Complete Works of Virgil

by Virgil

  Quham as this Troian prynce first gan behald,

  Of bewte, schap and all afferys, perfay,

  Sa excelland that wondir war to say,

  At the first blenk astonyst half wolx he,

  And musyng hovirris styll on hir to se,

  And in hys mynd gan rew the hard myschans

  Of Turnus, quham na litill apperans

  Sa baldly movit to dereyn bargan,

  To rayss the weir and feght for sykkyn ane;

  For weill, he thocht, the hope of syk a wight

  To dedys of armys aucht constreyn ony knycht.

  Syne, to abbryge our mater, hand in hand

  Thai war coniunct intill eternall band

  Of matrimonye, and tho at all devyss

  Thar wedlok with honour, as was the gyss,

  Be menstralys and herraldis of gret fame

  Was playd and sung and throw the cowrt proclame.

  Than ioy and myrth, with dansyng and deray,

  Full mery noyss and sovndis of gam and play

  Abuf the bryght starnys hie vpwent,

  That semyt forto perss the firmament,

  And ioyus vocis ryngis furth alsso

  Our all the palyss ryall to and fro.

  And syk ryot indurand amyd the press,

  Ene thus carpys to traste Achates,

  And bad hym go belyve, but mair delay,

  Do fech the rych robbys and array,

  The fresch attyre and all the precyus wedis,

  Wrocht craftely and weif of goldyn thredis

  Quhilum be fair Andromachais hand,

  By quham thai war hym gevyn in presand;

  And eyk the collar of the fyne gold brycht,

  With precyus stanys and with rubeys pight,

  Quham scho also abowt hir halss quhyte

  Was wont to weir in maste pompe and delyte,

  Quhill that the Troian weilfar stud abufe;

  The gret cowpe eyk, the quhilk in syng of lufe

  Quhilum Kyng Priam to hys fader gave,

  Ald Anchises, of fyne gold and engrave.

  Than, but delay, Achates at command

  Brocht thir rych gyftis, a wonder fair presand;

  Syne to hys fader in law, the kyng Latyn,

  The precyus cowp gave he of brycht gold fyne,

  And to hys spowss, Lavinia the may,

  The wedis ryall and the collar gay.

  Than athir dyd thar dewly obseruans

  With breistis blyth and plesand dalyans,

  To festyng, entertenyr and cheryss

  Thar ferys abowt on the maist gudly wyss:

  With diuerss sermond carpyng all the day

  Thai schort the howris and dryvis the tyme away.

  Gret myrth and solace was maid at the festis,

  Rehersand mony historeis ald and gestis.

  Be this it walxis layt towart the nycht,

  And fast declynyng gan the days lycht,

  The tyme requiryng, eftir the ald maner,

  To go to meyte and syt to the supper;

  Onon the bankat and the mangeory

  For fest ryall accordyng, by and by,

  With all habundans pertenyng to syk thyng,

  As weill efferit in the howss of a kyng,

  With alkyn maner ordinans was maid

  Amyd the hallys heich, lang and braid,

  Apparalyt at all devyss and array.

  Onto the bankat haill assemlyt thai

  And on the carpettis spred of purpour fyne

  To tablis set, quhar thai war servit syne

  With alkyn danteys and with metys seir

  That all to rakkyn prolixit war to heir —

  As quhou the crystall eweris to thar handis

  The watir gave, and quhou feill servandis standis

  To mak thame ministratioun in all curys,

  And quhou thai trasyng on the large flurys

  With blyth vissage intil euery sted,

  And quhou that first on burdis thai set bred:

  Sum with mesys gan the tabillys charge;

  Ane other sort doith set in all at large

  The cowpys gret and drynkyn tassis fyne,

  And gan do skynk and byrll the nobill wyne,

  That to behald thame walkyn to and fro

  Throw the rowm hallys and sa byssy go,

  And thame at tabillis makand sa glaid cheir,

  A paradyss it was to se and heir.

  Bot with hys eyn onmovit Latyn kyng

  Gan fast behald the child Ascanyus yng,

  Wondrand on his afferis and vissage,

  And of the speche and wordis grave and sage

  Of sik a childis mowth syk wyss suld fall,

  And of his digest and reddy wyt withall

  Befor the heris of maturyte;

  And of feill thingis hym demandis he,

  Athir to other renderand mony a saw;

  And syne wald he alsso, ane other thraw,

  Full tenderly do kyss hys lusty face

  And lap hym in hys armys and embrace;

  And, wondirly reiosyt, declar wald he

  Happy and to the goddis bedettit Ene,

  Quhilk hym had gevin syk a child as that.

  And quhillis thai thus at the supper sat,

  Eftir that with samony danteis seir

  Thar appetit of metis assuagit wer,

  With commonyng and carpyng euery wyght

  The lang declinand and ourslippand nyght

  Gan schape full fast to mak schort and ourdryve:

  Now the Troianys hard aventouris belyve

  Rehersyng our, and all the Grekis slycht;

  Now the ferss bargan and the awfull fight

  Of Lawrent pepill callyng to thar mynd,

  As quhou and quhar, quhamby and be quhat kynd

  The ostis first discumfist war in feild,

  And quhar that athir rowtis vndir scheld,

  With dartis castyng, dynt of swerd and mayss,

  Constrenyt was to fle in syk a place,

  And leif the feild, and quha best dyd hys det,

  Quha bald in stowr eyk maid the first onset,

  And quha first, on ane startland cursour gude,

  Hys burnyst brand bedyit with red blude.

  Bot principaly Eneas Troian bald

  And Latinus the kyng sage and ald

  Of conquerouris and soueran pryncis dyng

  The gestis can reherss fra kyng to kyng,

  Twichand the stait, quhilum be days gone,

  Of Latium that myghty region,

  Quhou vmquhile Saturn, fleand hys sonnys brand,

  Lurkyt and dwelt in Italy the land,

  Be quhilk rayson he dyd it Latium call;

  That kynd of pepill, dwelt skatterit our all

  In montanys wild, togyddir maid conveyn

  And geif thame lawys and statutis, and full beyn

  Tawcht thame to grub the wynys, and al the art

  To eyr and saw the cornys and ok cart;

  And quhou the gret Iupiter, god dyvyne,

  To this hys faderis resset socht hess syne;

  And quhou that he engendrit thar alssua

  On Atlass douchter, the fair wench Electra,

  Schir Dardanus, that efter, as thai sayn,

  Hys awyn brother Iasyus hess slayn,

  Syne from the cyte Choryte in Italy

  To sey is went with a gret cumpany

  And gan arryve eftir in Phrigia,

  And belt the cyte on the mont Ida,

  And quhou that he, in syng, for hys baner,

  From Iupiter ressauyt, hys fader deir,

  The fleand egill displayt fair and playn,

  Ane knawyn takyn to pepill Hectorian,

  As the first nobill armys and ensene

  Baith of the Troian ancistre and mene,

  By hym erekkit and vprasyt stud,

  Was first begun, and cheif stok of that blude.

  Thus, with syk maner talkyn, euery wight

  Gan dryvyn our and schortis the lang nycht.

  Tharwith t
he bruyt and noyss rayss in tha wanys,

  Quhill all the large hallys rang attanys

  Of mannys voce and sound of instrumentis,

  That to the ruyf on hie the dyn vp went is;

  The blesand torchys schayn and sergis brycht,

  That far on breid all lemys of thar lycht;

  The harpys and the githornys plays attanys;

  Vpstart Troianys and syne Italianys

  And gan do dowbill brangillys and gambatis,

  Dansys and rowndis traysyng mony gatis,

  Athir throu other reland, on thar gyss;

  Thai fut it so that lang war to devyss

  Thar hasty fair, thar revellyng and deray,

  Thar morysis and syk ryot, quhil neir day.

  Bot forto tellyng quhou with torch lycht

  Thai went to chalmer and syne to bed at nycht,

  Myne author list na mensioun tharof draw —

  Na mair will I, for sik thingis beyn knaw;

  All ar expert, eftir new mariage,

  On the first nycht quhat suldbe the subcharge.

  Eneas foundis a wallit town and squair;

  Quhamto Venus can diuerss thingis declar.

  And thus thai festyng days nyne at all,

  With large pompe and kyngly apparall

  Accordyng sych a spowsage as was this,

  And quhen the tent morrow cummyn is,

  Than this ilk souerane and maste douchty man,

  Eneas, forto found hys town began;

  Fyrst gan he mark and cirkill with a pleuch

  Quhar the wallys suld stand, thar drew a sewch;

  Syne Troianys fundis tenementis for thame self,

  And gan the fowceis and the dichis delf.

  Bot lo, onon, a wonder thing to tell,

  Ane huge bleyss of flambys braid doun fell

  Furth of the clowdis, at the left hand straucht,

  In maner of a lichtynnyng or fyre flaucht,

  And dyd alicht rycht in the sammyn sted

  Apon the crown of fair Laviniais hed,

  And fra thyne hie vp in the lyft agane

  It glaid away, and tharin dyd remane.

  The fader Eneas astonyst wolx sum deill,

  Desyrus this syng suld betakyn seill;

  Hys handis baith vphevis towartis hevin

  And thus gan mak his boyn with myld stevin:

  “O Iupiter, gif euer ony tyme,” said he,

  “The Troian pepill, baith by land and see,

  Thyne admonitions, command and impyre

  Obeyt hass, page, man or syre;

  Of gif that I our power and godhed

  Dred, and adornyt intyll ony sted

  our altaris, or ony wirschip dyd tharto;

  And be that thyng it restis forto do,

  Gif ony thyng behynd it doith remane —

  With this our happy takyn augurian

  eld ws our plesand rest and ferm pess,

  Mak end of all our harmys and causs thame cess.”

  As he sik wordis warpys owt that tyde

  Hys goldyn moder apperis hym besyde,

  Confessand hir tobe the fair Venus,

  And with hir blissyt mowth scho carpis thus:

  “Son, do syk thocht and dreid furth of thy mynd,

  Ressaue thir godly syngis in bettir kynd,

  And ioyusly enioys, myn awyn Enee,

  The gret weilfar fra thens sal betyd the.

  Now is thy rest and quiet fund and kend,

  Now of thy harmys is cummyn extreme end;

  Now at the last, as thou desyris, perfay,

  This warld with the sal knyt vp peax for ay.

  Abhor thou nocht the fyre and flambis brycht,

  From thy deir spowsys hed glaid to the hycht,

  Bot constantly thy mynd thou now address;

  It salbe scho, I the declar express,

  That sall with blude ryall the douchty name,

  Thy successioun, renown and nobill fame,

  And Troian pryncis, of thy seid discend,

  Abufe the clowdis hie and sternys send.

  Scho sall of thy lynnage, my son Enee,

  Bair childryng full of magnanymyte,

  Of quhais ofspryng sik men sal succeid

  That all this large warld far onbreid

  With thar excelland wirschip sall fulfill,

  And by thar mychty power, at thar will,

  As conquerouris, vnder thar seneory

  Subdew and rewle this warldis monarchy;

  Of quham the schynand souerane glor sall wend,

  And far beond the occean see extend,

  Makand thame equale with the hevynnys hie;

  Quham, finaly, thar ardent gret bonte

  And soueran vertu, spred sa far onbred is,

  Eftir innumerabill sa feill douchty dedis,

  Sall mak thame goddis and thame deify,

  And thame vpheiss full hie abufe the sky.

  This flambe of fyre the wirschip and renovn

  Doith signyfy of thy successioun;

  The god almychty from his starrit hevin

  Hass schawin tharfor this syng of fyry levin:

  Tharfor, in recompens of sykkyn thyng,

  And samekill wirschip of hir sal spring,

  This cite, quhilk thou closys with a wall,

  Eftir thy spowsis name clepe thou sall.

  And forthir eyk, the goddis quham thou hynt

  Of Troy, that tyme quhen it in flambys brynt,

  Penates, or the goddis domesticall,

  Thou set alsso within the sammyn wall:

  Tharin thou gar thame soyn be brocht inhy

  In hie honour, and tyme perpetualy

  Thar to remane, eternaly to dwell.

  I sall to the of thame a wonder tell:

  Thai sall sa strangly luf this new cyte,

  That, gyf thame happynnys careit fortobe

  Tyll ony other sted or place tharby,

  All be thame self agane full hastely

  Thai sall return to this ilk town of thyne,

  That thou beildis in boundis of Kyng Latyn;

  a, quhou oftsyss that thai away be tayn,

  Thai sal return haymwart agane ilkane.

  O happy cyte and weil fortunat wall,

  With quham sa gret rellykis remane sall,

  Quharin thou sall in tyme tocum, but leyss,

  Govern the Troian folk in plesand pess!

  Eftir this at last Latyn, thy fader in law,

  Wery of hys lyfe and far in age draw,

  Doun to gostis in the campe Elyse

  Sall wend, and end his dolly days, and de:

  Onto hys ceptre thou sall do succeid,

  And vnder thy seneory, far onbreid,

  Sall weld and led thir ilk Italianys,

  And common lawis for thame and the Troianys

  Statut thou sall; and syne thou sall ascend,

  And vp to hevyn glaidly thy self send:

  Thus standis the goddis sentens and decreit.”

  Na mair scho said, bot, as the gleym doith gleit,

  From thens scho went away in the schyre ayr,

  I wait nocht quhidder, for I com neuer thar.

  Enee astonyst, havand hys mynd smyte

  With syk promyss of renown and delyte,

  Hys blissyt moderis command gan fulfill:

  And now at plesand rest, at hys awyn will,

  The Troian pepill rewlit he in pess.

  With this the kyng Latynus can decess

  And left the ceptre vacand to hys hand;

  Than the reuthfull Ene our all the land

  Of Italy succedis in hys sted

  And gan full large bundis in lordschip led,

  That halely obeyt to hys wand,

  And at hys lykyng rewlit all the land.

  Now equaly of fre will euery ane,

  Baith pepill of Troy and folk Italian,

  All of a ryte, manerys and vsans,

  Becummyn ar frendly but discrepans;

  Thar myndis and thar brestis in amyte,

&nbs
p; In ferm concord and gret tranquylite,

  Gan leif at eyss, confiderat in ally,

  As vnder a law sammyn coniunct evynly.

  Quhou Iupiter, for Venus causs and lufe,

  Hass set Eneas as god in hevyn abufe.

  Venus with this, all glaid and full of ioy,

  Amyd the hevynly hald, rycht myld and moy,

  Befor Iupiter down hir self set

  And baith hir armys abowt hys feyt plet,

  Enbrasand thame and kyssand reuerently;

  Syne thus with voce express scho said inhy:

  “Fader almychty, that from thy hevynly ryng

  At thy plesour rewlys and sterys al thyng,

  That manis dedys, thochtis and aventuris

  Reknys and knawys, and therof hess the curis;

  Weill I ramember, quhen that the pepill Troian

  With hard onfrendly forton was ourtane,

  Thou promyst of thar laubouris and distress

  Help and support, and efter dyseyss soless.

  Nowder thy promyss, fader, nor sentens

  Hess me dissauyt, for lo, with reuerens

  All the faderis of Italy hess se,

  But discrepans, fully thir heris thre,

  In blyssyt peax my son enioyss that land;

  Bot certis, fader, as I vndirstand,

  Onto the starnyt hevynly hald on hie

  Thou promyst rayss the maste douchty Enee,

  And, for hys meryt, abufe thy schynand sky

  Hym forto place in hevyn and deify.

  Quhat thochtis now doith rollyng in thy mynd,

  Sen, ellys, doith the vertuus thewys kynd

  Of this reuthfull Eneas the requyr

  Abuf the polys brycht to rayss that syre?”

  The fader tho of men and goddis all

  Gan kyss Venus hys child, and tharwithall

  Thir profund wordis from hys breist furth braid:

  “My deir douchtir Citherea,” he said,

  “Thow knawys quhou strangly the mychty Ene

  And the Eneadanys all of hys mene

  Ithandly and onyrkyt luffyt haue I,

  On se and landis catchit by and by

  In perrellis seir, and quhou that ofttyme eik,

  Havand piete of the my douchtir meik,

  For lufe of the, for thar dyseyss was wo;

  And now I haue, lo, finaly alsso

  All thar harmys and ennoy brocht till end,

  And maid Iuno, as that full weill is kend,

  Fortobecum frendly and favorabill:

  Now lykis me, forsuyth, all ferm and stabill

  My sentens promyst to compleit,” quod he,

  “Quhen that the riall Troian duke Ene

  Amang the hevynnys institut I sall,

  And hym to numbyr of the goddis call:

  All this I grant with gud willis per fay,

  Tharfor, se that thou clenge and do away,

  Gif thar be in hym ony mortall thyng,

  And syne abuf the starnys thou him bryng:

  I sall alsso heich ony of hys kyn,