Cap. 2.

THe other night, beinge at supper with a sorte of hūgry fellowes, while I did gréedely put a great Page  2 morsell of meate in my wouth, that was fried with the flower of chéese and barley, it cleaued so fast in the pas∣sage of my throate, and stopped my winde, in such sort that I was welnie choked. And yet at Athens before the porche there, called Peale, I sawe with these eies, a Iugler that swalowed vp a twoohand swoorde with a very keene edge, and by & by, for a litle money that we, that looked on, gaue him, he deuoured a chasing speare, with the pointe downward. And after that he had cō∣uaide the whole speare within the closure of his bodie, and brought it out againe behinde, there appeared on the toppe thereof (whiche caused vs all to maruell) a fayre boye, pleasaunt and nimble, windinge and tur∣ninge him selfe in such sorte, that you would suppose that he had neither bone nor gristle, and verely thinke that he were the naturall Serpent, crepinge & slidinge on the knotted staffe,* whiche the God of Medicine is feigned to beare. But turninge me to him that began his Tale, I pray you ({quod} I) follow your purpose, and I alone will giue credite vnto you, and for your paines will pay your charges at the next Inne we come vnto. To whome he aunsweared, Certes sir, I thanke you for your gentle offer, and at your request, I will pro∣ceade in my tale: but first I will sweare vnto you by the light of this Sunne y^• shineth here, y^• those thinges whiche I shall tell be trewe, least when you come to the next Citie called Thessalie, you should doubte any thinge, of that whiche is rife in the mouthes of euery person, and done before the face of all men: And that I may first make relation vnto you, what, & who I am, and whither I goe, & for what purpose: know ye, that I am of Egin; trauelinge these countries about from Thessaly to Etolia, and from Etolia to Beotia, to pro∣uide Page  [unnumbered] for hony, chéese, and other victuales to sell againe: And vnderstāding, that at Hippata (which is the prin∣cipall Citie of all Thessalie) is accustomed to be solde newe chéeses of excéedinge good taste and relishe, I for∣tuned on a day to goe thither, to make my market there, but (as it often happeneth) I came in an euill houre, for one Lupus a purueiour had bought and en∣grossed vp all the daie before, and so I was deceaued. Wherefore, towardes night (being very wery) I went to the baines to refreshe my selfe, and beholde, I fortu∣ned to espie, my compaignion Socrates sittinge vpon the grounde, couered with a torne and course mantell, who who so meigre and of so sallowe and miserable a countenance, that I scantly knew him: for fortune had brought him into such estate and calamitie, that he ve∣rely séemed as a common begger, that standeth in the stréetes to craue the beneuolence of the passers by: To∣wardes whome (how be it he was my singuler friende & familiar acquaintance,* yet halfe in despayre) I drewe me, and said: Alas my Socrates, what meaneth this? how fareth it with thée? what crime hast thou commit∣ted? verely there is great lamentation and wéepinge made for thée at home: Thy childrē are in warde by de∣crée of the prouinciall iudge: thy wife (hauinge ended her mourninge time in lamentable wise with face and visage bloubered with teares, in suche sorte that she hath welny wept out both her eies) is cōstrained by her parentes to put out of remembrance the vnfortunate losse and lacke of thée at home, and (against her will) to take a newe husbande. And doest thou liue here as a ghost or hegge, to our great shame & ignomie? Then answeared he to me, & saide: O my friende Aristome∣nus, now perceaue I well that you are ignorant of the Page  3 whirlinge chaunges, the vnstable forces, and slipperie inconstance of fortune: and therewithall he couered his face (euen then blushing for very shame) with his rug∣ged mātell, in so much that from his nauell downward he appeared al naked. But I (not willing to sée him any lenger in suche great miserie and calamitie) toke him by the hande and lifted him vp from the grounde: who (hauing his face couered in such sorte) let fortune ({quod} he) triumphe yet more, let her haue her sway, and finishe that whiche she hath begunne. And therwithall I put of one of my garmentes and couered him, and immedi∣atly I brought him to the baine, and caused him to be annointed, wiped, and the filthie skurfe of his body to be rubbed away, whiche done (although I weare very wery my selfe) yet I ledde the poore miser to my Inne, where he reposed his bodie vpon a bedde, and then I brought him meate and drinke, and so we talked toge∣ther: for there we might be mery & laugh at our plea∣sure, and so we weare, vntill suche time as he (fetching a pitifull sighe from the bottom of his harte, and bea∣tinge his face in miserable sorte) began to say.