De pena insidiatorum et perfidorum
A Mountain of Fearful Extremes
Tnugdali and his guide arrive at a vast, horrible mountain with a narrow path flanked by rotten sulfurous fire on one side and snow, ice, and fierce wind on the other.
So they set out and came to a mountain of wonderfully great size, of great horror and vast solitude. This mountain offered those crossing it a very narrow path. For on one side of that path there was a rotten fire. Sulfurous. And dark; but on the other side, snow and ice. And with the hail, a horrible wind.
The Torturers Who Bar the Way
The mountain is filled with torturers armed with blazing pitchforks and tridents who slaughter souls attempting to cross, casting them between sulfur, snow, hail, and fire.
There was indeed a mountain on this side, set apart for punishing the souls of the torturers, so full that no safe passage appeared to those wishing to cross. The aforementioned torturers themselves also had blazing iron pitchforks and the sharpest tridents at the ready. With these they slaughtered the souls who wanted to cross over, and dragged them off to their punishments. And meanwhile, wretchedly entangled from afar. They paid their penalties in bread of sulfur. Slaughtered by those very instruments. They were hurled into the region of snow, and then in turn out of the midst of hail. They were thrown into the flame of fire.
Terror and Trust Before the Guide
Terrified by what she sees, Tnugdali cries out to the angel, who reassures her not to be afraid but to follow him.
At the sight of these things, she was terrified as she stood there. She said to the angel who was leading her on ahead. Lord, I'm asking: since I can see the traps laid out openly for my destruction, how can I possibly make this journey? The angel answered her. Don't be afraid. Just follow me, or go ahead of me.
Passing Forward with the Angel
The angel goes ahead and Tnugdali follows him as before, moving onward through the perilous place.
And then the angel went ahead, and she followed as before.
Read the original Latin
Igitur profecti venerunt ad montem mire magnitudinis; magni horroris et vaste solitudinis. Qui mons transeuntibus angustum valde prebebat iter. Erat namque ex una parte illius iteneris ignis putridus. sulphureus. atque tenebrosus; ex altera autem pane nix glatialis. et cum grandine ventus hororibilis.
Erat vero mons hinc et rode preparatus ad puniendum animas tortorum plenus; ita ut nullus transitus transire volentibus appareret tutus. Ipsi quoque prefati tortores furcas ferreas habebant ignitas; et acutissimos tridentes preparatos. quibus iugulabant animas transire volentes; et trahebant ad penas. Dumque misere longius involute. penas luerent in pane sulphuris. predictis instrumentis iugulate. proiciebantur in partem nivis; et versa vice de medio grandinis. proiciebantur in flammam ignis.
His visis; illa admodum dum metuebat. dixit ad angelum qui eam precedebat. 'Rogo domine dum paratas insidias ad interniciem meam aperte video; iter istud arripere quomodo valebo?' Respondit ei. 'Noli timere; sed me sequere aut precede.'
Et tunc precessit angelus; et illa sequebatur sicut prius.
Visions of Tondal (Les Visions du chevalier Tondal) companion
Tondal came back and changed how he lived daily. That's the whole point.
Chosen Portion builds the daily practice Tondal's vision demanded: a morning reading that keeps eternity in view.
The Visio was written 'for the edification of many' as a spur to daily amendment of life, and Chosen Portion supplies that daily spur with a morning reading and evening examen.
- A daily portion from historic texts on living well and dying well
- The complete 27-chapter Visions of Tondal in modern readable English
- A built-in daily examen prompt — 2 minutes at day's end