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Article THE " GOLDEN ASS" OF APULEIUS. ← Page 5 of 9 →
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The " Golden Ass" Of Apuleius.
ceeds to prepare Lucius for his restoration to a human form , and for his initiation . I Avill give the " charge" addressed to Lucius at length : — " I am here , O Lucius , I am here , pitying thy misfortunes , and favourable ancl propitious . Cease thy tears , and subdue thy lamentations ; cast away griefFor noAVthrough providence on thbehalfhath the day of
. , my y , salvation shone forth for thee . Give , then , an attentive ear to my commands . The day Avhich will be born from this night has been dedicated to me by the religion of all time , at which season—the wintry storms being now appeased , the tempests of the sea assuaged , ancl the main now safe for ships—my priests , having dedicated to me a nexv bark , * offer up the first-fruits of traffic . At this festival thou must display neither an anxious nor an irreliious disposition . !* For a priestadmonished bme
g , y , AA'ill , in the very beginning of the procession , bear a crown of roses suspended from a sistrum in his right hand . Straightway , then , without fear , join in the procession , relying on my goodwill ; and , as if about to kiss the hand of the priest , bite the roses , and immediately thou shalt cast off that skin of a vile , and by me detested , animal , And fear noxight of these things as difficult ; for at the same moment at which I come to thee , being at the same time present with thee , I will tell thee what will follow , and will
inform my priest , during his rest , what remains for him to do . J At my bidding the dense crowd of people will give thee the way , nor , amidst the joyous ceremonies and cheerful spectacle , will anyone be disgusted at the deformed figure thou bearest , nor will any one put a malevolent construction upon the sudden change . § But do thou remember , and keep it ever treasxired xip in the innermost recesses of thine heart , that the remaining course of thlife to thlast breathis ledged to service . Nor is
y , up y , p my it unjust that thou shouldst devote thine whole life to her by whose bounty you are permitted to live . But thou xviltlive blest , yea , glorious , under my tutelary care ; ancl when , having passed the term of thy natural life , thou shalt descend to the Shades below , there also , in the lower hemisphere , || dwelling in the Blysian fields , thou wilt constantly worship me , thy propitious goddess , whom thoxx wilt behold shining amidst the darkness of Acheron , and ruling the depths of the Styx . "
" Lucius , " observes Warburton , " is at length confirmed in his resolution of aspiring to a life of virtue . And on this
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The " Golden Ass" Of Apuleius.
ceeds to prepare Lucius for his restoration to a human form , and for his initiation . I Avill give the " charge" addressed to Lucius at length : — " I am here , O Lucius , I am here , pitying thy misfortunes , and favourable ancl propitious . Cease thy tears , and subdue thy lamentations ; cast away griefFor noAVthrough providence on thbehalfhath the day of
. , my y , salvation shone forth for thee . Give , then , an attentive ear to my commands . The day Avhich will be born from this night has been dedicated to me by the religion of all time , at which season—the wintry storms being now appeased , the tempests of the sea assuaged , ancl the main now safe for ships—my priests , having dedicated to me a nexv bark , * offer up the first-fruits of traffic . At this festival thou must display neither an anxious nor an irreliious disposition . !* For a priestadmonished bme
g , y , AA'ill , in the very beginning of the procession , bear a crown of roses suspended from a sistrum in his right hand . Straightway , then , without fear , join in the procession , relying on my goodwill ; and , as if about to kiss the hand of the priest , bite the roses , and immediately thou shalt cast off that skin of a vile , and by me detested , animal , And fear noxight of these things as difficult ; for at the same moment at which I come to thee , being at the same time present with thee , I will tell thee what will follow , and will
inform my priest , during his rest , what remains for him to do . J At my bidding the dense crowd of people will give thee the way , nor , amidst the joyous ceremonies and cheerful spectacle , will anyone be disgusted at the deformed figure thou bearest , nor will any one put a malevolent construction upon the sudden change . § But do thou remember , and keep it ever treasxired xip in the innermost recesses of thine heart , that the remaining course of thlife to thlast breathis ledged to service . Nor is
y , up y , p my it unjust that thou shouldst devote thine whole life to her by whose bounty you are permitted to live . But thou xviltlive blest , yea , glorious , under my tutelary care ; ancl when , having passed the term of thy natural life , thou shalt descend to the Shades below , there also , in the lower hemisphere , || dwelling in the Blysian fields , thou wilt constantly worship me , thy propitious goddess , whom thoxx wilt behold shining amidst the darkness of Acheron , and ruling the depths of the Styx . "
" Lucius , " observes Warburton , " is at length confirmed in his resolution of aspiring to a life of virtue . And on this