〈…〉  ¶ Menippus. 
¶ Nay sir I was not deed  
But the hell alive me received.  ¶ Philonides. 
¶ What caused the to take the way  
Of this incredeble and new journey.  ¶ Menippus. 
Exam. ¶ Youth thereto did me  
Provoke and also the boldness.  
Pent. ¶ Which for the youth always  
Stronger it is in effect.  ¶ Philonides. 
¶ O thou tragidian I pray the heartily  
Stand still and leave thy versifying  
Speke and show me open and plainly  
What was the cause of thy strange clothing  
And of thy journey to hell descending  
Sith it is neither merry journey  
Nother pleasant nor delectable way.  
Escape from hell by no manner weigh  ¶ Philonides. 
¶ What sayest/ is there any decrees made in hell  
For the acts of us that in earth dwell  ¶ Menippus. 
¶ Ye by god & that many which to be told  
Ought not nor the secretis/ opened to be  
Lest ꝑhappis some men us accuse would  
To the judge Rathamanthum of iniquity  ¶ Philonides. 
¶ No no by god Menippe do not hardly  
disdain to thy friend this matter to tell  
For to a wise man secret and specially  
In holy orders thou mayst she wit well  ¶ Menippus. 
¶ Certes thou requirest me straightly  
Those thing is which not surely  
Nor without apparel may well be told  
Yet at thy request I will be so bold  
Which to hell alive went that 〈…〉  
The sooner dyseeyve Aeacus wachmen  
And that I 〈◊〉 I 〈…〉  
Th● be … 〈…〉  
And th' … 〈…〉 pass no … 〈…〉 … din  
soon a … that the day began to spring  
And as we toward the stood should go  
A g … long way than we came unto  
But he a boat had ordained before  
Meth and sacrifice and every thing more  
That we should need unto your mystery  
And when that all thing is were ready  
We put them in the boat and we also  
Sorrowfully weeping therein to 'gan go  
And like young children also wailing loud  
A while then there in the flood we rowed  
And after that we came into a wood  
And ●o the head of Euphrates the flood  
But when that my harp take had I  
Well tewnyd and played armonyously  
With that sown suddenly ravished was he  
And fell a slep● but a 〈…〉  
To the lake came/ unn … 〈…〉  
So full and so laden 〈…〉  
Of howling for deed men therein were  
Some lacked the head some lacked the ere  
The rhygh was stricken of of an other  
He lacked one member/ he lacked another  
that me thought they came from some battle or field  
But that good Charon when he me beheld  
He judged me because of my lions skin  
To be hercules/ wherefore gladly he took me in  
And carried us over/ & as we went forth there  
He showed us the way/ but because we were  
In darkness Methrobarzanes went before  
And I followed still at his back ever more   

〈…〉  MENIPPUS. 
Non: sed me adhuc vi. 〈…〉 ta●●●rus.  PHILONIDES. 
Quenan causa tibi fuit novae huius atque incredibilis viae?  MENIPPUS. 
Iwenta me incitavit, atque audacia Q pro iwenta haud paululum impotentior.  PHILONIDES. 
Siste o beate Tragica: et ab ●ābi● descendens sic potius simpliciter loquere: quaenam haec vestis: quae causa tibi itineris inferni fuit: quum alioqui neque jucunda, neque delectabilis sit v●a.  
〈…〉 calculi: per quos Cerberum nul 〈…〉 poterunt effugere.  PHILO. 
Quid agis? Novi ne aliquid apud inferos nostris de rebus decretum est?  MENIPPUS. 
Per iovem: & quidem multa, verum ꝓde … non licet: neque arcana quae sunt re …: ne quis forte nos apd Rhadamanthun: impietatis accuset.  PHILON. 
Nequaquam Menippe per Io … 〈…〉 sermonem hunc in … d●as. Nam apud hominem tac … ●●dignarum, & initiatum preterea sa … s edisseres.  MENIPPUS. 
Du … a profecto jubes, & neutiquam tuta 〈◊〉 verum tui gratia tamen audendum est.  〈…〉 
facilius Aeaci custodias fallere●… atque nullo prohibente transire: 〈…〉 … dmo … 〈…〉 missus. … itur 〈…〉 ap … 〈…〉 … vum 〈…〉 … men ingressi 〈…〉 … sum incumb …. Parata siquidem ab illo fuerant: cymba, sacrificia, mulsa, & in id misterium denique quibuscumque opus erat. He postquam ergo 〈◊〉 prompta erant imposuimus: 〈…〉 … os quoque anxii ac vagientium more 〈…〉 … mantes ingredimur atque al … … ntisper quidem in fluuio ter … deinde in syluam delati sumus 〈◊〉 cum quendam in quem Euph … conditur.  
〈…〉 qu● 〈◊〉 lyram celeberrime correptam 〈…〉 … sassē cantu statīs opitus ob d●r … 〈…〉 deinde postea ꝑ ad lacum yeni … us: tranare fere non licuit. jam enim onustum erat na●●giū & eiulatu certe plenum. Vul●●rati quip in ea navigabant o●● hic femur, ille caput, ali● alio quopiam membro luxatus usque adeo. ut mihi certe ex bello quopiam adesse viderentur. At opti●● Charon quum leonis videret exuias, esse me ra●● Herculen recepit, transque vexit libens: tum exeuntibus quoque nobis monstravit se●…itam. Sed quoniam iam eramus in tenebris: precedit quidem Mithrobar ●●nes: ego autem a tergo continuus 〈◊〉 comes ●dhaereo.