but purity of dress, and as for her portion it will not be long in existence, there being an inveterate cancer in it, even as there is in her own body.”
“Well, here is a proof,” said I, “that one never ought to judge by appearances.” “Yes,” said he, “but come away, and I will show you something more.” Whereupon he transported me up to where stood the churches of the city of Perdition, for every body in it had an appearance of faith, even in the age of Disbelief. First we went to the temple of Heathenism, where I could see some adoring the form of a man, others that of the sun, others that of the moon, and an innumerable quantity of similar other gods, even down to leek and garlick, and a great goddess termed Delusion, obtaining general adoration, although you might see something of the remnants of the Christian faith amongst some of these people. Thence we went to a meeting of Dummies, where there was nothing but groaning, and shivering, and beating the breast. “Though there is here,” said the angel, “an appearance of repentance and great submission, there is nothing in reality, but opinionativeness and obstinacy, and pride, and thick, thick darkness. Notwithstanding they talk so much about their internal light, they have not even the spectacle-glasses of nature which the heathens have, whom you lately saw.” From these dumb dogs we chanced to turn to a large church open at the top, with a prodigious number of sandals [23] at the gate, by which I knew that it was the temple of the Turks; these people had only a dim and motley colored spectacle glass, which they called the Koran, yet through this they were always gazing up to the top of the church for their prophet, who, according to the promise
which he gave them, ought to have returned to them long ago, but has not yet made his appearance. From there we went to the church of the Jews, people who had failed to find the way of escape from the city of Perdition, although they possessed a pure, clear spectacle glass, on account of a film having come over their eyes from long gazing, for want of having anointed them with the precious ointment, faith. We next went to that of the Papists. “Behold,” said the angel, “the church which deceiveth the nations! Hypocrisy has built this church at her own expense; for the Papists permit, yea enjoin the breaking of any oath made to a heretic, although it were taken upon the sacrament.” From the chancel we passed through key-holes to the upper end of a cell which stood apart, full of burning candles at mid-day, where we perceived a priest with his crown shaven, walking about as if he were in expectation of visitors; presently there came a rotund figure of a woman, and a very pretty girl behind her, and they went upon their knees before him to confess their sins. “My spiritual father,” said the good woman, “I labour under a burden too heavy to be borne, unless you in your mercy will lighten it; I married a member of the church of England, and”—“What,” said the shaven crown, “married a heretic! married an enemy! there is no pardon for you, now or ever.” At this word she fainted, and he vociferated curses at her. “Oh, and what is worse,” said she when she revived. “I have killed him!” “O, ho! you have killed him, well that is something towards obtaining reconciliation with the church; but I assure you, that unless you had killed him, you would never have got absolution, nor purgatory, but would have gone plump to the devil. But where is your offering to the cloister?” said he, snarling. “Here,” she replied, and
handed him a pretty big purse of money. “Well,” said he, “I will now make your peace, and your penance is to remain a widow as long as you live, lest you should make another bad bargain.” As soon as she had departed, the damsel came forward to make her confession. “Your pardon, my father confessor,” said she, “I have borne a child and murdered it.” “Very fair, in troth,” said the confessor, “and who was the father?” “Verily,” said she, “it was one of your monastery”—“Hush, hush,” said he, “no scandal against the men of the church: but where is your atonement to the church?” “There,” said she, handing him a gold coin. “You must repent, and your penance is to watch to night by my bedside,” said he, smiling archly upon her.
At this moment appeared four other bald-pates, hauling in a lad to the confessor, the poor fellow looking as pleased as if he were going to the gallows. “We have brought you a cub,” said one of the four, “that you may award him a proper punishment for revealing the secrets of the catholic church.” “What secrets?” said the confessor, looking towards a murky cell which was nigh at hand. “But confess villain, what did you say?” “In truth,” said the wretch, “one of my acquaintances asked me, if I had seen the souls shrieking beneath the altar, on the day of the festival of the dead? And I said, that I had heard the voice, but that I had seen nothing.” “Ah, sir, say the whole,” said one of the others. “But I added,” said he, “that I had heard that you were only deceiving us ignorant people, and that instead of souls shrieking, there were only sea-crabs crackling beneath the carpet,”—“O son of the fiend! blasphemous monster!” said the confessor; “but proceed caitiff.”—“and that it was a wire which turned the image of saint Peter,” said the fellow, “and
that it was by the wire that the Holy Ghost descended from the gallery of the cross upon the priest.” “O heritage of hell!” said the confessor. “So ho here! take him torturers, and cast him into the smoky chimney yonder for telling tales.” “Here you see,” said the angel, “the church which Hypocrisy desires should be called the Catholic Church, and the members of which she would fain have the world consider, as the only people destined to be saved; it must be owned, indeed, that they had the true spectacle-glass, but they spoiled it by cutting upon the glass numerous images; and they had true faith, but they mingled that precious ointment with their own novel inventions, so that at present they see no more than the heathen.” Thence we went to a barn, where stood a pert, conceited fellow preaching with great glibness, frequently repeating the same thing three times. “This man and his hearers,” said the angel, “possess the true spectacle-glass, to see the things which pertain to their peace, but they lack now in their old age, a very essential matter which is called perfect love. Various are the causes which drive folks hither; some come out of respect to their forefathers, some out of ignorance, and many for worldly advantage. They will make you believe with their faces that they are being strangled, but they can swallow a toad if necessary; and thus the princess Hypocrisy does not disdain to teach some in barns.” “Pray,” said I, “where now is the Church of England?” “O,” said he, “in the city high above, it constitutes a great part of the Catholic Church, and in the city here below, there are some probationary churches belonging to it, where the English and Welsh are under probation for a time, in order to become qualified to have their names written in the book of the Catholic Church, and they who become so, blessed are they for ever. But
alas, there are but very few who are adapting themselves to obtain honour above; because, instead of looking thitherward, too many suffer themselves to be blinded by the three princesses below, and Hypocrisy keeps many with one eye upon the city above, and the other on that below; yea, Hypocrisy has succeeded in enticing many from their path, after they have overcome the three other deceivers. Come in here,” said he, “and you will see something more;” whereupon he carried me to the gallery of one of the churches in Wales, the people being in the midst of the service. And lo! some were whispering, talking and laughing; some looking upon the pretty women; others were examining the dress of their neighbours from top to toe; some were pushing themselves forward and snarling at one another about rank; some were dozing; others were busily engaged in their devotions, but many of these were playing a hypocritical part. “You have not seen yet,” said the angel, “no, not amongst the infidels, shamelessness as open and barefaced as this: but thus, alas, we see that the corruption of the best thing is the corruption worst of all.” The congregation then proceeded to take the sacrament, and every one displayed reverential feelings at the altar.
However, (through the glass of my companion,) I could see one receiving the bread into his belly, under the figure of a mastiff, another under that of a swine, another like a mole, another like a winged serpent, and a few, O how very few, receiving a ray of celestial light with the bread and the wine. “Yonder,” said he, “is a roundhead who is about to become sheriff, and because the law enjoins, that every one shall receive the communion in the church before he obtains the office, he has come hither rather than lose it; but though there are many here who rejoice at seeing him, there has been no joy
amongst us for his conversion, for he has only turned for the time; and thus you see how bold Hypocrisy must be to present herself at the altar before Emmanuel, who is not to be deceived. But however great she be in the city of Perdition, she can effect nothing in the city of Emmanuel, above the wall yonder.”
Thereupon we turned our faces from the great city of Perdition, and went up to the other little city. In going along I could see at the upper end of the streets, many turning half-way from the temptations of the gates of Perdition, and seeking for the gate of Life; but whether it was that they failed to find it, or grew tired upon the way, I could not see that any went through, except one sorrowful faced man, who ran forward resolutely, while thousands on each side of him were calling him fool, some scoffing him, others threatening, him and his friends laying hold upon him, and entreating him not to take a step by which he would lose the whole world at once. “I only lose,” said he, “a very small portion of it, and if I should lose the whole, pray what loss is it? For what is there in the world so desirable, unless a man should desire deceit, and violence, and misery, and wretchedness, giddiness and distraction. Contentment and tranquillity,” said he, “constitute the happiness of man; but in your city there are no such things to be found. Because who is there here content with his station? Higher, higher, is what every one endeavours to be in the street of Pride; give, give us a little more, says every one in the street of Lucre; sweet, sweet, pray give me some more of it, is the cry of every one in the street of Pleasure. And as for tranquillity, where is it? and who obtains it? If you be a great man, flattery and envy are killing you; if you be poor, every one is trampling upon and despising