to Rome. "Hold up your hand, prisoner," said one of the officers. "I
hope," said he, "that you have some better manners and favour to show to
a king." "Sirrah," said Death, "why did you not keep on the other side
of the gulf where all are kings? On this side there is none but myself,
and another down below, and you will soon see, that neither he nor I will
rate you according to the degree of your majesty, but according to the
degree of your wickedness, in order to adapt your punishment to your
crimes, therefore answer to the interrogation." "Sir," he replied, "I
would have you know, that you have no authority to detain me, nor to
interrogate me, as I have a pardon for all my sins under the Pope's own
hand. On account of my faithful services, he has given me a warrant to
go straight to Paradise, without tarrying one moment in Purgatory." At
these words the king and all the haggard train gave a ghastly grin, to
escape from laughing outright; but the other full of wrath at their
ridicule, commanded them aloud to show him the way. "Peace, thou lost
fool!" cried Death, "Purgatory lies behind you, on the other side of the
wall, for you ought to purify yourself during your life; and on the right
hand, on the other side of that gulf is Paradise. But there is no road
by which it is possible for you to escape, either through the gulf to
Paradise, or through the boundary wall back to the world; and if you were
to give your kingdom, (supposing you could give it,) you would not obtain
permission from the keepers of those doors, to take one peep through the
key hole. It is called the irrepassable wall, for when once you have
come through you may abandon all hope of returning. But since you stand
so high on the books of the Pope, you shall go and prepare his bed,
beside that of the Pope who was before him, and there you shall kiss his
toe for ever, and he the toe of Lucifer."
Immediately thereupon, four little deaths raised the poor king up, who
was by this time shivering like the leaf of an aspen, and snatched him
out of sight like lightning. Next after him came a young fellow and
woman. He had been a jolly companion and she a lady of pleasure, or one
free of her person; but they were called here by their naked names,
drunkard and harlot. "I hope," said the drunkard, "I shall find some
favour with you; I have sent to you many a bloated booty in a torrent of
good ale; and when I failed to kill others, I came myself, willingly, to
feed you." "With the permission of the court," said the harlot, "you
have not sent half as much as I, and my offerings were burning
sacrifices, rich roast meat ready for the board." "Hey, hey!" said
Death, "all this was done for your own accursed passions' sake and not to
feed me. Bind the two face to face, as they are old acquaintances, and
cast them into the land of Darkness, and let each be a torment to the
other, until the day of judgment." They were then snatched away, with
their heads downwards.
Next to these there came seven recorders. Having been commanded to raise
their hands to the bar, they would by no means obey, as the rails were
greasy. One began to wrangle boisterously; "we ought to obtain a fair
citation to prepare our answer;" said he, "instead of being rushed upon
unawares."
"But are we bound to give you that same specific citation," answered
Death, "since you obtain in every place, and at every period of your
life, warning of my coming. How many sermons have you not heard upon the
mortality of man? How many books have you not seen? How many graves,
how many sculls, how many diseases, how many messages and signs have you
not had? What is your Sleep, but my own brother? What are sculls, but
my visage? What does your daily food consist of but dead creatures? Seek
not to cast your neglect upon me. Speak not of summons, when you have
obtained it a hundred times." "Pray," said one red recorder, "what have
you to advance against us?" "What?" said Death. "Drinking the sweat and
blood of the poor, and levying double your wages." "Here is an honest
man," replied the recorder, pointing to a pettifogger behind him, "who
knows that we have never done any thing but what was fair; and it is not
fair of you to detain us here, without a specific crime to prove against
us." "Hey, hey!" said Death, "you shall prove against yourselves. Place
these people," said he, "on the verge of the _precipice_ before the
tribunal of _Justice_, they shall obtain equity there though they never
practiced it."
There were still seven other prisoners remaining, and these kept up a
prodigious bustle and noise. Some were flattering, others quarrelling,
some blustering, some counselling, &c. Scarcely had they been called to
the bar, when lo! the entire palace became seven times more horribly dark
than before, and there was a shivering and a great agitation about the
throne, and Death became paler than ever. Upon enquiring what was the
matter, one of the messengers of Lucifer stepped forward with a letter
for Death, concerning these seven prisoners, and Fate presently caused
the letter to be read publicly, and these were the words, as far as I can
remember.
"_Lucifer_, _King of the kings of the world_, _prince of Hell_, _and
ruler of the Deep_, _to our natural son_, _the most mighty and
terrible king Death_, _greeting_, _pre-eminence_, _and eternal spoil_.
"For as much as we have been informed by some of our nimble
messengers, who are constantly abroad to obtain information, that
seven prisoners, of the seven most villainous and dangerous species in
the world, have arrived lately at your royal palace, and that it is
your intention to hurl them over the cliff into my kingdom. I hereby
counsel you to try every possible means, to let them loose back again
upon the world; they will do you there more service in sending you
food, and sending me better company, for I would rather want than have
them; we have had but too much plague with their companions for a long
time, and my dominion is still disturbed by them. Therefore turn them
back, or keep them with you. For, by the infernal crown, if you send
them here, I will undermine the foundations of your kingdom, until it
falls down into my own immense dominion.
"_From the burning hall of assembly_, _at our royal palace in the pit
of Hell_, _in the year of our reign_, 5425."
King Death, hereupon, stood for some time with his visage green and pale,
in great perplexity of mind. But whilst he was meditating, behold
_Fate_, turned upon him such an iron-black scowl, as made him tremble.
"Sirrah," said he, "look to what you do. It is not in my power to send
any one back, through the boundary of eternity, the irrepassable wall,
nor in yours to harbour them here; therefore forward them to their
destruction, in spite of the Arch Fiend. He has been able hitherto, in a
minute to allot his proper place to every individual, in a drove of a
thousand, nay, even of ten thousand captured souls; and what difficulty
can he have with seven, however dangerous they may be. But though these
seven should turn the infernal government topsy-turvy, do you drive them
thither instantly, for fear I should receive commands to annihilate you
before your time. As for _his_ threats, they are only lies; for although
thy end, and that of the old man yonder, (looking at Time,) are nigh at
hand, being written only a few pages further on, in my unerring volume,
yet you have no cause to be afraid of sinking to Lucifer; though every
one in the abyss would be glad to obtain thee, yet they never, never
shall. For the rocks of steel and eternal adamant, which form the roof
of Hell, are too strong for anything to crumble them." Whereupon, Death,
considerably startled, called to one of his train, to write for him the
following answer.
"_Death_, _the king of Terror and Conqueror of conquerors_, _to his
revered friend and neighbour Lucifer_, _king of Eternal Night_,
_sovereign of the Bottomless Pool_, _sends greeting_.
"After due reflection on your regal desire, it has appeared to us more
advantageous, not only to our own dominion, but likewise to your own
extensive kingdom, to send these prisoners, as far as possible from
the doors of the irrepassable wall, lest their putrid odour should
terrify the whole city of Destruction, so that no man should come to
all eternity, to my side of the gate; and neither I obtain any thing
to cool my sting, nor you a concourse of customers from earth to hell.
Therefore I will leave to you to judge them, and to hurl them into
such cells, as you may deem the most proper and secure for them.
"_From my nether palace in the great gate of Perdition_, _over
Destruction_. _In the year_, _from the renewal of my kingdom_, 1670."
At hearing all this, I felt a great curiosity to know who these seven
people could be, whom the devils themselves held in so much dread. But
ere a minute had elapsed, the clerk of the crown called their names, as
follows:--Master Meddler, alias _Finger in Every Dish_; but he was so
vehement and busy in advising the others, that he could not get a
moment's time to answer for himself, until Death threatened to transfix
him with his dart.
Then _master Slanderer_ was called, alias _Enemy of Fair Fame_; but there
was no answer. "He is too modest to hear his titles," said the third,
"and he never can bear his nicknames." "Do you suppose," said the
_Slanderer_, "that you yourself have no _titles_. Call for," said he,
"_master Coxcomb_, alias _Smooth Gullet_, alias _Poison Smile_." "Ready,"
said a woman who was there, pointing to the Coxcomb. "O," said he,
"_madam Bouncer_! Your humble servant, I am overjoyed at seeing you
well. I have never seen a woman look handsomer in breeches. But, oh! to
think how miserable the country must be behind you, for want of its
admirable she-governor; yet your delightful company will make hell itself
something better." "O son of the arch fiend!" said she. "With you there
is no need of another hell, you are yourself enough." Then the cryer
called _Bouncer_, or _mistress Breeches_. "Ready," said another. But
she said not a word, for want of being called madam. Next was called
_Contriver of Contrivances_, alias _Jack of all Trades_; but he returned
no answer either, for he was busied in devising a way to escape. "Ready,
ready," said one behind, "here he is, looking out for an opportunity to
break through your palace, and unless you take care, he will have some
notable contrivance to baulk you." Said the Contriver, "call him, I
beseech you, _master Impeacher of his Brother_, alias _Searcher of
Faults_, alias _Framer of Complaints_." "Ready, ready, this is he," said
a litigious pettifogger, for every one knew the name of the other, but
would not acknowledge his own. "You shall be called," said the
Impeacher, "_master Litigious Pettifogger_, alias _the Courts
Comprised_." "Bear witness, I pray you all," said the Pettifogger, "as
to what the knave called me." "Ho, ho!" said Death, "not by the
baptismal font, but by his sins, is every one called in this country;
and, with your permission, master Pettifogger, the names of your sins are
those which shall stick to you henceforth for ever." "Hey," said the
Pettifogger, "I swear by the Devil that I will make you smart for this.
Though you are empowered to kill me, you have no authority to bestow
nicknames upon me. I will file a complaint against you for defamation,
and another for false imprisonment, against you and your friend Lucifer,
in the court of Justice."
By this time, I beheld the legions of Death, formed in order and armed,
with their eyes fixed upon the king, awaiting the word. "There," said
the king, standing erect upon his regal throne, "my terrible and
invincible hosts, spare neither care nor diligence in removing these
prisoners from out of my boundaries, lest they prove the ruin of my
country; cast them bound, over the precipice of Despair, with their heads
downward. But for the seventh, this Courts Comprised, who threatens me,
leave him free over the chasm, beneath the court of _Justice_, and let
him try whether he can make his complaint good against me." Then Death
reseated himself. And lo! all the deadly legions, after surrounding the
prisoners and binding them, led them away to their couch. I also went
out, and peeped after them. "Come away," said Sleep, and snatched me up
to the top of the highest turret of the palace. Thence I could see the
prisoners proceeding to their eternal perdition. Presently a whirlwind
arose, and dispersed the pitch-black cloud, which was spread universally
over the face of the land of Oblivion, and by the light of a thousand
candles, which were burning with a blue flame, at a particular place, I
obtained a far distant view of the verge of the _Bottomless Gulf_, a
sight exceedingly horrible; and also of a spectacle above, still more
appalling, namely _Justice_ upon his _supreme seat_, holding the keys of
Hell, at a separate and distinct tribunal over the chasm, to pronounce
judgment upon the damned as they came. I could see the prisoners cast
headlong down the gulf, and Pettifogger rushing to fling himself over the
terrific brink, rather than look once on the court of _Justice_. For oh!
there was there a spectacle too severe for a guilty countenance. I
merely gazed from _afar_, but I beheld more terrific horror, than I can
at present relate, or I could at that time support, for my spirit
struggled and fluttered at the awful sight, and wrestled so strenuously,
that it burst all the bands of Sleep, and my soul returned to its
accustomed functions. And exceedingly overjoyed I was to see myself
still amongst the living. I instantly determined upon reforming myself,
as a hundred years of affliction in the paths of righteousness, would be
less harrowing to me, than another glance on the horrors of this night.
Death the Great.
Leave land and house we must some day,
For human sway not long doth bide;
Leave pleasures and festivities,
And pedigrees, our boast and pride.
Leave strength and loveliness of mien,
Wit sharp and keen, experience dear;
Leave learning deep, and much lov'd friends,
And all that tends our life to cheer.
From Death then is there no relief?
That ruthless thief and murderer fell,
Who to his shambles beareth down
All, all we own, and us as well.
Ye monied men, ye who would fain
Your wealth retain eternally,
How brave 'twould be a sum to raise,
And the good grace of Death to buy!
How brave! ye who with beauty beam,
On rank supreme who fix your mind,
Should ye your captivations muster,
And with their lustre king Death blind.
O ye who are at foot most light,
Who are in the height now of your spring,
Fly, fly, and ye will make us gape,
If ye can scape Death's cruel fling.
The song and dance afford, I ween,
Relief from spleen, and sorrows grave;
How very strange there is no dance,
Nor tune of France, from Death can save!
Ye travellers of sea and land,
Who know each strand below the sky;
Declare if ye have seen a place,
Where Adam's race can Death defy!
Ye scholars, and ye lawyer crowds,
Who are as gods reputed wise;
Can ye from all the lore ye know,
'Gainst Death bestow some good advice?
The world, the flesh, and Devil, compose
The direst foes of mortals poor;
But take good heed of Death the Great,
From the Lost Gate, Destruction o'er.
'Tis not worth while of Death to prate,
Of his Lost Gate and courts so wide;
But O reflect! it much imports,
Of the two courts in which ye're tried.
It here can little signify
If the street high we cross, or low;
Each lofty thought doth rise, be sure,
The soul to lure to deepest woe.
But by the wall that's ne'er re-pass'd,
To gripe thee fast when Death prepares,
Heed, heed thy steps, for thou mayst mourn
The slightest turn for endless years.
When opes the door, and swiftly hence
To its residence eternal flies
The soul, it matters much, which side
Of the gulf wide its journey lies.
Deep penitence, amended life,
A bosom rife of zeal and faith,
Can help to man alone impart,
Against the smart and sting of Death.
These things to thee seem worthless now,
But not so low will they appear
When thou art come, O thoughtless friend!
Just to the end of thy career.
Thou'lt deem, when thou hast done with earth,
These things of worth unspeakable,
Beside the gulf so black and drear,
The gulf of Fear, 'twixt Heaven and Hell.
A Vision of Hell.
One fair morning of genial April, when the earth was green and pregnant,
and Britain, like a paradise, was wearing splendid liveries, tokens of
the smile of the summer sun, I was walking upon the bank of the Severn,
in the midst of the sweet notes of the little songsters of the wood, who
appeared to be striving to break through all the measures of music,
whilst pouring forth praise to the Creator. I too occasionally raised my
voice, and warbled with the feathered choir, though in a manner somewhat
more restrained than that in which they sang; and occasionally read a
portion of the book of the Practice of Godliness. Nevertheless, my
former visions would not depart from my remembrance, but continually
troubled me by coming across all other thoughts. And they persisted in
doing so, until, by arguing the matter minutely with myself, I reflected
that there is no vision but what comes from above, to warn one to be upon
one's guard, and that consequently it was my duty to write mine down,
that they might serve as a warning to others also. I therefore returned
to my home, and whilst overwhelmed with melancholy, I was endeavouring to
collect some of my frightful reminiscences, I happened to give a yawn
over my paper, and this gave master Sleep an opportunity to glide upon
the top of me. Scarcely had Sleep closed my senses, when, behold! a
glorious apparition came towards me, in the shape of a young man, tall
and exceedingly beautiful; his garments were seven times more white than
snow, his countenance was so lustrous that it rendered the very sun
obscure, and his curling locks of gold parted in two lovely wreaths upon
his head, in the form of a crown. "Come with me, mortal man," said he on
coming up. "Who art thou, my lord?" said I. "I am," he replied, "the
angel of the countries of the North, the guardian of Britain and its
queen. I am one of the princes who are stationed beneath the throne of
the Lamb, who receive commands for the protection of the gospel, against
all its enemies in Hell and in Rome, in France and Constantinople, in
Africa and in India, and wheresoever else they are devising artifices for
its destruction. I am the angel who conducted thee below to castle
Belial, and who showed thee the vanity and madness of the whole world,
the city of Destruction, and the excellence of the city of Emmanuel, and
I am come once more by his command, to show thee other things, because
thou art seeking to turn to account what thou hast seen already." "How,
my lord," said I, "will your illustrious majesty, which superintends
kings and kingdoms, condescend to associate with such a poor worm as
myself?" "O," said he, "we respect more the virtue of a beggar than the
grandeur of a sovereign. What if I be greater than the kings of the
earth, and higher than many of the countless potentates of heaven? As my
wonderful master deigned to humble himself so inexpressibly as to wear
one of your bodies, and to live among you, and to die for your salvation,
how should I presume to be dissatisfied with my duty in serving you, and
the vilest of the human race, since ye are so high in favour with my
master? Come out, spirit, and free thyself from thy clay," said he, with
his eyes directed upwards. And with that word, I could feel myself
becoming extricated from every part of my body. No sooner was I free,
than he snatched me up to the firmament of heaven, through the region of
lightning and thunder, and all the glowing armories of the sky,
innumerable degrees higher than I had been with him before, whence I
could scarcely descry the earth, which looked no wider than a croft.
After permitting me to rest a short space, he again lifted me up a
million of miles, until I could see the sun far below us; we rushed
through the milky way and past the Pleiades, and many other exceedingly
large stars, till we caught a distant view of other worlds. At length,
by dint of journeying, we reached the confines of the awful eternity, and
were in sight of the two palaces of the mighty king Death, which stand
one on the right hand and the other on the left, and are at a great
distance from each other, as there is an immense void between them. I
enquired whether we should go to see the right hand palace, because it
did not appear to me to resemble the other which I had seen before. "You
will probably see," he replied, "sometime, still more of the difference
which is between the one palace and the other; but at present it is
necessary for us to sail another course." Whereupon we turned away from
the little world, and having arrived over the intervening gap, we let
ourselves down to the country of Eternity, between the two palaces, into
the horrible void; an enormous country it was, exceedingly deep and
dark--without order and without inhabitants--now hot, now cold--sometimes
silent, sometimes noisy, with the sound caused by cataracts of water
tumbling upon the flames and extinguishing them; which cataracts,
however, did not long continue, for presently might be seen a puff of
fire bursting out and consuming the water. There was here no course, nor
whole, nothing living, nothing shapely; but a giddy discord and an
amazing darkness which would have blinded me for ever, if my companion
had not again displayed his heavenly garment of splendour. By the light
which it cast I could see the country of Oblivion, and the edges of the
wilds of Destruction in front, on the left hand; and on the right the
lowest skirts apparently of the walls of Glory. "Behold the great gulf
between Abraham and Dives," said my guide, "which is termed the place of
Chaos. It is the region of the elements which God created first; it is
the place wherein are the seeds of every living thing, from which the
Almighty word made your world and all that therein is--water, fire, air,
earth, animals, fishes and creeping things, winged birds, and human
bodies, but not your souls, for they are of an origin and generation
higher and more exalted." Through the vast, frightful place of Chaos we
at length broke out to the left hand, and before travelling any distance
there, where every thing was ever becoming more frightful, I could feel
my heart at the top of my throat, and my hair standing like the prickles
of the hedge-hog, even before seeing any thing; but when I _did_ see--oh!
spectacle too much for tongue to relate, or for the spirit of man to
behold. I fainted. Oh, the amazing and monstrous abyss, opening in a
horrible manner into the other world! Oh, the continual crackling of the
terrible flames, darting over the sides of the accursed precipice, and
the flashes of linked lightning rending the black, thick smoke, which the
unsightly orifice was casting up! My dear companion, having brought me
to myself again, gave me some spiritual water to drink; O how excellent
it was in its taste and color! After drinking of the heavenly water, I
could feel a wonderful strength diffusing itself through me, bringing
with it sense, heart, faith, and various other heavenly virtues. By this
time I had approached with him unterrified to the edge of the steep,
enveloped in the veil, the flames parting on both sides and avoiding us,
not daring to come in contact with the inhabitants of the supreme abodes.
Then from the summit of the terrific precipice we darted down, like two
stars falling from the firmament of heaven, a thousand million of miles,
over many a brimstone crag, and many a furious, ugly cataract and glowing
precipice, every thing that we passed looking always frowningly downward;
yet every thing noxious avoided us, except once, when having thrust my
nose out of the veil, I was struck by such a suffocating, strangling
exhalation as would have put an end to me, if my guide had not instantly
assisted me with the water of life. By the time that I had recovered, I
perceived that we had arrived at a kind of standing place; for in all
this loathsome chasm it was impossible to obtain any rest before, owing
to the steepness and slipperiness of its sides. There my guide permitted
me to take some further rest; and during this respite, it happened that
the thunders and the hoarse whirlwinds became silent for a little while,
and in spite of the din of the raging cataracts, I heard from afar a
sound louder than the whole--a sound of horrible harsh voices, of
shouting, bellowing, and strong groans, swearing, cursing, and
blaspheming, till I would have consented to part with mine ears, that I
might not hear. Ere we moved a foot farther, we could hear a terrible
tumbling sound, and if we had not suddenly slipped aside, hundreds of
unfortunate men would have fallen upon us, who were coming headlong, in
excessive hurry, to take possession of their bad purchase, with a host of
devils driving them. "O, sir," said one devil, "take it easy, lest you
should ruffle your curling locks. Madam, do you wish for an easy
cushion? I am afraid that you will be out of all order by the time you
come to your couch," said he to another.