How Apuleius after the Baker was hanged, was sold to a Gardener, and
what dreadfull things happened.
There was a poore Gardener amongst the rest, which bought me for the
summe of fifty pence, which seemed to him a great price, but he thought
to gayne it againe by the continuall travell of my body. The matter
requireth to tell likewise, how I was handled in his service. This
Gardener accustomed to drive me, every morning laded with hearbes to
the next Village, and when he had sold his hearbes, hee would mount
upon my backe and returne to the Garden, and while he digged the ground
and watered the hearbes, and went about other businesse, I did nothing
but repose my selfe with great ease, but when Winter approached with
sharpe haile, raine and frosts, and I standing under a hedge side, was
welnigh killed up with cold, and my master was so poore that he had no
lodging for himselfe, much lesse had he any littor or place to cover me
withall, for he himselfe alwayes lay under a little roofe shadowed with
boughes. In the morning when I arose, I found my hoofes shriveled
together with cold, and unable to passe upon the sharpe ice, and frosty
mire, neither could I fill my belly with meate, as I accustomed to doe,
for my master and I supped together, and had both one fare: howbeit it
was very slender since as wee had nothing else saving old and unsavoury
sallets which were suffered to grow for seed, like long broomes, and
that had lost all their sweet sappe and juice.
It fortuned on a day that an honest man of the next village was
benighted and constrained by reason of the rain to lodge (very lagged
and weary) in our Garden, where although he was but meanely received,
yet it served well enough considering time and necessity. This honest
man to recompence our entertainment, promised to give my master some
corne, oyle, and two bottels of wine: wherefore my master not delaying
the matter, laded me with sackes and bottels, and rode to the Towne
which was seaven miles off.
When we came to the honest mans house, he entertained and feasted my
master exceedingly. And it fortuned while they eate and dranke together
as signe of great amity there chanced a strange and dreadfull case: for
there was a Hen which ran kackling about the yard, as though she would
have layed an Egge. The good man of the house perceiving her, said: O
good and profitable pullet that feedest us every day with thy fruit,
thou seemest as though thou wouldest give us some pittance for our
dinner: Ho boy put the Pannier in the corner that the Hen may lay. Then
the boy did as his master commanded, but the Hen forsaking the Pannier,
came toward her master and laid at his feet not an Egge, which every
man knoweth, but a Chickin with feathers, clawes, and eyes, which
incontinently ran peeping after his damme. By and by happened a more
strange thing, which would cause any man to abhorre: under the Table
where they sate, the ground opened, and there appeared a great well and
fountain of bloud, insomuch that the drops thereof sparckled about the
Table. At the same time while they wondred at this dreadfull sight one
of the Servants came running out of the Seller, and told that all the
wine was boyled out of the vessels, as though there had beene some
great fire under. By and by a Weasel was scene that drew into the house
a dead Serpent, and out of the mouth of a Shepheards dog leaped a live
frog, and immediately after one brought word that a Ram had strangled
the same dog at one bit. All these things that happened, astonied the
good man of the house, and the residue that were present, insomuch that
they could not tell what to doe, or with what sacrifice to appease the
anger of the gods. While every man was thus stroken in feare, behold,
one brought word to the good man of the house, that his three sonnes
who had been brought up in good literature, and endued with good
manners were dead, for they three had great acquaintance and ancient
amity with a poore man which was their neighbour, and dwelled hard by
them: and next unto him dwelled another young man very rich both in
lands and goods, but bending from the race of his progenies
dissentions, and ruling himselfe in the towne according to his owne
will. This young royster did mortally hate this poore man, insomuch
that he would kill his sheepe, steale his oxen, and spoyle his corne
and other fruits before the time of ripenesse, yet was he not contented
with this, but he would encroch upon the poore mans ground, and clayme
all the heritage as his owne. The poore man which was very simple and
fearefull, seeing all his goods taken away by the avarice of the rich
man, called together and assembled many of his friends to shew them all
his land, to the end he might have but so much ground of his fathers
heritage, as might bury him. Amongst whom, he found these three
brethren, as friends to helpe and ayd him in his adversity and
tribulation.
Howbeit, the presence of these honest Citizens, could in no wise
perswade him to leave his extort power, no nor yet to cause any
temperance of his tongue, but the more they went about with gentle
words to tell him his faults, the more would he fret and likewise fume,
swearing all the oathes under God, that he little regarded the presence
of the whole City, whereupon incontinently he commanded his servants to
take the poore man by the eares, and carry him out of his ground, which
greatly offended all the standers by. Then one of the brethren spake
unto him somewhat boldly, saying: It is but a folly to have such
affiance in your riches, whereby you should use your tyranny against
the poore, when as the law is common for all men, and a redresse may be
had to suppresse your insolency. These words chafed him more then the
burning oile, or flaming brimstone, or scourge of whipps, saying: that
they should be hanged and their law too, before he would be subject
unto any person: and therewithall he called out his bandogges and great
masties, which accustomed to eate the carrion and carkases of dead
beasts in the fields, and to set upon such as passed by the way: then
he commanded they should be put upon all the assistance to teare them
in peeces: who as soone as they heard the hisse of their master, ran
fiercely upon them invading them on every side, insomuch that the more
they flied to escape away, the more cruell and terrible were the
dogges. It fortuned amongst all this fearefull company, that in
running, the youngest of the three brethren stombled at a stone, and
fell down to the ground: Then the dogs came upon him and tare him in
peeces with their teeth, whereby he was compelled to cry for succour:
His other two brethren hearing his lamentable voice ran towards him to
helpe him, casting their cloakes about their left armes, tooke up
stones to chase away the dogs, but all was in vaine, for they might see
their brother dismembred in every part of his body: Who lying at the
very point of death, desired his brethren to revenge his death against
that cruell tyrant: And therewithall he gave up the ghost. The other
two brethren perceiving so great a murther, and neglecting their owne
lives, like desperate persons dressed themselves against the tyrant,
and threw a great number of stones at him, but the bloudy theefe
exercised in such and like mischiefes, tooke a speare and thrust it
cleane through the body: howbeit he fell not downe to the ground. For
the speare that came out at his backe ran into the earth, and sustained
him up. By and by came one of these tyrants servants the most sturdiest
of the rest to helpe his master, who at the first comming tooke up a
stone and threw at the third brother, but by reason the stone ran along
his arme it did not hurt him, which chanced otherwise then all mens
expectation was: by and by the young man feigning that his arme was
greatly wounded, spake these words unto the cruell bloud sucker: Now
maist thou, thou wretch, triumph upon the destruction of all our
family, now hast thou fed thy insatiable cruelty with the bloud of
three brethren, now maist thou rejoyce at the fall of us Citizens, yet
thinke not but that how farre thou dost remove and extend the bounds of
thy land, thou shalt have some neighbor, but how greatly am I sorry in
that I have lost mine arme wherewithall I minded to cut off thy head.
When he had spoken these words, the furious theefe drew out his dagger,
and running upon the young man thought verily to have slaine him, but
it chanced otherwise: For the young man resisted him stoutly, and in
buckling together by violence wrested the dagger out of his hand: which
done, he killed the rich theefe with his owne weapon, and to the intent
the young man would escape the hands of the servants which came running
to assist their master, with the same dagger he cut his owne throat.
These things were signified by the strange and dreadfull wondres which
fortuned in the house of the good man, who after he had heard these
sorrowfull tydings could in no wise weepe, so farre was he stroken with
dolour, but presently taking his knife wherewith he cut his cheese and
other meate before, he cut his owne throat likewise, in such sort that
he fell upon the bord and imbraced the table with the streames of his
blond, in most miserable manner. Hereby was my master the Gardener
deprived of his hope, and paying for his dinner the watry teares of his
eyes, mounted upon my backe and so we went homeward the same way as wee
came.