CAP. VI.
Owr Stix the flude quhou that Ene dyd fair,
And Cerberus in cave hard ȝell and rayr.
And as thai gan approch toward the flude,
This churlych boyt man, on Stix quhar he stude,
Alswyth as he persavit thame cum swa
Throw the darn wod, and draw nerar the bra;
First with sik bustuus wordis he thame grat,15
And, but offence, gan thame chidyng thus plat:
Quhat evir thou be, that cummys enarmyt so
Towart owr fludis, quhiddir etlys thou go?
For quhat caus come thou hyddir? tell me tyte;
Stand styl thar as thou art, with mekill syte.20
Pres na forthir, for this is the hald richt
Of Gaistis, Schaddowys, Sleip, and dovyrrit Nycht:
Onlefull war, and ane forbodyn thing,
Within this passyngear our Stix to bryng
Ony levand wight. Certis, in myne entent,
I am nocht glaid ȝyt of the last sa went;
Nor that I careyt Hercules owr this layk,5
Ne Theseus, and Pyrothous hys mayk:
All thocht thai war cummyn of goddis lynage,
And invynsibill of strenth and vassallage.
For this ilk Hercules, with hys stalwart handis,
The grym wardane of hell strenyt in bandis,10
And drew hym trymlyng from the kyngis trone:
The tothyr twa gret violence wald haue done;
The fresch Proserpyne, Plutois lady gay,
Furth of hir bowr begouth to led away.
To hym agane this answer maid expres15
Of Amphrisya Phebus prophetes:
Do all suspicioun furth of thy consate;
Heir is, quod scho, nane sik gyle nor dissate;
Na violence owr wapynnys doith pretend:
Weill lykis ws, it doith ws not offend,20
Thocht in his cave ȝour hydduus portar
ȝowland affray the ded gaistis evyrmar;
We stand content, it sufficyth ws alssua,
That ay remane the chaste Proserpina
Within hir fader broderis boundis and ryng.25
Bot heir is cummyng, of kyng Troas ofspring,
Eneas, full of piete and knychthed,
To vissy hys luffit fader, quhilk is ded,
Discendit to the law skuggis of hell.
Of sa gret vertu and piete, quhilk I tell,30
Gyf na considerance may the move, quod sche,
At leist thou knawys this goldin granyt tre:
And, with that word, the branch schew and omdyd,
That pryvely vndir hyr clok was hyd.
The rageand hart, all full of wraith and ire,5
Than wolx appesit of this laithly syre,
And, but ma wordys, or langar delay,
Awondryt of the presand fresch and gay,
Thys fatale wand sa precyus was, I meyn,
That he tofor a lang tyme had nocht seyn,10
Hys watry hewyt boyt, haw lyke the see,
Towart thame turnys and addressis he,
And gan approch onto the bra in heast.
Syne othir sawlys expellit hes and chast
Furth of hys bayt, quhilk sat endlang the wayll;15
He strekyt sone hys ayris, and grathis his saill,
And tharwithall the byg weghty Ene
Within his veschell boddum ressavis he.
Vndir the paysand and the hevy charge
Gan grane or geig full fast the sewit barge,20
Sa ful of ryftys, and with lekkis perbrake,
Scho suppit huge watir of the layk.
Bot, at the last, owtour the flude ȝit than
Salfly scho brocht baith prophetes and man,
And furth thame set amyd the fowl glar,25
Amang the fawch ryspys harsk and sear.
Cerberus, the hydduus hund, that regioun
Fordynnys, barkand with thre mowthis sown,
Onmesurabill in hys cave quhar he lay
Richt our forgane thame in the hie way:30
Quhom till the prophete, behaldand quhou in hy
Hys nekkis wolx of eddyrris all grysly,
A sop, stepyt intill hunny als fast,
And of enchantit cornys maid, gan cast.
For hungyr wod, he gapys with throtis thre,5
Swith swellyand that morsell raucht had sche,
And tho hys terribyll body with a rerd
He tumlys owr, liggyn on the erd;
Of huge statur, and fellon quantite,
Our all the cave furth strekit him hes he.10