Ass
The Egyptians traced his image on the cakes they offered to Typhon, god of evil. The Romans regarded the meeting of an ass as an evil omen, but the animal was honoured in Arabia and Judea, and it was in Arabia that the ass of Silanus spoke to his master. Other talking asses were Balaam's ass, which Mahomet placed in his paradise with Alborack; the ass of Aasis, Queen of Sheba; and the ass on which Jesus Christ rode into Jerusalem.
Some people have found something sacred and mysterious in the innocent beast, and there was practised formerly a species of divination in which the head of an ass was employed.
At one time a special festival was held for the ass, during which he was led into the church while mass was sung. This reverence in which he was held by Christians was doubtless due to the black cross which he wears on his back, and which, it is said, was given him because of the ass of Bethphage, who carried Christ into Jerusalem. But Pliny, who was almost contemporary with that ass, and who has carefully gathered all that related to the animal, has made no mention concerning the colour of its coat ! So we can only believe that the ass of to-day is as he always was.
It is not only the devout who respect the ass, for the wise Agrippa offered him an apology in his book, On the Vanity of the Sciences. Among the Indians of Madras, Ass one of the principal castes, that of the Cavaravadonques, claim to be descended from an ass. These Indians treat the ass as a brother, take his part, and prosecute those who over-burden or ill-treat him in any way. In rainy weather they will often give him shelter when they deny it to his driver.
An old fable gives us but a poor idea of the ass. Jupiter had just taken possession of Olympus. On his coming, men asked of him an eternal springtime, which he accordingly granted, charging the ass of Silenus to bear the precious treasure to earth. The ass became thirsty, and approached a fountain guarded by a snake, who refused to let the ass drink unless he parted with the treasure .
The stupid animal thereupon bartered the gift of heaven for a skin of water, and since that time snakes, when they grow old, can change their skin and become young again, for they have the gift of perpetual spring-time.
But all asses were not so stupid as that. In a village about half a league from Cairo, there dwelt a mountebank, who possessed a highly trained ass, so clever that the country people took it to be a demon in disguise. One day the mountebank mentioned in the ass's hearing that the Soldan wished to construct a beautiful building, and had resolved to employ all the asses in Cairo to carry the lime, mortar and stones. The ass immediately lay down and pretended to be dead, and his master begged for money to buy another. When he had collected some he returned to his old ass. "He is not dead," he said, "he only pretended to die because he knew I had not the wherewithal to buy him food." Still the ass refused to rise, and the mountebank addressed the company, telling them that the Soldan had sent out the criers commanding the people to assemble on the morrow outside Cairo to see the most wonderful sights in the world. He further desired that the most gracious ladies and the most beautiful girls should be mounted on asses. The ass raised himself and pricked up his ears. "The governor of my quarter," added the mountebank, "has begged me to lend my ass for his wife, who is old and toothless, and very ugly." The ass began to limp as though he were old and lame. "Ah, you like beautiful ladies said his master. The animal bowed his head. Oh, well," said the man, "there are many present; show me the most beautiful." Which command the ass obeyed with judgment and discretion. 66 "
These marvellous asses, said the demonologists, were, if not demons, at least men metamorphosed, like Apuleius, who was, it is said, transformed into an ass. Vincent de Beauvais speaks of two women who kept a little inn near Rome, and who sold their guests at the market, after having changed them into pigs, fowls, or sheep. One of them, he adds, changed a certain comedian into an ass, and as he retained his talents under his new skin, she led him to the fairs on the outskirts of the city, gaining much money thereby. A neighbour bought this wise ass at a good price, and in handing it over the sorcerers felt obliged to warn the purchaser not to let the ass enter water. Its new master attended to the warning for some time, but one day the poor ass managed to get free and cast itself into a lake, when it regained its natural shape, to the great surprise of its driver. The matter was brought to the ears of the Pope, who had the two witches punished, while the comedian returned to the exercise of his profession.
Many stories are told of the ass which carried Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, and which is said to have died at Verona, where its remains are still honoured. The rabbis make quite as much ado over Balaam's ass, which has already been mentioned. It is, they say, a privileged animal whom God formed at the end of the sixth day Abraham employed it to carry the wood for the sacrifice of Isaac it also carried the wife and son of Moses in the desert. They also maintain that Balaam's ass is carefully nourished and kept in a secret place until the coming of the Jewish Messiah, who will mount it when He subdues all the earth. 66