Page:The Labyrinth of the World and the Paradise of the Heart.pdf/98

wretched people had. They mostly had children around them, who were attached to them by bridles; these screamed, squalled, stank, soiled themselves, groaned, and died, and I am silent as regards the pain, the tears, the dangers to the lives of their mothers, with which they entered into the world. If a child grew up there was twofold trouble with it; one was to hold it back by means of the bridle, the other to drive it on by means of the spur; and often the children, suffering neither bridle nor spur, made wondrous mischievous endeavours, causing to their parents weariness and tears. But if they allowed them to act according to their will or tore themselves away from them, shame and death herethrough befell the parents. And marking this, I began to admonish some of the people, both parents and children, warning the former against foolish love for their children and too great forbearance with them, whilst I admonished the latter to be somewhat more virtuous. But I achieved little beyond this, that they looked at me peevishly, threw jests at me, and some even menaced to kill me. And when I saw some who were sterile I declared them happy; but they also complained and lamented that their life was joyless. Thus, then, did I understand that both to have and not to have offspring is misery. Also had almost each couple with them and around them stranger folk to serve them and theirs; they often had to bestow more care on these than on themselves and their family, and besides had to suffer much discomfort