ON THE DEPARTURE OF TUNDALE’S SOUL.
Tundale said that when his soul departed from his body and he realized that it was dead, mindful of his faults, he began to grow frightened and had no idea what to do. Truly, he was afraid, but he did not know what he feared. He wanted to return to his body, but he was unable to enter it; he wanted to go further on, but he was frightened on every side. And so, this most wretched soul pondered his options, mindful of his faults, confessing in nothing except for the mercy of God. Then after hesitating for a little while and weeping and crying out, this trembling soul still did not know what to do. At last, he saw a great multitude of unclean spirits coming toward him, so many that they not only filled the entire house and courtyard, in which the dead man tarried, but also there was no place throughout the quarters and streets of the city that was not full of them. Moreover, as they surrounded that miserable soul, they were eager not to console him, but to bring him to the verge of tears, saying, “Let us sing the song of death owed to this poor soul, because he is the child of death and fuel for the fire that does not go out, a friend of the shadows, an enemy of the light.” And they all turned to him, gnashing their teeth at him and with their claws they tore at their own horrid faces in their excessive rage, saying, “Behold, poor soul, the people whom you chose, with whom you will descend to burn in the depth of Hell. Nurturer of scandal, lover of discord, why are you not proud? Why do you not commit adultery? Why do you not fornicate? Where is your vanity and your empty delight? Where is your unrestrained laughter? Where is your bravery, that allowed you to insult so many? Why do you not wink now with your eyes, as you used to do? Will you not drag your foot, nor speak with your finger, nor contrive evil with your depraved heart?” Terrified by these and similar words, the wretched soul could do nothing other than cry, awaiting death delivered to him without delay by all of the unclean spirits in attendance. But the almighty, holy, and merciful Lord, dispensing all things well by his secret judgment, did not desire the death of this sinner and agreed to offer a remedy to him alone after his death; indeed, the Lord tempered his misery, as he wished.
For the Lord sent his angel to meet Tundale’s soul. Watching him coming from a distance like the brightest star, Tundale held his gaze upon him without wavering and hoped that he would receive some counsel from him. Once the angel had approached him, he greeted Tundale, calling him by name, saying, “Hail, Tundale, what are you doing?” Seeing a handsome youth—for the angel had a beautiful countenance among the sons of humankind—and hearing himself called by his own name, with tears that poor man blurted out with joy in such a voice, “Oh, lord father, the sorrows of Hell surround me; the snares of death have seized me.”2 The angel said to him, “Why do you call me lord and father? You had me with you always and everywhere and you never judged me worthy of such a name.” Tundale responded, “Lord, where have I ever seen you? Or where have I ever heard your very sweet voice?” The angel responded to him, “I have always followed you from the time of your birth, wherever you went, and you never wished to comply with my counsels.” And pointing to one of the unclean spirits that had insulted Tundale with curses more so than the rest, the angel said, “Behold, you followed this one’s counsels, and you neglected my will entirely. But because God always puts mercy before justice, his undeserved mercy will not be absent, even for you. Be very happy and untroubled, because you will suffer only a few of the many torments that you would have suffered if the mercy of our redeemer had not come down to you. Therefore, follow me and lock away in your memory everything that I show to you, because you have to return to your body again.” Then that soul, terrified beyond measure, went with the angel, leaving behind the body over which he had been standing. Hearing this and realizing that they could not carry him off, the demons and other evil creatures, which had threatened his soul a few moments before, raised their voices to heaven, saying, “O how unjust and cruel is God, for he mortifies them as he wishes and revives them as he wishes, not as he promised: to render each one according to his own work and merit. He frees souls that should not be freed and damns those that should not be damned.” And with these words, they rose up against each other and, in whatever way they could, they struck one another with blows and then, leaving behind an excessive stench, they retreated with great sadness and disdain. Moving forward, the angel said to Tundale’s soul, “Follow me.” He responded, “Oh, my lord, if I go any further, they will tear me away and drag me into the everlasting fires.” The angel said to him, “Do not fear them, for there are more on our side than on theirs. If God is with us, who can stand against us? Indeed, two thousand fall on our left side and ten thousand on our right, so that nothing will approach you. Nevertheless, you will examine with your own eyes and witness the punishment of sinners. And you will suffer, just as I said, a few of the many torments that you deserve.” And as soon as he finished speaking, they set out.