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.
Amongst whom there was one more mad then the rest,
that let many deepe sighes from the bottome of his
heart, as though he had beene ravished in spirite,
or replenished with divine power. And after that,
he somewhat returning to himselfe, invented and forged
a great lye, saying, that he had displeased the divine
majesty of the goddesse, by doing of some thing which
was not convenable to the order of their holy religion,
wherefore he would doe vengeance of himselfe:
and therewithall he tooke a whip, and scourged his
owne body, that the bloud issued out aboundantly,