you will soon see, that neither he nor I will
rate you according to the degree of your majesty, but according to the
degree of your wickedness, in order to adapt your punishment to your
crimes, therefore answer to the interrogation." "Sir," he replied, "I
would have you know, that you have no authority to detain me, nor to
interrogate me, as I have a pardon for all my sins under the Pope's own
hand. On account of my faithful services, he has given me a warrant to
go straight to Paradise, without tarrying one moment in Purgatory." At
these words the king and all the haggard train gave a ghastly grin, to
escape from laughing outright; but the other full of wrath at their
ridicule, commanded them aloud to show him the way. "Peace, thou lost
fool!" cried Death, "Purgatory lies behind you, on the other side of the
wall, for you ought to purify yourself during your life; and on the right
hand, on the other side of that gulf is Paradise. But there is no road
by which it is possible for you to escape, either through the gulf to
Paradise, or through the boundary wall back to the world; and if you were
to give your kingdom, (supposing you could give it,) you would not obtain
permission from the keepers of those doors, to take one peep through the
key hole. It is called the irrepassable wall, for when once you have
come through you may abandon all hope of returning. But since you stand
so high on the books of the Pope, you shall go and prepare his bed,
beside that of the Pope who was before him, and there you shall kiss his
toe for ever, and he the toe of Lucifer."

Immediately thereupon, four little deaths raised the poor king up, who
was by this time shivering like the leaf of an aspen, and snatched him
out of sight like lightning. Next after him came a young fellow and
woman. He had been a jolly companion and she a lady of pleasure, or one
free of her person; but they were called here by their naked names,
drunkard and harlot. "I hope," said the drunkard, "I shall find some
favour with you; I have sent to you many a bloated booty in a torrent of
good ale; and when I failed to kill others, I came myself, willingly, to
feed you." "With the permission of the court," said the harlot, "you
have not sent half as much as I, and my offerings were burning
sacrifices, rich roast meat ready for the board." "Hey, hey!" said
Death, "all this was done for your own accursed passions' sake and not to
feed me. Bind the two face to f