dens, but rather an
Asse for himselfe. Howbeit (quoth they) keepe him not wholly for your
owne riding, but let us likewise have him at commandement. Therewithall
they led me into the stable, and tied me to the manger: there was
a certaine yong man with a mighty body, wel skilled in playing on
instruments before the gods to get money, who (as soone as he had espied
me) entertained me verie well, for he filled my racke and maunger full
of meat, and spake merrily saying, O master Asse, you are very welcome,
now you shall take my office in hand, you are come to supply my roome,
and to ease me of my miserable labour: but I pray God thou maist
long live and please my Master well, to the end thou maist continually
deliver me from so great paine. When I heard these words I did
prognosticate my miserie to come.

The day following I saw there a great number of persons apparelled in
divers colours, having painted faces, mitres on their heads, vestiments
coloured like saffron, Surplesses of silke, and on their feet yellow
shooes, who attired the goddesse in a robe of Purple, and put her
upon my backe. Then they went forth with their armes naked to their
shoulders, bearing with them great swords and mightie axes, and dancing
like mad persons. After that we had passed many small villages, we
fortuned to come to one Britunis house, where at our first entrie they
began to hurle themselves hither and thither, as though they were mad.
They made a thousand gestures with their feete and their hands, they
would bite themselves, finally, every one tooke his weapon and wounded
his armes in divers places.

Amongst whom there was one more mad then the rest, that let many deepe
sighes from the bottome of his heart, as though he had beene ravished in
spirite, or replenished with divine power. And after that, he somewhat
returning to himselfe, invented and forged a great lye, saying, that
he had displeased the divine majesty of the goddesse, by doing of some
thing which was not convenable to the order of their holy religion,
wherefore he would doe vengeance of himselfe: and therewithall he
tooke a whip, and scourged his owne body, that the bloud issued out
aboundantly, which thing caused me greatly to feare, to see such wounds
and effusion of bloud, least the same goddesse desiring so much the
bloud of men, should likewise desire the bloud of an Asse. After they
were wearie with hurling and beating themselves, they sate downe, and
behold, the in