I understood
afterwards he was a fellow that could change his skin; but from that
day forward, could never eat a bit of bread with him, no, if you'd
have kill'd me. Let them that don't believe me, examine the truth of
it; may your good angels plague me as I tell ye a lye."
The company were all wondring, when, "Saving what you have said,"
quoth Trimalchio, "if there be faith in man, my hair stands on end,
because I know Niceros is no trifler; he's sure of what he says, and
not given to talking: Nay, I'll tell ye as horrible a thing my self;
but see there, what's that behind the hangings?
"When I was yet a long-hair'd boy, for even then I liv'd a pleasant
life, I had a minion, and he dy'd: He was (so help me Hercules) a
pearl, a paragon, nay perfection it self: But when the poor mother
lamented him, and we also were doing the same, some witches got round
the house on a sudden, you'd have taken them for hounds hunting a
hare. We had then in the house a Cappadocian, a tall fellow, stout
and hardy, that would not have stept an inch out of his way for
Jupiter. He boldly drew his sword, and wrapping his coat about his
left arm, leaped out of the house, and as it might be here, (no hurt
to the thing I touch) ran a woman clean through. We heard a pitiful
groan, but not to lye, saw none of them. Our champion came in and
threw himself on a bed, but all black and blue, so he had been trosh'd
with flails; for it seems some ill hand had touched him.
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