"The House of Judgment," from Poems in Prose
Autograph manuscript signed, ca. 1893. 6 p.
Gift of Lucia Moreira Salles, 2008
Page 1
Print all this paper in italics.
Send proof to Oscar Wilde
Babbecombe [i.e., Babbacombe] Cliff
Babbecombe
The House of Judgment.
And there was silence in the House of Judgment, and the Man came naked before God. [And God opened the Book of the Life of the Man, and saw what was written therein.
And God said to the Man, "thy life hath been evil, and thou hast shown cruelty to those who were in need of succour, and to those who lacked help thou has't been bitter and hard of heart. The poor called to thee, and thou dids't not listen hearken, and thine ears were closed to the cry of the afflicted. The gold that I gave thee thou dids't hoard for thy pleasures, and the hungry went hungry from thine thy house courts of ivory, and thou dids't beat away drive the beggar from the cool shadow of thy gates. The inheritance of the fatherless thou dids't take unto thyself, and thou dids't send thy foxes into the vineyard of thy neighbour's field. Thou dids't take the bread of the children and give it to the dogs to eat, and the lepers who lived in the marshes, thou and were at peace and praised me, thou dids't drive forth on to the highways. so that they were slain Pity was