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CAP. IV

 
Quhou stranglit was the prest hecht Laocon,
And how the hors clam our the wallis of stone.
 

 
Betyd, the ilke tyde, a fer grettar woundir,
And mair dreidful to catyvis be sik hunder,
Quhilk of Troianys trublit mony onwarnyt breste.
As Laocon, that was Neptunus prest,
And chosyn by kavill onto that ilk office,
A fair gret bull offerit in sacrifyce
Solemnytly befor the haly alteir,
Throw the styl sey, from Tenedos, infeir,
Lo! twa gret lowpit edderis, with mony thraw,
Fast throu the flude towart the land gan draw.
My spreit abhorris this mater to declare;
Abufe the watir thar hals stude euermare,
With bludy crestis owtwith the wallis hie;
The remanent swam al ways vnder see,
With grysly bodeis lynkit mony fald;
The salt fame stowris from the fard thai hald:
Onto the grund thai glaid with glowand eyn
Stuffit full of vennom, fyre, and fellon teyn,
Wyth tongis quhislyng in thar mowthis red
Thai lyk the twynkland stangis in thar hed.
We fled away al bludeles for affeir;
Bot, wyth a braid, to Laocon infeir
Thai start atanys; and hys twa sonnys ȝyng
First athir serpent lappit lyke a ryng,
And, with thar cruell byt and stangis fell,
Of tendir membris tuke mony sary morcell;
Syne thai the prest invadit, baith twane,
Quhilk with hys wapynnys dyd hys byssy pane
His childryng forto helpyn and reskew.
Bot thai about hym lowpit in wympillis threw,
And twys cyrkyllit his myddil rownd about,
And twys faldis thar sprutlit skynnys, but dowt,
About hys hals; bath nek and hede thai schent:
As he etlys thar hankis to haue rent
Of with his handis, and thame away haue draw,
Hys hed bendis and garlandis all war blaw
Ful of vennom and rank poyson atanys,
Quhilk infekkis the flesch, blude, and banys.
And tharwith eik sa horribilly schowtis he,
His cryis dynnyt to the sternys on hie;
Lyke as a bull doith rummysing and rayr,
Quhen he eschapis hurt from the altair,
And charris by the ax with his nek wight,
Gif on his forhed the dynt hyttis nocht rycht.
Syne thir twa serpentis hastely glaid away;
Onto the cheif tempil fled ar thai,
Of stern Pallas to the hallowit place,
And crap in vnder the feit of the goddes,
Hyd thame behynd the boys of hir bukleir.
Than trymlit thar mony stowt hart for feir,
The onkowth dreid into thar brestis crap:
All said, Laocon justly, sik was his hap,
Has deir ybocht his wikkit and schrewit deid,
For he the haly hors or stalwart steid
With violent strake presumyt forto deir,
And tharintil to fessyn his cursit speir.
Onto the hallowit sted bryng in, thai cry,
The gret fygur, and lat ws sacryfy
The haly goddes, and magnyfy hyr mycht
With orysonys and offerandis day and nycht.
Quhat wil ȝe mair? the barmkyn down we rent,
And wallis of our cite we maid patent;
Onto that wark al sped thame bissely;
Turnand quhelis thai set in, by and by,
Vndir the feit of this ilke bysnyng jaip;
Abowt the nek knyt mony bassyn raip:
This fatale monstre clam our the wallis then,
Gret wamyt, and stuffit ful of armyt men;
And tharabout ran childer and madis ȝyng,
Syngand karrellis and dansand in a ryng;
Ful weil war thame, and glaid was euery wight,
That with thar hand anys twich the cordis mycht.
Furth drawyn haldis this suttell hors of tre,
And mannysand slydis throu the myd cite.
O natyve cuntre, and rial realm of Troy!
O goddis hows Ilion ful of joy!
O worthy Troiane wallis chevalrus!
Four tymys stoppyt that monstre peralus,
Evin at the entre of the portis wyde,
And four sys the armour, that ilk tyde,
Clynkit and rang amyd the large belly;
Bot netheles, intil our blynd fury,
Forȝetting this, instantly we wirk,
And forto drug and draw wald neuer irk,
Quhil that myschancy monstre, quently bet,
Amyd the hallowit tempill vp was set.
Cassandra than the fatis to cum tald plane,
Bot, by command of Phebus, al was in vane;
For thocht scho spayit the suthe, and maid na bowrd,
Quhat euer scho said Troianys trowit nocht a word.
The tempillis of goddis and sanctuaryis all,
We fey pepill, allace! quhat say I sall?
Quhamtill this was the duylfull lattir day,
With festuale flowris and bewys, as in May,
Dyd weil anorn, and fest and ryot maid
Throu owt the town, and for myscheif was glaid.
 

CAP. V

 
Grekis entrys by trayson in the cite,
And how Hector apperis till Ene.
 

 
Wyth this, the hevyn sa quhyrlit about his speir
Out of the sey the dym nycht gan appeir,
With hir dyrk weid bath erth and firmament
Involwyng, by hir secret schaddowis quent
Covering Gregion and Myrmydonys slyght;
Within the wallis to bed went euere wyght:
Still warin all, and soft vapour of sleip
Apon thar wery lymmys fast doith creip.
Be than the army of mony a Gregioun,
Stuffit in schippis, come fra Tenedon,
Stil, vnder frendly sylens of the moyn,
To the kend costis speding thame ful soyn;
And quhen the takynnyng, or the bail of fyre,
Rays from the kyngis schip, vp byrnand schyre,
Of the goddis be frawart destany
Synon preservit couth this syng aspy;
The fyrryn closeris oppynnys, but noys or dyn,
And Grekis, hyd the horssis cost within,
Patent war maid to fight and to the ayr.
Joyfull and blyth, from that boys statw thar,
Discending thai downlat by cordis atanys
Thersander and Sthenelus, twa capitanys,
The dowr Vlixes als, and Athamas,
Pelyus nevo Pyrrus, and kyng Thoas,
The first Machaon, and Menelaus,
And the engyne forgyar hait Epeus;
The cite thai invaid, and fast infest,
With wyne and sleip yberyit and at rest.
Slane ar the wachis liggyng on the wall;
Opnyt the portis, leyt in thar feris all,
Togidder jonyt euery cumpany:
Throu the cite sone rays the noys and scry.
Thys was that tyme quhen the fyrst quyete
Of naturale sleip, to quham na gyft mair swete,
Stelis on fordoverit mortale creaturis,
And in thar swewynnys metis quent figuris.
Lo! in my sleip, I se stand me befor,
As to my syght, maist lamentabil Hector,
Wyth large flude of teris, and al besprent,
As he, vmquhile, eftyr the cart was rent,
With barknyt blude and powder: O God, quhat skath!
Boldynnyt ful gret war feit and lymmys baith,
By bandis of the cordis quhilk thame drewch.
Ha! walloway! quhat harm and wo eneuch!
Quhat ane was he! how far changit from joy
Of that Hector, quhilum returnyt to Troy,
Cled with the spulȝe of hym Achillys,
Or quhen the Troiane fyry blesis, I wys,
On Grekis schippis, thyk fald he slang that day
Quhen that he slew the Duke Prothesylay!
Hys fax and berd was fadyt quhar he stude,
And all hys hayr was glotnyt ful of blude;
Full mony woundis on his body bayr he,
Quhilk, in defens of hys natyve cuntre,
About the wallys of Troy ressavyt he had.
Me thocht, I first, wepyng and na thing glaid,
Rycht reuerently begouth to clepe this man,
And with sik dolorus wordis thus began:
O thou, of Troy the lemand lamp of lycht!
O Troiane hope, maist ferm defens in fyght!
Quhat has the tareit? quhy maid thou this delay,
Hector, quham we desyrit mony a day?
From quhat cuntre this wys cummyn art thou?
That, eftir feil slauchter of thi frendis now,
And of thi folkis and cite efter huge payn,
Quhen we beyn irkit, we se the heir agayn!
Quhat hard myschance fylyt so thi plesand face?
Or quhy se I tha feil woundis, allace!
Onto thir wordis he nane answer maid,
Nor to my voyd demandis na thyng said,
Bot with ane hevy murmour, as it war draw
Furth of the boddum of his breste weil law,
Allace! allace! thou goddes son, quod he,
Salf thi self from this fyre, and fast thou fle;
Our ennemys has thir worthy wallys tane;
Troy from the top down fallys, and all is gane.
Enewch has lestit of Priamus the ryng,
The fatis wil na mair it induryng.
Gif Pargama, the Troiane wallys wyght,
Mycht langar haue beyn fendit into fyght,
With this rycht hand thai suld haue be defendit;
Adew! fair weil! for euer it is endit.
In thi keping committis Troy, but les,
Hir kyndly goddis clepit Penates;
Tak thir in falloschip of thi fatis all,
And large wallis for thame seik thou sall,
Quhilk at the last thi self sall beld vp hie,
Eftir lang wandryng and errour our the see.
Thus said Hectour, and schew furth in his handis
The dreidfull valis, wymplis, and garlandis
Of Vesta, goddes of the erth and fyre,
Quhilk in hir tempil eternaly byrnys schyre.
 

CAP. VI

 
Quhou Eneas the trayson did persave,
And quhat debait he maid the town to save.
 

 
In seyr placis throu the cite, wyth this,
The murmur rays, ay mair and mair, I wys,
And clerar wolx the rumour and the dyne:
So that, suppos Anchysis my faderis In
With treys abowt stude secrete by the way,
So bustuus grew the noys and furyus fray,
And ratlyng of thar armour on the streit,
Affrayit, I glystnyt of sleip, and start on feit;
Syne to the hows hed ascendis onone,
With eris prest stude thar als stil as stone.
A sownd or swowch I hard thar at the last,
Lyke quhen the fyre, be fellon wyndis blast,
Is drevyn amyd the flat of cornys rank;
Or quhen the burn on spait hurlys down the bank,
Owder throu a watir brek, or spait of flude,
Ryvand vp rede erd, as it war wod,
Down dyngand cornys, all the pleuch laubour atanys,
And dryvis on swyftly stokkis, treis and stanys:
The sylly hyrd, seand this grysly syght,
Set on a pynnakill of sum cragis hycht,
Al abasit, nocht knawand quhat this may meyn,
Wondris of the sovnd and ferly at he has seyn.
Rychtso I than, by cleyr takynnys enew,
Manifestly al the Grekis falshed knew;
Thair hyd dissait wolx patent than to ws.
The nobil lugyng of worthy Deyphobus
Was fal to grond, the fyre vpspred onone;
The nixt hows byrnys of Vcalegon:
The large seys and costis Sygean,
Throu lycht of flambis and brycht fyris, schane.
Vpsprang the cry of men and trumpys blist:
As out of mynd, myne armour on I thryst,
Thocht be na rayson: persave I mycht, but fail,
Quhat than the fors of armys couth avail;
Ȝit, hand for hand, to thryng out throw the pres
With my feris, and rynnyng or we ces
To the castel, our hartis brynt for desyre;
The fury cachit our myndis hait as fyre,
So that we thocht maist semly in a feld
To de feghtand, enarmyt vnder scheld.
Bot lo! Panthus, slippit the Grekis speris,
Panthus Othriades son, that, mony ȝheris,
Was of the strenth, and Phebus tempill preste,
Into his armys, lappit to his breist,
The haly rellykkis of the sanctuary,
And eik our venquist goddis, by and by
With hym beryng, and, in his hand alsso,
Harlyng hym efter his litil nevo,
Cummys lyke a wodman til our ȝet rynnyng.
How now, Panthus, quhat tythingis do ȝe bryng?
In quhat estait is sanctuary and haly geir?
To quhilk other fortres sall we speir?
Skars said I this, quhen, gowlyng petuusly,
With thir wordis he answerd me in hy:
The lattir day is cummyn of Dardanus end,
The fatale tyme quham na walyng may mend;
We war Troianys; vmquhile was Ilion;
The schynand glory of Phrygianys now is gone:
Fers Jupiter to Grece all has translait;
Our al the cite, kyndillit in flambis hait,
The Grekis now ar lordis but ony fors.
Within the wallis, ȝone mekil standand hors
Ȝettis furth armyt men; and now Synon
Is victour haill, kyndilland eueron
The new fyris glaidly, as it war sport.
At athir ȝet beyn ruschit in sik a sort,
Sa mony thousandis come neuer from Myce nor Arge;
Sum cumpanyis, with speris, lance and targe,
Walkis wachand in rewis and narow stretis;
Arrayit batalis, with drawyn swerdis at gletis,
Standis reddy forto styk, gor and sla:
Skarsly the wachis of the portis twa
Begouth defens and melle as thai mycht,
Quhen blyndlyngis in the batail fey tha fyght.
Throu thir wordis of Panthus, and goddis heste,
Amyd the flambis and armour in I preste;
Ruschand thidder quhar sorofull Erynnys,
The noys and brute me drew, and quhar, I wys,
The clamour hard I rys vp to the ayr.
And of our fallowis to me come twa pair:
Repheus fyrst, be the lycht of the moyn,
Valiant in armys Ephitus followit soyn;
Hypanys syne, and eik Dymas in hy,
Fast to our syde adionyt by and by;
Mygdoneus son alsso, Chorebus ȝyng,
Quhilk in tha days, for fey luf hait byrnyng
Of Cassandra, to Troy was cummyn that ȝeir,
To help Priam and Troianys in the weir;
Onhappy he was, wald not beleif fermly
Hys sayd spowsis command and prophecy!
Quhen I thame saw this wys adionyt to me,
And wilful forto stryke in the melle,
Thus I begouth thame forthirmar to steir:
O ȝe maist forsy ȝong men that beyn heir,
Wyth brestis strang, and sa bald curage hie,
Invayn ȝe pres to succur this cite
Quhilk byrnys al in fyre and flambys rede;
The goddis al ar fled out of this stede,
Throu quhais mycht stude our empyre mony day:
Now all thar templis and altaris waist leif thai.
Bot gif ȝour desyre be sa fermly prest
To follow me dar tak the vtyrmest,
Quhat fortune is betyd, al thingis ȝe se;
Thar is na mair; lat ws togidder de,
And in amyd our ennemyis army schute.
To venquist folkis is a comfort and bute
Nane hope of help to beleif, or reskew.
Swa, with thir wordis, the ȝong menis curage grew,
That in the dyrk lyke ravenus wolffis, on rawis,
Quham the blynd fury of thar empty mawis
Dryvis furth of thar den to seik thar pray,
Thar litil quhelpis left with dry throtis quhil day;
So, throw the wapynnys and our fays went we,
Apon the ded ondowtit, and wald nocht fle.
Amyd the cite we held the master streit,
The dyrk nycht hyd ws with cloys schaddowis meit.
 

CAP. VII

 
The woful end, per ordour, heir, allace!
Followys of Troy, and gestis of Eneas.
 

 
Quha sal the harmys of that woful nycht
Expreme? or quha with tong to tell hes mycht
Sa feil ded corsis as thar lyis slane?
Or, thocht in cace thai weip quhil teris rayn,
Equaly may bewail tha sorowis all?
The ancyant, worthy cite down is fall,
That mony ȝeris held hie senȝeory:
Stekit in stretis heir and thar thai ly,
Feil corsis ded of mony onweldy wyght,
Dung down in howsis, fey thai fal all nycht.
In sanctuarys and templis of goddis eik;
Na quhar mercy nor succur mycht thai seik.
And not only of Troianys, throu owt the town,
The blude is sched, thus marthyrit and slane down,
Bot sum tyme eik to thame, ourcummyn and schent,
Agane returnys in brestis hardyment,
So that sum Grekis victoris war smyte ded.
Cruel womenting occupyit euery steid;
Our alquhar dreid, our alquhar wo and cayr,
And of the deth feil gastly schaddowis thair.
Bot first enconteris ws Androgeus,
With a gret cumpany of the Gregyus,
Onwarly wenyng his fallowis we hadbe;
In haymly wordis to ws thus carpis he:
Haist ȝou, matis, quhat slewth tareit ȝou thus lait?
Our other feris rubbis, tursyng away, fut hait,
The spreith of Troy, quhilk now is brynt to gledis,
And ȝe, fyrst from ȝour schippis now ȝou spedis.
Thus said he, quhen that, suddanly and onone,
He felt hym self happynnyt amyd his foyn,
For we hym gave answer not traist enewch.
Estonyt with the word, abak he drewch:
As quha onwar tred on a rowch serpent
Lyggyng in the bus, and for feir bakwart sprent,
Seand hir, reddy to stang and to infek,
Set vp hir vennamus ȝallo boldyn nek;
On the sammyn wys, Androgeus, of our syght
Gretly effrayt, fled in al his mycht.
On thame we schot, and in thar myd rowt duschit,
Hewit, hakkit, smate down, and al to fruschit
Tha fey Gregionys, on ilk syde heir and thair,
With dreid ourset, and wist not quhar thai war.
The first lawbour thus lukkit weil with ws.
Joyus in hart of this chance Chorebus,
O ȝe feris, hald furth this way, quod he,
Quhar forton first has schawyn ws sik supple;
Hald thidder quhar our manhed has ws taucht;
Now lat ws change scheildis, sen we beyn sawcht,
Grekis ensenȝeis do we cowntyrfeit;
Quhidder by slycht, or strenth of armys gret,
A man ourcum his ennemy, quha rakkis?
Thai sal ws rendir thir harnes of thar bakkis.
And sayand thus, Androgeus cristit helm
He hynt in hy, and our his hed gan quhelm;
His schynand scheild with his bawgy tuk he,
And hang a Gregioun swerd down by his the.
Syklyke dyd Rypheus, my self eik, and Dymas,
And all the other ȝong men at thar was;
Ful glaidly in that recent spulȝe warm
Belyfe ilk man dyd thame self enarm.
Amang the Grekis mydlit than went we,
Not with our awyn takyn nor deite;
Mony debatis and onsettis haue we done,
And, throu the silens of the nycht, ondone
Feil of the Grekis, and send to hell adown.
Ane other menȝe fled fast out of town
To thar schippis, and tha traist costis nyce;
Sum part alsso, for schaymfull cowartyce,
Clam vp agane in the gret horssis maw,
And hyd thame in that belly weilbeknaw.
Allace! onleifull is ony man to weyn,
Contrar the plesour of goddis, ocht may sustene.
Lo! Priamus dochtir, the virgyne Cassandra,
Was, from the tempill and sete of Mynerva,
Drawyn forsabilly bairhed, with hayr down schake,
Reuthfully invane behaldand hevyn, alake!
With glotnyt eyn; for baith hir tendir handis
War strenȝeit sayr, ybondyn hard with bandis.
This dolorus syght Chorebus mycht nocht se,
Bot ruschit with furyus mynd in the melle,
Reddy to de, and we all followit fast,
Amang glavys and armour in we thrast.
Heir war we fyrst to fruschit and hard byset,
With dartis and with stanys all to bet
By owr awyn feris from the templis hycht;
A miserabil slauchtir thar begouth that nycht.
The portratour of armys was mysknaw,
All war bot Grekis tymbrellis at thai saw.
Als quhat for walyng of irus wordis fell
Agane reskewit said by the damycell,
Grekis flokkis togidder heir and thar,
And ombesettis cruelly and sayr;
The fellon Aiax, and athir Atrides,
And al the rowtis clepit Dolopes.
Lyke as, sum tyme, the fers wyndis ȝe se,
Ȝepherus, Nothus, and Eurus, all thre
Contrarius blaw thar bustuus bubbys with byr,
The woddis rerdis, bath ayk, elm, and fyr
Ourturnys to grond, and Nereus the fomy
From the sey grond wod wraith is cachit in hy:
On siklyke wys the Grekis ws invadit.
For than thai alls that fled war and evadit,
Throu the dyrk nycht, quhen sum thar feris slew we.
And thame had chasit throw owt all the cite,
Thai war the first come now to do ws deir;
Our fenȝeit scheildis, wapynys, and other geir
Ful weil thai knew, and, by our vocis eik,
Thai notyfy that nane of ws was Greik.
By multitude and nowmyr apon ws set
All ȝeid to wraik, thar war we hail doune bet;
And first of all, down smyte is Chorebus
By the rycht hand of Greik Peneleus,
Befor the altare of armipotent Pallas:
Rypheus down fell, ane the maist just man was,
Amang Troianys best kepand equite;
Bot other ways the goddis thocht suldbe:
Hypanys eik, and Dymas than alssua
War by thar fallowis throw gyrd bath twa:
Nor ȝit the, Panthus, quhen that thou fell down,
Thy gret pety, and godly religioun,
Nor habyt of Apollo hyd from skayth.
O ȝe cald assys of Troy, and flawmys baith,
And extreme end of cuntre folkis, heir I
Drawis ȝow to witnes, and doys testify,
Quhen that ȝe fell to grund thus and war slane,
I nowder sparit wapynnys, strenth, nor pane,
Nor nane onset eschewit of Grekis mycht;
And gif fatis wald I had fallyn in fyght,
Thar with my handis wrocht I worth my ded.
Bot with the pres we war relit of that sted:
Only with me Hyphitus and Pelyas;
For age Hyphitus waik and febill was,
And Pelyas slawly mycht onethis go,
By Vlixes for he was woundit so.
 

CAP. VIII

 
Quhou to the Kyngis palyce sped Ene,
That syne was take, thar helpit na suple.
 

 
Onone onto the palyce of Priamus
The schowtis and the cryis callys ws.
Thar was ane hydwys batale forto seyn,
As thar nane other bargane ayr had beyn,
Lyke as nane slane war throu all the cite,
Sa wod ondantit melle thar we se:
The Grekis ruschand to the thak on hyght,
So thik thai thrang about the portis all nycht,
That lyke a wall thai ombeset the ȝettis;
Vp to the syd wallys mony leddyr sett is,
Quharon thai preys fast our the rufe to speill,
Coverit with scheildis agane the dartis feill
Thar left hand heich abuf thar hed gan hald,
And oft with rycht handis grypp the battalyng wald.
Troianys agane, schaping defens to mak,
Rent turettis doune, and of hows hedis the thak;
Quhen all wes lost thai se, at lattyr end,
With sik wapynnys thai schupe thame to defend;
The gilt sperris, and gestis gold begane
Down on thame slyng thai, and mony costly stane,
The prowd and ryall werkis of faderis ald.
And other sum, law down within that hald,
With drawyn swerdis stude reddy to kepe the ȝet;
In a thik rowt tharat was mony set.
Our spretis war restoryt, and curage grew
The kyngis palyce to succur, and reskew
The men tharin with all help and supple,
To strenthing thame war venquyst neyr, we se.
A small wykket thar was, or entre dern,
A litil ȝet clepit a postern,
On the bak half Priamus palyce almaist,
Amang byggynnys stude desolate and waist;
Quharat was wont alane Andromocha
To entir oft to Priam and Hecuba,
And Astyanax, hir ȝong son, with hir bring
Onto his grandsyre Priamus the kyng.
Tharat I enterit, and to the wallys hyght
Vpwent, quhar wrachit Troianys, as thai mycht,
Threw down dartis, thocht all was bot in waist.
We start ontil a hie turate in haist,
The top vpstrekand to the starnys hie,
Quharon we wont war al Troy forto se,
The Grekis schippis, and thar tentis eik.
With instrumentis of irne we pyke, and seik
Round al about quhar the jonyngis war worn,
Reddy to fall, and corbalys al to torn;
We holk and mynd the corneris for the nanys,
Quhil down belive we tumbil it al atanys;
A fellon rusch it maid, and sownd with all,
And large on breid our Grekis rowtis dyd fall;
Bot sone ane other sort start in thar stedis:
Nowder stanys, nor quarellis with scharp hedis,
Nor na kynd of wapynnys war sparit than.
And first of al, befor the porch inran
Hard to the entre, in schynyng plait and mail,
Pyrrus, with wapynnys fersly to assaill:
Lyke to the edder, with schrewit herbis fed,
Cummyn furth to lycht, and on the grond lyis spred,
Quham wynter lang hyd vnder the cald erd;
Now slippit hir slowch with schynand skyn new brerd,
Hir slydry body in hankis rownd al run,
Heich vp hir nek strekand forgane the son,
With forkit tong intyll hir mouth quytterand.
To the assalt with Pyrrus come at hand
Periphas, and Automedon his squyer
Was wont to govarn Achilles cart in weir,
And al the sensabill men of Scyrrya
Bownys our the wallis and howsis hedis alswa,
And fyre blesis abuf the rufe garris fle.
Bot first of al, ane stalwart ax hynt he,
The stern Pyrrus, to hew and brek the ȝet,
And furth of har the stapillis has he bet,
And bandis all of bras yforgyt weill:
Be that in twa the master bar ilk deill
Is al tofruschit; syne the hard burdis he hakkis,
And throu the ȝet are large wyndo makkis,
By the quhilk slop the place within apperis,
The wyde hallys wolx patent al infeiris
Of Priamus and ancyant kyngis of Troy;
Secret throwgangis ar schawyn wont to be quoy;
Armyt men se thai stand at the first port.
Bot than throw owt the inner palyce, at schort,
With duylful scryke and walyng al is confoundit;
The holl howsis ȝowlit and resowndit
For womentyng of ladeis and wemen;
The clamour vpstrak to the starnys then.
The woful moderis ran frayit on athir syde
Ful lamentabill throw out the chawmeris wyde,
Brasand the postis in armys, and durris cald,
And feil sys with mowthis kys thame wald.
Instantly Pyrrus assailȝeis with al his mycht,
By naturale strenth of his fader the wight,
That nowder closeris, nor barryt ȝettis stowt,
Nor ȝit the keparis may hald thame langar owt.
Oft wyth the ram the port is schaik and duschit,
Down bet ȝet chekis, and bandis al tofruschit;
The way is maid by fors, and entre brokkyn;
Grekis insprent, the formaste haue thai stokyn
And slane with swordis; the large hald heir and thar
Was fyllit full of Grekis our alquhar.
Not sa fersly the fomy ryver or flude
Brekkis our the bankis, on spait quhen it is wode,
And, with hys brusch and fard of watir brown,
The dykis and the schoris bettis doun,
Ourspredand croftis and flattis with his spait,
Our al the feildis that thai may row a bayt,
Quhil howsys and the flokkis flyttis away,
The corn grangis, and standand stakkis of hay.
I saw my self thair Neoptolemus
Mak fellon slauchtir, wod and furyus,
And athir brodir of Atrides alswa:
Eldmodir to ane hundreth thar saw I Hecuba,
And Priamus, at the altar quhar he stude,
All our bysprent and sperklyt ful of blude
Of sacryfice, quhamto he bet the fyre.
Fyfty chawmeris held that rial syre,
Quhar warryn his gude dochteris, ladeis ȝyng,
Syk fayr beleif is lost of his ofspryng!
The prowd gestis and durris gilt with gold
Of barbary wark, and hungyn mony fold
With riches and spulȝe of seyr nationys,
Sa far as from the fyre onbet adoune is,
The Grekis occupyis haly; al is tharis;
Quhat so thame lyst tospil is nane that sparis.