Saint James and the Vision of Hell

Saint James had taken a stone for seat,
Help us, Lord, and save!
And fain would rest his weary feet;
Send us, great Christ, thy grace.

And Jesus came, and bade him, hail!
"Thou now to a foreign land shalt sail/'

"To foreign lands how shall I steer,
"And neither ship nor cutter here?"

The stone with staff Lord Jesus smote,
And set the mighty mass afloat.

Gently the same began to glide,
And then a hundred miles it hied.

From window look'd the heathen king;
"I never saw a stranger thing.

"Such wonder never met mine eyes;
"Yon rock with a man upon it flies.

"What dost thou in my land design?
"My God is better far than thine."

"If better thou thy God hast found,
"Bring me the son yestre'en was drown'd."

"No son of mine was drowned yestre'en,
"My son was lost years now fifteen."

Saint James the Holy Bible took,
And sang by turns and read the book.

A chapter read, a chapter sang,
Till on his feet the deadman sprang.

He floated up so white and red,
As though he never had been dead.

"Tell me, my child, where hast thou been,
"So many years since thee I've seen?"

Father, I've stood at heaven's high door,
"Where all are glad, and grieve no more;

"And down to the gates of hell I've gone,
"Where those must sit, who ill have done;

"Seen her, who once her mother slew,
"On red-hot stool the murder rue;

"Seen him, by whom his father died,
"In hell on red-hot saddle ride;

"The hostess, she who mix'd her wine,
"In hell I've seen her sit and pine;

"The trader, he who falsely weight,
"In hell I've seen his theft repaid;

"The bailiff too, with hat so high,
"In hell I've heard for taxes cry;

"And seen the spoilt unruly chit
"In hell on glowing iron sit.

"Over them hangs a cloak of lead,
"And melts, as burns the fire so red."