Ther is also an other holy storie that I herde from a wys man, how that the goddesse is Cibella and the servys founded of Attis. Attis was a Lydien of kynde, that first leet teche the ceremonyes that longen to Cibella. And alle rytes that Phrygiens and Lydiens and Samothracyens perfourmen, the rytes lerneden thei of Attis. For whan Cibella gelt him, he cessed to lede the lyf of a man, but chaunged to femele schappe, and did on wommenes clothynge, and goynge to every londe perfourmed ceremonyes and reherced what betyd him and preysed Cibella in songes. Ther with alle cam he to Surrye, and for als moche as the peple beyonden Eufrate resceyvede him not, ne his cerimonyes nouther, he founded the seyntuarye in this place. And for a signe thereof, the goddesse for the most partie ressembleth Cibella, for lyouns drawen hir and sche holt a timbre and bereth tours on hir hede, right as Lydiens formen Cibella. Also he spak of Galles that ben in the temple, seyinge that Galles gelden hem and counterfeten Attis not at alle for no worschipe of luno but for worschipe of Cibella.
But after myn avis, al be it that this is wel semynge, it is not trewe, for I have herde an other cause whi thei gelden hem that is a gret dele me to beleven. Me liketh what men seyn of the seyntuarye that acorden fulle wel to hem of Grece that demen the goddesse luno and the seyntuarye mad of Bachus, Semeles sone. For withouten doubte Bachus cam to Surrye in that passage in the whiche he wente to Ethiope. And in the temple ben manye tokenes of Bachus foundour, as namely foreyne garnements and precious stones of Ynde and olifauntes homes, that Bachus broght from Ethiope. And two yerdes, or pileres, stont in the entree, passynge highe, on the whiche is writen this scripture: “I Bachus presentede thise yerdes to Iuno my step moder.” Now to me this sufficeth, natheles I schalle seye you another thing that is in the temple, that longeth to ceremonyes of Bachus. Men of Grece formen yerdes for worschipe of Bachus that beren on hem litylle men made of wode that han grete membres, the whiche men thei nempnen Popets. And in the temple ther is this same thing; on the righte syde sitt a lityl man of brasse that hath a gret membre.
So seyn thei of the foundours of the holy place. And now I schalle speke of the temple, wher that it was sett and who that leet bylden it. Men seyn, the temple that stout now is not that oon the whiche was bylded atte firste, but that was beten doun sithen som tyme, and the temple that stont now is the werk of Stratonice, wyf to the Kyng of Assurye.
I trowe, this is thilke Stratonice that hir step sone lovede, that was betraysed by the phisicyens invencioun. For whan the infortune oppressed him, he mighte not susteyne the mysese that semede him schamful, and so he stille felle into syknesse, quietly and lay withouten ony peyne; and his hewe chaunged outerly, and his bodye feblede eech day. But whan the phisicyen saughe that he was wayk withouten pleyne cause, he iugged that the syknesse was love. For of derne love ther ben manye signes, as waike eyen, voyce, hewe, teeres. And whan that he perceyved it, he did thus. With his righte honde he kepte the yonge mannes herte, and thanne he sent after all the that weren in the house. And whan everyche of the othere entrede, this was in gret ese, but whan his step moder cam, he chaunged his hewe and swatte and schoke and his herte stirte. Thise thinges leaped scheweden his love to the phisicyen, that helede him thus. After that he hadde clepede the yonge mannes fader, that was sor adrad, “This syknesse,” quod he, “wherof thy child is wayk nis not syknesse but synne, for verrayly he soffreth of no peyn, but of love and wodcnesse. And he coveyteth that he may not have in no wyse, lovynge my wyf that I wil not forgon.” So that oon lyde in gyle.
And anon that other besoghte him:— “Be thy conynge and thv phisik, destroie me not my sone; for he is not in this cas of his owne wille but hath the syknesse mawgree himself. Therfore do thou not thorghe despyt make sorwe in alle the rewme, ne thou that art phisicyen brynge manslaughtre in to phisik.” Thus preyde he, al unwar. And that oon answerde: “Thou fovthrest wykked dedis, revynge me from my mariage and destreyninge a pore leche. What woldestow thiself have don and he coveytede thy wyf, thou that axest suche bones of me?” Therwith he replyede that he him self wolde never have ben ialous over his wyf ne grueehed his sone deliveraunce, if so be he hadde coveyted his step moder; for it was not the lyke infortune to lese a wyf as a sone. And whan the phisicien herde that, “Wherfore than,” quod he, “dostow beseche me? Parfey, he loveth thy wyf, and allé that I seyde was fausse!” Than was the fader overcomen, and yold bothe wyf and rewme to his sone, and goyinge himself to the contreeof Babyloyne leet make a eytee nyghe Eufrate that was eleped after his owne name, ther as his dethe befel. Thus did the phisieien bothe knowe and hele love.
Now, I seye you, whyl yit that Stratonice duellede with her formere housbond, hir mette a dreme how that Iuno bade hir to bylde the temple for hir in the Holy Cytee, and if sche sholde not obeye, sche manaced hir with manye harmes. Atte first, sehe ne took no fors of it; but after, whan a grete sykness hent hir, sche told the dreme to hir housbond and enforced hir to apayen Iuno, and behight to bylde the temple. Anon sche becam hool, and thanne hir housbond wolde sende hir to the Holy Cytee, and with hir a gret tresor and a gret hoost, some for to bylden and other some for here seurtee. Therfore he sompned oon of his frendes, a right fayr yong man that highte Combabe, and seyde: “For thou art noble, Daun Combabe, I love thee most of alle mine frendes, and I preyse thee gretli for thy coninge and for thy gode wille to me, that thou hast discovered beforn. And now me nedeth of grete feyth, wherfore I wole that thou folwe my wyf, for to acomplisshe the werke in my name, and to perfourme the sacrifises, and to reule the boost; and whan thou retornest thou schalt gete highe worschipe fro me.”
Therwith anon Combabe gan preye and beseche him ful besily that he scholde not send him forth ne betaken him nouther that tresor, that was moche to gret for him, ne his wyf, ne the holy werk. For he was adrad lest that ialousie scholde assayle him afterwardes as touching to Stratonice, that he moste lede for the allone. But sithe the kyng wolde not herknen in no kynde, he assayde an other requestc, for to grauntc him seven dayes space, and than sende him forth, whan he hadde don a thing thereof he hadde most nede. And whan he obteyned this bone lightely, he wente to his owne house and caste himself adoun and pleyned right so: “Allas wrecche, what have I to don with this feythe, what have I to don with this viage, whereof I seighe now the ende? I am yong, and schal folwen a fayre womman. This schalle be gret meschief to me, but if I putte awey al cause of evylle; therfore most I perfourme a gret dede that schal hele me of alle fere.”
Thus he seyde, and thanne he marrede him self; and whan he hadde kutte ode his genitours he put hem into a lityl pot, and bawme with alle, and hony and othere thinges of swete smelle. Thanne he selede it with a signet that lie bar, and helede his wounde. And after, whan him wel semede for to don iorneye, goynge to the kyng, beforn manye men that ther weren he toke him the pot, seyinge thus: “O sire, this grete tresor I was wont for to kepe prevely, and I lovede it wel; but now, for als moche as I schal gon a fer weye, I wole betaken it to you. Kepeth it sikkerly; for this to me is bettre than gold, this to me is als dereworth as my lyf. Whan I retorne, I schal here it home ayen saf and sound.” So the kyng resceyved it and seelede it with an other signet and bad his stywardes for to kepen it curyously.
Than Combabe mad his weye safly; and whan thei were comen to the Holy Cytee thei gan bylde the temple besily, and thei spenten 3 yeres in the werk, and in the yeres that Combabe dredde befel. For in companyinge with him a gret whyl Stratonice began for to love him, and thanne sche wex right wode over him. Men of the Holy Cytee seyn that Iuno was voluntarie cause thereof, to the entente that Combabes godeness scholde not lye hidde and Stratonice scholde ben punissched be cause that sche ne behight not the temple buxomly.
Atte firste sche was mesurable and hyd hir maladye; but whan as hir miseyse becam to gret for pees, sche sorwede openly and wepte everyehe day, and cryde on the name of Combabe, and Combabe was alle the worlde to hir. And fynally, for sche ne mighte not susteyne suche adversitee, sche soughte a wel semynge peticioun. Now sche was war for to avowen hir love to ony other, yit sche hadde s
cham for to assayen ought hirself. Therfore sche bethoghte hir of this devys, that sche scholde make hirself dronke with wyn and thanne speke with him; for what tyme wyn cometh inne, boldness of speche cometh inne with alle, and disconfiture nys not over schamful, but all that is don passeth into foryetynge.
Right as hir thoghte, right so sche didde. For aftre mete sche wente to the house wherin Combabe was logged, and besoghte him and embraced his knees and avowed hir love. But he resceyved hir wordes rudeliche, and wolde not assente to the dede, and reprevede hir of dronkenesse. But whan sche made manace to don hirself som gret harm, thanne for fere he told hir alle the storie and descryved al his owne cas and discovered his doynge. And whan Stratonice saughe that hir ne thoghte never to seen, sche stente of hir wodenesse, yit sche forgat not at alle of hir love, but companyed with him alle weyes and in that gyse solacede the love, therin sche mighte not speden. That maner love abydeth yit in the Holy Cytee, and is mad now a dayes; wommen coveyten Galles and Galles wexen wode for love of wommen; natheles is no man ialous, but hem thenketh this thing right holy.
Now that that had happened in the Holy Cytee touching Stratonice scaped not the kyng in no kynde, but manye that retorneden acuseden hem and reherceden here doynges; wherfore the kyng was grevously troubled and sompnede Combabe fro the werk or it was finissched. Othere men seyn not sooth, that whan Stratonice fayled of hir purpos, sche hir self wroot lettres to hir housbond and acused Combabe, blamynge him of assayinge hir. Right as men of Grece seyn of Steneboye and of Fedre Cnossien, right so seyn Assuriens of Stratonice. Now to me, I ne beleve not that Steneboye dide no suche thing, ne Fedre nouther, if Fedre trewely lovede Ypolite. But Iat the thinges worth go right as thei weren.
Whan the tidinges were come to the Holy Cytee, and Combabe lernede the acnsaccioun, he wente boldely, for because he had laft his answere at home. And at arryvinge, anon the kyng bond him and kepte him in prisoun; and after, whan his frendes there weren that there weren beforn, whan Combabe was sent forth, he ladde him in presence and began for to blamen him, reprevinge him of avowtrie and vileinye; and in sore bitternesse of herte he putte him in remeinbraunce of feythe and frendschipe, seyinge that Combabe didde 3 fold wrong be cause he was avowtrer and brak feyth and synned ayeyns the goddesse in whoos servys that he so wroughte. And manye stode forth and made witnessing that thei saughen hem companye togider openly. And atte laste alle demeden that Combabe scholde dye right anon, for his dedis disserveden dethe.
In this tyme he stondynge seyde noght. But whan thei wolde leden him to his dethe, he spak, and requered that tresor, seyinge, he wolde sleen him, not for no vileinye ne avowtrie, but coveytinge the thinges that in goynge he hadde betoken him. Thanne the kyng called his styward and bad him brynge what hadde ben goven him for to kepe; and whan he broght it, Combabe brak the seel and schewed what was with inne and what he himself hadde soffred. And he seyde: “O Kyng, for I was adrad of this whan ye wolde sende me on this weye, therfore me was loth to gon; and whan ye gretly constreyned me, I wroghte this maner dede, that is gode for my maistre but not wel for me. Natheles, I that am such as ye seen am reprevede of a mannes synne.” At this seyinge that other youled and toke him in armes and wepynge seyde: “O Combabe, wherfore hastow wrought gret mescheef? Wherfore hastow don thiself suche a despyt that never yit no man ne sayde? I preyse this not at alle. O herde herte, that wast hardy for to don suche thinges, that I wolde thou hadde neer soffred ne I neer seen! Me wantede not this answere. But for als moche as it was goddes wille, first shaltow han vengeaunce of oure grace, the dethe of thi false chalengeres hem self, and after schal comen a gret yifte, moche gold and gret plentee silver and Assuriene clothes and rialle destreres. And thou shalt come before me withouten that ony man presente thee, and noon schalle lette thee fro sight of me, thoghe I be abedde with my wyf.” Right as he seyde, right so he didde. the weren ladde to dethe anon, but to him the yiftes were goven and grettere frendschipe was graunted. And it semede that Combabe hadde not his pere in Assurye for wisdom and for blisse.
And after, ther as he besoghte to finissche the remenant of the temple, for he hadde laft it unfinissched, he was sent eftsones and broght it to an ende, and abood there fro thens from ward. And be cause of his vertue and wel doynge the kyng vouchede saf that his ymage in brasse scholde ben set in the seyntuarye. And so for gerdon Combabe dwelleth yit in the close, formed of brasse be crafte of Ermocle the Rodien, lyk a womman in schappe, but clothed as a man.
The storie telleth that his beste frendes, for solas of his we, chosen to parte his lot; for thei gelten hem and ladde that same manere lyf. But othere men rehercen prestes lore to this matere, how that Iuno lovynge Combabe putte it in the thoghtes of manye to gelden hem, in the entente that he scholde not mourne allone for manhode. But evermore sithen that this custom was first establissched, it abydeth yit, and everyche yeer manye men gelden hem in the close and becomen as wommen, wher it be that thei solacen Combabe or reioysen Iuno. Algates thei gelden hem. And thise no lenger clothen hem as men, but weren wommenes wedes and don wommenes werkes. And as I herde, the blame of this also is leyde on Combabe; for a thyng befel him in this wyse. A straunge womman that cam thider on pilgrimage saughe him whyl he was fayre and clad yit as a man, and sche was seysed of gret love. But after, whan sche lernede that he was marred, sche slowe hirself. Thanne for despeyr that Combabe hadde be cause he was acurst in love, he didde on femele clothinge to the ende that never non other womman scholde ben so begyled. That is whi Galles weren femele aparayl.
Of Combabe have I seyd ynow, and of Galles I schalle make mencioun sone in another partie of my boke, how that they ben gelded, and in what manere that thei ben buryed, and wherfore thei entren not into the temple. But first it listeth me to telle of the site of the temple and his gretnesse, and therfore I schalle don right so.
The place therinne the temple sytt is a hille; and it liggeth wel in the myddes of the cytee, and two walles enviroune it. Oon of the walles is auncien, but the tother is not mocheles elder than oure tyme. The entree of the holy place maketh out toward the Septemtryon, wel a 100 fadmes of largenesse; and in that entree stont the yerdes that Bachus leet set, on heighte a 300 fadmes. A man goth up the oon of thise yerdes twyes in the yeer and woneth at the cop of the yerde for the space of 7 dayes. And the cause of his goynge up, as men seyn, is this. Lewed folk trowen that he speketh with the goddes on highe and axeth bones for alle Surrye, and the goddes heren his preyeres fro there nyghe. But othere wenen that this also is don be cause of Deucalioun, in tokene and mynde of that tribulacioun, whan men wenten into montaynes and into the gret highe trees for fere of the flode. Now to me, that is not to beleven. I suppose wel that thei don this for worschipe of Bachus, and I conclude it thus. Yerdes that thei maken for worschipe of Bachus, on the yerdes thei setten alle weyes wodene men; but I schalle not seye whi. Therfore me thenketh, in goynge up, that oon countrefeteth that other woden man.
The manere of his goynge up is this. He putteth a schort corde abouten himself and the yerde, and thanne he climbeth on peces of wode ynaylled on the yerde, bigge ynow for to lette setten on his toon; and ther as he climbeth he throweth up the corde with bothe hondes right as he mighte schake the reynes of a charre. If ony ther be that hath not seen this thing, but hath seen men that climben trees of palme in Arabye or in Egypte, or elles where, he undirstondeth wherof I speke.
Whan he is comen to the ende of his weye, he letteth falle an other corde that he hath, that is long, and draweth uppe what him list, wode and clothes and purveyaunce, of the whiche he frameth a sete lyk as a nest, theron he sytteth and abydeth for the space of the before seyde dayes. And manye comynge putten gold or silver or peraunter brasse, that thei usen for here moneyes, in to a vesselle that lyeth there neer, seyinge everychon his name. Thann oon that stondeth there beside calleth it uppe; and whan that other resceyveth the name of eech, he preyeth for him, and in preyinge schaketh a thyng of brasse that souneth gret and schrille whan it is stered. And he ne slepeth never. For if that ever he falle on slepe,
a scorpioun goynge up awaketh him and doth him pitous harm; and that is the peyne that is leyde on him for slepynge. Now this tale that is told of the scorpioun is a holy tale and wel semyng, but wher it be trewe or non, I wot neer. Natheles, me semeth that drede of fallynge avayleth moch to wakfulnesse.
Now thanne, of yerde-climberes have I seyd y now. But as touching the temple, it loketh ayenst the sonnes rysynge, and the form and makyng therof is right as thei bylden temples in Ionye. A gret platte forme ryseth fro the erthe 2 fadmes of highte, where on the temple sytt. The weye up to it is mad of stone, that is not over long. And whan thou art aboven, the parvys of the temple scheweth thee a thing of grete merveylle, for it is dight with dores of gold. And with inne, the temple schyneth with mocheles gold, and the ceylours ben alle goldene. And a hevenlyche savour cometh out of it, lyk as cometh, men seyn, out of the londe of Arabye. In goynge up, fro fer it sendeth toward thee a wondur swete brethe; and ther as thou gost thy weye, it fayleth never, but thi clothes kepen that brethe fui longe tyme, and thou schalt evermore ben in remembraunce ther of.
And with inne, the temple is not oon, but in it is mad an other chambre, to the which is an other weye up, that is but schort. That chambre is not dight with dores but liggeth alle open ayens thee. In to the grete temple comen alle men, but in to the litylle chambre the prestes only, and not alle the prestes, but only thei that ben most nyghe to the Goddes and han in governaunce alle the servys of the temple. And in that chambre arn throned the ydoles, that oon Iuno and that other that is love, algates thei clepen him be another name. And both ben of gold, and both sytten, but lyonns beren Iuno, and that other sytt on boles.
Delphi Complete Works of Lucian Page 62