A.D. 885· WONDERFUL VISION OF KINO CHARLES. 439 f exceedingly, while the ball of thread was illuminating my eyes, I saw in the side of the valley, a light, gradually becoming more and more brilliant ; and there, there were two fountains, one of which was intolerably hot, die other brilliant and of a leasant warmth ; and there were two casks there. And when went thither, the ball of thread guiding my steps, I looked upon the one in which there was the boning water, and there I saw my father, Lewis, standing up to his thighs, in great agony from pain, and overcome with exhaustion ; and he said to me : ' My lord Charles, do not you fear, because I know that your spirit will again return into your body, and God has permitted you to come hither, in order that you might see on account of what sins I, and all those whom you have beheld, are suffering such fearful punishments. For one day I am in this bath of the cask of boiling water, and on the next day I am transferred into that most agreeable cask of cool water ; and this is done in accordance with the prayers of Saint Peter and Saint Semigius, under whose protection our family has reigned up to this time. And if you soon come to my assistance, you, and my faithful bishops, and abbots, and all the orders of ecclesiastics, with masses, and oblations, and psalmody, and vigils, and alms, I shall speedily be delivered from this cask of boiling water. For mv brother, Lothaire, and hie son, Lewis, have been released from this punishment by the prayers of Saint Peter and Saint Remigius, and have been already conducted to the joys of paradise.' And he said to me, ' Look to your left ;' and when I had looked, I saw there two casks of great depth, boiling. ' Those casks/ said he, 'are prepared for you, unless you amend your life, and do penance for your wicked sins/ And then I began to shudder fearfully ; and when my conductor saw that my spirit was in such great alarm, he said to me : ' Follow me to the right, towards the brilliant valley of paradise.' And, as we were going thither, I beheld a scene of great brightness, and in the midst, I saw my uncle Lothaire sitting in the company of glorious kings, on a topaz stone of marvellous size, and crowned with a most costly .diadem. And when he saw me, he called me close to him* saying with a caressing voice : * Charles, my successor, you, who are now the third emperor of the Romans, come to me; Iknow that you have come through the place of punishments, where your father, my brother, is placed, amid the punishments which have been prepared for him. But, by the mercy of God, he will soon be delivered