The Æneid of Virgil Translated Into Scottish Verse. Gawin Douglas

      The fame was than, of Crete the cost stude quyte

      Dissolate, but prince; for Idomeneus the kyng

      Was by the pepil expellit from his ryng,

      The lugyngis voyd and reddy to thar fays,

      The sete left waist til ony it vptais.

      The porte tharwith, Ortygia, leif we,

      And with swift cowrs flaw throu the salt see;

      By the iland swepit we onon

      With hillis ful of wynys, hait Naxon,

      By Donysa quhar growis the marbill greyn,

      And by Paron with his quhite marbill scheyn,

      By Olearon, and mony ilis, but les,

      Skatterit in the sey, yclepit Cyclades;

      We slyde throu fludis endlang feil costis fayr.

      The noys vpsprang of mony marynar

      Byssy at thar wark, to takilling euery tow,

      Thar feris exorting, with mony heys and how,

      To speid thame fast towart the realm of Crete,

      With thar forfaderis and progenitouris to mete.

      The followand wynd blew strek in our tail,

      Quhill finaly arrive we, with bent saill,

      Apon the ancyant cost of Curetanys,

      A kynd of pepill quhilk into Crete remanys.

      And sone I me enfors with diligence

      To byg a wallit cite of defens;

      Pargamea I namyt it, but baid:

      Our folkis than, that warryn blyth and glaid

      Of this kowth surname of our new cite,

      Exort I to graith howsis, and leif in le,

      And rays on hycht the strenth and fortales.

      Our schippis, or this, ful weil we gart adres,

      And lay almaist apon the dry sand:

      The ȝong men fortil laubour thar new land,

      And in honour of wedlok, as is the gys,

      Makkis thar offerand and thar sacryfys,

      And I thar statutis and seyr lawis thame tawcht,

      Assyngnand ilkane propir howsis and aucht.

      Quhen suddanly a cruel pest and traik,

      So that cornys and frutis goith to wraik,

      Throu the corruppit ayr and cowrs of hevyn,

      A dedly ȝeir, far wers than I kan nevin,

      Fell on our membris with sik infectioun,

      Was na remeid, cure, nor correctioun;

      The sweit sawlis lefis the bodeis ded,

      Or seik thai ly gaspand in euery sted.

      And forthir eik, Syryvs, the frawart star,

      Quhilk clepit is the syng canicular,

      So brynt the feildis al was barrand maid;

      Herbis wolx dry, wallowyng, and gan to faid;

      The seik grond denyis hys fruyt and fudis.

      My fader exortis ws turn agane our fludis

      To Delos, and Apolloys answer speir,

      Besekyng hym of succurs ws to leir,

      Quhat end ontil our irksum panys he sendis,

      And be quhat way we mycht assay amendis

      Of this turbacioun, or quhidder and quhar that he

      Wil at we seik or set our cowrs our see.

      CAP. III

      Quhou Troiane goddys apperis tyll Enee,

      And how that he was stormstad on the see.