CAP. V.
Tyll hellys fludys Ene socht neddyrmar,
And Palynurus, hys sterysman, fand thar.
Fra thyne, strekis the way profond onone
Deip onto hellys flude of Acheron;
With holl bysme, and hydduus swelch onrude,
Drumly of mud, and skaldand as it war wod,
Popland and bulrand furth on athir hand5
Onto Cochitus all his slyke and sand.
Thir ryveris and thir watyris kepit war
By ane Charon, a grisly ferryar,
Terribil of schap, and sluggart of array:
Apon his chyn feil cannos harys gray,10
Lyart feltrat tatis; with burnand eyn red,
Lyk twa fyre blesys fixit in his hed;
Hys smottrit habyt, owr his schulderis lydder,
Hang pevagely knyt with a knot togiddir.
Hymself the cobill dyd with hys bolm furth schow,15
And, quhen hym lyst, halit vp salys fow.
This ald hasart careis owr fludis hoyt
Spretis and figuris in hys irne hewyt boyt,
All thocht he eildit was, or step in age,
Als fery and als swippir as a page;20
For in a god the age is fresch and greyn,
Infatigabill and immortall as thai meyn.
Thiddir to the bra swarmyt all the rowt
Of ded gostis, and stud the bank abowt;
Baith matronys, and thar husbandis, all yferis,
Ryal pryncis, and nobill chevaleris,
Smal childering, and ȝong damysellis onwed,
And fair springaldis laitly ded in bed,
In fader and moderis presence laid on beir.5
Als gret number thiddir thikkit infeir,
As, in the first frost eftir hervist tyde,
Levis of treys in the wod doys slyde;
Or byrdis flokkis owr the fludis gray,
Onto the land seikand the nerrest way,10
Quhom the cald sesson cachis owr the see,
Into sum benar realm and warm cuntre.
Thar stude thai prayand sum support to get,
That thai mycht with the formast owr be set,
And gan vp heving petuusly handis twa,15
Langand to be apon the forthir bra.
Bot this soroful boytman, with brym luyk,
Now thir, now thame, within his veschel tuke;
And other sum expellit, and maid do stand
Far from the ryvage syde apon the sand.20
Awondrit of this sterage, and the pres,
Say me, virgyn, quod Ene, or thou ces,
Quhat menys sik confluence at this watir side?
Quhat wald thir sawlys? quhy nyl thai nocht byde?
Quhilk causis beyn, or quhat diuersite,25
Sum from the brays thame withdraw I se;
Ane other sort, eik, of thir sawlys ded
Rollyt owr this ryver, cullorit as the led?
Thys ancyant religius woman than,
But mair delay, to answer thus began:30
Anchises get, heynd child, curtas and gude,
Discend ondowtabil of the Goddis blude,
The deip stank of Cochitus doith thou se,
And eik the hellis puyll, hait Stix, quod sche,
Be quhais myghtis the Goddis ar full laith,5
And dredis sair, to sweir, syne fals thar aith.
All thir, thou seis stoppit at the schor,
Beyn helples folk, onerdit and forlor;
Ȝon grysly ferryar to name Charon hait;
Thai beyn all bereyt he careys in hys bayt.10
It is not to him lefull, he ne may
Thame ferry owr thir rowtand fludis gray,
Nor to the hydduus ȝonder costys haue,
Quhil thar banys be laid to rest in graue.
Quha ar onbereit ane hundreth ȝer mon bide,15
Waverand and wandrand by this bankis syde:
Than, at the last, to pas owr in this boyt
Thai beyn admyt, and costis thame not a grote,
And frely may behaldyn or espy
Tha lakis, quhilkis thame langis to vissy.20
Anchises son tho styntis a litil stownd,
And baith his futsteppis fixit in the grond,
Musyng in mynd sum deil, sad in a part,
And of this hard forton kauth rewth in hart.
Thar saw he, dolorus and wofull of cheir,25
But funeral seruyce, nevir laid on beir,
Lucaspes and Orontes, baith twane,
Quhilum masteris of the schyp Lyciane;
Quham baith yfeir, as said befor haue we,
Saland from Troy throw owt the wally see,30
The dedly storm ourquhelmyt with a quiddir,
Baith men and schip welt vnder flude togyddir.
Lo! Palynurus eyk, his sterysman,
Amang otheris fast to the watir ran,
Quhilk laitly saland in the Libyane see,5
As that he gan behald the starnys hie,
Togidder with the helmstok, quhar he stude,
Owr schipburd swakkit was amyd the flude.
And skarsly as Ene gan hym espy,
Amang dirk skowgis standand full drery,10
First he him gretis, sayand to him thus;
Quhilk of the goddis, O Palynurus,
The ws bereft, and drynt amyd the see?
Quhow tyd that cace? declar me, I pray the.
For certis, bricht Apollo nevir or now15
Was fals to me; bot I wait neuer how
Of hys answer twiching the he ravyt,
And hes my mynd tharin al hail dissavit;
That schew thow suld hailskarth owr the see
Onto the grond of Ital cum, quod he:20
Se, thus his lawte and promyt is keip!
The tother answeris with a petuus peip:
Maist worthy Duke, Anchises son sa deir,
Nowder hath the of Phebus the answer,
Vndir his secrete cortyne, so dissave,25
Ne ȝit na God sa far has me bywave,
Nor drownyt in the deip, as ȝe beleve.
Bot, as I slaid our burd to my myscheve,
The helmstok, or gubernakil of tre,
Quharwith I rewlit owr cours throu the see,30
Lenand tharon sa fast, per cace it threw,
And rent away owr burd with me I drew.
The wally seys to wytnes draw I heir,
That for my self tuke I nane sa gret feir
As of thi schip, quhom that I knew ful quyte5
Spulȝeit of hir graith, and lodysman furth smyte,
Dreding scho suld haue perist in sik neid,
Owr the huge swelland fludis rays on breid.
The sowth wynd Nothus thre days me drave
Throw owt the see, with violent wallys wave:10
Skars on the ferd day at morn dyd I spy,
Heich from the wallys croppis, Italy.
Huly and fair onto the cost I swam:
And tho almaist in surte cummyn I am;
Ne war the crewel pepil of tha landis,15
As that I grippit with my crukit handis
The scharp rolkis toppys at the schoyr,
In hevy wayt frog stad, and chargyt soyr,
Thai gan with irne wapynnys me invaid,
Wenyng a spy that I had beyn, thai said,20
From thar cuntre sum pray to dryve away.
So now I am bedyit in fludis gray,
And wyndis warpis my corps apon the strandis.
Quharfor I pray the, hevand vp my handis,
And be the plesand light of hevin requiris,25
And by the hailsum ayr at thou inspiris,
And be thi weilbelovit fader dyng,
And gude hope of thi ȝong sonnys ofspryng;
O thou onvenquyst valyant champyoun,
Delyuyr me fra thir gret harmys onon:30
Or, at the leist, grave me in sepulture,
Sen weil thow kan, and may perform that cur:
Speir to the portis quhilkis Velynos hayt;
Or gyf thar may be fundyn ony gayt,
Quhilk thy blyssit moder hes the techit rycht,5
Reke thy rycht hand onto this wrechit wight,
And haue me with the our thir fludis red;
So, at the leist, I may, eftir my ded,
Into sum plesand sted remane and rest:
For I beleve fermly thou nocht addrest10
Sa large fludis, but Goddis authoryte,
Nor Stix this layk fortil owr swym, quod he.
Quhen that he had thir wordis said expres,
Syk answer til hym maid the prophetes:
Palynurus, quod scho, thou sary syre,15
Quhiddir is becummyn sik ondantyt desyre
To the, and fers will sa onressonabill?
Wenys thou, onerdyt now, and thus onhabill,
Owr Stix the hellys puyll sik wys to fair,
And grysly fludis, abowt quham doith repar20
Thir dreidfull fureys, to behald and se?
Oncallyt, on the ȝondyr bra wald thou be?
Desist, and ces to weyn with thy prayer
The goddis decrete at thou may brek or steir.
Bot now inprent in thy remembrance25
Thir wordys, in solace of thy hard chance.
Quhar thy body is at this tyme present,
For feir tharof, the pepil adiacent,
By wondir takynnys from the hevynnys schaw,
Constrenyt, sal bygrave thy banys law,30
And on thy corps erect a sepultur,
Doyng tharto solempnyt funeral cur:
Palynurus to name that place for thy
Sal bare, and clepit be perpetualy.
With thir wordis assuagit hys hevy thocht,5
And fra hys sorofull hart, as that he mocht,
Sum deil expellyt hes the dolorus cayr,
Reiosyt of the grond hys surname bayr.
Quharfor Eneas and Scybill, baith tway,
As thai begunnyn had, held furth thar way.10