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.

¶Howe the boye that ledde Apuleius to the fieldes, was slaine in the woodde.

Cap. 30.

WHile I deuised with my selfe in what maner I might ende my life, the roperipe boie on the next morrow led me to the hill againe, & tied me to a boowe of a great Oke, and in the meane season he tooke his hatchet and cut woodde to lode me withall, but beholde there crept out of a caue by, a meruailous great Beare, holdinge out his mighty head, whome when I sawe, I was sodēly strokē in feare & (throwing all the strēgth of my bodie into my hinder héeles) lifted vp my streined head and brake the halter, wherwith I was tied. Then there was no néede to bidde me runne awaie, for I scoured not onely on foote, but tumbled o∣uer the stones and rockes with my bodie, til I came in∣to the open fieldes, to the intent I would escape away from the terrible Beare, but especially from the boie y^• was worse then the Beare. Then a certaine straunger that passed by y^• waie (espiyng me alone as a straie Asse) tooke me vp & rode vpon my back, beating me w^t a staffe (which he bare in h•• hād) through a blind & an vnknowē lane, wherat I was nothing displeased, but willingly wēt forward to auoide y^• cruel paine of gelding, which y^• shepardes had ordeined for me, but as for y^• stripes I was nothing moued, since I was acustomed to be beatē so euery day: But euell fortune would not suffer me to continue in suche estate longe: For the Shepeherdes

(looking about for a cowe that they had lost,* 1.1 after they had sought in diuers places) fortuned to come vpon vs vnwares, who when they espied and knewe me, they woulde haue taken me by the halter, but he that rode vpon my backe resisted thē saiyng. Good lord maisters, what intende you to doo? will you robbe me? Then said the shéepeherdes, what thinkest thou that we handle thée otherwise then thou deseruest, which hast stolen a∣waie our Asse, why doest thou not rather tel vs where thou hast hidden the boie whom thou hast slaine? And therewithall they pulled him downe to the grounde, beatinge him with their fistes, and spurning him with their féere. Then he sware vnto thē saiyng: that he saw no maner of boie, but onely founde the Asse loose and straiynge abroade, whiche he tooke vp to thintent he might haue some rewarde for the finding of him, and to restore him againe to his maister. And I would to god ({quod} he) y^• this Asse (which verely was neuer séene) could speake as a man, to geue witnesse of mine innocencie: Then would you be ashamed of the iniurie whiche you haue done to me. Thus (reasoning for him selfe) he no∣thing preuailed, for thei tied the halter about my neck, and (maugre his face) pulled me quite awaie, & led me backe againe through the wooddes of the hill to y^• place where the boie accustomed to resorte. And after that they could finde him in no place, at length they founde his bodie rent and torne in pieces, and his members dispersed in sondrie places, which I well knewe was done by the cruel Beare, and verely I would haue told it if I might haue spoken, but (whiche I could onely do) I greatly reioysed at his death, although it came to late. Then they gathered together the pieces of his bo∣die and buried them. By and by they laide all the fault

to him that was my newe maister, that tooke me vp by the way, and (bringing him home faste bounde to their houses) purposed on the nexte morrow to accuse him of murder, and to lead him before the Iustices to haue iudgement of death.

Notes

• * 1.1

  He falleth into Scilla that will auoide Charib∣dis.