At the request of a lord of renown

Of anciftry nobill and illuftir baroun, Fader of bukis, protectour to sciens and lair, My fpeciall gud lord Henry lord San& Clair, 5 Quhilk with gret inftance, diuers tymys feir, Prayt me tranflait Virgill or Homeir; Quhais plefour fuythly, as I undirftude, As neir conjun&t to his lordfchip in blude, So that me thocht hys request ane command, 10 Half disparit this wark I tuke on hand, Nocht fully grantand nor anys fayand gee, Bot only to affay quhou it mycht be. Quha mycht gaynfay a lord fo gentill and kynd, That euer had ony curtafy in thar mynd, 15 Quhilk, befyde hys innatyve pollecy, Humanyte, curage, fredome and chevalry, Bukis to recollect, to reid and fe, Has gret delyte as euer had Ptholome? Quharfor to hys nobilite and estait,

20 Quhatfo it be, this buke I dedicait,
Writtin in the langage of Scottis natioun,
And thus I mak my proteftatioun.

Fyrft I proteft, beaw fchirris, be gour leif,
Beis weill avifit my wark or ghe repreif;
25 Confider it warly, reid oftar than anys,
Weill at a blenk fle poetry nocht tayn is;
And git forfuyth I fet my biffy pane,
As that I couth, to mak it braid and plane,
Kepand na fudron bot our awyn langage,
30 And fpekis as I lernyt quhen I was page.

Nor zit fa cleyn all fudron I refus,

Bot fum word I pronunce as nyghtbouris doys; Lyke as in Latyn beyn Grew termys fum, So me behufyt quhilum, or than be dum, 5 Sum baftard Latyn, Franch, or Inglys oys,

Quhar fcant was Scottis, I had nane other choys. Nocht for our tung is in the felwyn fkant, Bot for that I the fowth of langage want, Quhar as the cullour of his properte 10 To kepe the fentens tharto conftrenyt me, Or than to mak my fayng fchort fum tyme, Mair compendyus, or to lykly my ryme. Tharfor gude frendis, for a gymp or a bourd, I pray you note me nocht at euery word. 15 The worthy clerk hecht Lawrens of the Vaill, Amang Latynys a gret patron fans faill,

Grantis quhen twelf gheris he had beyn diligent To study Virgill, fkant knew he quhat he ment; Than thou or I, my frend, quhen we best weyn 20 To haue Virgil red, vnderstand, and feyn,

25

25

The rycht fentens perchance is fer to feik;
This wark twelf gheris firft was in makyng eyk,
And nocht correct quhen the poet gan deces;
Thus for fmall faltis my wys frend hald thy pes.
Adherdand to my proteftatioun,

Thocht Wilgame Caxtoun, of Inglis natioun,
In proys hes prent ane buke of Inglis gros,
Clepand it Virgill in Eneados,

Quhilk that he fays of Franch he did tranflait,

30 It has na thing ado tharwith, God wait,

5

Ne na mair lyke than the devill and San& Auftyne;
Haue he na thank tharfor, bot loys hys pyne,

So fchamefully that ftory dyd pervert;

I red hys wark with harmys at my hart,

That fyk a buke, but fentens or engyne,
Suldbe intitillit eftir the poet dyvyne;

His ornate goldyn verfis, mair than gilt,

I spittit for difpyte to fe fwa spilt

With fych a wyght, quhilk trewly, be myne entent,
10 Knew neuer thre wordis at all quhat Virgill ment;
Sa fer he chowpis I am conftrenyt to flyte.
The thre firft bukis he has ourhippyt quyte,
Salfand a litill twychyng Polidorus,

And the tempeft furth fent by Eolus,
15 And that full fempilly on hys awyn gys;
Virgill thame wrait all on ane other wys.
For Caxton puttis in hys buke out of toyn,
The ftorm furth fent by Eolus and Neptune;
Bot quha fa redis Virgill fuythfaftly,

20 Sall fynd Neptune falf Eneas navy.

Me lyft nocht fchaw quhou thyftory of Dydo,
Be this Caxtoun is haill pervertit fo,
That befyde quhar he fenys to follow Bocas,
He rynnys fa fer from Virgill in mony place,

25 On fa prolixt and tedyus faffon,

So that the ferd buke of Eneadon,
Twichand the lufe and ded of Dido queyn,
The twa part of his volume doith conteyn,
That in the text of Virgill, traftis me,
30 The twelt part fears contenys, as ge may fe.

The fyfte buke of the feftis funerall,

The lufty gammys, and plays palustrall,
That is ourhippit quyte and left behynd,

Na thing tharof ghe fall in Caxtoun fynd.

5 The faxt buke eyk, he grantis, that wantis haill,
And, for tharof he vnderftude nocht the taill,
He callis it fengeit, and nocht for to beleif;
Sa is all Virgill perchans, for by his leif
Juno nor Venus goddeffis neuer war,
10 Mercure, Neptune, Mars, nor Jupiter,
Of Fortune eik, nor hir neceffite,

Sik thingis nocht attentik ar, wait we,
Nor git admittis that quent philofophy
Haldis fawlys hoppys fra body to body,

15 And mony thingis quhilkis Virgill dyd rehers,
Thocht I thame write furthfollowand hys vers.
Nor Caxtoun fchrynkis nocht ficlyke thyngis to tell
As nocht war fabill, bot the paffage to hell;
But traftis weill, quha that ilke faxt buke knew,
20 Virgill tharin ane hie philosophour hym schew,
And, vnder the clowdis of dyrk poetry,

Hyd lyis thar mony notabill hiftory.
For fo the poetis, be ther crafty curys,

In fimilitudes, and vndir quent figuris,

25 The fuythfaft materis to hyde and to conftreyn; All is nocht fals, trafte weill, in cace thai feyn,

Thair art is fo to mak thar warkis fair,

As in the end of Virgill I fall declair. Was it nocht eik als poffibill Eneas, 30 As Hercules or Thefeus tyll hell to pas?

B

Quhilk is na gabbyng fuythly, nor na lie,
As Jhone Bocas in the genealogie

Of Goddys declarys, and lyke as he may reid
In the recolles of Troy, quha left tak hed.

5 Quha wait gyf he in vifioun thydder went
By art magike, forcery, or enchantment,

And with his faderis fawle dyd fpeke and meyt,
Or in the lyknes with fum other spreit,

Lyke as the fpreit of Samuell, I ges,
10 Rayfit to King Saul was by the Phitones?
I will nocht fay all Virgill beyn als trew,
But at fyk thyngis ar poffibill this I fchew;
Als in tha days war ma illufionys,

By dewillich warkis and coniurationis,

15 Than now thar beyn, fo doith clerkis determ;
For, bliffit be God, the faith is now mair ferm.
Enewch tharof, now will I na mor fayn,
Bot onto Caxtoun thus I turn agane.

The namys of pepill or citeis beyn fo bad

20 Put by this Caxtoun, that, bot he had beyn mad, The flude of Touyr for Tibir he had nocht write ; All men may knaw thar he forvayt quyte. Palente the cite of Evander kyng,

As Virgill playnly makis reherfyng,

25 Stude quhar in Rome now ftant the cheif palyce ; This fam buke eyk, in mair hepit malyce,

On the felf ryver of Touyr fays playnly
Eneas dyd hys cyte edify.

Thus ay for Tibir Touyr puttis he,

30 Quhilk mony hundreth mylis fyndry be;