fendis net, to God and man odibill!
Of thi tryggettis quhat tong may tell the tribbill?
With the to wrasyll, thou walxis euer moir wyght;
Eschew thyne hant, and mynnys sal thi mycht.
Se, quhou blynd luffis inordinate desyre15
Degradis honour, and resson doith exile!
Dido, of Cartage flour, and lamp of Tyre,
Quhais hie renoun na strenth nor gift mycht fyle,
In hir faynt lust sa mait, within schort quhile,
That honeste baith and gude fame war adew;20
Syne for disdeyn, allace! hir selvyn slew.
O! quhat avalit thi brute and gloryus name,
Thi moblys, tresour, and werkis infinyte,
Thi citeis beilding, and thi ryal hame,
Thy realmys, conquest, weilfar and delyte?25
To stynt al thing salue thine awyn appetite
So wes in lufe thi frawart destane:
Allace the quhile thou knew the strange Ene!
And sen I suld thy tragedy endyte,
Heir nedis nane othir invocatioun:
Be the command I lusty ladeis quhyte,5
Be war with strangeris of onkouth natioun
Wyrk na syk woundris to thar dampnatioun;
Bot til attayin wild amouris at the thai leir:
Thy lusty pane begouth on this maneir.
THE FERD BUKE OF ENEADOS.
CAP. I.
The thochtfull queyn, with mony amorus claws,
Til hir systir complenys in luffis caws.
Be this the Queyn, throw hevy thochtis onsound,
In euery vayn nurysys the greyn wound,
Smytyn so deip with the blynd fyre of lufe
Hir trublyt mynd gan fra all rest remufe.
Compasing the gret prowes of Ene,5
The large wirschip feill sys remembris sche
Of his lynnage and folkis; for ay present
Deip in hir breist so was hys figur prent,
And all hys wordis fixt, that, for bissy thocht,
Noyn eys hir membris nor quyet suffir mocht.10
The nixt day following, with hys lamp brycht
As Phebus dyd the grund or erth alycht,
Eftir the dawing heth the donk nychtis clowd
Chasyt from the sky, and the ayr new schrowd;
Ful evil at eys queyn Dido on this kynd15
Spak to hir systir, wes of the sammyn mynd.
My sistir An, quhat swevynnys beyn thir, quod sche,
Quhilk me affrays in sik proplexite?
Quhat be he, this gret new gest or stranger,
Onto our realm laitly is drevyn heir?
Quhou wys in speche, and in his commonyng,5
He schawys hym self! O God, quhat wondir thing!
Quhou stout in curage! in weir quhou vailȝeand!
I trow sistir, and, as I vndirstand,
Myne opinion is nane oncertane thing,
Thai beyn sum lynnage of verray goddis ofspring;10
For dreid always and schaymful kowardys
Degeneryt wightis and bowbartis notyfys.
Allace! quhat wondir fatale aventuris
Hes hym bywaif! quhat travel, pane and curis,
How huge batellis, be hym eschewit, tald he!15
Now, certis, war it not determyt with me,
And fixit in my mynd onmovabilly,
That to no wyght in wedlok me list I
Cuppil nor knyt, sen my first luf is gane,
By deth dissoverit, and left me alane;20
War not alsso to me is displesant
Genyvs chalmyr or matrymone to hant;
Perchans I mycht be venquist in this rage,
Throu this a cryme of secund mariage.
Annes, I grant to the, sen the deces25
Of my sory husband Syche, but les,
Quhar that our hows with brodyrris ded wes sprent,
Only this man hes movit myne entent,
And heth my mynd inducyt to forvay:
I knaw and felis the wemmys and the way30
Of the ald fyre and flambe of luffis heit.
Bot rather I desyre baith cors and spreit
Of me the erth swelly law adown,
Or than almychty Jove with thundris sovn
Me smyte ful deip onto the schaddoys dern,5
Amang pail gastis of hellis holl cavern,
In the profond pot of deth and dyrk nycht,
Or I becum so schamful wrachit wyght
That I myne honeste fyle or womanhed,
Or brek ȝour lawis; na, quhil I be ded!10
He,
