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.

¶How Apuleius goinge to bie fis••e mette with his com∣paignion Pithias.

Cap. 7.

WHen this was done, & all my thinges brought into the chamber, I walked towardes the

vaines, but first I went to the market to bie some vic∣tualles for my supper, where as I saw great plentie of fish set out to be solde: and so I cheapened parte therof, and that whiche they first helde at a hundred pence, I bought at length for twenty: whiche when I had done and was departinge away, one of mine olde compaig∣nions, and fellow at Athens, named Pithias, fortuned to passe by, and viewinge me a good space, in the ende brought me to his remembraunce, and gentely came and kissed me, saiyng: O my déere fréende Lucius, it is a great while paste sithens we twoo sawe eche other, and moreouer from the time that we departed frō our maister Vestius, I neuer harde any newes of you, I pray you Lucius tell me the cause of your peregrinatiō hither: Then I answeared and said: I will make rela∣tion thereof vnto you to morrow: but I pray you tell me, what meaneth these seruitours that follow you, & these roddes or verges whiche they beare: and this ha∣bite whiche you weare,* 1.1 like vnto a Magistrate: verely I thinke that you haue obteined your owne desire, wherof I am right gladde. Then answeared Pithias, I beare the office and rule of the clarke of the market, & therefore if you will haue any pittance for your sup∣per, speake and I will puruey it for you: Then I than∣ked him hartely, and said I had bought meate sufficiēt already. But Pithias when he espied my basket wher∣in my fishe was, toke it and shaked it, and demaun∣ded of me what I payed for all my sprottes: in faith ({quod} I) I could skase enforse the fishmonger to sell them for twentie pence, whiche when he harde, he brought me backe againe into the market, and enquired of me of whome I bought them, I showed him the olde man which satte in a corner, whome by and by (by reason of

his office) he did greatly blame and said. Is it thus that you serue and handle straungers? and specially our fréendes? wherefore sell you this fishe so déere which is not woorth a halfpennie? Now perceaue I wel that you are an occasion to make this place, which is the princi∣pall Citie of al Thessalie to be forsaken of all men, & to reduce it into an inhabitable desert, by reason of your excessiue prices of victuales, but assure your selfe that you shall not escape without punishment, and you shal know what mine office is, and how I ought to punish such as doo offend. Then he toke my basket and cast the fishe on the grounde, and commaunded one of his ser∣geantes to treade them vnder his féete: this done he perswaded me to departe, & said that that onely shame and reproche done vnto the olde caitife did suffise him, so I went away all amased and astonied, towardes the bames (considering with my selfe, and deuisinge of the grace of my compaignion Pythias) where when I had washed and refreshed my bodie, I returned againe to Milos house both without money and meate, and so gotte into my chamber, then came Fotis immediatly vnto me, and said that her maister desired me to come to supper, but I (not ignorant of Milos abstinence) prayed that I might be perdoned, since as I thought best to ease my weary bones rather with sleape & quiet∣nes, than with meate: when Fotis had tolde this vnto Milo, he came him selfe, and toke me by the hande, and while I did modestly excuse me, I wil not ({quod} he) depart from this place, vntill suche time as you shall goo with me, and to confirme the same he bounde his woordes with an othe, whereby he enforced me to follow him and so he brought me into his chamber, where he satte him downe vpon the bedde, and demaūdes of me how

his fréende Demeas did, his wife his children and all his familie: & I made him answeare to euery question, specialy he enquired the causes of my peregrination & trauell, whiche when I had declared, he•• yet busilie de∣maunded of the state of my countrie, and of the chiefe Magistrates there, and principaly of our Lieutenant and Viceroye, who when he perceaued that I was not onely weried by trauel, but also with talke, and that I fell a sleape in the middest of my tale, and further that I spake nothinge directly or aduisedly, he suffred me to departe to my chamber. So scaped I at length from the pratlinge and hungry supper of this ranke olde man,* 1.2 and beinge compelled by sleape and not by meate (as hauinge supped onely with talke) I returned into my chamber and there be toke me to my quiet and longe desired rest.

Notes

• * 1.1

  ••o vsed Magi∣strates to goo sometime in ••ome.
• * 1.2

  Such suppers v∣seth vserers to make.