giveth, in thy returne appease the rage of the dogge with thy other
sop, and give thy other halfe penny to covetous Charon, and come the
same way againe into the world as thou wentest: but above all things
have a regard that thou looke not in the boxe, neither be not too
curious about the treasure of the divine beauty. In this manner the
tower spake unto Psyches, and advertised her what she should do: and
immediately she tooke two halfe pence, two sops, and all things
necessary, and went to the mountaine Tenarus to go towards hell. After
that Psyches had passed by the lame Asse, paid her halfe pennie for
passage, neglected the old man in the river, denyed to helpe the woman
spinning, and filled the ravenous month of the dogge with a sop, shee
came to the chamber of Proserpina. There Psyches would not sit in any
royall seate, nor eate any delicate meates, but kneeled at the feete of
Proserpina, onely contented with course bread, declared her message,
and after she had received a mysticall secret in a boxe, she departed,
and stopped the mouth of the dogge with the other sop, and paied the
boatman the other halfe penny. When Psyches was returned from hell, to
the light of the world, shee was ravished with great desire, saying, Am
not I a foole, that knowing that I carrie here the divine beauty, will
not take a little thereof to garnish my face, to please my love
withall? And by and by shee opened the boxe where she could perceive no
beauty nor any thing else, save onely an infernall and deadly sleepe,
which immediatly invaded all her members as soone as the boxe was
uncovered, in such sort that she fell downe upon the ground, and lay
there as a sleeping corps.
But Cupid being now healed of his wound and Maladie, not able to endure
the absence of Psyches, got him secretly out at a window of the chamber
where hee was enclosed, and (receiving his wings,) tooke his flight
towards his loving wife, whom when he had found, hee wiped away the
sleepe from her face, and put it againe into the boxe, and awaked her
with the tip of one of his arrows, saying: O wretched Caitife, behold
thou wert well-nigh perished againe, with the overmuch curiositie:
well, goe thou, and do thy message to my Mother, and in the meane
season, I will provide for all things accordingly: wherewithall he
tooke his flight into the aire, and Psyches brought her present to
Venus.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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