thing. Do you see yonder," said he, "the rent which you made in the
church, that you might go out of it, without the slightest cause or
reason? and now, what do you want here? Go back to the narrow gate, wash
yourselves well in the fountain of repentance, in order to free
yourselves from some of the kingly blood, in which you steeped yourselves
formerly; bring some of that water to moisten the clay, to close up the
rent yonder, and then, and then only, you shall be welcome." But before
we had proceeded a rood farther towards the west, we heard a buzz amongst
the princes above, and every one, great and small, seized his arms, and
proceeded to harness himself as if for battle; and before we had time to
espy a place to flee to, the whole air became dark, and the city was more
deeply over-shadowed than during an eclipse; the thunder began to roar,
and the lightnings to dart forkedly, and a ceaseless shower of mortal
arrows, was directed from the gates below, against the catholic church;
and unless every one had had a shield in his hand to receive the fiery
darts, and unless the foundation stone had been too strong for any thing
to make an impression upon it, you would have seen the whole in
conflagration. But alas! this was but the prologue, or a foretaste of
what was to follow; for the darkness speedily became seven times blacker,
and _Belial_ himself appeared upon the densest cloud, and around him were
his choicest warriors, both terrestrial and infernal, to receive and
execute his will, on their particular sides. He had enjoined the Pope,
and the king of France, his other son, to destroy the church of England
and its queen; and the Turk and the Muscovite, to break to pieces the
other parts of the Church, and to slay the people; the queen and the
other princes, were by no means to be spared; and the Bible was to be
burned in spite of every thing. The first thing which the queen and the
other saints did, was to fall upon their knees, and complain of their
wrongs to the King of kings, in these words:--"_The spreading of his
wings covereth the extent of thy land_, _O Emmanuel_!" Isaiah 8. iii.
This complaint was answered by a voice, which said, "_resist the devil
and he will flee from you_;" and then ensued the hardest and most
stubborn engagement, which had ever been upon the earth. When the _sword
of the Spirit_ began to be waved, Belial and his infernal legions began
to retreat, and the Pope to falter. The king of Fr