Let Psyche’s corpse be clad in mourning weed,
And set on rock of yonder hill aloft:
Her husband is no wight of human seed,
But serpent dire and fierce as might be thought.
Who flies with wings above in starry skies,
And doth subdue each thing with fiery flight.
The gods themselves, and powers that seem so wise,
With mighty Jove, be subject to his might,
The rivers black, and deadly floods of pain,
And darkness eke, as thrall to him remain.
The King, sometimes happy when he heard the prophesy of Apollo, returned home sad and sorrowful, and declared to his wife the miserable and unhappy fate of his daughter. Then they began to lament and weep, and passed over many days in great sorrow. But now the time approached of Psyche’s marriage, preparation was made, black torches were lighted, the pleasant songs were turned into pitiful cries, the melody of Hymeneus was ended with deadly howling, the maid that should be married did wipe her eyes with her veil. All the family and people of the city wept likewise, and with great lamentation was ordained a remiss time for that day, but necessity compelled that Psyche should be brought to her appointed place, according to the divine appointment.
And when the solemnity was ended, they went to bring the sorrowful spouse, not to her marriage, but to her final end and burial. And while the father and mother of Psyche did go forward weeping and crying unto this enterprise, Psyche spake unto them in this sort: Why torment your unhappy age with continual dolour? Why trouble you your spirits, which are more rather mine than yours? Why soil ye your faces with tears, which I ought to adore and worship? Why tear you my eyes in yours? Why pull you your hoary hairs? Why knock ye your breasts for me? Now you see the reward of my excellent beauty: now, now you perceive, but too late, the plague of envy. When the people did honour me, and call me new Venus, then ye should have wept, then you should have sorrowed as though I had been dead: for now I see and perceive that I am come to this misery by the only name of Venus, bring me, and as fortune has appointed, place me on the top of the rock, I greatly desire to end my marriage, I greatly covet to see my husband. Why do I delay? why should I refuse him that is appointed to destroy all the world.
Thus ended she her words, and thrust herself among the people that followed. Then they brought her to the appointed rock of the high hill, and set [her] hereon, and so departed. The torches and lights were put out with the tears of the people, and every man gone home, the miserable parents well-nigh consumed with sorrow, gave themselves to everlasting darkness.
Thus poor Psyche being left alone, weeping and trembling on the top of the rock, was blown by the gentle air and of shrilling Zephyrus, and carried from the hill with a meek wind, which retained her garments up, and by little and little bought her down into a deep valley, where she was laid in a bed of most sweet and fragrant flowers.
Thus fair Psyche being sweetly couched among the soft and tender herbs, as in a bed of sweet and fragrant flowers, and having qualified the thoughts and troubles of her restless mind, was now well reposed. And when she had refreshed herself sufficiently with sleep, she rose with a more quiet and pacified mind, and fortuned to espy a pleasant wood environed with great and mighty trees. She espied likewise a running river as clear as crystal: in the midst of the wood well-nigh at the fall of the river was a princely edifice, wrought and builded not by the art or hand of man, but by the mighty power of God: and you would judge at the first entry therein, that it were some pleasant and worthy mansion for the powers of heaven. For the emboughings above were of citron and ivory, propped and undermined with pillars of gold, the walls covered and sealed with silver, diverse sorts of beasts were graven and carved, that seemed to encounter with such as entered in. All things were so curiously and finely wrought, that it seemed either to be the work of some demigod, or of God himself. The pavement was all of precious stones, divided and cut one from another, whereon was carved diverse kinds of pictures, in such sort that blessed and thrice blessed were they that might go upon such a pavement: every part and angle of the house was so well adorned, that by reason of the precious stones and inestimable treasure there, it glittered and shone in such sort, that the chambers, porches, and doors gave light as it had been the sun. Neither otherwise did the other treasure of the house disagree unto so great a majesty, that verily it seemed in every point an heavenly palace, fabricate and built for Jupiter himself.
Then Psyche moved with delectation approached nigh and taking a bold heart entered into the house, and beheld everything there with great affection, she saw storehouses wrought exceedingly fine, and replenished with abundance of riches. Finally, there could nothing be devised which lacked there: but among such great store of treasure this was most marvelous, that there was no closure, bolt, nor lock to keep the same. And when with great pleasure she had viewed all these things, she heard a voice without any body, that said, Why do you marvel madame at so great riches? behold, all that you see is
