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 Apuleius was cheapened by diuers persons, and how they loked in his mouth to know his age.

Cap. 36.

AFter this we came to a fayre Citie very popu∣lous, where our shéepeherdes determined to cō∣tinew, by reason y^• it séemed a place where they might liue vnknowē, farre from such as should pursue them, and because it was a countrie very plentifull of corne and other victualles, where when we had remai∣ned the space of thrée daies, & that I poore Asse, and the other horses were fedde & kept in the Stable to the in∣tent we might séeme more saleable, we were brought out at length to the market, and by & by a crier sounded with his horne to notifie y^• we were to be solde, all my compaigniō horses were bought vp by gentlemen, but∣as for me I stoode still forsaken of all men. And when many biers came by and looked in my mouth to knowe mine age, I was so werie with opening my iawes that at length (vnable to endure any lenger) whē one came with a stinking payre of handes, & grated my gommes with his filthy fingers I bitte them cleane of, whiche thing caused the standers by to forsake me, as beinge a fierce and cruell beast: the crier when he had gotten a hoarse voice with crying, and sawe that no man would bie me, began to mocke me, saiyng: To what end stāde we here with this vile Asse, this feble beast, this slowe iade with woorne hoofes, good for nothinge, but to make slues of his skinne, why doo we not giue him to some

body, for he earneth not his hey, in this manner he made all the standers by to laugh excéedingly, but my euill fortune whiche was euer so cruell againste me, whome I by trauell of so many countreis coulde in no wise escape, did more and more enuie me, with inuen∣tion of new meanes to afflict my poore bodie, in geuing me an other maister as spitefull as the rest. There was an olde man, somewhat balde, with longe and grey heare, one of the nomber of those which goe from doore to doore through out al the villages, bearing the image of the Goddesse Siria, and plaiyng with cymballes to gette the almes of good and charitable folkes, this olde man came hastely towardes the crier, and demaunded where I was bredde, marry ({quod} he) in Cappadocia: then he enquired what age I was of, the crier aunsweared as a mathematricien, whiche desposed to me my pla∣netes, that I was fiue yeeres olde, and willed the olde man to looke in my mouth, for I would not willingly ({quod} he) incurre the penaltie of the lawe Cornelia in sel∣ling a frée Citizin for a seruill slaue, by a Goddes name this faire beast to ride home on, and about in the coun∣trie: but this curious bier did neuer stinte to question of my qualities, and at length he demaunded whether I were gentle or no: gentle ({quod} the crier) as gentle as a Lambe, tractable to al vse, he wil neuer bite, he wil ne∣uer kicke, but you would rather thinke y^• vnder y^• shape of the Asse, there were some well aduised man, whiche verely you may easely coniect, for if you would thrust your nose in his tayle you shall perceaue how pacient he is: Thus the crier mocked the olde man, but he per∣ceauing his tauntes and iestes, wared very angry, sai∣yng: Away dotinge crier, I pray the omnipotent and omniparent goddesse Siria, sainct Sabod, Bellona

with her mother Idea, & Venus with Adonis to strike out both thine eies that with tauntinge mockes haste scoffed me in this sorte, doest thou thinke that I will put a Goddesse vppon the backe of any fierce beaste, whereby her diuine image should be throwen downe on the grounde, and so I poore miser should be compel∣led (tearinge my heare) to looke for some Phisicien to helpe her? when I harde him speake this, I thought w^t my selfe sodeinly to leape vpon him like a madde Asse, to the intent he shoulde not bie me, but incontinently there came an other Marchaunt that preuented my thought, and offered seuentene pence for me: then my mayster was gladde and receauing the money, deliue∣red me to my newe maister, who was called Philebus: and he carried his newe seruaunt home, and before he came to his house, he called out his daughters, say∣inge: beholde my daughters what a gentle seruant I haue bought for you, then they weare meruelous glad, and comminge out pratlinge and shoutinge for ioye, thought verely that he had brought home a fitte & con∣uenable seruant for their purpose, but when they per∣ceaued that it was an Asse, they began to reproue him, sayinge: that he had not bought a seruant for his may∣dēs, but rather an Asse for him selfe. Howbeit ({quod} they) kéepe him not wholy for your owne ridinge, but let vs likewise haue him at commaundement, therewithall they ledde me into the stable, & tied me to the maūger, there was a certaine yonge man with a mighty bodie well skilled in playing on instrumētes before the God∣desse to get money, who (assone as he espied me) enter∣tained me very well, for he filled my racke & maunger with meat, & spake merely, saying: O maister Asse you are welcome, now you shall take my office in hande,

you are come to supplie my rowme, and to ease me of my miserable laboure: But I praie God thou maist lōg liue and please my maister well, to thende thou maiest continually deliuer me from so great paine. When I harde his woordes, I did prognosticate my miserie to come. The daie following, I sawe there a great nom∣ber of persons apparelled in diuers colours, hauinge painted faces, mytres on their heades, vestimentes co∣loured like saffron, surplesses of silke, and on their féete yellowe shoes, who attired the Goddesse in a roabe of purple, and put her vpon my backe. Then they went foorth with their armes naked to their shoulders, bea∣ring with them great swoordes and mightie axes, and daunsing like madde persons. After that we had pas∣sed many small villages, we fortuned to come to one Britunis house, where at our first entrie, they began to hurle them selues hither and thither, as though they weare madde. They made a thousand iestes with their féete and their heades: They would bite them selues: Finally, euery one tooke his weapon and wounded his armes in diuers places. Emongest whome there was one more madde then the reste, that fette many déepe sighes from the bottome of his harte, as though he had bene rauished in spirit, or replenished with deuine po∣wer. And after that, he somwhat returning to him self inuented and forged a great lie, saiyng: that he had di∣spleased the deuine maiestie of the Goddesse, by doinge of something whiche was not conuenable to the order of their holie Religion, wherefore he would doo venge∣ance of him selfe: And therewithall he tooke a whippe and scourged his owne body, that the bloud issued out abundantly, which thinge caused me greatly to feare to sée such woūdes and effusion of bloud, least the same

Goddesse desiring so much the bloud of mē should like∣wise delire y^• bloud of an Asse.* 1.1 After they were wery w^t hurling and beating them selues, they sat downe. And beholde, the inhabitantes came in & offred gold, siluer, vessels of wyne, milke, chéese, flower, wheat, and other thinges: Amongst whome there was one that brought barley to the Asse that caried the Goddesse, but the gre∣dy horsons thrust al into their sacke which thei brought for the purpose, and put it vpon my back, to thende I might serue for twoo purposes, y^• is to say: for the barne by reason of my corne, and for the temple, by reason of the goddesse. In this sorte they wet from place to place robbing all the countrey ouer: At length they came to a certaine castell, purposing to make good chere there, where vnder coloure of diuinatiō, thei brought to passe that they obteined a fatte shéepe of a poore husbandman for the Goddesse supper, & to make sacrifice withal. Af∣ter that y^• banket was prepared, they washed their bo∣dies & brought in a tale yong mā of the village to suppe with them, who skaree tasted a fewe potage when they began to discouer their beastly customes & inordi∣nate desier of vnnaturall luxurie. For they compassed him round about sitting at the table, & abused the yong man contrarie to all nature & reason: When I behelde this horrible fact, I could not but attempte to vtter my minde and saie, O maisters, but I could pronounce no more but the first letter O, which I roared out so vali∣antly, that the yong mē of the town, séeking for a stray Asse that they had lost the same night, and hearing my voice, wherby they iudged y^• I had bene theirs, entred into the house vnwares, and founde these persons cō∣mitting their vile abhomination, which whē they saw, they declared to all the inhabitātes by their vnnatural

vilanie mocking and laughing at this the pure & cleane chastitie of their Religion. In the meane season, Phe∣bus & his companie, (by reason of the bruite which was dispersed throughout all y^e Region there of their beast∣ly wickednes) put all their tromperie vpon my backe & departed away about midnight. When we had passed a good part of our iourney before the rising of the Sun, we came into a wide desert, where they cōspired toge∣ther to slea me. For after they had taken the Goddesse from my back and set her gingerly vpon the grounde, they likewise tooke of my harnesse, and boūd me surely to an oke, beating me with their whippe, in suche sorte that all my bodie was mortified. Amōgst whome there was one that threatned to cut of my legges with his hatchet, because by my noyse I diffamed his chastitée, but the other regarding more their own profit then my vtilitie, thought best to spare my life, because I might carie home the Goddesse: So they laded me againe, dri∣uing me before them with their naked swoordes til thei came to a noble citie: where the principal patrō bearing high reuerence vnto the Goddesse, came in great deuo∣tion before vs w^t Tympanie, cimballes, & other instru∣mentes, & receiued her & al our companie with much sa∣crifice & veneration: But there I remember, I thought my selfe in moste daūger, for there was one y^t brought to the maister of the house, a fide of a fat buck for a pre∣sent, whiche being hanged behinde the kytchin doore, not farre from the grounde, was cleane eaten vp by a greyhounde that came in: The Cooke when he sawe y^e venison denoured, lamēted & wept pitifully. And be∣cause supper time approched nigh, whē as he should be reproued of to much negligēce, he tooke a halter to hāge him self, but his wife perceiuing wherabout he went,

canne incontinently to him, and taking the halter in both her handes stopped him of his purpose, saiynge: O husband, are you out of your wittes? what intende you to doo? Sée you not a present remedy before your eyes ministred vnto you by deuine prouidence? I pray you husband follow my coūsell, carrie this straūge Asse out into some secret place and kill him, whiche done cut of one of his sides, and sauce it well like the side of the buck, and sette it before your maister. Then the Cooke hearing the counsell of his wife, was well pleased to slea me, to saue him selfe: And to bringe his purpose to passe, he went to the whetstone to sharpe his tooles ac∣cordingly.

Notes

• * 1.1

  So vsed they in olde time to of∣fer to Images.