her of theft, and to set
the dishes and morsels of meat in order, one by another, because they
would learne what was taken away, whereby one of them was compelled to
say thus to his fellow: Is it reason to breake promise and faith in
this sort, by stealing away the best meat, and to sell it to augment
thy good, and yet neverthelesse to have thy part in the residue that
is left: if our partnership doe mislike thee, we will be partners and
brothers in other things, but in this we will breake of: for I perceive
that the great losse which I sustain, will at length be a cause of great
discord betweene us. Then answered the other, Verily I praise thy great
constancy and subtilnesse, in that (when thou hast secretly taken away
the meat) [thou] dost begin to complaine first, whereas I by long space
of time have suffered thee, because I would not seeme to accuse my
brother of theft, but I am right glad in that wee are fallen into
communication of the matter, least by our silence, like contention might
arise betweene us, as fortuned betweene Eteocles and his Brother. When
they had reasoned together in this sort, they swore both earnestly, that
neither of them stale or tooke away any jote of the meate, wherefore
they concluded to search out the Theefe by all kind of meanes. For they
could not imagin or thinke, the Asse who stood alone there, would eate
any such meates, neither could they thinke that Mice or Flyes, were so
ravenous, as to devouer whole dishes of meat, like the Birds Harpies
which carried away the meates of Phineus the King of Archadia. In the
Meane season while I was fed with dainty morsels, I gathered together my
flesh, my skin waxed soft, my haire began to shine, and was gallant on
every part, but such faire and comely shape of my body, was cause of
my dishonour, for the Baker and Cooke marvelled to see me so slick and
fine, considering I did eate no hay at all. Wherefore on a time at their
accustomed houre, they went to the baines, and locked their chamber
doore. It fortuned that ere they departed away, they espyed me through
a hole, how I fell roundly to my victuals: then they marvelled greatly,
and little esteemed the losse of their meate, laughed exceedingly,
calling the servants of the house, to shew them the greedy gorge and
appetite of the Asse. Their laughing was so immoderate that the master
of the house heard them, and demanded the cause of their laughter,
and when hee understood all the matter, hee looke