than half dead, whom with a stripe of thy heel thou mayest easily dispatch? But whither shall I fly? What lodging shall I seek? See my assie cogitation. Who is he that passeth by the way and will not take me up? While I devised these things, I brake the halter wherewith I was tied and ran away with all my force, howbeit I could not escape the kitish eyes of the old woman, for she ran after me, and with more audacity then becommeth her kind age, caught me by the halter and thought to pull me home: but I not forgetting the cruel purpose of the thieves, was moved with small pity, for I kicked her with my hinder heels to the ground and had well-nigh slain her, who (although she was thrown and hurled down) yet she held still the halter, and would not let me go; then she cried with a loud voice and called for succor, but she little prevailed, because there was no person that heard her, save only the captive gentlewoman, who hearing the voice of the old woman, came out to see what the matter was, and perceiving her hanging at the halter, took a good courage and wrested it out of her hand, and (entreating me with gentle words) got upon my back. Then I began to run, and she gently kicked me forward, whereof I was nothing displeased, for I had as great a desire to escape as she: insomuch that I seemed to scour away like a horse. And when the gentlewoman did speak, I would answer her with my neighing, and oftentimes (under colour to rub my back) I would sweetly kiss her tender feet. Then she fetching a sigh from the bottom of her heart, lifted up her eyes to the heavens, saying: Oh sovereign Gods, deliver me if it be your pleasure, from these present dangers: and thou cruel fortune cease thy wrath, let the sorrow suffice thee which I have already sustained. And thou little ass, that art the occasion of my safety and liberty, if thou canst once render me safe and sound to my parents, and to him that so greatly desireth to have me to his wife, thou shalt see what thanks I will give: with what honour I will reward thee, and how I will use thee. First, I will bravely dress the hairs of thy forehead, and then will I finely comb thy main, I will tie up thy rugged tail trimly, I will deck thee round about with golden trapps, in such sort that thou shalt glitter like the stars of the sky, I will bring thee daily in my apron the kernels of nuts, and will pamper thee up with delicates; I will set store by thee, as by one that is the preserver of my life: Finally, thou shalt lack no manner of thing. Moreover amongst thy glorious fare, thy great ease, and the bliss of thy life, thou shalt not be destitute of dignity, for thou shalt be chronicled perpetually in memory of my present fortune, and the providence divine. All the whole history shall be painted upon the wall of our house, thou shalt be renowned throughout all the world. And it shall be registered in the books of doctors, that an ass saved the life of a young maiden that was captive amongst thieves: Thou shalt be numbered amongst the ancient miracles: we believe that by like example of truth Phryxus saved himself from drowning upon the ram, Arion escaped upon a dolphin, and that Europa was delivered by the bull. If Jupiter transformed himself into a bull, why may it not be that under the shape of this ass, is hidden the figure of a man, or some power divine? While that the virgin did thus sorrowfully unfold her desires, we fortuned to come to a place where three ways did meet, and she took me by the halter, and would have me to turn on the right hand to her fathers house: but I (knowing that the thieves were gone that way to fetch the residue of their pillage) resisted with my head as much as I might, saying within myself: What wilt thou do unhappy maiden? Why wouldst thou go so willingly to hell? Why wilt thou run into destruction by mean of my feet? Why dost thou seek thine own harm, and mine likewise? And while we strived together whether way we might take, the thieves returned, laden with their prey, and perceived us afar-off by the light of the Moon: and after they had known us, one of them gan say, Whither go you so hastily? Be you not afraid of spirits? And you (you harlot) do you not go to see your parents? Come on, we will bear you company? And therewithal they took me by the halter, and drave me back again, beating me cruelly with a great staff (that they had) full of knobs: then I returning again to my ready destruction, and remembering the grief of my hoof, began to shake my head, and to wax lame, but he that led me by the halter said, What, dost thou stumble? Canst thou not go? These rotten feet of thine ran well enough, but they cannot walk: thou couldest mince it finely even now with the gentlewoman, that thou seemedst to pass the horse Pegasus in swiftness. In saying of these words they beat me again, that they broke a great staff upon me. And when we were come almost home, we saw the old woman hanging upon a bough of a cypress tree; then one of them cut down the bough whereon she hanged, and cast her into the bottom of a great ditch: after this they bound the maiden and fell greedily to their victuals, which the miserable old woman had prepared for them. At which time they began to devise with themselves of
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