前述せる館に騎士のたどり着き、入る様子。 How the knight reached the aforesaid hall, and entered into it.
騎士雄々しくも洞窟潜りゆく、真っ暗闇となるまでも。遂に再び光差し込み、騎士は気づけり、おのが身平原にあり、告げられし館そこにあり。朧な光は夕べの薄明、館に巡らす壁なく柱、修道院の回廊の如し。中に入り、座りて四方を見回せば、その美、感嘆措く能わず。暫しそこに居座る程に、白き衣の15人、神官らしき、髭も剃りたての男子、館に入り来て座り、主の御名に於て敬礼せり。さて全員沈黙の中、ただ一人曰く
「御栄えあれ全能なる神よ、則ち罪の赦しが為、この煉獄に入るという善き決意を汝に抱かせしむる。ただし、汝にして勇敢に身を運ばずは、身も心も滅ぶべし。
我等この建物を去るや、穢れたる霊多に満ち、汝を大いに苦しめ、更にも苦しめんと脅すならん。彼等は約束するならん、汝の入りし門まで案内せんと。汝が再び外に出られるものと、彼等汝を欺き得るものならば。されど、もし汝にして、苦しみに打ち負かされたり、脅しにおびえたり、約束にだまされたりして、同意しようものならば、魂も肉体も滅びざるを得ず。されどまた、信仰に堅く、主にすべての望みを託し、苦しみにも脅しにも約束にも屈せず、心から悪霊を軽んじるならば、汝はすべての罪から浄められ、悪人の苦しみと善人の安らぎとを見るならん。悪霊ども汝を苦しめるに及びては、主イエス・キリストの御名を呼び求めよ。御名を呼ばはるにより、汝は直ちにすべての苦しみから解放されん。我等は最早、汝と共にここに在るは叶わぬ、汝を全能の神に委ねる」
The knight passed courageously along the cave, until he was in total darkness: at last the light again broke upon him, and he found himself in the plain where was the hall that he had been told of; the light was no more than the twilight of evening, and the hall was not enclosed by walls, but by pillars, like a monastic cloister. He entered it, and sat down looking about him on all sides, and admiring the beauty of the building. When he had sat there a short time, fifteen men in white garments, looking like ecclesiastics, and lately shaven, entered the hall, and sat down, saluting
him in the name of the Lord. All then kept silence, except one, who, said, “Blessed be Almighty God, who has inspired you with this good resolution to enter this purgatory for the remission of your sins; unless, however, you carry yourself manfully, you will perish, body and soul together. For when we shall leave this building, it will be filled with a multitude of unclean spirits, who will torment you greatly, and threaten to torment you more so. They will promise to conduct you to the gate by which you entered, if by chance they can deceive you, so that you may go out again; but if you suffer yourself to be overcome by their torments or terrified by their threats, or deceived by their promises, and so yield to them assent, you will perish both in soul and body: if, however, you be firm in faith, repose all your hope in the Lord, and yield neither to their torments, their threats, or their promises, but despise them with all your heart, you will be purified from all your sins, and will behold the torments of the wicked and the repose of the good. As long as these demons torment you, call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and, by invoking his name, you shall immediately be released from all their torments. We can now remain here with you no longer, but we commend you to Almighty God.”
