The Purgatory of St. PatrickCalderón de la Barca, Pedro
Religion
The Purgatory of St. Patrick
Calderón de la Barca, Pedro
Patrick, Saint, 373?-463? -- Drama
"Leaving then this Field, they drag him to another that was full of
great Misery; for between this and the former, there was this
difference, that whereas in the former the wretched People lay flat
on their Bellies, here they sat only on their Buttocks, some whereof
were surrounded with fiery Dragons, gnawing and biteing them after a
lamentable manner. Others had fiery Serpents twisted about their
Heads and Necks, fixing their Stings in their Hearts. Others in fine
had monstrous big Vultures perching upon their shoulders, and
sticking their horrid Bills in their Breasts as if they wou'd pull
out their Hearts. Besides all this, the Devils went running over
them with dreadful Scourges lashing and tormenting them, so as that
the poor wretches never ceas'd Crying and Lamenting. All these
Torments (say the Devils to the Soldier) shalt thou suffer, except
thou consent to return from whence thou camest. The Soldier despised
their Threats, and disabled them to do him any harm, by calling upon
the Name of Jesus.
"Quitting then this place, they led the Soldier to the third Penal
Field. This was also full of People of both Sexes, who lay fastened
to the ground with so many Iron Spikes on Fire, fix'd thro' them, and
so thick set in their Bodies, that from Head to Foot there was scarce
any where, the Breadth of a Finger, which had not been pierc'd.
These Wretches cou'd indeed form a voice to cry; but it was such as
Men in the Point of death usually do: They were naked also, like the
rest, and were tortur'd over and above with a cold and burning Wind,
besides what they suffer'd by the Scourges of the Devils. Now when
the Devils wou'd torture the Soldier after this manner, by calling
upon the Name of Jesus he escaped untouched.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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