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The colloquies of Desiderius Erasmus concerning men, manners and things (1900)
The colloquies of Desiderius Erasmus concerning men manners and things - 1900 Author:Desiderius Erasmus Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHARON THE ARGUMENT Charon detests Christians fighting one with another. An evil Genius brings News to Charon, that all the Earth was up in Arms for ... more »War: Ossa, the Goddess Fame in Homer, the Monks and Jesuits, are the Incendiaries CHARON, Genius ALASTOR- Ch. Whither are you going so brisk, and in such Haste, Alastor? Al. O Charon, you come in the Nick of Time, I was coming to you. Ch. Well, what news do you bring ? Al. I bring a Message to you and Proserpine, that you will be glad to hear. Ch. Out with what you have brought, and lighten your Burden. Al. The Furies have been no less diligent than they have been successful, in gaining their Point: there is not a Foot of Ground upon Earth, that they have not infected with their hellish Calamities, Seditions, Wars, Robberies, and Plagues ; so that they are grown quite bald, having shed their Snakes, and having quite spit all their Venom, they ramble about in search after whatever they can find of Vipers and Asps ; being become as smooth as an Egg, not having so much as a single Hair upon their Heads, and not one Drop of Venom more in their Breasts. Do you get your Boat and your Oars ready ; you will have such a vast Multitude of Ghosts come to you anon, that I 'm afraid you won't be able to carry them all over yourself. Ch. I could have told you that. Al. How came you to know it ? Ch. Ossa brought me that News above two Days ago. Al. Nothing is more swift than that Goddess. But what makes you loitering here, having left your Boat ? Ch. My Business brought me hither ; I came hither to provide myself with a good strong Three-Oar'd Boat: for my Boat is so rotten and leaky with Age, that it will not carry such a Burden, if Ossa told me true. But, indeed, what Need was there of Ossa? for t...« less