The Golden Ass of Apuleius/Chapter 29
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 our master, and say that the Woolves have devoured him. The
boy that was my evill accuser made no delay, but prepared himselfe to
execute the sentence of the shepheard, rejoycing at my present danger,
but O how greatly did I then repent that the stripe which I gave him
with my heele had not killed him. Then he drew out his sword and made it
sharp upon the whetstone to slay me, but another of the shepheards gan
say, Verely it is a great offence to kill so faire an Asse, and so (by
accusation of luxurie and lascivious wantonnesse) to lack so necessarie
his labour and service, where otherwise if ye would cut off his stones,
he might not onely be deprived of his courage but also become gentle,
that we should be delivered from all feare and danger. Moreover he would
be thereby more fat and better in flesh. For I know my selfe as
well many Asses, as also most fierce horses, that by reason of their
wantonnesse have beene most mad and terrible, but (when they were gelded
and cut) they have become gentle and tame, and tractable to all use.
Wherefore I would counsell you to geld him. And if you consent thereto,
I will by and by, when I go to the next market fetch mine irons and
tooles for the purpose: And I ensure you after that I have gelded and
cut off his stones, I will deliver him unto you as tame as a lambe.
When I did perceive that I was delivered from death, and reserved to
be gelded, I was greatly sorrie, insomuch that I thought all the hinder
part of my body and my stones did ake for woe, but I sought about to
kill my selfe by some manner of meanes, to the end if I should die, I
would die with unperished members.