death of any person, do forthwith goe and uncover the
hearse and spoyle the corpse, to work their inchantments.
Then another sitting at the table spake and sayd,
In faith you say true, neither yet do they spare or
favor the living. For I know one not farre hence
that was cruelly handled by them, who being not contented
with cutting off his nose, did likewise cut off his
eares, whereat all the people laughed heartily, and
looked at one that sate at the boords end, who being
amased at their gazing, and somewhat angry withall,
would have risen from the table, had not Byrrhena
spake unto him and sayd, I pray thee friend Bellerophon
sit still and according to thy accustomed curtesie
declare unto us the losse of thy nose and eares, to
the end that my cousin Lucius may be delighted with
the pleasantnes of the tale. To whom he answered,
Madam in the office of your bounty shall prevaile
herein, but the insolencie of some is not to be supported.
This hee spake very angerly: But Byrrhena was
earnest upon him, and assured him hee should have no
wrong at any mans hand. Whereby he was inforced
to declare the same, and so lapping up the end of
the Table cloath and carpet together, hee leaned with
his elbow thereon, and held out three forefingers
of his right hand in manner of an orator, and sayd,
When I was a young man I went unto a certaine city
called Milet, to see the games and triumphs there named
Olympia, and being desirous to come into this famous
province, after that I had travelled over all Thessaly,
I fortuned in an evil hour to come to the City Larissa,
where while I went up and down to view the streets
to seeke some reliefe for my poore estate (for I had
spent all my money) I espied an old man standing on
a stone in the middest of the market place, crying
with a loud voice and saying, that if any man would
watch a dead corps that night hee should be reasonably
rewarded for this paines. Which when I heard,
I sayd to one who passed by, What is here to doe?
Do dead men use to run away in this Countrey?
Then answered he, Hold your peace, for you are but
a Babe and a stranger here, and not without cause
you are ignorant how you are in Thessaly, where the
women Witches bite off by morsels the flesh and faces
of dead men, and thereby work their sorceries and
inchantments. Then quoth I, In good fellowship
tell me the order of this custody and how it is.
Marry (quoth he) first you must watch all the night,
with your eyes bent continually upon the Corps, never
looking off, nor moving aside. For these Witches
do turn themselves into sundry kindes of beasts, whereby
they deceive the eyes of all men, sometimes they are
transformed into birds, sometimes into Dogs and Mice,
and sometimes into flies. Moreover they will charme
the keepers of the corps asleepe, neither can it be
declared what meanes and shifts these wicked women
do use, to bring their purpose to passe: and
the reward for such dangerous watching is no more than
foure or sixe shillings. But hearken further