of Tyre

Pericles, Prince of Tyre ten sestercies of gold. But the bawd, being loth to loose so commodious a prey, offered twenty. And I wil give thirty said Athanagoras. Nay I wil give forty said the bawd: and I fiftie quoth Athanagoras, and so they continued in outbidding one an other untill the bawd offered an hundred sestercies of gold to be payed ready downe, and whosoever wil give more, saide he, I will yet give ten sestercies more than he. Then prince Athanagoras thus bethought him secretly in his minde: if I should contend with the bawd to buy her at so hie a price, I must needes sell other slaves to pay for her, which were both losse and shame unto me. Wherefore I will suffer him to buy her; and when he setteth her to hire, I will be the first man that shall come unto her, and I will gather the floure of her virginitie, which shall stand mee in as great steade as if! had bought her.l Then the bawd payed the money, and tooke the maiden and departed home,2 and when he came into his house, hee brought her into a certaine chappel where stoode the idoll of Priapus made of gold, and garnished with pearls and pretious stones. This idoll was made after the shape of a man, with a mighty member unproportionable to the body, alwayes erected, whome bawds and leachers doe adore, making him their god, and worshipping him. Before this filthy idoll he commaunded Tharsia to fall downe. 3 But she answered, God forbid master, that I should worship such an idoll. But (sir) said she, are you a Lapsatenian? Why askest thou? said the bawd I aske, quoth she, because the Lapsatenians doe worship Priapus: this spake she of simplicitie, not knowing what he 4 was. Ah wretch, answered he, knowest thou not that thou arte come into the house of a covetous bawd? When Tharsia heard that, she fell downe at his feet and wept, saying: 0 master, take compassion upon my virginity, and do not hire out my body for so vile a gaine. The bawd answered, knowest thou not, that neither bawd nor hangman do regard teares or prayers? Then called he unto him a certaine villaine which was governour over his maids, and said unto him: Let this maiden be decked in virgins apparell, pretious and costly, and write upon her: whosoever defloureth Tharsia shal pay ten peeces of golde, and afterward she shall be common unto the people for one peece at a time.5 The villaine fulfilled his masters commaundement, and the third day after that she was bought, shee was with great solemnitie conducted through the streete with musicke, the bawd himselfe

with a great multitude going before, and so conveyed unto the brothell house.l When shee was come thither, Athanagoras the Prince disguising his head and face because hee woulde not be knowen,2 came first in unto her; whom when Tharsia sawe, she threw her selfe downe at his feete, and saide unto him: For the love of God, Gentleman, take pitty on me, and by the name of God I adjure and charge you, that you do no violence unto me, but bridle your lust, and hearken unto my unhappy estate, and consider diligently from whence I am sprung. My father was poore Apollonius prince ofTyrus, whome force constrained to forsake his owne countrey. My mother was daughter to Altistrates king of Penta polis, who died in the birth of me, poore wretch, upon the sea. My father also is dead as was supposed, which caused Dionisiades wife of Stranguilio of Tharsus, to whom my father committed me of special trust to be brought up being but an infant, envying mine estate, and thirsting after my wealth, to seeke my death by the handes of a villaine; which had beene accomplished, and I would to God it had before I had seen this day, but that I was suddenly taken away by the pyrates which solde me unto this filthie bawd. With these or such like wordes declared shee her heavie fortune, eftsoones sobbing and bursting out into streames of tears, that for extreme griefe she could scarsly speake. When she had in this manner uttered her sorow, the good prince being astonied and mooved with compassion, said unto her: Be of good cheere Tharsia, for surely I rue thy case, and I my selfe have also a daughter at home,3 to whome I doubt that the like chances may befall.