¶How the couenaunte of the bataylle was made bytwene Eneas & Turnus Capitulum lviij
WHan Turnus herde the kynge speke thus / he taryed tyll that he had finysshed his wordes / and sone whā he myght speke / he sayd good kyng haue no drede for me nor no doubte / but suffer that my honour and praysinge be encreassed / Am I thenne soo feble: and doeth my swerde cutte soo lityll / that I dare not fyghte wyth Eneas. and is my flesshe more tendre & the bloode of my body more nyghe goon / more than is his / And I doo hym well to wytte that yf he come so nyghe me that he be woūded / he shal be ferre frō ye goddesse his moder / to whom he trust moche yf I fyght wyth hym: To thise wordes came there the quene Amatha that was sore troubled. and all a ferde of the bataylle & of the sie¦ge of the cyte. And whan she sawe turnus that wolde fygh¦te wyth eneas. she beganne to wepe & make grete mone and sayd / Turnus I praye the by the teeres that thou seeste falle fro myn eyen / and by the honour that I haue alwayes borne and doon to the. that thou fyghte not wyth Eneas / For yf thou deyed I sholde neuer lyue after nyght ne daye. For that owre I wolde neuer see that eneas shelde haue my doughter Page [unnumbered] to hys wyffe / Whan Lauyne sawe her moder wepe she was therof fulle sory and wrothe and with this she be came rede In her face / And whan Turnus sawe her / the more that he dyde beholde her / The more he was taken of the loue of the pucelle. And more wyllynge and sore chaffed for to fyght with Eneas. And sayde to the queene / Madame wepe not for me / Nor doubte not of no thynge / For it is better that we two fyght togyder / Than that oure folke sholde slee eche other. Whan turnus had spoken thus he dyde make his 〈◊〉 to be broughte afore hym and his harneys & armed himself moche rychely as of custome was after the facyen & mane∣re of the londe atte that tyme / And the kynge Latyne had sent his messagers toward Eneas: for to announce vnto hym that Turnus was alredy appareylled for to fyght body to body aienst hym / Of the bataylle was eneas ryght glad and anone armed him. And of bothe partyes they assembled theym alle In afayre playne afore the cyte for to see the ba∣taylles of this two barons whiche sholde haue be merueyl∣louse. And the ladyes & the pucelles were moūted vpon the walles & the quene also. The kynge latyne was yssued out of the cytee with Turnus and with hys men / And of bo∣the sydes they made sacrefyces for hym with whome they helde / And the kynge Latyne and the other barons deuy∣sed the couenaunces / That who some euer were vanquys∣hed. Other Turnus or Eneas / that he and hys hoost sholde voyde out of the Londe and sh•lde goo In to another coun∣treye. ¶Whyles that they spake thus and that the con∣uenauntes were deuysed and made and that rested theyre nothynge. But for to goo bothe togyder / An auenture happed there a merueyllouse thynge whiche appiered to all theym that were there / An egle grete and ouergrowen came Page [unnumbered] fleynge hyghe bytwene the cyte and the tentes: And then∣ne lighte hym selfe doun harde among a grete many of swā¦nes. that were in a water nyghe by / And toke one of the∣ym bytwyx his clawes. whiche were grete and sharpe / and bare hym vpwarde by grete force. And anone all the hepe of theym arose / For they were aferde. and floughe all highe towarde the clowdes. And were soo many that all the ay∣er was couered-wyth theym. And soo moche they dyde enuy¦ronne all aboute the egle / that she lete falle the swanne oute of her clawes in to the water / And the egle fledde and heelde on his waye:
