Petronius: Satires and the Book of Priapeia

LO from tears to laughter, she pulled my hair with a slow hand and said,
L “I make a truce with you, and I dismiss you from the decided lawsuit. But if you had not agreed regarding this medicine which I seek, there was already a crowd ready for tomorrow, which would avenge both my injury and my dignity:

It is base to be despised, it is proud to give the law;
I love this, that I can go by whatever path I please.
For indeed even a despised wise man knots quarrels,
and he who does not kill is accustomed to depart the victor.”

10 Then, clapping her hands, she burst into such sudden laughter that we were afraid. The maid, who had come earlier, did the same from the other side, and the same did the young maiden who had entered alone. Everything had resounded with mocking laughter, while in the meantime we were ignorant of what so sudden a change of spirits had been made, and we looked now at ourselves, now at the women.

L “I forbade anyone of mortals from being admitted to this inn today, so that I might receive the remedy for the quartan fever from you without any interruption.” As Quartilla said this, Ascyltos was for a short time stunned, but I, having become colder than a Gallic winter, could not emit a word. But so that I would not expect anything sadder, the company was doing it. For the three women were, if they wanted to attempt anything, very weak, clearly against us, who, if nothing else, were of the male sex. And we were certainly girded rather high. Indeed, I had already arranged the pairs so that if we had to fight, I would stand against Quartilla, Ascyltos against the maid, and Giton against the maiden.

Then indeed all constancy fell away from the astonished ones, and
uncertain death began to cover the eyes of the miserable ones.

“I ask,” I say, “mistress, if you are preparing anything sadder, finish it quickly; for we have not committed such a great crime that we should die tortured.”

The maid, who was called Psyche, carefully spread a little mat on the floor.

She stimulated my loins, already cold with a thousand deaths.