Capitulum X
A Vision of Eternal Judgment
The disciple experiences a terrifying vision of the torments of the wicked, reflecting on the justice of God.
After this, the disciple began to reflect on the days and years of the past that he had in mind. As he looked back, he saw an unbearable stench rising from those places. The sound of hammers echoed, the deepest darkness thickened, and the horrible faces of demons appeared. There was weeping and groaning, and the wicked were being torn apart without mercy. They passed from the waters of snow into excessive heat. Amidst all this, he considered the justice and greatness of God's judgment. Between the pressing anguish of his heart and the drops of sweat that broke out from the horror of the vision, he realized that whoever sinned in a particular way was tormented by that very thing. Some of these things were seen only through the ordinary eyes of faith. He looked, and behold, an unbearable stench rose from those places. The sound of hammers was heard, the deepest darkness grew thick, and the horrible faces of demons appeared. There was weeping and groaning, and the wicked were being torn apart without mercy. They were passing from the waters of snow into intense heat. He was considering the justice and magnitude of God's judgments, and the anguish pressing on his heart and the drops of sweat that penetrated him from the horror of the vision, realizing that for what he had sinned, he was being tormented.
The Torments of the Wicked
A detailed description of the specific punishments awaiting various types of sinners, from the proud to the gluttonous.
Therefore, those who lived foolishly and unjustly in their lives will pay back their torment through the very things they worshiped. Thieves and robbers, along with their accomplices, and those who had plundered the poor and friends of God while they were still alive, or had unjustly affixed them to certain infernal gallows, will be violently seized and tormented there; yet they will not die, but will be cruelly tormented. Moreover, there are those who, while pretending to be sheep, hid a lion-like mind; like ravenous wolves, they tormented the servants of God with curses, insults, or disruptive words, and harmed their brothers with unjust persecution. They will be gnawed there by the most bitter hellhounds. The proud will be buried like donkeys in hell, and like putrid corpses thrown into the fire, they will be subjected to eternal disgrace that will never be erased. For the sake of temporal glory and the elevation of the mind, which inflated others, they will be pressed down with such a weight of punishment and pain as anyone could bear who had a great tower above them. Indeed, the drunken and gluttonous, and those who served their bellies like wolves, will be affixed with incredible hunger and intolerable thirst: longing for a tiny drop of cold water for relief from the flames of their burning tongues, yet no one will give it to them. But the most terrible demons stood beside them with burning brands, forcefully pouring a drink resembling molten sulfur into their pierced bellies. The gluttonous and those who indulged their flesh in luxury, and who persisted in their obstinacy, were devoured by serpents and tormented by fiery toads with their stings down to their very entrails. Those who had surrendered to carnal and earthly love, regardless of their gender, bit the infernal ground in pain as the demons tormented them excessively. For they had fiery arrows, and in the most vehement heat pursued them, filling them with the most severe wounds. They had companions in guilt, and they had companions in punishment. Moreover, the greedy, the avaricious, and the mercenary were tormented beyond measure. For they were bathing in pits of molten metal, and wanting to leap out, they were being pushed back without mercy. A most severe judgment was passed on those who held authority. But for the stronger ones, a stronger torment was present. The powerful suffered torment there with great intensity. Who can say how many miserable judges, wicked rulers, greedy monks, violent laymen, shameless women, dancers, and ambitious people, along with various false Christians, were subjected to punishment there? And how pitiful were the groans and lamentable cries they gave, so that the mere sight of this affliction seemed to exceed all the pains of the world. For there was a multitude of infernal bears, fierce lions, and newly created creatures filled with wrath, and unknown beasts breathing fiery vapor, giving off the stench of smoke, and emitting terrible sparks from their eyes, which tore them apart with their bitter bites. Finally, many of these were thrown into the abyss, from which a horrible smoke and an unbearable stench were rising. Their appearance was like glowing iron, burning like the fluff of a fire. And they were being driven back by demons. They dragged their tongues in agony and blasphemed the God of heaven because of their suffering and wounds, yet they did not repent of their deeds. Bound by the chains of darkness and far from the night, they were held in the obscure and shadowy veil of oblivion.
The Darkness of Oblivion
The vision emphasizes the absolute, eternal darkness and the inescapable nature of the suffering.
A sound came down, disturbing them, and sad figures appeared, striking fear into them. Even the bright flames of the stars couldn't illuminate that dreadful night. For they were all bound together in a single chain of darkness. The whole world was lit by the clear light of the sun, yet a heavy night—an image of darkness—lay over them. Yet they were heavier than darkness itself. And the smoke of their torments will rise forever and ever.
The Lament of the Damned
A voice from above mocks the vanity of worldly life, followed by the agonizing cries of those who realize their eternal loss.
After this, a voice was heard from above, like thunder, which, mocking and almost reproaching, said: Where are now those who have served this world with desire since ancient times, those who have surrendered themselves to various pleasures? What good are all those things now, which have passed like a shadow? How brief is the pleasure that draws out such long suffering for eternity! O foolish and senseless ones, where are those words now that you used to say with such great joy and exultation: Come, let us enjoy the good things that are here, and let us use the creation as if we were young and swift? What good are all the sweet things now, of which you have so quickly enjoyed the fruits? Indeed, it is now fitting for you to lament and to cry out: Woe, woe to us, now and forever. Alas, for we are born, and we can no longer escape death. Alas, for we are tormented, and we cannot be freed from our sufferings. Who is there who reflects on these things and takes our torments to heart? For these things are such that whatever horrible thing could be imagined in the world would not compare to them in cruelty. Oh, how blessed is the one who remains untainted, who, after the joys of this world, has not departed, who has not looked upon vanities and false insanities. We, foolish as we are, considered their life to be madness and their end to be without honor. How are they counted among the people of God, and what is their place among the chosen? We have strayed from the path of truth; the light of justice hasn't shone on us, and the sun of understanding hasn't risen for us. We have grown weary in the way of iniquity and lostness, and we have walked difficult paths; yet we haven't known the way of the Lord. What good has pride done for us? Or what has the boasting of our divisions brought us? All those things have passed away like a shadow. The temporary things have passed away, but now the pain remains that will endure forever. Oh, the eternal punishment that will never end, the perpetual suffering of death. There is no end to this suffering, a death more grievous than any death, always dying yet never able to die. O my beloved Father, who brought me into this world, O sweet Mother, who nourished me with your maternal milk, O all of you, my dear friends and companions, farewell now, my heart, for the hour of that bitter separation has come, which is more painful than any death. Farewell, earth. Farewell, companions, whom I have cherished with such kindness. Look, we are being led to a dreadful, hellish suspension, dragged toward a terrifying punishment; you will never see joy again. O tears, flow without ceasing. O eyes, weep, and all my innermost parts wail over this unhappy separation, which is from the highest good, from that glorious and joyful face, and from the angelic company, as well as from that most blessed number of the elect, and being placed among that wretched and accursed crowd of the damned, to be tormented without end. The sound of hands clapping, the intimate groans of many hearts, the grinding of teeth, and the immense roar of spirits, the weeping and wailing in abundance, an eternal clamor that will last forever and never cease, which will always be renewed and never heard. Our wretched eyes will never see anything but misery; our ears will hear nothing but woe, woe, and sorrow. O pious hearts, look upon this endless and cruel torment; weep and lament. O mountains, fall on us; hills, cover us. Who are you holding up? Who are you waiting for? Hide us from that terrible face of the Lord's fury, from the countenance of the glory of God. Alas, alas! Why do we not prevent these greatest future evils, when strength abounds, when the time is opportune? If only we had even a single hour granted to us out of all that wasted time. But alas, by the decree of divine justice, the way to salvation is closed to us, mercy is denied, and all hope is taken away. We endure pain, misery, and eternal anguish in this land of oblivion, where there is no order, but only eternal horror. What more can be said? We miserable and wretched beings are so deeply afflicted and grieve over that eternal woe, that any conceivable end, as long as it is finite, would be a comfort to us. Therefore, if it were possible for there to be a stone so large that it could be carried around the heavens, and if a tiny bird, after a hundred thousand years, could take away from that stone only as much as the weight of a grain of sand, and again after another hundred thousand years, take away a piece of that stone, so that in a hundred thousand years it would not diminish more than the size of a grain of sand: behold, we miserable beings would be very grateful if, after such a long and complete consumption, the end of our eternal damnation could be reached. But alas, this same consolation is utterly denied to the wretched by divine justice. To this point, the words of the damned are the words of the miserable. Therefore, O son, those who are here are scourged by the scourges of their children.
The Disciple's Prayer for Mercy
Overwhelmed by the vision, the disciple pleads with God for mercy and a life united with Him.
Disciple: O terrible Judge, look, my soul is now terrified and prostrated by this horrible vision, and my knees are so weak that I can barely stand. O my God, my helper, I beg you, turn your fury away from me. Let this fearsome sentence of eternal damnation depart from me. If I must endure hardships, let your will be done in me. Grant me a complete release from this, and you won't have a complaining disciple in me anymore. This alone I ask: that you do not allow me to be separated from you. Concerning the joys of the heavenly realm.
Read the original Latin
Actum est autem post hec, et ecce discipulus cepit cogitare dies antiquos, et annos etemos in mente habere. Cumque profunde se recolligeret, et a sensibilibus prout potuit inteUectum abstraxisset: apparuit in visione fidei oculis a longe quasi quedam regio umbrosa, ignota et multum terribilis. Cumque tremefactus quid nam hoc esset’ inquireret, responsum est: Regio hec ut vides distincta, locus est penarum futurarum, quem diverse anime post egressum a corpore pro diversitate culparum in penam sortiuntur: quedam ad ipsarum purgationem, quedam vero ad etemam dampnationem. Et prout sibi ea tunc demonstrata fuerunt. Hec autem et hiis similia, tam horrenda et inmania fuerunt tormentorum genera, ut nulla sufficeret hec lingwa narrare, aut nullus sensus mortalium posset ea plene estimare. Cum autem ad se redisset, et quasi de alio mundo ut sibi videbatur ex motiva visionis presenda venisset, pre nimio timore et horrore velud homo semivivus aliquamdiu iacens in seipso contabuit.
Quedam autem ex hiis solum fidei conmunibus oculis conspexit. Respexit igitur: Et ecce de predictis locis fetor intollerabilis exoriebatur. Mallei resonantes audiebantur, tenebre profundissime densabantur, - et videbantur ibi facies demonum horribiles. Jbi erat planctus et gemitus, et alternanda mala inpios sine pietate discerpebant. Ab aquis nivium transibant ad calorem nimium. Considerabat inter hec equitatem et magnitudinem iudidorum dei, et inter cordis se prementes angustias ac sudoris guttas, que ipsum ex horrore visionis penetraverant, advertebat quoniam per que peccaverat quis, per hec et torquebatur.
Unde et in illis qui in vita sua insensate et iniuste vixerant,-per hec que coluerant, tormenta redpiebant. Raptores namque et predones ac eorum conplices, et hii qui pauperes et amicos dei dum adhuc viverent spoliaverant, vel per exacciones indebite affixerant, ad patibula quedam infernalia, supra humanam estimacionem penalia, rapti violenter suspendebantur, et ibidem torquebantur; nec tamen moriebantur, sed modo indidbili crudabantur. Non nulli edam qui sub habitu agnino mentem occultaverant leoninam, qui velud canes rabidi servos dei per maledicta et obprobria aut verba turbativa molestaverant, et confratres suos iniqua persecucione leserant, ibidem a canibus infernalibus amarissimis morsibus corrodebantur. Jbi superbi sepultura asini in inferno despective sepeliebantur, et tamquam cadavera putrida ignita proiecti, obprobrio sempiterno quod numquam delebitur addicebantur. Et pro gloria temporali et mentis elacione, qua ceteros inflati preire ambiebant, tanta penarummole ac pondere premebantur, quantum aliquis premi posset qui maximam turrem super se haberet. Bibuli vero et crapulosi et qui ventri suo servierant, velud lupi famelid fame incredibili ac siti initollerabili affigebantur: Cupientes guttam mininam aque frigide pro refrigerio lingwe sue flammarum incendio aduste recipere, et nemo illis dabat.
Sed et demones teterrimi cum situlis ardentibus iuxta eos stabant, et potum quendam sulphureum plumbo liquefacto similem, nimio calore estuantem, per os eorum in ventrem pertusum fortiter infundebant. Luxuriosi quoque et qui in deliciis carnem suam enutrieraat, et in obstinatione sua perduraverant, a serpentibus devorabantur, a bufonibus ignitis aculeis usque ad viscera torquebantur. Qui carnali ac terreno amori dediti fuerant utriusque sexus, terram infernalem pre dolore mordebant, quoniam eos demones nimium affligebant. Nam spicula ignea habentes, et estu vehementissimo eos insequentes, vulneribus sevissimis repleverunt. Sed et socias in culpa, socias habuerunt in pena. Supra, modum autem cupidi et avari ac questuarii male torquebantur.
Nam in foveis metallis bulli* entibus plenis balneabantur, et exilire cupientes absque misericordia reinpingebantur. Judicium durissimum hiis qui preerant fiebat. Fortioribus autem fortior instabat cruciatio. Et potentes ibi potenter tormenta patiebantur. 0 quis dicere queat, quantum ibi iudices inpii, rectores iniqui, deriti turpis lucri cupidi, monachi lascivi, layti violenti, mulieres procaces, saltatrices et ambitiose, et diversi quique falsi cristiani penalitatis habuere. Et quam miserabiles rugitus et clamores lamentabiles dabant, ita ut sola visionis huius afflictio omnem penam mundi quodammodo excedere videretur.
Nam et multitudo ursorum infernalium et audaces leones et novi generis animalia ira plena, ignoteque bestie vaporem igneum spirantes, odorem fumi proferentes, et horrendas ab oculis sintillas emittentes, morsu amarissimo eos dilaniaverunt. Tandem multi ex hiis in puteum abyssi, de quo fumus horribilis et fetor intollerabilis exibat proiciebantur. Aspectus eorum velud ferrum candens in modum favillarum exardebant. Et a demonibus reinpingebantur. Commanducantes lingwas suas pre dolore, et blasphemabant deum celi pre doloribus suis et vulneribus; et non egerunt penitentiam ex operibus suis. Vinculis tenebrarum et longe noctis conpediti, in obscuro ac tenebroso oblivionis velamento tenebantur.
Sonitus descendens perturbabat eos, et persone tristes apparentes pavorem eis incutiebant. Nec syderum limpide flamme illuminare poterant noctem illam horrendam. Una enim kathena tenebrarum omnes colligati erant. Omnis orbis terrarum limpido illuminabatur lumine, solis autem illis superposita erat gravis nox ymago tenebrarum. Jpsi autem sibi erant graviores tenebris. Et fumus tormentorum ipsorum ascensurus est in secula seculorum.
Post hec vox quedam desuper quasi tonitruum audiebatur, que insultando et quasi exprobrando dicebat: Ubi sunt nunc hii qui ab inido a diebus antiquis mundo huic toto servierunt desiderio, qui voluptuose viventes variis se desideriis subdiderunt? Eya quid prosunt diis nunc omnia que tamquam umbra velodter pertransierunt? Quam brevis delectado tam longam restem post se trahit eterne miserie. 0 stulti et vecordes, ubi nunc verba illa que cum leticia tanta et cordis tripudio dicere solebatis: Venite et fruamur bonis que sunt, et utamur creatura tamquam in iuventute celeriter? Quid iuvant nunc dulcia universa, quibus tam celeriter perfruiti estis? Siquidem nunc a contrario plangere vobis convenit, et plangendo exclamare ac dicere: Ve Ve nobis, iam nunc et inetemum.
Ve quia nati sumus nec ultra mori valemus. Ve quia male torquemur nec a tormentis ttmquam liberabimur. 0 quis est qui ista recogitet supplida, et hec nostra ad cor ponat tormenta? Hec enim talia sunt, ut quidquid in mundo horribile excogitari posset, hiis conparari in crudelitate non valeret. 0 quam felix incoinquinatus, qui post gaudia huius mundi 'non abiit, qui non respexit in vanitates et insanias falsas. Nos insensati vitam illorum estimabamus insaniam, et finem illorum sine honore.
Quomodo conputati sunt inter Mos dei, et inter electos sors illorum est. Ergo erravimus a via veritatis, et iustide lumen non luxit nobis, et sol intelligende non est ortus nobis. Lassati sumus in via iniquitatis et perdidonis, et ambulavimus vias difficiles; viam autem domini ignoravimus. Quid nobis profuit superbia? Aut quid dividarum iactancia contulit Googlc nobis? Transierunt omnia illa tamquam umbra.
Transiit quod temporale fuit; sed prochdolor nunc remansit quod ineternum manebit. 0 etemum numquam finem habiturum, perpetuum mortis supplicium. 0 finis sine fine, mors gravior omni morte, semper mori et tamen mori non posse. 0 my pater dilecte qui me in hunc mundum genuisti, 0 dulcis mater que maternis uberibus me lactasti, 0 vos omnes amici mei et socii dilecti, valete nunc viscera mea, quia adest hora illa separacionis amarissime, que amarior est omni morte. Vale tellus. Valete socii, quos tam benigno favore colui.
En ducimur ad horrendum infernale suspendium, ad supplicium trahimur metuendum, numquam vos de cetero cum gaudio visuri. 0 lacrime incessanter profluite. Oculi plorate, et omnia viscera mea ululate super hac infelici separatione, que est a summo bono, a facie illa gloriosa et iocunda, et a consortio angelico, nec non illo felicissimo electorum numero, ponendique ad illam miseram et maledictam ac crudelem dampnatorum turbam sine fine cruciandam. 0 manuum conplosus sonitus, 0 cordium multorum intimi gemitus, 0 stridor dentium, et fremitus spirituum inmensus, 0 ploratus et ululatus multus, 0 ineternum permansurus clamor, qui semper durabit et numquam finem habebit, qui semper renovabitur et numquam exaudietur. Oculi nostri miseri numquam aliud videbunt nisi miseriam; aures nichil aliud nisi ve ve audient atque tristitiam. 0 pia corda, istud interminabile et crudele etemum respicite, lugete et flete.
0 montes cadite super nos, colles operite nos. Quem sustinetis? Quem expectatis? Abscondite nos a facie illa terribili furoris domini, a vultu ire glorie dei. Heu heu. Cur non hec maxima futura nobis mala prevenimus, cum robur afluit, cum tempus aderat oportunum?
Utinam et de toto tempore illo inutiliter expenso super esset nobis vel una horula tante pene in remedium concessa. Sed heu sentenciante divina iusticia, preclusa est nobis salutis via, negata misericordia, spes omnis ablata. 0 dolores et miserie et ineternum permansure angustie in terra hac oblivionis, ubi nullus ordo sed sempiternus horror inhabitat. Quid plura? Nos miseri et miserabiles tantum affigimur et dolemus de illo ve etemo, ut qualiscumque terminus excogitatus dummodo finitus, esset nobis solaciosus. Unde posito per inpossibile quod esset aliquis lapis molaris adeo magnus, quod ubique circumferendam celi contingeret, et quod aliqua avicula minime quantitatis post centum milia annos veniens, de lapide predicto solummodo tantum per rostrum suum avelleret quantum est decima pars milii, et iterum post centum milia annorum curricula sicut prius, scilicet unam particulam de decem, et sic per singulas partes, ita quod in dedes centenis milibus annis non plus diminueretur quantitas lapidis nisi quantum habet in magnitudine granum unius milii: en proehdolor nos miseri multum grati essemus, quod post talem longam et plenam consumpcionem tocius lapidis finem haberet sentenda nostre eteme dampnadonis.
Sed heu hec eadem consolado miseris a divina iusticia penitus est negata. Huc usque miserorum verba dampnatorum. Taliter igitur o fili flagellabuntur qui hic a flagellis filiorum excipiuntur. «DISCIPULUS: O iudex tremende, ecce nunc anima mea ex hac quoque visione horribili territa et prostrata est, et genua dissoluta, ut vix subsistere possim. O deus meus adiutor meus, O my deus, averte obsecro furorem tuum a me. Ab6it a me hec eterne dampnadonis sentenda formidolosa.
Quod si adversa sustinere me oportet, fiat voluntas tua hic in me. Huius a me licendam plenissimam habeto, nec querulosum discipulum de cetero in me habebis. Hoc solum fadas, ut me a te ineteraum separari non permittas. De gaudiis supercetestibus.
Horologium Sapientiae (Clock of Wisdom) companion
A daily portion of stillness
Chosen Portion delivers one short contemplative reading and a guided moment of silence each day — the ascent, one step at a time.
Chosen Portion is the paced doorway into this collection: it portions the dense mystical treatises into one daily reading plus guided silence, exactly as the 14-day plan teaches.
- Daily bite-sized excerpts from the contemplative classics, never a wall of text
- A built-in timed stillness practice that grows from 2 minutes to 10
- Gentle progression through the tradition — the app remembers where you are on the ascent