Page:Primitive Culture Vol 2.djvu/70

56 spirit. But like Ulysses, Wainamoinen, and Dante, men could here make the journey in body, as did Sir Owain and the monk Gilbert. When the pilgrim had spent fifteen days in prayer and fasting in the church, and had been led with litanies and sprinkling of holy water to the entrance of the purgatory, and the last warnings of the monks had failed to turn him from his venture, the door was closed upon him, and if found next morning, he could tell the events of his awful journey — how he crossed the narrow bridge that spans the river of death, how he saw the hideous torments of hell, and approached the joys of paradise. Sir Owain, one of King Stephen's knights, went thither in penance for his life of violence and rapine, and this was one of the scenes he beheld in purgatory: —

'There come develes other mony mo, And badde the knygth with hem to go, And ladde him into a fowle contreye, Where ever was nygth and never day, For hit was derke and wonther colde: Yette was there never man so bolde, Hadde he never so mony clothes on, But he wolde be colde as ony stone. Wynde herde he none blowe, But faste hit frese bothe hye and lowe. They browgte him to a felde full brode, Overe suche another never he yode, For of the lengthe none ende he knewe Thereover algate he moste nowe. As he wente he herde a crye, He wondered what hit was, and why, He syg ther men and wymmen also That lowde cryed, for hem was woo. They leyen thykke on every londe, Faste nayled bothe fote and honde With nayles glowyng alle of brasse: They ete the erthe so wo hem was; Here face was nayled to the grownde. "Spare," they cryde, "a lytylle stounde." The develes wolde hem not spare: To hem peyne they thowgte yare.'