CAP. IX.

Evander sendis hys son, the ȝong Pallas,
With hys army in help of Eneas.
Fra this was sayd, from his hie set he start:
And first the sloknyt fyris hes he gart,
The rakyt harthis and ingill ȝister nycht,15
On Hercules altar beyt and kyndill bryght,
And glaidly went to wirschip and to call
Sobir Penates, goddis domesticall;
And walyt twynteris, eftir the auld gys,
He slew and brytnyt onto sacryfys;20
With hym Evander eik, and all hys feris
Of Troiane menȝe, lusty fresch ȝonkeris.
Syne doun in haist he went onto hys schippys,
Hys folkis he visseyt and his falloschippys:
Of quhais nowmyr hes he walyt owt
Ane certane, the mast lykly, bald, and stowt,
Quhilk suld hym follow into euery place;5
The remanent tuk byssely thar rays
Down by the watyr, on the followand flude
Discendand slawly, to beir message gude
Sone eftir this ontill Ascanyus ȝyng,
Twychand hys fader and of euery thing.10
The horssys syne war gevin and furth brocht
To the Troianys that onto Tuscane socht;
And till Eneas led onon thai gaue
A gentill steyd excedand all the laif,
On quham at all partis was ourspred and fold15
A dun lyonys skyn with nalys of gold.
Than throu the litil cite all on raw
The fame onon dywlgat swyftly flaw,
Quhow that the horsmen spedis thame bedene
To go onto the land and cost Tyrrene.20
The wyssys and avowys than, for feir,
By woman and the matronys dowblet wer;
Mor grew the dreid the narrar drew dangar,
Now Martis ymage semys walxin mair.
The fader than Evander, as thai depart,25
By the rycht hand thame gryppyt with fair hart,
Hys son enbrasyng, and full tenderly
Apon hym hyngis, wepand ontellabilly;
And thus he sayd: O sen omnipotent
Hie Jupiter my ȝyng ȝheris by went30
Wald me restor! in sic strenthis and eild,
So as I was quhen first in batal feild
The armys of the ostis down I dang
Of Preneste vndir the wallis strang,
And victor of myne ennemys, as prowd syre,5
Hail hepys of thar scheildis brynt in fyre:
Quhar, with this sammyn rycht hand quellyt and slane,
Vndre the hellys grond Tartareane
Kyng Herylus was sent to dwell for ay;
Quhamtill hys moder Feronya the gay,10
Into the tyme of hys natiuite,
Grisly to say, had gevyn sawlys thre,
And that he suld beir armour thrys in fyght,
And thrys behwyt to the ded be dicht;
Fra quham that tyme this rycht hand, not the les,15
Tha sawlys all bereft, and thar expres
Of alsmony enarmouris spulȝeit clene.
Gyf so war now with me as than hes bene,
Ne suld I nevir depart, myne awyn child deir,
From thyne maste sweit embrasyng, for na weir;20
Nor our nychtbour Meȝentyus in hys fed
Suld na wys, mokkand at this hasard hed,
By swerd haue killyt so feill corps as slane is,
Nor thys burgh, of sa mony citesanys
Left desolat and denudyt, quod he.25
Bot O ȝe Goddis abuf, and Jove mast hie,
The governour of hevynly wyghtis all,
On ȝou I cry, on ȝou I clepe and call;
Begyn to haue compaciens and piete
Of ȝour awin wofull kyng of Arcadye;30
Oppyn and inclyne ȝour dyvyne godly erys,
To heir and ressaue the faderis meik prayeris.
Gyf it be so ȝour godhed and gret myghtis
Be presciens provyd hes, and forsychtis,
Pallas my son in salfty hail and feir,5
Gyf the fatis preservys hym of danger,
Sa onys in my lyfe I may hym se,
Agane togidder assemblyt I and he;
I ȝow beseik my febill lyfe to respyte,
That I mycht lyf, and endur ȝyt a lyte10
All pane and laubour that ȝou list me send.
Bot, O faynt fortoun, gyf thou doys pretend
And mannancis ony myschewos cace,
Now, now furthwith, into this sammyn place
Suffir me swelt, and end this cruel lyfe,15
Quhil dowtsum is ȝyt all sic sturt and stryfe,
Quhil hope oncertane is of thing tocum,
And quhil I thus, my deir child, all and sum
My lustis plesance, and my last weilfair,
The in myne armys enbrasis but dispar;20
So that, eftir, na sorowfull messynger
With smert ennoy hurt nevir myne agit eyr.
The fader Evander with full sory hart,
At lattir poynt quhen thai war to depart,
Thir wordis spak, syne fel in swoun rycht thar:25
Hys men hym hynt and to hys chalmyr bar.
Be this, the rowt of horsmen strang in fyght
War ischit at the portis euery wight:
Amangis the formast the duke Eneas,
And eik the trast Achates, furth can pas,30
Syne other nobillis of the Troianys stowt;
The ȝyng Pallas rydyng amyd the rowt,
So farrand and so lusty personage,
Cled in a mantill in hys tender age,
Quhilk dyd ourheld hys burnyst armour brycht:5
On hym to luke was a mor gudly syght
Than on the day stern, quhilk at morn ayrly
Baithit in the occeane rysys in the sky,
Quhois fyry bemys Venus in speciall
Chosys abuf all starnys gret and small,10
Heich in the hevin liftyng hys vissage schene,
To chays away the myrknes with hys eyn.
The wofull moderis, quakand for cald dreid,
Stude on the wall behaldand quhar thai ȝeid,
And dyd convoy or follow with thar sight15
The dusty sop, quharso the rak went rycht,
Govand apon thar bryght armour at schane,
So fer as that thar luke mycht thame attane.
The cumpany al sammyn held array
Throw scroggy bussys furth the narrest way,20
Enarmyt rydyng thyddir as thai wald:
The brute and dyn from thame vpsprang thik fald,
The horny hovyt hors with four feyt
Stampand and trottand on the dusty streyt.