XXXV
How a woman killed herself and her child, because her husband haunted harlots.
After that we had passed a great part of our journey, we came to a village where we lay all night, but hearken, and I will tell you what mischief happened there: you shall understand there was a servant to whom his master had committed the whole government of his house, and was master of the lodging where we lay: this servant had married a maiden of the same house, howbeit he was greatly in love with a harlot of the town, and accustomed to resort unto her, wherewith his wife was so highly displeased and became so jealous, that she gathered together all her husband’s substance, with his tales and books of account, and threw them into a light fire: she was not contented with this, but she took a cord and bound her child which she had by her husband, about her middle and cast herself headlong into a deep pit. The master taking in evil part the death of these twain, took his servant which was the cause of this murder by his luxury, and first after that he had put off all his apparel, he anointed his body with honey, and then bound him sure to a fig tree, where in a rotten stock a great number of pismires had builded their nests, the pismires after they had felt the sweetness of the honey came upon his body, and by little and little (in continuance of time) devoured all his flesh, in such sort, that there remained on the tree but his bare bones: this was declared unto us by the inhabitants of the village there, who greatly sorrowed for the death of this servant: then we avoiding likewise from this dreadful lodging incontinently departed away.
XXXVI
How Apuleius was cheapened by diverse persons, and how they looked in his mouth to know his age.
After this we came to a fair city very populous, where our shepherds determined to continue, by reason that it seemed a place where they might live unknown, far from such as should pursue them, and because it was a country very plentiful of corn and other victuals, where when we had remained the space of three days, and that I poor ass and the other horses were fed and kept in the stable to the intent we might seem more saleable, we were brought out at length to the market, and by and by a crier sounded with his horn to notify that we were to be sold: all my companion horses were bought up by gentlemen, but as for me I stood still forsaken of all men. And when many buyers came by and looked in my mouth to know mine age, I was so weary with opening my jaws that at length (unable to endure any longer) when one came with a stinking pair of hands and grated my gums with his filthy fingers, I bit them clean off, which thing caused the standers-by to forsake me as being a fierce and cruel beast: the crier when he had gotten a hoarse voice with crying, and saw that no man would buy me, began to mock me saying, To what end stand we here with this wild ass, this feeble beast, this slow jade with worn hooves, good for nothing but to make sieves of his skin? Why do we not give him to somebody for he earneth not his hay? In this manner he made all the standers-by to laugh exceedingly, but my evil fortune which was ever so cruel against me, whom I by travel of so many countries could in nowise escape, did more and more envy me, with invention of new means to afflict my poor body in giving me a new Master as spiteful as the rest. There was an old man somewhat bald, with long and gray hair, one of the number of those that go from door to door, throughout all the villages, bearing the image of the goddess Syria, and playing with cymbals to get the alms of good and charitable folks, this old man came hastily towards the crier, and demanded where I was bred: Marry (quoth he) in Cappadocia: Then he inquired what age I was of, the crier answered as a mathematician, which disposed to me my planets, that I was five years old, and willed the old man to look in my mouth: for I would not willingly (quoth he) incur the penalty of the law Cornelia, in selling a free citizen for a servile slave, buy a god’s name this fair beast to ride home
