The Golden Ass · Chapter
XXI explained
The thieves return to their den with a captive gentlewoman, who laments her abduction and the disruption of her wedding.
What happens
The thieves return to their den with a captive gentlewoman, who laments her abduction and the disruption of her wedding. Lucius, now an ass, observes her sorrow and is moved to tears. The old woman tries to comfort her and promises to tell a pleasant tale.
Themes in this chapter
Fortune and Suffering
Charites' sudden fall from a joyful wedding to captivity illustrates the capricious nature of fortune and the depth of human suffering.
Deception and Appearance
The thieves disguise their faces with vizards and use flattering words to deceive the captive, while the old woman's interpretation of dreams contrasts appearance with reality.
Characters to notice
Key passages
“When night was come the thieves awaked and rose up, and when they had buckled on their weapons, and disguised their faces with vizards, they departed.”
At nightfall, the thieves woke, armed themselves, and put on masks before leaving.
Describes the thieves' preparation for their raid.
“And suddenly after, the thieves returned home careful and heavy, bringing no burdens with them, no not so much as traffe or baggage, save only a maiden, that seemed by her habit to be some gentlewoman born, and the daughter of some worthy matron of that country, who was so fair and beautiful, that though I were an ass, yet I had a great affection for her.”
Soon the thieves came back looking worried and empty-handed, except for a maiden who appeared to be a well-born gentlewoman, so lovely that even as an ass I felt drawn to her.
Introduces the captive maiden and Lucius's emotional response.
“Weep not fair gentlewoman we pray you, for be you assured we will do no outrage or violence to your person: but take patience a while for our profit, for necessity and poor estate hath compelled us to do this enterprise: we warrant you that your parents, although they be covetous, will be contented to give us a great quantity of money to redeem and ransom you from our hands.”
The thieves told the weeping woman not to fear, promising no harm and explaining that poverty forced them to kidnap her for ransom from her parents.
The thieves attempt to console the captive with assurances of safety and a ransom plan.
“There was a comely young man, who for his bounty and grace was beloved entirely of all the town, my cousin Germane, and but three years older than I; we two were nourished and brought up in one house, lay under one roof, and in one chamber, and at length by promise of marriage, and by consent of our parents we were contracted together.”
There was a handsome young man, my cousin, three years older, with whom I grew up in the same house and chamber; we were betrothed with our parents' consent.
Charites describes her close relationship and engagement to her cousin.
“And when my unhappy mother pampered me in her lap, and decked me like a bride, kissing me sweetly, and making me a parent for children, behold there came in a great multitude of thieves armed like men of war, with naked swords in their hands, who went not about to do any harm, neither to take anything away, but brake into the chamber where I was, and violently took me out of my mother’s arms, when none of our family would resist for fear.”
As my mother dressed me as a bride and kissed me, a band of armed thieves burst into my chamber and snatched me from her arms while everyone cowered in fear.
Charites recounts the violent interruption of her wedding preparations.
“For I dreamed in my sleep, that I was pulled out of our house, out of our chamber, and out of my bed, and that I removed about in solitary and unknown places, calling upon the name of my unfortunate husband, and how that he, as soon as he perceived that he was taken away, even smelling with perfumes and crowned with garlands, did trace me by the steps, desiring the aid of the people to assist him, in that his wife was violently stolen away, and as he went crying up and down, one of the thieves moved with indignation, by reason of his pursuit, took up a stone that lay at his feet, and threw it at my husband and killed him.”
I dreamed I was taken from my home and wandered lost, calling for my husband, who followed me perfumed and garlanded, but a thief killed him with a stone.
Charites describes her prophetic dream of her husband's death.
