The Golden Ass

for shame): then he nothing disobedient to the commandment of his mother, with a sad and modest countenance, came into the chamber of his stepdame, the mother of his brother, but she speaking never a word was in great doubt what she might do, and could not tell what to say first, by reason of shame. The young man suspecting no ill, with humble courtesy demanded the cause of her present disease. Then she having found an occasion to utter her intent, with weeping eyes and covered face, began boldly to speak unto him in this manner: Thou, thou, art the original cause of all my dolour: thou art my comfort and only health, for those thy comely eyes are so enfastened within my breast, that unless they succor me, I shall certainly die: have pity therefore upon me, be not the occasion of my destruction, neither let my conscience reclaim to offend thy father, when as thou shalt save the life of thy mother. Moreover since thou dost resemble thy father’s shape in every point, it giveth me cause the more to fancy thee: now is ministered unto thee time and place: now hast thou occasion to work thy will, seeing that we are alone. And it is a common saying:

Never known, never done.

This young man troubled in mind at so sudden an ill, although he abhorred to commit so beastly a crime, yet he would not cast her off with a present denial, but warily pacified her mind with delay of promise. Wherefore he promised to do all according to her desire: and in the mean season, he willed his mother to be of good cheer, and comfort herself till as he might find some convenient time to come unto her, when his father was ridden forth: wherewithal he got him away from the pestilent sight of his stepdame. And knowing that this matter touching the ruin of all the whole house needed the counsel of wise and grave persons, he went incontinently to a sage old man and declared the whole circumstance of the matter. The old man after long deliberation, thought there was no better way to avoid the storm of cruel fortune to come, than to run away. In the mean season this wicked woman impatient of her love, and the long delay of her son, egged her husband to ride abroad into far countries. And then she asked the young man the accomplishment of his promise, but he to rid himself entirely from her hands, would find always excuses, till in the end she understood by the messengers that came in and out, that he nothing regarded her. Then she by how much she loved him before, by so much and more she hated him now. And by and by she called one of her servants, ready to all mischiefs: to whom she declared all her secrets. And there it was concluded between them two, that the surest way was to kill the young man: whereupon this varlet went incontinently to buy poison, which he mingled with wine, to the intent he would give it to the young man to drink, and thereby presently to kill him. But while they were in deliberation how they might offer it unto him, behold here happened a strange adventure. For the young son of the woman that came from school at no one (being very thirsty) took the pot wherein the poison was mingled, and ignorant of the venom, drank a good draught thereof, which was prepared to kill his brother: whereby he presently fell down to the ground dead. His schoolmaster seeing his sudden change, called his mother, and all the servants of the house with a loud voice. Incontinently every man declared his opinion, touching the death of the child: but the cruel woman the only example of stepmother’s malice, was nothing moved by the bitter death of her son, or by her own conscience of parricide, or by the misfortune of her house, or by the dolour of her husband, but rather devised the destruction of all her family. For by and by she sent a messenger after her husband to tell him the great misfortune which happened after his departure. And when he came home, the wicked woman declared that his son had empoisoned his brother, because he would not consent to his will, and told him diverse other leasings, adding in the end that he threatened to kill her likewise, because she discovered the fact: then the unhappy father was stricken with double dolour of the death of his two children, for on the one side he saw his younger son slain before his eyes, on the other side, he seemed to see the elder condemned to die for his offence: again, where he beheld his wife lament in such sort, it gave him further occasion to hate his son more deadly; but the funerals of his younger son were scarce finished, when the old man the father with weeping eyes even at the return from the grave, went to the justice and accused his son of the slaughter of his brother, and how he threatened to slay his wife, whereby the rather at his weeping and lamentation, he moved all the magistrates and people to pity, insomuch that without any delay, or further inquisition they cried all that he should be stoned to death, but the justices fearing a farther inconvenience to arise by the particular vengeance, and to the end there might fortune no sedition amongst the people, prayed the decurions and other officers of the city, that they might proceed by examination of witnesses, and with order of justice according to the ancient custom before the judging of any hasty sentence or judgment, without the hearing of the contrary part, like as the barbarous and cruel tyrants accustom to use: otherwise they should give an ill example to their successors. This opinion pleased every man, wherefore the senators and