How Apuleius was found by his shadow.
As wee passed by the way wee met with a tall souldier (for so his
habite and countenance declared) who with proud and arrogant words
spake to my master in this sort:
Quorsum vacuum ducis Asinum?
My master somewhat astonied at the strange sights which he saw before,
and ignorant of the Latine tongue, roade on and spake never a word: The
souldier unable to refraine his insolence, and offended at his silence,
strake him on the shoulders as he sate on my backe; then my master
gently made answer that he understood not what he said, whereat the
souldier angerly demanded againe, whither he roade with his Asse? Marry
(quoth he) to the next City: But I (quoth the souldier) have need of
his helpe, to carry the trusses of our Captaine from yonder Castle, and
therewithall he tooke me by the halter and would violently have taken
me away: but my master wiping away the blood of the blow which he
received of the souldier, desired him gently and civilly to take some
pitty upon him, and to let him depart with his owne, swearing and
affirming that his slow Asse, welnigh dead with sicknesse, could scarce
carry a few handfuls of hearbs to the next towne, much lesse he was
able to beare any greater trusses: but when he saw the souldier would
in no wise be intreated, but ready with his staffe to cleave my masters
head, my master fell down at his feete, under colour to move him to
some pitty, but when he saw his time, he tooke the souldier by the legs
and cast him upon the ground: Then he buffetted him, thumped him, bit
him, and tooke a stone and beat his face and his sides, that he could
not turne and defend himselfe, but onely threaten that if ever he rose,
he would choppe him in pieces. The Gardener when he heard him say so,
drew out his javelin which hee had by his side, and when he had throwne
it away, he knockt and beate him more cruelly then he did before,
insomuch that the souldier could not tell by what meanes to save
himselfe, but by feining that he was dead, Then my master tooke the
javelin and mounted upon my backe, riding in all hast to the next
village, having no regard to goe to his Garden, and when he came
thither, he turned into one of his friends house and declared all the
whole matter, desiring him to save his life and to hide himselfe and
his Asse in some secret place, untill such time as all danger were
past. Then his friends not forgetting the ancient amity betweene them,
entertained him willingly and drew me up a paire of staires into a
chamber, my master crept into a chest, and lay there with the cover
closed fast: The souldier (as I afterwards learned) rose up as one
awaked from a drunken sleepe, but he could scarce goe by reason of his
wounds: howbeit at length by little and little through ayd of his
staffe he came to the towne, but hee would not declare the matter to
any person nor complaine to any justice, lest he should be accused of
cowardise or dastardnesse, yet in the end he told some of his
companions of all the matter that happened: then they tooke him and
caused him to be closed in some secret place, thinking that beside the
injury which he had received, he should be accused of the breach of his
faith, by reason of the losse of his speare, and when they had learned
the signes of my master, they went to search him out: at last there was
an unfaithfull neighbour that told them where he was, then
incontinently the souldiers went to the Justice declaring that they had
lost by the way a silver goblet of their Captaines, and that a Gardener
had found it, who refusing to deliver the goblet, was hidden in one of
his friends houses: by and by the Magistrates understanding the losse
of the Captaine, came to the doores where we were, commanded our host
to deliver my master upon paine of death: howbeit these threatnings
could not enforce him to confesse that he was within his doores, but by
reason of his faithfull promise and for the safeguard of his friend, he
said, that hee saw not the Gardener a great while, neither knew where
he was: the souldiers said contrary, whereby to know the verity of the
matter, the Magistrates commanded their Seargants and ministers to
search every corner of the house, but when they could find neither
Gardener nor Asse, there was a great contention betweene the souldiers
and our Host, for they sayd we were within the house: and he said no,
but I that was very curious to know the matter, when I heard so great a
noyse, put my head out of the window to learne what the stirre and
tumult did signifie. It fortuned that one of the souldiers perceived my
shadow, whereupon he began to cry, saying: that hee had certainly seene
me; then they were all glad and came up into the chamber, and pulled me
downe like a prisoner. When they had found mee, they doubted nothing of
the Gardener, but seeking about more narrowly, at length they found him
couched in a chest. And so they brought out the poore gardener to the
Justices, who was committed immediately to prison, but they could never
forbeare laughing from the time they found me by my shadow, wherefore
is risen a common Proverbe: “The shadow of the Asse.”