THE TWENTY-NINTH CHAPTER
How Apuleius was accused of Lechery by the boy.
FEW dayes after, the boy invented another mischiefe: For when he had
sold all the wood which I bare, to certaine men dwelling in a village
by, he lead me homeward unladen: And then he cryed that he was not able
to rule me, and that hee would not drive mee any longer to the hill for
wood, saying: Doe you not see this slow and dulle Asse, who besides all
the mischiefes that he hath wrought already, inventeth daily more and
more. For he espyeth any woman passing by the way, whether she be old or
marryed, or if it be a young child, hee will throw his burthen from his
backe, and runneth fiercely upon them. And after that he hath thrown
them downe, he will stride over them to commit his buggery and beastly
pleasure, moreover hee will faine as though hee would kisse them, but
he will bite their faces cruelly, which thing may worke us great
displeasure, or rather to be imputed unto us as a crime: and even now
when he espyed an honest maiden passing by die high way, he by and by
threw downe his wood and runne after her: And when he had throwne her
down upon the ground, he would have ravished her before the face of all
the world, had it not beene that by reason of her crying out, she was
succored and pulled from his heeles, and so delivered. And if it had
so come to passe that this fearefull maid had beene slaine by him,
what danger had we beene in? By these and like lies, he provoked the
shepheards earnestly against me, which grieved mee (God wot) full sore
that said nothing. Then one of the shepheards said: Why doe we not make
sacrifice of this common adulterous Asse? My sonne (quoth he) let us
kill him and throw his guts to the dogges, and reserve his flesh for the
labourers supper. Then let us cast dust upon his skinne, and carry it
home to
