pillars, like a monastic cloister. He entered it, and sat dowη looking about him on all sides, and admiring the beauty of the building. When he had sat there a short time, fifteen men in white garments, looking like ecclesiastics, and lately shaven, entered the hall, and sat down, saluting him in the name of the Lord. All then kept silence, except one, who, said, "Blessed be Almighty God, who has inspired you with this good resolution to enter this purgatory for the remission of your sins ; unless, however, you carry yourself manfully, you will perish, body and soul together. For when we shall leave this building, it will be filled with a multitude of unclean spirits, who will torment you greatly, and threaten to torment you more so. They will promise to conduct you to the gate by which you entered, if by chance they can deceive you, so that you may go out again ; but if you suffer yourself to be overcome by their torments or terrified by their threats, or deceived by their promises, and so yield to them assent, you will perish both in soul and body : if, however, you be firm in faith, repose all your hope in the Lord, and yield neither to their torments, their threats, or their promises, but despise them with all your heart, you will be purified from all your sins, and will behold the torments of the wicked and the repose of the good. As long as these demons torment you, call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and, by invoking his name, you shall immediately be released from all their torments. W e can now remain here with you no longer, but we commend you to Almighty God. How the demons grievously afflicted the knight. The knight, therefore, was left alone, and prepared his mind for this new kind of conflict. He had no sooner wrought up his soul to courage, than a noise was heard around the building, as if all the men in the world, with the animals and beasts, were making it, and after this noise came a terrible apparition of ugly demons, of which an immense multitude rushed into the hall, and in derision addressed the knight: " Other men," said they, "who serve us, are content to wait till they are dead, before they come, but you honour this company of your masters so much that you come to us, soul and body, whilst you are still alive ; are you come to VOI. I. Li