The. xi. bookes of the Golden asse conteininge the Metamorphosie of Lucius Apuleius, enterlaced with sondrie pleasaunt and delectable tales, with an excellent narration of the mariage of Cupide and Psiches, set out in the. iiii. v. and vj. bookes. Translated out of Latine into Englishe by VVilliam Adlington.

In the meane season Psyches hurled hir self hither and thither, to séeke for her husband, the rather because she thought, that if he would not be appeased with the swéete flatterie of his wyfe, yet he would take mercy vpon her at her seruile and continuall praiers. And (espiyng a Churche on the toppe of a high hill) she sayd, what can I tell whether my husbande and maister bée

there or no? wherefore she went thither warde, & with great paine & trauell, moued by hope, after y^• she climed to the toppe of the mountaine, she came to the Tēple & went in, whereas, behold she espied shéefes of corne li∣yng on a heape, blades writhed like garlādes, & réedes of barley, moreouer she sawe hookes, sithes, sickels and other instruments to reape, but euery thing lay out of order, & as it were caste in by the handes of labourers, which when Psiches sawe, she gathered vp & put euery thing dewly in order, thinking that she would not de∣spise or contemne the Temples of any of the Gods, but rather get the fauour & beneuolence of them all, by & by Ceres came in, & beholding her busie and curious in her chappel, cried out a farre of, and said: O Psiches néede∣ful of mercy, Venus searcheth for thée in euery place to reuenge her selfe & to punish thée greuously, but y^• haste more minde to be here, and carest for nothyng lesse, thē for thy safetie. Then Psiches fell on her knées before her, wateringe her féete with her teares, wipinge the ground with her heare, & with great wéeping & lamen∣tation desired pardon, saiyng: O great & holy Goddesse I pray thée by thy plentuous & liberal right hād, by thy ioyfull ceremonies of haruest, by the secretes of thy sa∣crafice, by the fliyng chariottes of thy Dragons, by the tillage of the groūd of Sicile, which thou hast inuēted, by the marriage of Proserpina, by y^• diligent inquisitiō of thy daughter, & by the other secretes which are with∣in the tēple of Eleusis in the lande of Athēs, take pitie on me thy seruaunt Psiches, and let me hide my selfe a few dales emōgst these shéefes of corne vntill the yre of so great a Goddesse be past, or vntill that I be refreshed of my great labour & trauell. Then answeared Ceres: Verely, Psiches I am greatly moued by thy prayers &

teares, & desire with all my harte to ayde thée, but if I should suffer thée to be hidden here, I should incurre the displeasure of my Cosin, with whome I haue made a treaty of peace, and an auncient promesse of amitie: wherefore I aduise thée to departe hense, and take it not in euell parte in that I will not suffer thée to abide and remaine within my Temple.

Then Psiches driuen away cōtrary to her hope, was double afflicted with sorrow, and so she returned backe againe: and behold, she perceaued a farre of in a valley a Temple standing within a forest, fayre and curiously wrought, and mindinge to ouerpasse no place, whither better hope did direct her, and to the intent she would desire the pardon of euery God, she approched nighe to the sacred doores, whereas she sawe pretious richesse & vestmentes igrauen with letters of gold, hanging vpō braunches of trées, and the postes of the Temple, testi∣fiynge the name of the Goddesse Iuno, to whome they were dedicate, then she knéeled downe vpon her knées, and embrasinge the Aulter with her handes, and wi∣pinge her teares gan pray in this sorte. O déere spouse and sister of the great God Iupiter, which arte adored among the great tēples of Samos, called vpō by wemē with childe, worshipped at high Carthage, because thou werest brought from heauen by the Lion, the riuers of the floud Inachus doo celebrate thée, & know y^t thou arte the wife of the great God & the Goddesse of Goddesses: All the East part of the world hath thée in veneration, all the world calleth thée Lucina, I pray thée to be mine aduocate in my tribulatiōs, deliuer me from the great daunger which pursueth me, and saue me that am we•• ried with so longe labours and sorrowe, for I knowe that it is thou that succourest and helpest suche w••men

as are with childe and in daūger. Then Iuno hearinge the praiers of Psiches, appeared vnto her in al her roy∣altie: saying: Certes Psiches I would gladly help thée, but I am ashamed to doo any thing contrary to the wil of my daughter in lawe Venus, whom alwaies I haue loued as mine owne childe, moreouer I shall incurre the daunger of the lawe intituled, De seruo corrupto, Whereby I am forbidden to retaine any seruaunt fu∣gitiue against the will of his maister.

Then Psiches cast of likewise by Iuno, as without all hope of the recouery of her husbande, reasoned with her selfe in this sorte, now what comfort or remedie is lefte to my afflictions, when as my prayers will no∣thinge auayle with the Goddesses? what shall I doo? whither shall I goe? In what caue or darkenes shall I hide my selfe to auoide the furor of Venus? why doo I not take a good harte, and offer my selfe with humilitie vnto her whose anger I haue wrought, what doo I know whether he (whome I séeke for) be in the house of his mother or no? Thus beyng in doubte, poore Psiches prepared her selfe to her owne daunger, & deuised how she might make her Orayson and prayer vnto Venus.

After that Venus was wery with searchinge by sea and lande for Psiches, she returned towarde heauen, & cōmaunded that one should prepare her chariot, which her husbād Vulcanus gaue vnto her by reason of mar∣riage, so finely wrought that neither Golde nor filuer coulde be cōpared to the brightnes therof, fowre white pidgeons guided the chariot with great dilig••nce, and when Vlenus was entred in, a nomber of sparrowes flewe chirpinge about, makinge signe of ioye, and all other kinde of birdes sange swéetely foreshowynge the cōminge of the great Goddesse: the cloudes gaue place,

the heauens opened, & receaued her ioyfully, the birdes that followed nothinge feared the Egles, Haukes, and other rauenous fowle in the ayre. Incontinently she went vnto the ryall Pallaice of the God Iupiter, and with a proude & bolde petition demaūded the seruice of Mercury in certaine of her affaires, wherunto Iupiter consented, then with much ioy she descended frō heauē with Mercurie, & gaue him an earnest charge to put in execution hir woordes, saying: O my brother, borne in Arcadia, thou knowest well that I (who am thy sister) did neuer enterprise to doo any thinge without thy pre∣sence, thou knowest also how longe I haue sought for a girle and cannot finde her, wherefore there resteth no∣thinge els saue that thou with thy trumpette doo pro∣noūce the rewarde to suche as take hir, sée thou put in execution my commanndement, and declare that what so euer he be that retaineth her, wittingly, against my will shall not defend him selfe by any meane or excusa∣tion: whiche when she had spoken, she deliuered vnto him a libell wherin was cōteined the name of Psiches and the reside we of his publication, which done she de∣parted away to hir lodginge. By and by, Mercurius (not delaying y^• matter) proclaimed through out all the worlde, that what so euer he were that coulde tell any tidinges of a Kinges fugitiue daughter, the seruaunt of Venus, named Psiches, should bring woorde to Mer∣curie, and for rewarde of his paynes he should receaue seuen swéete cosses of Venus. After that Mercury had pronounced these thinges, euery man was inflamed with desire to searche out Psiches.

This proclamation was the cause that put away all doubte from Psiches, who was scantly come in sight of the house of Venus, but one of her seruauntes called

Custome came out, who espiyng Psiches, cried with a loude voice, sayinge: O wicked harlotte as thou arte, now at length thou shalt know that thou haste a mi∣stris aboue thée, what doest thou make thy selfe igno∣rant as though thou diddest not vnderstand what tra∣uell we haue taken in searchinge for thée, I am gladde that thou arte come into my handes, thou arte now in the goulfe of Hell, & shalt abide the paine and punish∣ment of thy great contumacie, and there withall she toke her by the heare, & brought her in before the pre∣sence of Venus.

When Venus espied her, she began to laugh, & as an∣gry persons accustome to doo, she shaked her head and scratched her right eare, saiyng: O goddesse, Goddesse, you are now come at lēgth to visit your mother, or els to sée your husband, that is in daunger of death by your meanes, be you assured I will handle you like a daugh∣ter, where be my maydens Sorrow, and Sadnes? To whome (when they came) she deliuered Psiches to be cruelly tormented, then they fulfilled the cōmandemēt of their Misteris, and after they had piteoufly scourged her with whippes & roddes, they presented her againe before Venus. Thē she began to laugh againe, saiyng: Behold she thinketh (that by reason of her great belly which she hath gotten by playing the hoore) to moue me to pitie, and to make me a grandmother to her childe: Am not I happy, that in the flourishinge time of all mine age shalbe called a grādmother, and the sonne of a vile harlotte shalbe accōpted the Nephew of Venus? How be it I am a foole to terme him by the name of a sonne, since as the marriage was made betwéene vn∣equall persons, in the fieldes, without witnesses, & not by the cōsent of their parentes, wherfore the marriage

is illegitimate, and the childe (that shalbe borne) a ba∣starde, if we fortune to suffer thée to liue so longe till thou be deliuered.

When Venus had spoken these woordes she leaped vpō the face of poore Psiches, and (tearing her apparell) toke her violently by the heare, & dashed her head vpon the ground. Then she tooke a great quātitie of wheate, barley, will, popy séede, peason, lintels, and beanes, and mingled them al together on a heape, saying: thou euill fauored girle, thou séemest vnable to gette the grace of thy louer, by no other meanes, but only by di∣ligent & painefull seruice, wherfore I will proue what thou caust doo, sée that thou seperate all these graynes one from an other, disposinge thē orderly in their qua∣litie, and lette it be done before night. When she had appointed this taske vnto Psiches, she departed to a great banquette that was prepared that day.

But Psiches went not about to disseuer the graine (as beinge a thinge impossible to be brought to passe by reason it lay so confusely scattered) but beinge astonied at the cruel cōmaundement of Venus, satte still & saide nothing: Then the litle Pismere the Emote, takings pitie of her great difficultie & labour, cursing the cruel∣nes of the wyfe of Iupiter and of so euill a mother, ranne aboute hither and thither, and called to her all the Antes of the countrie, sayinge: I pray you my fréendes, ye quicke sonnes of the grounde the mother of al thinges, take mercie on this poore mayde espoused to Cupide, who is in great daunger of her person, I pray you helpe her withall diligence. Incōtinently one came after an other disseueryng & deuiding the graine, & after that they had put eche kinde of corne in order, they ranne away againe in all haste.

When night came, Venus retourned home from the banquet well tipled w^t wyne, smelling of balme, & crowned with garlādes of Roses, who when she espied what Psyches had done, gan say, this is not the labour of thy hādes, but rather of his that is amorous of thée, then she gaue her a morsell of browne bread, and went to sleape.

In the meane season Cupide was closed fast in the moste surest chamber of the house, partly because he should not hurte him selfe with wanton dalliance, and partly because he should not speake with his loue, so these twoo louers weare deuided one from an other.

When night was passed, Venus called Psyches & sayde: séest thou yonder forest that extendeth out in lengthe with the ryuer, there be great shéepe shininge like golde, and kepte by no maner of persone, I com∣maunde thée that thou go thither and bringe me home some of the wool of their fléeces. Psyches arose willing∣ly, not to doo her commaundement, but to throwe her selfe hedlong into the water to ende her sorowe. Then a gréene réede inspired by deuine inspiration with a gracious tune and melodie gan say. O Psyches, I pray thée not to trouble or pollute my water by the death of thée, and yet beware that thou goe not towardes the terrible shéepe of this coast, vntill suche tyme as the heate of the Sunne be past, for when the Sunne is in his force, then séeme they most dreadfull, and furious, with their sharpe hornes, their stony forheads, & their gaping throtes wherwith thei arme them selues to the destruction of mankinde: but vntill the midday is past and the heate asswaged, and vntill they haue refreshed them selues in the ryuer, thou maist hyde thy selfe here by me vnder this great plane trée: and as sone as their

great fury is past, thou maist go among the thickettes and bushes vnder the wood syde and gather the lockes of their golden fléeces, which thou shalt finde hāginge vpon the briers. Thus spake the gentle and beninge Réede, showinge a meane to Psyches to saue her life, whiche she bare well in memory, and with all diligēce went and gathered vp suche lockes as she founde & put them in her apron, and carried them home to Venus: how be it the daunger of this seconde labour did not please her, nor giue her sufficient witnesse of the good seruice of Psyches, but with a sower resemblaunce of laughter, she said: Of certaintie I knowe y^• this is not thy facte, but I will proue if thou be of so stoute a cou∣rage, and singuler prudencie as thou séemest.

Then Venus spake vnto Psyches againe: saying, Séest thou the toppe of yonder great hill, from whense there ronneth downe water of blacke & deadly colour, whiche nourisheth the floodes of Stix and Cocitus, I charge thée to goe thither and bring me a vessell of that water: wherewithall she gaue her a bottell of Cristall, menacinge and threatening her rigorously.

Then poore Psyches went in all hast to the toppe of the mountaine, rather to ende hir life then to fetche a∣ny water, and whē she was come vp to the ridge of the hill, she perceaued that it was impossible to bringe it to passe: For she sawe a great rocke gusshinge out moste horrible fountaines of waters, whiche ranne downe & fell by many stoppes and passages into the valley be∣neath, on eche side she sawe great Dragons, stretching out their longe and blouddy neckes, that neuer slept, but apointed to kéepe the riuer there: the waters sée∣med to thē selues likewise: saying, Away, away, what wilt thou doo? Fly, fly, or els thou wilt be slaine: then

Psiches (séeing y^• impossibilitie of this affaire) stoode still as though she were trāsformed into a stone, & although she was present in body, yet was she absent in spirite and sense, by reason of the great perill which she sawe, in so much that she could not cōfort her selfe with we∣ping, such was the present daunger that she was in.

But the royall bird of great Iupiter, the Egle, remē∣bring his old seruice, which he had done, whē as by the pricke of Cupide he brought vp the boy Ganimides to y^e heauens, to be made the buttler of Iupiter, & mindinge to show the like seruice in the person of the wife of Cu∣pide, came from the high house of the skies, & said vnto Psiches: O simple woman, without all experiēce, doest thou thinke to get or dippe vp any droppe of this dred∣ful water? No, no, assure thy selfe thou arte neuer able to come nigh it, for the Goddes them selues doo greatly feare at the sight therof: what haue you not harde that it is a custome emonge men to sweare by the puissance of the Goddes: And the Goddes doo sweare by the Ma∣iestie of the riuer Stix? but giue me thy bottle, and so∣denly he toke it, and filled it with the water of the ri∣uer, and takinge his flight thorough those cruell and horrible Dragons brought it vnto Psyches: who being very ioyfull thereof presented it to Venus, who would not yet be appeased, but menacinge more & more, said: what thou séemest vnto me a very Witche & Enchaun∣teresse, that bringest these thinges to passe, how be it thou shalt doo one thinge more.

Take this bore & goe to hell to Proserpina, and desire her to sende me a litle of her beautie, as muche as will serue me the space of one day, and say that suche as I had is consumed away since my sonne fell sicke, but re∣turne againe quickely, for I must dresse my self there∣withal,

withal, & goe to the threatre of the Gods, thē poore Psi∣ches perceaued the ende of al her fortune, thinking ve∣rely y^• she shoulde neuer returne, & not without cause, when as she was cōpelled to goe to the goulfe & furies of Hell. Wherfore without any further delay, she wēt vp to a high tower to throwe her selfe downe headlong (thinkinge that it was the nexte and rediest waye to Hell) but the towre (as inspired) spake vnto her, sai∣ynge: O poore miser why goest thou about to slea thy selfe? why doest thou rashly yéelde vnto thy laste pe∣rill and daunger? know thou that if thy spirite be once seperate from thy bodie, thou shalt surely goe to Hell, but neuer to returne againe, wherefore herken to me: Lacedemon a Citie of Grece is not farre hense: Goe thou thither and enquire for the hill Tenarus, where∣as thou shalte finde a hole leadinge to Hell, euen to the pallaice of Pluto, but take héede that thou goe not with emptie handes to that place of darkenesse: but carry twoo soppes sodden in the flower of barley and hony in thy handes, & twoo halfpens in thy mouth, and when thou haste passed a good parte of that way, thou shalt sée a lame Asse carriyng of woodde, & a lame fellowe driuinge him, who will desire thée to giue him vp the stickes that fall downe, but passe thou on and doo nothinge, by and by thou shalt come vnto the riuer of Hell, whereas Charon is Ferriman, who will first haue his fare paide him, before he will carry the soules ouer the riuer in his boate, whereby you may sée that auarice raigneth emongst the dead, neyther Charon nor Pluto will doo any thinge for nought: For if it be a poore man that woulde passe ouer, and lacketh money he shalbe compelled to die in his iourney before they will showe him any reliefe, wherefore deliuer

to carraine Charon one of the halfepens (whiche thou bearest) for thy passage, & lette him receaue it out of thy mouth. And it shall come to passe as thou sittest in the boate, thou shalte sée an olde man swimminge on the toppe of the riuer holdinge vp his deadly handes, and desiringe thée to receaue him into the barke, but haue no regarde to his piteous crie: when thou arte passed ouer the floudde thou shalt espie old women spinninge who will desire thée to helpe them, but beware thou doo not consent vnto them in any case, for these and like baites and trappes wil Venus sette, to make thée lette fall one of thy soppes: and thinke not that the kéepinge of thy soppes is a light matter, for if thou lese one of them thou shalt be assured neuer to retorne againe to this world. Then thou shalt sée a great and meruelous dogge with thrée heades barkinge continually at the soules of such as enter in, by reason he can doo them no other harme, he lieth day and night before the gate of Proserpina, and kéepeth the house of Pluto with great diligence, to whome if thou cast one of thy soppes, thou maist haue accesse to Proserpina without all daunger: she will make thée good chéere, and entertaine thée with delicate meate & drinke, but sitte thou vpon the ground and desire browne bread, and then declare thy message vnto her, and when thou hast receaued such beautie as she giueth, in thy retorne appease the rage of the dogge with thy other soppe, & giue thy other halfepeny to co∣uetous Charon, and come the same way againe into the world as thou wentest: but aboue all thinges haue a regarde that thou looke not in the boxe, neither be not to curious about the treasure of the diuine beautie.

In this manner the towre spake vnto Psyches, and aduertised her what she should doo: and immediatly she

tooke twoo halfpence, twoo soppes, and all thinges ne∣cessary and went to the moūtaine Tenarus to goe to∣wardes Hell.

After that Psiches had passed by the lam•• Asse, paide her halfpenny for passage, neglected the old man in the riuer, denied to helpe the wemen spinninge, and filled the rauenous mouth of y^• dogge with a soppe, she came to the chamber of Proserpina. There Psyches would not sitte in any royall seate, nor eate any delicate meates, but kneelinge at the féete of Proserpina, onely contented with course bread, declared her message, and after she had receaued a misticall secrete in the boxe she departed, and stopped the mouth of the dogge with the other soppe, and paied the boteman the other halfpēny.

When Psyches was returned from hell, to the light of y^• worlde she was rauished with great desire, saying: Am not I a foole that knowinge that I carry here the diuine beautie, will not take a little thereof to garnish my face, to please my louer withall? and by and by she opened the boxe, where she coulde perceaue no beautie nor any thinge els, saue onely an infernall and deadly sléepe, whiche immediatly inuaded all her members as∣sone as the boxe was vncouered, in such sort that she fel downe on the gronnde, & lay there as a sléepinge corps.

But Cupide beinge now healed of his wounde and maladie, not able to endure the absence of Psyches, gotte him secretely out at a windowe of the chamber where he was enclosed, and (receauinge his winges) toke his flight towardes his louinge wife, whome whē he had founde he wiped away the sléepe from her face, and put it againe into the boxe, and awaked her with the tippe of one of his arrowes, sayinge: O wretched ••aytife, beholde thou wearest welny perished againe,

with thy ouermuch curiositie, well, goe thou, & doo thy message to my mother, and in the meane season I will prouide for all thinges accordingly: wherewithall he toke his flight into the ayre, and Psiches brought her present to Venus.

Cupide being more and more in loue with Psiches, & fearing the displeasure of his mother, did perce into the heauens, & arriued before Iupiter to declare his cause: then Iupiter after that he had eftsones embrased him, gan say in this manner: O my welbeloued sonne, al∣though thou hast not giuen due reuerēce & honour vn∣to me as thou oughtest to doo, but hast rather soyled, & wounded this my brest (wherby the lawes and order of the elementes & planetes be disposed) with continuall assaultes of terren luxury & against al lawes, & the dis∣cipline Iulia, & the vtilitie of y^• publique weale in trās∣forming my diuine beautie into serpentes, fire, sauage beastes, birdes▪ & into bulles. Howbeit remēbringe my modestie, & that I haue nourished thee with mine owne proper handes. I wil doo & accōplish al thy desire, so that thou canst beware of spiteful & enuious persons. And if there be any excellent mayden of comely beautie in the world, remēber yet y^• benefite which I shall show vnto thée, by recompence of her loue towardes me againe. When he had spokē these woordes, he cōmaunded Mer∣curie to call al the Goddes to counsell, and if any of the celestiall powers did fayle of appearance, he should be condemned in ten thousande poundes: which sentence was such a terrour vnto all the Goddes, that the high Theatre was replenished, & Iupiter began to speake in this sorte. O ye Goddes, registred in the bookes of the Muses, you all know this yonge man Cupide, whome I haue nourished with mine owne handes, whose ra∣ginge

flames of his first youth I thought best to bridle and restraine. It suffiseth in that he is diffamed in eue∣ry place for his adulterous liuinge, wherefore all occa∣sion ought to be taken away by meane of marriage: he hath chosen a mayden that fancieth him well, and hath beriued her of her virginitie, lette him haue her still and possesse her according to his owne pleasure: then he returned to Venus, and said: And you my daughter, take you no care, neither feare the dishonour of your progenie and estate, neither haue regarde in that it is a mortall marriage, for it séemeth vnto me, iuste, law∣full and legitimate by the lawe Ciuill.

Incontinently after, Iupiter commaūded Mercurie to bring up Psiches the spouse of Cupide, into the pal∣layce of heauen. And then he toke a potte of immorta∣litie, and said: Holde Psyches and drinke to the ende thou maist be immortall, and that Cupide may be thine euerlastinge husbande.

By and by the great bankette and marriage feast was sumptuously prepared, Cupide satte downe with his déere spouse betwéene his armes: Iuno likewise w^t Iupiter, and all the other Goddes in order, Ganimides filled the potte of Iupiter, and Bacchus serued the rest. Their drinke was Nectar the wine of the goddes, Vul∣canus prepared supper, the howers decked vp the house with Roses & other swéete smelles, the Graces threwe about baulme, the Muses sange with swéete harmony, Apollo tuned pleasauntly to the Harpe, Venus daun∣sed finely: Satirus and Paniscus plaide on their pipes: and thus Psiches was married to Cupide, and after she was deliuered of a childe, whom we call Pleasure.

This the trifling old woman declared vnto y^• captiue mayden, but I poore Asse, not stāding farre of was not

a litle sory in that I lacked penne and Inke to write so woorthy a tale.