/ we ne abyde more than the sentence to be brought forth agayne vs. For all the presentes â—â—ye vnto the Iudge that we bendygne of tormentes And almooste no good dede appered wherin we had esperauÌ„ce to haue the mercy of god And whaÌ„ he ne resysted more as to brynge forth the sentence the whiche is iustely gyuen agayne the sinners that blyssed saynt Iherome was present Also were present saynt Iohan baptyste / saynt Peter / and great multitude of Aungels the whiche requyred of the Iudge that our seÌ„tence were yet dyfferâ—ed a lytell of tyme for the reuereÌ„ce and deuocyon that we had made vnto the sayde saynt Iherome And for to dystroy the erroure the which reygned in the worlde And he was accorded vnto the said saynt Iherome that that he requyred The whiche ledde vs with hym And shewed vs the glory of the blyssed soules and the paynes of hell and of purgatorye / to th ende that we myght wytnes certayne that thing that we haue sene The whiche thynges be not here writen for bycause of shortnes And wolde that we were put within the paynes of purgatorye to th ende that we shulde proue the experyence of the paynes the whiche there ben in the whiche we were put For to abrydge the sayde saynt Iherome vs coÌ„mauÌ„ded that we shulde come agayne in to our bodyes And that we shulde wytnes that / that we had sene / vs promysed that on the .xx. day yf we dyd dygne penauÌ„ce of the sinÌ„es that we had coÌ„mytted that we shuld dye agayne with saynte Eusebe the whiche shulde dye on the sayde day and we shuld haue glory And so our soules were incontynent within theyr bodyes c. ¶ Another Example howe a deuyll sayde that the soule of the Erle Guyllaume was in horryhle payne IT is wryten in Dialogo Cesarii this the whiche foloweth howe the discyple recyteth in his Boke and sayeth that as a knyght was at the death in his bedde al alene the deuyll appered vnto hym vysyâ—ly in forme and sâ—mblaunce of a sheepe the which had the hornes of a gote And when he se hym there in suche wyse he had fere and hym demaunded what art thou and what sekest tâ—ou He answered I am a deuyll the whiche am come for to fetche the soule Vnto whom the sayde Knyght sayde / depart thou frome cursed thefe / I haue coÌ„maunded it vnto Ihesu Chryst that I haue receyued in the sacrament And the deuyll sayde Varled yf thou wylte do me homage I shall yelde vnto the helth and I shal enryche the aboue all thy parentes And the knyght hym demaunded where ben thy tresours He answered treasours infynyte ben hyd nere vnto the court And the said knight asked hym / tell me where is the soule of the Erle Guyllaume that whiche is lately deed He answered It is in hel in so great fyre that yf the moste great mountayne were there it shulde be consumed in lesse of tyme than to close the eye And that payne there is but a bayne of mylâ—e in the regarde of the daye of Iudgement where he shal receyue the payne And he asked hym of another man And he answered he hath be .xxxi. yeres iÌ„ paines but a Monke and Myncheâ— hath delyuered hym by good dedes And agayne he demaunded the deuyl From whens camest thou whaÌ„ thou came to me He answered I and my felowes were at the death of an abbesse awaytynge her soule And the knyght him demauÌ„ded Howe many ben ye He answered that the moste great forest of the worlde hath not so many of leues as we were And the knight demauÌ„ded him What haue ye done He answered / Alas nothyng she was a good religyous saint Michel came thither that which bete vs departed iÌ„ lykewyse as departeth the poudre before the wynde / and he was axed yf he were at the death of suche an abbot He answered that there is not so moch of grauell in the see as there was yf deuyls / but we ne dyd nothynge / for the vyllaynes Monkes the whiche there were groned as hoggê ne wold let vs to approche And the sayde knyght saide Howe dare ye go vnto the deth of so holy a man And the deuyll sayde I was at the deth of the sone of god / and set me on the arme of the Crosse / wherfore dare I not than go vnto the death of suche a man c. ¶ Another Example howe a relygyous wolde more sooner enter into a fyre than to beholde the Deuyll THe disciple recyteth in his proÌ„ptuarye and sayth that one tyme a relygyous came vnto the deth the whiche cryed horrybly cursed be the houre that euer I was relygyous / and after helde his peas And within a lytell whyle afterwarde he began to laughe with a Ioyous face sayde Naye But blessed be the tyme that I entred into the ordre And blyssed be the gloryous Mother of Iesu Chryst that I loue and agayne helde his peas The freres that whiche were by him and herde these wordes wept and prayed for him Two houres after he sayde vnto a frere the which was by him / call my brethren For god hath exalted theyr praiers And he sayde vnto them whan tâ—ey were entred My bretâ—ren ye were troubleâ— of the fyrste worâ—e I sâ—â—de vnto you / but the cause of the worde was for that that the deuyls horryble appered vnto me / the whiche wolde rauysshe my soule And for the drede I was rauysshed out of my selfe and cursed the houre that I entred in to relygyon I tell you that yf a great fyre were here melled with brymstone / and that I had to chose to put me within it or els to beholde agayne the deuylles in the forme that I haue sene them / I shal be chose more sooner to put me in the fâ—re than to beholde them / afterwardâ— the Quene of heuen and of mercye came the whiche chased away the deuylles And whan I se her I conceyued esperaunce / and for the greate Ioye that I hadde I haue laughed and blyssed the houre that I entred in to relygyon and the vyrgyn Mary whan he had spoken these wordes he dyed debonayrely c. ¶ Another Example howe the vysyon of the Deuyll is horryble IT is wryten in some Bokâ—s this the whiche foloweth that the dyscyple recyteth in his promptâ—ary and saieth that the abbot of saynt agathe came vnto coleyne with one of his Monkes and a conuerse with a woman demonyacle And whan the abbot asked the deuyll of some thynges he ne wolâ—e answere The abbot sayde afterwarde I coniure the by hym that I haue trayted in the Masse that thou answere me And incontynent the Deuyll answered vnto those thynges that men demaunded hym After the abbot coniured him that he shuld go forth of the woman The deuyll answered And whether shall I go The abbot sayde / I haue opened my mouth to th ende that thou there entre The deuyll sayde I
vpoÌ„ the brydge all ouer of also great auctoryte as he had lyued in the worlde clenely And he sawe another named steuen the whiche as he passed the sayde brydge his fote stode in such wyse that he than fell of the sayde brydge in lyke as halfe And thaÌ„ some meÌ„ ryght blacke lyfte them vp from the sayde water the which drewe hym downewarde by the thyes And some men ryght fayre clothed in whyte toke hym by the armes and they drewe hym vpwarde / as this stryfe was the sayde knyght was put agayne in to his bodye And he ne knewe which of them shulde vanquysshe / but saynte Gregorye sayeth that it is to vnderstande that the ylles that he had done stroue agayne the almesdedes And by the other the whiche drewe hym downewarde appered that he had not parfytely resysted vnto the synÌ„es of the flesshe This Example ought to drawe all persones to lyue clenely / purely / holyly to th ende that they may passe the saide brydge vnto the place delectable without fallynge in to the torment beforesaide And the synners shuld also correct theÌ„ of yll to do penauÌ„ce / or they shall fall of the sayde brydge in to the sayde water / wherin they shall be punysshed ¶ Another ExaÌ„ple of the vysyon of Tongdalus the whiche suffred many paynes in purgatory and sawe of the tormentes of helle and after was brought agayne in to his body IN the yeres of our Lord a thousand xlix There was a maÌ„ named ToÌ„gdalus in a Cytie of the lande of Irlande This sayde Tongdalus was noble of lynage / a fayre man yong of age / curleys of all goodnes and of great honour He was great and ryght appert of the arte of chyualrye Also he was well spekynge / and good in dysportyng / of as moch more as he trusted in his beautye and his force of as moche the lesse was it vnto hym of the helth of his soule And yf any man sayde any thynge to hym for the helth of his soule he was greued with hym / he despyted the holy church / he ne daygned to beholde the poores in theyr indygence / Moreouer he gaue that that was in his palayes for to haue the prayse of the worlde and many he had of frendes and of companyons And it came one daye that he satte at table with one of his companyons for to eat And incontynent that he had taken of the meat he dyed of death sodayne and the body fell vnto the earthe / In lyke wyse as it neuer had had soule The seruauntes ranne vnto hym / the meate was taken awaye / wepynges / and lameÌ„tacyons were made / men range the belles The people was moche ameruayled of the deth the whiche had taken this noble man so sodaynely He dyed the wednesdaye about the houre of noone And from that houre tyll vnto the saterdaye at noone he abode so the body withoute buryenge for that that in the lefts partye he had a lytell of hete And on the saterdaye at noone the soule came agayne vnto the body And so by the space of an houre he behelde those the which were by him / vnto whom he made a token that he shuld haue the body of god And after that he had receyued it he began to prayse god to yelde vnto hym graces and sayd Syr all puyssauÌ„t more great is thy mercy than all my synnes And afterwarde sayde this worde the whiche is wryten in the Psalter That is to saye How many trybulacyons and ylles hast thou shewed vnto me / and I beynge conuerted thou hast quyckened me And hast brought me agayne from the depnesse of the earth And incontynent that he had spoken those wordes he departed / and gaue vnto the poores the that he had / and promysed aboue all thynges to loue the lyfe that he had before ledde / and all that he had sene and suffred he recompted it vnto vs and sayde whan my soule yssued out of my body she knewe and sawe the synnes that she had done And so began she to doubte But she knewe not what it was that she shulde do And she wolde rentre within my body / but she myght not But she ne durst go out / for she dredde her synnes of al partes / and she ne had truste in no thynge but vnto the great mercy of god And so began to wepe and to tremble / and she knewe not what she shulde do / and anone after / she sawe come vnto her so great nombre and multytude of deuylles that all the house stretes and place of the Cytie were full the whiche enuyroÌ„ned her on all partes / the whiche deuylles sayde Synge we vnto this soule the songe of deth / that we vnto her shulde synge / for she is the doughter of the deth pardurable and the vyande of the fyre extynguyble enemy of the lyght and frende of darkenesses And afterwarde and agayne her they grynÌ„ed wheted theyr teeth sayd vnto her Vnhappy soule here is the people that thou haste chosen with whoÌ„ thou shalt entre in to hell in parburaâ—ylyte Thou haste ben a nouryce of sclaundre / a louer oâ— dyscorde that we loue wherfore art thou not proude / wherfore ne knowest thou not thy lecherye / where is thy vanyte and vayne gladnes / where ben thy laughynges ryghte vnteÌ„pred / where is thy face wherin thou trustedest so moche wherfore ne shyttest thou not the eye / wherfore ne tryppest thou with thy fote wherfore ne thynkest thou the great malyce that thou were wonte to do in vanytyes and synÌ„es And as these foresayde deuylles sayde these wordes I loked towarde the heauen and sawe a ferre of a lyght dyscended in lyke wyse as it had ben a sterre ryght clere and shynynge In the whiche I had esperaunce that there was some ayde that god sente vnto me And as it approched vnto me I apperceyued well that it was the Aungell of god the whiche had kepte me in this worlde And whan he approched vnto me he also greted me swetely and sayde God the salue Tongdalus ¶ And whan I sawe so fayre a yonge man the which greted me so swetely by my proper name by great Ioye I answered Alas my Lorde the doloures of hel hath beset me about And the panges of death hath occupyed me / as it is wryten Dolores inferni ciâ—cumdederunt me preoccupauerunt me la quci mortis And the AuÌ„gel aunswered Thou callest me nowe lorde I haue be euermore with toe / but iudge thou not that I were dygne of such great honoure The soule answered Syr I neuer se the before And the Aungell sayde From the houre that thou were borne I haue euermore be with the in all places where thou were And thou ne woldest neuer beleue my couÌ„sayll Than the Aungell lyfte vp his handes amonges the deuyls shewed vnto hym one the which dyd vnto hym worse than the other and sayde vnto hym that is he
⧠Examples howe mortall synne maketh the synners inobedyentes to haue many paynes and doloures within the fyre of Hell And fyrst Example of a Father of an housholde the whiche sawe two pondes and the tourmentes of Hell The Examplayre vpon the paynes of Hell MEN fynde by wrytynge this that whiche foloweth how the discyple reciteth in the Boke of his promptuarye sayth that the father of a housholde yelded his soule to god / al his housholde watched hym and kept his body by nyght by the dyuyne mercy he reuyued yode vnto the churche to yelde thankes vnto god And all that he had he gaue to the churche and to the poores Afterwarde he yode vnto an hermytage and by a water made his dwellynge and entred within the sayde water and lette his clothes to be ysye and frosen nere to his flesshe And after that he entred into a bayne ryght hote and susteyned suche payne tyll vnto the deth And whan he was repreued to endure suche payne he sayde Yf ye had seene that that I haue seene ye sholde do with me that I doo / or more greater thynge And he recounted terryble thynges of the paynes of hell in sayenge that whan his soule departed fro his body an Aungell led hym into a valey of infinyte greatnes In the whiche there were two pondes / the one was ful of wormeâ— and of flambes of fyre eygrelye brynnynge and hote And the other ponde was frosen / there was terrible coldnes of snow of halfe And these two pondes were ful of â—oules terryble tourmented / the whiche whan they myghte nomore sustayne the greate cruelte of the fyre they passed in to the colde And they that myght not sustayne the coldenes passed in to the hote c. Afterwarde the AuÌ„gel fed hym by darkenes ryght thycke and there sawe lytell flambeâ— and lytell hepes and assemblementes of fyre the which proceded froÌ„ the furneys of hell mounted as hye as sparkles of fyre men of fyre thorowe them proceded / there felte stynke intollerable / and there harde wepynges / waylynges / and howlynges in comporables and sawe the deuyls ryght terrybles that helde hookes of fyre the whiche coueyted to catche thee Father of the housholde to cast hym in the furneys / but the Aungell defende that they shulde not touche hym For the Iudge had coÌ„maunded that he shulde returne in to his body for to do penauÌ„ce And there he dyd suche penaunce that it passed mannes reason After he dyed ioyouslye c. To the purpose of this example that speketh of the fyry ponde saynt IohnÌ„ sayth Qui non est inuentus in libro vite scriptus missus est in flagnum ignis ardentis sulphuris He the whiche is not founde wryten in the Boke of lyfe whan he is deed is sent in to a ponde of fyre brynnynge of sulpre This poÌ„â—e here wherof speketh saynt IohnÌ„ is not of colde water or boylynge wherin the synÌ„ers be â—songed / drowned / or boyled as false money makers / but it is by symylytude as a poÌ„de or a cawdron of fyre of sulphre molton brynnynge and boylynge wherin the dampned be sent there to be plonged smored / brent and boyled the which is the seconde deth that commeth after the deth corporall wherof speketh saynt Gregory in his moralles Fit miseris mors sine morte / finis sine fine / defectus sine defectu c. ¶ Example of a Father and his Sonne the whiche were seene in hell in tourment of fyre brynnynge boylynge as doth the peason in a pot on the fyre Quere .lxxiii. Also saynte Iohan sayeth in the appocalyps that the homycides / fornycatours / enuenymours / ydolatres / and all lyâ—rs shall be sent in to a ponde brynnynge of fyre and sulphre the whiche is the secoÌ„â—e deth VnÌ„ appoca xxi Pars illorum erit in stagno ardenti igne sulphure quod est mors sâ—cunda Vnto the purpose of the seconâ—e ponde the whiche was frosen and that the dampned passed froÌ„ the ponde of the fire in to that of the cold It is writeÌ„ Iob. xxiiii Ad calorem nimium transiet ab aquis niuiuÌ„ And from the great cruelte of colde and of tormentes that the dampned haue god saieth in the gospelles that they shall wepe grynde theyr teeth of greate payne that they shall endure VnÌ„ Math. viii xxiiii Ibi erit fletus et stridor dentium ¶ Another Example howe a ryche man was put in a Chayre of ☞ Fyre ☜ THE disciple recyteth howe a deuoute man sawe by vicyon a ryche man lede in to hell that had be moche honoured in this worlde and exceded in worldly glory / in glotony / lecherye / in songes / and in dyue resolaces And the prynce of the deuylles rose vp from his chayre / came before hym and made hym to sytte in a chayre all of fyre and sayde vnto hym Syt thou here for the honour that thou hast had iÌ„ the worlde And was constrayned to drynke of lycoure ryght bytter / stynkynge and foule And they saide to hym that it was for that he had droÌ„ken in the world the drynkâ—s full of swetenesses and two deuylles were there with trompettes the which blewe in his eares that the slambes of fyre yode out by the eyes / nosethrylles / mouth and eares And it was sayde vnto hym that it was for the bayne and songes that he had harde in the worlde And they put serpentes about his necke and vnto his armes / sayde vnto hym that it was for the embracemeÌ„tes of womeÌ„ that he had had in liuinge lecherously c. ¶ Another Example of a woman that sawe the paynes of her husbande and of other dampned THe discyple recyteth iÌ„ his sermoÌ„s thie the whiche foloweth the whiche is also wryten in other Bokes and sayeth that a Knyght ryghte puyssaunt was abandoned in torneymentes the whiche lyued miserably / and myscheuously dyed His wyfe the whiche abode wydowe was ryght deuoute and holy The whiche recompted vnto her brother Albert mayster of the ordre of the prechours that after the deth of her sayde husbande she was rauysshed in spyryte and sawe by the soule of her said husbande great multitude of deuylles asseÌ„bled And the one of them the which appered to be mayster coÌ„maunded vnto his companyons and felawes that they shulde put a payre of hosen on his fete of the whiche the pryckes otherwyse called dartes perced hym from the plante of the fete tyll vnto the brayne Afterwarde he made hym to be clothed in a haubergyon wherof the prickynges perced al his bodye on all partes before and behynde Afterwarde he made to putte on his heed a helme of the whiche the pryckes in discendynge perced hym tyll vnto the plante of the fote Afterwarde he made to put vpon his sholder a shelde otherwyse called a marke or tokeÌ„ the whiche was so heuy that all his membres were frusshed After that the Prynce of the deuyle
/ and dyd of great oppressyons vnto his subiectes THe dyscyple recyteth in his promptuarye and sayeth that a relygyous of the ordre of cysternenâ—is laboured vnto the deth / he sawe S. Benet the whiche came vnto the seperacyon of his soule / the which shewed vnto hym many houses of the saued and of the tormentes of the dampned And amonges the other he sawe a great prynce borne brynnynge and resydent in a chayre of fyre And before hym there was of fayre women the whiche put theyr faces of fyre in his mouth / and he brynned tyll vnto the nombryll / and he was bette horrybly This sayde man had be a puyssaunt prynces lecherous After the sayd lecherous he sawe another that the deuylles dyd fle / And afterwarde they cast and spryncled of salte vpon hym And vpoÌ„ a gyrdyron of fyre brent him and rosted This sayd man had be a lorde cruell the which made of great oppressyons vnto his subiectes / and made of demaundes iniuste vnto the poores Afterwarde the sayde relygyous sawe another the whiche rode a horse of fyre and had a token of fyre the which otherwyse men call a bokelet / and bare a gote of fyre And after the taile of the gote he bare an habyte of amoÌ„ste This sayd man was a rauyssher the whiche toke the gote of a woman wydowe And whan he was sycke he receyued the habyte of a monke / not by charyte ne by wyll to abyde in the ordre yf he myght be hole But by the admonycyon of his frendes / for that he drewe the habyte of a monke after hym Afterwarde the sayde relygyous sawe many other people the which susteyned many other paynes after the symylytude of the maners that they had synned in this worlde It is that wherof the sage speke SapieÌ„ xi PerqÌ„ peccat homo ê‘ hec torquentur By the thynge that a man synneth by that shall he be tormented to th ende that he haue euermore remours in his conscyence that yll that he endureth is gyuen vnto hym for his proper synnes Vnde Ysaye vltimo it Marci ix Vermis eorum s morsus coÌ„scienti non moritur ignis noÌ„ extinguitur ¶ Another Example howe a Myller was borne to se the tormentes of hell and after was brought agayne in to his bodye MEn fynde by wrytynge this the whiche foloweth howe the discyple recyteth in his promptuary and sayeth that as a man preached of the crosse a carle vseret bought agayne a vowe for money that he had made vnto the sepulcre of IherusaleÌ„ And yode vnto the dyspensatour fraudelently / and gaue vnto hym for his sayde vowe an hondred shyllynges as he myght well gyue xlviii li. without dysherytynge his chyldren And as this sayde carle sat at the tauerneâ— he sayde vnto the other the whiche had made of vowes Ye fooles shal passe the see in peryll of your lyues and shall dyspende your substaunce / I haue boughte my vowe for fyue pounde / saued my lyfe and dwell sure in my house And also I shall haue semblable rewarde as you And in a nyght as he was in his bedde with his wyfe he herde in his mylle mouynge tempeste In lykewyse as the wheles gryndynge And he sayde vnto his sone go se who is in the mylle He yode and retourned anone with great feare Of whoÌ„ the mayster demaunded what hast thou sene He answered I had so great feare at thee doore of the mylle / that I muste nedely come agayne And he sayde yf the deuyll were there yet shulde I go to se what it is ThaÌ„ he cast his vestymeÌ„t vpon his sholders and yode vnto the mylle / he was all naked but of the sayde vestyment He opened the dore loked within / and sawe two horses ryghte blacke / and a blacke man by them and saide vnto the carle host the lepe vpon this horse the whiche is broughte vnto the. That carle had fere ond the blackeman sayde vnto hym / what taryest thou / caste awaye the vestyment and come / there was on the vestyment a crosse He was dyspeyred al the voyce and callynge of the deuyll kest alwaye his vestyment and lepte vpon the horse And the blacke man lepte vpon the other horse / and they were led incontynente in dyuerâ— places of paynes In the which the accursed sawe his father and his mother And many other that he had knoweÌ„ And he sawe a knyght named Helye of the castell Horst the whiche was mounted vpon a cowes backe towardes the hornes The whiche Cowe ranne on the one syde and on the other and tormented horrybly the sayde knyght in strykynge hym with her hornes on the backe And the catle hym demaunded wherfore he susteyned suche payne / and he answered I haue rauysshed this Cowe and taken away from a woman wydowe without mercy And therfore she me tormenteth without mercy Afterwarde there was shewed vnto the sayde carle a sege of fyre and it was sayde vnto hym Thou shalte returne euen nowe in to thy house And after thre dayes thou shalt come agayne in to this place here / and thou shalte take thy rewarde in this syege After these wordes here the deuyll broughte hym agayne in to his myllt And he founde his wife and his housholde as halfe deed / vnto whom he tolde that / that he had sene And howe it hapened The Preest was called for to chere hym and to counsayll hym to confesse hym / and to haue contrycyon And he answered whaâ— profyte me these wordes here I ne maye repente me For I se that in vayne I shulde confesse me And I knowe that of necessyte it is to accomplysshe in me that the whiche is dysposed and the accursed dyed so without receyuynge the sacramentes of the churche c. ¶ Another Example that a knyght dyed / and after wos brought agayne into his body / the whiche recompted of a brydge ryght strayte vpon a water by the whiche hym behoueth to passe IT is wryten in the Dyalogue of saynt Gregory that a knight dyed within a lytel after came agayne into his body the which tolde that he had sene a brydge vnder the whiche brydge ranne a water stynkynge and darke And on the other syde of the brydge there was medowes smellynge swete and adourned with all floures And in those medowes were assembled of people clothed in whyte the whiche were fulfylled of swetenes and odours of the sayde floures And at the sayde brydge there was such probacyon that whan any of the vniuste there passed he fel in to the blacke water stynkynge / and the iuste passed tyll vnto the place delectable And the sayde knyght sawe there without the brydge a man named peter bouÌ„de with great weight of yron And he demaunded wherfore he suffred suche payne Answere was gyuen that whan men gaue hym anye for to do vengeaunce he desyred it more to do by cruelte than by obedyence Also the sayde knyght sayde that he sawe a pylgrym the which passed
sene / but yet shalt thou se greater Nowe entre here for the deuylles tary for the as dogges enraged Than the soule began to quake and to tremble of the great fere that she had and prayed the Aungell moche that he wolde make hym to passe the sayde torment / but it vayled him nothyng And whan the deuyls herde that she was grauÌ„ted vnto them for to torment they toke her with theyr Instrumentes and tormented her sharpely The mayster of this house had to name Physternus His house was full of fyre brennynge in the whiche soules strayned theyr teeth and wayled for the great doloure that they suffred And there were men and women / not all onely of people of the worlde / but also of relygyon There was this soule tourmented the whiche sayde that she had well deserued that that she had suffred But whan it pleased god she fouÌ„de her selfe out of the sayde torment and she wyst not in what maner Than she aduysed her Aungell by her to whom she sayde A syr where is the worde that the prophete Dauid speketh MiÌ„a dnÌ„i plena est terra That is to saye The earth is full of the mercy of God Than the Aungell answered and sayde By those wordes many soules be deceyued God is ryghtwyse thoughe that he be full of mercy / many synnes he vengeth punyssheth / and also he pardoneth Yf god pardoned all the synnes wherfore shulde the men be iust And yf a man ne dredde the tormentes / wherfore shulde he drede to do synne his wyll And what shulde it nede that these synners shulde repent them and confesse them of theyr synnes yf they ne dredde god God by his great mercy spareth the synners in theyr lyfe and taryeth them for that they shulde do penauÌ„ce But yf they ben obstynate in theyr synnes and wyll not reuerte / he them punysshed for theyr synnes after theyr deth And God somtime taketh away the gooddes teÌ„poralles from the Iust for to punysshe theÌ„ teÌ„porally of some outrages that they haue done / also to th ende that they enpryde theÌ„ not But he kepeth vnto them the gooddes pardurables of his glory ¶ Of the cruell Beest and of the ysye ponde ¶ After the Aungell led the soule in to another place wherin they sawe a beest moche meruaylous the whiche had two fete and .ii. wynges and the necke ryght longe And his nebbe and his nayles were as yron / and from his sayde nebbe yssued a flambe of fyre by ryght great sharpenes force And the sayde beest was vpon a ponde full of stronge yse / the whiche beest deuoured the soules within his wombe in suche maner that they became as vnto nothynge by the tormeÌ„tes that they suffred Afterwarde he put them out of his wombe within the yse of the sayde ponde And there were they tormented of newe torment And all the soules the whiche in to the ponde dyscended were in throwes in lykewyse as women with chylde And not a lonely the women / but also the men as the women And within theyr belyes they felte the sharpe bytynges that the serpentes made of the whiche they were engryped And there were the caytyues soules tourmented And whan the tyme came approched that they shulde chylde they cryed so horrybly that they fylled hell of noyse and of hon synges Than they chylded serpentes as wel the men as the women And the sayde serpentes yssued not onely by the meÌ„bres wherby the women chylde naturally But also by the armes / the feete / and all the other meÌ„bres yssued oute the horryble beestes the whiche had headeâ— of fyre brynnynge moche sharpe / wherwith they tormented ryghte cruelly the sayde soules froÌ„ whens they yssued And the sayde beestes had horryble tayles nedles and aboute theyr tailes made as they were crochettes and hookes made as yf they were crochettes And whan they yssued from the sayde caytyues soules yf they myght not drawe theyr tayles after them for the hookes they returned theyr nebbes smote the soules and gnawed then vnto the synewes bones and of the great payne tormente that they suffred they keste so great and horyble cryes that they were herde vnto heauen Moreouer the sayde soules were replenysshed of dyuers maners of beestes on theyr membres the whiche did them eate and gnawe vnto the bones And they had tonges yâ— which fastened within the sayde soules tyl vnto the lightes This payne sustayne the false Monkes / chanons / the false Nonnes / and these other benefyced of holy churche the whiche haue not wel kept theyr bodyes froÌ„ euyll doyngâ— / ne theyr mouthes from euyll saynge and spekynge Also those the whiche hath vsed Lecherye susteyne this payne and torment And for that that thou arte cuspable it behoueth the to susteine this sayde tormente whan the deuylles herde this worde they toke the sayde soule and gaue it to the sayde beest to tourment and to deuoure And whan she was in torment as the other soules and that she was engryped with serpentes as the other / and whan the tyme came that she shulde chylde the Aungell came to her and touched her / and she was incontynent hole / and sayde vnto her / come after me ¶ Of the valey of smythes ¶ Afterwarde they yode in to another way moche horryble dyseasefull full of so great darkenes that they had no lyght but of the clerenes of the Aungell And it semed that they descended from a ryght hyghe mountayne in to a great and depe valey And them ore that they yode the lesse had the soule of esperaunce for to returne vnto lyfe Than the soule sayd vnto the Aungell Syr whyther gowe The Aungell answered This waye ledeth vnto death And the soule sayd what is that than that the scrypture sayth â—ata est via que ducit ad mortem / et multi sunt qui intrant per eam That is to say that the way the whiche is large ledeth vnto death and many there ben the whiche entre go by that way The Aungell sayde Of this speketh not the scrypture / but of the cursed way of the worlde wherby meÌ„ coÌ„men in to this way And whan they were descended into the sayde valey moch depe they sawe there of forges Than the Aungell sayd vnto the soule The mayster of this valey is called Vulcane the which by his engyn and falsenes hath casten many soules in to paynes and tormeÌ„tes Than sayde the soule vnto the AuÌ„gell Syr shall I suffre this torment The Aungell answered / ye / thou shalte suffre this torment And whan the deuylles herde that worde they beset the soule about and toke it with theyr Instrumentes of yron that they helde / and sayde vnto the holy Aungell none harme / and keste it in to a chymney full of fyre brynnynge And began to blowe the fyre of theyr furneys in lykewyse as men blowe whan the yron is in the furneys And so they tormeÌ„ted the soules