If wretched mankind would forbear Themselves so to uphold, Then sure on them much good confer My righteous mother would. But since the same will not insue They must in care and Sorrow rue, And still in Prison lie. Howbeit my dear mother will Their follies over-see, Her choicest gifts permitting still Too much in th' Light to be. Though very rarely it may seem That they may still keep some esteem, Which else would pass for forgery. Wherefore in honour of the Feast We this day solemnize, That so her Grace may be increast A good deed she'll devise, For now a cord shall be let down, And whosoe'er can hang thereon, Shall freely be releast. He had scarce done speaking, when an ancient matron commanded her servants to let down the cord seven times into the dungeon, and draw up whosoever could hang upon it. Good God! that I could sufficiently describe the hurry and disquiet that then arose amongst us, for every one strove to get at the cord, and yet only hindered each other. But after seven minutes a sign was given by a little bell, whereupon at the first pull the servants drew up four. At that time I could not come near the cord by much, having to my huge misfortune, betaken myself to a stone at the wall of the dungeon, and thereby was disabled to get to the cord which descended in the middle. The cord was let down the second time, but divers because their chains were too heavy, and their hands too tender, could not keep their hold on the cord, but with themselves beat down many another, who else, perhaps, might have held fast enough; nay, many an one was forcibly pulled off by another who yet could not himself get at it; mutually envious were we even in this our great misery. But they of all others most moved my compassion whose weight was so heavy that they tore their very hands from their bodies, and yet could not get up. Thus it came to pass that at these five times, very few were drawn up. For as soon as the sign was given, the servants were so nimble at the draught, that the most part tumbled one upon another, and the cord, this time especially, was drawn up very empty. Whereupon the greatest part, and even I myself, despaired of Redemption, and called upon God that he would have pity on us, and (if possible) deliver us out of this obscurity, who also then heard some of us: for when the cord came down the sixth time, some of them hung themselves fast upon it, and whilst in the drawing up, the cord swung from one side to the other, it (perhaps by the will of God) came to me, which I suddenly catching, got uppermost above all the rest, and so at length beyond hope came out; whereat I exceedingly rejoiced, so that I perceived not the wound, which in the drawing up I received on my head by a sharp stone, till I with the rest who were released (as was always before done) was fain to help at the seventh and last pull, at which time through straining, the blood ran down