The Æneid of Virgil Translated Into Scottish Verse

ANE EXCLAMATIOUN

HEIR FOLLOWYS THE TYME, SPACE, AND DAIT, OF THE TRANSLATIOUN OF THIS BUKE

MANTUA ME GENUIT, CALABRI RAPVERE, TENET NUNC PARTHENOPE; CECINI PASCUA, RURA, DUCES

THE COMMENT

P. 6 . l. 15.—Innatyve is alsmekil to say as inborn, or that quhilk cumis till ony person be thar natural inclinatioun of kynd throw thar forbearis.

P. 6 . l. 18.—Ptholome kyng of Egipt, the famous gret clerk, astronomour, and discryvar of the warld, that causit lxxij interpretouris to translat the bibill, had sa gret plesour and delyte of bukis that he gadderit togidder in ane librar xxxvj thousand volummys.

P. 10 . l. 10.—Thistory of Saul and the spreit of Samuel rasyt by the Phitones is in the first buk of Kyngis, in the xxviij. c.

P. 14 . l. 21.—Oppetere is alsmekil to say as ore terram petere, lyke as Seruius exponys the sammyn term, quhilk to translate in our tung is, with mowth to seik, or byte, the erd. And lo, that is ane hail sentence for ane of Virgillis wordis.

P. 15 . l. 15.—As for animal and homo in our langage is nocht a propir term, and thai be bot bestis that exponys animal for a beste. Ane beste is callit in Latyn bestia and pecus, and animal betakynnys all corporall substans that has ane saull quhilk felis payn, joy, or ennoy: and vndyr animal beyn contenyt all mankynd, beist, byrd, fowll, fisch, serpent, and all other sik thingis at lyfis and steris, that has a body; for all sik, and euery ane of thame, may be properly callit animal. And thus animal is ane general name for al sik maner thingis quhatsumeuer.

Homo betakynnys baith a man and a woman, and we haue na term corespondent tharto, nor yit that signifyis baith twa in a term alanerly.

P. 15 . l. 19.—Genus is that thing quhilk is common, and may be verefyt of mony other thingis different in kynd, or of diuers kyndis: as this word, a beste, may be verefeit and is common till al and syndry kynd of bestis; for a hors is a beste, ane ox a beste, a scheip a beste, a dog a beste; and swa of otheris.

Species is that thing or word that is common, or may be verefeit of mony thingis different in numbir: as this word, a man, may be verefeit and is common till al maner of man particular; for Johne is a man, Thomas a man, Wilyam a man; and furth of otheris. Syk lyke, this word, a hors, is common to this hors, and that hors; the gray is a hors, the blak a hors, the quhite a hors.

Sexus is the discretioun, diuersitie, or differens in schap, betwix the mail and the female in al maner corporal creatouris: for thocht a man and a woman beyn baith of a kynd and natur, yit ar thai different and diuers in thar schap. Rycht swa is ane hors fra a mair, quhilk ar bath of a kynd; siklyke, a cok from a hen, a kow from a bull; and swa is of all kyndis quhar the mail is distinct fra the femell.

P. 17 . l. 13.—This argument excusis nocht the tratory of Eneas, na his maynsweryng, considering quhat is said heirafoir, in the ij. c. of this prolog; that is,

It followis than, that Eneas vroucht not be command of ony goddis, bot of his awyn fre wyl, be the permission of God, quhilk sufferis al thing, and stoppis nocht, na puttis nocht necessite to fre wyll. He falit than gretly to the sueit Dydo; quhilk falt represit nocht the goddessis diuinite, for thai had na diuinite, as said is befoir.

P. 17 . l. 25.—Heir he argeuis better than befoir.

P. 23 . l. 1.—Virgille reherssis not Eneas naim, bot callis him The Man, be excellens; as thocht he said, The mast soueran man.

P. 23 . l. 3.—Lavyn, Lavinium, Lawrentum, stud viij. mylis fra the mowth of Tibyr, and was cyte of the king Latynus; of quham eftyr in the vij. buyk, quhill the end of this volume.

P. 23 . l. 8.—Quhat is Latium, or Latio, luyk eftyr in the vj. c. of the viij. buyk. The cite of quham heir is mention was new Troy, quham Eneas beggit at the mouth of Tibir, and fra Ene bein namyt the Latynis, and nowdir fra the cyte nor the land.

P. 23 . l. 11.—Of Alba cyte luyk eftyr, in the fyfte c. of this buyk, and in the fyrst c. of the viij. buyk.

P. 23 . l. 13.—Musa, in Grew, signifeis an inuentryce, or inuention, in our langgage; and of the ix Musis sum thing in my Palyce of Honour, and be Mastir Robert Hendirson in New Orpheus.

P. 23 . l. 14.—The poet inqueris quhat maieste or power offendyt of Juno, quhilk is fenyeit to haf many poweris: sche is clepit queyn of goddis, mastres and lady of realmys, precident of byrthis, spous and sistir to Jupiter, &c.

P. 24 . l. 12.—Samo is an ile in Trace, quhar Juno was weddit and born, as sais Seruius; and ther, as vitnessyth Sanct Jerom, stud the farest tempil of Grece, dedicat to Juno.

P. 24 . l. 12.—Hir see, hir seit.

P. 24 . l 21.—Lybia, or Liby, is the thrid part of the warld, callit Affryk, quham now we call the land or cost of Barbary.

P. 24 . l. 29.—The jugement of Paris is common to all knawis the sege of Troy.

P. 25 . l. 5.—Hebe, douchter of Juno, and goddess of youth, seruyt Jupiter of his covp: quhilk, at a fest amang the goddis makand hir seruice, slaid and schew hir schame in al thar presens; for the quhilk lak Jupiter gaif to this Ganymedes, son to kyng Troyus, hir office. Of the ravisyng of this Ganymede ye haf benayth, in the v. c. of the v. buyk; and of this Hebe sum thyng in the prolog of the vij. buyk.

P. 25 . l. 16.—And as the Troianys &c. First abuyf the poete proponis his entent; sayand, The batellis and the man &c. nyxt makis he inuocation, calland on his muse to tech hym thar; O thou my Muse &c. and ther, lyke as his muse spak to hym, declaris the caussis of the feid of Juno, sayand, Ther was an anchient Cyte, hecht Cartage. Now heir thridly procedis he furth on his narration and history, and beginnys at the sevint yeir of Eneas departyng of Troy, as ye may se in the end of this first buyk, and eftyr the deces of his fadir Anchises, quham he erdit in Sycill at Drepanon, as ye haf in the end of the thrid buyk; the remanent of his auenturis being reseruyt, be craft of poetry, to the banket of queyn Dido, quhar thai be then at lenth rehersit by Eneas in the secund and thryd.

P. 25 . l. 29.—This offence was the ravising of Cassandra furth of the tempill of Pallas, as ye haue in the vij. cheptour of the secund buke following. And sum says this Aiax oppressit hir in the tempill: quhilk Aiax was son to kyng Oylus, prince of Locria, or Locrida, and his pepyll beyn namyt Locrj or Locranys.

Thocht, in verite, Juno was bot ane woman, dochter to Saturn, sistir and spows to Jupiter king of Crete, yit quhen poetis namys hir swa, thai ondirstand sum tyme by Juno the erth and the watir, and by Jupiter the ayr and the fyre: and for als mekyll as the ayr and the fyre is actyve, and the watyr and the erth patient, and that all corporall thyngis beyn engendrit therof, heirfoir bein thaj clepit spowsis. Bot, for that sum tym Juno betakinys alanerly the ayr, and Jove the fyre, than, be raison of ther contegwyte and qualite convenient, bein thai clepit sistyr and brothir: and for that all thyngis, by the influens of the planetis, starnys, and hevinnis abufe, be maid of thir elymentis, therfor bein thaj clepit kyng and queyn, fadir and mothyr to goddis and men. And ferthyr as twychyng this Juno, hir other namys and proprieteis, I refer to John Bocas in the Genealogy of gentille Goddis, onto the nynt buyk therof, and first c. of the sammyn.

P. 26 . l. 13.—The cuntre or realm of Eolus, clepit Eolia, lyis betwix Sycill and Italy, vij. ilandis in the sey, of quham thir be the namys; Lipara, Hiera, Strongile, Didyme, Eriphusa, Phenycusa, and Evomynos. And for alsmekyll as thir ilis bene full of cavernys, with bryntstan blawand and byrnand ondir the erd, that therby, throw the swouch of the fire, may be persauyt a day or twa befor fra quhat part or art the wynd is for to cum; and this Eolus kyng therof, as an naturall man, first be experiens persauit this, and wald schaw the pepill therby, weill twa or thre dais befor, the wynd was to blaw from syk an art: for the quhilk rayson, with the rude pepill, was he namyt kyng or god of windis. And thai put that he had vj sonnys and vj dochtiris, quhilkis ar nocht ellis bot the xij wyndis, of quham the namys, to begin at the est and go round abowt, bein thir; Subsolanus, Ewrus, Nothus, Auster, Affricus, Zephyrus, Fauonius, Circius, Chorus, Boreas, Aquilo, and Wlturnus.

P. 26 . l. 22.—John Bocas, be Eolus set hie in his chare to rewle and dant the windis, ondirstandis Raison set hie in the manis hed, quhilk suld dant, and includ law in the cave or boddum of the stomach, the windis of peruersit appetyte, as lord and syre set be God almychty therto.

P. 27 . l. 15.—Ilion, or Ilium, was the cyte of Troy, havand his naym fra king Ilus, fader to Laomedon. The hayll cuntre was callit Troy fra kyng Tros, or Trojus, fadir to this Ilus: the awld naim therof is Phrigia, bot oft bein ather of all ther namys takin for other; as Troy, als weill for the cyte as the realm. And heir, be a maner dispite, Juno, for the pepill or gudis of Ilion, namys the hail cyte.

P. 28 . l. 2.—For alsmekill as I hafe said abufe Juno betakinnys the air, in quham blawis thir windis, and by quham the mater quhareof windis bein engendrit beyn producit to ther perfection, therfor justly and of rycht Eolus grantis him to hald his ring of Juno.

P. 28 . l. 15.—Ewrus is heir takyn for the gret est wynd, thocht it be bot the wind est to sowthin; siklyke, Nothus for the mayn sowth, thocht it be south to est: and Affricus is takin for plat west wynd, that is bot sowth sowthwest. And thus heir the thre principall gret windis contrarius blew attanys apon thaim, and the north wind also in the nyxt c.; A blastirrand bub owt from the north braying &c.

P. 29 , l. 1.—Here fyrst namys Virgill Eneas.

This cald, sais Seruyus, coym of dreid; not that Eneas dred the ded, bot this maner of ded: and alsso he that dredis na thyng, nor kan haf na dred, is not hardy, but fuyll hardy and beistly.

P. 29 , l. 6.—The maner was swa in tha dais, that nobillis slan in feld tuke ther mouth full of erd, to that effect that in the ded thrawis nain myssyttand word nor voce suld be hard of ther mowth.

P. 29 , l. 11.—Sarpedon, son of Jupiter and Laodomya, dochtyr to Bellerophon, was kyng of Lycia; of huge statur, and slane by Patroclus.

P. 30 . l. 5.—Thar lyis betwix Affryk and the ile of Sardynia, amyd the sey, a hirst or ryg of craggy rolkis, quhilkheyn callit altaris of suple or help, becaus therat, on a tyme, the pepill of Affrik and Romanys band vp perpetwall payce. And thir schald bankis of sand, heir nammyt, bein the twa dangeris of the sey Affrican, callit Syrtis, the mair and the les; mar perellus than Yairmuth sandis or Holland cost.

P. 30 . ll. 12 & 15.—Off Orontes and Lewcaspis sum thing in the v. c. of the vj. buyk; and of this Pander or Pandarus, in the ix. c. of the v. buyk.

P. 30 . l. 22.—Of this Ilioneus, and the otheris Troianys heir nammyt, beyn oft benath maid mensioun.

P. 30 . l. 30.—Neptun, or Neptunus, brother to Jove and Pluto, and son to Saturn. For that the partis of his heritage lay in Creit by the sey cost, and for he vsit mekill salyng and rowyng, and fand the craft or art therof, therfor is he clepit god of the sey. He was alsswa ane the first tawcht to dant and taym horssis: and onto hym beyn consecret the fundment of wallis, for alsmekill as it is said he biggyt the wallis of Troy, or than becaus the watyr inclusyt ondyr the erth is oft tymys caus of erdqwkyng, and trimbillyng or moving of the erth, as we se by experiens in watyr brekis. And, perchans, thir thre poweris signefeis the thre granyt ceptour, quhilk his statw in ald days bair in hand, lyk a crepar or a graip wyth thre granys. Tha discryve hym rydand in a cart, quhilk betakinnys the weltyng our of the sey wallys, that rollys, hurlys, and brais, lyke cart quhelis. Quha lykis mair of him, go reid Bocas, in the first c. and tent buyk of the Genealogy of Goddis.

P. 31 . l. 15.—Heir is an notabyll doctryn, that nane nobill man suld hastely reveng him eftir his greif. Tharfor was gevin consell to August Octavian, the empriour, that eftir his commotioun, or euer he did or said ocht, he suld wryte xxiiij lettiris.

P. 31 . l. 21.—This thre granyt ceptour in sum part haf I twychit abuf: it may betakyn alsswa the thre properteis of the water, quhilk is flowand, drynkabyll, and ganand to sayll or swym intyll.

P. 32 . l. 1.—Cymothoe, as sais Seruyus, is, in Grew, als mekyll to say in our langage, as the flowand or rinnand flud, quhilk may be clepit a ganand dochtir to Neptun, god of seys. Trytton, as sais Bocas, is the bruyt or rowtyng of the wally sey; quharfor justly is he fenyeit trumpet to the occian, and son to Neptun. Netheles, Plynyus in his natural history reherssis that Triton is a verray monstre of the sey, and that in the tym of Tyberius the emperour syk ay was hard and seyn. His schap and portatour is discryvit in the x. buyk, in the iiij. c.; and he slais Mesenus in the iij. c. of the vj. buyk.

P. 32 . l. 8.—Noyte Virgill in this comparison and symilytude, for therin and in syk lyke baris he palm of lawd, as I haf said in my proheme. It is to be considderit alsso that, our all this wark, he comparis batell tyll spait or dyluge of watyr, or than to suddan fyr, and to nocht ellis.

P. 32 . l. 16.—Cristoferus Landynus, that writis moraly apon Virgill, says thus: Eneas purposis to Italy, his land of promyssioun; that is to say, a just perfyte man entendis to mast soueran bonte and gudnes, quhilk, as witnessyth Plato, is situate in contemplation of godly thingis or dyvyn warkis. His onmeysabill ennymy Juno, that is fenyeit queen of realmys, entendis to dryve him from Itall to Cartage; that is, Avesion, or concupissence to ryng or haf warldly honouris, wald draw him fra contemplation to the actyve lyve; quhilk, quhen scho falis by hir self, tretis scho with Eolus, the neddyr part of raison, quhilk sendis the storm of mony warldly consalis in the just manis mynd: bot, quhoubeyt the mynd lang flowis and delitis heirintyll, fynaly by the fre wyll and raison predomynent, that is, ondirstand, by Neptun, the storm is cessit, and, as followis in the nyxt c., arryvit in sond havin, quhilk is tranquilite of consciens: and fynaly Venus, in the vj. c. following, schawis Ene his feris recouerit again; quhilk is, fervent lufe and cherite schawis the just man his swete meditationys and feruor of deuotion, quham he tynt by warldly curis, restorit to hym again; and all his schippis bot on, be quham I ondyrstand the tyme lost.

P. 33 . l. 18.—Nympha may be clepit a spows, or a damysell. Bot thai bein takyn with poetis for goddessis of woddis, wildirnessis, fludis, or wellis: and Nympha is a generall naym to all syk Nymphis of wellis, bein callit Naydes; of hillis or montanys, Oreades; of woddis and forestis, Dryades; of salt fludis, Nereides; of flouris, Napee and Hamadriades, ar fenyeit to grow and de wyth the tre, as quha wald say the sawle of the tre.

P. 34 . l. 5.—Ye sall ondirstand, Virgill, in all partis of his proses, quhat maner or fassoun he discrivis ony man at the begynnyng, sa continewys he of that samin person all thro; and Eneas in all his wark secludis from all vylle offyce: bot, as twychand materris of pyety or devotion, thar labowris he euer wyth the first, as ye may se in the beginyng of the vj. buke.

P. 34 . l. 13.—Thocht sum wald say, perchans, that in Affrik bein na hartis, therto answeris Landinus that albeit perchans now ther be nain, in tha days tha war not to seyk: Or thocht in the ferther partis of Affrik be nain, in the hiddir partis, quharto was Eneas dryve, ther beyn mony.

P. 34 . l. 29.—Acestes, kyng of Sycilly; of quham in the first c. of the v. buke.

P. 35 . l. 7.—Sylla and Charybdis bein twa gret dangeris in the Sycill sey; of quham in the vj. and viij. c. of the thrid buke.

P. 35 . l. 10.—Off thir Cyclopes alsso, in the ix. and x. c. of the thrid buyk.

P. 36 . l. 2.—Wyne the eldar the bettir, sa that it be fresch; and euery man knawis vennyson owt of ply tynys the sesson.

P. 36 . l. 16.—Jove, or Jupiter, by the gentillis was clepit the mast soueran god, fader of goddis and men, and all the otheris war bot haldyn as poweris dyuers of this Jupiter, callit juuans pater, the helply fadir; bot quham we cleip swa I haf writyn in my proloug of the x. buyk. Of Jupiter, as writis Sanct Augustyn in his volume clepit the Cyte of God, in the vij. buke and ix. c. therof, thus writis poetis:

Jupiter omnipotent, kinq of kingis, and god, fader and moder of goddis, an god, and all the goddis. Of him largly spekis he alswa, reprevand the gentile opinyonys, in the sam volum, in the first buk and xj. c. therof; and in the xij. c. repreuys the opynion of Plato, that haldis God the sawl of the warld. Of Jupiter sais the poet Lucan,

Jupiter is all that euer thou seis, and all that euer movis. Bot quhou ther beyn thre syndry Jupiteris, reid John Bocas in his Genealogy of Goddis, in the first c. of the xj. buyk, quhar he tretis of Jupiter, kyng of Crete, quhilk was Jupiter the thrid: and ther, at the full, of all the fiction and fabillis therof, and quhy he is clepit gret god, and of this Jupiter in the recollectis of Troy. Of the secund Jupiter, kyng of Archad, and syne of Athenes, quhich slew Lycaon, and was fadyr to Dardanus, of quham caym the Troianys, he writis in the first c. of his v. buyk: and of Jupiter the first, callit Lysanyan, and kyng Athenes, in the ij. c. of his ij. buke, quhar he tretis the proprieteis of Jupiter the planeyt. And now to speyk of Jupiter the planete, quhilk is secund in ordour, and vnermaste nyxt Saturn; he is gentyll and meyk, and full of gud influens, and profitabill aspectis, in sa far that gif he conionys with a frawart planete, sik as Mars, or Saturn, he meysis ther wreth: gif he conjonys with a meyn planete, as the Sone, the Moyn, or Mercury, he drawis thaim and makis inclyn to his gudnes. Quhen he conjonys with Venus, or is participant with hir, as he stud in the ascendent at this tym of Eneas landyng, quhilk is fenyeit the commonyng betwix hym and Venus, than, as heir apperis, batakynnys all gud; for Jove is clepit, Fortuna maior, and Venus, Fortuna minor. He completis his curs in xij yeris; and, by this constylation betwix him and Venus, Seruius ondirstandis felicite to cum be a woman; as followis be Dido: And that Venus was sorofull, that is to knaw, discendent, and nocht in hir strenth, signifeis the sorefull departyng and myschans of Dido.

P. 37 . l. 18.—Becaus ther is mensioun of Anthenor, quham many, followand Gwydo De Columnis, haldis tratour, sum thing of him will I speyk, thocht it may suffis for his purgation that Virgill heir hayth namit him, and almaste comparit him to the mast soueran Eneas; quhilk comparison na wys wald he haf maid for lak of Eneas, gif he had bein tratour. Bot to schaw his innocens, lat vs induce the mast nobill and famus historian and mylky flud of eloquens, gret Tytus Lyuius, quhilk of Anthenor and Eneas sais thir wordis in his beginning: It is weill wyt that, Troy beand takin, in all the otheris Troianys crudelite was exersit, exceppand twa, Athenor and Eneas: to quham the Grekis did na harm, bot abstenyt fra all power of batell as twichyng thaim, becaus of the rayson of hospitalite; for thai had beyn ther ald hostis and all tymys thai war solistaris and warkkaris to rendyr Helen and to procur paice. Now I beseik yow, curtes redaris, considdir gif this be punctis of traison, or rathar of honour; and wey the excellent awtorite of Virgill and Tytus Lyuius with your pevach and corrupt Gwido. Landinus sais als of this Anthenor that, for his sone Glaucus followit Paris, he depechit him of him, and for that sam caus, quhen he was aftyr slan by Agamemnon, he maid na duyll for his ded.