From this so great a torment they led me to another torment where there was a great house, all smoking like an oven or furnace; and it was so long that I could not see the end. While the devils were dragging me over there, when I was a little to the fore I wished to stop a little because I felt so great a heat that I could no longer walk. And the devils ordered me:
‘Why are you stopping? This is a thing to bathe in, whether you want to or not. — with those who were bathing there.’
And when I saw closer up, I heard people weeping and crying most piteously; and when I enter that house, I saw that it was full of round pits which were so near to each other that one could find no way through. And each of these pits was full inside of metals, all molten and burning, and there people dived into molten lead; and others in boiling copper; and others in iron which by the force of the fire and the great heat seemed to be red wine; and other in silver so hot and boiling that it seemed to be clear water; and others in gold so hot and all molten it was as bright as the sun.
Thus many sorts of people of diverse estates were in great torments and they were all naked; and all I had seen of torments seemed as nothing compared to that for all those who were there seemed to be standing on their toes and they all looked towards a wind which to me seemed that called tramontana (NW wind) and it seemed as if they were awaiting death and they shivered most narrowly and curiously. And then I wondered much and one of the devils said to me:
‘You are wondering why these people are so afraid, what it is they are awaiting; but if you do not turn back you will find it out very soon.’