutis hew,

  And wantis now hys moder of nurysyng;

  For all the syonys and twystis wont to spryng

  Or grow thar fra, as he may se perfay,

  With egge lumys bene sned full quyte away;

  Vmquhile a growand tre, thar it dyd stand,

  That now thus by the crafty wark manis hand

  Inclusyt is and coverit lustely

  In burnyst gold and fynast alcomy,

  And gevyn our forfaderis of Latyn land,

  As ceptour ryall, fortober in hand.”

  With wordis sik and ferm relatioun

  This fynal suyr confideratioun

  Athir pryncis hass confermyt and sworn,

  Amyd thar nobillys standyng thame beforn:

  Syne, eftyr thar auld cerymonys and gyss,

  The bestis dewly adrest for sacryfyss

  Thai brytnyt haue amyd the flawmys red,

  And rentis out, or thai war fully ded,

  The entralys of thir bestis it alyve;

  Syne furth of platys or ballancis belyve

  With pasyt flesch plenyst the altaris large,

  Tharon bestowand
in hepys mony a charge.

  Bot tho begouth of new this ilk bargane

  Semyng to the Rutilianys, euery man,

  Tobe ane rycht onevynly interpryss,

  And diuerss rumour can in thar brestis ryss,

  With mony syndry demyng and consait;

  He thynkis thus, and he ane other gait;

  And ay the nerrar and mar diligently

  At thai the mater consider and aspy,

  Weill thai persaue and behaldis, sans faill,

  Thir campionys war not of strenth equaill.

  And onto this opinioun the ilk thraw

  Helpit mekill, that with still payss so slaw

  This Turnus musand towart the altar past,

  And it lawly adournyt with face doun cast,

  With chekis walxin leyn, to thar semyng,

  Quharon the soft berd newly dyd furth spryng,

  As all to yng with sic ane till haue daill,

  Thai thocht hys vissage all becummyn paill.

  Quhou Iuturna be slycht and enchantment

  Brekis the peax, and hasty batale sent.

  And eftyr that this ilk commonyng

  Thus walxand mar and mar by mony a syng

  Iuturna hys systyr dyd persaue,

  And saw the common wlgar hartis wave

  In diuerss sentencis and ententis seir;

  Than in amyd the rowtis drew scho neir,

  In form and lyknes of Camertis bald,

  Of nobill blude cummyn and lynnage ald,

  And of hys fader the bruyt and renowne

  Was magnifeit in wirschip wonder hie,

  Tharto hym self maste douchty cheveller

  In dedis of armys and in fait of weir.

  Amyd the ostis this wyss dyd scho thryng,

  Not onexpert to convoy sik a thing,

  And diuerss rumouris in the press skalis sche,

  Syne siclyke wordis carpis apon hie:

  “O Rutilianys, aschame he not for feir

  Into sa gret a perrell and danger

  A sylly sawle to put in aventour,

  That for ow all sall vndirly sik cuyr?

  Quhiddir ar we not equale in our entent,

  To the Troianys in numbyr or hardyment?

  Lo, all the Troianys and Archadianys

  Befor ws heir arrayt on the planys:

  The fatall pissans is hail in this sted,

  And the Tuscanys that Turnus hess at fed.

  Sa few tha beyn, he may behald and se,

  That gif we list mak onset, trastis me,

  The half of all our mene gret and small

  Sall not fynd ondyr a fa to mach withall.

  on Turnus, to the goddis abuf full straucht,

  To quhais altaris hym vowyt and betaucht

  He hess for ou, as that he se,” said sche,

  “With fame eternal sal vpheit be,

  As euermar alyve and maist name couth,

  Carpit and sung in euery mannis mowth;

  Quhen we, as thrallys, leif sal our natyve land,

  And onto prowd tyrrantis, hess the ovirhand,

  Salbe compellit as lordis till obey,

  That now, thus sleuthfully, sa fant and fey

  Hufys still on thir feldis as we war ded,

  And for our self list schape for na remed.”

  With siclike wordis the myndis and consait

  Of the ongkeris was inflawmyt hait,

  And mair and mar now, all the feld abowt,

  The murmur crepys out throw euery rowt;

  So thai quhilkis air desyrit peax and rest,

  And for the common weill thocht it was best

  To mak end of the bargane on this wyss,

  Ar alterit haly in ane other avyss;

  For now desyre thai batale, but abaid,

  Prayand God this contract had neuer bene maid,

  And hass compassioun caucht in hart, but faill,

  Of Turnus chans, semyng so inequale.

  Thys self tyme eik hess Iuturna, I wyss,

  Ane other grettar wondir ekit to this,

  And heich vp from the hevyn befor thame plane

  A takyn hess scho schawyn auguriane;

  Syk a syng, that nane other to that entent

  Was mar effectuus nor conuenient

  To trubbill Italian myndis and mak thame raif,

  And with fals demonstratioun to dissaue.

  For Iovis fowle, the ern, com sorand by,

  Fleand vp heich towart the brycht red sky,

  Befor hym catchand ane gret flycht or ost

  Of fowlys that dyd hant endlang the cost,

  Quhilk on thar weyngis, sair dredand hys wraik,

  Skrymmys heir and thar with mony sprauch and craik;

  Quhil suddandly this egill with a surss,

  As he towartis the fludis maid hys curss,

  Dispittuusly intill hys punsys he

  Hes claucht a swan excellent of bewte.

  Than the Italianys apon athir syde

  Rasyt thar myndis to se quhat suld betyd,

  And sone the other fowlys heich in the sky

  Turnyt agane with money screym and cry,

  To chaiss and to assail thar aduersar,

  A wondir thing to se, vp in the air:

  The lyght thai dirkyn with thar pennys thik,

  And throw the skyis with mony a strake and pik,

  Sammyn in a sop, thik as a clowd, but baid,

  Thar fa thai dyd assale and invaid,

  Sa lang, quhil that by forss he was ourset,

  And of the hevy byrdyng sa mait and het

  That hys mycht faleit, and of his clukis rude

  The egill leit hys pray fall in the flude,

  And vp amang the clowdis flaw away.

  Than the Rutilianys all, full glaid and gay,

  With huge brute and clamour lowd onan

  Salust this syng or takyn augurian;

  Syne sped thar hand, and maid thame for the fight.

  And, first of othir, Tolumnyus the wight,

  That was a spa man and diuinour sle:

  “a, this was it, a, this was it,” quod he,

  “Quhilk oft I visseit and desirit by and by:

  This gud takyn I ressaue and ratify,

  And knawys the goddis favour in our supple.

  Rutilianys, hynt our wapynnys, and follow me,

  Quham now on vauengeour, on ilk stranger,

  Affrays so with hys onworthy weir,

  Lyke tyll onweldy fowlys on the cost,

  And our marchis with fors and mekill bost

  Inuadis, rubbis and spuleis, as e se:

  He sall, for fer, sone gif the bak and fle,

  Mak sail onon, and hald for euer away

  Throu the deip sey outour the fludis gray.

  Tharfor he sall all sammyn, with ane assent,

  Assembil now our rowtis heir present,

  And into feild defend, as men of mayn,

  our kyng Turnus he be nocht reft and slane.”

  Thus said he, with that word als sa fast

  Towartis his fais forganys hym dyd cast

  A weirly dart onon with all his byr:

  The sovir schaft flaw quhisland with a quhir,

  Thar as it slydis scherand throw the ayr,

  Oneschewabill, bath certane, lang and squar.

  Sammyn with this, vp rysis for the nanys

  Ane huge noys and clamour all at anys;

  With sik affray and hydduus dyn and beir

  The wardis all and ostis war on steir,

  That, for the rerd and deray, hait in ire

  The hartis kyndillis of euery bald syre.

  Furth flaw the takill rycht our forgane his face,

  Thiddir as for the ilk tyme stude, percace,

  Nyne brethir germane, fresch and yng of age,

  Nane in thar ost mair semly personage,

  Quham the trew faithfull wife Tyrrhene ilkane

  Bair till hir spowss Gilip Archadiane;

  Of quham this dart hyt ane, thar he dyd stand,

  A gudly
spryngald, a fair yng galland,

  Richt schaply maid, in armour schynand brycht,

  And at the myddill markyt hym full rycht,

  Quhar as the wovyn gyrdill or tysche

  Abufe his navill was beltit, as we se,

  And smate hym evyn into the sammyn place

  Neyr quhar the bukkill hys sydis dyd enbrace,

  Throw gyrd hys body with a grevoss wond,

  And spaldyt hym stark ded apon the grond.

  Bot than hys bald brethir in a rowt,

  Wod wraith for wo, sum hyntis swerdis owt,

  Sum claucht in hand the dart with the steil hed,

  And in thar blynd fury, full of fed,

  Ruschit on thar fays with a feirfull braid.

  Aganys quham to resist and invaid,

  The rowtis of the army Lawrentanys

  Ran to recontyr thame; and tho atanys

  Agane assemblit, as a spait of flud,

  The Troianys and the Tuscanys wraith and woid,

  With thame of Arcad in arrayt feildis,

  With burnyst armour and thar payntit scheildis;

  Apon sik wyss that all, with ane assent,

  Caucht haill desyre to feght apon the bent,

  And to dereyn in feild with bytand brand

  The haill mater. Sum schot doun with thar hand

  The altaris markyt for the sacryfyss.

  Belyve our all the lyft vp semyt ryss

  The fell tempest of dartis schote and flanys,

  So thik as ony schour of scharp hailstanys,

  As dyd incress this flycht of stelit hedis.

  Full grewos grew the bargane in all stedis:

  Sum ran to the wyn flacconys for gret ire,

  And sum hynt vp the furnace full of fyre.

  The kyng hym self, Latinus, for the affray,

  Fled to the cite, and tursyt with hym away

  Hys goddis and hys mawmontis, drevyn abak

  With a schamefull rebute and mekill lak,

  Left the concord ondone, not brocht till end.

  Sum brydillys stedis and cartis vp dyd bend,

  And sum in haist with a lowp or a swak

  Thame self vpcastis on the horsys bak,

  And war all reddy in the stowr at hand

  With drawyn swerd and nakit burnyst brand.

  Mesapus, full desyrus in the press

  Fortill confund the trety and the pess,

  A kyng Tyrreyn, Aulestes, in that sted

  With kyngis enseneis and with crown on hed,

  Affrays sor, at hym dryvand hys steid;

  The tother drew away for feir and dreid,

  And bakwartis fallys on hys schuldris and crovn,

  Onhappely, apon ane altar dovn,

  Quhilk stud percace behynd hym on the land.

  Mesapus than, full ferss, with speir in hand

  Apon hym drave, thocht he besocht hym fair,

  And with this schaft, that was als rude and squar

  As it had beyn a cabyr or a spar,

  Dovn from hys stowt cursor, na thyng skar,