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

      Throu the dyrk nycht, quhen sum thar feris slew we.

      And thame had chasit throw owt all the cite,

      Thai war the first come now to do ws deir;5

      Our fenȝeit scheildis, wapynys, and other geir

      Ful weil thai knew, and, by our vocis eik,

      Thai notyfy that nane of ws was Greik.

      By multitude and nowmyr apon ws set

      All ȝeid to wraik, thar war we hail doune bet;10

      And first of all, down smyte is Chorebus

      By the rycht hand of Greik Peneleus,

      Befor the altare of armipotent Pallas:

      Rypheus down fell, ane the maist just man was,

      Amang Troianys best kepand equite;15

      Bot other ways the goddis thocht suldbe:

      Hypanys eik, and Dymas than alssua

      War by thar fallowis throw gyrd bath twa:

      Nor ȝit the, Panthus, quhen that thou fell down,

      Thy gret pety, and godly religioun,20

      Nor habyt of Apollo hyd from skayth.

      O ȝe cald assys of Troy, and flawmys baith,

      And extreme end of cuntre folkis, heir I

      Drawis ȝow to witnes, and doys testify,

      Quhen that ȝe fell to grund thus and war slane,25

      I nowder sparit wapynnys, strenth, nor pane,

      Nor nane onset eschewit of Grekis mycht;

      And gif fatis wald I had fallyn in fyght,

      Thar with my handis wrocht I worth my ded.

      Bot with the pres we war relit of that sted:30

      Only with me Hyphitus and Pelyas;

      For age Hyphitus waik and febill was,

      And Pelyas slawly mycht onethis go,

      By Vlixes for he was woundit so.

      CAP. VIII.

      Quhou to the Kyngis palyce sped Ene,

      That syne was take, thar helpit na suple.

      Onone onto the palyce of Priamus5

      The schowtis and the cryis callys ws.

      Thar was ane hydwys batale forto seyn,

      As thar nane other bargane ayr had beyn,

      Lyke as nane slane war throu all the cite,

      Sa wod ondantit melle thar we se:10

      The Grekis ruschand to the thak on hyght,

      So thik thai thrang about the portis all nycht,

      That lyke a wall thai ombeset the ȝettis;

      Vp to the syd wallys mony leddyr sett is,

      Quharon thai preys fast our the rufe to speill,15

      Coverit with scheildis agane the dartis feill

      Thar left hand heich abuf thar hed gan hald,

      And oft with rycht handis grypp the battalyng wald.

      Troianys agane, schaping defens to mak,

      Rent turettis doune, and of hows hedis the thak;20

      Quhen all wes lost thai se, at lattyr end,

      With sik wapynnys thai schupe thame to defend;

      The gilt sperris, and gestis gold begane

      Down on thame slyng thai, and mony costly stane,

      The prowd and ryall werkis of faderis ald.

      And other sum, law down within that hald,

      With drawyn swerdis stude reddy to kepe the ȝet;5

      In a thik rowt tharat was mony set.

      Our spretis war restoryt, and curage grew

      The kyngis palyce to succur, and reskew

      The men tharin with all help and supple,

      To strenthing thame war venquyst neyr, we se.10

      A small wykket thar was, or entre dern,

      A litil ȝet clepit a postern,

      On the bak half Priamus palyce almaist,

      Amang byggynnys stude desolate and waist;

      Quharat was wont alane Andromocha15

      To entir oft to Priam and Hecuba,

      And Astyanax, hir ȝong son, with hir bring

      Onto his grandsyre Priamus the kyng.

      Tharat I enterit, and to the wallys hyght

      Vpwent, quhar wrachit Troianys, as thai mycht,20

      Threw down dartis, thocht all was bot in waist.

      We start ontil a hie turate in haist,

      The top vpstrekand to the starnys hie,

      Quharon we wont war al Troy forto se,

      The Grekis schippis, and thar tentis eik.25

      With instrumentis of irne we pyke, and seik

      Round al about quhar the jonyngis war worn,

      Reddy to fall, and corbalys al to torn;

      We holk and mynd the corneris for the nanys,

      Quhil down belive we tumbil it al atanys;30

      A fellon rusch it maid, and sownd with all,

      And large on breid our Grekis rowtis dyd fall;

      Bot sone ane other sort start in thar stedis:

      Nowder stanys, nor quarellis with scharp hedis,

      Nor na kynd of wapynnys war sparit than.5

      And first of al, befor the porch inran

      Hard to the entre, in schynyng plait and mail,

      Pyrrus, with wapynnys fersly to assaill:

      Lyke to the edder, with schrewit herbis fed,

      Cummyn furth to lycht, and on the grond lyis spred,10

      Quham wynter lang hyd vnder the cald erd;

      Now slippit hir slowch with schynand skyn new brerd,

      Hir slydry body in hankis rownd al run,

      Heich vp hir nek strekand forgane the son,

      With forkit tong intyll hir mouth quytterand.15

      To the assalt with Pyrrus come at hand

      Periphas, and Automedon his squyer

      Was wont to govarn Achilles cart in weir,

      And al the sensabill men of Scyrrya

      Bownys our the wallis and howsis hedis alswa,20

      And fyre blesis abuf the rufe garris fle.

      Bot first of al, ane stalwart ax hynt he,

      The stern Pyrrus, to hew and brek the ȝet,

      And furth of har the stapillis has he bet,

      And bandis all of bras yforgyt weill:25

      Be that in twa the master bar ilk deill

      Is al tofruschit; syne the hard burdis he hakkis,

      And throu the ȝet are large wyndo makkis,

      By