The Æneid of Virgil Translated Into Scottish Verse. Gawin Douglas

      Onone onto the palyce of Priamus

      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:

      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,

      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;

      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;

      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.

      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 Andromocha

      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,

      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.

      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;

      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.

      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,

      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.

      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,

      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:

      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 the quhilk slop the place within apperis,

      The wyde hallys wolx patent al infeiris

      Of Priamus and ancyant kyngis of Troy;

      Secret throwgangis ar schawyn wont to be quoy;

      Armyt men se thai stand at the first port.

      Bot than throw owt the inner palyce, at schort,

      With duylful scryke and walyng al is confoundit;

      The holl howsis ȝowlit and resowndit

      For womentyng of ladeis and wemen;

      The clamour vpstrak to the starnys then.

      The woful moderis ran frayit on athir syde

      Ful lamentabill throw out the chawmeris wyde,

      Brasand the postis in armys, and durris cald,

      And feil sys with mowthis kys thame wald.

      Instantly Pyrrus assailȝeis with al his mycht,

      By naturale strenth of his fader the wight,

      That nowder closeris, nor barryt ȝettis stowt,

      Nor ȝit the keparis may hald thame langar owt.

      Oft wyth the ram the port is schaik and duschit,

      Down bet ȝet chekis, and bandis al tofruschit;

      The way is maid by fors, and entre brokkyn;

      Grekis insprent, the formaste haue thai stokyn

      And slane with swordis; the large hald heir and thar

      Was fyllit full of Grekis our alquhar.

      Not sa fersly the fomy ryver or flude

      Brekkis our the bankis, on spait quhen it is wode,

      And, with hys brusch and fard of watir brown,

      The dykis and the schoris bettis doun,

      Ourspredand croftis and flattis with his spait,

      Our al the feildis