This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1862 edition. Excerpt: ...dost thou weep?" The third at--" Leave us to weep." The fourth--" And so deject her look." A few days after this it chanced that a most painful infirmity attacked me in a certain part of my body, which for many days caused me excruciating pain, whereby I was reduced to a state of such extreme weakness that I was unable to move. On the ninth day, at a moment when I felt the pain to be unbearable, the thought of my lady stole into my mind. And after I had mused concerning her for some time, my thoughts reverted to my own enfeebled life, and seeing hgw fleeting must be its duration, even although it should be unshaken by disease, I began to mourn inwardly at the thought of all this misery. Whereupon, sighing heavily, I said within myself, " It needs must be that the most gentle Beatrice shall die! " and at this thought I was so overwhelmed with dismay, that I closed my eyes, and began to be disquieted like one beside himself, and to see strange visions, as thus: --In the first wanderings of my fancy, there appeared to me the faces of women with dishevelled hair, who said to me, " Thou shalt surely die! " And after these certain other faces appeared to me, which were horrible to behold, and which said to me, " Thou art dead!" My fancy having thus begun to wander, I came at last to such a point that I knew not where I was; and it seemed to me as though I beheld women pass before me weeping, with dishevelled hair, all marvellously sad; and, methought, I saw the sun darkened, so that the stars were visible, and of a colour that made me think they wept; and methought the birds, as they flew by, fell dead, and that the earth quaked fearfully. And as I lay wrapt in wonder at these fancies, and grievously afraid, I fancied that a friend came to me and said, ...