danger of this second labour did not please her, nor give her sufficient
witnesse of the good service of Psyches, but with a sower resemblance of
laughter, did say: Of a certaine I know that this is not thy fact, but I
will prove if that thou bee of so stout, so good a courage, and singular
prudency as thou seemest to bee. Then Venus spake unto Psyches againe
saying: Seest thou the toppe of yonder great Hill, from whence there
runneth downe waters of blacke and deadly colour, which nourisheth the
floods of Stix, Cocytus? I charge thee to goe thither, and bring me a
vessell of that water: wherewithall she gave her a bottle of Christall,
menacing and threatening her rigorously. Then poor Psyches went in all
haste to the top of the mountaine, rather to end her life, then to
fetch any water, and when she was come up to the ridge of the hill, she
perceived that it was impossible to bring it to passe: for she saw a
great rocke gushing out most horrible fountaines of waters, which ran
downe and fell by many stops and passages into the valley beneath: on
each side shee did see great Dragons, which were stretching out their
long and bloody Neckes, that did never sleepe, but appointed to keepe
the river there: the waters seemed to themselves likewise saying, Away;
away, what wilt thou doe? flie, flie, or else thou wilt be slaine. Then
Psyches (seeing the impossibility of this affaire) stood still as though
she were transformed into a stone and although she was present in body,
yet was she absent in spirit and sense, by reason of the great perill
which she saw, insomuch that she could not comfort her self with
weeping, such was the present danger that she was in. But the royall
bird of great Jupiter, the Eagle remembring his old service which he had
done, when as by the pricke of Cupid he brought up the boy Ganimedes, to
the heavens, to be made butler of Jupiter, and minding to shew the like
service in the person of the wife of Cupid, came from the high-house of
the Skies, and said unto Psyches, O simple woman without all experience,
doest thou thinke to get or dip up any drop of this dreadfull water? No,