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Petronius Arbiter, 20-66

"The Satyricon of Petronius Arbiter"

The
sight struck me every where, and I stood as if I had been dead; but he
piss'd round his cloaths, and of a sudden was turned to a wolf: Don't
think I jest; I value no man's estate at that rate, as to tell a lye.
But as I was saying, after he was turned to a wolf, he set up a howl,
and fled to the woods. At first I knew not where I was, till going to
take up his cloaths, I found them also turn'd to stone. Another man
would have dy'd for fear, but I drew my sword, and slaying all the
ghosts that came in my way, lighted at last on the place where my
mistress was: I entered the first door; my eyes were sunk in my head,
the sweat ran off me by more streams than one, and I was just
breathing my last, without thought of recovery; when my Melissa coming
up to me, began to wonder why I'd be walking so late; and 'if,' said
she, 'you had come a little sooner, you might have done us a kindness;
for a wolf came into the farm, and has made butchers work enough among
the cattle; but tho' he got off, he has no reason to laugh, for a
servant of ours ran him through the neck with a pitchfork.' As soon as
I heard her, I could not hold open my eyes any longer, and ran home by
daylight, like a vintner whose house had been robb'd: But coming by
the place where the cloaths were turned to stone, I saw nothing but a
puddle of blood; and when I got home, found mine host lying a-bed like
an oxe in his stall, and a chirurgeon dressing his neck.


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