"Thanne gan I meten--a merveillous swevene, That I was in a wildernesse--wiste I nevere where; And as I biheeld into the eest,--an heigh to the sonne, I seigh a tour on a toft,--trieliche y-maked, A deep dale bynethe--a dongeon thereinne With depe diches and derke--and dredfulle of sighte. A fair feeld ful of folk--fond I ther bitwene, Of alle manere of men,--the meene and the riche, Werchynge and wandrynge--as the world asketh. Some putten hem to the plough,--pleiden ful selde, In settynge and sowynge--swonken ful harde, And wonnen that wastours--with glotonye dystruyeth."[181] A gloomy picture of the world, like the frightful dreams which occur so often in Albert Durer and Luther. The first reformers were persuaded that the earth was given over to evil; that the devil had on it his empire and his officers; that Antichrist, seated on the throne of Rome, displayed ecclesiastical pomps to seduce souls and cast them into the fire of hell. So here Anti-christ, with raised banner, enters a convent; bells are rung; monks in solemn procession go to meet him, and receive with congratulations their lord and father.[182] With seven great giants, the seven deadly sins, he besieges Conscience; and the assault is led by Idleness, who brings with her an army of more than a thousand prelates: for vices reign, more hateful from being in holy places, and employed in the church of God in the devil's service. "Ac now is Religion a rydere--a romere aboute, A ledere of love-dayes--and a lond-buggere, A prikere on a palfrey--fro manere to manere.... And but if his knave knele--that shal his coppe brynge, He loureth on hym, and asketh hym--who taughte hym curteisie."[183] But this sacrilegious show has its day, and God puts His hand on men in order to warn them. By order of Conscience, Nature sends forth a host of plagues and diseases from the planets: "Kynde Conscience tho herde,--and cam out of the planetes, And sente forth his forreyours--feveres and fluxes, Coughes and cardiaclescrampes and tooth-aches, Reumes and radegundes,--and roynous scabbes, Biles and bocches,--and brennynge agues, Frenesies and foule yveles,--forageres of kynde.... There was 'Harrow! and Help!--Here cometh Kynde! With Deeth that is dredful--to undo us alle!' The lord that lyved after lust--tho aloud cryde.... Deeth cam dryvynge after,--and al to duste passhed Kynges and knyghtes,--kaysers and popes,... Manye a lovely lady--and lemmans of knyghtes, Swowned and swelted for sorwe of hise dyntes."[184]