“Now go,” he said, “for him most guilty of it 1012 At a beast’s tail behold I dragged along Towards the valley where is no repentance. Faster at every step the beast is going, Increasing evermore until it smites him, And leaves the body vilely mutilated. Not long those wheels shall turn,” and he uplifted His eyes to heaven, “ere shall be clear to thee That which my speech no farther can declare. Now stay behind; because the time so precious Is in this kingdom, that I lose too much By coming onward thus abreast with thee.” As sometimes issues forth upon a gallop A cavalier from out a troop that ride, And seeks the honor of the first encounter, So he with greater strides departed from us; And on the road remained I with those two, Who were such mighty marshals of the world. 1013 And when before us he had gone so far Mine eyes became to him such pursuivants As was my understanding to his words, Appeared to me with laden and living boughs