ȝong pepil to pas in exile abill,
And of commonys a sort sa miserabill,
Fra euery part that flokkyng fast about,
Baith with gude wil and thar moblis, but dout,10
Reddy to wend in quhat cost or cuntre
That evir me list to cary thame our see.
Wyth this the day starn, Lucifer the brycht,
Abuf the top of Ida rays on hycht,
Gydand the day hard at his bak followyng;15
The Grekis than we se in the mornyng
Stand forto kepe the entreis of the portis:
And thus, quhen na hope of reskew, at schort, is,
My purpos I left, obeyand destanye,
And careit my fader to Ida hyll on hie.20
THE PROLOUG OF THE THRYD BUKE.
Hornyt Lady, pail Cynthia, not brycht,
Quhilk from thi broder borrowis al thi lycht,
Rewlare of passage and ways mony one,
Maistres of stremys, and glaidar of the nycht,
Schipmen and pilgrymys hallowis thi mycht,5
Lemman to Pan, douchtir of Hyperion,
That slepand kyssit the hyrd Endymyon;
Thy strange wentis to write God grant me slycht,
Twiching the thryd buke of Eneadon.
The feirful stremys and costis wondyrfull10
Now most I write, althocht my wyt be dull,
Wild aventuris, monstreis and quent effrays;
Of onkowth dangeris this nixt buke hail is full:
Nyce laborynth, quhar Mynotawr the bull
Was kepte, had nevir sa feil cahuttis and ways;15
I dreid men clepe thame fablis now on days;
Tharfor wald God I had thar erys to pull
Mysknawis the creid, and threpis otheris forvayis.
Incays thai bark, I compt it nevir a myte;
Quha kan not hald thar peice ar fre to flyte;20
Chide quhil thar hedis ryfe, and hals worth hays:
Weyn thai to murdrys me with thar dispyte?
Or is it Virgill quham thame list bakbyte?
His armour wald thai pers? quhar is the place?
He dowtis na dynt of polax, sword, nor mace:
Quhat wenys thou, frend, the craw be worthyn quhite,5
Suppos the holkis be all ourgrowyn thi face?
Deym as ȝhe lest that kan not demyng weill;
And, gentill curtas redaris, of gude ȝeill,
I ȝow beseik to gevin aduertens;
This text is full of storys euery deill,10
Realmys and landis, quharof I haue na feill
Bot as I follow Virgill in sentens;
Few knawis all thir costis sa far hens;
To pike thame vp perchance ȝour eyn suld reill:
Thus aucht thar nane blame me for smal offens.15
By strange channellis, fronteris, and forlandis,
Onkouth costis, and mony wilsum strandis
Now goith our barge, for nowder howk nor craik
May heir bruke sail, for schald bankis and sandis.
From Harpyes fell, and blynd Cyclopes handis,20
Be my laid star, virgyne moder, but maik;
Thocht storm of temptatioun my schip oft schaik.
Fra swelth of Sylla, and dyrk Caribdis bandis,
I meyn from hell, salue al go not to wraik.
THE THRYD BUKE OF ENEADOS.
CAP. I.
Quhou Eneas fra Troy has tane hys rays,
And Polidorus graf has fund in Trace.
Eftyr that seyn and thocht expedient
Was by the goddys to dystroy and schent
Of Asya the empyre, and down to bryng,
But offens, Priamus pepil and ofspryng,
And prowd Ilion was brokyn and bet down,5
And from the soyl al Troy, Neptunus town,
Ybrynt in smoke of flambis and in reik;
Syndry landis and cuntreis forto seik,
And wend exile in diuers nationys,
Of the goddis by reuelacionys,10
We war admonyst feil syth, as is said.
Schippis we graith, and navy reddy maid,
Betwix Anthandros and the mont of Ida,
Oncertane quhidder the fatis wald we suld ga,
Or quhar we suld remane ȝit fynaly;15
Our men togidder gadderit we in hy.
And skant begunnyn was the fresch veir,
Quhen that Anchises, myne awyn fader deir,
Bad ws mak sail and follow destany.
Than, weping sayr, my native cost left I,
The havynnys, and the feildis dissolait5
Quhar Troys ryall cite stude of lait:
Furth sail I banyst throw the deip see,
With my ȝong son Ascanyus and our menȝe,
And with our frendly goddis, Penates hait,
And eik our gret Goddis of mair estait.10
Thar lyis a weirly cuntre weil far thens,
With large feildis lauborit ful of fens;
Of Trace the pepill ar thar inhabityng,
Quhar that vmquhile strang Lycurgus was kyng:
Ane ancyant and ane tendir herbry place15
To Troianys, quhil we stude in fortonys grace,
Our pepil togidder confederate and aly.
By schip thiddir, our sey, careit was I,
Quhar, at the bayand costis syde of the see,
Begouth I first set wallis of a cite,20
Althocht my foundment was mysfortunat:
The towne I nemmyt efter myne estait,
And fra my name it clepit Eneadas.
Onto my moder, of Dyona douchter was,
Sacrifice I maid, and to the goddis all25
Quham for new warkis men happy helparis call;
And