How Apuleius was made a common Asse to fetch home wood, and how he was
handled by a boy.
After that I was thus handled by horses, I was brought home againe to
the Mill, but behold fortune (insatiable of my torments) had devised a
new paine for me. I was appointed to bring home wood every day from a
high hill, and who should drive me thither and home again, but a boy
that was the veriest hangman in all the world, who was not contented
with the great travell that I tooke in climbing up the hill, neither
pleased when he saw my hoofe torne and worne away by sharpe flintes,
but he beat me cruelly with a great staffe, insomuch that the marrow of
my bones did ake for woe, for he would strike me continually on the
right hip, and still in one place, whereby he tore my skinne and made
of my wide sore a great hole or trench, or rather a window to looke out
at, and although it runne downe of blood, yet would he not cease
beating me in that place: moreover he laded me with such great burthens
of wood that you would thinke they had been rather prepared for
Elephants then for me, and when he perceived that my wood hanged more
on one side then another, (when he should rather take away the heavy
sides, and so ease me, or else lift them up to make them equall with
the other) he laid great stones upon the weaker side to remedy the
matter, yet could be not be contented with this my great misery and
immoderate burthens of wood, but when hee came to any river (as there
were many by the way) he to save his feete from water, would leape upon
my loynes likewise, which was no small loade upon loade. And if by
adversity I had fell downe in any dirty or myrie place, when he should
have pulled me out either with ropes, or lifted me up by the taile, he
would never helpe me, but lay me on from top to toe with a mighty
staffe, till he had left no haire on all my body, no not so much as on
mine eares, whereby I was compelled by force of blowes to stand up. The
same hangman boy did invent another torment for me: he gathered a great
many sharp thornes as sharp as needles and bound them together like a
fagot, and tyed them at my tayle to pricke me, then was I afflicted on
every side, for if I had indeavoured to runne away, the thornes would
have pricked me, if I had stood still, the boy would have beaten mee,
and yet the boy beate mee to make me runne, whereby I perceived that
the hangman did devise nothing else save only to kill me by some manner
of meanes, and he would sweare and threaten to do me worse harme, and
because hee might have some occasion to execute his malicious minde,
upon a day (after that I had endeavoured too much by my patience) I
lifted up my heeles and spurned him welfavouredly. Then he invented
this vengeance against me, after that he had well laded me with shrubs
and rubble, and trussed it round upon my backe, hee brought me out into
the way: then hee stole a burning coale out of a mans house of the next
village, and put it into the middle of the rubbell; the rubbell and
shrubs being very dry, did fall on a light fire and burned me on every
side. I could see no remedy how I might save my selfe, and in such a
case it was not best for me to stand still but fortune was favourable
towards me, perhaps to reserve me for more dangers, for I espyed a
great hole full of raine water that fell the day before, thither I
ranne hastily and plunged my selfe therein, in such sort that I
quenched the fire, and was delivered from that present perill, but the
vile boy to excuse himselfe declared to all the neighbours and
shepheards about, that I willingly tumbled in the fire as I passed
through the village. Then he laughed upon me saying: How long shall we
nourish and keepe this fiery Asse in vaine?