uld remain, she cut the whole goose up,
stuck the pieces upon spits, and served up a very delectable dinner for
me, whom, but a moment before, she had herself condemned to death, in
her own words! Meanwhile, cups of unmixed wine went merrily around (and
the crones greedily devoured the goose which they had but so lately
lamented. When the last morsel had disappeared, OEnothea, half-drunk by
this time, looked at me and said, "We must now go through with the
mysteries, so that you may get back your virility.")

CHAPTER THE ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-EIGHTH.

(As she said this OEnothea brought) out a leathern dildo which, when she
had smeared it with oil, ground pepper, and pounded nettle seed, she
commenced to force, little by little, up my anus. The merciless old
virago then anointed the insides of my thighs with the same decoction;
finally mixing nasturtium juice with elixir of southern wood, she gave my
genitals a bath and, picking up a bunch of green nettles, she commenced
to strike me gently all over my belly below the navel. {The nettles stung
me horribly and I suddenly took to my heels, with the old hags in full
pursuit.} Although they were befuddled with wine and lust they followed
the right road and chased me through several wards, screaming "Stop
thief." I made good my escape, however, although every toe was bleeding
as the result of my headlong flight. (I got home as quickly as I could
and, worn out with fatigue, I sought my couch, but I could not snatch a
wink of sleep for the evil adventures which had befallen me kept running
through my brain and, brooding upon them, I came to the conclusion that
no one could be so abjectly unfortunate. "Has Fortune, always inimical
to me, stood in need of the pangs of love, that she might torture me more
cruelly still," I cried out; "unhappy wretch that I am! Fortune and Love
have joined forces to bring about my ruin. Cruel Eros himself had never
dealt leniently with me, loved or lover I am put to the torture! Take
the case of Chrysis: she loves me desperately, never leaves off teasing
me, she who despised me as a servant, because, when she was acting as her
mistress's go-between, I was dressed in the garments of a slave: she, I
say) that same Chrysis, who looked with contempt upon your former lowly
lot, is now bent upon following it up even at the peril of her life; (she
swore that she would never leave my side on the day when she told me of
the violence of her