just mounting into their vehicle. I shook hands with
my host and accompanied them into the coach, which immediately after
proceeded on its journey.

CHAPTER IV

Discourses on the road, and a description of the palace of
Death.

We were all silent for some minutes, till, being well shaken into our
several seats, I opened my mouth first, and related what had happened to
me after our separation in the city we had just left.

The rest of the company, except the grave female spirit whom our reader
may remember to have refused giving an account of the distemper which
occasioned her dissolution, did the same. It might be tedious to relate
these at large; we shall therefore only mention a very remarkable
inveteracy which the Surfeit declared to all the other diseases,
especially to the Fever, who, she said, by the roguery of the porters,
received acknowledgments from numberless passengers which were due to
herself. "Indeed," says she, "those cane-headed fellows" (for so she
called them, alluding, I suppose, to their ticket) "are constantly
making such mistakes; there is no gratitude in those fellows; for I
am sure they have greater obligations to me than to any other disease,
except the Vapors." These relations were no sooner over than one of the
company informed us we were approaching to the most noble building he
had ever beheld, and which we learned from our coachman was the palace
of Death. Its outside, indeed, appeared extremely magnificent. Its
structure was of the Gothic order; vast beyond imagination, the
whole pile consisting of black marble. Rows of immense yews form an
amphitheater round it of such height and thickness that no ray of the
sun ever perforates this grove, where black eternal darkness would reign
was it not excluded by innumerable lamps which are placed in pyramids
round the grove; so that the distant reflection they cast on the palace,
which is plentifully gilt with gold on the outside, is inconceivably
solemn. To this I may add the hollow murmur of winds constantly heard
from the grove, and the very remote sound of roaring waters. Indeed,
every circumstance seems to conspire to fill the mind with horror and
consternation as we approach to this palace, which we had scarce time
to admire before our vehicle stopped at the gate, and we were desired
to alight in order to pay our respects to his most mortal majesty (this
being the title which it seems he assumes). The outward court was fu