THE FORTY-SEVENTH CHAPTER

The Golden Ass

by Lucius Apuleius

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


How Apuleius by Roses and prayer returned to his humane shape.

When midnight came that I had slept my first sleepe, I awaked
with suddaine feare, and saw the Moone shining bright, as when
shee is at the full, and seeming as though she leaped out of the Sea.
Then thought I with my selfe, that was the most secret time, when
the goddesse Ceres had most puissance and force, considering that
all humane things be governed by her providence : and not onely all
beasts private and tame, but also all wild and savage beasts be
under her protection. And considering that all bodies in the
heavens, the earth and the seas, be by her increasing motions
increased, and by her diminishing motions diminished : as weary of
all my cruell fortune and calamity, I found good hope and
soveraigne remedy, though it were very late, to be delivered from
all my misery, by invocation and prayer, to the excellent beauty of
the Goddesse, whom I saw shining before mine eyes, wherefore
shaking off mine Assie and drowsie sleepe, I arose with a joyfull
face, and mooved by a great affection to purifie my selfe, I plunged
my selfe seven times into the water of the Sea, which number of
seven is conveniable and agreeable to holy and divine things, as the
worthy and sage Philosopher Pythagoras hath declared. Then with
a weeping countenance, I made this Orison to the puissant
Goddesse, saying : O blessed Queene of heaven, whether thou be
the Dame Ceres which art the originall and motherly nource of all
fruitfull things in earth, who after the finding of thy daughter
Proserpina, through the great joy which thou diddest presently
conceive, madest barraine and unfruitfull ground to be plowed and
sowne, and now thou inhabitest in the land of Eleusie; or whether
thou be the celestiall Venus, who in the beginning of the world
diddest couple together all kind of things with an ingendered love,
by an eternall propagation of humane kind, art now worshipped
within the Temples of the Ile Paphos, thou which art the sister of
the God Phoebus, who nourishest so many people by the generation
of beasts, and art now adored at the sacred places of Ephesus, thou
which art horrible Proserpina, by reason of the deadly howlings
which thou yeeldest, that hast power to stoppe and put away the
invasion of the hags and Ghoasts which appeare unto men, and to
keepe them downe in the closures of the earth : thou which art
worshipped in divers manners, and doest illuminate all the borders
of the earth by thy feminine shape, thou which nourishest all the
fruits of the world by thy vigor and force; with whatsoever name or
fashion it is lawfull to call upon thee, I pray thee, to end my great
travaile and misery, and deliver mee from the wretched fortune,
which had so long time pursued me. Grant peace and rest if it
please thee to my adversities, for I have endured too much labour
and perill. Remoove from me my shape of mine Asse, and render
to me my pristine estate, and if I have offended in any point of
divine Majesty, let me rather dye then live, for I am full weary of
my life. When I had ended this orison, and discovered my plaints to
the Goddesse, I fortuned to fall asleepe, and by and by appeared
unto me a divine and venerable face, worshipped even of the Gods
themselves. Then by little and little I seemed to see the whole
figure of her body, mounting out of the sea and standing before
mee, wherefore I purpose to describe her divine semblance, if the
poverty of my humane speech will suffer me, or her divine power
give me eloquence thereto. First shee had a great abundance of
haire, dispersed and scattered about her neck, on the crowne of her
head she bare many garlands enterlaced with floures, in the middle
of her forehead was a compasse in fashion of a glasse, or
resembling the light of the Moone, in one of her hands she bare
serpents, in the other, blades of corne, her vestiment was of fine
silke yeelding divers colours, sometime yellow, sometime rosie,
sometime flamy, and sometime (which troubled my spirit sore)
darke and obscure, covered with a blacke robe in manner of a
shield, and pleated in most subtill fashion at the skirts of her
garments, the welts appeared comely, whereas here and there the
starres glimpsed, and in the middle of them was placed the Moone,
which shone like a flame of fire, round about the robe was a
coronet or garland made with flowers and fruits. In her right hand
shee had a timbrell of brasse, which gave a pleasant sound, in her
left hand shee bare a cup of gold, out of the mouth whereof the
serpent Aspis lifted up his head, with a swelling throat, her
odoriferous feete were covered with shoes interlaced and wrought
with victorious palme. Thus the divine shape breathing out the
pleasant spice of fertill Arabia, disdained not with her divine voyce
to utter these words unto me: Behold Lucius I am come, thy
weeping and prayers hath mooved mee to succour thee. I am she
that is the naturall mother of all things, mistresse and governesse of
all the Elements, the initiall progeny of worlds, chiefe of powers
divine, Queene of heaven! the principall of the Gods celestiall, the
light of the goddesses: at my will the planets of the ayre, the
wholesome winds of the Seas, and the silences of hell be diposed;
my name, my divinity is adored throughout all the world in divers
manners, in variable customes and in many names, for the
Phrygians call me the mother of the Gods: the Athenians, Minerva:
the Cyprians, Venus: the Candians, Diana: the Sicilians Proserpina:
the Eleusians, Ceres: some Juno, other Bellona, other Hecate: and
principally the Aethiopians which dwell in the Orient, and the
Aegyptians which are excellent in all kind of ancient doctrine, and
by their proper ceremonies accustome to worship mee, doe call
mee Queene Isis. Behold I am come to take pitty of thy fortune
and tribulation, behold I am present to favour and ayd thee, leave
off thy weeping and lamentation, put away all thy sorrow, for
behold the healthfull day which is ordained by my providence,
therefore be ready to attend to my commandement. This day
which shall come after this night, is dedicated to my service, by an
eternall religion, my Priests and Ministers doe accustome after the
tempests of the Sea, be ceased, to offer in my name a new ship as
a first fruit of my Navigation. I command thee not to prophane or
despise the sacrifice in any wise, for the great Priest shall carry this
day following in procession by my exhortation, a Garland of Roses,
next the timbrell of his right hand : follow thou my procession
amongst the people, and when thou commest to the Priest make as
though thou wouldest kisse his hand, but snatch at the Roses,
whereby I will put away the skin and shape of an Asse, which kind
of beast I have long time abhorred and despised, but above all
things beware thou doubt not nor feare any of those things, as hard
and difficill to bee brought to passe, for in the same houre that I am
come to thee, I have commanded the Priest by a vision what he
shall doe, and all the people by my commandement shall be
compelled to give thee place and say nothing ! Moreover, thinke
not that amongst so faire and joyfull Ceremonies, and in so good a
company that any person shall abhorre thy ill-favoured and
deformed figure, or that any man shall be so hardy, as to blame and
reprove thy suddaine restoration to humane shape, wherby they
should gather or conceive any sinister opinion : and know thou this
of certaine, that the residue of thy life untill the houre of death shall
be bound and subject to me ! And think it not an injury to be
alwayes serviceable towards me, since as by my meane and
benefit thou shalt become a man : thou shalt live blessed in this
world, thou shalt live glorious by my guide and protection, and when
thou descendest to Hell, where thou shalt see me shine in that
subterene place, shining (as thou seest me now) in the darkness of
Acheron, and raigning in the deepe profundity of Stix, thou shalt
worship me, as one that hath bin favourable to thee, and if I
perceive that thou art obedient to my commandement, addict to my
religion, and merite my divine grace, know thou, that I will prolong
thy dales above the time that the fates have appointed, and the
celestial Planets ordeined.

When the divine Image had spoken these words, she vanished
away ! By and by when I awaked, I arose, haveing the members
of my bodie mixed with feare, joy and sweate, and marvailed at the
cleare presence of the puissant goddesse, and being sprinkled with
the water of the sea, I recounted orderly her admonitions and divine
commandements. Soone after, the darknes chased away, and the
cleare and golden sunne arose, when as behold I saw the streets
replenished with people going in a religious sort and in great
triumph. All things seemed that day to be joyfull, as well all manner
of beasts and houses, as also the very day it selfe seemed to
rejoyce. For after the hore-frost, ensued the hot and temperat sun,
whereby the little birds weening that the spring time had bin come,
did chirp and sing in their steven melodiously : the mother of stars,
the parent of times, and mistres of all the world : The fruitfull trees
rejoyced at their fertility : The barren and sterill were contented at
their shadow, rendering sweete and pleasant shrills ! The seas
were quiet from winds and tempests : the heaven had chaced away
the clouds, and appeared faire and cleare with his proper light.
Behold then more and more appeared the pomps and processions,
attired in regall manner and singing joyfully : One was girded about
the middle like a man of armes : Another bare and spare, and had a
cloake and high-shooes like a hunter ! another was attired in a robe
of silke, and socks of gold, having his haire laid out, and dressed in
forme of a woman ! There was another ware legge-harnesse, and
bare a target, a sallet, and a speare like a martial souldier : after
him marched one attired in purple with vergers before him like a
magistrate ! after him followed one with a maurell, a staffe, a paire
of pantofles, and with a gray beard, signifying a philosopher : after
him went one with lime, betokening a fowler, another with hookes
declaring a fisher: I saw there a meeke and tame beare, which in
matron habite was carried on a stoole : An Ape with a bonet on his
head, and covered with lawne, resemling a shepheard, and bearing
a cup of gold in his hand: an Asse which had wings glewed to his
backe, and went after an old man, whereby you would judge the
one to be Pegasus, and the other Bellephoron. Amongst the
pleasures and popular delectations, which wandered hither and
thither, you might see the pompe of the goddesse triumphantly
march forward : The woman attired in white vestiments, and
rejoicing, in that they bare garlands and flowers upon their heads,
bedspread the waies with hearbes, which they bare in their aprons,
where this regall and devout procession should passe : Other caried
glasses on their backes, to testifie obeisance to the goddess which
came after. Other bare combs of Ivory, and declared by their
gesture and motions of their armes, that they were ordained and
readie to dresse the goddesse : Others dropped in the wayes as
they went Balme and other pretious ointments : Then came a great
number, as well of men as women, with Candels, torches, and other
lights, doing honour to the celestiall goddesse : After that sounded
the musical harmony of instruments : then came a faire companie
of youth, apparelled in white vestiments, singing both meter and
verse, with a comely grade which some studious Poet had made in
honour of the Muses : In the meane season, arrived the blowers of
trumpets, which were dedicated unto Serapes, and to the temple
before them were officers and beadles, preparing roome for the
goddess to passe. Then came the great company of men and
women, which had taken divine orders, whose garments glistered
all the streets over. The women had their haire annointed and their
heads covered with linnen : but the men had their crownes shaven,
which were the terrene stars of the goddesse, holding in their hand
instruments of brasse, silver and gold, which rendered a pleasant
sound.

The principall Priests which were apparelled with white surplesses
hanging downe to the ground, bare the relikes of the puissant
goddesse. One carried in his hand a light, not unlike to those which
we used in our houses, saving that in the middle thereof appeared a
bole which rendred a more bright flame. The second attired hike
the other bare in his hand an Altar, which the goddesse her selfe
named the succor of nations. The third held a tree of palme with
leaves of gold, and the verge of Mercurie. The fourth shewed out a
token of equitie by his left hand, which was deformed in every
place, signifiing thereby more equitie then by the right hand. The
same Priest carried a round vessell of gold, in forme of a cap. The
fifth bare a van, wrought with springs of gold, and another carried a
vessell for wine : By and by after the goddesse followed a foot as
men do, and specially Mercurie, the messenger of the goddesse
infernall and supernall, with his face sometime blacke, sometime
faire, lifting up the head of the dogges Annubis, and bearing in his
left hand, his verge, and in his right hand, the branches of a palme
tree, after whom followed a cow with an upright gate, representing
the figure of the great goddesse, and he that guided her, marched
on with much gravity. Another carried after the secrets of their
religion, closed in a coffer. There was one that bare on his
stomacke a figure of his god, not formed like any beast, bird,
savage thing or humane shape, but made by a new invention,
whereby was signified that such a religion should not be discovered
or revealed to any person. There was a vessel wrought with a
round bottome, haveing on the one side, pictures figured like unto
the manner of the Egyptians, and on the other side was an eare,
whereupon stood the Serpent Aspis, holding out his scaly necke.
Finally, came he which was appointed to my good fortun according
to the promise of the goddesse. For the great Priest which bare the
restoration of my human shape, by the commandement of the
goddes, Approached more and more, bearing in his left hand the
timbrill, and in the other a garland of Roses to give me, to the end I
might be delivered from cruel fortune, which was alwaies mine
enemie, after the sufferance of so much calamitie and paine, and
after the endurance of so manie perilles: Then I not returning
hastilie, by reason of sodaine joye, lest I should disturbe the quiet
procession with mine importunitie, but going softly through the
prease of the people, which gave me place on every side, went
after the Priest. The priest being admonished the night before, as I
might well perceive stood still and holding out his hand, thrust out
the garland of roses into my mouth, I (trembling) devoured with a
great affection: And as soone as I had eaten them, I was not
deceived of the promise made unto me. For my deforme and Assie
face abated, and first the rugged haire of my body fell off, my thick
skin waxed soft and tender, the hooves of my feet changed into
toes, my hands returned againe, my neck grew short, my head and
mouth began round, my long eares were made little, my great and
stonie teeth waxed lesse like the teeth of men, and my tayle which
combred me most, appeared no where: then the people began to
marvaile, and the religious honoured the goddesse, for so evident a
miracle, they wondered at the visions which they saw in the night,
and the facilitie of my reformation, whereby they rendered
testimonie of so great a benefit which I received of the goddesse.
When I saw my selfe in such estate, I stood still a good space and
said nothing, for I could not tell what to say, nor what word I
shoulde first speake, nor what thanks I should render to the
goddesse, but the great Priest understanding all my fortune and
miserie, by divine advertisement, commanded that one should give
me garments to cover me: Howbeit as soone as I was transformed
from an asse to my humane shape, I hid the privitie of my body
with my hands as shame and necessity compelled mee. Then one
of the company put off his upper robe and put it on my backe:
which done, the Priest looked upon me, with a sweete and benigne
voice, gan say in this sort: O my friend Lucius, after the endurance
of so many labours, and the escape of so many tempests of fortune,
thou art at length come to the port and haven of rest and mercy:
neither did thy noble linage, thy dignity, thy doctrine, or any thing
prevaile, but that thou hast endured so many servil pleasures, by a
little folly of thy youthfullnes, whereby thou hast had a sinister
reward for thy unprosperous curiositie, but howsoever the blindnes
of fortune tormented thee in divers dangers : so it is, that now
unwares to her, thou art come to this present felicitie : let fortune
go, and fume with fury in another place, let her finde some other
matter to execute her cruelty, for fortune hath no puissance against
them which serve and honour our goddesse. For what availed the
theeves : the beasts savage : thy great servitude : the ill and
dangerous waits : the long passages : the feare of death every day?
Know thou, that now thou art safe, and under the protection of her,
who by her cleare light doth lighten the other gods : wherefore
rejoyce and take a convenable countenance to thy white habit,
follow the pomp of this devout and honorable procession, to the end
that such which be not devout to the Goddes, may see and
acknowledge their errour. Behold Lucius, thou art delivered from
so great miseries, by the providence of the goddesse Isis, rejoyce
therefore and triumph of the victory of fortune; to the end thou
maist live more safe and sure, make thy selfe one of this holy order,
dedicate thy minde to the Obsequy of our Religion, and take upon
thee a a voluntary yoake of ministrie : And when thou beginnest to
serve and honour the goddes, then thou shalt feele the fruit of thy
liberty : After that the great Priest had prophesied in this manner,
with often breathings, he made a conclusion of his words : Then I
went amongst the company of die rest and followed the procession
: everie one of the people knew me, and pointing at me with their
fingers, said in this sort : Behold him who is this day transformed
into a man by the puissance of the soveraigne goddesse, verily he is
blessed and most blessed that hath merited so great grace from
heaven, as by the innocencie of his former life, and as it were by a
new regeneration is reserved to the obsequie of the goddesse. In
the meane season by little and little we approached nigh unto the
sea cost, even to that place where I lay the night before being an
Asse. There after the images and reliques were orderly disposed,
the great Priest compassed about with divers pictures according to
the fashion of the Aegyptians, did dedicate and consecrate with
certaine prayers a fair ship made very cunningly, and purified the
same with a torch, an egge, and sulphur; the saile was of white
linnen cloath, whereon was written certaine letters, which testified
the navigation to be prosperous, the mast was of a great length,
made of a Pine tree, round and very excellent with a shining top,
the cabin was covered over with coverings of gold, and all the
shippe was made of Citron tree very faire; then all the people as
well religious as prophane tooke a great number of Vannes,
replenished with odours and pleasant smells and threw them into
the sea mingled with milke, untill the ship was filled up with large
gifts and prosperous devotions, when as with a pleasant wind it
launched out into the deep. But when they had lost the sight of the
ship, every man caried againe that he brought, and went toward the
temple in like pompe and order as they came to the sea side.
When we were come to the temple, the great priest and those
which were deputed to carrie the divine figures, but especially
those which had long time bin worshippers of the religion, went into
the secret chamber of the goddesse, where they put and placed the
images according to their ordor. This done, one of the company
which was a scribe or interpreter of letters, who in forme of a
preacher stood up in a chaire before the place of the holy college,
and began to reade out of a booke, and to interpret to the great
prince, the senate, and to all the noble order of chivalry, and
generally to all the Romane people, and to all such as be under the
jurisdiction of Rome, these words following (Laois Aphesus) which
signified the end of their divin service and that it was lawfull for
every man to depart, whereat all the people gave a great showt,
and replenished with much joy, bare all kind of hearbs and garlands
of flowers home to their houses, kissing and imbracing the steps
where the goddesse passed : howbeit I could not doe as the rest,
for my mind would not suffer me to depart one foot away, so
attentiv was I to behold the beauty of the goddesse, with
remembrance of the great miserie I had endured.