The Golden Asse
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friend. Then sayd the Maid, I pray you tarry here till I tell him so,
and therewithall she closed fast the doore, and went in, and after a
while she returned againe and sayd, My master desireth you to
alight and come in. And so I did, whereas I found him sitting upon
a little bed, going to supper, and his wife sate at his feet, but there
was no meat upon the table, and so by appointment of the maid I
came to him and saluted him, and delivered the letters which I had
brought from Demeas. Which when hee had read hee sayd,
Verily, I thanke my friend Demeas much, in that hee hath sent mee
so worthy a guest as you are. And therewithall hee commanded
his wife to sit away and bid mee sit in her place; which when I
refused by reason of courtesie, hee pulled me by my garment and
willed me to sit downe; for wee have (quoth he) no other stool
here, nor no other great store of household stuffe, for fear of
robbing. Then I according to his commandement, sate down, and
he fell in further communication with me and sayd, Verily I doe
conjecture by the comly feature of your body, and by the maidenly
shamefastnesse of your face that you are a Gentleman borne, as
my friend Demeas hath no lesse declared the same in his letters.
Wherfore I pray you take in good part our poore lodging, and
behold yonder chamber is at your commaundement, use it as your
owne, and if you be contented therewithall, you shall resemble and
follow the vertuous qualities of your good father Theseus, who
disdained not the slender and poore Cottage of Hecades.
And then he called his maid which was named Fotis, and said,
Carry this Gentlemans packet into the chamber, and lay it up safely,
and bring water quickly to wash him, and a towel to rub him, and
other things necessary, and then bring him to the next Baines, for I
know that he is very weary of travell.
These things when I heard, I partly perceived the manners of Milo,
and endeavouring to bring my selfe further into his favour, I sayd,
Sir there is no need of any of these things, for they have been
everywhere ministred unto mee by the way, howbeit I will go into
the Baines, but my chiefest care is that my horse be well looked to,
for hee brought mee hither roundly, and therefore I pray thee Fotis
take this money and buy some hay and oats for him.
THE SEVENTH CHAPTER
How Apuleius going to buy fish, met with his companion Pythias.
When this was done, and all my things brought into the Chamber, I
walked towards the Baines; but first I went to the market to buy
some victuals for my supper, whereas I saw great plenty of fish set
out to be sould : and so I cheapened part thereof, and that which
they at first held at an hundred pence, I bought at length for twenty.
Which when I had done, and was departing away, one of myne old
acquaintance, and fellow at Athens, named Pithias, fortuned to
passe by, and viewing me at a good space, in the end brought me to
his remembrance, and gently came and kissed mee, saying, O my
deare friend Lucius, it is a great while past since we two saw one
another, and moreover, from the time that wee departed from our
Master Vestius, I never heard any newes from you. I pray you
Lucius tell me the cause of your peregrination hither. Then I
answered and sayd, I will make relation thereof unto you tomorrow
: but I pray you tell me, what meaneth these servitors that follow
you, and these rods or verges which they beare, and this habit
which you wear like unto a magistrate, verily I thinke you have
obtained your own desire, whereof I am right glad. Then answered
Pithias, I beare the office of the Clerke of the market, and therfore
if you will have any pittance for your supper speake and I will
purvey it for you. Then I thanked him heartily and sayd I had
bought meat sufficient already. But Pithias when hee espied my
basket wherein my fish was, tooke it and shaked it, and demanded
of me what I had payd for all my Sprots. In faith (quoth I), I could
scarce inforce the fishmonger to sell them for twenty pence.
Which when I heard, he brought me backe again into the market,
and enquired of me of whom I bought them. I shewed him the old
man which sate in a corner, wHome by and by, by reason of his
office, hee did greatly blame, and sayd, Is it thus you serve and
handle strangers, and specially our friends? Wherefore sell you this
fish so deare, which is not worth a halfepenny? Now perceive I
well, that you are an occasion to make this place, which is the
principall city of all Thessaly, to be forsaken of all men, and to
reduce it into an uninhabitable Desart, by reasone of your excessive
prices of victuals, but assure yourself that you shall not escape
without punishment, and you shall know what myne office is, and
how I ought to punish such as offend. Then he took my basket and
cast the fish on the ground, and commanded one of his Sergeants to
tread them under his feet. This done he perswaded me to depart,
and sayd that onely shame and reproach&nb
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