Complete Works of Virgil Page 15

  “And as the Troianys, &c.” First abuyf the poete proponis his entent, sayand, “The batellis and the man, &c.”; nyxt makis he inoucation, calland on his muse to tech hym thar, “O thou my Muse, &c.”; and ther, lyke as his muse spak to hym, declaris the caussis of the feid of Iuno, sayand, “Ther was ane anchient cyte hecht Cartage.” Now heir thridly proceidis he furth on his narration and history, and beginnys at the sevint eir of Eneas departyng of Troy, as e may se in the end of this first buyk, and efter the decess of his fadir Anchises, quham he erdit in Sycill at Drepanon, as e haf in the end of the thrid buyk. The remanent of his auenturis beyn reseruyt, be craft of poetry, to the banket of Queyn Dido, quhar thai be then lenth rehersit by Eneas in the secund and thryd.

  This offence was the ravising of Cassandra furth of the tempill of Pallas, as e haue in the vij cheptour of the secund buke following. And sum says this Aiax oppressit hir in the tempill; quhilk Aiax was son to Kyng Oylus, prince of Locria, or Locrida, and his pepyll beyn nammyt Locri or Locranys.

  Thoght in verite Iuno was bot ane woman, dochter of Saturn, sistir and spows to Iupiter, King of Crete, it quhen poetis namys hir swa, thai ondirstand sum tyme by Iuno the erth and the watir, and by Iupiter the ayr and the fyr; and for alss mekyll as the ayr and the fyr is actyve, and the watyr and the erth patient, and that all corporall thyngis beyn engendrit therof, heirfoir bein thai clepit “spowsis.” Bot for that sum tym Iuno betakinys alanerly the ayr and Iove the fyre, than, be raison of ther contegwyte and quantite convenient, bein thai clepit sistyr and brothir; and for that all thyngis, by the influens of the planetis, starnys and hevinnis abufe, be maid of thir elymentis, therfor bein thai clepit kyng and queyn, fadir and mother to goddis and men. And ferther as twychyng this Iuno, hir other namys and proprieteis, I refer to Iohn Bocass in the Genealogy of gentille Goddis, onto the nynt buyk thereof, and first c. of the sammyn.

  Quhou Dame Iuno tyll Eolus cuntre went

  And of the storm on the Troianys furth sent.

  And on this wyss, wyth hart byrnyng as fyre,

  Musyng alone, full of malyce and ire,

  Tyll Eolus cuntre, that wyndy regioune,

  A brudy land of furyus stormy sowne,

  This goddis went, quhar Eolus the kyng

  In gowsty cavys the wyndis lowde quhissilling

  And braithly tempestis by hys power refrenys,

  In bandis hard schet in presoun constrenys,

  And thai heirat havand full gret disdeyn,

  Quhill all the hill resoundis, quhryne and plene

  About thar closouris brayng with mony a rare.

  Kyng Eolus set hie apon his chare,

  With ceptour in hand thar muyd to meyss and still,

  Temperis thar ire, less thai suld at thar will

  Beir with thar byr the skyis, and drive about

  Erd, ayr and sey, quhen euer thame lest blaw out.

  Thus the hie fader almychty in cavis dyrk

  Thir wyndis hyd, for dreid sik wrangis thai wyrk,

  And thar abuf set weghty hillys huge,

  Gave thame a kyng, quhilk, as thar lord and iuge,

  At certane tyme thame stanching and withhald

  And at command also mycht quhen he wald

  Lat thame go fre at large to blaw out braid.

  To quham as than lawly thus Iuno said:

  “Eolus, a pepill onto me ennemy

  Salis the sey Tuscane, cariand to Italy

  Thar venquyst hamehald goddis and Ilion;

  Bot sen the fader of goddis euery one

  And kyng of men gave the power,” quod sche,

  “To meyss the flude or rayss with stormys hie,

  Inforss thi wyndis, synk all thar schippis infeir,

  Or skattir widquhar into cuntreis seir,

  Warp all thar bodeis in the deip bedeyn.

  I haue,” quod sche, “lusty ladeis fourteyn,

  Of quhame the farest, clepit Diope,

  In ferm wedlok I sal coniune to the

  For thi reward, that lilly quhite of swar,

  With the for to remane for euermar,

  Quhilk propir spouss and eik thi lady myld

  Sal mak the fader to mony fair child.”

  Eolus answeris, “O thou my lady queyn,

  Quhat thou desiris to the it doith perteyn

  Forto devyss, and me behuffis thi command

  Obey; for thou the ceptour gevis me in hand

  Of all this realme (quhat so it be) and oft

  Iupiter with me consideris, and ful soft

  Causis me feist amang the goddis at rest,

  And makis me master of wyndis and tempest.”

  Be this was said, a grondyn dart leit he glide

  And persit the boss hill at the braid syde.

  Furth at the ilke port wyndis brade in a rout

  And with a quhirl blew all the erth about.

  Thai ombeset the seys bustuusly,

  Quhil fra the deip til euery cost fast by

  The huge wallis weltris apon hie,

  Rollit at anys with storm of wyndis thre,

  Eurus, Nothus and the wynd Affricus,

  Quhilkis est, south and west wyndis hait with ws.

  Sone efter this, of men the clamour rayss,

  The takillis graslis, cabillis can fret and frays.

  Swith the clowdis hevyn, son and days lycht

  Hyd and byreft furth of the Troianys sycht.

  Dyrknes as nycht beset the seys about,

  The firmament gan rummylling rair and rout,

  The skyis oft lychtnyt with fyry levin,

  And schortly bath ayr, sey and hevin

  And euery thing mannasit the men to de,

  Schawand the ded present tofor thar e.

  The cuntre or realm of Eolus, clepit Eolia, lyis betwix Sycill and Italy, vii ilandis in the sey, of quham thir be the namys: Lipara, Hiera, Strogile, Didyme, Eriphusa, Phenycusa and Evomynos. And for alsmekyll as thir ilis bein full of cavernys, wyth bryntstan blawand and byrnand onder the erd, that therby throw the swouch of the fir may be persauyt a day or twa befor fra quhat part or art the wynd is fortocum; and this Eolus kyng therof, as an naturall man, first be experiens persauyt this, and wald schaw the pepill therby, weill two or thre dais befor, the wynd was to blaw from syk an art, for the quhilk rayson, with the rud pepill, was he nammyt kyng or god of windis. And thai put that he had vi sonnys and vi dochtiris, quhilkis ar nocht ellis bot the xii wyndis, of quham the [namys], to begin at the est and go round abowt, bein thir: Subsolanus, Ewrus, Nothus, Auster, Affricus, ephyrus, Fauonius, Circius, Chorus, Boreas, Aquilo and Wlturnus.

  Iohn Bocas, be Eolus set hie in his chare to rewle and dant the windis, ondirstandis raison set hie in the manis hed, quhilk suld dant, and includ the law in the cave or boddum of the stomak, the windis of peruersit appetyte, as lord and syre set be God almychty therto.

  Ilion, or Ilium, was the cyte of Troy, havand his naym fra King Ilus, fadir to Laomedon. The hayll cuntre was callit Troy fra King Tros, or Troyius, fadir to this Ilus. The awld naim therof is Phrigia, bot oft bein ather of all ther namys takin for other, as Troy, alss weill for the cyte as the realm. And heir, be a maner dispite, Iuno, for the pepill or gudis of Ilion, namys the hail cyte. Thir goddis bein clepit penetes, of quham in dyuerss placis eftyr, and in speciall in the thrid buyk in the first and thrid c. And thai may be callit goddis domestyk famyliar, or hamhald goddis, bot thai be propirly the Troian goddis and nain otheris.

  For alsmekill as I hafe said abufe Iuno betakinnys the air, in quham blawis thir windis, and by quham the mater quharof windis bein engendrit beyn producit to ther perfection, therfor iustly and of rycht Eolus grantis him to hald his ring of Iuno.

  Ewrus is heir taken for the gret est wynd, thocht it be bot the wind est to sowthin; siklyke, Nothus for the mayn sowth, thocht it be south to est; and Affricus is takin for plat west wynd, that is bot sowth sowthwest. And thus heir the thre principall gret windis contrarius blew attanys apon thaim, and the north wind also in the nyxt c., “A blastirrand
bub owt from the north braying &c.”

  Quhou that Ene was with the tempest schaik

  And quhou Neptune his navy salvyt fra wraik.

  Belive Eneas membris schuk for cald,

  And murnand baith his handis vp did hald

  Towart the sternys, with petuus voce thus gan say:

  “O sevin tymys quhou happy and blissit war thai

  Vnder hie wallis of Troy, by dynt of swerd,

  Deit in thar faderis syght, bytand the erd!

  O thou of Grekis mast forcy, Diomed,

  Quhy mycht I not on feldis of Troy haue deit

  And by thi rycht hand aldin forth my sprete

  Quhar that the valiant Hectour losit the swete

  On Achillis speir, and grisly Sarpedon,

  And ondyr flude Symois mony one

  With scheld and helm stalwart bodeis lyis warpit?”

  And al invane thus quhil Eneas carpit,

  A blastrand bub out from the north brayng

  Gan our the forschip in the baksaill dyng,

  And to the sternys vp the flude gan cast.

  The aris, hechis and the takillis brast,

  The schippis stevin frawart hyr went gan wryth,

  And turnyt hir braid syde to the wallis swyth.

  Heich as a hill the iaw of watir brak

  And in ane hepe cam on thame with a swak.

  Sum hesit hoverand on the wallis hycht,

  And sum the swowchand sey so law gart lycht

  Thame semyt the erd oppynnyt amyd the flude —

  The stour vp bullyrrit sand as it war wode.

  The sowth wynd, Nothus, thre schippis draif away

  Amang blynd cragis, quhilk huge rolkis thai say

  Amyd the sey Italianys Altaris callis;

  And othir thre Eurus from the deip wallis

  Cachit amang the schald bankis of sand —

  Dolorus to se thame chop on grond, and stand

  Lyke as a wall with sand warpit about.

  Ane othir, in quham salit the Lycianys stowt,

  Quhilum fallowis to Kyng Pandor in weir,

  And Orontes, Eneas fallow deir,

  Befor his eyn from the north wynd

  Ane hydduuss sey schippit at hir stern behynd,

  Smate furth the skippar clepit Lewcaspis,

  His hed doune warpit, and the schip with this

  Thryss thar the flude quhirlit about round,

  The swokand swelth sank vnder sey and drond.

  On the huge deip quhoyn salaris dyd appeir;

  The Troianys armour, takillis and othir geir

  Flet on the wallis; and the strang barge tho

  Bair Ilioneus, and scho that bair also

  Forcy Achates, and scho that bair Abas,

  And scho quharin ancyant Alethes was,

  The storm ourset, raif rovis and syde semmys —

  Thai all lekkit, the salt watir stremmys

  Fast bullerand in at euery ryft and boyr.

  In the meyn quhile, with mony rowt and royr

  The sey thus trublit, and this tempest furth sent

  Felt Neptune, and his watir movit and schent,

  The deip furthet in schaldis heir and thair.

  Gretly commovit, out of the sey gan stair

  His plesand hede, rasit on the hyast wall,

  Lukand about, behaldis the sey our all

  Eneas navy skatterit fer ysundir,

  With fludis ourset the Troianys and at vnder

  By flaggis and rayn dyd from the hevin discend:

  Iunois dissate and ire full weill he kend.

  He callis till hym Eurus and ephirus,

  Tha est and west wyndis, and said thame thus:

  “Ar e sa gretly assurit in our hie kyn,

  e wyndis,” quod he, “but my leif durst begyn

  Baith erd and ayr to move on this maneir

  And eik the sey with sa stowt stormys steir?

  I sal ou chastyss; bot me behuffis first meyss

  The motioune of fludis and thame appess.

  Traist weill onpunyst e sal me not astart

  On sik awyss gif e falt efterwart.

  Withdraw ou hens and to our kyng say e

  He has na power nor autorite

  On seys, nor on the thre granyt ceptour wand

  Quhilk is by cut gevin me to beir in hand;

  Hald him on craggis and amang rochis hie,

  Thair is our dwelling place, Eurus,” quod he.

  “Byd Eolus kepe hym in that hald conding,

  Do cloyss the presoun of wyndis and tharon ryng.”

  Thus said he, and with that word hastely

  The swelland seys has swagit, and fra the sky

  Gaderit the clowdis and chasit sone away,

  Brocht hame the son agane and the brycht day.

  Hys douchter Cymothoe and hys son Tryton

  Enforsis thame the Troianys schippis onone

  To rayss and lift of the scharp rolkis blynd;

  The god hym self gan hesyng thame behynd

  With his byg ceptour havand granys thre,

  Oppynnys schald sandis and temperis weill the see,

  Ourslidand lychtly the croppis of the wallis.

  And as e se, oft amangis commonys fallis

  Stryfe and debait in thar wod fulych ire,

  Now fleys the stanys and now the broyndis of fyre

  (Thar greif and fury mynysteris wapynnys plente),

  Bot than percace gif thai behald or se

  Sum man of gret autorite and efferis,

  Thai cess and, all stil standand, gevis him eris;

  He wyth his wordis gan slaik thar mynd and swage.

  On the sammyn wyss fell all the seys rage.

  (1) Her fyrst namys Virgill Eneas. (2) This cald, sais Seruyus, coym of dreid; nocht that Eneas dred the ded, bot this maner of ded; and alsso he that dredis na thyng, nor kan haf na dred, is not hardy, but fuyll hardy and beistly.

  The maner was swa in tha dais that nobillis slan in feld tuke ther mouth full of erd, to that effect that in the ded thrawis nain myssyttand word nor voce suldbe hard of ther mowth.

  Mast forcy, that is to sey, on of the maste forcy.

  Sarpedon, son of Iupiter and Laodomya, dochtyr to Bellerophon, was kyng of Lycia; of huge statur, and slan by Patroclus.

  Thar lyis betwix Affryk and the ile of Sardynia, amyd the sey, a hirst or ryg of craggy rolkis, quhilk beyn callit “altaris of suple or help,” becaus therat on a tyme the pepill of Affrik and Romanys band vp perpetwall payce. And thir schald bankis of sand heir nammyt bein the twa dangeris of the sey Affrican, callit Syrtis, the mair and the less; mar perellus than airmuth sandis or Holland cost.

  Off Orontes and Lewcaspis sum thing in the v c. of the vi buyk, and of this Pander or Pandarus in the ix c. of the v buyk.

  Of this Ilioneus and the otheris Troianys heir nammyt beyn oft benath maid mension.

  Neptun or Neptunus, brother to Iove and Pluto and son to Saturn. For that the partis of his heritage lay in Creit by the sey cost, and for he vsit mekill salyng and rowyng, and fand the craft or art therof, therfor is he clepit god of the sey. He was alsswa an the first tawcht to dant and taym horsss; and onto hym beyn consecret the fundment of wallis, for alsmekill as it is said he biggyt the wallis of Troy, or than becauss the watyr inclusyt ondyr the erth is oft tymys causs of erdqwkyng and trimbillyng or moving of the erth, as we se by experiens in watyr brekis. And perchanss thir thre poweris signefeis the thre granyt ceptour, quhilk his statw in ald days bair in hand, lyk a crepar or a graip wyth thre granys. Tha discryve hym rydand in a cart, quhilk betakinnys the weltyng our of the sey wallys, that rollys, hurlys and brais lyke cart quhelis. Quha lykis mair of him, go reid Bocas, in the first c. and tent buyk of the Genealogy of Goddis.

  Heir is an notabyll doctryn, that nan nobill man suld hastely reveng him eftyr his greif. Tharfor was gevin consell to August Octavian the empriour, that eftir his commotion, or euer he did or said ocht, he suld wryte xxiiii lettiris.

  This thre granyt ceptour in sum
part haf I twychis [sic] abuf. It may betakyn alsswa the thre properteis of the watyr, quhis is flowand, drynkabyll and ganand to sayll or swym intyll.

  Cymothoe, as sais Seruyus, is in Grew alss mekyll to say in our language as the flowand or rinnand flud, quhilk may be clepit a ganand dochtir to Neptun, god of seys. Tryton, as sais Bocas, is the bruyt or rowtyng of the wally sey: quharfor iustly is he feneit trumpet to the occian and son to Neptun. Netheless, Plynyus in his Naturall History reherssis that Triton is a verray monstre of the sey, and that in the tym of Tyberius the emperour syk an was hard and seyn. His schap and portatour is discryvit in the x buyk in the iiii c., and he slais Mesenus in the iii c. of the vi buyk.

  Noyte Virgill in this comparison and symilytud, for therin and in syk lyke baris he the palm of lawd, as I haf said in my proheme. It is to be considderit alsso that our all this wark, he comparis batell tyll spayt or dyluge of watyr, or than to suddan fyr, and to nocht ellis.

  Cristoferus Landynus, that writis moraly apon Virgill, says thus: Eneas purposis to Italy, his land of promyssion; that is to say, a iust perfyte man entendis to mast soueran bonte and gudnes, quhilk as witnessyth Plato, is situate in contemplation of godly thyngis or dyvyn warkis. His onmeysabill ennymy Iuno, that is feneit queyn of realmys, entendis to dryve him from Italle to Cartage; that is, Avesion, or concupissence to ryng or haf warldly honouris, wald draw him fra contemplation to the actyve lyve; quhilk, quhen scho falis by hir self, tretis scho with Eolus, the neddyr part of raison, quhilk sendis the storm of mony warldly consalis in the iust manis mynd. Bot, quhoubeyt the mynd lang flowis and delitis heirintyll, fynaly by the fre wyll and raison predomynent, that is, ondirstand, by Neptun, the storm is cessit, and, as followis in the nyxt c., arryvit in sond havin, quhilk is tranquilite of consciens; and fynaly Venus, in the vi c. following, schawis Ene his feris recouerit again, quhilk is, fervent lufe and cherite schawis the iust man his swete meditationys and feruour of deuotion, quham he tynt by warldly curis, restorit to hym again, and all his schippis bot on, be quham I ondyrstand the tyme lost.