Serpent doe more delight thee, say not but that we have played the
parts of naturall sisters in warning thee.
Then the poore and simple miser Psyches was mooved with the feare of so
dreadful words, and being amazed in her mind, did cleane forget the
admonitions of her husband, and her owne promises made unto him, and
throwing her selfe headlong into extreame misery, with a wanne and
sallow countenance, scantly uttering a third word, at length gan say in
this sort: O my most deare sisters, I heartily thanke you for your
great kindnesse toward me, and I am now verily perswaded that they
which have informed you hereof hath informed you of nothing but truth,
for I never saw the shape of my husband, neither know I from whence he
came, only I heare his voice in the night, insomuch that I have an
uncertaine husband, and one that loveth not the light of the day: which
causeth me to suspect that he is a beast, as you affirme. Moreover, I
doe greatly feare to see him, for he doth menace and threaten great
evill unto mee, if I should goe about to spy and behold his shape
wherefore my loving sisters if you have any wholeome remedy for your
sister in danger, give it now presently. Then they opened the gates of
their subtill mindes, and did put away all privy guile, and egged her
forward in her fearefull thoughts, perswading her to doe as they would
have her whereupon one of them began and sayd, Because that wee little
esteeme any perill or danger, to save your life we intend to shew you
the best way and meane as we may possibly do. Take a sharpe razor and
put it under the pillow of your bed; and see that you have ready a
privy burning lampe with oyle, hid under some part of the hanging of
the chamber, and finely dissembling the matter when according to his
custome he commeth to bed and sleepeth soundly, arise you secretly, and
with your bare feet goe and take the lampe, with the Razor in your
right hand and with valiant force cut off the head of the poysonous
serpent, wherein we will aid and assist you: and when by the death of
him you shall be made safe, we wil marry you to some comely man.
After they had thus inflamed the heart of their sister fearing lest
some danger might happen unto them by reason of their evill counsell,
they were carried by the wind Zephyrus to the top of the mountaine, and
so they ran away and tooke shipping.
When Psyches was left alone (saving that she seemed not to be alone,
being stirred by so many furies) she was in a tossing minde like the
waves of the sea, and although her wil was obstinate, and resisted to
put in execution the counsell of her Sisters, yet she was in doubtfull
and divers opinions touching her calamity. Sometime she would, sometime
she would not, sometime she is bold, sometime she feareth, sometime
shee mistrusteth, somtime she is mooved, somtime she hateth the beast,
somtime she loveth her husband: but at length night came, when as she
prepared for her wicked intent.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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