e headlong (thinking that it
was the next and readiest way to hell) but the tower (as inspired) spake
unto her saying, O poore miser, why goest thou about to slay thy selfe?
Why dost thou rashly yeeld unto thy last perill and danger? know thou
that if thy spirit be once separated from thy body, thou shalt surely go
to hell, but never to returne againe, wherefore harken to me; Lacedemon
a Citie in Greece is not farre hence: go thou thither and enquire for
the hill Tenarus, whereas thou shalt find a hold leading to hell, even
to the Pallace of Pluto, but take heede thou go not with emptie hands
to that place of darknesse: but Carrie two sops sodden in the flour of
barley and Honney in thy hands, and two halfepence in thy mouth. And
when thou hast passed a good part of that way, thou shalt see a lame
Asse carrying of wood, and a lame fellow driving him, who will desire
thee to give him up the sticks that fall downe, but passe thou on and do
nothing; by and by thou shalt come unto a river of hell, whereas Charon
is ferriman, who will first have his fare paied him, before he will
carry the soules over the river in his boat, whereby you may see that
avarice raigneth amongst the dead, neither Charon nor Pluto will do any
thing for nought: for if it be a poore man that would passe over and
lacketh money, he shal be compelled to die in his journey before they
will shew him any reliefe, wherefore deliver to carraine Charon one of
the halfpence (which thou bearest for thy passage) and let him receive
it out of thy mouth. And it shall come to passe as thou sittest in the
boat thou shalt see an old man swimming on the top of the river, holding
up his deadly hands, and desiring thee to receive him into the barke,
but have no regard to his piteous cry; when thou art passed over the
floud, thou shalt espie old women spinning, who will desire thee to
helpe them, but beware thou do not consent unto them in any case, for
these and like baits and traps will Venus set to make thee let fall
one of thy sops, and thinke not that the keeping of thy sops is a light
matter, for if thou leese one of them thou shalt be assured never to
returne againe to this world. Then shalt thou see a great and marvailous
dogge, with three heads, barking continually at the soules of such as
enter in, but he can do them no other harme, he lieth day and night
before the gate of Proserpina, and keepeth the house of Pluto with great
diligence, to whom if thou cast one