The Æneid of Virgil Translated Into Scottish Verse. Gawin Douglas

      For to manuyr gave the strand of the see,

      Quhamto our lawis and statutis we gart mak,

      Our mariage gan lychtly and forsaik,

      And in hir ryng hes tane Ene for lord.

      And now that secund Parys, of ane accord

      With his onworthy sort, skant half men beyn,

      Abufe his hed and halffettis, weil beseyn,

      Set lyke a mytir the Troiane foly hat,

      Hys hair enoynt weil prunȝeit vndir that,

      By reif mantemys hir suld owris be;

      Becaus onto thi templis dayly we

      Bryngis offerand, and invane hallowis thi name.

      With syk wordis kyng Hyarbas at hame

      Makyng hys prayeris, and grippand the altar,

      Him hard onon almychty Jupiter,

      And hys eyn turnys towart the riall wallis

      Of Cartage, and thir luffaris, quhilkis so fallis

      At thai thar fame and gude renown forȝet.

      Syne thus said to Mercuryus, but let,

      And with sik maner charge gan hym direk:

      Pas, son, inhaist, graith the wyndis in effek;

      Slyde with thi feddyrame to ȝon Troiane prynce,

      Quhilk now in Cartage makis residence,

      Gevand no cuyr of citeis in Italy

      To hym ygrant by fatale destany;

      Do beir my message swyftly throw the skyis,

      Sa to hym thus my wordis on syk wys:

      His derrest moder promist ws not that he

      Of hys gydyng sa faynt a man suld be,

      Nor, for syk causys, hym delyverit twys

      Furth of the Grekis handis, hys ennemys;

      Bot at he suld haue beyn wys, sage, and grave,

      Hie senȝeoreis and gret empyre to have,

      And Itale dant, quhilk brandysis in battell,

      And, by his dedis, declair and cleyrly tell

      Hym cummyn of Teuceris hie genealogy,

      And to subdew the warldis monarchy.

      Of sa gret thingis thocht na wirschip hym steris,

      Nor for hys honour list not laubour as efferis,

      Ȝyt than, the fader aucht na wys to envy

      That Ascanyus bruke Romys senȝeory.

      Speir quhat he beildis, or how that he dar dwell

      Amang a pepill salbe hys ennemys fell.

      Hys lynnage tocum in Itale forȝettis he,

      And gevis na compt of Lavyne the cuntre.

      Byd hym mak saill: this is all in effek;

      Thiddir on our message thus we the direk.

      Said Jupiter: and Mercur, but arest,

      Dressyt to obey hys gret faderis behest:

      And first ontill hys feyt fast buklyt he

      Hys goldyn weyngis, quharwith he doith fle,

      Quhen so hym lyst, abuf the fludis on hyght,

      Or on the erth, with gret fard and swyft flycht.

      Syne tuke his wand, quharwith, as that thai tell,

      The pail sawlis he cachis furth of hell,

      And other sum tharwith gan schet full hoyt

      Deip in the sorofull grisly hellys pote;

      Quharwith he makis folk sleip, magre thar hed,

      And revis fra othir al sleip, and to the ded

      Closis thar eyn, and brekis the stryngis tway:

      Throu help tharof he chasys the wyndis away,

      And trubly clowdis dyvidis in a thraw.

      Tho furth he fleys, till at the last he saw

      The heich top and sydis braid onevyn

      Of hard Atlas, baryng on his crown the hevyn;

      The mysty clowdis cirkilland his hed about,

      Quharon of fyrryn treis stant mony rowt,

      With wynd and storm full oft to schaik and blaw;

      Hys schulderis heildit with new fallyn snaw:

      Furth of the chyn of this ilk hasard auld

      Gret fludis ischis, and styf ise schokkyllis cauld

      Doun from his stern and grysly berd hyngis.

      Heir first Mercur, with evynly schynand weyngis,

      Gan hym arest, and with hail fard fra thens

      Vnto the sey fludis maid hys discens;

      Lyke till a fowle that, endlang the cost syde,

      About the strandis, of fysch plentuus, and wyde,

      Fleys by the watyr, skummand the fludis law:

      Betwix the hevyn and erth, the sam wys, flaw

      Mercury, clepit the child Cyllenyus,

      Discendyng from hys moder granscher thus;

      The sandy costis and desertis of Lyby,

      And eik the wyndis, persyng by and by.

      And, with the weyngit solys of hys feyt,

      As he of Cartage fyrst tred on the streyt,

      Eneas foundand towris he gan aspy,

      And garrand beild new lugyngis byssyly:

      Belt he wes with a swerd of mettale brycht,

      Of quham the scawbart with brown jasp wes pight;

      His rych array dyd our hys schuldris hyng,

      Bet of a purpour claith of Tyre glittering,

      Fettysly stykkit with prynnyt goldyn thredis;

      Of mychty Didois gift wrocht all his wedis.

      Mercur recontris hym, and said onon:

      Of Cartage now the prowd wallis of stone

      Thou foundis, quod he, and biggis at al devyce

      A cite, excersyt intill a wyfis seruyce,

      Thyne awyn materis and realm forȝetting, allace!

      Hiddir onto the, from his bricht hevynly place,

      The governour of goddis heth me sent,

      Quhilk rewlys at will erd, hevyn, and elyment;

      He bad me throw the skyis bair this charge:

      Quhat beildis thou heir in Lyby or Cartage?

      Or to quhat fyne or beleif takis on hand

      To waist thi tyme into this fremmyt land?

      Gif that na lavd ne honour move the list

      Of sa hie thingis as ar to the promyst,

      Nor thi selvyn thou wil not occupy

      To purches thine awyn renown ne glory;

      Ȝyt than, behald Ascanyus vpwalxing,

      And the gret hope of his seid and ofspring,

      Quhamtil the realm and kynryk of Itaill,

      With Romys boundis, beyn destinate, sans faill.

      On syk wys thus carpys Mercuryus,

      And in the myddis of his sermond, thus,

      He vanyst far away, I wait nevir quhar.

      Furth of this mortale syght, in the schyre ayr.

      CAP. VI

      Quhou