[...]

[...]

¶ Menippus.
¶ Nay syr I was not dede
But the hell alyue me receyuyd.
¶ Philonides.
¶ What causyd the to take the way
Of this incredeble and new Iourney.
¶ Menippus.
Exam̄. ¶ Youth therto dyd me
Prouoke and also the boldnes.
Pent. ¶ Which for the youth alway
Stronger it is in effect.
¶ Philonides.
¶ O thou tragidian I pray the hartely
Stand styll and leue thy versyfyeng
Speke and shew me open and playnly
What was the cause of thy straunge clothyng
And of thy Iourney to hell descendyng
Syth it is nother mery Iorney
Nother plesaunt nor delectable way.
[Page] Escape from hell by no maner way
¶ Philonides.
¶ What sayst / is ther any decrees made in hel
For the actis of vs that in yerth dwell
¶ Menippus.
¶ Ye by god & that many which to be told
Ought not nor the secretis / openyd to be
Lest ꝑhappis some men vs accuse wold
To the Iudge Rathamāthum of iniquite
¶ Philonides.
¶ No no by god Menippe do not hardely
Dysdayn to thy frend this matter to tell
For to a wyse man secret and specyally
In holy orders thou mayst she wit well
¶ Menippus.
¶ Certes thou requyrest me straytly
Those thyng is which not surely
Nor wtout parell may wel be told
Yet at thy request I wyl be so bold
[Page] Which to hell alyue went that [...]
The soner dyseeyue Aeacus wachmen
And that I [...] I [...]
Th [...] be [...] [...]
And th [...] [...] passe no [...] [...] [...]dyn
Sone a [...] that the day began to spryng
And as we toward the stood shuld go
A g [...] long way then we cam vnto
But he a bote had ordenyd before
Meth and sacryfyce and euery thyng more
That we shuld nede vnto your mystery
And when that all thyng is were redy
We put them in the bote and we also
Sorowfully wepyng therin to gan go
And lyke yong chyldern also waylyng lowd
A whyle then there in the flood we rowd
And after that we cam into a wood
And [...]o the hed of Euphrates the flood
[Page] But when that my harp takyn had I
Well tewnyd and playd armonyously
With that sown sodenly rauyshed was he
And fell a slep [...] but a [...]
To the lake cam / vnn [...] [...]
So full and so laden [...]
Of howlyng for dede men therin were
Some lakkyd the hed some lakkyd the ere
The rhygh was stryken of of an other
He lakkyd one member / he lakkyd a nother
yt me thought they cam frō some battel or feld
But that good Charon when he me beheld
He Iudgyd me because of my lyons skyn
To be hercules / wherfore gladly he toke me in
And caryed vs ouer / & as we went forth there
He shewyd vs the way / but because we were
In darkenes Methrobarzanes went before
And I folowyd styll at his bak euer more
[...]

[...]

MENIPPVS.

Non: sed me adhuc vi. [...] ta [...]rus.

PHILONIDES.

Quenā causa tibi fuit nouae huius at (que) incredibilis viae?

MENIPPVS.

Iuuenta me incitauit, at (que) audacia Q pro iuuēta haud paululū im­potentior.

PHILONIDES.

Siste o beate Tragica: et ab [...]ābi [...] descendens sic potius simpliciter loquere: quaenam haec vestis: quae causa tibi itineris inferni fuit: quū alioqui ne (que) iucūda, ne (que) delecta­bilis sit v [...]a.

[Page] [...] calculi: per quos Cerberū nul [...] poterunt effugere.

PHILO.

Quid agis? Noui ne aliquid apud inferos nostris de rebus de­cretū est?

MENIPPVS.

Per Io­uem: & quidē multa, verum ꝓde­ [...] non licet: ne (que) arcana quae sūt re [...]: ne quis forte nos (apd)apud Rhadamāthū: impietatis accuset.

PHILON.

Nequaquā Menippe per Io­ [...] [...] sermonem hunc in­ [...]d [...]as. Nam apud hominem tac [...] [...]dignarum, & initiatū preterea sa­ [...]s edisseres.

MENIPPVS.

Du [...]a profecto iubes, & neutiquā tuta [...] verum tui gratia tamen audendū est.

[...]

facilius Aeaci custodias fallere [...] at (que) nullo prohibente transire: [...] [...]dmo [...] [...] missus. [...]itur [...] ap­ [...] [...] [...]uum [...] [...]men ingressi [...] [...]sū incūb [...]. Parata siquidem ab illo fuerant: cymba, sacri­ficia, mulsa, & in id misterium de­ni (que) quibuscum (que) opus erat. Hee postquam ergo [...] prompta erāt imposuimus: [...] [...]os quo (que) anxii ac vagientium more [...] [...]man­tes ingredimur at (que) al [...] [...]ntisper quidem in fluuio ter [...] deinde in syluam delati sumus [...] cum quendam in quem Euph [...] conditur.

[Page] [...] qu [...] [...] lyram celeberrime correptā [...] [...]sassē cantu statīs opitus ob d [...]r [...] [...] deinde postea ꝑ ad lacū yeni­ [...]us: tranare fere nō licuit. Iam enī onustū erat na [...]giū & eiulatu certe plenū. Vul [...]rati quippe in ea nauigabant o [...] hic femur, ille ca­put, ali [...] alio quopiā mēbro luxatꝰ vs (que) adeo. vt mihi certe ex bello quopiā adesse viderētur. At opti­ [...] Charō quū leonis videret exuias, esse me ra [...] Herculē recepit, trans (que) vexit libēs: tum exeūtibus quo (que) nobis mōstrauit se [...]itam. Sed quoniam iam eramus in tene­bris: precedit quidem Mithrobar [...]nes: ego autem a tergo continuꝰ [...] comes [...]dhaereo.

This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Text Creation Partnership. Searching, reading, printing, or downloading EEBO-TCP texts is reserved for the authorized users of these project partner institutions. Permission must be granted for subsequent distribution, in print or electronically, of this EEBO-TCP Phase II text, in whole or in part.