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270 DARKNESS AND DAWN
to side with various contortions, whirling themselves round
and round till their long curls streamed from their heads, they
bit their arms, and at length cut some of their veins with the
weapons which they carried. Then Philebus simulated a sort
of epileptic
fit.
Falling to the ground, with long sobs, which
seemed to shake his whole body, he rolled about, accusing
himself of the deadliest crimes, like one possessed. After
this he seized a scourge, of which tiie long leathern thongs
were studded with bones, and scourged himself with all the
endurance of a fakir, till the soil was wet with the blood
which streamed from his own wounds and the gashes of his
comrades. The crowd looked on with a sort of stupor at the
hideous spectacle, and when it ended it was the part of
Ouesimus, on the attraction of whose personal appearance
the wretches relied, to go round with a bag for the offerings
of copper and silver coins which were abundantly bestowed
on them by the distorted religionism of the spectators. The
Galli were further rewarded with gifts in kind. One peasant
brought them milk, another bread, and corn, and cheeses, and
barley and a fanner gave them a cask of wine. All these
;
were placed in sacks, side by side with the image of the
goddess, upon the ass, which, as the flute-player wittily remarked
to Onesirnus, 'was now both a barn and a temple.'
In this way they made spoil of all the country side.
Occasionally they were even more successful. If they
found a farmer specially credulous, they would tell him that
their goddess was thirsty, and needed the blood of a rarn,
promising him a prophecy of the future if he would provide
one for sacrifice. The sacrificial victim afforded them an
excellent banquet, to which they would invite the lowest
scoundrels, and fearlessly reveal themselves in their true
colours. Once one of the country landowners, named Britinuus,
awe-struck by their supposed sanctity, invited the
whole company to the hospitality of his farm. Their stay
might have been prolonged but for two accidents. The cook
had been ordered to prepare a side of venison for a feast, but
this was stolen
; and, while he was in despair at the punishment
which would be inflicted on him for the loss, his wife
suggested that they should secretly kill the ass of the priests,
and cook part of it instead of the lost venison. But when
the cook came to the stable, the ass took fright, and rushed