fall one of thy sops, and thinke not that the keeping
of thy sops is a light matter, for if thou leese one
of them thou shalt be assured never to returne againe
to this world. Then shalt thou see a great and
marvailous dogge, with three heads, barking continually
at the soules of such as enter in, but he can do them
no other harme, he lieth day and night before the
gate of Proserpina, and keepeth the house of Pluto
with great diligence, to whom if thou cast one of
thy sops, thou maist have accesse to Proserpina without
all danger: shee will make thee good cheere, and
entertaine thee with delicate meate and drinke, but
sit thou upon the ground, and desire browne bread,
and then declare thy message unto her, and when thou
hast received such beauty as she 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
tire 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.