Kitabı oku: «The Æneid of Virgil Translated Into Scottish Verse», sayfa 19

CAP. XIII

 
Anchises schawis Eneas to the end
Alhail the lynage sal fra hym discend.
 

 
Now harkis, me behuffis schortlie say,
Quod Anchises, or thou depart away,
And rekkyn our Troian ofspring all and sum,
Quhat glor and honour beis of ws tocum,
And quhat successioun or posterite
Of Ital frendschip sal discend of the,
And tha illustir sawlis salbe sent
Heir, eftir this, in name of our kynrent;
Thy fatis and thy destany also
I sal the teche per ordour, or thou go.
Seys thou ȝon lusty springald or ȝonkeir,
That lenys hym apon his hedles sper?
The formast place by chance doith occupy
Tyl pas to life in our geneology,
And first sal rys in the ovir warld agane,
Commixit of the blude Italiane,
Siluius, to surname clepit Albanus,
Born efter thy deces, child posthumus;
Quham, consauyt of thyne ancyent lynage,
Thy secund spous, Lavinia, wys and sage,
In woddys fostir sal, a vailȝeant kyng,
And fader to al kingis of our ofspring:
Quharby our kynrent and famyl alswa
Sal ryng and lordschip hald in Lang Alba.
Ȝon is Procas that standis nixt hym by,
Of Troiane pepill the honour and glory:
Syne Capys, lo, and Numytor, baith twane;
And he that representis thy name agane,
Siluyus Eneas, notabil chevellere,
Renownyt baith of piete or in were,
Gif evir he may his tyme optene and se
To ryng into Lang Alba the cite.
Behald quhat maner ȝong gallandis bene ȝon;
Quhou gret curage thar hart is set apon;
Quhat gud semblant thai schaw of chevalre.
Bot ȝon, with coverit hedys by and by
With ciuile crownys of the strang aik tre,
Sall beld and found to thy honour, quod he,
Nomentum cite, and Gabios the tovne,
And Fidena, the cite of renoun:
Sum in the hillys hie sal set vp syne
The strenthis and the castellis Collatyne,
Pometios and New Castell, baith twa,
The cite Bolan, and the tovne Cora.
Thir namys salbe gevin thame efter this,
Quhar now, but name, the land remanand is.
Lo! Romulus, by martial wirschip
To hys grandschir jonyt in falloschip,
Quham, of Assaracus blude, the nobill kyng,
Hys moder Ilya discendit sal furth bring.
Seys thou nocht quhou apon thar hedys on hyght
Twa dowbil cristis standys schynand bryght?
Thar fader Mars, behald, this sammyn hour
Has thame ymerkit with dyvyne honour:
And lo, my child, be ȝon manis prowes
That gloryus cite Rome sal so incres,
Tyll hyr empire be with the erth maid evin,
And vertuus curage equal to the hevin;
The quhilk cite all round togiddir sall
Sevin gret strenthis clos within a wall,
Happy and brudy of hir forcy ofspring:
Lyke as, throu out citeis of Phrecis ryng,
The moder of Goddis, with hir towrit crovn,
Berecynthia, careit from tovn to tovn,
Within hir char yset, all ful of myrth
Of the goddis becaus of hir rich birth,
Hir hundreth childring and posterite
Ful tendirly in armys enbracis sche,
All haill the hevynly wightis to hyr behufe,
And all that weildis the hie hevynnys abufe.
Now turnys hyddir, my sweit son, albedein,
The cirkillis and the sight of baith thy eyn:
Behald thir pepill and thy cheif Romanys.
Cesar Julyus, lo! in ȝonder planys,
And all the famyl of hym Julius,
Quhilk eftir thys ar tocum, trastis ws,
Vndre the gret hie hevynnys assiltre.
Ȝon man, ȝon man, my son, the sam is he
Quham thou so oft has hard promist or this,
Cesar August Octauyane, I wys,
Cum of the goddys geneology and kyn,
Quhilk sal agane the goldin warld begyn,
As vmquhile was, in tyme of Saturn ald,
Throu Ital ryng baith be firth and fald;
And hys empire sal delait and wynde
Our Garamantas, and the forthar Inde:
The landis lyis without the starnys blenk,
Outwith the ȝheris cours, and sonnys renk,
Quhar the vpberar of the hevyn, Atlas,
On schuldir rollys the round speir in cumpas,
Ful of thir lemand starnys mony one.
Sal, at his hyddir cummyn, ror and grone
The realme of Caspys, or of Assery,
All Scithia, Meothys land fast by,
Horribill answeris sall of goddis heir:
All trublit in affray, trymlyng for feir,
To quakyng sall sevyn mowthis of Nyle flude.
Nevir, forsuyth, strang Hercules the gude
Sa mekil space of erth or land ourȝeid;
All thocht the wyndswift hart he schot to ded,
And stanchit Erymanthus forest rouch,
The serpent Lerna with hys bow persit throuch:
Nor Bachus, quhilk victor afor thir days
With wyne burgions the hillis top arays,
Dryvand the ferfull tygris fast away
Down fra the hyght of the gret mont Nysay.
And ȝyt we dowt onto the forthir end
Hys gret vertu and dedys to extend!
Than quha suld dreid stop ws to occupy
Or till inhabyt land of Italy?
 

CAP. XIV

 
Anchises ȝit furthrekkynnys his ofspring,
As worthiast that euer in Rome sal ryng.
 

 
Bot quhat maner man be ȝon, quod Anchys,
With olyve branch on sik gudly wys
Arrayit, and eik berys mony a syng
Of sacrifyce and ritis of offeryng?
I knaw hys canos har and lyard berd
Of the wysast Roman kyng into the erd,
Numa Pompilius, quhilk sall in hys days
Begyn and statut with lawys and haly lays
The cheif cite Rome; and he sal pas
From a pur land, and smal cite Curas,
Send for to rule and bruke a gret empire.
Quhamto thar sal succeid a lordly syre,
Tullus Hostilius, that first of hys land
The peys and quiet, quhilk so lang dyd stand,
He sal dissolue and brek, and dolf men steir,
Quhilk lang hath bene disosyt fra the weir,
To armys and triumphe of victory,
And thame array in hostis by and by.
Quham nixt fallowis Ancus Marcyus,
Of hys estait mar prowd and gloryus;
And ourgretlie evin now, persaue and se,
Vayn glor and favour of pepill desiris he.
Ples the behald the Tarquynys kingis two,
And the stowt curage of Brutus alsso,
Quhilk can revenge the wrang in hys cuntre,
His gret honour gif thou lest heir or se,
And ensenȝeis send fra Ethrurianys:
This ilk Brutus sall first amang Romanys
Ressaue the dignite and stait consular;
With heding swerd, bath felloun, scharp, and gar,
Befor hym born throu all Romys tovne,
In takin of justice executioun,
Hys awin sonnys, movyng onkyndly wer,
To punytioun and ded sal damp infeir,
To kepe frensches and souerane liberte;
And thus onsilly fader sall he be.
Quhou sa evir the pepil hys fatel dedis
In tyme tocum sall blason, quha thame redis,
The feruent lufe of his kynd natyve land,
And excedand desyre he bar on hand
Of honour, and hie glory to ressaue,
Mot al evil rumour fra his lawd byvaue.
Attour, behald, lo, athir Decyus;
And, standing fer of, twa that hait Drusus:
Consider Torquatus ȝondir, doith him rax
So brym and fellon with the heding ax;
And Camyllus, the vailȝeand capitane,
Bringand the Roman standartis hame agane.
Ȝon twa sawlys, quhilk thou seis, sans faill,
Schynand with elike armys peregale,
Now at gud concord stad and vnite,
Ay quhil thai stand in myrk and law degre;
Allace, how gret batale and debait
Salbe betwix thame, gif thai til estait
May cum abufe, and to the lyght of lyfe!
O, how gret slauchter, assembleis, and huge strife,
Sal thai exerce and move into thar days!
Cesar, the eldfader, by the strait ways
With his gret rowtis our the Franch montanys
Discendand dovn Lumbardy throu the planys;
His mavch Pompey sall strech agane him went
With rayt ostis of the orient.
O my childring, cum nocht in vse to hant
Sik fremmyt batalis, bot ȝour curage dant;
Exers ȝhe neuer ȝowr vailȝeand fors, quod he,
Amangis the entralis of ȝour awin cuntre.
And O thou, Cesar, thou formast in the pres,
Cum of hevinly kyn, abstene and ces;
Myne awin lynage, obeys my command,
Do cast sik wapynnys fer furth of thy hand.
And he that standys ȝonder, Lucyus,
Onto his surname clepit Mummyus,
Efter he venquist haue Corinthe tovne,
And in batale the worthy Grekis bet dovn,
His char, with mekil glor triumphale,
Sal steir furth to the hie capitol wal.
And he ȝon other, Quintus Metellus,
Ful gret honour sal conques onto ws;
For he sal bet dovn and distroy al clene
Baith Arge and Agamemnonys realm Mycene:
And ȝonder Curyus with his fallow fyne,
Pyrrus, cummyn of kyng Eacus lyne,
And of Achillis armipotent ofspring,
In batel sal ourcummyn and dovne thring,
And thare eldris of Troy wreke and revenge,
And the tempill of Mynerve pollute clenge.
Quha wold the, gret Cato, lefe onhyt?
Or quha with silens Cossus pretermyt?
Quha list forȝet the kynrent of Gracchus?
Or athir of the Scypionys gloryus,
Thai twa thunderis of batale in thare rage,
Fynale rwyne of Affrik and Cartage?
Quha wald, Fabricius, of the say na thyng,
That art ful myghty bot of litil thing?
Of the, Seranus, quha wald na thing schaw,
Quhar thou thi ryggis telys forto saw,
As thou was chosyn capitane of weir?
Quhidder withdraw ȝhe, Fabyus? cum neir;
Thole me na mar be irkyt ȝou to behald:
Thou art that ilk mast souerane Fabius bald,
Quhilk only, throu thy slycht and tareyng,
Restoris the common weill of our ofspryng.
 

CAP. XV

 
Anchises gevis Eneas gud teching,
To gyde the pepill vnder his governyng.
 

 
The pepil of othir realmys, son, said he,
Bene mor expert in craftis, and mar sle
To forge and kerf lyflyke staturis of bras,
Be contenans as the spreit tharin was:
I trast, forsuyth, heirefter mony ane
Sal hew quyk facis furth of marbil stane;
Sum otheris bettir can thar causis pled;
Sum bene mar crafty in ane other sted,
With rewlis and with mesouris by and by
For til exers the art of geometry;
And sum mor subtel to descryve and prent
The starnys movyng and the hevynnys went:
Bot thou, Romane, remember, as lord and syre,
To rewle the pepil vnder thyne empyre;
Thir sal thy craftis be, at weil may seme,
The peax to modefy and eik manteme,
To pardon all cumis ȝoldin and recryant,
And prowd rabellis in batale forto dant.
Thus said the noble fader Anchyses meik;
As thai awondrit can thir wordis eik:
Behald Marcus Marcellus mast douchty,
Quhar that he walkis, lo, sa gloriusly,
With the rich spulȝe triumphale deirly dycht,
Quhilk he reft from his aduersar in fyght,
As the maste vailȝeant victor that I ken,
In bonty doith exceid all other men.
This worthy knycht the common weil Romane,
In gret affray perturbit, to rest agane
And quyet sal restor, and ȝon is he
That venquys sal the Affricane menȝe,
And the Franch rebellioun sall down bet:
The thrid armour or rych spulȝe gret,
Reft from chiftane of weir, this Marcellus
Sall hyng vp to the fader Quirynus.
And for alsmekil as Eneas saw
In falloschip with this Marcus raik on raw
A sembly springald, a far ȝong galland,
Rycht schaply maid, in armour brycht schynand;
Bot his vissage semyt scarsly blith,
With luke doun cast, as in his face dyd kith
That he was sum deill sad and no thing lycht;
Fader, quod he, quhat be ȝon drery knycht,
Quhilk haldis so with ȝon prince company?
Quhidder his son, or sum nevo worthy,
Of our gret lynage and successioun?
O lord, how gret brute, noys, and sovn,
Of confluens that walkyng him about!
Quhou gret apperance is in hym, but dout,
Tilbe of prowes, and a valȝeant knycht!
Bot a blak sop of myst, als dyrk as nycht,
With drery schaddo bilappis his hed.
The fader tho, Anchises, in the sted,
With teris bristyng furth, begouth to say;
O my sweit son, inquir nocht, I the pray,
The excedand regret and womanting
Of thame bene fortocum of thyne ofspring.
The fatis sall bot for a litill space
Schaw ȝon man to the erth and warldly place,
And sall no langer suffer him tharin.
O goddis abufe, the Romanys blude and kyn
Semyt to ȝou our myghty and potent,
Gif so it war the giftis ȝhe hym lent
Had remanyt, or lang his lyfe had lest.
Quhou gret murnyng of men all forcyest,
For hym, furth of the feildis marcyall,
Sall dyn and resound to the cite wall!
And O thou God of the flude Tyberyne,
Quhou mony fertyrris and duyl habetis schyne
Sall thou behald, as thou flowis at Rome
Down by his new maid sepultur or tovme!
Ne nevir child cummyn of Troiane blude
In sic beleif, and glory, and gret gude,
Sal rays his forbearis Italianys;
Ne nevir, certis, the grund of the Romanys
Of ony fostir sal him so avance.
Allace, quhat harm of thy disseuerance!
Of thy gret piete, and thyne ancyent treuth,
Thy hand onvenquyst in batale, O quhat reuth!
Nane suld, but dammage, hym in harnes meit,
Quhidder so aganyst him he went on feit,
Or ȝit on horsbak, as thir knychtis rydis,
With spurris brochand the fomy stedis sydis.
Allace my child, so worthy to be menyt!
Worthy tobe bewalit and complenyt!
Gyf them thyne hard werdis mycht vincus,
Thou salbe namyt the souerane Marcellus.
Of fresch lilleis reke me my handis full:
The purpour flowris I sall skattir and pull,
That I may strow, with sik rewardis at lest,
My nevoys sawle, to culȝe and to fest,
And, but profit, sik costage sall exers.
Apon this wys seir thingis dyd rehers
Anchises; and thus wide quhar thai do walk
Our al that regioun, haldand spech and talk
Within the large feildis of hailsum air,
And euery thing per ordour visseyt thar.
And efter that Anchises, hand in hand,
Had thus his son led our all that land,
And his curage inflambit by and by
With the gret fame tocum and hie glory:
Syne to this valȝeant man he rekkynys heir,
Per ordour, all the batalis and the weir
Quhilk eftir this he had to ber on hand;
And of the pepill eik in Latyn land,
And of the cite of the kyng Latyne,
He him instrukkis; and tharefter syne
Taucht him quhat wys he myght sustene or fle
Ever hard danger or aduersite.
Thar bene ordanyt for dremys ȝettis twane,
Quharof, thai say, of horn forgit is ane,
At quham the suythfast swevynnys by and by
Departis all ways, and ischis furth lychtly:
The tother port is forgit wail perfite
Of eliphantyne and polist evor quhite;
Bot tharat goddis infernal lattis owt
The fals swevynnys to the warld about.
So as Anchises had, apon this wys,
Rehersit, as said is, all thingis at devys,
Sibilla and his son togidder at schort
He leit depart furth at the evor port.
Eneas spedis the strecht way to the schippis,
And can vissy agane his falloschippis:
Fra thyne thai hald, endlang the costis bay,
Onto the port of Caiet the strecht way.
Furth of the forschip leyt thai ankyris glyde;
The navy raid endlang the schoris syde.
 

CAP. XVI

 
Eneas nurys, Caieta, can deces,
Quhar ȝit the place kepis hir name, but les.
 

 
O Caieta, thou nurys of Ene,
Thou has alsso, that tyme quhen thou can de,
Ontil our cost or fronteris of Itale
Gevin the bruyt and fame perpetual:
Quhil this day the ilke place and sted
Observis the renovn eftir thy ded;
Thy tumbe and banys merkit with thy name
In gret Hesperia witnessyng the same,
Gyf that be ony glory now to the.
The reuthfull than and devote prince Ene
Performyt dewly thy funeral seruys;
Apon the sepultur, as custum was and gys,
Ane hepe of erd and litil mot gart vprays,
And with bent saill syne furth his vayage tays:
Eftir that asswagit was the deip sey,
Thai leif the cost and sped on thar journe.
The pyping wynd blew in thar tail at nyght,
Nor the schene moyn hir curs and cleir lyght
Has nocht denyit; so that the haw stremys
Couth schyne and glittir vnder the twynkland glemys.
The cost endlang the ile Circea
Thai swepyng fast by, hard on burd the bra,
Quharas the ryche sonnys douchter, Circe,
Thai schawis, quhamto repar nane aucht tobe,
With hir ythand sweit sang and caralyng
Cawsys allway forto resound and ryng,
And in hir prowd place of beddis all the nycht
The weil smelland cedyr byrnys bright;
With subtil slays, and hir hedlys sle,
Rich lynȝe wobbis natly wefis sche.
From this land redly on fer mycht thai her
The gret rageyng of liones and the beir,
Quhilk thai dyd mak, refusyng to be in band
In silens, all the lait nycht rumesand;
The byrsit baris and beris in thar styis
Roryng all wod with quhrynys and wild cryis,
And gret figuris of wolffis eik infeir,
Ȝowland with ȝammering grisly forto here:
Quhilkis all this crwell goddes, hecht Circe,
By enchantment and forcy herbis sle,
Had forth of mannys figur and estait
Into wild bestis schap and form translait.
Quhilk monstruos transmutatioun for the nanys
Ne happin mycht onto devoyt Troianys,
Gyf thai arryvit in thai portis nys,
Thai cursit costis of this enchantrys,
At thai ne suld do entir, ne thame fynd,
Thar salis all with prosper followand wynd
Neptunus fillit, and maid thame sail swiftly,
All dangeris and gray schaldis careit by.
 

THE PROLOUG OF THE SEVYNT BUKE

 
As bryght Phebus, scheyn souerane hevynnys E,
The opposit held of hys chymmys hie,
Cleir schynand bemys, and goldyn symmyris hew,
In laton cullour alteryng haill of new;
Kythyng no syng of heyt be hys vissage,
So neir approchit he his wyntir stage;
Reddy he was to entyr the thrid morn
In clowdy skyis vndre Capricorn:
All thocht he be the hart and lamp of hevyn,
Forfeblit wolx hys lemand gylty levyn,
Throu the declynyng of hys large round speir.
The frosty regioun ryngis of the ȝer,
The tyme and sesson bittir, cald, and paill,
Tha schort days that clerkis clepe brumaill:
Quhen brym blastis of the northyn art
Ourquhelmyt had Neptunus in his cart,
And all to schaik the levis of the treis,
The rageand storm ourweltrand wally seys;
Ryveris ran reid on spait with watir brovne,
And burnys hurlys all thar bankis dovne,
And landbrist rumland rudely with sik beir,
So lowd ne rumyst wild lyoun or ber;
Fludis monsteris, sik as meirswyne or quhalis,
Fro the tempest law in the deip devalis.
Mars occident, retrograde in his speir,
Prouocand stryfe, regnyt as lord that ȝer;
Rany Oryon with his stormy face
Bewavit oft the schipman by hys race;
Frawart Saturn, chill of complexioun,
Throu quhais aspect darth and infectioun
Beyn causyt oft, and mortal pestilens,
Went progressyve the greis of his ascens;
And lusty Hebe, Junoys douchtir gay,
Stude spulȝeit of hir office and array.
The soyl ysowpit into watir wak,
The firmament ourcast with rokis blak;
The grond fadyt, and fawch wolx all the feildis,
Montane toppis slekit with snaw ourheildyis;
On raggit rolkis of hard harsk quhyn stane
With frosyn frontis cauld clynty clewis schane:
Bewte was lost, and barrand schew the landis,
With frostis hair ourfret the feldis standis.
Seir bittir bubbis, and the schowris snell,
Semyt on the sward a symylitude of hell,
Reducyng to our mynd, in euery sted,
Gousty schaddois of eild and grisly ded.
Thik drumly skuggis dyrknyt so the hevyn,
Dym skyis oft furth warpit feirfull levyn,
Flaggis of fire, and mony felloun flaw,
Scharpe soppys of sleit, and of the snypand snaw.
The dolly dichis war all donk and wait,
The law valle flodderit all with spait,
The plane stretis and euery hie way
Full of floschis, dubbis, myre, and clay;
Laggerit leyis wallowit farnys schew,
Brovne muris kythit thar wysnyt mossy hew,
Bank, bra, and boddum, blanchit wolx and bar;
For gurl weddir growit bestis hair;
The wynd maid waif the red wed on the dyke,
Bedowyn in donkis deip was euery sike;
Our craggis, and the front of rochis seir,
Hang gret ische schouchlis lang as ony speir;
The grond stud barrant, widderit, dosk or gray,
Herbis, flowris, and gersis, wallowyt away;
Woddis, forrestis, with nakyt bewis blowt,
Stude strippyt of thar weid in euery howt.
So bustuusly Boreas his bugill blew,
The deyr full dern doun in the dalis drew;
Smale byrdis, flokkand throu thik ronys thrang,
In chyrmyng and with cheping changit thar sang,
Sekand hidlis and hyrnys thame to hyde
Fra feirfull thuddis of the tempestuus tyde;
The watir lynnys rowtis, and euery lynd
Quhislit and brayt of the swouchand wynd.
Puyr lauboraris and bissy husband men
Went wait and wery draglit in the fen:
The silly scheip and thar litil hyrd gromys
Lurkis vndre le of bankis, woddis, and bromys;
And other dantit grettar bestiall,
Within thar stabillis sesyt into stall,
Sik as mulis, horssis, oxin and ky,
Fed tuskyt barys, and fat swyne in sty,
Sustenyt war by mannys governance
On hervist and on symmeris purvyance.
Wyde quhar with fors so Eolus schowtis schill
In this congelit sesson scharp and chill,
The callour ayr, penetratyve and puyr,
Dasyng the blude in euery creatur,
Maid seik warm stovis and beyn fyris hoyt,
In dowbill garmont cled and wily coyt,
With mychty drink, and metis confortyve,
Agane the stern wyntir for to stryve.
Repatyrrit weil, and by the chymnay bekyt,
At evin be tyme dovne a bed I me strekyt,
Warpit my hed, kest on clathis thrynfald,
Fortil expell the peralus persand cald:
I crosyt me, syne bownyt forto sleip:
Quhar, lemand throu the glas, I dyd tak kepe
Latonya, the lang irksum nyght,
Hir subtell blenkis sched and watry lycht,
Full hie vp quhirlyt in hir regioun,
Till Phebus ryght in oppositioun,
Into the Crab hir proper mansioun draw,
Haldand the hight all thocht the son went law.
Hornyt Hebowd, quhilk we clepe the nycht owle,
Within hir cavern hard I schowt and ȝowle,
Laithly of form, with crukyt camscho beke,
Vgsum to heir was hir wild elrich screke:
The wild geis claking eik by nyghtis tyde
Atour the cite fleand hard I glyde.
On slummyr I slaid full sad, and slepit sound
Quhil the oriȝont vpwart gan rebound.
Phebus crownyt byrd, the nyghtis orlager,
Clapping his weyngis thrys had crawin cleir:
Approching neir the greking of the day,
Within my bed I walkynnyt quhar I lay;
So fast declynys Synthea the moyn,
And kays keklis on the ruyf aboyn:
Palamedes byrdis crowpyng in the sky,
Fleand on randon, schapyn like ane Y,
And as a trumpat rang thar vocis soun,
Quhois cryis bene pronosticatioun
Of wyndy blastis and ventositeis:
Fast by my chalmyr, in heich wysnyt treis,
The soir gled quhislis lowd with mony a pew,
Quharby the day was dawyn weil I knew:
Bad beit the fyre, and the candill alyght,
Syne blissyt me, and in my wedis dyght;
A schot wyndo onschet a litill on char,
Persauyt the mornyng bla, wan, and har,
With clowdy gum and rak ourquhelmyt the ayr,
The sulȝe stythly, hasart, rouch, and hair;
Branchis bratlyng, and blaknyt schew the brays,
With hirstis harsk of waggand wyndill strays;
The dew droppis congelit on stibbill and rynd,
And scharp hailstanys, mortfundeit of kynd,
Hoppand on the thak and on the causay by:
The schot I closit, and drew inwart in hy,
Chyvirrand for cald, the sesson was so snell;
Schupe with hayt flambe to fleym the fresyng fell.
And, as I bownyt me to the fyre me by,
Baith vp and down the hows I dyd aspy:
And seand Virgill on a lettron stand,
To write onone I hynt a pen in hand,
Fortil perform the poet grave and sad,
Quham sa fer furth, or than, begun I had;
And wolx ennoyt sum deill in my hart
Thar restit oncompletit sa gret a part.
And to myself I said; In gud effect
Thou mon draw furth, the ȝok lyis on thy nek.
Within my mynde compasyng thocht I so,
Na thing is done quhil ocht remanys ado;
For byssynes, quhilk occurrit on cace,
Ourvoluyt I this volume, lay a space;
And, thocht I wery was, me list not tyre,
Full laith to leif our wark swa in the myre,
Or ȝit to stynt for bitter storm or rane:
Heir I assayt to ȝok our pleuch agane;
And, as I couth, with afald diligens,
This nixt buke following of profond sentens
Has thus begun in the chil wyntir cald,
Quhen frostis doith ourfret baith firth and fald.
 
 
Explicit tristis prologus;
Quharof the altar says thus.
 
 
Thys Proloug smellis new cum furth of hell;
And, as our buk begouth hys weirfar tell,
So weill according dewly bene annext
Thou drery preambill, with a bludy text.
Of sabyll be thy lettyris illumynate,
According to thy proces and estait.