{ Encolpius de Endymione puero } ipsa corporis pulchritudine me ad se vocante trahebat ad venerem .
iam pluribus osculis collisa labra crepitabant , iam implicitae manus omne genus amoris invenerant , iam alligata mutuo ambitu corpora animarum quoque mixturam fecerant .

manifestis matrona contumeliis verberata tandem ad ultionem decurrit vocatque cubicularios et me iubet catomizari .

nec contenta mulier tam gravi iniuria mea convocat omnes quasillarias familiaeque sordidissimam partem ac me conspui iubet .

oppono ego manus oculis meis , nullisque precibus effusis , quia sciebam quid meruissem , verberibus sputisque extra ianuam eiectus sum .

eicitur et Proselenos , Chrysis vapulat , totaque familia tristis inter se mussat quaeritque quis dominae hilaritatem confuderit . « . . . »

itaque pensatis vicibus animosior verberum notas arte contexi , ne aut Eumolpus contumelia mea hilarior fieret aut tristior Giton .

quod solum igitur salvo pudore poteram , contingere languorem simulavi , conditusque lectulo totum ignem furoris in eam converti , quae mihi omnium malorum causa fuerat :

The physical beauty of her body called out to me , and she drew me down to make love to her . Now from our lips came a gentle smacking sound , as we kissed again and again ; now our intertwined hands had explored the great diversity in love ; now our bodies wrapped in mutual embrace created also a union of souls . . . . The lady was stung by the conspicuous insults arising from my impotence , and then resorted to revenge : she called her personal attendants and ordered me to be hoisted and flogged . Not satisfied with such a severe punishment of me , she called up all her seamstresses and the lowest class of her slaves , and ordered them to spit on me . I put my hands to my eyes for cover , never appealing with prayers for pardon , because I knew I deserved it all , then I was whipped , spat upon , and thrown out of her presence . Proselenus was also thrown out , Chrysis was flogged , and the whole household gloomily muttered among themselves , asking who had upset their mistress’ high spirits . . . . And so after weighing my options I became more constructive , and carefully hid the marks left by the whipping , so that Eumolpus would not be amused by my ill-treatment nor Giton depressed . The only thing I could do to hide my shame was to claim fatigue , and so having buried myself in bed , I turned all the fire of my anger on the cause of all of my troubles :

The loveliness of her form drew , me to her and summoned me to love . Our lips were pressed together in a torrent of smacking kisses , our groping hands had discovered every trick of excitation , and our bodies , clasped in a mutual embrace , had fused our souls into one , ( and then , in the very midst of these ravishing preliminaries my nerves again played me false and I was unable to last until the instant of supreme bliss . ) Lashed to fury by these inexcusable affronts , the lady at last ran to avenge herself and , calling her house servants , she gave orders for me to be hoisted upon their shoulders and flogged ; then , still unsatisfied with the drastic punishment she had inflicted upon me , she called all the spinning women and scrubbing wenches in the house and ordered them to spit upon me . I covered my face with my hands but I uttered no complaint as I well knew what I deserved and , overwhelmed with blows and spittle , I was driven from the house . Proselenos was kicked out too , Chrysis was beaten , and all the slaves grumbled among themselves and wondered what had upset their mistress’s good humor . I took heart after having given some thought to my misfortunes and , artfully concealing the marks of the blows for fear that Eumolpus would make merry over my mishaps or , worse yet , that Giton might be saddened by my disgrace , I did the only thing I could do to save my self-respect , I pretended that I was sick and went to bed . There , I turned the full fury of my resentment against that recreant which had been the sole cause of all the evil accidents which had befallen me .