Apuleius: METAMORPHOSES

[1] Diem ferme circa medium, cum iam flagrantia solis caleretur, in pago quodam apud notos ac familiares latronibus senes devertimus. Sic enim primus aditus et sermo prolixus et oscula mutua quamvis asino sentire praestabant. Nam et rebus eos quibusdam dorso meo depromptis munerabantur et secretis gannitibus quod essent latrocinio partae videbantur indicare.

[1] About midday, when the blazing sun grew hot, we turned aside into a certain village to some old thieves we knew and were intimate with. For thus the first approach, the prolonged talk, and the mutual kisses—even if more fitting to a jackass—were offered. For they were feasted with certain things taken down from my back as gifts, and by secret murmurs and yaps they seemed to indicate that these had been gotten by brigandage.

Iamque nos omni sarcina levatos in pratum proximum passim libero pastui tradidere. Nec me cum asino vel equo meo conpascuus coetus attinere potuit adhuc insolitum alioquin prandere faenum, sed plane pone stabulum prospectum hortulum iam fame perditus fidenter invado, et quamvis crudis holeribus adfatim tamen ventrem sagino, deosque comprecatus omnes cuncta prospectabam loca, sicubi forte conterminis in hortulis candens reperirem rosarium. Nam et ipsa solitudo iam mihi bonam fiduciam tribuebat, si devius et frutectis absconditus sumpto remedio de iumenti quadripedis incurvo gradu rursum erectus in hominem inspectante nullo resurgerem.

And now, with every sarcina taken off, we gave ourselves up all around to the nearest meadow for free pasturage. Nor could the coetus grazing with my ass or my horse restrain me—though otherwise it was still unusual to breakfast on faenum—but plainly, beyond the stable in sight, I confidently invaded a little hortulum already ruined by famine, and although with crudis holeribus I nevertheless sufficiently filled my ventrem; having besought all the deos I scanned every place, in case by chance among the neighboring hortuli I might find a shining rosarium.

[2] Ergo igitur cum in isto cogitationis salo fluctuarem aliquanto longius frondosi nemoris convallem umbrosam, cuius inter varias herbulas et laetissima virecta fungentium rosarum mineus color renidebat. Iamque apud mea usquequaque ferina praecordia Veneris et Gratiarum lucum illum arbitrabar, cuius inter opaca secreta floris genialis regius nitor relucebat. Tunc invocato hilaro atque prospero Eventu cursu me concito proripio, ut hercule ipse sentirem non asinum me verum etiam equum currulem nimio velocitatis effectum.

[2] Therefore, while I drifted somewhat farther on that sea of thought into the shady vale of a leafy grove, among whose various herbs and the most joyous greenery of flourishing roses a crimson hue gleamed, I now, in my altogether wild breast, thought that grove to be a wood of Venus and the Graces, among whose shadowy retreats the genial splendour of the flower shone like a royal radiance. Then, having invoked a cheerful and prosperous Event, I, urged on with quickened pace, sprang forward so that, by Hercules, I felt not only my ass but even my little saddle‑horse made into an effect of excessive swiftness.

Sed agilis atque praeclarus ille conatus fortunae meae scaevitatem anteire non potuit. Iam enim loco proximus non illas rosas teneras et amoenas, madidas divini roris et nectaris, quas rubi felices beatae spinae generant, ac ne convallem quidem usquam nisi tantum ripae fluvialis marginem densis arboribus septam video. Hae arbores in lauri faciem prolixe foliatae pariunt in odor) modum floris [inodori] porrectos caliculos modice punicantes, quos equidem flagrantis minime rurestri vocabulo vulgus indoctum rosas laureas appellant quarumque cuncto pecori cibus letalis est.

But that agile and illustrious attempt could not anticipate the ill‑chance of my fortune. For now, being near the place, I see not those tender and pleasant roses, wet with divine dew and nectar, which the happy, blessed bramble’s thorn produces, and I see no valley anywhere except merely the river‑bank’s margin fenced with dense trees. These trees, lavishly foliated into the semblance of laurel, yield, in the (odor) modum floris [inodori], outstretched little cups moderately blushing, which, by the word “flagrantis” — by no means a rustic term — the unlettered populace call laurel‑roses, and the food of which is lethal to all cattle.

[3] Talibus fatis implicitus etiam ipsam salutem recusans sponte illud venenum rosarium sumere gestiebam. Sed dum cunctanter accedo decerpere, iuvenis quidam, ut mihi videbatur, hortulanus, cuius omni prorsus holera vastaveram, tanto damno cognito cum grandi baculo furens decurrit adreptumque me totum plagis obtundit adusque vitae ipsius periculum, nisi tandem sapienter alioquin ipse mihi tulissem auxilium. Nam lumbis elevatis in altum, pedum posteriorum calcibus iactatis in eum crebriter, iam mulcato graviter atque iacente contra proclive montis attigui fuga me liberavi.

[3] Entangled by such fates, even shunning safety itself, of my own will I longed to take that poisonous rose-bed. But while I approached hesitantly to pluck (the flowers), a certain youth, as it seemed to me a gardener, whose every vegetable I had utterly laid waste, perceiving so great a loss ran down raging with a large staff and, having seized me, struck me all over with blows and nearly to the peril of my very life, had I not at last, by otherwise wise contrivance, brought aid to myself. For, my loins raised high and the heels of my hind feet hurled at him repeatedly, with him now grievously beaten and lying on the sloping side of the neighboring hill he fled, and I was freed.

Sed ilico mulier quaepiam, uxor eius scilicet, simul eum prostratum et semianimem ex edito despexit, ululabili cum plangore ad eum statim prosilit, ut sui videlicet miseratione mihi praesens crearet exitium. Cuncti enim pagani fletibus eius exciti statim conclamant canes atque ad me laniandum rabie perciti ferrent impetum passim cohortatur. Tunc igitur procul dubio iam morti proximus, cum viderem canes et modo magnos et numero multos et ursis ac leonibus ad compugnandum idoneos in me convocatos exasperari, e re nata capto consilio fugam desino ac me retrorsus celeri gradu rursum in stabulum quo deverteramus recipio.

But straightaway some woman, his wife no doubt, looked down from her height upon him prostrate and half-dead, and with a wailing lament at once sprang toward him, as if by pity for him she would make for me an immediate ruin. For all the pagans, stirred by her tears, at once shout aloud, and bring forth dogs, and, rabidly incited to rend me, they bear an assault and urge them on everywhere. Then therefore, now doubtless near to death, when I saw the dogs — some large, and many in number, and bears and lions summoned as fit for combat against me — grow the more fierce, the matter being arisen, with a plan seized I cease my flight and with swift step return again into the stable to which we had turned aside.

At illi canibus iam aegre cohibitis adreptum me loro quam valido ad ansulam quandam destinatum rursum caedendo confecissent profecto, nisi dolore plagarum alvus artata crudisque illis oleribus abundans et lubrico fluxu saucia fimo fistulatim excusso quosdam extremi liquoris aspergine alios putore nidoris faetidi a meis iam quassis scapulis abegisset.

But they, the dogs now barely kept back, would surely have done me in — having seized me by a very strong thong and, intending me for a certain little islet, having beaten me to death again and again — if my belly, swollen with the pain of the wounds and full of those raw herbs, and, wounded, having expulsed in jetlike streams a slippery discharge of filth, had not driven some off by the spray of the ultimate liquid and others by the stink of the noisome nidor from my already shaken shoulders.

[4] Nec mora, cum iam in meridiem prono iubare rursum nos ac praecipue me longe gravius onustum producunt illi latrones stabulo. Iamque confecta bona parte itineris et viae spatio defectus et sarcinae pondere depressus ictibusque fustium fatigatus atque etiam ungulis extritis iam claudus et titubans rivulum quendam serpentis leniter aquae propter insistens subtilem occasionem feliciter nactus cogitabam totum memet flexis scite cruribus pronum abicere, certus atque obstinatus nullis verberibus ad ingrediundum exsurgere, immo etiam paratus non fusti tantum (percussus) sed machaera perfossus occumbere. Rebar enim iam me prorsus exanimatum ac debilem mereri causariam missionem, certe latrones partim inpatientia morae partim studio festinatae fugae dorsi mei sarcinam duobus ceteris iumentis distributuros meque in altioris vindictae vicem lupis et vulturiis praedam relicturos.

[4] No delay: when now with drooping mane toward midday they again led us forth from the stable, and especially me far more heavily laden, those robbers. And now, with a good part of the journey accomplished and worn out by the road’s length and oppressed by the weight of my pack, fatigued by blows of cudgels and even with my hooves rubbed away, now lame and staggering, having, by resting upon a little brook of the serpent’s water, happily found a slender occasion, I thought to throw myself entirely prone, my legs cleverly bent, certain and resolved not to rise to set out under any beatings, nay even prepared not only to be struck with a cudgel but to be pierced by a machaera (sword) and fall. For I supposed that I was altogether breathless and weak and deserved a merciful dismissal; certainly the robbers, partly from impatience at delay, partly from eagerness for hurried flight, would distribute the pack from my back to two other beasts of burden and leave me, as the price of a higher vengeance, to wolves and vultures as prey.

[5] Sed tam bellum consilium meum praevertit sors deterrima. Namque ille alius asinus divinato et antecapto meo cogitatu statim se mentita lassitudine cum rebus totis offudit, iacensque in modum mortui non fustibus non stimulis ac ne cauda et auribus cruribusque undique versum elevatis temptavit exurgere, quoad tandem postumae spei fatigati secumque conlocuti, ne tam diu mortuo immo vero lapideo asino servientes fugam morarentur, sarcinis eius mihi equoque distributis destricto gladio poplites eius totos amputant, ac paululum a via retractum per altissimum praeceps in vallem proximam etiam nunc spirantem praecipitant. Tunc ego miseri commilitonis fortunam cogitans statui iam dolis abiectis et fraudibus asinum me bonae frugi dominis exhibere.

[5] But the most dreadful lot foiled my very fine plan. For that other ass, having divined and forestalled my intent, at once feigned weariness and threw himself down with all his packs, and lying as one dead, despite whips and goads and even with tail and ears and legs turned up on every side, would not attempt to rise, until at last, their hope of recovery spent, they conferred among themselves and, lest their flight be delayed by tending so long to a dead — nay, stone-like — ass, with his packs distributed to me and to the horse and with swords drawn they cut off his hind-legs outright, and having dragged him a little from the road they hurled him headlong over the very steep precipice into the neighboring valley, still breathing even now. Then I, pondering the fate of my wretched comrade, resolved, my tricks cast aside and my frauds abandoned, to present my ass to its good, frugal masters.

Nam et secum eos animadverteram conloquentes quod in proximo nobis esset habenda mansio et totius viae finis quieta eorumque esset sedes illa et habitatio. Clementi denique transmisso clivulo pervenimus ad locum destinatum, ubi rebus totis exsolutis atque intus conditis iam pondere liberatus lassitudinem vice lavacri pulvereis volutatibus digerebam.

For I had also observed them conversing among themselves that there was to be a lodging kept near us, and that the end of the whole road would be their rest and that seat and habitation. Finally, with Clement having crossed the little slope, we came to the destined place, where, all matters settled and packed within and now relieved of weight, I, wearied, was digesting my fatigue in place of a bath by dusty rollings.

[6] Res ac tempus ipsum locorum speluncaeque quam illi latrones inhabitabant descriptionem exponere flagitat. Nam et meum simul periclitabor ingenium, et faxo vos quoque an mente etiam sensuque fuerim asinus sedulo sentiatis. Mons horridus silvestribusque frondibus umbrosus et in primis altus fuit.

[6] The matter and the very time and the places, and the cave which those robbers inhabited, demand that a description be set forth. For I will at once put my own ingenuity to the test, and I will make sure that you too diligently perceive whether I have been an ass both in mind and in sense. The mountain was dreadful, shaded with sylvan foliage, and above all it was lofty.

Huius per obliqua devexa, qua saxis asperrimis et ob id inaccessis cingitur, convalles lacunosae cavaeque nimium spinetis aggeratae et quaquaversus repositae naturalem tutelam praebentes ambiebant. De summo vertice fons affluens bullis ingentibus scaturribat perque prona delapsus evomebat undas argenteas iamque rivulis pluribus dispersus ac valles illas agminibus stagnantibus inrigans in mondum stipati maris vel ignavi fluminis cuncta cohibebat. Insurgit speluncae, qua margines montanae desinunt, turris ardua; caulae firmae solidis cratibus, ovili stabulationi commodae, porrectis undique lateribus ante fores exigui tramitis vice structis parietis attenduntur.

Around this, by the slanting slopes—which are girded with very harsh rocks and therefore inaccessible—hollow, pit-riven valleys, overly heaped with thorn-brakes and deposited here and there, offering natural protection, encompassed it. From the highest summit a flowing spring gushed with enormous bubbles and, having slipped down the inclines, vomited forth silver waves; and now dispersed into several rivulets and irrigating those valleys with bands of standing water, packed into a basin like a sea or a sluggish river, it restrained all things. Rising at the cavern where the mountain margins cease is a lofty tower; stout huts of solid wickerwork, convenient for sheepfold stall, with their sides spread out on every side, are set against the wall before the doors, a narrow passage built in the stead of a gate.

Ea tu bono certe meo periculo latronum dixeris atria. Nec iuxta quicquam quam parva casula cannulis temere contecta, qua speculatores e numero latronum, ut postea comperi, sorte ducti noctibus excubabant.

You will call those atria my possessions, certainly at my peril from the robbers. Nor was anything near them except a small hut rashly roofed with reeds, in which scouts from the bandits’ number, as I afterward discovered, chosen by lot kept night-watch.

[7] Ibi cum singuli derepsissent stipatis artubus, nobis ante ipsas fores loro valido destinatis anum quandam curvatam gravi senio, cui soli salus atque tutela tot numero iuvenum commissa videbatur, sic infesti compellant: "Etiamne tu, busti cadaver extremum et vitae dedecus primum et Orci fastidium solum, sic nobis otiosa domi residens lusitabis nec nostris tam magnis tamque periculosis laboribus solacium de tam sera refectione tribues? Quae diebus ac noctibus nil quicquam rei quam merum saevienti ventri tuo soles aviditer ingurgitare."

[7] There, when each had torn at their cramped limbs, with us before the very doors having bound with a sturdy thong a certain bent old woman bowed by grievous senility, to whom alone safety and guardianship seemed entrusted for so great a number of youths, thus hostile they address her: "Will you too, last corpse of the pyre and first disgrace of life and sole loathing of Orcus, thus, idle at home, mock us and not grant solace to our so great and so perilous labors by so late a refreshment? You who by days and nights are wont to swallow greedily of no thing but undiluted wine into your raging belly."

Tremens ad haec et stridenti vocula pavida sic anus: "At vobis, fortissimi fidelissimeque mei sospitatores iuvenes, adfatim cuncta suavi sapore percocta pulmenta praesto sunt, panis numerosus vinum probe calicibus ecfricatis affluenter immissum et ex more calida tumultuario lavacro vestro praeparata." In fine sermonis huius statim sese devestiunt nudatique et flammae largissimae vapore recreati calidaque perfusi et oleo peruncti mensas dapibus largiter instructas accumbunt.

Trembling at this and with a shrilling voice the fearful old woman thus: "But for you, my bravest and most faithful preservers, young men, amply all things are ready — dishes cooked with a sweet savor, plentiful bread, wine well poured into cups in abundance, and, as is the custom, hot water prepared for your tumultuous bath." At the end of this speech they at once undressed themselves and, naked and revived by the abundant steam of the great flame and having been warmed and anointed with oil, they reclined at the tables lavishly set with fare.

[8] Commodum cubuerant et ecce quidam longe plures numero iuvenes adveniunt alii, quos incunctanter adaeque latrones arbitrarere. Nam et ipsi praedas aureorum argentariorumque nummorum ac vasculorum vestisque sericae et intextae filis aureis invehebant. Hi simili lavacro refoti inter toros sociorum sese reponunt, tunc sorte ducti ministerium faciunt.

[8] They had reclined in comfort, and behold certain young men, far greater in number, arrived — others whom they without delay judged to be downright robbers. For they themselves were conveying spoils of gold and silver coins and little vessels and garments of silk woven with golden threads. These, refreshed by a like bath, laid themselves down among the couches of the companions; then, chosen by lot, they performed the service.

Estur ac potatur incondite, pulmentis acervatim, panibus aggeratim, poculis agminatim ingestis. Clamore ludunt, strepitu cantilant, conviciis iocantur, ac iam cetera semiferis Lapithis [tebcinibus] Centaurisque semihominibus similia. Tunc inter eos unus, qui robore ceteros antistabat: "Nos quidem," inquit "qui Milonis Hypatini domum fortiter expugnavimus, praeter tantam fortunae copiam, quam nostra virtute nacti sumus, et incolumi numero castra nostra petivimus et, si quid ad rem facit, octo pedibus auctiores remeavimus.

They eat and drink in disorder, stews heaped up, breads piled, cups massed in files heaped in; with shouting they sport, with clatter they chant, with insults they jest, and now the rest like half‑beast Lapiths [tebcinibus] and the semi‑human Centaurs. Then among them one, who in strength stood above the others, said: "We indeed," he said, "who bravely stormed the house of Milo Hypatinus, besides so great a store of booty which we gained by our virtue, and having sought our camp with our number unhurt, and, if it avails anything, we returned eight feet the taller."

At vos, qui Boeotias urbes adpetistis, ipso duce vestro fortissimo Lamacho deminuti debilem numerum reduxistis, cuius salutem merito sarcinis istis quas advexistis omnibus antetulerim. Sed illum quidem utcumque nimia virtus sua peremit; inter inclitos reges ac duces proeliorum tanti viri memoria celebrabitur. Enim vos bonae frugi latrones inter furta parva atque servilia timidule per balneas et aniles cellulas reptantes scrutariam facitis."

But you, who assailed the Boeotian cities, with your very brave leader Lamacho, have brought back a diminished, feeble number; whose safety I would rightly set before all those packs which you have brought in. Yet that man, indeed, by excessive valour perished somehow; among renowned kings and captains of battles the memory of so great a man will be celebrated. For you, honest, frugal thieves, amid petty thefts and servile matters, timidly creeping through the baths and the anile cells, make your foraging.

[9] Suscipit unus ex illo posteriore numero: "Tune solus ignoras longe faciliores ad expugnandum domus esse maiores? Quippe quod, licet numerosa familia latis deversetur aedibus, tamen quisque magis suae saluti quam domini consulat opibus. Frugi autem et solitarii homines fortunam parvam vel certe satis amplam dissimulanter obtectam protegunt acrius et sanguinis sui periculo muniunt.

[9] One of that later number replies: "Are you alone ignorant that the larger houses are by far easier to take? For although a numerous household is lodged in broad houses, yet each man attends more to his own safety than to his master's with his resources. The frugal and solitary men, however, conceal and protect a small fortune, or at least a sufficiently ample one, covertly hidden, and defend it more fiercely, fortifying it at the peril of their own blood."

Res ipsa denique fidem sermoni meo dabit. Vix enim Thebas heptapylos accessimus: quod est huic disciplinae primarium studium, [sed dum] sedulo fortunas inquirebamus popularium; nec nos denique latuit Chryseros quidam nummularius copiosae pecuniae dominus, qui metu officiorum ac munerum publicorum magnis artibus magnam dissimulabat opulentiam. Denique solus ac solitarius parva sed satis munita domuncula contentus, pannosus alioquin ac sordidus, aureos folles incubabat.

The thing itself at last will lend credence to my account. For we scarcely approached Thebes of seven gates: which is the primary study of this discipline, [but while] diligently we were inquiring into the fortunes of the populace; nor was it finally hidden from us that a certain Chryseros, a money‑changer, master of abundant coin, who through fear of public offices and public duties by great arts greatly dissimulated his opulence. At length, alone and solitary, content with a small but sufficiently fortified little house, otherwise ragged and sordid, he lay upon golden bags.

Ergo placuit ad hunc primum ferremus aditum, ut contempta pugna manus unicae nullo negotio cunctis opibus otione potiremur.

Therefore it was decided that we should first bring an approach to this man, so that, open battle being scorned, by a single band we might, without any trouble, gain for all the resources through leisure.

[1] Nec mora, cum noctis initio foribus eius praestolamur, quas neque sublevare neque dimovere ac ne perfringere quidem nobis videbatur, ne valvarum sonus cunctam viciniam nostro suscitaret exitio. Tunc itaque sublimis ille vexillarius noster Lamachus spectatae virtutis suae fiducia, qua clavis immittendae foramen patebat, sensim inmissa manu claustrum evellere gestiebat. Sed dudum scilicet omnium bipedum nequissimus Chryseros vigilans et singula rerum sentiens lenem gradum et obnixum silentium tolerans paulatim adrepit, grandique clavo manum ducis nostri repente nisu fortissimo ad ostii tabulam officit et exitiabili nexu patibulatum relinquens gurgustioli sui tectum ascendit, atque inde contentissima voce clamitans rogansque vicinos et unum quemque proprio nomine ciens et salutis communis admonens diffamat incendio repentino domum suam possideri.

[1] No delay: at the beginning of the night we waited at his doors, which neither to raise nor to move nor even to break seemed fit, lest the sound of the valves rouse the whole neighborhood to our destruction. Then our lofty vexillarius Lamachus, trusting in the prowess he had shown, by which the keyhole for inserting a key was laid open, with his hand slowly inserted desired to wrench away the bolt. But Chryseros, long confessedly the most worthless of all bipeds, lying awake and perceiving each detail, and bearing with a gentle step and strained silence, crept up little by little; with a great nail he suddenly, with the most mighty effort, thrust his hand against the house’s door-plank and, leaving the beam closed with a deadly fastening, mounted to the little garret of his perch, and from there, shouting with the most contented voice and calling the neighbors and each man by his own name and warning them of a common safety, proclaimed that his house had been seized by a sudden fire.

Sic unus quisque proximi periculi confinio territus suppetiatum decurrunt anxii.

Thus each one, terrified by the proximity of the imminent peril, anxiously ran down to the supplies.

[11] Tunc nos in ancipiti periculo constituti vel opprimendi nostri vel deserendi socii remedium e re nata validum eo volente comminiscimus. Antesignani nostri partem, qua manus umerum subit, ictu per articulum medium temperato prorsus abscidimus, atque ibi brachio relicto, multis laciniis offulto vulnere ne stillae sanguinis vestigium proderent, ceterum Lamachum raptim reportamus. Ac dum trepidi religionis urguemur gravi tumultu et instantis periculi metu terremur ad fugam nec vel sequi propere vel remanere tuto potest vir sublimis animi virtutisque praecipuus, multis nos adfantibus multique precibus querens adhortatur per dexteram Martis per fidem sacramenti bonum commilitonem cruciatu simul et captivitate liberaremus.

[11] Then we, placed in a two‑edged danger—either of being crushed ourselves or of our comrades being abandoned—devised a remedy sprung from the thing itself, God willing. Our vanguard men, the part by which the hand takes the shoulder, with a blow through the joint we cut cleanly away in the middle, and there, the arm left behind, wrapped with many strips over the wound so that not a trace of a drop of blood should appear, we carried off Lamachus quickly. And while, trembling, we were pressed by the awe of religion and shaken by a heavy tumult and the fear of impending danger, the man, lofty of mind and outstanding in courage, was unable either to follow promptly or to remain safely; he, addressing many and urging many prayers, exhorted us by the right hand of Mars and by the faith of the oath that we should free the good comrade at once from torture and captivity.

Cur enim manui, quae rapere et iugulare sola posset, fortem latronem supervivere? Sat se beatum qui manu socia volens occumberet. Cumque nulli nostrum spontale parricidium suadens persuadere posset, manu reliqua sumptum gladium suum diuque deosculatum per medium pectus ictu fortissimo transadigit.

For why should a hand, which alone could rapere and iugulare, allow the stout bandit to survive? He deems himself sufficiently blessed who, willing, would fall by the allied hand. And when he could persuade none of us by urging voluntary parricide, with his remaining hand he took up his sword, long kissed it, and with a very mighty stroke drove it through the middle of his breast.

Tunc nos magnanimi ducis vigore venerato corpus reliquum veste lintea diligenter convolutum mari celandum commisimus. Et nunc iacet noster Lamachus elemento toto sepultus.

Then we, revering the vigour of the magnanimous leader, having carefully wrapped the remaining body in a linen garment, committed it to be hidden in the sea. And now our Lamachus lies buried, wholly in the element.

[12] Et ille quidem dignum virtutibus suis vitae terminum posuit. Enim vero Alcimus sollertibus coeptis eo saevum Fortunae nutum non potuit adducere. Qui cum dormientis anus perfracto tuguriolo conscendisset cubiculum superius iamque protinus oblisis faucibus interstinguere eam debuisset, prius maluit rerum singula per latiorem fenestram forinsecus nobis scilicet rapienda dispergere.

[12] And he indeed put an end of life fitting to his virtues. For Alcimus, with his clever undertakings, could not bring that savage nod of Fortune to that point. Who, when he had mounted into the hut of a sleeping old woman with the latch broken, and now forthwith, with his jaws closed, ought to have extinguished her, preferred first to snatch and scatter the several things to be seized through the larger outer window, to be carried off to us, of course.

Cumque iam cuncta rerum naviter emolitus nec toro quidem aniculae quiescentis parcere vellet eaque lectulo suo devoluta vestem stragulam subductam scilicet iactare similiter destinaret, genibus eius profusa sic nequissima illa deprecatur: "Quid, oro, fili, paupertinas pannosasque resculas miserrimae anus donas vicinis divitibus, quorum haec fenestra domum prospicit?" Quo sermone callido deceptus astu et vera quae dicta sunt credens Alcimus, verens scilicet ne et ea quae prius miserat quaeque postea missurus foret non sociis suis sed in alienos lares iam certus erroris abiceret, suspendit se fenestra sagaciter perspecturus omnia, praesertim domus attiguae, quam dixerat illa, fortunas arbitraturus. Quod eum strenue quidem set satis inprovide conantem senile illud facinus quamquam invalido repentino tamen et inopinato pulsu nutantem ac pendulum et in prospectu alioquin attonitum praeceps inegit. Qui praeter altitudinem miniam super quendam etiam vastissimum lapidem propter iacentem decidens perfracta diffisaque crate costarum rivos sanguinis vomens imitus narratisque nobis quae gesta sunt non diu cruciatus vitam evasit.

And when already he had diligently completed all matters and would not even spare the couch of the old woman at rest, and having thrown himself down upon her little bed intended likewise to cast off the garment-cloak which had been tucked away, that most wicked woman, spread upon his knees, thus beseeches him: "What, I beg you, son, do you give the ragged poor little rags of a most miserable old woman to the neighboring rich men, whose house this window looks upon?" Deceived by that crafty speech and believing the true things that were said, Alcimus, fearing, to be sure, that those things which he had sent before and those which he would send afterward would not be cast into the homes of his comrades but into alien houses — now certain of the error — hangs himself at the window to look through with sagacity upon all things, especially the adjoining house which she had mentioned, intending to judge its fortunes. Which senile deed, bold indeed but performed rather imprudently, although by a sudden and unexpected blow weakened him, made him totter and hang and, otherwise bewildered in appearance, precipitate headlong. He, besides the great height, fell also upon a very vast stone; the wickerwork of his ribs was broken and split, he vomited streams of blood, and having related to us what had been done, he did not long endure torments but escaped life.

Quem prioris exemplo sepulturae traditum bonum secutorem Lamacho dedimus.

Whom, following the example of the prior burial, we delivered to Lamacho as the entrusted successor of the goods.

[13] Tunc orbitatis duplici plaga petiti iamque Thebanis conatibus abnuentes Plataeas proximan conscendimus civitatem. Ibi famam celebrem super quodam Demochare munus edituro gladiatorium deprehendimus. Nam vir et genere primarius et opibus plurimus et liberalitate praecipuus digno fortunae suae splendore publicas voluptates instruebat.

[13] Then, smitten by a twofold stroke of bereavement and now refusing the Theban attempts, we entered the proximate city of Plataea. There we discovered a celebrated rumor that a certain Demochares was about to give a gladiatorial munus. For the man, both foremost by birth and very wealthy in resources and preeminent in liberality, was furnishing public pleasures with a splendor worthy of his fortune.

Quis tantus ingenii, quis facundiae, qui singulas species apparatus multiiugi verbis idoneis posset explicare? Gladiatores isti famosae manus, venatores illi probatae pernicitatis, alibi noxii perdita securitate suis epulis bestiarum saginas instruentes; confixilis machinae sublicae, turres structae tabularum nexibus ad instar circumforaneae domus, florida pictura decora futurae venationis receptacula. Qui praeterea numerus, quae facies ferarum!

What great genius, what eloquence, who could set forth with fitting words each separate kind of the multi-yoked apparatus? These gladiators of renowned might, those hunters of proven swiftness, elsewhere guilty yet, with ruined security, provisioning their feasts with the fattening of beasts; the spike-fastened machines of beams, towers built by the joining of planks like the frame of a surrounding house, a flowery painting adorning the receptacles for the forthcoming venation. And what a number besides, what aspect of the wild beasts!

Nam praecipuo studio foris etiam advexerat generosa illa damnatorum capitum funera. Sed praeter ceteram speciosi muneris supellectilem totis utcumque patrimonii viribus immanis ursae comparabat numerum copiosum. Nam praeter domesticis venationibus captas, praeter largis emptionibus partas, amicorum etiam donationibus variis certatim oblatas tutela sumptuosa sollicite nutriebat.

For with singular zeal he had even imported from abroad those noble funerals of condemned heads. But besides the rest of the handsome apparatus of the spectacle, with all the means of his entire patrimony however he could, he provided a plentiful number for the monstrous bear. For, besides those taken in domestic hunts, besides those acquired by lavish purchases, he also, by various donations eagerly offered by friends, under sumptuous guardianship carefully nourished them.

[14] Nec ille tam clarus tamque splendidus publicae voluptatis apparatus Invidiae noxios effugit oculos. Nam diutina captivitate fatigatae simul et aestiva flagrantia maceratae, pigra etiam sessione languidae, repentina correptae pestilentia paene ad nullum redivere numerum. Passim per plateas plurimas cerneres iacere semivivorum corporum ferina naufragia.

[14] Nor did he, so renowned and so splendid in the apparatus of public pleasure, escape the eyes noxious with Envy. For, worn out by long captivity and scorched by the blazing summer, sluggish also from idle sitting, seized by a sudden pestilence, almost none returned to the count. Here and there through the many streets you would see lying the half‑living bodies, beastly wrecks of human flesh.

Tunc vulgus ignobile, quos inculta pauperies sine dilectu ciborum tenuato ventri cogit sordentia supplementa et dapes gratuitas conquirere, passim iacentes epulas accurrunt. Tunc e re nata suptile consilium ego et iste Eubulus tale comminiscimur. Vnam, quae ceteris sarcina corporis praevalebat, quasi cibo parandam portamus ad nostrum receptaculum, eiusque probe nudatum carnibus corium servatis sollerter totis unguibus, ipso etiam bestiae capite adusque confinium cervicis solido relicto, tergus omne rasura studiosa tenuamus et minuto cinere perspersum soli siccandum tradimus.

Then the ignoble crowd, whom uncultivated poverty, without choice of foods and with the belly thinned, drives to seek sordid supplements and free dainties, run to the scattered meals wherever they lie. Then, with this thing arisen, Eubulus and I devise a subtle plan thus. One bundle, which outweighed the others as the main burden of the body, we carry as if to be prepared for food to our receptaculum; having thoroughly stripped it — the flesh preserved — and the hide deftly kept with intact nails, even leaving the very head of the beast solid up to the boundary of the neck, we carefully reserve every back for scraping and hand it over to be dried on the ground sprinkled with fine ash.

Ac dum caelestis vaporis flammis examurgatur, nos interdum pulpis eius valenter sanguinantes sic instanti militiae disponimus sacramentum, ut unus e numero nostro, non qui corporis adeo sed animi robore ceteris antistaret, atque si in primis voluntarius, pelle illa contectus ursae subiret effigiem domumque Democharis inlatus per opportuna noctis silentia nobis ianuae faciles praestaret aditus.

And while the celestial vapor is consumed by the flames, we at times, with its pulps bleeding vigorously, so arrange the sacrament of the imminent service that one from our number — not one outstanding to the others for bodily strength but for the strength of his mind — and if above all a volunteer, clad in that bear-skin would assume the likeness, and being carried into the house of Democharis in the convenient silences of the night would furnish us easy approaches to the doors.

[15] Nec paucos fortissimi collegii sollers species ad munus obeundum adrexerat. Quorum prae ceteris Thrasyleon factionis optione delectus ancipitis machinae subivit aleam, iamque habili corio et mollitie tractabili vultu sereno sese recondit. Tunc tenui sarcimine summas, oras eius adaequamus et iuncturae rimam, licet gracilem, setae circumfluentis densitate saepimus.

[15] Nor had a few of the most valiant collegium’s deft ranks been marshaled to perform the duty. Of these, before the others Thrasyleon, chosen by the faction’s choice, undertook the precarious gamble of the two-edged machine, and now, clad in supple leather and with a tractable softness, concealed himself with a serene countenance. Then with a thin bandage we fitted its summits and rims and the seam’s crack, slender though it was, and we densely packed it with the surrounding bristles’ abundance.

Ad ipsum confinium gulae, qua cervix bestiae fuerat exsecta, Thrasyleonis caput subire cogimus, parvisque respiratui et obtutui circa nares et oculos datis foraminibus fortissimum socium nostrum prorsus bestiam factum inmittimus caveae modico praestinatae pretio, quam constanti vigore festinus inrepsit ipse. Ad hunc modum prioribus inchoatis sic ad reliqua fallaciae pergimus.

To the very confine of the gullet, by which the beast’s neck had been cut away, we force Thrasyleon’s head to be thrust under, and, with small apertures given about the nostrils and eyes for breathing and for sight, we send in our most valiant companion, now altogether made a beast, into a cage furnished at a modest price, which he himself hastily crept into with steadfast vigour. In this manner, the former things having been begun, so we proceed to the remaining deceits.

[16] Sciscitati nomen cuiusdam Nicanoris, qui genere Thracio proditur ius amicitiae summum cum illo Demochare colebat, litteras adfingimus, ut venationis suae primitias bonus amicus videretur ornando muneri dedicasse. Iamque provecta vespera abusi praesidio tenebrarum Thrasyleonis caveam Demochari cum litteris illis adulterinis offerimus; qui miratus bestiae magnitudinem suique contubernalis opportuna liberalitate laetatus iubet nobis protinus gaudii sui ut ipse habebat gerulis decem aureos [ut ipse habebat] e suis loculis adnumerari. Tunc, ut novitas consuevit ad repentinas visiones animos hominum pellicere, multi numero mirabundi bestiam confluebant, quorum satis callenter curiosos aspectus Thrasyleon noster impetu minaci frequenter inhibebat; consonaque civium voce satis felix ac beatus Demochares ille saepe celebratus, quod post tantam cladem ferarum novo proventu quoquo modo fortunae resisteret, iubet novalibus suis confestim bestiam [iret iubet] summa cum diligentia reportari. Sed suscipiens ego:

[16] Asking after the name of a certain Nicanor, who is said to be of Thracian stock and who bore the highest right of friendship with that Demochares, we forge letters, so that the good friend might seem to have dedicated the first fruits of his hunt to the gift by embellishing it. And now, evening advanced and having deceived the guard of darkness, we offer Demochares the cage of Thrasyleon with those adulterine letters; who, amazed at the beast’s size and rejoicing in the seasonable liberality of his tent-companion, immediately orders that ten gold coins be counted out to us as tokens of his joy [as he himself had] from his little chests. Then, as novelty is wont to allure men’s minds to sudden spectacles, many, marveling in number, flocked to the beast, whose inquisitive looks Thrasyleon our man often and shrewdly checked with a menacing onslaught; and, with the united voice of the citizens, that sufficiently fortunate and blessed Demochares was often praised, because after so great a slaughter of beasts he by some new increase withstands fortune in one way or another, he commands that the beast be at once conveyed back to his new retainers with the greatest diligence [he orders it to go]. But I, taking it up:

[17] "Caveas," inquam "domine, fraglantia solis et itineris spatio fatigatam coetui multarum et, ut audio, non recte valentium committere ferarum. Quin potius domus tuae patulum ac perflabilem locum immo et lacu aliquoi conterminum refrigerantemque prospicis? An ignoras hoc genus bestiae lucos consitos et specus roridos et fontes amoenos semper incubare?" Talibus monitis Demochares perterritus numerumque perditarum secum recenses non difficulter adsensus ut ex arbitrio nostro caveam locaremus facile permisit.

[17] "Beware," I say, "lord, of entrusting the cage to a company wearied by the glare of the sun and by the distance of the journey, of many and, as I hear, not well; nay rather do you not look out for an open and breezy spot of your house, even adjoining some lake and refreshing? Or do you not know that this sort of beast always lies amid planted groves and dewy caves and pleasant springs?" By such admonitions Demochares, terrified and having counted the number of the ruined with him, not difficultly consenting that we should, at our discretion, set the cage, easily permitted it.

"Sed et nos" inquam "ipsi parati sumus hic ibidem pro cavea ista excubare noctes, ut aestus et vexationis incommodo bestiae fatigatae et cibum tempestivum et potum solitum accuratius offeramus." "Nihil indigemus labore isto vestro," respondit ille "iam paene tota familia per diutinam consuetudinem nutriendis ursis exercitata est."

"But we ourselves," I say, "are ready here likewise to keep watch for that cage nights through, so that from the heat and the inconvenience of vexation to the weary beast we may more carefully offer timely food and the accustomed drink." "We require nothing of that toil of yours," he answered, "for already almost the whole familia, by long custom of nurturing bears, has been exercised."

[18] Post haec valefacto discessimus et portam civitatis egressi monumentum quoddam conspicamur procul a via remoto et abdito loco positum. Ibi capulos carie et vetustate semitectos, quis inhabitabant puluerei et iam cinerosi mortui, passim ad futurae praedae receptacula reseramus, et ex disciplina sectae servato noctis inlunio tempore, quo somnus obvius impetu primo corda mortalium validius invadit ac premit, cohortem nostram gladiis armatam ante ipsas fores Democharis velut expilationis vadimonium sistimus. Nec setius Thrasyleon examussim capto noctis latrocinali momento prorepit cavea statimque custodes, qui propter sopiti quiescebant, omnes ad unum mox etiam ianitorem ipsum gladio conficit, clavique subtracta fores ianuae repandit nobisque prompte convolantibus et domus alveo receptis demonstrat horreum, ubi vespera sagaciter argentum copiosum recondi viderat.

[18] After this, with farewells made, we departed, and having left the city's gate we espied at a distance a monument set off the road in a remote and hidden place. There we pry open, here and there, receptacles of future spoil whose lids were half-eaten by rot and age, which the dusty and already ashen dead inhabited, and, the discipline of the band preserved, in the moonless hour of night — when sleep, at its first onset, more strongly invades and presses the hearts of mortals — we stationed our cohort armed with swords before the very doors, Democharis as it were a pledge of the plundering. Nor less did Thrasyleon, having seized that exact nocturnal moment for theft, creep forward to the cage and at once dispatch the guards, who, stupefied by sleep, lay resting, every one to a man; soon he also slew the porter himself with a sword. Having withdrawn the bolt he threw open the door's leaves and, as we promptly crowded in and were received into the house's hollow, he showed us a granary where, that same evening, he had shrewdly seen abundant silver stored.

Quo protinus perfracto confertae manus violentia, iubeo singulos commilitonum asportare quantum quisque poterat auri vel agenti et in illis aedibus fidelissimorum mortuorum occultare propere rursumque concito gradu recurrentis sarcinas iterare; quod enim ex usu foret omnium, me solum resistentem pro domus limine cuncta rerum exploraturum sollicite, dum redirent. Nam et facies ursae mediis aedibus discurrentis ad proterrendos, siqui de familia forte evigilassent, videbatur opportuna. Quis enim, quamvis fortis et intrepidus, immani forma tantae bestiae noctu praesertim visitata non se ad fugam statim concitaret, non obdito cellae pessulo pavens et trepidus sese cohiberet?

Whereupon, the violence of the pressed-together band having immediately carried through, I order each of the comrades to bear off as much gold as each could, or what he could lay hands on, and to hide it quickly in those houses of the most faithful dead, and again with hurried step to repeat the packs as they returned; for what would be of use to all if I alone, resisting, were anxiously to search through everything on the threshold of the house while they went back. For the visage of a bear running through the middle of the houses also seemed expedient to frighten anyone of the household who might by chance have awakened. For who, however brave and intrepid, when visited by the monstrous form of so great a beast, especially by night, would not straightway urge himself to flight, and, with the cell’s bolt not fastened, trembling and fearful, restrain himself?

[19] His omnibus salubri consilio recte dispositis occurrit scaevus eventus. Namque dum reduces socios nostros suspensus opperior, quidam servulus strepitu scilicet vel certe divinitus inquietus proserpit leniter visaque bestia, quae libere discurrens totis aedibus commeabat, premens obnixum silentium vestigium suum replicat et utcumque cunctis in domo visa pronuntiat. Nec mora, cum numerosae familiae frequentia domus tota completur.

[19] With all these things rightly arranged by a salutary plan, an ill-omened event occurred. For while, suspended, I awaited our returning comrades, a certain little slave, disturbed by a noise, or perhaps divinely troubled, softly uttered a cry; and, the beast having been seen — which, running freely, prowled through the whole house — he, breaking the settled silence, retraced his footsteps and in any case announced what he had seen to everyone in the house. Nor was there delay, for the numerous throng of the household filled the entire house.

Taedis lucernis cereis sebaciis et ceteris nocturni luminis instrumentis clarescunt tenebrae. Nec inermis quisquam de tanta copia processit, sed singuli fustibus lanceis destrictis denique gladiis armati muniunt aditus. Nec secum canes etiam venaticos auritos illos et horricomes ad comprimendam bestiam cohortantur.

The darkness is made bright by torches, wax-lamps, tallow-lamps and the other implements of nocturnal light. No one went forth unarmed from so great an abundance, but each man armed—having taken up clubs, spears, and at last drawn swords—manned and secured the approaches. Nor did they fail to call up their hunting dogs as well, those long-eared, bristling hounds, to help subdue the beast.

[20] Tunc ego sensim gliscente adhuc illo tumultu retrogradi fuga domo facesso, sed plane Thrasyleonem mire canibus repugnantem latens pone ianuam ipse prospicio. Quamquam enim vitae metas ultimas obiret, non tamen sui nostrique vel pristinae virtutis oblitus iam faucibus ipsis hiantis Cerberi reluctabat. Scaenam denique quam sponte sumpserat cum anima retinens, nunc fugiens, nunc resistens variis corporis sui schemis ac motibus tandem domo prolapsus est.

[20] Then I, with that tumult still gradually swelling, withdrew by retrograde flight and left the house, but plainly I myself behold Thrasyleon, hidden behind the door, wondrously resisting the dogs. For although he was reaching the last bounds of life, yet not forgetful of his own and our former virtue he resisted with his very jaws, gaping like Cerberus. Finally the scene which he had assumed of his own accord, retaining it with his soul, now fleeing, now resisting in various schemes and motions of his body, at last collapsed from the house.

Nec tamen, quamvis publica potitus libertate, salutem fuga quaerere potuit. Quippe cuncti canes de proximo angiportu satis feri satisque copiosi venaticis illis, qui commodum domo similiter insequentes processerant, se commiscent agminatim. Miserum funestumque spectamen aspexi, Thrasyleonem nostrum catervis canum saevientium cinctum atque obsessum multisque numero morsibus laniatum.

Nor yet, although he had attained public liberty, could he seek safety by flight. For all the dogs from the nearby angiportus, fierce enough and numerous enough, joined together in a body with those venatic dogs which had likewise advanced pursuing the spoil of the house. I beheld a miserable and deadly spectacle: our Thrasyleon surrounded and besieged by packs of raging dogs, and torn apart by many bites.

Denique tanti doloris impatiens populi circumfluentis turbelis immisceor et, in quo solo poteram celatum auxilium bono ferre commilitoni, sic indaginis principes dehortabar: "O grande" inquam "et extremum flagitium, magnam et vere pretiosam perdimus bestiam."

At last, unable to endure so great a sorrow, I am mingled with the surging mobs of the people and, in that one place where I alone could secretly bring aid to my good comrade, thus I was dissuading the leaders of the inquiry: "O great," I say, "and final outrage, we have lost a great and truly precious beast."

[21] Nec tamen nostri sermonis artes infelicissimo profuerunt iuveni; quippe quidam procurrens e domo procerus et validus incunctanter lanceam mediis iniecit ursae praecordiis nec secus alius et ecce plurimi, iam timore discusso, certatim gladios etiam de proximo congerunt. Enimuero Thrasyleon egregium decus nostrae factionis tandem immortalitate digno illo spiritu expugnato magis quam patientia neque clamore ac ne ululatu quidem fidem sacramenti prodidit, sed iam morsibus laceratus ferroque laniatus obnixo mugitu et ferino fremitu praesentem casum generoso vigore tolerans gloriam sibi reservavit, vitam fato reddidit. Tanto tamen terrore tantaque formidine coetum illum turbaverat, ut usque diluculum immo et in multum diem nemo quisquam fuerit ausus quamvis iacentem bestiam vel digito contigere, nisi tandem pigre ac timide quidam lanius paulo fidentior utero bestiae resecto ursae magnificum despoliavit latronem.

[21] Yet the arts of our speech did not avail the most unhappy youth; for one tall and strong, running forth from a house, without hesitation thrust a lance into the bear’s breast, and another likewise, and behold very many, now their fear dispelled, eagerly even drew swords at close quarters. Indeed Thrasyleon, the outstanding glory of our faction, at last worthy of immortality, with that spirit conquered more by fate than by endurance, and not by shout nor even by wail betrayed the pledge of the sacrament; but, now torn by bites and mangled by iron, with strained bellowing and savage roaring, enduring the present fate with noble vigor, he reserved glory for himself and yielded his life to destiny. So great, however, had the terror and the dread confused that band, that until dawn — indeed for much of the day — no one dared, though the beast lay there, even to touch it with a finger, until at last, sluggishly and timidly, a certain butcher, a little bolder, with the beast’s belly cut open stripped the robber of the magnificent bear.

Sic etiam Thrasyleon nobis perivit, sed a gloria non peribit. Confestim itaque constrictis sarcinis illis, quas nobis servaverant fideles mortui, Plataeae terminos concito gradu deserentes istud apud nostros animos identidem reputabamus merito nullam fidem in vita nostra reperiri, quod ad manis iam et mortuos odio perfidiae nostrae demigrarit. Sic onere vecturae simul et asperitate viae toti fatigati tribus comitum desideratis istas quas videtis praedas adveximus."

Thus Thrasyleon also perished for us, but he shall not perish from glory. Immediately therefore, with those packs bound fast which the faithful dead had kept for us, we, hastening and leaving the confines of Plataea with rapid step, kept turning over in our minds again and again that deservedly no faith could be found in our life, since it has already migrated to the shades and the dead by reason of hatred for our perfidy. Thus, worn out alike by the burden of carriage and the harshness of the road and by the lack of three comrades, we conveyed those spoils which you see."

[22] Post istum sermonis terminum poculis aureis memoriae defunctorum commilitonum vino mero libant, dehinc canticis quibusdam Marti deo blanditi paululum conquiescunt. Enim nobis anus illa recens ordeum adfatim et sine ulla mensura largita est, ut equus quidem meus tanta copia solus potitus saliares se cenas cenare crederet. Ego vero, numquam alias hordeum crudum sed tunsum minutatim et diutina coquitatione iurulentum semper solitus esse, [rim] rimatus angulum, quo panes reliquiae totius multitudinis congestae fuerant, fauces diutina fame saucias et araneantes valenter exerceo.

[22] After this close of speech they libated with golden cups pure wine to the memory of the fallen comrades, then with certain songs, flattering the god Mars, they rested a little. For behold that old woman had lately and without any measure lavishly bestowed a fresh supply, so that my horse indeed, having alone enjoyed so great a plenty, would have fancied himself to feast on sumptuous dinners. I, however, who at no other time was wont to take barley raw but bruised finely and by prolonged boiling always made pulpy, having searched the corner where the leftover loaves of the whole multitude had been heaped, vigorously exercise my jaws, long wounded by famine and covered with cobwebs.

Et ecce nocte promota latrones expergiti castra commovent instructique varie, partim gladiis armati, partim in Lemures reformati, concito se gradu proripiunt. Nec me tamen instanter fortiter manducantem vel somnus imminens impedire potuit. Et quamquam prius, cum essem Lucius, unico vel secundo pane contentus mensa decederem, tunc ventri tam profundo serviens iam ferme tertium qualum rumigabam.

And behold, when night had advanced, the thieves, roused, set the camp in motion and drew up in various order, partly armed with swords, partly transformed into Lemures, they rush forward with hurried step. Nor, however, could impending sleep hinder me, eating eagerly and stoutly. And although before, when I was Lucius, I used to leave the table content with one or two loaves, then—serving so deep a belly—I was already almost ruminating a third morsel.

Huic me operi attonitum clara lux oppressit.

At this work a bright light overwhelmed me, astonished.

[23] Tandem itaque asinali verecundia ductus, aegerrime tamen digrediens rivulo proximo sitim lenio. Nec mora, cum latrones ultra modum anxii atque solliciti remeant, nullam quidem prorsus sarcinam vel omnino licet vilem laciniam ferentes, sed tantum gladiis totis totis manibus immo factionis suae cunctis viribus munitam unicam virginem filo liberalem et, ut matronatus eius indicabat, summatem regionis, puellam mehercules et asino tali concupiscendam, maerentem et crines cum veste sua lacerantem advehebant. Eam simul intra speluncam ducunt verbisque quae dolebat minora facientes sic adloquuntur: "Tu quidem salutis et pudicitiae secura brevem patientiam nostro compendio tribue, quos ad istam sectam paupertatis necessitas adegit.

[23] At last, then, led by an asinine modesty, yet very unwillingly departing, I ease my thirst at a nearby rivulet. Nor is there delay, when the robbers return overly anxious and solicitous, bearing no pack at all, nor even, indeed, any mean rag, but only swords whole, with whole hands — nay, with all the forces of their faction — and they bring forward one lone maiden, protected by a liberal thread and, as her matronhood bespoke, the summit of the region, a girl, by Hercules, desirable even to such an ass, mourning and tearing at her hair and her garment. They lead her together into the cave and, making smaller the words with which she grieved, address her thus: "You, secure in your safety and chastity, grant a brief patience to our expedient, to whom the necessity of poverty has driven into that sect of want."

Parentes autem tui de tanto suarum divitiarum cumulo, quamquam satis cupidi, tamen sine mora parabunt scilicet idoneam sui sanguinis redemptionem."

Your parents, however, because of such a great hoard of their riches, although sufficiently greedy, will nevertheless without delay provide, to be sure, a fitting ransom of their own blood.

[24] His et his similibus blateratis necquicquam dolor sedatur puellae. Quidni? quae inter genua sua deposito capite sine modo flebat.

[24] By these and suchlike babblings the girl's pain is not in the least soothed. Why? for she, her head laid upon her knees, wept without measure.

At illi intro vocatae anui praecipiunt adsidens eam blando quantum posset solaretur alloquio, seque ad sectae sueta conferunt. Nec tamen puella quivit ullis aniculae sermonibus ab inceptis fletibus avocari, sed altius eiulans sese et assiduis singultibus illa quatiens mihi etiam lacrimas excussit. Ac sic: "A ego" inquit "misera tali domo tanta familia tam caris vernulis tam sanctis parentibus desolata et infelicis rapinae praeda et mancipium effecta inque isto saxeo carcere et carnificinae laniena serviliter clausa et omnibus deliciis, quis innata atque innutrita sum, privata sub incerta salutis spe et carnificinae laniena inter tot ac tales latrones et horrendum gladiatorum populum vel fletum desinere vel omnino vivere potero?

But they, having been called in, nod and order, sitting beside her, that she be comforted with as gentle a speech as they could, and they apply themselves to their customary persuasive arts. Yet the girl could not by any of the old woman’s little speeches be turned away from her begun tears, but wailing more deeply and shaking herself with continual sobs, she even chased tears from me. And thus she: "Ah me," she says, "wretched, abandoned in such a house, such a familia, with such dear household-slaves, such holy parents, made desolate and the booty of an unlucky seizure and made a slave, and shut up in that stony prison and servilely enclosed in the butchery of execution and deprived of all delights—who was born and reared here, deprived, beneath an uncertain hope of safety and in the butcher’s slaughter among so many and such thieves and a dreadful throng of gladiators—will I either cease my weeping or at all be able to live?"

Lamentata sic et animi dolore et faucium tendore et corporis lassitudine iam fatigata marcentes oculos demisit ad soporem.

Thus lamenting, both by the sorrow of her animus and by the tension of her fauces and by the lassitude of her body, now fatigued, she let fall her withering eyes into sleep.

[25] At commodum coniverat nec diu, cum repente lymphatico ritu somno recussa longe longeque vehementius adflictare sese et pectus etiam palmis infestis tundere et faciem illam luculentam verberare incipit et aniculae, quamquam instantissime causas novi et instaurati maeroris requirenti, sic adsuspirans altius infit: "Em nunc certe nunc maxime funditus perii, nunc spei salutiferae renuntiavi. Laqueus aut gladius aut certe praecipitium procul dubio capessendum est.

[25] But he had closed his eyes for comfort and not for long, when suddenly, shaken from sleep in a lymphatic fashion, he began to torment himself far more violently, and to beat his breast with hostile palms, and to strike that bright face and the little old woman; and the little old woman, although most insistently asking the causes of this renewed sorrow, thus, sighing more deeply, speaks: "Behold now, certainly now above all I am utterly ruined; now I have renounced health‑giving hope. A noose or a sword or certainly a precipice must without doubt be seized upon."

Ad haec anus iratior dicere eam saeviore iam vultu iubebat quid, malum, fleret vel quid repente postliminio pressae quietis lamentationes licentiosas refricaret. "Nimirum" inquit "tanto compendio tuae redemptionis defraudare iuvenes meos destinas? Quod si pergis ulterius, iam faxo lacrimis istis, quas parvi pendere latrones consuerunt, insuper habitis viva exurare."

To this the angrier old woman bid her say, now with an even sterner countenance, what, wretch, she was weeping or why, on the sudden restoration of liberty, she was rubbing up licentious lamentations pressed down by her repose. "Surely," she said, "do you purpose to defraud my youngsters of so great a redemption? But if you go on any further, now by those tears, which petty thieves are wont to value as of little weight, I will moreover, if taken alive, burn you."

[26] Tali puella sermone deterrita manusque eius exosculata: "Parce," inquit "mi parens, et durissimo casui meo pietatis humanae memor subsiste paululum. Nec enim, ut reor, aevo longiore maturae tibi in ista sancta canitie miseratio prorsus exarvit. Specta denique scaenam meae calamitatis.

[26] The girl thus frightened by the speech and having kissed his hand: "Spare me," she said, "my parent, and, mindful of human piety, stand by me a little in my most grievous case. For, I think, compassion has not altogether withered in you in this longer-lived, sacred canity. Behold, at last, the scene of my calamity.

Speciosus adulescens inter suos principalis, quem filium publicum omnis sibi civitas cooptavit, meus alioquin consobrinus, tantulo triennio maior in aetate, qui mecum primis ab annis nutritus et adultus individuo contubernio domusculae immo vero cubiculi torique sanctae caritatis adfectione mutua mihi pigneratus votisque nuptialibus pacto iugali pridem destinatus, consensu parentum tabulis etiam maritus nuncupatus, ad nuptias officio frequenti cognatorum et adfinium stipatus templis et aedibus publicis victimas immolabat; domus tota lauris obsita taedis lucida constrepebat hymenaeum; tunc me gremio suo mater infelix tolerans mundo nuptiali decenter ornabat mellitisque saviis crebiter ingestis iam spem futuram liberorum votis anxiis propagabat, cum irruptionis subitae gladiatorum fit impetus ad belli faciem saeviens, nudis et infestis mucronibus coruscans: non caedi non rapinae manus adferunt, sed denso conglobatoque cuneo cubiculum nostrum invadunt protinus. Nec ullo de familiaribus nostris repugnante ac ne tantillum quidem resistente misera formidine exanimem, saevo pavore trepidam, de medio matris gremio rapuere. Sic ad instar Attidis vel Protesilai dispectae disturbataeque nuptiae.

A handsome young man, principal among his own, whom the whole city had chosen as a public son, my cousin otherwise (consobrinus), only three years older in age, who from my earliest years had been nursed and reared with me and grown up in intimate companionship of our little house—nay rather of the little chamber and bed—pledged to me by mutual affection of holy charity and long since destined by nuptial vows in a conjugal pact, with the consent of our parents even called husband in the records, at the wedding he, attended by the frequent service of kinsmen and relatives, surrounded, sacrificed victims in temples and public buildings; the whole house, bright with torches studded with laurel, loudly rang with hymeneal song; then my unhappy mother, bearing me on her lap, decorously adorned me for the nuptial world and, repeatedly anointing me with sweet perfumes, anxiously propagated with eager vows the hoped-for future of children, when a sudden irruption of gladiators occurred, an onset raging like war, flashing with naked and hostile blades: they did not bring hands for beating or plunder, but with a dense, compact wedge they at once invaded our little chamber. And with none of our household resisting, not even a little opposing, they snatched me from the middle of my mother's lap, miserable and breathless from fright, trembling with savage panic. Thus the marriage was scattered and disturbed, as it were, like the nuptials of Attis or Protesilaus.

[27] Sed ecce saevissimo somnio mihi nunc etiam redintegratur immo vero cumulatur infortunium meum; nam visa sum mihi de domo de thalamo de cubiculo de toro denique ipso violenter extracta per solitudines avias infortunatissimi mariti nomen invocare, eumque, ut primum meis amplexibus viduatus est, adhuc ungentis madidum coronis floridum consequi vestigio me pedibus fugientem alienis. Vtque clamore percito formonsae raptum uxoris conquerens populi testatur auxilium, quidam de latronibus importunae persecutionis indignatione permotus saxo grandi pro pedibus adrepto misellum iuvenem maritum meum percussum interemit. Talis aspectus atrocitate perterrita somno funesto pavens excussa sum."

[27] But behold: in a most savage dream my misfortune is now renewed, nay indeed heaped upon me; for I seemed to be violently dragged out of the house, out of the thalamus, out of the little chamber, out of the couch itself, and to cry aloud the name of my most unhappy husband through desolate solitudes, and to follow him — he, as soon as he was bereaved of my embraces, still wet with unguents and garlanded with flowers — tracing his footsteps with my own, as he fled to another’s. And when, struck by the cry, the populace testifies to aid, lamenting the seizure of the fair wife, one of the robbers, moved by indignation at the importunate pursuit, having taken up a great stone for his feet, struck and slew my poor young husband. Terrified at the atrocity of such a sight, shaken by the baleful dream, I awoke trembling.

Tunc fletibus eius adsuspirans anus sic incipit: "Bono animo esto, mi erilis, nec vanis somniorum figmentis terreare. Nam praeter quod diurnae quietis imagines falsae perhibentur, tunc etiam nocturnae visiones contrarios eventus nonnumquam pronuntiant. Denique flere et vapulare et nonnumquam iugulari lucrosum prosperumque proventum nuntiant, contra ridere et mellitis dulciolis ventrem saginare vel in voluptatem veneriam convenire tristitie animi languore corporis damnisque ceteris vexatum iri praedicabunt. Sed ego te narrationibus lepidis anilibusque fabulis protinus avocabo", et incipit:

Then, sighing with her sobs, the old woman thus begins: "Be of good courage, my master, and do not be terrified by the vain figments of dreams. For aside from the fact that the images of daytime repose are reported false, then likewise nocturnal visions sometimes foretell opposite outcomes. Indeed, weeping and whipping and sometimes being strangled announce a profitable and prosperous result; on the contrary, laughing and fattening the belly with honeyed sweetmeats or coming together in pleasure and venery will predict that one will be harassed by sorrow of mind, weakness of body, and other harms. But I will at once divert you with pleasant, old‑woman tales," and she begins:

[28] Erant in quadam civitate rex et regina. Hi tres numero filias forma conspicuas habuere, sed maiores quidem natu, quamvis gratissima specie, idonee tamen celebrari posse laudibus humanis credebantur, at vero puellae iunioris tam praecipua tam praeclara pulchritudo nec exprimi ac ne sufficienter quidem laudari sermonis humani penuria poterat. Multi denique civium et advenae copiosi, quos eximii spectaculi rumor studiosa celebritate congregabat, inaccessae formositatis admiratione stupidi et admoventes oribus suis dexteram primore digito in erectum pollicem residente ut ipsam prorsus deam Venerem religiosis adorationibus.

[28] There were in a certain city a king and a queen. These had three daughters remarkable in beauty; the elder indeed in age, though most pleasing in aspect, were nevertheless believed to be fit to be celebrated with human praises, but the younger girl's so outstanding, so illustrious pulchritude could neither be expressed nor even sufficiently praised for the poverty of human speech. Many, finally, of the townsmen and copious strangers, whom the rumor of the extraordinary spectacle gathered together with eager celebrity, stupefied by admiration of the inaccessible comeliness and placing to their mouths their right hand with the forefinger set upon the uplifted thumb, as if they were outright venerating her herself as the goddess Venus with religious adorations.

Iamque proximas civitates et attiguas regiones fama pervaserat deam quam caerulum profundum pelagi peperit et ros spumantium fluctuum educavit iam numinis sui passim tributa venia in mediis conversari populi coetibus, vel certe rursum novo caelestium stillarum germine non maria sed terras Venerem aliam virginali flore praeditam pullulasse.

And now the fame had spread through neighboring cities and adjoining regions of the goddess whom the deep blue of the sea begot and the dew of foaming waves brought forth; and now, by the favour everywhere paid to her divinity, she moved among the gatherings of the people in their midst, or rather again, from a new germ of celestial drops, not on the seas but upon the lands, another Venus, endowed with a virginal flower, had sprung up.

[29] Sic immensum procedit in dies opinio, sic insulas iam proxumas et terrae plusculum provinciasque plurimas fama porrecta pervagatur. Iam multi mortalium longis itineribus atque altissimis maris meatibus ad saeculi specimen gloriosum confluebant. Paphon nemo Cnidon nemo ac ne ipsa quidem Cythera ad conspectum deae Veneris navigabant; sacra differuntur, templa deformantur, pulvinaria proteruntur, caerimoniae negleguntur; incoronata simulacra et arae viduae frigido cinere foedatae.

[29] Thus the immense opinion advanced day by day, thus fame, having spread abroad, extended even to nearby islands and a little into the lands and to very many provinces. Now many of mortals, by long itineraries and by the deepest paths of the sea, were flocking together to the glorious exemplar of the age. To Paphos no one, to Cnidus no one, and not even Cythera herself sailed to the sight of the goddess Venus; sacred rites were postponed, temples were disfigured, pulvinaria were cast aside, ceremonies were neglected; uncrowned images and altars, widowed, defiled with cold ash.

Puellae supplicatur et in humanis vultibus deae tantae numina placantur, et in matutino progressu virginis, victimis et epulis Veneris absentis nomen propitiatur, iamque per plateas commeantem populi frequentes floribus sertis et solutis adprecantur.

The maiden is supplicated and on human faces the numina of so great a goddess are placated, and in the morning progress of the virgin, with victims and epulis the name of absent Venus is propitiated, and now through the streets the frequent people, coming about, entreat her with flowers, with garlands and with hair let loose.

Haec honorum caelestium ad puellae mortalis cultum inmodica translatio verae Veneris vehementer incendit animos, et impatiens indignationis capite quassanti fremens altius sic secum disserit:

This immoderate transfer of the honors of the heavenly ones to the cult of a mortal girl violently inflamed the spirit of the true Venus, and, impatient with indignation, shaking her head and growling, she thus more loudly deliberates with herself:

[30] "En rerum naturae prisca parens, en elementorum origo initialis, en orbis totius alma Venus, quae cum mortali puella partiario maiestatis honore tractor et nomen meum caelo conditum terrenis sordibus profanatur! Nimirum communi nominis piamento vicariae venerationis incertum sustinebo et imaginem meam circumferet puella moritura. Frustra me pastor ille cuius iustitiam fidemque magnus comprobavit Iuppiter ob eximiam speciem tantis praetulit deabus.

[30] "Behold the ancient parent of things, behold the original source of the elements, behold the nourishing Venus of the whole world, who, while with a shared honor of majesty she is handled with mortal girl and my name, fixed in heaven, is profaned by earthly filths! Surely I will endure, by the common pious observance of the name and the uncertain veneration of a substitute, and the maiden about to die will bear my image round about. In vain that shepherd—whose justice and fidelity great Jupiter approved—preferred me above such goddesses because of my surpassing beauty."

Sed non adeo gaudens ista, quaecumque est, meos honores usurpaverit: iam faxo eam huius etiam ipsius inlicitae formonsitatis paeniteat."

But not so rejoicing that she, whoever she is, has usurped my honors: now I will ensure that she will repent even of this very illicit comeliness.

Et vocat confestim puerum suum pinnatum illum et satis temerarium, qui malis suis moribus contempta disciplina publica flammis et sagittis armatus per alienas domos nocte discurrens et omnium matrimonia corrumpens impune committit tanta flagitia et nihil prorsus boni facit. Hunc, quamquam genuina licentia procacem, verbis quoque insuper stimulat et perducit ad illam civitatem et Psychen — hoc enim nomine puella nuncupabatur — coram ostendit,

And he immediately calls his boy, that winged one and rather rash, who by his wicked morals, discipline scorned, armed with flames and arrows, running about at night through other men’s houses and corrupting everybody’s marriages, commits such outrages with impunity and does absolutely nothing good. This one, though bold through innate license, he moreover urges on with words and leads to that city and to Psyche — for by this name the girl was called — and displays him before her,

[31] et tota illa perlata de formonsitatis aemulatione fabula gemens ac fremens indignatione: "Per ego te" inquit "maternae caritatis foedere deprecor per tuae sagittae dulcia vulnera per flammae istius mellitas uredines vindictam tuae parenti sed plenam tribue et in pulchritudinem contumacem severiter vindica idque unum et pro omnibus unicum volens effice: virgo ista amore fraglantissimo teneatur hominis extremi, quem et dignitatis et patrimonii simul et incolumitatis ipsius Fortuna damnavit, tamque infimi ut per totum orbem non inveniat miseriae suae comparem."

[31] and having suffered all that, lamenting and raging with indignation at the story of rivalry in beauty: "By the bond of maternal charity I implore you," she says, "by the sweet wounds of your arrow, by the honeyed burns of that flame grant vengeance upon your parent, and grant it full, and avenge sternly his contumacy against beauty, and make this one thing, unique and for all: let that maiden be held by the most fragrant love of a man at the very extremity of fortune, whom Fortune has condemned alike of dignity, of patrimony, and of his very safety, so utterly low that throughout the whole orb he will not find a peer of his misery."

Sic effata et osculis hiantibus filium diu ac pressule saviata proximas oras reflui litoris petit, plantisque roseis vibrantium fluctuum summo rore calcato ecce iam profundi maris sudo resedit vertice, et ipsum quod incipit velle, set statim, quasi pridem praeceperit, non moratur marinum obsequium: adsunt Nerei filiae chorum canentes et Portunus caerulis barbis hispidus et gravis piscoso sinu Salacia et auriga parvulus delphinis Palaemon; iam passim maria persultantes Tritonum catervae hic concha sonaci leniter bucinat, ille serico tegmine flagrantiae solis obsistit inimici, alius sub oculis dominae speculum progerit, curru biiuges alii subnatant. Talis ad Oceanum pergentem Venerem comitatus exercitus.

Thus having spoken and, with gaping kisses, having long and pressing kissed her son, she sought the nearest shores of the receding strand; and with her roseate soles trodden in the topmost spray of the vibrating waves, behold she now sat down upon the foam of the deep sea’s summit, and that very thing which begins to will—yet immediately, as if she had commanded it long before, the marine attendance does not delay: the daughters of Nereus are present singing a chorus, and Portunus with bluish beard, rough and heavy in the fishy bay, Salacia, and the little charioteer Palaemon with dolphins; now here and there the companies of Tritons playing through the seas—this one softly sounds a sonorous conch, that one obstructs the blazing sun with a silken covering, another offers a mirror before his mistress’s eyes, others swim beneath the two-horsed chariot. Such an attendant host accompanies Venus as she makes for Ocean.

[32] Interea Psyche cum sua sibi perspicua pulchritudine nullum decoris sui fructum percipit. Spectatur ab omnibus, laudatur ad omnibus, nec quisquam, non rex non regius nec de plebe saltem cupiens eius nuptiarum petitor accedit. Mirantur quidem divinam speciem, sed ut simulacrum fabre politum mirantur omnes.

[32] Meanwhile Psyche, with a beauty clear even to herself, gains no fruit from her own comeliness. She is gazed at by all, praised by all, and no one—neither king nor royal nor, at least from the plebeians, any suitor desiring her nuptials—comes forward. They indeed admire the divine aspect, but they admire it as one admires a simulacrum expertly polished.

Olim duae maiores sorores, quarum temperatam formositatem nulli diffamarant populi, procis regibus desponsae iam beatas nuptias adeptae, sed Psyche virgo vidua domi residens deflet desertam suam solitudinem aegra corporis animi saucia, et quamvis gentibus totis complacitam odit in se suam formositatem. Sic infortunatissimae filiae miserrimus pater suspectatis caelestibus odiis et irae superum metuens dei Milesii vetustissimum percontatur oraculum, et a tanto numine precibus et victimis ingratae virgini petit nuptias et maritum. Sed Apollo, quamquam Graecus et Ionicus, propter Milesiae conditorem sic Latina sorte respondit:

Once two elder sisters, whose temperate beauty had failed to bring disrepute from any of the people, having been betrothed to princely suitors and already obtained blessed marriages, while Psyche, a maiden-widow remaining at home, bewailed her deserted solitude, sickened in body and wounded in spirit, and though pleasing to whole nations, hated her own beauty in herself. Thus the most wretched father of the most unfortunate daughters, suspecting heavenly hatreds and fearing the anger of the gods, questioned the most ancient oracle of the Milesian god, and from so great a divinity by prayers and victims sought a husband and nuptials for the ungrateful virgin. But Apollo, although Greek and Ionian, on account of the founder of Miletus, thus answered by the Latin lot:

[33] "Montis in excelsi scopulo, rex siste puellam
ornatam mundo funerei thalami.
Nec speres generum mortali stirpe creatum,
sed saevum atque ferum vipereumque malum,
quod pinnis volitans super aethera cuncta fatigat
flammaque et ferro singula debilitat,
quod tremit ipse Iovis quo numina terrificantur,
fluminaque horrescunt et Stygiae tenebrae."

[33] "On the cliff of a high mountain, king, set the girl
adorned as for the world's funereal bridal-chamber.
Nor hope a son-in-law born of mortal stock,
but a savage and fierce and viperous bane,
which, flying on wings above the aether, tires all things
and with flame and iron weakens each one,
before which even Jupiter himself trembles, whose powers are terrified,
and the rivers shudder and the Stygian shadows."

Rex olim beatus affatus sanctae vaticinationis accepto pigens tristisque retro domum pergit suaeque coniugi praecepta soris enodat infaustae. Maeretur, fletur, lamentatur diebus plusculis. Sed dirae sortis iam urget taeter effectus.

A king once blessed, having received a holy vaticination, grief-stricken and sorrowful returns home and fastens upon his wife the precepts of an ill-fated sister. There is mourning, there are tears, there is lamentation for several days. But now the foul effect of a dreadful lot presses upon them.

Iam feralium nuptiarum miserrimae virgini choragium struitur, iam taede lumen atrae fuliginis cinere marcescit, et sonus tibiae zygiae mutatur in querulum Ludii modum cantusque laetus hymenaei lugubri finitur ululatu et puella nuptura deterget lacrimas ipso suo flammeo. Sic adfectae domus triste fatum cuncta etiam civitas congemebat luctuque publico confestim congruens edicitur iustitium.

Now a choragium of funeral nuptials is arranged for the most miserable maiden, now the torch-light with black soot fades into ash, and the sound of the zygian tibia is changed into a querulous mode of play; and the joyful song of the hymenaeus is ended with lugubrious wailing, and the maiden about to be married wipes away her tears with her own torch. Thus the afflicted household bewailed the sad fate, and the whole city likewise groaned, and with public mourning a fitting iustitium was at once proclaimed.

[34] Sed monitis caelestibus parendi necessitas misellam Psychen ad destinatam poenam efflagitabat. Perfectis igitur feralis thalami cum summo maerore sollemnibus toto prosequente populo vivum producitur funus, et lacrimosa Psyche comitatur non nuptias sed exsequias suas. Ac dum maesti parentes et tanto malo perciti nefarium facinus perficere cunctatur, ipsa illa filia talibus eos adhortatur vocibus: "Quid infelicem senectam fletu diutino cruciatis?

[34] But by celestial warnings the necessity of obedience pressed poor Psyche toward her destined punishment. Therefore, the funeral rites of the bridal chamber being completed, with the greatest sorrow and the whole people following in solemn procession, a living funeral is led forth, and tearful Psyche accompanies not a marriage but her own funeral rites. And while the sorrowful parents, stricken by so great an evil, hesitate to perform the wicked deed, that daughter herself exhorts them with these words: "Why do you torment an unhappy old age with prolonged weeping?

Quid spiritum vestrum, qui magis meus est, crebris eiulatibus fatigatis? Quid lacrimis inefficacibus ora mihi veneranda foedatis? Quid laceratis in vestris oculis mea lumina?

Why do you weary my spirit, which is more mine, with frequent wailings? Why do you defile my venerable face with ineffectual tears? Why do you rend my lights within your eyes?

Quid canities scinditis? Quid pectora, quid ubera sancta tunditis? Haec erunt vobis egregiae formonsitatis meae praeclara praemia.

Why do you tear at gray hairs? Why beat your breasts, why strike your sacred breasts? These things will be to you the bright rewards of my exceptional formonsity.

Invidiae nefariae letali plaga percussi sero sentitis. Cum gentes et populi celebrarent nos divinis honoribus, cum novam me Venerem ore consono nuncuparent, tunc dolere, tunc flere, tunc me iam quasi peremptam lugere debuistis. Iam sentio iam video solo me nomine Veneris perisse.

You perceive, too late, that I was struck by the lethal plague of nefarious envy. While nations and peoples celebrated us with divine honors, while they proclaimed me a new Venus with one accord, then you ought to have grieved, then to have wept, then to have mourned me already as if slain. Now I feel, now I see that I have perished by the mere name of Venus.

Ducite me et cui sors addixit scopulo sistite. Festino felices istas nuptias obire, festino generosum illum maritum meum videre. Quid differo quid detrecto venientem, qui totius orbis exitio natus est?"

Lead me and set me upon the rock to which fate has bound me. I hasten to attend those happy nuptials; I hasten to see that noble husband of mine. Why do I delay, why do I refuse the coming one, who was born for the destruction of the whole world?

[35] Sic profata virgo conticuit ingressuque iam valido pompae populi prosequentis sese miscuit. Itur ad constitutum scopulom montis ardui, cuius in summo cacumine statutam puellam cuncti deserunt, taedasque nuptiales, quibus praeluxerant, ibidem lacrimis suis extinctas relinquentes deiectis capitibus domuitionem parant. Et miseri quidem parentes eius tanta clade defessi, clausae domus abstrusi tenebris, perpetuae nocti sese dedidere.

[35] Thus the prophesying virgin fell silent, and, mingling herself with the advancing pomp of the people, now with a strong procession they go. They proceed to the appointed rock of the steep mountain, on whose highest summit the girl, having been set, all abandon; and the nuptial torches, by which they had before shone, there they leave extinguished with their tears, and with bowed heads they prepare the burial. And indeed her wretched parents, worn out by so great a calamity, their house shut, hidden in darkness, gave themselves over to perpetual night.

Psychen autem paventem ac trepidam et in ipso scopuli vertice deflentem mitis aura molliter spirantis Zephyri vibratis hinc inde laciniis et reflato sinu sensim levatam suo tranquillo spiritu vehens paulatim per devexa rupis excelsae vallis subditae florentis cespitis gremio leniter delapsam reclinat.

But the gentle breeze of Zephyr, softly breathing, taking Psyche — fearful and trembling and weeping on the very summit of the rock — by its vibrating locks here and there and with a rebreathed swell slowly lifted her, and bearing her with its calm spirit, gently laid her down and reclines her in the bosom of the flowering turf of the valley that lies beneath the sloping face of the high cliff.