The Æneid of Virgil Translated Into Scottish Verse. Volumes 1 & 2. Virgil

      The speir ourturnyt in the duste dyd write.

      The sammyn tyme, the Troian madynys quhite,

      With hair doun skalit, all sorofull gan pas15

      Onto the tempill of the grevit Pallas

      To ask supple, with thame a wympill bair thai,

      With handis betand thar breistis by the way:

      This fremmyt goddes held hir eyn fixt fast

      Apon the grund, nocht a blenk list thame cast.20

      Abowt the wallis of Troy he saw quhat wys

      Achilles harlyt Hectoris body thrys;

      The ded corps syne for gold he saw hym sell.

      Law from his breist murnand he gave a ȝell,

      Seand the void cart, and spulȝe of the knycht,25

      And the corps of his derrest frend sa dight.

      Priam onarmyt streke furth handis dyd he spy

      From Achilles hys sonnys body to by.

      Hym self alsswa, mydlit, persavit he,

      Amang princis of Grece in the melle.30

      The orient hostis knew he one by one,

      And Vlcanus armour on blak Memnon.

      The madynnys cum fra Amason saw he soyn,

      With crukit scheildis schapyn like the moyn,

      Led by thar furyus queyn Pantissylle;5

      Amyd the thowsandis egyrly feghtis sche,

      And quhar hir pap was for the speir cut away,

      Of gold tharon was belt a rych tyschay:

      Ane worthy weriour suythly thai mycht hir ken,

      This wench stowtly recontir durst with men.10

      CAP. VIII.

      Heir to the tempil cummys queyn Dido,

      Quhar that Enee his feris fand alsso.

      Quhill as the manfull Troian Eneas

      To se thir nyce figuris thocht wonder was,

      And as he musyt, studyand in a stair

      Bot on a sycht quharon he blenkit thar,

      The queyn Dido, excellent in bewte,15

      To tempill cumis with a fair menȝe

      Of lusty ȝyngkeris walkyng hir about.

      Lyke to the goddes Dian with hir rowt,

      Endlang the flude of Eurot on the bra,

      Or vndir the toppis of hir hill Cynthia,20

      Ledand ryng dansys, quham followis our alquhar

      A thousand nymphis flokkyng heir and thair:

      On hir schulder the arrow cace baris sche,

      And quhar scho walkis abufe the laif on hie

      May weil beseyn; to Latone hir moder this

      Gevis reiosyng and secrete hartis blys:

      Sikane was Dido, sykane hir blithly bair5

      Amyd thame all, the warkis and weilfair

      Providing for the realm in tyme tocum.

      And quhen sche to the tempill dur is cum,

      Syne entryng vnder the myd volt, tuke hir sete

      Heich in a trone, and cumpaneis grete10

      On athir half standyng of armyt men,

      The domys and law pronuncis sche to thame then:

      The feys of thar labouris equaly

      Gart distribut; gif dowt fallis tharby,

      Be cut or kavill that pled sone partit was.15

      Bot suddanly persavis Eneas

      Quhar with gret haist com rynnyng Antheus,

      Sergest he seis, and stalwart Cloanthus,

      With diuers otheris of the Troian menȝe,

      Quham the blak storm had skatterit on the see,20

      And at ane other cost drevyn to the land.

      He and his fallow awondris this seand.

      Achates half estonyst stude in affray;

      With feir and joy smyttin baith war thai,

      And langit fair to schaik handys; bot thar hart25

      The onkouth cace amovit in sum part

      Forto dissymyll, as na thing seyn thai had,

      And, with the dyrk clowd hyd, to spy thai baid

      Quhou it stude with thar ferys, or chansyt eft,

      Or on quhat cost thar navy thai had left,30

      Quhat thai desyrit; for, as full weill thai saw,

      From thar schippis per ordour thai com on raw,

      Besekand grace and peax fast, as thame thocht,

      And to the tempill with gret clamour socht.

      Fra thai war enterit in the tempill tho,5

      And licens grantit thame to speke alsso,

      The gretast oratour, Ilioneus,

      With plesand voce begouth his sermond thus;

      O hie princes, quhamto Jupiter has grant

      To beld ane new cyte, and to dant10

      The violens of prowd folk by just law,

      We wrachit Troianys, with the wyndis blaw

      Throu strange stremys and mony diuers see,

      Forbyd ȝon cruell fyre, besekis the,

      Suffir not to byrn our schippis in a rage,15

      Haue reuth apon our petuus auld lynage.

      Considir frendly our mater quhou it standis;

      We com nocht hiddir with drawyn swerdis in handis,

      To spulȝe templis or ryches of Lybia,

      Nor by the cost na spreth to dryve away;20

      Sik violens nane within our myndis is,

      Nor sa gret stowtnes to venquyst folk, I wys.

      Thar is a place quham the Grekis, thai say,

      Onto hys name clepis Hesperia,

      Ane nobill land, richt potent in bataill,25

      And fructuus grond, plentuus in vittaille,

      By kyng Onotryus inhabit first, we trow;

      Bot in our days laitly, the fame is now,

      Eftir thar duke it is namyt Italy.

      Thidderwart our cours was laid: quhen suddanly30

      The flude boldnyt, and stormy Orion

      Amang blynd bankis cachit ws onon;

      The byttir blastis, contrarius al ways,

      Throw wallis huge, salt fame, and wilsum wais,

      And throw the perrellus rowkis gan ws dryve;5

      Hidder at ȝour cost ar few of ws arryve.

      Quhat kynd of pepill duellis heir? quod he,

      Quhou beyn sik thewis sufferit in this cuntre?

      We ar defendit to herbry on the sand,

      Prouokyt