But again, says the historian, when Repentance was subdued by Glance’s plundering army, he fled to the city of Body, went to Wisdom, and after paying his homage, gave him an account of the wicked exploits of Glance’s army.
When Wisdom had heard his tale, he was much alarmed, and sending for Heart, loosed his fetters and invested him with a royal robe. Beauty’s army, said he, is composed of a people devoid of principle, false in affection and faithless: though thou hast been deceived by their machinations, do not abandon the kingdom of thy inheritance.
If, however thou art determined to go to the city of Sight, and wouldst form an alliance with Beauty, take a large army with thee from BODY, and march against the city of Sight. If thou go and be victorious, thou mayest accomplish thy desire; but if on the other hand thou be worsted, the world might excuse thee.
Heart consented reluctantly to the proposal of his father, though absorbed in grief: he had a general, named PATIENCE, remarkable for intrepidity, whom he ordered to muster the army and march against the city of Sight.
But the historian mentions, that when Heart set out for the city of Sight, Wisdom accompanied him a stage or two, attended by his courtiers, and it being reported that a flock of fawns were pasturing in the vicinity; Heart, armed with bow and arrow, went into the wilderness in pursuit of them.
The fawns, headed by Glance, when Heart appeared at a distance, seemed neither terrified nor inclined to start, till he drew nigh: then they bounded away like rays of light in seeming agitation and made another stand. In this manner they tempted Heart’s army to pursue them, now standing still, then starting off.
When Wisdom perceived Heart had entered the wilderness in chase of the fawns, and not returning after a lapse of some days, he mustered the remnant of the army, returned to the city of Body, and left Heart and the fawns wandering in the wilderness.