Least therefore my comrade might run a greater hazard, I got up to the wedding.

And now Psyche put a flame-colour veil on the girl’s head; the pathick led before with a flamboe, and a long train of drunken women, fell a shouting, and drest up the bride-chamber; Quartilla, all a-gog as the rest, took hold of Gito and dragg’d him in with her:  But truly the boy made no resistance; nor seem’d the girl frighted at the name of matrimony.  When therefore they were lockt up, we sat without, before the threshold of the chamber; and Quartilla having waggishly slit a chink thro’ the door, as wantonly laid an ape’s eye to it; nor content with that, pluck’t me also to see that childs play, and when we were not peeping, would turn her lips to me, and steal a kiss.

The jade’s fulsomeness had so tir’d me that I began to devise which was to get off.  I told Ascyltos my mind, and he was well pleased with it, for he was a willing to get rid of his torment, Psyche:  Nor was it hard to be done, if Gito had not been lockt up in the chamber; for we were resolved to take him with us, and not leave him the mercy of a bawdy-house.  While we were contriving how to effect it, it so happened that Pannychis fell out of bed, and drew Gito after her, without any hurt, though the girl got a small knock in the fall, and therewith made such a cry, that Quartilla, all in a fright, ran headlong in, and gave us the opportunity of getting off, and taking the boy with us; when without more ado, we flew to our inn, and getting to bed, past the rest of the night without fear.

But going out the next day, whom should we meet but two of those fellows that robb’d us of the mantle, which Ascyltos perceiving, he briskly attack’d one of them, and having disarm’d and desperately wounded him, came in to my relief; who was pressing upon the other, but he behav’d himself so well, that he wounded us both, altho’ but slightly, and got off himself without so much as a scratch.

And now came the third day, that is the expectation of an entertainment at Trimalchio’s, where every one might speak what he would:  But having received some wounds, we thought flight might be of more use to us than sitting still:  We got to our inn therefore, as fast as we could, and our wounds not being great, cured them as we lay in bed, with wine and oyl.

But the rogue whom Ascyltos had hewn down, lay in the street, and we were in fear of being discovered, while therefore we were pensively considering which way to avoid the impending storm, a servant of Agamemnon’s interrupted our fears:  “And do not ye know,” said he, “with whom we eat to-day?  Trimalchio, a trim finical humorist has a clock in his dining-room, and one on purpose to let him know how many minutes of his life he had lost.”  We therefore drest our selves carefully, and Gito willingly taking upon him the part of a servant, as he had hither to done, we bade him put our things together, and follow us to the bath.