THE HASHEESH EATER
of producing muscular weakness, yet the universal law of
constantly accelerating diabolisation of visions held good as
much in my case as in any others; but a thing of horror
once experienced became a «ria & dei, an inalienable dower
of hell; it was certain to reproduce itself in some—to God
be the thanks if not in all—future visions. I had seen,
for instance, in one of my states of ecstasy, a luminous spot
on the firmament, a prismatic parhelion. In the midst of my
delight of gazing on it, it had transferred itself mysteriously
to my own heart, and there became a circle of fire, which
gradually ate its way until the whole writhing organ was in a
torturous blaze. That spot, seen again in an after-vision,
through the memory of its former pain instantly wrought out
for me the same accursed result. The number of such re-
membered faggots of fuel for direful suggestion of course
increased proportionally to the prolonging of the hasheesh life,
until at length there was hardly a visible or tangible object,
hardly a phrase which could be spoken, that had not some such
infernal potency as connected with an earlier effect of suffering.
Slowly thus does midnight close over the hasheesh-eater’s
heaven. One by one, upon its pall thrice dyed in Acharon,
do the baleful lustres appear, until he walks under a hemi-
sphere flaming with demon lamps, and upon a ground paved
with tiles of hell. Out of this awful domain there are but
three ways. Thank God that over this alluring gateway is
not written,
“ Lasciate ogni speranza voi ch’ entrate !”
The first of these exits is insanity, the second death, the
third abandonment. The first is doubtless oftenest trodden,
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