Cap. 10.

WHen noone was come Birrhena sent vnto me a fatte pigge, fiue hennes, and a flagon of old wine. Then I called Fotis and saide,* beholde how Bacchus the egger and stirrer of venerie doth of fer him selfe of his owne accorde, let vs therfore drinke vp this wine, that we may prepare our selues, and get vs courage against soone, for Uenus wanteth no other prouision then this, that the lampe may be al the night replemshed with oyle, & the cuppes filled with wine: The residewe of the day I passed away at the baines, and in banquettinge, and towardes eueninge I went to supper, for I was bidde by Milo, and so I sat downe at the table, out of Pāphiles sight as much as I could, beinge mindefull of the commaundement of Birrhena Page  [unnumbered] and sometimes I wonlde caste mine eies vpon her, as if I shoulde loke vpon the furies of Hell, but I (es•∣sones turninge my face behinde me, and beholding my Fotis ministringe at the table) was againe refreshed and made merie. And beholde when Pamphiles did see the candell standinge on the table, she saide, verely we shall haue muche raine to morrow, whiche when her husbande did here, he demaunded of her, by what reason she knew it: Marry (• she) the light on the table doth showe the fame:then Milo laughed and saide, vs∣rely we neurishe and bringe vp a Sibelle prophecier, whiche by the viewe of a candell doth diuine of Cele∣stiall thinges, and of the Sunne it selfe: Then I mu∣sed in my minde and saide vnto Milo: Of truth it is a good experience and proufe of diuination, neither is it any maruell, for although this light is but a small light and made by the handes of man, yet hath it a re∣membrance of that great and heauenly light, as of his parent, and dothe showe vnto vs, what will happen in the skies aboue: For I knewe at Corinthe a cer∣taine man of Assiria, who woulde giue answeares in euery parte of the Citie, and for the gaine of money woulde tell euery man his fortune, to some he would tell the daies of their marriages, to other he woulde tell when they should builde, that their edifices should continue: to other, when they should best goe about their assayres: to other when they should trauell by lande: to other when they should goe by seas: and to me (purposinge to take my iourney hither) he decla∣red many thinges straunge and variable. For some∣times he saide that I should winne glory •nough, som∣times he saide, I shoulde write a great Historie, some∣times againe he saide, that I should deuise an incredi∣ble Page  17 tale, and sometimes, that I should make B•okes. Whereat Milo laughed againe, and enquired of me of what stature this man of Assiria was, and what he was named: In faith ({quod} I) he is a talle man, and some∣what blacke and he is called Diophanes. Then sayde Milo the same is he and no other, who semblablie hath declared many thinges here vnto vs, whereby he gotte and obtained great substance and treasure. But the poore miser fell at length into the handes of vnpi∣tifull and cruell fortune. For beinge on a day emongst a great assemblie of people, to tell the simple sorte their fortune, a certayne Cobler came vnto him,* and desired him to tell when it shoulde be best for him to take his voiage, the which he promised to doo: the Cob∣ler opened his purse, and tolde a hundred pence to pay him for his paines, whereupon came a certaine yonge Gentleman, & toke Diophanes by the garment: Then he turninge him selfe embrased and kissed him, and de∣•ired the Gentelman (who was one of his acquain∣tance) to sitte downe by him. And Diophanes beinge astonied with this sodaine chaunce forgatte what he was doyng, & said: O déere fréend you are hartely wel∣come, I pray you when arriued you into these partes: then answeared he I will tell you soone, but brother I pray you to tell me of your comminge from the Isle of Euboea, and how you spedde by the way, whereunto Diophanes (this notable Assirian, not yet come vnto his minde but halfe amased) gaue answeare and saide, I would to God that all our enemies and euill willers mighte fall into the like daungerous peregrination and trouble, for the shippe where we were in, (after that it was by the waues of the seas, and by the great tempestes t•ssed hither and thither, in great perill, Page  [unnumbered] and after that the maste and sterne brake likewise in pieces) coulde in no wise be brought vnto the shore, but sonke into the water, and so we did swimme and hard∣ly escape to lande: and after that, what so euer was geuen vnto vs, in recompence of our losses, either by the pitie of straungers or by the beneuolence of our fréendes, was taken away from vs by théeues,* whose violence when my brother Arisuatus did assay to re∣siste, he was cruelly murdered by them before my face. These thinges when he had sadly declared, the cobler toke vp his money againe, whiche he had tolde out to paye for the tellinge of his fortune and ranne away: Then Diophanes cōming to him selfe, perceaued what he had done, and we all that stoode by laughed greatly. But that, ({quod} Milo) which Diophanes did tell vnto you Lucius, that you should be happy, and haue a prospe∣rous iourney, was onely true: Thus Milo reasoned with me, but I was not a litle sorie in that I had trai∣ned him in such a vaine of talke, that I lost a good parte of the night, and the sweete pleasure thereof, but at length I boldely saide vnto Milo. Let Diophanes fare∣well with his euill fortune, & gette againe that whiche he lost by sea and lande, for I verely doo yet féele the werines of my trauell, wherefore I pray you perdon me, and giue me licēce to departe to hedde, wherwith∣all I rose vp & went vnto my chamber, where I found al thinges finely prepared, and the childrens bedde (be∣cause they should not here, what we did in the night) was remoued farre of without the chamber doore. The table was all couered with suche meates as was leste at supper, the cuppes were filled halfe full with water to temper & delay the wines, the flaggon stoode readdy prepared, and there did nothinge lacke which was ne∣cessarie Page  18 for the preparatiō of Venus: And when I was enteringe into the bedde, beholde my Fotis (who had brought her mistris to sléepe) came in & gaue me roses and flowers, whiche she had in her apron, and some she threwe about the bedde, and she kissed me swéetely, & tied a garlande aboute my head, and bespred the cham∣ber with the residewe. Whiche when she had done, she toke vp a cuppe of wine, and delaide it with whote wa∣ter, and proffred it me to drinke, & before I had drunke vp all, she pulled it from my mouth, and then gaue it me againe, and in this manner we emptied the potte twise or thrise together. Thus when I had well reple∣nished my selfe with wine, and was now readie vnto Venerie not onely in minde but also in bodie, I remo∣ued my clothes, and (showinge to Fotis my great im∣paciencie) I said, O my swéete harte take pitie vpon me and helpe me: for as you sée, I am now prepared vnto the battaile whiche you your selfe did appointe, for af∣ter that I felte the first arrow of cruell Cupide within my brest, I bent my howe very stronge, and now feare (because it is bended so harde) least the stringe should breake, but that thou maist the better please me, vn∣dresse thy heare and come and embrase me louingly, wherewithall (she made no longe delaye) but set aside all the meate and wine, and then she vnapparelled her selfe, and vnatired her heare, presentinge her amiable bodie vnto me, in manner of fayre Venus, when she goeth vnder the waues of the sea. Now ({quod} she) is come the howre of iustinge, now is come the time of warre, wherefore showe thy selfe like vnto a man, for I will not retire, I will not flie the fielde, sée then thou be va∣liant, sée thou be couragious since, there is no time ap∣pointed when our skirmishe shal cease: In saying these Page  [unnumbered] woordes she came to me to bedde, and embrased me swéetely, and so we passed all the night in pastime and pleasure, and neuer slept till it was day: but we would eftsoones refreshe our werines, and prouoke our plea∣sure, and renewe our Venerie by drinkinge of wine. In whiche sorte we pleasauntly passed away many other nightes followinge.