The Golden Ass of Apuleius/Chapter 32
THE
EIGHTH BOOKE
of LUCIUS APULEIUS of
THE GOLDEN ASSE
THE THIRTY-SECOND CHAPTER
How a young man came and declared the miserable death of Lepolemus and
his wife Charites.
BOUT midnight came a young man, which seemed to be one of the family
of the good woman Charites, who sometimes endured so much misery and
calamity with mee amongst the theeves, who after that hee had taken
a stoole, and sate downe before the fireside, in the company of the
servants, began to declare many terrible things that had happened unto
the house of Charites, saying: O yee house-keepers, shepheards and
cowheards, you shall understand that wee have lost our good mistris
Charites miserably and by evill adventure: and to the end you may learne
and know all the whole matter, I purpose to tell you the circumstances
of every point, whereby such as are more learned then I (to whom fortune
hath ministred more copious stile) may painte it out in paper in forme
of an History. There was a young Gentleman dwelling in the next City,
borne of good parentage, valiant in prowesse, and riche in substance,
but very much given and adicted to whorehunting, and continuall
revelling. Whereby he fell in company with Theeves, and had his hand
ready to the effusion of humane blood; his name was Thrasillus. The
matter was this according to the report of every man. Hee demanded
Charites in marriage, who although he were a man more comely then the
residue that wooed her, and also had riches abundantly, yet because he
was of evill fame, and a man of wicked manners and conversation, he
had the repulse and was put off by Charites, and so she married with
Lepolemus. Howbeit this young man secretly loved her, yet moved somewhat
at her refusall, hee busily searched some meanes to worke his damnable
intent. And (having found occasion and opportunity to accomplish his
purpose, which he had long time concealed) brought to passe, that the
same day that Charites was delivered by the subtill meane and valiant
audacity of her husband, from the puissance of the Theeves, he mingled
himselfe among the assembly, faining that he was glad of the new
marriage, and comming home againe of the maiden, Whereby (by reason that
he came of so noble parents) he was received and entertained into the
house as one of their chiefe and principall friends: Howbeit under
cloake of a faithfull welwiller, hee dissimuled his mischievous mind
and intent: in continuance of time by much familiarity and often
conversation and banketting together, he fell more and more in favour,
like as we see it fortuneth to Lovers, who first doe little delight
themselves in love: till as by continuall acquaintance they kisse and
imbrace each other. Thrasillus perceiving that it was a hard matter to
breake his minde secretly to Charites, whereby he was wholly barred
from the accomplishment of his luxurious appetite, and on the other side
perceiving that the love of her and her husband was so strongly lincked
together, that the bond betweene them might in no wise be dissevered,
moreover, it was a thing impossible to ravish her, although he had
consented thereto, yet was hee still provoked forward by vehement lust,
when as hee saw himselfe unable to bring his purpose to passe. Howbeit
at length the thing which seemed so hard and difficill, thorough hope of
his fortified love, did now appeare easie and facill: but marke I pray
you diligently to what end the furious force of his inordinate desire
came. On a day Lepolemus went to the chase with Thrasillus, to hunt for
Goates, for his wife Charites desired him earnestly to meddle with no
other beasts, which were of more fierce and wilde nature. When they were
come within the chase to a great thicket fortressed about with bryers
and thornes, they compassed round with their Dogs and beset every place
with nets: by and by warning was given to let loose. The Dogs rushed in
with such a cry, that all the Forrest rang againe with the noyse, but
behold there leaped out no Goat, nor Deere, nor gentle Hinde, but an
horrible and dangerous wild Boare, hard and thicke skinned, bristeled
terribly with thornes, foming at the mouth, grinding his teeth, and
looking direfully with fiery eyes. The Dogs that first set upon him, he
tare and rent with his tuskes, and then he ranne quite through the nets,
and escaped away. When wee saw the fury of this beast, wee were greatly
striken with feare, and because wee never accustomed to chase such
dreadfull Boares, and further because we were unarmed and without
weapons, we got and hid our selves under bushes and trees. Then
Thrasillus having found opportunity to worke his treason, said to
Lepolemus: What stand we here amazed? Why show we our selves like
dastards? Why leese we so worthy a prey with our feminine hearts? Let us
mount upon our Horses, and pursue him incontinently: take you a hunting
staffe, and I will take a chasing speare. By and by they leaped upon
their Horses, and followed the beast. But hee returning against them
with furious force, pryed with his eyes, on whom hee might first assayle
with his tuskes: Lepolemus strooke the beast first on the backe with his
hunting staffe. Thrasillus faining to ayde and assist him, came behind,
and cut off the hinder legges of Lepolemus Horse, in such sort that hee
fell downe to the ground with his master: and sodainely the Boare came
upon Lepolemus and furiously tare and rent him with his teeth. Howbeit,
Thrasillus was not sufficed to see him thus wounded, but when he desired
his friendly help, he thrust Lepolemus through the right thigh with his
speare, the more because he thought the wound of the speare would be
taken for a wound of the Boars teeth, then he killed the beast likewise,
And when he was thus miserably slaine, every one of us came out of our
holes, and went towards our slaine master. But although that Thrasillus
was joyfull of the death of Lepolemus, whom he did greatly hate, yet he cloked the matter with a sorrowfull countenance, he fained a dolorous
face, he often imbraced the body which himselfe slew, he played all the
parts of a mourning person, saving there fell no teares from his eyes.
Thus hee resembled us in each point, who verily and not without occasion
had cause to lament for our master, laying all the blame of this
homicide unto the Boare. Incontinently after the sorrowfull newes of the
death of Lepolemus, came to the eares of all the family, but especially
to Charites, who after she had heard such pitifull tydings, as a mad
and raging woman, ran up and down the streets, crying and howling
lamentably. All the Citizens gathered together, and such as they met
bare them company running towards the chasse. When they came to the
slaine body of Lepolemus, Charites threw her selfe upon him weeping and
lamenting grievously for his death, in such sort, that she would have
presently ended her life, upon the corps of her slaine husband, whom
shee so entirely loved, had it not beene that her parents and friends
did comfort her, and pulled her away. The body was taken up, and in
funerall pompe brought to the City and buried. In the meane season,
Thrasillus fained much sorrow for the death of Lepolemus, but in his
heart he was well pleased and joyfull. And to counterfeit the matter, he
would come to Charites and say: O what a losse have I had of my friend,
my fellow, my companion Lepolemus? O Charites comfort your selfe,
pacifie your dolour, refraine your weeping, beat not your breasts: and
with such other and like words and divers examples he endeavoured to
suppresse her great sorrow, but he spake not this for any other intent
but to win the heart of the woman, and to nourish his odious love with
filthy delight. Howbeit Charites after the buriall of her husband sought
the meanes to follow him, and (not sustaining the sorrows wherein she
was Wrapped) got her secretly into a chamber and purposed to finish
her life there with dolour and tribulation. But Thrasillus was very
importunate, and at length brought to passe, that at the intercession of
the Parents and friends of Charites, she somewhat refreshed her fallen
members with refection of meate and baine. Howbeit, she did it more at
the commandement of her Parents, then for any thing else: for she could
in no wise be merry, nor receive any comfort, but tormented her selfe
day and night before the Image of her husband which she made like unto
Bacchus, and rendred unto him divine honours and services. In the meane
season Thrasillus not able to refraine any longer, before Charites had
asswaged her dolor, before her troubled mind had pacified her fury, even
in the middle of all her griefes, while she tare her haire and rent her
garments, demanded her in marriage, and so without shame, he detected
the secrets and unspeakeable deceipts of his heart. But Charites
detested and abhorred his demand, and as she had beene stroken with some
clap of thunder, with some storme, or with the lightning of Jupiter, she
presently fell downe to the ground all amazed. Howbeit when her spirits
were revived and that she returned to her selfe, perceiving that
Thrasillus was so importunate, she demanded respite to deliberate and to
take advise on the matter. In the meane season, the shape of Lepolemus
that was slaine so miserably, appeared to Charites saying, O my sweet
wife (which no other person can say but I) I pray thee for the love
which is betweene us two, if there he any memorie of me in thy heart, or
remembrance of my pittifull death, marry with any other person, so that
thou marry not with the traitour Thrasillus, have no conference with
him, eate not with him, lie not with him, avoid the bloudie hand of
mine enemie, couple not thy selfe with a paricide, for those wounds (the
bloud whereof thy teares did wash away) were not the wounds of the teeth
of the Boare, but the speare of Thrasillus, that deprived me from thee.
Thus spake Lepolemus, unto his loving wife, and declared the residue of
the damnable fact. Then Charites, awaking from sleepe, began to renew
her dolour, to teare her garments, and to beate her armes with her
comely hands, howbeit she revealed the vision which she saw to no manner
of person, but dissimuling that she knew no part of the mischiefe,
devised with her selfe how she might be revenged on the traitor, and
finish her owne life to end and knit up all sorrow. Incontinently came
Thrasillus, the detestable demander of sodaine pleasure, and wearied the
closed eares of Charites with talke of marriage, but she gently refused
his communication, and coloring the matter, with passing craft in the
middest of his earnest desires gan say, Thrasillus you shall understand
that yet the face of your brother and my husband, is alwayes before mine
eies, I smell yet the Cinamon sent of his pretious body, I yet feele
Lepolemus alive in my heart: wherefore you shall do well if you grant to
me miserable woman, necessarie time to bewaile his death, that after the
residue of a few months, the whole yeare may be expired, which thing
toucheth as well my shame as your wholsome profit, lest peradventure by
your speed and quicke marriage we should justly raise and provoke the
spirit of my husband to worke our destruction. Howbeit, Thrasillus
was not contented with this promise, but more and more came upon her:
Insomuch, that she was enforced to speake to him in this manner: My
friend Thrasillus, if thou be so contented untill the whole yeare be
compleate and finished, behold here is my bodie, take thy pleasure, but
in such sort and so secret that no servant of the house may perceive
it. Then Thrasillus trusting to the false promises of the woman, and
preferring his inordinate pleasure above all things in the world, was
joyfull in his heart and looked for night, when as he might have his
purpose. But come thou about midnight (quoth Charites) disguised without
companie, and doe but hisse at my chamber doore, and my nourse shall
attend and let thee in. This counsell pleased Thrasillus marveilously,
who (suspecting no harme) did alwaies looke for night, and the houre
assigned by Charites. The time was scarce come, when as (according
to her commandement) he disguised himselfe, and went straight to the
chamber, where he found the nourse attending for him, who (by the
appointment of her Mistresse) fed him with flattering talke, and gave
him mingled and doled drinke in a cup, excusing the absence of her
Mistresse Charites, by reason that she attended on her Father being
sick, untill such time, that with sweet talke and operation of the
wine, he fell in a sound sleepe: Now when he lay prostrate on the ground
readie to all adventure, Charites (being called for) came in, and with
manly courage and bold force stood over the sleeping murderer, saying:
Behold the faithfull companion of my husband, behold this valiant
hunter; behold me deere spouse, this is the hand which shed my bloud,
this is the heart which hath devised so many subtill meanes to worke my
destruction, these be the eies whom I have ill pleased, behold now they
foreshew their owne destinie: sleepe carelesse, dreame that thou art in
the hands of the mercifull, for I will not hurt thee with thy sword or
any other weapon: God forbid that I should slay thee as thou slewest my
husband, but thy eies shall faile thee, and thou shalt see no more, then
that whereof thou dreamest: Thou shalt thinke the death of thine enemie
more sweet then thy life: Thou shalt see no light, thou shalt lacke the
aide of a leader, thou shalt not have me as thou hopest, thou shalt have
no delight of my marriage, thou shalt not die, and yet living thou shalt
have no joy, but wander betweene light and darknesse as an unsure Image:
thou shalt seeke for the hand that pricked out thine eies, yet shalt
thou not know of whom thou shouldest complaine: I will make sacrifice
with the bloud of thine eies upon the grave of my husband. But what
gainest thou through my delay? Perhaps thou dreamest that thou embracest
me in thy armes: leave off the darknesse of sleepe and awake thou to
receive a penall deprivation of thy sight, lift up thy face, regard thy
vengeance and evill fortune, reckon thy miserie; so pleaseth thine eies
to a chast woman, that thou shall have blindnesse to thy companion, and
an everlasting remorse of thy miserable conscience. When she had spoken
these words, she tooke a great needle from her head and pricked out both
his eies: which done, she by and by caught the naked sword which her
husband Lepolemus accustomed to weare, and ranne throughout all the
Citie like a mad woman towards the Sepulchre of her husband. Then all
we of the house, with all the Citizens, ranne incontinently after her
to take the sword out of her hand, but she clasping about the tombe of
Lepolemus, kept us off with her naked weapon, and when she perceived
that every one of us wept and lamented, she spake in this sort: I pray
you my friends weepe not, nor lament for me, for I have revenged the
death of my husband, I have punished deservedly the wicked breaker
of our marriage; now is it time to seeke out my sweet Lepolemus, and
presently with this sword to finish my life. And therewithall after she
had made relation of the whole matter, declared the vision which she
saw and told by what meane she deceived Thrasillus, thrusting her sword
under her right brest, and wallowing in her owne bloud, at length with
manly courage yeelded up the Ghost. Then immediately the friends
of miserable Charites did bury her body within the same Sepulchre.
Thrasillus hearing all the matter, and knowing not by what meanes he
might end his life, for he thought his sword was not sufficient to
revenge so great a crime, at length went to the same Sepulchre, and
cryed with a lowd voice, saying: o yee dead spirites whom I have so
highly and greatly offended, vouchsafe to receive me, behold I make
Sacrifice unto you with my whole body: which said, hee closed the
Sepulchre, purposing to famish himselfe, and to finish his life there
in sorrow. These things the young man with pitifull sighes and teares,
declared unto the Cowheards and Shepheards, which caused them all to
weepe: but they fearing to become subject unto new masters, prepared
themselves to depart away.