th the paine of their beating, and the greene hearbes that lay in
my guts, I caught such a laske that I all besprinkled their faces with
my liquid dung, and enforced them to leave off.

THE NINETEENTH CHAPTER

How Apuleius was prevented of his purpose, and how the Theeves came to
their den.

Not long after, the theeves laded us againe, but especially me, and
brought us forth of the stable, and when wee had gone a good part of our
journey what with the long way, my great burthen, the beating of staves,
and my worne hooves, I was so weary that I could scantly go. Then I
saw a little before mee a river running with fair water, and I said to
myself, Behold, now I have found a good occasion: for I will fall down
when I come yonder, and surely I will not rise againe, neither with
scourging nor with beating, for I had rather be slaine there presently,
than goe any further.

And the cause why I had determined so to doe was this, I thought that
the theeves when they did see me so feeble and weake that I could not
travell, to the intent they would not stay in their journey, they would
take the burthen from my backe and put it on my fellowes, and so for
my further punishment to leave me as a prey to the wolves and ravening
beasts. But evill fortune prevented so good a consideration; for the
other Asse being of the same purpose that I was of, by feigned and
coloured wearinesse fell downe first, with all his burthen on the ground
as though hee were dead, and he would not rise neither with beating nor
with pricking, nor stand upon his legs, though they pulled him by the
tail, by his legs, and by his eares: which when the theeves beheld, as
without all hope they said one unto another, What should we stand here
so long about a dead or rather a stony asse? let us bee gone: and so
they tooke his burthen, and divided some to mee, and some to my horse.
And then they drew out their swords and cut off his legs, and threw
his body from the point of a hill down into a great valley. Then I
considering with my selfe of the evill fortune of my poore companion,
and purposed now to forget all subtility and deceit, and to play the
good Asse to get my masters favour, for I perceived by their talke that
we were come home well nigh at our journeys end. And after that wee had
passed over a little hill, we came to our appointed place, and when we
were unladen of our burthens, and all things carried in, I tumbled and
wallowed in the dust, to r