In 1924, while in prison, Douglas, in an echo of Wilde's composition of "De Profundis" (Latin for "From the Depths") during his incarceration, wrote his last major poetic work, "In Excelsis" (In the Highest), which contains 17 cantos. Since the prison authorities would not allow Douglas to take the manuscript with him when he was released, he had to rewrite the work from memory. Douglas maintained that his health never recovered from his harsh prison ordeal, which included sleeping on a plank bed without a mattress.