e thy spirits.
And so shee began in this manner.

THE MARRIAGE OF CUPID AND PSYCHES

THE TWENTY-SECOND CHAPTER

The most pleasant and delectable tale of the marriage of Cupid and
Psyches.

There was sometimes a certaine King, inhabiting in the West parts,
who had to wife a noble Dame, by whom he had three daughters exceeding
fair: of whom the two elder were of such comly shape and beauty, as
they did excell and pass all other women living, whereby they were
thought worthily to deserve the praise and commendation of every person,
and deservedly to be preferred above the residue of the common sort.
Yet the singular passing beauty and maidenly majesty of the youngest
daughter did so farre surmount and excell then two, as no earthly
creature could by any meanes sufficiently expresse or set out the same.

By reason wherof, after the fame of this excellent maiden was spread
about in every part of the City, the Citisens and strangers there beeing
inwardly pricked by the zealous affection to behold her famous person,
came daily by thousands, hundreths, and scores, to her fathers palace,
who was astonied with admiration of her incomparable beauty, did no less
worship and reverence her with crosses, signes, and tokens, and other
divine adorations, according to the custome of the old used rites and
ceremonies, than if she were the Lady Venus indeed, and shortly after
the fame was spread into the next cities and bordering regions, that the
goddess whom the deep seas had born and brought forth, and the froth of
the waves had nourished, to the intent to show her high magnificencie
and divine power on earth, to such as erst did honour and worship her,
was now conversant among mortall men, or else that the earth and not
the sea, by a new concourse and influence of the celestiall planets,
had budded and yeelded forth a new Venus, endued with the floure of
virginity.

So daily more and more encreased this opinion, and now is her flying
fame dispersed into the next Island, and well nigh unto every part and
province of the whole world. Wherupon innumerable strangers resorted
from farre Countries, adventuring themselves by long journies on
land and by great perils on water, to behold this glorious virgin. By
occasion wherof such a contempt grew towards the goddesse Venus, that no
person travelled unto the Towne Paphos, nor to the Isle Gyndos, nor
to Cythera to worship her. Her ornaments were throwne out, her temples