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the braggart’s side, spoke to him calming words to slumber
his great fear, advertising how it was no other thing but a
hubbub noise that he heard, the discharge of fluid from the
thunderhead, look you, having taken place, and all of the
order of a natural phenomenon.
But was young Boasthard’s fear vanquished by Calmer’s
words? No, for he had in his bosom a spike named Bitter-
ness which could not by words be done away. And was he
then neither calm like the one nor godly like the other? He
was neither as much as he would have liked to be either. But
could he not have endeavoured to have found again as in his
youth the bottle Holiness that then he lived withal? Indeed
no for Grace was not there to find that bottle. Heard he then
in that clap the voice of the god Bringforth or, what Calm-
er said, a hubbub of Phenomenon? Heard? Why, he could
not but hear unless he had plugged him up the tube Under-
standing (which he had not done). For through that tube he
saw that he was in the land of Phenomenon where he must
for a certain one day die as he was like the rest too a passing
show. And would he not accept to die like the rest and pass
away? By no means would he though he must nor would he
make more shows according as men do with wives which
Phenomenon has commanded them to do by the book Law.
Then wotted he nought of that other land which is called
Believe-on-Me, that is the land of promise which behoves to
the king Delightful and shall be for ever where there is no
death and no birth neither wiving nor mothering at which
all shall come as many as believe on it? Yes, Pious had told
him of that land and Chaste had pointed him to the way but