The Golden Ass

untemperance of her tongue, in uttering any unfitting words, there might grow further inconvenience. Wherewithal she barred and propped the door, and came to me again, and embracing me lovingly about the neck with both her arms, spake with a soft voice and said, I do greatly fear to discover the privities of this house, and to utter the secret mysteries of my dame. But I have such confidence in you and in your wisdom, by reason that you are come of so noble a line, and endowed with so profound sapience, and further instructed in so many holy and divine things, that you will faithfully keep silence, and that whatsoever I shall reveal or declare unto you, you would close them within the bottom of your heart, and never discover the same: for I ensure you, the love that I bear unto you, enforceth me to utter it. Now shall you know all the estate of our house, now shall you know the hidden secrets of my mistress, unto whom the powers of hell do obey, and by whom the celestial planets are troubled, the gods made weak, and the elements subdued, neither is the violence of her art in more strength and force, than when she espieth some comely young man that pleaseth her fancy, as oftentimes it happeneth, for now she loveth one Boetian a fair and beautiful person, on whom she employs all her sorcery and enchantment, and I heard her say with mine own ears yesternight, that if the sun had not then presently gone down, and the night come to minister convenient time to work her magical enticements, she would have brought perpetual darkness over all the world herself. And you shall know, that when she saw yesternight, this Boetian sitting at the barber’s a-polling, when she came from the baines she secretly commanded me to gather up some of the hairs of his head which lay dispersed upon the ground, and to bring it home. Which when I thought to have done the barber espied me, and by reason it was bruted throughout all the city that we were witches and enchantresses, he cried out and said, Will you never leave off stealing of young men’s hairs? In faith I assure you, unless you cease your wicked sorceries, I will complain to the justices. Wherewithal he came angrily towards me, and took away the hair which I had gathered, out of my apron: which grieved me very much, for I knew my mistresses’ manners, that she would not be contented but beat me cruelly.

Wherefore I intended to run away, but the remembrance of you put always the thought out of my mind, and so I came homeward very sorrowful: but because I would not seem to come to my mistress’ sight with empty hands, I saw a man shearing of blown goat skins, and the hair which he had shorn off was yellow, and much resembled the hair of the Boetian, and I took a good deal thereof, and colouring of the matter, I brought it to my mistress. And so when night came, before your return from supper, she to bring her purpose to pass, went up to a high gallery of her house, opening to the east part of the world, and preparing herself according to her accustomed practice, she gathered together all substance for fumigations, she brought forth plates of metal carved with strange characters, she prepared the bones of such as were drowned by tempest in the seas, she made ready the members of dead men, as the nostrils and fingers, she set out the lumps of flesh of such as were hanged, the blood which she had reserved of such as were slain and the jaw bones and teeth of wild beasts, then she said certain charms over the hair, and dipped it in diverse waters, as in well water, cow milk, mountain honey, and other liquor. Which when she had done, she tied and lapped it up together, and with many perfumes and smells threw it into an hot fire to burn. Then by the great force of this sorcery, and the violence of so many confections, those bodies whose hair was burning in the fire, received human shape, and felt, heard and walked: and smelling the scent of their own hair, came and rapped at our doors instead of Boetius. Then you being well tippled, and deceived by the obscurity of the night, drew out your sword courageously like furious Ajax, and killed not as he did, whole heard of beasts, but three blown skins, to the intent that I, after the slaughter of so many enemies, without effusion of blood might embrace and kiss, not an homicide but an utricide.

Thus when I was pleasantly mocked and taunted by Fotis, I said unto her, verily now may I for this achieved enterprise be numbered as Hercules, who by his valiant prowess performed the twelve notable labors, as Gerion with three bodies, and as Cerberus with three heads, for I have slain three blown goat skins. But to the end that I may pardon thee of that thing which thou hast committed, perform, the thing which I most earnestly desire of thee, that is, bring me that I may see and behold when thy mistress goeth about any sorcery or enchantment, and when she prayeth unto the gods: for I am very desirous to learn that art, and as it seemeth unto me, thou thyself hath some experience in the same. For this I know and plainly feel, that whereas I have always irked and loathed the embrace of matrons, I am so stricken and subdued with thy shining eyes, ruddy cheeks, glittering hair, sweet kisses, and lily white paps, that I have neither mind to go home, nor to depart hence, but esteem the pleasure which I shall have with thee this night, above all the joys of the world. Then (quoth she) Oh