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On the eighth day the souls of the pilgrims resumed their

journey, and in four days came to a spot whence they looked down

upon a line of light, in colour like a rainbow, only brighter and

clearer. One day more brought them to the place, and they saw

that this was the column of light which binds together the whole

universe. The ends of the column were fastened to heaven, and

from them hung the distaff of Necessity, on which all the

heavenly bodies turned-the hook and spindle were of adamant, and

the whorl of a mixed substance. The whorl was in form like a

number of boxes fitting into one another with their edges turned

upwards, making together a single whorl which was pierced by the

spindle. The outermost had the rim broadest, and the inner whorls

were smaller and smaller, and had their rims narrower.