Visions of Heaven & Hell before Dante by

Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Italica Press
Published: 2010-09-29T16:00:00+00:00

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CHARLES THE FAT’S VISION

Charles, king of Swabia, the son of Louis, king of the Norici, assumed the joint empire of the Franks and Romans in the year of the Incarnate Word 885, the third Indiction. His vision, which I think worth preserving, I here include.

In the name of God, most high, the king of kings. When I, Charles, by the free gift of God the emperor of the Franks, on the sacred night of our Lord’s day, after properly performing the holy service of the evening, went to my bed to rest and sought the sleep of quietude, there came a tremendous voice to me, saying, “Charles, in a little while your spirit shall leave you for some time.”

Immediately I was carried away in spirit, and he who carried me away was most glorious to see. In his hand he held a ball of thread emitting a beam of the purest light, such as comets shed when they appear. He began to unwind it and said to me, “Take the thread of this brilliant ball and wind and tie it firmly on the thumb of your right hand, for by it you will be led through the inextricable punishments of the infernal regions.” Saying this, he went before me, quickly unrolling the thread of the brilliant ball, and led me into very deep and fiery valleys that were full of pits boiling with pitch and brimstone and lead and wax and grease.

I found there the bishops of my father and of my uncles, and when in terror I asked them why they were suffering such dreadful torments, they replied, “We were the bishops of your father and of your uncles and instead of preaching and admonishing them and their people to peace and concord, as was our duty, we were the sowers of discord and the fomenters of evil. On account of this we are now burning in these infernal torments together with other lovers of slaughter and plunder. And here also will come your bishops and ministers who now delight to act as we did.”

While I was fearfully listening to this, the blackest demons came flying around me with fiery claws trying to snatch away the thread of life, which I held in my hand, and to draw it to them; but repelled by the rays of the ball they were unable to touch it.

Next, running behind me, they tried to grip me in their claws and cast me head-first into those sulphurous pits; but my guide, who carried the ball, threw a thread of light over my shoulders, and doubling it drew me strongly after him. In this way we ascended lofty fiery mountains from which arose lakes and burning rivers and all kinds of burning metals where I found immersed innumerable souls of the vassals and princes of my father and brothers, some up to the hair, others to the chin, and others to the middle, who mournfully cried out to me, “While we were

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