on silently, quietly, as in thought, looking heavenward, and bearing themselves affably towards all, and they were insignificant and ragged, exhausted by fasting and thirst; but the others but laughed at them, cried shame on them, hissed them, scratched and toused them, pointed at them with their fingers, tripped them up, and mocked them. But they, enduring everything, went their way, as if they had been blind, deaf, dumb. Now when I saw them come forth from behind the railing and enter the choir, I wished to enter there also and see what they had there. But the interpreter pulled me back. "What dost thou wish to do there? Dost thou desire to become a laughing-stock? That were indeed a desirable thing!" So I entered not, and, alas! I overlooked this spot, deceived by my evil companion, Falsehood. I missed here the centre of heaven and earth, and the road leading to the place where man is saturated with joy. I was again led into the turmoil of the labyrinth of the world, till my God saved me and guided me back again to the path which I had left at this spot. What then befell,[1] and how it befell, I shall tell later; but at the time I judged not thus, for
- ↑ Komensky here refers to his mystical union with God, which he describes in those chapters of his book, the last ones, that are entitled the "Paradise of the Heart."
more extensively in the last chapters of this book. As so many passages in Komensky's masterpiece have an autobiographic character, it may be well to mention that he is in this chapter referring to the imaginary "pilgrim." Komensky himself belonged to the Unity during his whole life.
