of thy sops, thou maist have accesse
to Proserpina without all danger: shee will make thee good cheere, and
entertaine thee with delicate meate and drinke, but sit thou upon the
ground, and desire browne bread, and then declare thy message unto her,
and when thou hast received such beauty as she giveth, in thy returne
appease the rage of the dogge with thy other sop, and give thy other
halfe penny to covetous Charon, and come the same way againe into the
world as thou wentest: but above all things have a regard that thou
looke not in the boxe, neither be not too curious about the treasure
of the divine beauty. In this manner tire tower spake unto Psyches, and
advertised her what she should do: and immediately she tooke two halfe
pence, two sops, and all things necessary, and went to the mountaine
Tenarus to go towards hell. After that Psyches had passed by the lame
Asse, paid her halfe pennie for passage, neglected the old man in the
river, denyed to helpe the woman spinning, and filled the ravenous month
of the dogge with a sop, shee came to the chamber of Proserpina. There
Psyches would not sit in any royall seate, nor eate any delicate meates,
but kneeled at the feete of Proserpina, onely contented with course
bread, declared her message, and after she had received a mysticall
secret in a boxe, she departed, and stopped the mouth of the dogge with
the other sop, and paied the boatman the other halfe penny. When Psyches
was returned from hell, to the light of the world, shee was ravished
with great desire, saying, Am not I a foole, that knowing that I carrie
here the divine beauty, will not take a little thereof to garnish my
face, to please my love withall? And by and by shee opened the boxe
where she could perceive no beauty nor any thing else, save onely an
infernall and deadly sleepe, which immediatly invaded all her members as
soone as the boxe was uncovered, in such sort that she fell downe upon
the ground, and lay there as a sleeping corps.

But Cupid being now healed of his wound and Maladie, not able to endure
the absence of Psyches, got him secretly out at a window of the chamber
where hee was enclosed, and (receiving his wings,) tooke his flight
towards his loving wife, whom when he had found, hee wiped away the
sleepe from her face, and put it againe into the boxe, and awaked her
with the tip of one of his arrows, saying: O wretched Caitife, behold
thou wert well-nigh perished againe, with the overmuch curi