At this promise of mine, becoming more chearful, she fell a kissing me thick and threefold, and turning the humour of tears into laughing, she comb’d up some hair that hung over my face with her fingers, and, “I come to a truce with ye,” said she, “and discharge ye of the process I intended against you:  but if ye shou’d refuse me the medicine I entreat of ye for the ague, I have fellows enough will be ready by to morrow, that shall both vindicate my reputation, and revenge the affront ye put upon me.

  “Contempt’s dishono’rable, and the giver rude,
   T’advise the doctor, speaks the patient proud: 
   But l am mistress of my self so far,
   I can pay scorn with scorn without a war: 
   The wise revenge is to neglect the ill,
   They’re not the only conquerours that kill.”

Then clapping her hands together, she turn’d off to so violent a laughter, that made us apprehensive of some design against us; the same also did the woman that came in first, and the girl that came with her; but so mimically, that seeing no reason for so sudden a change, we one while star’d on one another, and otherwhile on the woman.

At length, quoth Quartilla, “I have commanded, that no flesh alive be suffered to come into this inn to day; that I may receive from you the medicine for the ague without interruption.”

At what time Ascyltos was a little amaz’d, and I so chill’d that I had not power to utter a word:  But the company gave me heart not to expect worse, for they were but three women, and if they had any design, must yet be too weak to effect it against us, who if we had nothing more of man about us, had yet that figure to befriend us:  We were all girt up for the purpose, and I had so contriv’d the couples, that if it must come to a rancounter, I was to make my part good with Quartilla, Ascyltos with her woman, and Gito the girl.

While I was thus casting the matter in my head, Quartilla came up to me, to cure me of the ague, but finding her self disappointed, flew off in a rage, and returning in a little while, told us, there were certain persons unknown, had a design upon us, and therefore commanded to remove us into a noble palace.

Here all our courage fail’d us, and nothing but certain death seem’d to appear before us.

Then I began, “If, madam, you design to be more severe with us, be yet so kind as to dispatch it quickly; for whate’er our offence be, it is not so hainous that we ought to be rack’d to death for it”:  Upon which her woman, whose name was Psyche, spread a coverlet on the floor, Sollicitavit inguina mea mille iam mortibus frigida.  Ascyltos muffled his head in his coat, as having had a hint given him, how dangerous it was to take notice of what did not concern him.  In the mean time Psyche took off her garters, and with one of them bound my feet, and with the other my hands.

Thus fetter’d as I lay, “This, madam,” said I, “is not the way to rid you of your ague.”  “I grant it,” answer’d Psyche, “but I have a Dose at hand will infallibly do it” and therefore brought me a lusty bowl of satyricon, (a love-potion) and so merrily ran over the wonderful effects of it, that I had well-nigh suck’d it all off; but because Ascyltos had slighted her courtship, she finding his back towards her, threw the bottom of it on him.