doting cryer, I pray the omnipotent and omniparent goddesse Syria,
Saint Sabod, Bellona, with her mother Idea, and Venus, with Adonis, to
strike out both thine eies, that with taunting mocks hast scoffed me in
this sort: Dost thou thinke that I will put a goddesse upon the backe
of any fierce beast, whereby her divine Image should be throwne downe
on the ground, and so I poore miser should be compelled (tearing my
haire) to looke for some Physition to helpe her? When I heard him
speake thus, I thought with my selfe sodainly to leap upon him like a
mad Asse, to the intent he should not buy me, but incontinently there
came another Marchant that prevented my thought, and offered 17 Pence
for me, then my Master was glad and received the money, and delivered
me to my new Master who was called Phelibus, and he caried his new
servant home, and before he came to his house, he called out his
daughters saying, Behold my daughters, what a gentle servant I have
bought for you: then they were marvailous glad, and comming out
pratling and shouting for joy, thought verely that he had brought home
a fit and conveniable servant for their purpose, but when they
perceived that it was an Asse, they began to provoke him, saying that
he had not bought a servant for his Maidens, but rather an Asse for
himselfe. Howbeit (quoth they) keepe him not wholly for your owne
riding, but let us likewise have him at commandement. Therewithall they
led me into the stable, and tied me to the manger: there was a certaine
yong man with a mighty body, wel skilled in playing on instruments
before the gods to get money, who (as soone as he had espied me)
entertained me verie well, for he filled my racke and maunger full of
meat, and spake merrily saying, O master Asse, you are very welcome,
now you shall take my office in hand, you are come to supply my roome,
and to ease me of my miserable labour: but I pray God thou maist long
live and please my Master well, to the end thou maist continually
deliver me from so great paine. When I heard these words I did
prognosticate my miserie to come.
The day following I saw there a great number of persons apparelled in
divers colours, having painted faces, mitres on their heads, vestiments
coloured like saffron, Surplesses of silke, and on their feet yellow
shooes, who attired the goddesse in a robe of Purple, and put her upon
my backe. Then they went forth with their armes naked to their
shoulders, bearing with them great swords and mightie axes, and dancing
like mad persons. After that we had passed many small villages, we
fortuned to come to one Britunis house, where at our first entrie they
began to hurle themselves hither and thither, as though they were mad.
They made a thousand gestures with their feete and their hands, they
would bite themselves, finally, every one tooke his weapon and wounded
his armes in divers places.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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