Sustenit war by mannis gouernance
On hervist and on symmeris purviance.
Widequhair with fors so Eolus schouttis schyll
In this congelyt sessioune scharp and chyll,
The callour air, penetrative and puire,

Dasyng the bluide in every creature,

Maid seik warm stovis, and beyne 2 fyris hoyt,
In double garmont cled and wyly coyt,
Wyth mychty drink, and meytis confortive,
Agayne the storme wyntre for to strive.

B

THE FÊTE CHAMPÊTRE.

[From The Palice of Honour.]

Our norsis pasturit in ane plesand plane,
Law at the fute of ane faire grene montane,
Amid ane meid schaddowit with ceder treis,
Saif fra all heit, thair micht we weill remane.
All kinde of herbis, flouris, frute, and grane,
With euerie growand tre thair men micht cheis,
The beriall stremis rinnand ouir stanerie greis
Made sober noyis, the schaw dinnit agane

6

For birdis sang, and sounding of the beis.

The ladyis fair on diuers instrumentis,

Went playand, singand, dansand ouir the bentis',
Full angellike and heuinlie was thair soun.
Quhat creature amid his hart imprentis,
The fresche bewtie, the gudelie representis,
The merie speiche, fair hauingis", hie renoun
Of thame, wald set a wise man half in swoun,
Thair womanlines wryithit the elementis,
Stoneist 10 the heuin, and all the eirth adoun.

A BALLADE IN COMMENDATION OF HONOUR.

[From The Palice of Honour.]

O hie honour, sweit heuinlie flour degest',
Gem verteous, maist precious, gudliest.
For hie renoun thow art guerdoun conding2,
Of worschip kend the glorious end and rest,
But quhome in richt na worthie wicht may lest.
Thy greit puissance may maist auance all thing,
And pouerall to mekill auaill sone bring'.
I the require sen thow but peir art best,
That efter this in thy hie blis we ring.

Of grace thy face in euerie place sa schynis,
That sweit all spreit baith heid and feit inclynis,

Thy gloir afoir for till imploir remeid.

He docht richt nocht, quhilk out of thocht the tynis';
Thy name but blame, and royal fame diuine is;

Thow port at schort of our comfort and reid,
Till bring all thing till glaiding efter deid,
All wicht but sicht of thy greit micht ay crynis",
O schene I mene, nane may sustene thy feid 12.

12

Haill rois maist chois till clois thy fois greit micht,
Haill stone quhilk schone vpon the throne of licht,
Vertew, quhais trew sweit dew ouirthrew al vice,
Was ay ilk day gar say the way of licht;
Amend, offend, and send our end ay richt.
Thow stant, ordant as sanct, of grant maist wise,
Till be supplie, and the hie gre
14 of price.
Delite the tite me quite of site 16 to dicht,
For I apply schortlie to thy deuise.

15

2 condign. 3 without whom.

5 without a peer.

⚫ without.

14 degree.

10 to.

15 quickly.

13

bring the poor to 7 avails. 12 hatred

• before thy glory.

11 diminishes.

16 shame.

THE GHOST OF CREUSA.

[From The Aeneid.]

How Eneas socht his spous, all the cost,
And how to him apperis hir grete gost.

To Priamus palice eftir socht I than,
An syne onto the temple fast I ran:

Quhar, at the porchis or closter of Juno,

Than all bot waist, thocht it was girth', stude tho
Phenix and dour Vlixes, wardanes tway,
For to observe and keip the spreith2 or pray:
Thiddir in ane heip was gaderit precius geir,
Riches of Troy, and wther jewellis seir
Reft from all partis; and, of templis brynt,
Of massy gold the veschale war furth hynt
From the goddis, and goldin tabillis all,
With precius vestmentis of spuilze triumphall:
The 3ing childring3, and frayit matrounis eik,
Stude all on raw, with mony peteous screik
About the tresour quhymperand woundir sair.
And I also my self so bald wox thair,

That I durst schaw my voce in the dirk nycht,
And cleip and cry fast throw the stretis on hych
Full dolorouslie, Creusa! Creusa !

Agane, feil sise, in vane I callit swa 5,

Throw howsis and the citie quhar I 3oid,

But outhir rest or resoun, as I war woid';

Quhill that the figour of Creusa and gost,

Of far mair statur than air quhen scho was lost,
Before me, catife, hir seikand, apperit thair.
Abaisit I wolx, and widdersyns start my hair,
Speik mycht I nocht, the voce in my hals9 sa stak.
Than sche, belife, on this wise to me spak,

With sic wourdis my thochtis to assuage.
O my suete spous, into sa furious raige
Quhat helpis thus thi selfin to turment?
This chance is nocht, but goddis willis went1;
Nor it is nocht [a] leful thing, quod sche,
Fra hyne Creuse thou turs2 away with the,
Nor the hie governour of the hevin abufe is
Will suffir it so to be; bot the behufis
From thens to wend full far into exile,
And our the braid see saile full mony a myle,
Or thou cum to the land Hesperia,

Quhar, with soft cours, Tybris of Lidia

Rynnis throw the riche feildis of peple stout.

Thair is grete substaunce ordanit the, but dowt,

Thair sall thou haue ane realme, thair sall thou ryng
And wed to spous the dochtir of a kyng.
Thy weping and thi teris do away,
Quhilk thou makis for thi luifit Crewsay:
For I, the nece of mychty Dardanus,
And guide dochtir vnto the blissit Venus,
Of Mirmidonis the realme sall neuir behald,
Nor it the land of Dolopes so bald,
Nor go to serve na matroun Gregioun;
Bot the grete moder of goddis ilk one

In thir cuntreis withhaldis me for evir.
Adew, fair weile, for ay we man dissevir!

Thou be guide frend, luif wele, and keip fra skaith
Our a 3ong sone, is comoun till ws baith.

Quhen this was spokin, away fra me she glaid,
Left me weping and feil wordis wald haue said:
For sche sa lichtlie wanyst in the air,
That with myne armes thrise I pressit thair
About the hals hir for to haue bilappit,

And thryse all wais my handis togiddir clappit;
The figour fled as lycht wynd, or son beyme,
Or mast liklie a waverand sweving or dreyme.
⚫ draw.

the way of the gods' will.

3 reign.

DIDO'S HUNTING.

[From The Aeneid.]

Quhou that the Quene to hunteyn raid at morow,
And of the first day of hyr joy and sorow.

Furth of the see, with this, the dawing1 springis.
As Phebus rais, fast to the 3ettis 2 thringis
The chois galandis, and huntmen thaim besyde,
With ralis and with nettis strang and wyde,
And hunting speris stif with hedis braid;
From Massylyne horsmen thik thiddir raid,
With rynning hundis, a full hugë sort.
Noblis of Cartage, hovand' at the port,
The quene awatis that lang in chalmer dwellis:
Hir fers steid stude stamping, reddy ellis,
Rungeand the fomy goldin bitt jingling;
Of goldin pall wrocht his riche harnissing;
And scho, at last, of palice ischit out,
With huge menze walking hir about,
Lappit in ane brusit mantill of Sydony,
With gold and perle the bordour all bewry,
Hingand by hir syde the cais with arrowis ground;
Hir brycht tressis envolupit war and wound
Intill a kuafe of fyne gold wyrin 5 threid;
The goldin buttoun claspit hir purpour weid.
And furth scho passit with all hir company:
The Troiane peple forgadderit, by and by
Joly and glaid the fresche Ascanius 3ing.
Bot first of all, most gudlie, hym self thar king,
Enee gan entir in falloschip, but dout,
And vnto thaim adionyt his large rowt.
Lyk quhen Apollo list depart or ga
Furth of his wintring realm of Lisia,

dawn.

2 gates.

⚫ waiting.

embroidered.

5 made of wire