“Then going before me with velocity, but always unwinding this luminous thread, he conducted me into deep valleys filled with fires, and wells inflamed, blazing with all sorts of unctuous matter.  There I observed the prelates who had served my father and my ancestors.  Although I trembled, I still, however, inquired of them to learn the cause of their torments.  They answered, ’We are the bishops of your father and your ancestors; instead of uniting them and their people in peace and concord, we sowed among them discord, and were the kindlers of evil:  for this are we burning in these Tartarean punishments; we, and other men-slayers and devourers of rapine.  Here also shall come your bishops, and that crowd of satellites who surround you, and who imitate the evil we have done.’

“And while I listened to them tremblingly, I beheld the blackest demons flying with hooks of burning iron, who would have caught the ball of thread which I held in my hand, and have drawn it towards them, but it darted such a reverberating light, that they could not lay hold of the thread.  These demons, when at my back, hustled to precipitate me into those sulphureous pits; but my conductor, who carried the ball, wound about my shoulder a double thread, drawing me to him with such force, that we ascended high mountains of flame, from whence issued lakes and burning streams, melting all kinds of metals.  There I found the souls of lords who had served my father and my brothers; some plunged in up to the hair of their heads, others to their chins, others with half their bodies immersed.  These yelling, cried to me, ’It is for inflaming discontents with your father, and your brothers, and yourself, to make war and spread murder and rapine, eager for earthly spoils, that we now suffer these torments in these rivers of boiling metal.’  While I was timidly bending over their suffering, I heard at my back the clamours of voices, potentes potenter tormenta patiuntur!  ’The powerful suffer torments powerfully;’ and I looked up, and beheld on the shores boiling streams and ardent furnaces, blazing with pitch and sulphur, full of great dragons, large scorpions, and serpents of a strange species; where also I saw some of my ancestors, princes, and my brothers also, who said to me, ’Alas, Charles! behold our heavy punishment for evil, and for proud malignant counsels, which, in our realms and in thine, we yielded to from the lust of dominion.’  As I was grieving with their groans, dragons hurried on, who sought to devour me with throats open, belching flame and sulphur.  But my leader trebled the thread over me, at whose resplendent light these were overcome.  Leading me then securely, we descended into a great valley, which on one side was dark, except where lighted by ardent furnaces, while the amenity of the other was so pleasant and splendid, that I cannot describe it.  I turned, however, to the obscure and flaming side; I beheld some kings of my race agonised in great