The Golden Asse

189 Pages·2014·0.58 MB·English

by  Lucius Apuleius

The Golden Asse
Lucius Apuleius
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Title: The Golden Asse
Author: Lucius Apuleius
Translator: William Adlington
Release Date: February 21, 2006 [EBook #1666]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
*** START OFTHISPROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK
THE GOLDEN ASSE ***
Produced by Donal O’Danachair and David Widger
THE GOLDEN ASSE
by Lucius Apuleius “Africanus”
Translated by William Adlington
First published 1566 This version as reprinted from the
edition of
Contents
1 Dedication 1
2 The Life of Lucius Apuleius Briefly Described 3
3 The Preface of the Author To His Sonne, Faustinus 5
4 THE FIRST BOOKE 7
5 THE SECOND CHAPTER 9
6 THE THIRD CHAPTER 11
7 THE FOURTH CHAPTER 13
8 THE FIFTH CHAPTER 15
9 THE SIXTH CHAPTER 20
10 THE SEVENTH CHAPTER 22
11 THE SECOND BOOKE 24
12 THE NINTH CHAPTER 27
13 THE TENTH CHAPTER 29
14 THE ELEVENTH CHAPTER 32
15 THE THIRD BOOKE 38
16 THE THIRTEENTH CHAPTER 40
17 THE FOURTEENTH CHAPTER 43
18 THE FIFTEENTH CHAPTER 46
19 THE SIXTEENTH CHAPTER 49
20 THE SEVENTEENTH CHAPTER 51
21 THE FOURTH BOOKE 54
22 THE NINETEENTH CHAPTER 56
23 THE TWENTIETH CHAPTER 60
24 THE TWENTY-FIRST CHAPTER 63
25 THE MARRIAGE OF CUPID AND PSYCHES 66
26 THE SIXTH BOOKE 88
27 THE SEVENTH BOOKE 92
28 THE TWENTY-FIFTH CHAPTER 96
29 THE TWENTY-SIXTH CHAPTER 98
30 THE TWENTY-SEVENTH CHAPTER 100
31 THE TWENTY-EIGHTH CHAPTER 102
32 THE TWENTY-NINTH CHAPTER 104
33 THE THIRTIETH CHAPTER 106
34 THE THIRTY-FIRST CHAPTER 108
35 THE EIGHTH BOOKE 110
36 THE THIRTY-THIRD CHAPTER 115
37 THE THIRTY-FOURTH CHAPTER 117
38 THE THIRTY-FIFTH CHAPTER 119
39 THE THIRTY-SIXTH CHAPTER 120
40 THE NINTH BOOKE 124
41 THE THIRTY-EIGHTH CHAPTER 126
42 THE THIRTY-NINTH CHAPTER 128
43 THE FORTIETH CHAPTER 131
44 THE FORTY-FIRST CHAPTER 133
45 THE FORTY-SECOND CHAPTER 138
46 THE FORTY-THIRD CHAPTER 142
47 THE TENTH BOOKE 144
48 THE FORTY-FIFTH CHAPTER 150
49 THE FORTY-SIXTH CHAPTER 153
50 THE ELEVENTH BOOKE 160
51 THE FORTY-EIGHTH CHAPTER 167
52 End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Golden Asse, by Lucius Apuleius 173
53 Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works 175
54 Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm 180
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Chapter 1
Dedication
To the Right Honourable and Mighty Lord, THOMAS sohomelyandrudeatranslationshouldbepresented. But
EARLE of SUSSEX, Viscount Fitzwalter, Lord of Egre- when I again remembred the jesting and sportfull matter
mont and of Burnell, Knight of the most noble Order of of the booke, unfit to be offered to any man of gravity and
the Garter, Iustice of the forrests and Chases from Trent wisdome,IwaswhollydeterminedtomakenoEpistleDed-
Southward; Captain of the Gentleman Pensioners of the icatory at all; till as now of late perswaded thereunto by
House of the Queene our Soveraigne Lady. my friends, I have boldly enterprised to offer the same to
your Lordship, who as I trust wil accept the same, than if
After that I had taken upon me (right Honourable) in
it did entreat of some serious and lofty matter, light and
manner of that unlearned and foolish Poet, Cherillus, who
merry, yet the effect thereof tendeth to a good and vertu-
rashly and unadvisedly wrought a big volume in verses, of
ous moral, as in the following Epistle to the reader may be
the valiant prowesse of Alexander the Great, to translate
declared. For so have all writers in times past employed
this present booke, contayning the Metamorphosis of Lu-
theirtravellandlabours, thattheirposteritymightreceive
cius Apuleius; being mooved thereunto by the right pleas-
some fruitfull profit by the same. And therfore the poets
antpastimeanddelectablemattertherein; Ieftsoonescon-
feined not their fables in vain, considering that children
sulted with myself, to whom I might best offer so pleasant
in time of their first studies, are very much allured thereby
andworthyawork,devisedbytheauthor,itbeingnowbar-
toproceedtomoregraveanddeepestudiesanddisciplines,
barouslyandsimplyframedinourEnglishtongue. Andaf-
whereastheirmindeswouldquicklyloaththewiseandpru-
terlongdeliberationhad,yourhonourablelordshipcameto
dent workes of learned men, wherein in such unripe years
myremembrance,amanmuchmoreworthy,thantowhom
they take no spark of delectation at all. And not only that travellandlabourwellemployed, butalsoreceiveafurther
profitarisethtochildrenbysuchfeinedfables, butalsothe comfort to attempt some more serious matter, which may
vertues of men are covertly thereby commended, and their be more acceptable to your Lordship: desiring the same
vices discommended and abhorred. For by the fable of Ac- to excuse my rash and bold enterprise at this time, as I
taeon, where it is feigned that he saw Diana washing her nothing doubt of your Lordships goodnesse. To whome I
selfe in a well, hee was immediately turned into an Hart, beseechAlmightyGodtoimpartlonglife, withencreaseof
and so was slain of his own Dogs; may bee meant, That much honour.
when a man casteth his eyes on the vain and soone fading
From Vniversity Colledge in Oxenforde, the xviij. of
beauty of the world, consenting thereto in his minde, hee
September, 1566.
seemethtobeeturnedintoabrutebeast,andsotobeslain
by the inordinate desire of his owne affects. By Tantalus Your Honours most bounden,
that stands in the midst of the floud Eridan, having before
Wil. Adlington.
him a tree laden with pleasant apples, he being neverthe-
lesse always thirsty and hungry, betokeneth the insatiable
desiresofcovetouspersons. ThefablesofAtreus, Thiestes,
Tereus and Progne signifieth the wicked and abhominable
facts wrought and attempted by mortall men. The fall of
Icarus is an example to proud and arrogant persons, that
weeneth to climb up to the heavens. By Mydas, who ob-
tained of Bacchus, that all things which he touched might
be gold, is carped the foul sin of avarice. By Phaeton, that
unskilfully took in hand to rule the chariot of the Sunne,
are represented those persons which attempt things pass-
ingtheirpowerandcapacity. ByCastorandPollux,turned
into a signe in heaven called Gemini, is signified, that ver-
tuous and godly persons shall be rewarded after life with
perpetuallblisse. AndinthisfeinedjestofLuciusApuleius
iscomprehendedafigureofmanslife,ministringmostsweet
anddelectablematter,tosuchasshallbedesiroustoreade
the same. The which if your honourable lordship shall ac-
ceptanttakeingoodpart,Ishallnotonelythinkemysmall
Chapter 2
The Life of Lucius Apuleius Briefly Described
Lucius Apuleius African, an excellent follower of Plato his hee calleth himself the Nource of Carthage, and the celes-
sect, born in Madaura, a Countrey sometime inhabited by tial Muse and venerable mistresse of Africke. Soone after,
theRomans,andunderthejurisdictionofSyphax,scituate atAthens(whereintimespastthewellofalldoctrineflour-
and lying on the borders of Numidia and Getulia, whereby ished) he tasted many of the cups of the muses, he learned
he calleth himself half a Numidian and half a Getulian: thePoetry,Geometry,Musicke,Logicke,andtheuniversall
and Sidonius named him the Platonian Madaurence: his knowledgeofPhilosophy, andstudiednotinvainethenine
fathercalledTheseushadpassedallofficesofdignityinhis Muses, that is to say, the nine noble and royal disciplines.
countreywithmuchhonour. HismothernamedSalviawas
Immediately after he went to Rome, and studied there the
of such excellent vertue, that she passed all the Dames of
Latine tongue, with such labour and continuall study, that
her time, borne of an ancient house, and descended from
he achieved to great eloquence, and was known and ap-
the philosopher Plutarch, and Sextus his nephew. His wife
provedtobeexcellentlylearned,wherebyhemightworthily
called Prudentila was endowed with as much vertue and
becalledPolyhistor, thatistosay, onethatknowethmuch
richesasanywomanmightbe. Heehimselfewasofanhigh
or many things.
andcomelystature,grayeyed,hishaireyellow,andabeau-
tifulpersonage. HeflourishedinCarthageinthetimeofIo- And being thus no lesse endued with eloquence, than with
lianusAvitusandCl. MaximusProconsuls,wherehespent singular learning, he wrote many books for them that
his youth in learning the liberall sciences, and much prof- should come after: whereof part by negligence of times
ited under his masters there, whereby not without cause be now intercepted and part now extant, doe sufficiently
declare, with how much wisdome and doctrine hee flour- ing tales, that nothing may be more sweet and delectable,
ished, and with how much vertue hee excelled amongst whereby worthily they may be intituled The Bookes of the
the rude and barbarous people. The like was Anachar- ‘GoldenAsse’,forthepassingstileandmattertherein. For
sis amongst the most luskish Scythes. But amongst the what can be more acceptable than this Asse of Gold in-
Bookes of Lucius Apuleius, which are perished and pre- deed. Howbeit there be many who would rather intitule it
vented, howbeit greatly desired as now adayes, one was ‘Metamorphosis’, that is to say, a transfiguration or trans-
intituled Banquetting questions, another entreating of the formation, by reason of the argument and matter within.
nature of fish, another of the generation of beasts, another
containing his Epigrams, another called ‘Hermagoras’: but
suchasarenowextantarethefourebooksnamed‘Florido-
rum’, wherein is contained a flourishing stile, and a savory
kind of learning, which delighteth, holdeth, and rejoiceth
the reader marvellously; wherein you shall find a great va-
riety of things, as leaping one from another: One excellent
andcopiousOration,containingallthegraceandvertueof
the art Oratory, where he cleareth himself of the crime of
art Magick, which was slanderously objected against him
by his Adversaries, wherein is contained such force of elo-
quence and doctrine, as he seemeth to passe and excell
himselfe. There is another booke of the god of the spirit
of Socrates, whereof St. Augustine maketh mention in his
booke of the definition of spirits, and description of men.
Two other books of the opinion of Plato, wherein is briefly
contained that which before was largely expressed. One
booke of Cosmography, comprising many things of Aris-
totles Meteors. The Dialogue of Trismegistus, translated
by him out of Greeke into Latine, so fine, that it rather
seemeth with more eloquence turned into Latine, than it
was before written in Greeke. But principally these eleven
Bookes of the ‘Golden Asse’, are enriched with such pleas-
ant matter, with such excellency and variety of flourish-