THE FORTY-FOURTH CHAPTER

The Golden Ass

by Lucius Apuleius

THE FORTY-FOURTH CHAPTER, THE GOLDEN ASS by Lucius Apuleius


How the souldier drave Apuleius away, and how he came to a
Captaines house, and what happened there.

The next day how my master the Gardener sped, I knew not, but
the gentle souldier, who was well beaten for his cowardise, lead me
to his lodging without the contradiction of any man : Where hee
laded me well, and garnished my body (as seemed to me) like an
Asse of armes. For on the one side I bare an helmet that shined
exceedingly : On the other side a Target that glistered more a
thousand folde. And on the top of my burthen he put a long speare,
which things he placed thus gallantly, not because he was so expert
in warre (for the Gardener proved the contrary) but to the end he
might feare those which passed by, when they saw such a
similitude of warre. When we had gone a good part of our journey,
over the plaine and easie fields, we fortuned to come to a little
towne, where we lodged at a certaine Captaines house. And there
the souldier tooke me to one of the servants, while he himselfe
went towards his captaine; who had the charge of a thousand men.
And when we had remained there a few dayes, I understood of a
wicked and mischievous fact committed there, which I have put in
writing to the end you may know the same. The master of the
house had a sonne instructed in good literature, and endued with
vertuous manners, such a one as you would desire to have the like.
Long time before his mother dyed, and when his father married a
new wife, and had another child of the age of xii. yeares. The
stepdame was more excellent in beauty then honesty : for she loved
this young man her sonne in law, either because she was unchast
by nature, or because she was enforced by fate of stepmother, to
commit so great a mischiefe. Gentle reader, thou shalt not read of
a fable, but rather a tragedy : This woman when her love began
first to kindle in her heart, could easily resist her desire and
inordinate appetite by reason of shame and feare, lest her intent
should be knowne: But after it compassed and burned every part of
her brest, she was compelled to yeeld unto the raging flame of
Cupid, and under colour of the disease and infirmity of her body, to
conceale the wound of her restlesse mind. Every man knoweth
well the signes and tokens of love, and the malady convenient to
the same : Her countenance was pale, her eyes sorrowfull, her
knees weake, and there was no comfort in her, but continuall
weeping and sobbing, insomuch that you would have thought that
she had some spice of an ague, saving that she wept unmeasurably:
the Phisitians knew not her disease, when they felt the beating of
her veines, the intemperance of her heart, the sobbing sighes, and
her often tossing of every side : No, no, the cunning Phisitian knew
it not, but a scholler of Venus Court might easily conjecture the
whole. After that she had beene long time tormented in her
affliction, and was no more able to conceale her ardent desire, shee
caused her sonne to be called for, (which word son she would faine
put away if it were not for shame :) Then he nothing disobedient to
the commandement of his mother, with a sad and modest
countenance, came into the chamber of his stepdame, the mother
of his brother, but she speaking never a word was in great doubt
what she might doe, and could not tell what to say first, by reason
of shame. The young man suspecting no ill, with humble courtesie
demanded the cause of her present disease. Then she having found
an occasion to utter her intent, with weeping eyes and covered
face, began boldly to speake unto him in this manner : Thou, thou,
art the originall cause of all my dolour : Thou art my comfort and
onely health, for those thy comely eyes are so enfastned within my
brest, that unlesse they succour me, I shall certainly die : Have pitty
therefore upon me, be not the occasion of my destruction, neither
let my conscience reclaime to offend thy father, when as thou shalt
save the life of thy mother. Moreover since thou dost resemble thy
fathers shape in every point, it giveth me cause the more to fancy
thee : Now is ministred unto thee time and place : Now hast thou
occasion to worke thy will, seeing that we are alone. And it is a
common saying :

Never knowne, never done.

This young man troubled in mind at so suddaine an ill, although hee
abhorred to commit so beastly a crime, yet hee would not cast her
off with a present deniall, but warily pacified her mind with delay of
promise. Wherefore he promised to doe all according to her desire
: And in the meane season, he willed his mother to be of good
cheere, and comfort her selfe till as he might find some convenient
time to come unto her, when his father was ridden forth :
Wherewithall hee got him away from the pestilent sight of his
stepdame. And knowing that this matter touching the ruine of all
the whole house needed the counsell of wise and grave persons, he
went incontinently to a sage old man and declared the whole
circumstance of the matter. The old man after long deliberation,
thought there was no better way to avoyd the storme of cruell
fortune to come, then to run away. In the meane season this
wicked woman impatient of her love, and the long delay of her
sonne, egged her husband to ride abroad into farre countreyes. And
then she asked the young-man the accomplishment of his promise,
but he to rid himselfe entirely from her hands, would find alwayes
excuses, till in the end she understood by the messengers that came
in and out, that he nothing regarded her. Then she by how much
she loved him before, by so much and more she hated him now.
And by and by she called one of her servants, ready to all
mischiefes : To whom she declared all her secrets. And there it
was concluded betweene them two, that the surest way was to kill
the young man : Whereupon this varlet went incontinently to buy
poyson, which he mingled with wine, to the intent he would give it
to the young man to drinke, and thereby presently to kill him. But
while they were in deliberation how they might offer it unto him,
behold here happened a strange adventure. For the young sonne of
the woman that came from schoole at noone (being very thirsty)
tooke the pot wherein the poyson was mingled, and ignorant of the
venim, dranke a good draught thereof, which was prepared to kill
his brother : whereby he presently fell downe to the ground dead.
His schoolemaster seeing his suddaine change, called his mother,
and all the servants of the house with a lowd voyce. Incontinently
every man declared his opinion, touching the death of the child : but
the cruell woman the onely example of stepmothers malice, was
nothing moved by the bitter death of her sonne, or by her owne
conscience of paracide, or by the misfortune of her house, or by the
dolour of her husband, but rather devised the destruction of all her
family. For by and by shee sent a messenger after her husband to
tell him the great misfortune which happened after his departure.
And when lie came home, the wicked woman declared that his
sonne had empoysoned his brother, because he would not consent
to his will, and told him divers other leasings, adding in the end that
hee threatned to kill her likewise, because she discovered the fact :
Then the unhappy father was stroken with double dolour of the
death of his two children, for on the one side he saw his younger
sonne slaine before his eyes, on the other side, he seemed to see
the elder condemned to dye for his offence : Againe, where he
beheld his wife lament in such sort, it gave him further occasion to
hate his sonne more deadly; but the funerals of his younger sonne
were scarce finished, when the old man the father with weeping
eyes even at the returne from the grave, went to the Justice and
accused his sonne of the slaughter of his brother, and how he
threatned to slay his wife, whereby the rather at his weeping and
lamentation, he moved all the Magistrates and people to pitty,
insomuch that without any delay, or further inquisition they cryed all
that hee should be stoned to death, but the Justices fearing a farther
inconvenience to arise by the particular vengeance, and to the end
there might fortune no sedition amongst the people, prayed the
decurions and other Officers of the City, that they might proceed
by examination of witnesses, and with order of justice according to
the ancient custome before the judging of any hasty sentence or
judgment, without the hearing of the contrary part, like as the
barbarous and cruell tyrants accustome to use: otherwise they
should give an ill example to their successours. This opinion pleased
every man, wherefore the Senatours and counsellors were called,
who being placed in order according to their dignity, caused the
accuser and defender to be brought forth, and by the example of
the Athenian law, and judgement materiall, their Advocates were
commanded to plead their causes briefly without preambles or
motions of the people to pitty, which were too long a processe.
And if you demand how I understood all this matter, you shall
understand that I heard many declare the same, but to recite what
words the accuser used in his invective, what answer the defender
made, the orations and pleadings of each party, verily I am not able
to doe : for I was fast bound at the manger. But as I learned and
knew by others, I will God willing declare unto you. So it was
ordered, that after the pleadings of both sides was ended, they
thought best to try and boult out the verity by witnesses, all
presumptions and likelihood set apart, and to call in the servant,
who onely was reported to know all the matter : by and by the
servant came in, who nothing abashed, at the feare of so great a
judgment, or at the presence of the Judges, or at his owne guilty
conscience, which hee so finely fained, but with a bold countenance
presented himselfe before the justices and confirmed the
accusation against the young man, saying: O yee judges, on a day
when this young man loathed and hated his stepmother, hee called
mee, desiring mee to poyson his brother, whereby hee might
revenge himselfe, and if I would doe it and keepe the matter secret,
hee promised to give me a good reward for my paines : but when
the young man perceived that I would not accord to his will, he
threatned to slay mee, whereupon hee went himselfe and bought
poyson, and after tempered it with wine, and then gave it me to
give the child, which when I refused he offered it to his brother
with his own hands. When the varlet with a trembling countenance
had ended these words which seemed a likelihood of truth, the
judgement was ended : neither was there found any judge or
counsellor, so mercifull to the young man accused, as would not
judge him culpable, but that he should be put and sowne in a skin,
with a dogge, a Cocke, a Snake, and an Ape, according to the law
against parricides : wherefore they wanted nothing but (as the
ancient custome was) to put white stones and black into a pot, and
to take them out againe, to see whether the young-man accused
should be acquitted by judgment or condemned, which was a thing
irrevocable.

In the mean season he was delivered to the hands of the
executioner. But there arose a sage and ancient Physitian, a man
of a good conscience and credit throughout all the City, that
stopped the mouth of the pot wherein the stones were cast, saying:
I am right glad ye reverend judges, that I am a man of name and
estimation amongst you, whereby I am accompted such a one as
will not suffer any person to be put to death by false and untrue
accusations, considering there hath bin no homicide or murther
committed by this yong man in this case, neither you (being sworn
to judge uprightly) to be misinformed and abused by invented lyes
and tales. For I cannot but declare and open my conscience, least I
should be found to beare small honour and faith to the Gods,
wherefore I pray you give eare, and I will shew you the whole truth
of the matter. You shall understand that this servant which hath
merited to be hanged, came one of these dayes to speake with me,
promising to give me a hundred crownes, if I would give him
present poyson, which would cause a man to dye suddenly, saying,
that he would have it for one that was sicke of an incurable
disease, to the end he might be delivered from all torment, but I
smelling his crafty and subtill fetch, and fearing least he would
worke some mischiefe withall, gave him a drinke; but to the intent I
might cleare my selfe from all danger that might happen, I would
not presently take the money which he offered. But least any of the
crownes should lacke weight or be found counterfeit, I willed him
to scale the purse wherein they were put, with his manuell signe,
whereby the next day we might goe together to the Goldsmith to try
them, which he did; wherefore understanding that he was brought
present before you this day, I hastily commanded one of my
servants to fetch the purse which he had sealed, and here I bring it
unto you to see whether he will deny his owne signe or no: and you
may easily conject that his words are untrue, which he alleadged
against the young man, touching the buying of the poyson,
considering hee bought the poyson himselfe. When the Physitian
had spoken these words you might perceive how the trayterous
knave changed his colour, how hee sweat for feare, how he
trembled in every part of his body: and how he set one leg upon
another, scratching Ibis head and grinding his teeth, whereby there
was no person but would judge him culpable. In the end, when he
was somewhat returned to his former subtility, he began to deny all
that was said, and stoutly affirmed, that the Physitian did lye. But
the Physitian perceiving that he was rayled at and his words
denyed, did never cease to confirme his sayings, and to disprove
the varlet, till such time as the Officers by the commandment of the
Judges, bound his hands and brought out the seale, wherewith he
had sealed the purse which augmented suspition which was
conceived of him first. Howbeit, neither the feare of the wheele or
any other torment according to the use of the Grecians, which were
ready prepared, no, nor yet the fire could enforce him to confesse
the matter, so obstinate and grounded was he in his mischievous
mind. But the Physitian perceiving that the menaces of these
torments did nothing prevaile, gan say: I cannot suffer or abide that
this young man who is innocent, should against all law and
conscience, be punished and condemned to die, and the other which
is culpable, should escape so easily, and after mocke and flowte at
your judgement: for I will give you an evident proofe and argument
of this present crime. You shall understand, that when this caytiffe
demanded of me a present and strong poyson, considering that it
was not my part to give occasion of any others death, but rather to
cure and save sicke persons by meane of medicines : and on the
other side, fearing least if I should deny his request, I might minister
a further cause of his mischiefe, either that he would buy poyson of
some other, or else returne and worke his wicked intent, with a
sword or some dangerous weapon, I gave him no poyson, but a
doling drinke of Mandragora, which is of such force, that it will
cause any man to sleepe as though he were dead. Neither is it any
marvaile if this most desperate man, who is certainly assured to be
put to death, ordained by an ancient custome, can suffer and abide
these facill and easie torments, but if it be so that the child hath
received the drinke as I tempered it with mine owne hands, he is
yet alive and doth but sleepe, and after his sleepe he shall returne to
life againe, but if he be dead indeed, then may you further enquire
of the causes of his death. The opinion of this ancient Physitian
was found good, and every man had a desire to goe to the
Sepulchre where the child was layd; there was none of the
Justices, none of any reputation of the towne, nor any of the
common people, but went to see this strange sight. Amongst them
all the father of the child remooved with his owne hands the stone
of the Sepulchre, and found his Sonne rising up after his dead and
soporiferous sleepe, whom when he beheld, he imbraced him in his
armes, and presented him before the people, with great joy and
consolation, and as he was wrapped and bound in his grave, so he
brought him before the Judges, whereupon the wickednesse of the
Servant, and, the treason of the stepdame was plainely discovered,
and the verity of the matter revealed, whereby the woman was
perpetually exiled, the Servant hanged on a Gallowes, and the
Physitian had the Crownes, which was prepared to buy the poyson.
Behold how the fortune of the old man was changed, who thinking
to be deprived of all his race and posterity, was in one moment
made the Father of two Children. But as for me, I was ruled and
handled by fortune, according to her pleasure.