296 , THE PATT ERNE
money. Then came there sundrie to buy such as they lacked for their purposes, amongst whom a moste vile man-bawd, beholding the beautie and tender yeeres of Tharsia, offered money largely for her. How-beit Athanagoras, who was Prince of the same Citie, beholding likewise the noble countenance, and regarding the great discretion of the mayden in communication, out-bid the bawd, and offered for her ten sestercies of gold. But ye bawd, being loth to loose so commodious a prey, offered twenty. And I wil giue thirty said Athanagoras. Nay I wil giue forty said the bawd : and I fiftie quoth Athanagoras, and so they continued in outbidding one an other vntill the bawd offered an hundred sestercies of gold to be payed ready downe, and whosoeuer wil giue more, saide he, I will yet giue ten sestercies more than he. Then prince Athanagoras thus bethought him secretly in his ininde : if I should contend with the bawd to buy her at so hie a price, I must needes sell other slaues to pay for her, which were both losse and shame vnto me. Wherefore I will suffer him to 'buy her; and when he setteth her to hire, I will be the first man that shall come vnto her, and I will gather the floure of her virginitie, which shall stand mee in as great steade as if I had bought her. Then the bawd payed the money, and tooke the maiden and departed home j and when he came into his house, hee brought her into a certaine chappel where stoode the i'doll of Pfiapus made of gold, and garnished with pearls and pretious stones. This idoll was made after the shape of a man, with a mighty member vn-proportionable to the body, alwayes erected, whome bawds and leachers doe adore, making him their god, and worshipping him. Before this filthy idoll he commaunded Tharsia to fall downe. But she answered, God forbid master, that I should worship such an idoll. But (sir) said she, are you a Lapsa-