Quhar I offend the les reprefe serve I;
And that ȝe knaw at quhais instans I tuke
Forto translait this maist excellent buke,
I meyn Virgillis volume maist excellent,
Set this my wark full febill be of rent,30
At the request of a lord of renown
Of ancistry nobill and illustir baroun,
Fader of bukis, protectour to sciens and lair,
My speciall gud lord Henry lord Sanct Clair,
Quhilk with gret instance, diuers tymys seir,5
Prayt me translait Virgill or Homeir;
Quhais plesour suythly, as I undirstude,
As neir conjunct to his lordschip in blude,
So that me thocht hys request ane command,
Half disparit this wark I tuke on hand,10
Nocht fully grantand nor anys sayand ȝee,
Bot only to assay quhou it mycht be.
Quha mycht gaynsay a lord so gentill and kynd,
That euer had ony curtasy in thar mynd,
Quhilk, besyde hys innatyve pollecy,15
Humanyte, curage, fredome and chevalry,
Bukis to recollect, to reid and se,
Has gret delyte as euer had Ptholome?
Quharfor to hys nobilite and estait,
Quhatso it be, this buke I dedicait,20
Writtin in the langage of Scottis natioun,
And thus I mak my protestatioun.
Fyrst I protest, beaw schirris, be ȝour leif,
Beis weill avisit my wark or ȝhe repreif;
Consider it warly, reid oftar than anys,25
Weill at a blenk sle poetry nocht tayn is;
And ȝit forsuyth I set my bissy pane,
As that I couth, to mak it braid and plane,
Kepand na sudron bot our awyn langage,
And spekis as I lernyt quhen I was page.30
Nor ȝit sa cleyn all sudron I refus,
Bot sum word I pronunce as nyghtbouris doys;
Lyke as in Latyn beyn Grew termys sum,
So me behufyt quhilum, or than be dum,
Sum bastard Latyn, Franch, or Inglys oys,5
Quhar scant was Scottis, I had nane other choys.
Nocht for our tung is in the selwyn skant,
Bot for that I the fowth of langage want,
Quhar as the cullour of his properte
To kepe the sentens tharto constrenyt me,10
Or than to mak my sayng schort sum tyme,
Mair compendyus, or to lykly my ryme.
Tharfor gude frendis, for a gymp or a bourd,
I pray ȝou note me nocht at euery word.
The worthy clerk hecht Lawrens of the Vaill,15
Amang Latynys a gret patron sans faill,
Grantis quhen twelf ȝheris he had beyn diligent
To study Virgill, skant knew he quhat he ment;
Than thou or I, my frend, quhen we best weyn
To haue Virgil red, vnderstand, and seyn,20
The rycht sentens perchance is fer to seik;
This wark twelf ȝheris first was in makyng eyk,
And nocht correct quhen the poet gan deces;
Thus for small faltis my wys frend hald thy pes.
Adherdand to my protestatioun,25
Thocht Wilȝame Caxtoun, of Inglis natioun,
In proys hes prent are buke of Inglis gros,
Clepand it Virgill in Eneados,
Quhilk that he says of Franch he did translait,
It has na thing ado tharwith, God wait,30
Ne na mair lyke than the devill and Sanct Austyne;
Haue he na thank tharfor, bot loys hys pyne,
So schamefully that story dyd pervert;
I red hys wark with harmys at my hart,
That syk a buke, but sentens or engyne,5
Suldbe intitillit eftir the poet dyvyne;
His ornate goldyn versis, mair than gilt,
I spittit for dispyte to se swa spilt
With sych a wyght, quhilk trewly, be myne entent,
Knew neuer thre wordis at all quhat Virgill ment:10
Sa fer he chowpis I am constrenyt to flyte.
The thre first bukis he has ourhippyt quyte,
Salfand a litill twychyng Polidorus,
And the tempest furth sent by Eolus,
And that full sempilly on hys awyn gys;15
Virgill thame wrait all on ane other wys.
For Caxton puttis in hys buke out of toyn,
The storm furth sent by Eolus and Neptune;
Bot quha sa redis Virgill suythfastly,
Sall fynd Neptune salf Eneas navy.20
Me lyst nocht schaw quhou thystory of Dydo,
Be this Caxtoun is haill pervertit
