{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_7088/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_7088","id":"gutenberg_7088","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/7088","summary":null,"tags":["Category: British Literature","Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Christian fiction","Christian pilgrims and pilgrimages -- Fiction"],"text":"Produced by Bruce W. Miller\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE PILGRIM'S PROGRESS IN WORDS OF ONE SYLLABLE\n\n\nby Mary Godolphin\n\n\n\n\nAUTHOR'S PREFACE\n\nIn offering to the public another volume on my plan of reducing popular\ntales into words of One Syllable exclusively, I wish it to be clearly\nunderstood that it is intended for Adult Beginners, no less than for\nChildren. There is a large class of persons who do not begin to acquire\nthe art of reading till somewhat late in life, and it is for such that I\nthink a book of this Character is peculiarly applicable.\n\nIt may be objected that my system involves the use of words which,\nthough short, are difficult to understand and might be made more\nintelligible in polysyllabic language. But I have endeavored as far as\npossible to avoid hard and technical expressions, and I cannot but\nthink that the mere fact of the brevity of the words must be a great\nattraction to beginners of all ages. By this method the labor of\ndividing and accentuating words is avoided: a difficulty which pupils\nwho have only attained to the knowledge of monosyllables cannot conquer\nby independent effort.\n\nI take this opportunity of acknowledging the great favor with which my\nprevious books of the same character have been received, and I am glad\nto hear that they have been found useful as Prizes in Schools.\n\nI have thought it necessary to retain all the names of Persons and\nPlaces in their original form, but this is the only exception to my\ngeneral rule.\n\n\n\n\nPILGRIM'S PROGRESS\n\n\n\n\nPART I.\n\nAs I went through the wild waste of this world, I came to a place where\nthere was a den, and I lay down in it to sleep. While I slept I had a\ndream, and lo! I saw a man whose clothes were in rags and he stood with\nhis face from his own house, with a book in his hand, and a great load\non his back. I saw him read from the leaves of a book, and as he read,\nhe wept and shook with fear; and at length he broke out with a loud cry,\nand said, What shall I do to save my soul?\n\nSo in this plight he went home, and as long as he could he held his\npeace, that his wife and babes should not see his grief. But at length\nhe told them his mind, and thus he spoke, O my dear wife, and you my\nbabes, I, your dear friend, am full of woe, for a load lies hard on me;\nand more than this, I have been told that our town will be burnt with\nfire, in which I, you my wife, and you my sweet babes, shall be lost, if\nmeans be not found to save us.\n\nThis sad tale struck all who heard him with awe, not that they thought\nwhat he said to them was true, but that they had fears that some weight\nmust be on his mind; so, as night now drew near, they were in hopes that\nsleep might soothe his brain, and with all haste they got him to bed.\n\nWhen the morn broke, they sought to know how he did? He told them, Worse\nand worse; and he set to talk once more in the same strain as he had\ndone; but they took no heed of it. By and by, to drive off his fit, they\nspoke harsh words to him; at times they would laugh, at times they would\nchide, and then set him at nought. So he went to his room to pray for\nthem, as well as to nurse his own grief. He would go, too, into the\nwoods to read and muse, and thus for some weeks he spent his time.\n\nNow I saw, in my dream, that one day as he took his walk in the fields\nwith his book in his hand, he gave a groan,--for he felt as if a cloud\nwere on his soul,--and he burst out as he was wont to do, and said, Who\nwill save me? I saw, too, that he gave wild looks this way and that, as\nif he would rush off; yet he stood still, for he could not tell which\nway to go. At last, a man, whose name was Evangelist, came up to him and\nsaid, Why dost thou weep?\n\nHe said, Sir, I see by this book in my hand that I am to die, and that\nthen God will judge me. Now I dread to die.\n\nEvangelist.--Why do you fear to die, since this life is fraught with\nwoe?\n\nThe man said, I fear lest a hard doom should wait me, and that this load\non my back will make me sink down, till at last, I shall find I am in\nTophet.\n\nIf this be your case, said Evangelist, why do you stand still?\n\nBut the man said, I know not where to go.\n\nThen he gave him a scroll with these words on it, Fly from the wrath to\ncome.\n\nWhen the man read it he said, Which way must I fly?\n\nEvangelist held out his hand to point to a gate in the wide field, and\nsaid, Do you see the Wicket Gate?\n\nThe man said, No.\n\nDo you see that light?\n\nHe then said, I think I do.\n\nKeep that light in your eye, quoth Evangelist, and go straight up to it;\nso shall you see the gate, at which, when you knock, it shall be told\nyou what you are to do.\n\nThen I saw in my dream that Christian--for that was his name--set off to\nrun.\n\nNow he had not gone far from his own door, when his wife and young ones,\nwho saw him, gave a loud wail to beg of him to come back; but the man\nput his hands to his ears, and ran on with a cry of Life! Life! The\nfriends of his wife, too, came out to see him run, and as he went, some\nwere heard to mock him, some to use threats, and there were two who set\noff to fetch him back by force, the names of whom were Obstinate and\nPliable. Now, by this time, the man had gone a good way off, but at last\nthey came up to him.\n\nThen said Christian, Friends, why are you come?\n\nTo bid you go back with us, said they.\n\nBut, quoth he, that can by no means be; you dwell in the City of\nDestruction, the place where I, too, was born. I know it to be so, and\nthere you will die and sink down to a place which burns with fire; be\nwise, good friends, and come with me.\n\nWhat! and leave our good, and all out kith and kin?\n\nYes, said Christian, for that all which you might leave is but a grain\nto that which I seek, and if you will go with me and hold it firm, you\nshall fare as well as I; for there, where I go, you will find all you\nwant and to spare. Come with me, and prove my words.\n\nObstinate.--What are the things you seek, since you leave all the world\nto find them?\n\nChristian.--I seek those joys that fade not, which are laid up in a\nplace of bliss--safe there for those who go in search of them. Read it\nso, if you will, in my book.\n\nObstinate.--Tush! Off with your book. Will you go back with us or no?\n\nChristian.--No, not I, for I have laid my hand to the plough.\n\nObstinate.--Come, friend Pliable, let us turn back and leave him; there\nis a troop of such fools who, when they take up with a whim by the end,\nare more wise in their own eyes than ten men who know how to think.\n\nPliable.--Nay, do not scorn him; if what the good Christian says is\ntrue, the things he looks to are of more worth than ours: my heart leans\nto what he says.\n\nObstinate.--What! more fools still! Go back, go back, and be wise.\n\nChristian.--Nay, but do you come with your friend Pliable; there are\nsuch things to be had as those I just spoke of, and more too. If you\ngive no heed to me, read here in this book which comes to us from God,\nwho could not lie.\n\nPliable.--Well, friend Obstinate, I think now I have come to a point;\nand I mean to go with this good man, and to cast my lot in with his.\nThen said he to Christian, Do you know the way to the place you speak\nof?\n\nChristian.--I am told by a man whose name is Evangelist, to do my best\nto reach a gate that is in front of us, where I shall be told how to\nfind the way.\n\nSo they went on side by side.\n\nObstinate.--And I will go back to my place; I will not be one of such\nvain folk.\n\nNow I saw in my dream, that when Obstinate was gone back, Christian and\nPliable set off to cross the plain, and they spoke thus as they went:--\n\nChristian.--Well, Pliable, how do you do now? I am glad you have a mind\nto go with me.\n\nPliable.--Come, friend Christian, since there are none but we two here,\ntell me more of the things of which we go in search.\n\nChristian.--I can find them in my heart, though I know not how to speak\nof them with my tongue; but yet, since you wish to know, this book tells\nus of a world that hast no bounds, and a life that has no end.\n\nPliable.--Well said, and what else?\n\nChristian.--That there are crowns of light in store for us, and robes\nthat will make us shine like the sun.\n\nPliable.--This, too, is good; and what else?\n\nChristian.--That there shall be no more care nor grief for he that owns\nthe place will wipe all tears from our eyes.\n\nPliable.--And what friends shall we find there?\n\nChristian.--There we shall be with all the saints, in robes so bright\nthat our eyes will grow dim to look on them. There shall we meet those\nwho in this world have stood out for the faith, and have been burnt\non the stake, and thrown to wild beasts, for the love they bore to the\nLord. They will not harm us, but will greet us with love, for they all\nwalk in the sight of God.\n\nPliable.--But how shall we get to share all this?\n\nChristian.--The Lord of that land saith, if we wish to gain that world\nwe shall be free to have it.\n\nPliable.--Well, my good friend, glad am I to hear of these thing: come\non, let us mend our pace.\n\nChristian.--I can not go so fast as I would, for this load on my back.\n\nThen I saw in my dream that just as they had come to an end of this\ntalk, they drew near to a slough that was in the midst of the plain,\nand as they took no heed, they both fell in. The name of the slough\nwas Despond. Here they lay for a time in the mud; and the load that\nChristian had on his back made him sink all the more in the mire.\n\nPliable.--Ah! friend Christian, where are you now?\n\nChristian.--In truth, I do no know.\n\nThen Pliable said to his friend, Is this the bliss of which you have\ntold me all this while? If we have such ill speed when we first set out,\nwhat may we look for twixt this and the end of our way? And with that he\ngot out of the mire on that side of the slough which was next to his own\nhouse; then off he went, and Christian saw him no more.\n\nSo Christian was left to strive in the Slough of Despond as well as he\ncould; yet his aim was to reach that side of the slough that was next\nThe Wicket Gate, which at last he did, but he could not get out for the\nload that was on his back; till I saw in my dream that a man came to him\nwhose name was Help.\n\nWhat do you do here? said Help.\n\nChristian.--I was bid to go this way by Evangelist, who told me to pass\nup to yon gate, that I might flee from the wrath to come, and on my way\nto it I fell in here.\n\nHelp.--But why did you not look for the steps?\n\nChristian.--Fear came so hard on me that I fled the next way and fell\nin.\n\nHelp.--Give me your hand.\n\nSo he gave him his hand, and he drew him out, and set him on firm\nground, and bade him go on his way.\n\nThen in my dream I went up to Help and said to him, Sir, since this\nplace is on the way from The City of Destruction to The Wicket Gate, how\nis it that no one mends this patch of ground, so that those who come by\nmay not fall in the slough?\n\nHelp.--This slough is such a place as no one can mend. It is the spot to\nwhich doth run the scum and filth that wait on sin, and that is why men\ncall it the Slough of Despond. When the man of sin wakes up to a sense\nof his own lost state, doubts and fears rise up in his soul, and all of\nthem drain down and sink in this place: and it is this that makes the\nground so bad. True there are good and sound steps in the midst of the\nslough, but at times it is hard to see them; or if they be seen, men's\nheads are so dull that they step on one side, and fall in the mire. But\nthe ground is good when they have once got in at the gate.\n\nNow I saw in my dream that by this time Pliable had gone back to his\nhouse once more, and that his friends came to see him: some said how\nwise it was to come home, and some that he was a fool to have gone.\nSome, too, were found to mock him, who said--Well, had I set out, I\nwould not have been so base as to come back for a slough in the road. So\nPliable was left to sneak off; but at last he got more heart, and then\nall were heard to turn their taunts, and laugh at poor Christian. Thus\nmuch for Pliable.\n\nNow as Christian went on his way he saw a man come through the field to\nmeet him, whose name was Mr. Worldly Wiseman, and he dwelt in the town\nof Carnal Policy, which was near that whence Christian came. He\nhad heard some news of Christian; for his flight from The City of\nDestruction had made much noise, and was now the talk far and near. So\nhe said, How now, good Sir, where do you go with such a load on your\nback?\n\nChristian.--In truth, it is a load; and if you ask me where I go, I must\ntell you, Sir, I must go the The Wicket Gate in front of me, for there I\nshall be put in a way to get quit of my load.\n\nWorldly Wiseman.--Have you not a wife and babes?\n\nChristian.--Yes, but with this load I do not seem to care for them as I\ndid; and, in truth, I feel as if I had none.\n\nWorldly Wiseman.--Will you hear me if I speak my mind to you?\n\nChristian.--If what you say be good, I will, for I stand much in need of\nhelp.\n\nWorldly Wiseman.--I would urge you then, with all speed, to get rid of\nyour load; for you will not be at rest till then.\n\nChristian.--That is just what I seek to do. But there is no man in our\nland who can take if off me.\n\nWorldly Wiseman.--Who bade you go this way to be rid of it?\n\nChristian.--One that I took to be a great and true man; his name is\nEvangelist.\n\nWorldly Wiseman.--Hark at what I say: there is no worse way in the world\nthan that which he has sent you, and that you will find if you take him\nfor your guide. In this short time you have met with bad luck, for I see\nthe mud of the Slough of Despond is on your coat. Hear me, for I have\nseen more of the world than you; in the way you go, you will meet with\npain, woe, thirst, the sword too,--in a word, death! Take no heed of\nwhat Evangelist tells you.\n\nChristian.--Why, Sir, this load on my back is worse to me than all those\nthings which you speak of; nay, I care not what I meet with in the way,\nif I can but get rid of my load.\n\nWorldly Wiseman.--How did you come by it at first?\n\nChristian.--Why, I read this book.\n\nWorldly Wiseman.--Like more weak men I know, who aim at things too high\nfor them you have lost heart, and run in the dark at great risk, to gain\nyou know not what.\n\nChristian.--I know what I would gain, it is ease for my load.\n\nWorldly Wiseman.--But why will you seek for ease thus, when I could put\nyou in the way to aid it where there would be no risk; and the cure is\nat hand.\n\nChristian.--Pray, Sir, tell me what that way is.\n\nWorldly Wiseman.--Well, in yon town, which you can see from hence--the\nname of which is Morality--there dwells a man whose name is Legality,\na wise man, and a man of some rank, who has skill to help men off with\nsuch loads as yours from their backs; I know he has done a great deal\nfor good in that way; aye, and he has the skill to cure those who, from\nthe loads they bear, are not quite sound in their wits. To him as I\nsaid, you may go and get help. His house in but a mile from this place,\nand should he not be at home, he has a son whose name is Civility, who\ncan do it just as well as his sire. There, I say, you may go to get rid\nof your load. I would not have you go back to your old home, but you can\nsend for your wife and babes, and you will find that food there is cheap\nand good.\n\nNow was Christian brought to a stand; but by and by he said, Sir, which\nis my way to this good man's house?\n\nWorldly Wiseman.--Do you see that hill?\n\nChristian.--Yes, I do.\n\nWorldly Wiseman.--By that hill you must go, and the first house you come\nto is his.\n\nSo Christian went out of his way to find Mr. Legality's house to seek\nfor help.\n\nBut, lo, when he had got close up to the hill, it was so steep and high\nthat he had fear lest it should fall on his head; so he stood still, for\nhe knew not what to do. His load, too, was of more weight to him than\nwhen he was on the right road. Then came flames of fire out of the hill,\nthat made him quake for fear lest he should be burnt. And now it was a\ngreat grief to him that he had lent his ear to Worldly Wiseman; and it\nwas well that he just then saw Evangelist come to meet him; though\nat the sight of him he felt a deep blush on his face for shame. So\nEvangelist drew near, and when he came up to him, he said, with a sad\nlook; What dost thou here, Christian?\n\nTo these words Christian knew not what to say, so he stood quite mute.\nThen Evangelist went on thus: Art not thou the man that I heard cry in\nThe City of Destruction?\n\nChristian.--Yes, dear Sir, I am the man.\n\nEvangelist.--Did not I point out to thee the way to the Wicket Gate?\n\nChristian.--Yes, you did, Sir.\n\nEvangelist.--How is it, then, that thou hast so soon gone out of the\nway?\n\nChristian.--When I had got out of the Slough of Despond I met a man\nwho told me that in a town near, I might find one who could take off my\nload.\n\nEvangelist.--What was he?\n\nChristian.--He had fair looks, and said much to me, and got me at last\nto yield; so I came here. But when I saw this hill, and how steep it\nwas, I made a stand, lest it should fall on my head.\n\nEvangelist.--What said the man to thee?\n\nWhen Evangelist had heard from Christian all that took place, he said:\nStand still a while, that I may show thee the words of God.\n\nSo Evangelist went on to read, 'Now the just shall live by faith, but if\na man draw back, my soul shall have no joy in him.' Is not this the case\nwith thee? said he: Hast not thou drawn back thy feet from the way of\npeace, to thine own cost; and dost thou not spurn the most high God?\n\nThen Christian fell down at his feet as dead, and said: Woe is me! Woe\nis me!\n\nAt the sight of which, Evangelist caught him by the right hand, and\nsaid: Faith hopes all things.\n\nThen did Christian find some peace, and stood up.\n\nEvangelist.--I pray thee give more heed to the things that I shall tell\nthee of. The Lord says, 'Strive to go in at the strait gate, the gate\nto which I send thee, for strait is the gate that leads to life, and few\nthere be that find it.' Why didst thou set at nought the words of God,\nfor the sake of Mr. Worldly Wiseman? That is, in truth, the right name\nfor such as he. The Lord hath told thee that he who will save his life\nshall lose it.' He to whom thou wast sent for ease, Legality by name,\ncould not set thee free; no man yet has got rid of his load through him;\nhe could but show thee the way to woe, for by the deeds of the law no\nman can be rid of his load. So that Mr. Worldly Wiseman and his friend\nMr. Legality are false guides; and as for his son Civility, he could not\nhelp thee.\n\nNow Christian, in great dread, could think of nought but death, and sent\nforth a sad cry in grief that he had gone from the right way. Then he\nspoke once more to Evangelist in these words:--Sir, what think you? Is\nthere hope? May I now go back, and strive to reach The Wicket Gate? I\ngrieve that I gave ear to this man's voice; but may my sin find grace?\n\nEvangelist.--Thy sin is great, for thou hast gone from the way that is\ngood, to tread in false paths, yet will the man at the gate let thee\nthrough, for he has love and good will for all men; but take heed that\nthou turn not to the right hand or to the left.\n\nThen did Christian make a move to go back, and Evangelist gave him a\nkiss and one smile, and bade him God speed.\n\nSo he went on with haste, nor did he speak on the road; and could by no\nmeans feel safe till he was in the path which he had left. In time, he\ngot up to the gate. And as he saw by the words which he read on it,\nthat those who would knock could go in, he gave two or three knocks, and\nsaid: May I go in here?\n\nAt last there came a great man to the gate, whose name was Good-will,\nand he said: Who is there; whence come you, and what would you have?\n\nChristian.--I come from The City of Destruction with a load of Sins on\nmy back; but I am on my way to Mount Zion, that I may be free from the\nwrath to come; and as I have been told that my way is through this gate,\nI would know, Sir, if you will let me in?\n\nGood-will.--With all my heart.\n\nSo he flung back the gate. But just as Christian went in, he gave him a\npull.\n\nThen said Christian: What means that? Good-will told him that a short\nway from this gate there was a strong fort, of which Beelzebub was the\nchief, and that from thence he and the rest that dwelt there shot darts\nat those that came up to the gate to try if they could kill them ere\nthey got in.\n\nThen said Christian: I come in with joy and with fear. So when he had\ngone in, the man at the gate said: Who sent you here?\n\nChristian.--Evangelist bade me come and knock (as I did); and he said\nthat you, Sir, would tell me what I must do.\n\nGood-will.--The door is thrown back wide for you to come in, and no man\ncan shut it.\n\nChristian.--Now I seem to reap the good of all the risks I have met with\non the way.\n\nGood-will.--But how is it that no one comes with you?\n\nChristian.--None of my friends saw that there was cause of fear, as I\ndid.\n\nGood-will.--Did they know of your flight?\n\nChristian.--Yes, my wife and young ones saw me go, and I heard their\ncries as they ran out to try and stop me. Some of my friends, too, would\nhave had me come home, but I put my hands to my ears, and so came on my\nway.\n\nGood-will.--But did none of them come out to beg of you to go back?\n\nChristian.--Yes, both Obstinate and Pliable came, but when they found\nthat I would not yield, Obstinate went home, but Pliable came with me as\nfar as the Slough of Despond.\n\nGood-will.--Why did he not come through it?\n\nWhen Christian told him the rest, he said: Ah, poor man! Is a world of\nbliss such a small thing to him, that he did not think it worth while to\nrun a few risks to gain it?\n\nSir, said Christian, there is not much to choose twixt him and me. Then\nhe told Good-will how he had been led from the straight path by Mr.\nWorldly Wiseman.\n\nGood-will.--Oh, did he light on you? What! He would have had you seek\nfor ease at the hands of Mr. Legality. They are, in truth, both of them\ncheats. And did you take heed of what he said?\n\nChristian then told him all. But now that I am come, said he, I am more\nfit for death, than to stand and talk to my Lord. But oh, the joy it is\nto me to be here!\n\nGood-will.--We keep none out that knock at this gate, let them have done\nwhat they may ere they came here; for they are 'in no wise cast out.'\nSo, good Christian, come with me, and I will teach you the way you must\ngo. Look in front. That is the way which was laid down by Christ and the\nwise men of old, and it is as straight as a rule can make it.\n\nChristian.--But is there no turn or bend by which one who knows not the\nroad might lose his way?\n\nGood-will.--My friend, there are not a few that lead down to it, and\nthese paths are wide: yet by this you may judge the right from the\nwrong--the right are straight and are by no means wide.\n\nThen I saw in my dream that Christian said: Could you not help me off\nwith this load on my back?--for as yet he had not got rid of it. He was\ntold: As to your load, you must bear it till you come to the place of\nDeliverance, for there it will fall from your back.\n\nThen Christian would have set off on the road; but Good-will said: Stop\na while and let me tell you that when you have gone through the gate you\nwill see the house of Mr. Interpreter, at whose door you must knock, and\nhe will show you good things. Then Christian took leave of his friend,\nwho bade him God speed.\n\nHe now went on till he came to the house at the door of which he was to\nknock; this he did two or three times. At last one came to the door and\nsaid: Who is there?\n\nChristian.--I have come to see the good man of the house.\n\nSo in a short time Mr. Interpreter came to him and said: What would you\nhave?\n\nChristian.--Sir, I am come from The City of Destruction, and am on my\nway to Mount Zion. I was told by the man that stands at the gate, that\nif I came here you would show me good things that would help me.\n\nThen Interpreter took Christian to a room, and bade his man bring a\nlight, and there he saw on the wall the print of one who had a grave\nface, whose eyes were cast up to the sky, and the best of books was in\nHis hand, the law of truth was on His lips, and the world was at His\nback. He stood as if He would plead for men, and a crown of gold hung\nnear his head.\n\nChristian.--What does this mean?\n\nInterpreter.--I have shown you this print first, for this is He who\nis to be your sole guide when you can not find your way to the land to\nwhich you go; so take good heed to what I have shown you, lest you meet\nwith some who would feign to lead you right; but their way goes down to\ndeath.\n\nThen he took him to a large room that was full of dust, for it had not\nbeen swept; and Interpreter told his man to sweep it. Now when he did\nso, such clouds of dust flew up, that it made Christian choke.\n\nThen said Interpreter to a maid that stood by; Make the floor moist that\nthe dust may not rise; and when she had done this, it was swept with\nease.\n\nChristian.--What means this?\n\nInterpreter.--This room is the heart of that man who knows not the grace\nof God. The dust is his first sin and the vice that is in him. He that\nswept first is the Law, but she who made the floor moist is The Book\nwhich tells Good News to Man. Now as soon as you saw the first of these\nsweep, the dust did so fly that the room could not be made clean by him;\nthis is to show you that the law as it works does not cleanse the heart\nfrom sin, but gives strength to sin, so as to rouse it up in the soul.\n\nThen you next saw the maid come in to lay the dust; so is sin made clean\nand laid low by faith in The Book.\n\nNow, said Christian, let me go hence.\n\nWell, said Interpreter, keep all things so in thy mind that they may be\na goad in thy sides; and may faith guide thee!\n\nThen I saw in my dream that the high way which Christian was to tread,\nhad a wall on each side, and the name of that wall was Salvation. Up\nthis high way did Christian run, but with great toil for the load on his\nback. He ran thus till he drew near to a place on which stood a cross,\nand at the foot of it a tomb. Just as Christian came up to the cross,\nhis load slid from his back, close to the mouth of the tomb, where it\nfell in, and I saw it no more.\n\nThen was Christian glad, and said with a gay heart: He gives me rest by\nhis grief, and life by his death.\n\nYet he stood still for a while, for he was struck with awe to think that\nthe sight of the cross should thus ease him of his load. Three or four\ntimes did he look on the cross and the tomb, and the tears rose to his\neyes. As he stood thus and wept, lo, three Bright Ones came to him, and\none of them said: Peace be to thee! thou hast grace from thy sins. And\none came up to him to strip him of his rags and put a new robe on him,\nwhile the third set a mark on his face, and gave him a roll with a\nseal on it, which he bade him look on as he went, and give it at The\nCelestial Gate; and then they left him.\n\nChristian gave three leaps for joy, and sang as he went: Ah, what a\nplace is this! Blest cross! Blest tomb! Nay, blest is the Lord that was\nput to shame for me!\n\nHe went on thus till he came to a vale where he saw three men who were\nin a sound sleep, with chains on their feet. The name of one was Simple,\none Sloth, and the third Presumption. As Christian saw them lie in this\ncase, he went to wake them, and said: You are like those that sleep on\nthe top of a mast, for the Dead Sea is at your feet. Wake, rise, and\ncome with me. Trust me, and I will help you off with your chains. With\nthat they cast their eyes up to look at him, and Simple said: I would\nfain take more sleep. Presumption said: Let each man look to his own.\nAnd so they lay down to sleep once more.\n\nThen I saw in my dream that two men leapt from the top of the wall\nand made great haste to come up to him. Their names were Formalist and\nHypocrisy.\n\nChristian.--Sirs, whence come you, and where do you go?\n\nFormalist and Hypocrisy.--We were born in the land of Vain-glory, and\nare on our way to Mount Zion for praise.\n\nChristian.--Why came you not in at the Gate? Know you not that he that\ncomes not in at the door, but climbs up to get in, the same is a thief?\n\nThey told him that to go through the gate was too far round; that the\nbest way was to make a short cut of it, and climb the wall, as they had\ndone.\n\nChristian.--But what will the Lord of the town to which we are bound\nthink of it, if we go not in the way of his will?\n\nThey told Christian that he had no need for care on that score, for long\nuse had made it law, and they could prove that it had been so for years.\nChristian.--But are you quite sure that your mode will stand a suit at\nlaw?\n\nYes, said they, no doubt of it. And if we get in the road at all, pray\nwhat are the odds? If we are in, we are in; you are but in the way, who\ncome in at the gate, and we too are in the way that choose to climb the\nwall. Is not our case as good as yours?\n\nChristian.--I walk by the rule of my Lord, but you walk by the rule of\nyour own lusts. The Lord of the way will count you as thieves, and you\nwill not be found true men in the end.\n\nI saw then that they all went on till they came to the foot of the Hill\nof Difficulty, where there was a spring. There were in the same place\ntwo more ways, one on the left hand and one on the right; but the path\nthat Christian was told to take went straight up the hill, and its name\nis Difficulty, and he saw that the way of life lay there.\n\nNow when Christian got as far as the Spring of Life he drank of it, and\nthen went up the hill. But when the two men saw that it was steep and\nhigh, and that there were three ways to choose from, one of them took\nthe path the name of which is Danger, and lost his way in a great wood,\nand one of them went by the road of Destruction, which led him to a wide\nfield full of dark rocks, where he fell, and rose no more. I then saw\nChristian go up the hill, where at first I could see him run, then walk,\nand then go on his hands and knees, so steep was it. Now half way up was\na cave made by the Lord of that hill, that those who came by might rest\nthere. So here Christian sat down, and took out the scroll and read it,\ntill at last he fell off in a deep sleep which kept him there till it\nwas dusk; and while he slept his scroll fell from his hand. At length\na man came up to him and woke him, and said: Go to the ant, thou man of\nsloth, and learn of her to be wise.\n\nAt this Christian gave a start, and sped on his way, and went at a quick\npace.\n\nWhen he had got near to the top of the hill, two men ran up to meet him,\nwhose names were Timorous and Mistrust, to whom Christian said, Sirs,\nwhat ails you? You run the wrong way.\n\nTimorous said that Zion was the hill they meant to climb, but that when\nthey had got half way they found that they met with more and more risk,\nso that great fear came on them, and all they could do was to turn back.\n\nYes, said Mistrust, for just in front of us there lay two beasts of prey\nin our path; we knew not if they slept or not, but we thought that they\nwould fall on us and tear our limbs.\n\nChristian.--You rouse my fears. Where must I fly to be safe? If I go\nback to my on town (Destruction) I am sure to lose my life, but if I can\nget to The Celestial City, there shall I be safe. To turn back is death;\nto go on is fear of death, but when I come there, a life of bliss that\nknows no end. I will go on yet.\n\nSo Mistrust and Timorous ran down the hill and Christian went on his\nway. Yet he thought once more of what he had heard from the men, and\nthen he felt in his cloak for his scroll, that he might read it and find\nsome peace. He felt for it but found it not. Then was Christian in great\ngrief, and knew not what to do for the want of that which was to be his\npass to The Celestial City. At last, thought he: I slept in the cave\nby the side of the hill. So he fell down on his knees to pray that God\nwould give him grace for this act; and then went back to look for his\nscroll. But as he went, what tongue can tell the grief of Christian's\nheart? Oh, fool that I am! said he, to sleep in the day time; so to give\nway to the flesh as to use for ease that rest which the Lord of the hill\nhad made but for the help of the soul!\n\nThus, then, with tears and sighs, he went back, and with much care did\nhe look on this side and on that for his scroll. At length he came near\nto the cave where he had sat and slept. How far, thought Christian, have\nI gone in vain! Such was the lot of the Jews for their sin; they were\nsent back by the way of the Red Sea; and I am made to tread those steps\nwith grief which I might have trod with joy, had it not been for this\nsleep. How far might I have been on my way by this time! I am made to\ntread those steps thrice which I need not to have trod but once; yea,\nnow too I am like to be lost in the night, for the day is well nigh\nspent. O that I had not slept!\n\nNow by this time he had come to the vale once more, where for a spell he\nsat down and wept; but at last, as he cast a sad glance at the foot of\nthe bench, he saw his scroll, which he caught up with haste, and put in\nhis cloak. Words are too weak to tell the joy of Christian when he had\ngot back his scroll. He laid it up in the breast of his coat and gave\nthanks to God. With what a light step did he now climb the hill! But,\nere he got to the top, the sun went down on Christian, and he soon saw\nthat two wild beast stood in his way. Ah, thought he, these beasts range\nin the night for their prey; and if they should meet with me in the\ndark, how should I fly from them? I see now the cause of all those fears\nthat drove Mistrust and Timorous back.\n\nStill Christian went on, and while he thought thus on this sad lot he\ncast up his eyes and saw a great house in front of him, the name of\nwhich was Beautiful, and it stood just by the side of the high road. So\nhe made haste and went on in the hope that he could rest there a while.\nThe name of the man who kept the lodge of that house was Watchful, and\nwhen he saw that Christian made a halt as if he would go back, he came\nout to him and said: Is thy strength so small? Fear not the two wild\nbeasts, for they are bound by chains, and are put here to try the faith\nof those that have it, and to find out those that have none. Keep in the\nmidst of the path and no harm shall come to thee.\n\nThen I saw, in my dream, that still he went on in great dread of the\nwild beasts; he heard them roar, yet they did him no harm; but when he\nhad gone by them he went on with joy, till he came and stood in front of\nthe lodge where Watchful dwelt.\n\nChristian.--Sir, what house is this? May I rest here to night?\n\nWatchful.--This house was built by the Lord of the Hill to give aid to\nthose who climb up it for the good cause. Tell me, whence come you?\n\nChristian.--I am come from the Town of Destruction, and am on my way to\nMount Zion; but the day is far spent, and I would, with your leave, pass\nthe night here.\n\nWatchful.--What is your name?\n\nChristian.--My name is now Christian, but at first it was Graceless.\n\nWatchful.--How is it you came so late? The sun is set.\n\nChristian then told him why it was.\n\nWatchful.--Well, I will call one that lives here, who, if she like your\ntalk, will let you come in, for these are the rules of the house.\n\nSo he rang a bell, at the sound of which there came out at the door a\ngrave and fair maid, whose name was Discretion. When Watchful told her\nwhy Christian had come there, she said: What is your name?\n\nIt is Christian, said he, and I much wish to rest here to night, and\nthe more so for I see this place was build by the Lord of the Hill, to\nscreen those from harm who come to it.\n\nSo she gave a smile, but the tears stood in her eyes; and in a short\ntime she said: I will call forth two or three more of our house, and\nthen she ran to the door and brought in Prudence, Piety, and Charity,\nwho met him and said: Come in, thou blest of the Lord; this house was\nbuilt by the King of the Hill for such as you. Then Christian bent down\nhis head, and went with them to the house.\n\nPiety.--Come, good Christian, since our love prompts us to take you in\nto rest, let us talk with you of all that you have seen on your way.\n\nChristian.--With a right good will, and I am glad that you should ask it\nof me.\n\nPrudence.--And, first, say what is it that makes you wish so much to go\nto Mount Zion?\n\nChristian.--Why there I hope to see Him that did die on the Cross; and\nthere I hope to be rid of all those thing that to this day grieve and\nvex me. There, they say, is no death; and there I shall dwell with such\nas love the Lord.\n\nCharity.--Have you a wife and babes?\n\nChristian.--Yes, I have.\n\nCharity.--And why did you not bring them with you?\n\nChristian then wept, and said: Oh, how glad should I have been to do so!\nbut they would not come with me, nor have me leave them.\n\nCharity.--And did you pray to God to put it in their hearts to go with\nyou?\n\nChristian.--Yes, and that with much warmth, for you may think how dear\nthey were to me.\n\nThus did Christian talk with these friends till it grew dark, and then\nhe took his rest in a large room, the name of which was Peace; there he\nslept till break of day, and then he sang a hymn.\n\nThey told him that he should not leave till they had shown him all the\nrare things that were in that place. There were to be seen the rod of\nMoses, the nail with which Jail slew Sisera, the lamps with which Gideon\nput to flight the host of Midian, and the ox goad with which Shamgar\nslew his foes. And they brought out the jaw bone of an ass with which\nSamson did such great feats, and the sling and stone with which David\nslew Goliath of Gath.\n\nThen I saw in my dream that Christian rose to take his leave of\nDiscretion, and of Prudence, Piety, and Charity, but they said that he\nmust stay till the next day, that they might show him The Delectable\nMountains; so they took him to the top of the house, and bade him look\nto the South, which he did, and lo, a great way off, he saw a rich land,\nfull of hills, woods, vines, shrubs, and streams.\n\nWhat is the name of this land? said Christian.\n\nThen they told him it was Immanuel's Land. And, said they, It is as much\nmeant for you, and the like of you, as this hill is; and when you reach\nthe place, there you may see the gate of The Celestial City. Then they\ngave him a sword, and put on him a coat of mail, which was proof from\nhead to foot, lest he should meet some foe in the way; and they went\nwith him down the hill.\n\nOf a truth, said Christian, it is as great a toil to come down the hill\nas it was to go up.\n\nPrudence.--So it is, for it is a hard thing for a man to go down to The\nVale of Humiliation, as thou dost now, and for this cause have we come\nwith you to the foot of the hill. So, though he went with great care,\nyet he caught a slip or two.\n\nThen in my dream I saw that when they had got to the foot of the hill,\nthese good friends of Christian's gave him a loaf of bread, a flask of\nwine, and a bunch of dry grapes; and then they left him to go on his\nway.\n\nBut now in this Vale of Humiliation poor Christian was hard put to it,\nfor he had not gone far, ere he saw a foe come in the field to meet him,\nwhose name was Apollyon. Then did Christian fear, and he cast in his\nmind if he would go back or stand his ground. But Christian thought that\nas he had no coat of mail on his back, to turn round might give Apollyon\na chance to pierce it with his darts. So he stood his ground, For,\nthought he, if but to save my life were all I had in view, still the\nbest way would be to stand.\n\nSo he went on, and Apollyon met him with looks of scorn.\n\nApollyon.--Whence come you, and to what place are you bound?\n\nChristian.--I am come from The City of Destruction, which is a place of\nall sin, and I am on my way to Zion.\n\nApollyon.--By this I see you are mine, for of all that land I am the\nPrince. How is it, then, that you have left your king? Were it not that\nI have a hope that you may do me more good, I would strike you to the\nground with one blow.\n\nChristian.--I was born in your realm, it is true, but you drove us too\nhard, and your wage was such as no man could live on.\n\nApollyon.--No prince likes to lose his men, nor will I as yet lose you;\nso if you will come back, what my realm yields I will give you.\n\nChristian.--But I am bound by vows to the King of Kings; and how can I,\nto be true, go back with you?\n\nApollyon.--You have made a change, it seems, from bad to worse; but why\nnot give Him the slip, and come back with me?\n\nChristian.--I gave Him my faith, and swore to be true to Him: how can I\ngo back from this?\n\nApollyon.--You did the same to me, and yet I will pass by all, if you\nwill but turn and go back.\n\nThen, when Apollyon saw that Christian was stanch to his Prince, he\nbroke out in a great rage, and said, I hate that Prince, and I hate his\nlaws, and I am come out to stop you.\n\nChristian.--Take heed what you do. I am on the King's high way to Zion.\n\nApollyon.--I am void of fear, and to prove that I mean what I say, here\non this spot I will put thee to death. With that he threw a dart of\nfire at his breast, but Christian had a shield on his arm, with which he\ncaught it. Then did Christian draw his sword, for he saw it was time\nto stir; and Apollyon as fast made at him, and threw darts as thick as\nhail; with which, in spite of all that Christian could do, Apollyon gave\nhim wounds in his head, hand, and foot.\n\nThis made Christian pause in the fight for a time, but Apollyon still\ncame on, and Christian once more took heart. They fought for half a day,\ntill Christian, weak from his wounds, was well nigh spent in strength.\nWhen Apollyon saw this, he threw him down with a great force; on which\nChristian's sword fell out of his hand. Then said Apollyon, I am sure of\nthee now.\n\nBut while he strove to make an end of Christian, that good man put out\nhis hand in haste to feel for his sword, and caught it. Boast not, oh\nApollyon! said he, and with that he struck him a blow which made his\nfoe reel back as one that had had his last wound. Then he spread out his\nwings and fled, so that Christian for a time saw him no more.\n\nThen there came to him a hand which held some of the leaves of the tree\nof life; some of them Christian took, and as soon as he had put them to\nhis wounds, he saw them heal up.\n\nNow near this place was the Valley of the Shadow of Death, and Christian\nmust needs go through it to get to The Celestial City. It was a land of\ndrought and full of pits, a land that none but such as Christian could\npass through, and where no man dwelt. So that here he was worst put to\nit than in his fight with Apollyon, which by and by we shall see.\n\nAs he drew near the Shadow of Death he met with two men, to whom\nChristian thus spoke: To what place do you go?\n\nMen.--Back! Back! and we would have you do the same if you prize life\nand peace.\n\nChristian.--But why?\n\nMen.--We went on as far as we durst.\n\nChristian.--What then have you seen?\n\nMen.--Seen! Why the Valley of the Shadow of Death; but by dint of good\nluck we caught sight of what lay in front of it, ere we came up. Death\ndoth spread out his wings there. In a word it is a place full of bad\nmen, where no law dwells.\n\nChristian.--I see not yet, by what you have told me, but that this is my\nway to Zion.\n\nMen.--Be it thy way then; we will not choose it for ours.\n\nSo they took their leave, and Christian went on, but still with his\ndrawn sword in his hand, for fear lest he should meet once more with a\nfoe.\n\nI saw then in my dream that so far as this vale went, there was on the\nright hand a deep ditch; that ditch to which the blind have led the\nblind as long as the world has been made. And, lo, on the left hand\nthere was a quag. in which if a man fall, he will find no firm ground\nfor his foot to stand on. The path way was not broad, and so good\nChristian was the more put to it. This went on for miles, and in the\nmidst of that vale was a deep pit. One thing which I saw in my dream\nI must not leave out; it was this:--Just as Christian had come to the\nmouth of the pit, one of those who dwelt in it swept up to him, and in\na soft tone spoke bad things to him, and took God's name in vain, which\nChristian thought must have come from his own mind. This put him out\nmore than all the rest had done; to think that he should take that name\nin vain for which he felt so deep a love, was a great grief to him. Yet\nthere was no help for it. Then he thought he heard a voice which said:\nThough I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I will fear no\nharm for thou art with me.\n\nNow as Christian went on, he found there was a rise in the road, which\nhad been thrown up that that path might be clear to those who were bound\nfor Zion. Up this road Christian went, and saw his old friend Faithful a\nshort way off.\n\nThen said Christian: Ha, my friend, are you here? Stay, and I will join\nyou.\n\nThis ere long he did, and they spoke of all that had come to pass since\nthey had last met.\n\nIn course of time the road they took brought them to a town, the name of\nwhich is Vanity, where there is a fair kept through the whole year, and\nall that is bought or sold there is vain and void of worth. There,\ntoo, are to be seen at all times games, plays, fools, apes, knaves,\nand rogues. Yet he that will go to The Celestial City must needs pass\nthrough this fair.\n\nAs soon as Christian and Faithful came to the town, a crowd drew round\nthem, and some said they had lost their wits, to dress and speak as they\ndid, and to set no store by the choice goods for sale in Vanity Fair.\nWhen Christian spoke, his words brought from these folks fierce taunts\nand jeers, and soon the noise and stir grew to such a height that the\nchief man of the fair sent his friends to take up these two strange men,\nand he bade them tell him whence they came, and what they did there in\nsuch a garb. Christian and Faithful told them all; but those who sat to\njudge the case thought that they must be mad, or else that they had come\nto stir up strife at the fair; so they beat them with sticks, and put\nthem in a cage, that they might be a sight for all the men at the fair.\nThen the worse sort of folks set to pelt them with mud out of spite,\nand some threw stones at them for mere sport; but Christian and Faithful\ngave good words for bad, and bore all in such a meek way, that not a few\ntook their part. This led to blows and fights, and the blame was laid on\nChristian and Faithful, who were then made to toil up and down the fair\nin chains, till, faint with stripes, they were at length set with their\nfeet in the stocks. But they bore their griefs and woes with joy, for\nthey saw in them a pledge that all should be well in the end.\n\nBy and by a court sat to try them: the name of the judge was Lord\nHate-good; and the crime laid to their charge was that they had come to\nVanity Fair to spoil its trade, and stir up strife in the town; and had\nwon not a few men to their side, in spite of the prince of the place.\n\nFaithful said to the Judge: I am a man of peace, and did but wage war on\nSin. As for the prince they speak of, since he is Beelzebub, I hold him\nin scorn.\n\nThose who took Faithful's part were won by the force of plain truth and\nright in his words; but the judge said, Let those speak who know aught\nof this man.\n\nSo three men, whose names were Envy, Superstition, and Pick-thank, stood\nforth and swore to speak the truth, and tell what they knew of Faithful.\nEnvy said: My lord, this man cares nought for kings or laws, but seeks\nto spread his own views, and to teach men what he calls faith. I heard\nhim say but just now that the ways of our town of Vanity are vile. And\ndoes he not in that speak ill of us?\n\nThen Superstition said: My lord, I know not much of this man, and have\nno wish to know more, but of this I am sure, that he is a bad man, for\nhe says that our creeds are vain.\n\nPick-thank was then bid to say what he knew, and his speech ran thus:\nMy lord, I have known this man for a long time, and have heard him\nsay things that ought not to be said. He rails at our great Prince\nBeelzebub, and says that if all men were of his mind, that prince should\nno more hold sway here. More than this, he hath been heard to rail on\nyou, my lord, who are now his judge.\n\nThen said the Judge to Faithful: Thou base man! Hast though heard what\nthese folk have said of thee?\n\nFaithful.--May I speak a few words in my own cause?\n\nJudge.--Thy just doom would be to die on the spot; still, let us hear\nwhat thou hast to say.\n\nFaithful.--I say, then, to Mr. Envy, that all laws and modes of life in\nwhich men heed not the Word of God are full of sin. As to the charge of\nMr. Superstition, I would urge that nought can save us if we do not\nthe will of God. To Mr. Pick-thank, I say that men should flee from the\nPrince of this town and his friends, as from the wrath to come and so, I\npray the Lord to help me.\n\nThen the Judge, to sum up the case, spoke thus: You see this man who has\nmade such a stir in our town. You have heard what these good men have\nsaid of him, which he owns to be true. It rests now to you to save his\nlife or hang him.\n\nThe twelve men who had Faithful's life in their hands spoke in a low\ntone thus: This man is full of schisms, said Mr. Blind-man. Out of the\nworld with him, said Mr. No-good. I hate the mere look of him, said Mr.\nMalice. From the first I could not bear him, said Mr. Love-ease. Nor I,\nfor he would be sure to blame my ways, said Mr. Live-loose. Hang him,\nhang him! said Mr. Heady. A low wretch! said Mr. High-mind. I long to\ncrush him, said Mr. Enmity. He is a rogue, said Mr. Liar. Death is too\ngood for him, said Mr. Cruelty. Let us kill him, that he may be out of\nthe way, said Mr. Hate-light. Then said Mr. Implacable: Not to gain all\nthe world would I make peace with him, so let us doom him to death.\nAnd so they did, and in a short time he was led back to the place from\nwhence he came, there to be put to the worst death that could be thought\nof; for the scourge, the sword, and the stake brought Faithful to his\nend.\n\nNow I saw that there stood near the crowd a strange car with two bright\nsteeds, which, as soon as his foes had slain him, took Faithful up\nthrough the clouds straight to The Celestial City, with the sound of the\nharp and lute.\n\nAs for Christian, for this time he got free; and there came to him one\nHopeful, who did so from what he had heard and seen of Christian and\nFaithful. Thus, while one lost his life for the truth, a new man rose\nfrom his death, to tread the same way with Christian. And Hopeful said\nthere were more men of the fair who would take their time, and then come\ntoo.\n\nBy and by their way lay just on the bank of a pure stream, from which\nthey drank. On each side of it were green trees that bore fruit, and in\na field through which it ran they lay down to sleep. When they woke up\nthey sat for a while in the shade of the boughs; thus they went on for\nthree or four days, and to pass the time they sang:\n\nHe that can tell What sweet fresh fruit, yea leaves these trees do\nyield, Will soon sell all, that he may buy this field.\n\nNow on the left hand of the road was By-path Meadow, a fair green field\nwith a path through it, and a stile. Come, good Hopeful, said Christian,\nlet us walk on the grass.\n\nHopeful.--But what if this path should lead us wrong?\n\nChristian.--How can it? Look, doth it not go by the way side?\n\nSo they set off through the field. But they had not gone far when they\nsaw in front of them a man, Vain-confidence by name, who told them that\nthe path led to The Celestial Gate. So the man went first; but lo, the\nnight came on, and it grew so dark that they lost sight of their guide,\nwho, as he did not see the path in front of him, fell in a deep pit, and\nwas heard of no more.\n\nWhere are we now? said Hopeful.\n\nThen was Christian mute, as he thought he had led his friend out of the\nway. And now light was seen to flash from the sky, and rain came down in\nstreams.\n\nHopeful (with a groan) Oh, that I had kept on my way!\n\nChristian.--Who could have thought that this path should lead us wrong?\n\nHopeful.--I had my fears from the first, and so gave you a hint.\n\nChristian.--Good friend, I grieve that I have brought you out of the\nright path.\n\nHopeful.--Say no more, no doubt it is for our good.\n\nChristian.--We must not stand thus; let us try to go back.\n\nHopeful.--But, good Christian, let me go first.\n\nThen they heard a voice say: Set thine heart to the high way, the way\nthou hast been: turn once more. But by this time the stream was deep\nfrom the rain that fell, and to go back did not seem safe; yet they\nwent back, though it was so dark and the stream ran so high that once or\ntwice it was like to drown them. Nor could they, with all their skill,\nget back that night. So they found a screen from the rain, and there\nthey slept till break of day.\n\nNow, not far from the place where they lay was Doubting Castle, the\nlord of which was Giant Despair; and it was on his ground that they now\nslept. There Giant Despair found them, and with a gruff voice he bade\nthem wake. Whence are you? said he; and what brought you here? They told\nhim that they had lost the path. Then said Giant Despair: You have no\nright to force your way in here; the ground on which you lie is mine.\n\nThey had not much to say, as they knew that they were in fault. So Giant\nDespair drove them on, and put them in a dark and foul cell in a strong\nhold. Here they were kept for three days, and they had no light nor food\nnor a drop to drink all that time, and no one to ask them how they did.\nNow Giant Despair had a wife, whose name was Diffidence, and he told her\nwhat he had done. Then said he, What will be the best way to treat them?\nBeat them well, said Diffidence. So when he rose he took a stout stick\nfrom a crab tree, and went down to the cell where poor Christian and\nHopeful lay, and beat them as if they had been dogs, so that they could\nnot turn on the floor; and they spent all that day in sighs and tears.\n\nThe next day he came once more, and found them sore from the stripes,\nand said that since there was no chance for them to be let out of the\ncell, their best way would be to put an end to their own lives: For why\nshould you wish to live, said he, with all this woe? But they told him\nthey did hope he would let them go. With that he sprang up with a fierce\nlook, and no doubt would have made an end of them, but that he fell in a\nfit for a time, and lost the use of his hand; so he drew back, and left\nthem to think of what he had said.\n\nChristian.--Friend, what shall we do? The life that we now lead is worse\nthan death. For my part I know not which is best, to live thus, or to\ndie at our own hand, as I feel that the grave would be less sad to me\nthan this cell. Shall we let Giant Despair rule us?\n\nHopeful.--In good truth our case is a sad one, and to die would be more\nsweet to me than to live here; yet let us bear in mind that the Lord of\nthat land to which we go hath said: 'Thou shalt not kill.' And by this\nact we kill our souls as well. My friend Christian, you talk of ease in\nthe grave, but can a man go to bliss who takes his own life? All the law\nis not in the hands of Giant Despair. Who knows but that God, who made\nthe world, may cause him to die, or lose the use of his limbs as he did\nat first. I have made up my mind to pluck up the heart of a man, and to\ntry to get out of this strait. Fool that I was not to do so when first\nhe came to the cell. But let us not put an end to our own lives, for a\ngood time may come yet.\n\nBy these words did Hopeful change the tone of Christian's mind.\n\nWell, at night the Giant went down to the cell to see if life was still\nin them, and in good truth that life was in them was all that could be\nsaid, for from their wounds and want of food they did no more than just\nbreathe. When Giant Despair found they were not dead, he fell in a great\nrage, and said that it should be worse with them if they had not been\nborn. At this they shook with fear, and Christian fell down in a swoon;\nbut when he came to, Hopeful said: My friend, call to mind how strong in\nfaith you have been till now. Say, could Apollyon hurt you, or all that\nyou heard, or saw, or felt in the Valley of the Shadow of Death? Look at\nthe fears, the griefs, the woes that you have gone through. And now to\nbe cast down! I, too, am in this cell, far more weak a man than you, and\nGiant Despair dealt his blows at me as well as you, and keeps me from\nfood and light. Let us both (if but to shun the shame) bear up as well\nas we can.\n\nWhen night came on, the wife of Giant Despair said to him: Well, will\nthe two men yield?\n\nTo which he said: No; they choose to stand firm, and will not put an end\nto their lives.\n\nThen said Mrs. Diffidence: At dawn of day take them to the yard, and\nshow them the graves where all those whom you have put to death have\nbeen thrown, and make use of threats this time.\n\nSo Giant Despair took them to this place, and said: In ten days time you\nshall be thrown in here if you do not yield. Go; get you down to your\nden once more. With that he beat them all the way back, and there they\nlay the whole day in a sad plight.\n\nNow, when night was come, Mrs. Diffidence said to Giant Despair: I fear\nmuch that these men live on in hopes to pick the lock of the cell and\nget free.\n\nDost thou say so, my dear? quoth Giant Despair to his wife; then at sun\nrise I will search them.\n\nNow, on that night, as Christian and Hopeful lay in the den, they fell\non their knees to pray, and knelt till the day broke; when Christian\ngave a start, and said: Fool that I am thus to lie in this dark den when\nI might walk at large! I have a key in my pouch, the name of which\nis Promise, that, I feel sure, will turn the lock of all the doors in\nDoubting Castle.\n\nThen said Hopeful: That is good news; pluck it from thy breast, and let\nus try it.\n\nSo Christian put it in the lock, when the bolt sprang back, the door\nflew wide, and Christian and Hopeful both came out. When they got to the\nyard door the key did just as well; but the lock of the last strong gate\nof Doubting Castle went hard, yet it did turn at last, though the hinge\ngave so loud a creak that it woke up Giant Despair, who rose to seek\nfor the two men. But just then he felt his limbs fail, for a fit came\non him, so that he could by no means reach their cell. Christian and\nHopeful now fled back to the high way, and were safe out of his grounds.\nWhen they sat down to rest on a stile, they said they would warn those\nwho might chance to come on this road. So they cut these words on\na post: This is the way to Doubting Castle, which is kept by Giant\nDespair, who loves not the King of the Celestial Country, and seeks to\nkill all who would go there.\n\nThen they came to The Delectable Mountains, which the Lord of the Hill\nowns. Here they saw fruit trees, vines, shrubs, woods, and streams, and\ndrank and ate of the grapes. Now there were men at the tops of these\nhills who kept watch on their flocks, and as they stood by the high way,\nChristian and Hopeful leant on their staves to rest, while thus they\nspoke to the men: Who owns these Delectable Mountains, and whose are the\nsheep that feed on them?\n\nMen.--These hills are Immanuel's, and the sheep are His too, and He laid\ndown his life for them.\n\nChristian.--Is this the way to The Celestial City?\n\nMen.--You are in the right road.\n\nChristian.--How far is it?\n\nMen.--Too far for all but those that shall get there, in good truth.\n\nChristian.--Is the way safe?\n\nMen.--Safe for those for whom it is to be safe; but the men of sin shall\nfall there.\n\nChristian.--Is there a place of rest here for those that faint on the\nroad?\n\nMen.--The Lord of these Hills gave us a charge to help those that came\nhere, should they be known to us or not; so all the good things of the\nplace are yours.\n\nI then saw in my dream that the men said: Whence come you, and by what\nmeans have you got so far? For but few of those that set out come here\nto show their face on these hills.\n\nSo when Christian and Hopeful told their tale, the men cast a kind\nglance at them, and said: With joy we greet you on The Delectable\nMountains!\n\nTheir names were Knowledge, Experience, Watchful, and Sincere, and they\nled Christian and Hopeful by the hand to their tents, and bade them eat\nof that which was there, and they soon went to their rest for the night.\n\nWhen the morn broke, the men woke up Christian and Hopeful, and took\nthem to a spot whence they saw a bright view on all sides. Then they\nwent with them to the top of a high hill, the name of which was Error;\nit was steep on the far off side, and they bade them look down to the\nfoot of it. So Christian and Hopeful cast their eyes down, and saw there\nsome men who had lost their lives by a fall from the top; men who had\nbeen made to err, for they had put their trust in false guides.\n\nHave you not heard of them? said the men.\n\nChristian.--Yes, I have.\n\nMen.--These are they, and to this day they have not been put in a tomb,\nbut are left here to warn men to take good heed how they come too near\nthe brink of this hill.\n\nThen I saw that they had led them to the top of Mount Caution, and bade\nthem look far off. From that stile, said they, there goes a path to\nDoubting Castle, which is kept by Giant Despair, and the men whom you\nsee there came as you do now, till they got up to that stile; and, as\nthe right way was rough to walk in, they chose to go through a field,\nand there Giant Despair took them, and shut them up in Doubting Castle,\nwhere they were kept in a den for a while, till he at last sent them out\nquite blind, and there they are still. At this Christian gave a look at\nHopeful, and they both burst out with sobs and tears, but yet said not a\nword.\n\nThen the four men took them up a high hill, the name of which was Clear,\nthat they might see the gates of The Celestial City, with the aid of\na glass to look through, but their hands shook, so they could not see\nwell.\n\nWhen Christian and Hopeful thought they would move on, one of the men\ngave them a note of the way, and the next (Experience by name) bade them\ntake heed that they slept not on The Enchanted Ground, and the fourth\nbade them God Speed. Now it was that I woke from my dream.\n\nThen I slept, and dreamt once more, and saw Christian and Hopeful go\ndown near the foot of these hills, where lies the land of Conceit, which\njoins the way to Mount Zion, by a small lane. Here they met a brisk lad,\nwhose name was Ignorance, to whom Christian said: Whence come you, and\nto what place do you go?\n\nIgnorance.--Sir, I was born in the land that lies off there on the left,\nand I wish to go to The Celestial City.\n\nChristian.--How do you think to get in at the gate?\n\nIgnorance.--Just as the rest of the world do.\n\nChristian.--But what have you to show at that gate to pass you through\nit?\n\nIgnorance.--I know my Lord's will, and I have led a good life; I pay for\nall that I have, I give tithes, and give alms, and have left my own land\nfor that to which I now go.\n\nChristian.--But you came not in at the gate that is at the head of this\nway, you came in through a small lane; so that I fear, though you may\nthink well of all you have done, that when the time shall come, you will\nhave this laid to your charge, that you are a thief and so you will not\nget in.\n\nIgnorance.--Well, since I know you not; you keep to your own creed, and\nI will keep to mine, and I hope all will be well. And as for the gate\nthat you talk of, all the world knows that it is far from our land, and\nI do not think that there is a man in all our parts who does so much\nas know the way to it, and I see not what need there is that he should,\nsince we have, as you see, a fine green lane at the next turn that comes\ndown from our part of the world.\n\nChristian said in a low tone of voice to Hopeful: There is more hope of\na fool than of him.\n\nHopeful.--Let us pass on if you will, and talk to him by and by, when,\nmay be, he can bear it.\n\nSo they went on, and Ignorance trod in their steps a short way from\nthem, till they saw a road branch off from the one they were in, and\nthey knew not which of the two to take.\n\nAs they stood to think of it, a man whose skin was black, but who was\nclad in a white robe, came to them and said: Why do you stand here? They\ntold him that they were on their way to The Celestial City, but knew not\nwhich of the two roads to take.\n\nCome with me, then, said the man, for it is there that I mean to go.\n\nSo they went with him, though it was clear that the road must have made\na bend, for they found they would soon turn their backs on The Celestial\nCity.\n\nEre long, Christian and Hopeful were both caught in a net, and knew not\nwhat to do; and with that the white robe fell off the black man's back.\n\nThen they saw where they were. So there they sat down and wept.\n\nChristian.--Did not one of the four men who kept guard on their sheep\ntell us to take heed lest Flatterer should spread a net for out feet?\n\nHopeful.--Those men, too, gave us a note of the way, but we have not\nread it, and so have not kept in the right path. Thus they lay in the\nnet to weep and wail.\n\nAt last they saw a Bright One come up to them with a whip of fine cord\nin his hand, who said: What do you here? Whence come you?\n\nThey told him that their wish was to go to Zion, but that they had been\nled out of the way by a black man with a white cloak on, who, as he was\nbound for the same place, said he would show them the road.\n\nThen said he: It is Flatterer, a false man, who has put on the garb of a\nBright One for a time.\n\nSo he rent the net and let the men out. Then he bade them come with him,\nthat he might set them on the right way once more. He said: Where were\nyou last night?\n\nQuoth they: With the men who kept watch of their sheep on The Delectable\nMountains.\n\nThen he said: But when you were at a stand why did you not read your\nnote?\n\nThey told him they had not thought of it.\n\nNow I saw in my dream that he bade them lie down, and whipt them sore,\nto teach them the good way in which they should walk; and he said: Those\nwhom I love I serve thus.\n\nSo they gave him thanks for what he had taught them, and went on the\nright way up the hill with a song of joy.\n\nAt length they came to a land the air of which made men sleep, and here\nthe lids of Hopeful's eyes dropped, and he said: Let us lie down here\nand take a nap.\n\nChristian.--By no means, lest if we sleep we wake no more.\n\nHopeful.--Nay, friend Christian, sleep is sweet to the man who has spent\nthe day in toil.\n\nChristian.--Do you not call to mind that one of the men who kept watch\nof the sheep bade us take care of The Enchanted Ground? He meant by that\nthat we should take heed not to sleep; so let us not sleep, but watch.\n\nHopeful.--I see I am in fault.\n\nChristian.--Now then, to keep sleep from our eyes I will ask you, as we\ngo, to tell me how you came at first to do as you do now?\n\nHopeful.--Do you mean how came I first to look to the good of my soul?\n\nChristian.--Yes.\n\nHopeful.--For a long time the things that were seen and sold at Vanity\nFair were a great joy to me.\n\nChristian.--What things do you speak of?\n\nHopeful.--All the good of this life; such as lies, oaths, drink; in a\nword, love of self and all that tend to kill the soul. But I heard from\nyou and Faithful that the end of these things is death.\n\nThus did they talk as they went on their way.\n\nBut I saw in my dream that by this time Christian and Hopeful had got\nthrough The Enchanted Ground and had come to the land of Beulah, where\nthe air is sweet; and as their way lay through this land, they made no\nhaste to quit it, for here they heard the birds sing all day long, and\nthe sun shone day and night; the Valley of Death was on the left, and it\nwas out of the reach of Giant Despair; nor could they from this place so\nmuch as see Doubting Castle.\n\nNow were they in sight of Zion, and here some of the Bright Ones came to\nmeet them. Here, too, they heard the voice of those who dwelt in Zion,\nand had a good view of this land of bliss, which was built of rare gems\nof all hues, and the streets were laid with gold. So that the rays of\nlight which shone on Christian were too bright for him to bear, and he\nfell sick, and Hopeful had a fit of the same kind. So they lay by for a\ntime, and wept, for their joy was too much for them.\n\nAt length, step by step, they drew near to Zion, and saw that the gates\nwere flung back.\n\nA man stood in the way, to whom Christian and Hopeful said: Whose vines\nand crops are these?\n\nHe told them they were the king's and were put there to give joy to\nthose who should go on the road. So he bade them eat what fruit they\nchose, and took them to see the king's walks; where they slept.\n\nNow I saw in my dream that they spoke more in their sleep than they had\ndone all the rest of the way, and I could but muse at this, but the man\nsaid: Why do you muse at it? The juice from the grapes of this vine is\nso sweet as to cause the lips of them that sleep to speak.\n\nI then saw that when they woke, they would fain go up to Zion; but as I\nsaid, the sun threw off such bright rays from The Celestial City, which\nwas built of pure gold, that they could not, as yet, look on it, save\nthrough a glass made for that end.\n\nNow as they went, they met with two men in white robes, and the face of\neach shone bright as the light.\n\nThese men said: Whence come you? And when they had been told they said:\nYou have but one thing more to do, which is a hard one, and then you are\nin Zion.\n\nChristian and Hopeful did then beg of the two men to go with them; which\nthey did. But, said they, It is by your own faith that you must gain it.\n\nNow 'twixt them and the gate was a fierce stream which was broad and\ndeep; it had no bridge, and the mere sight of it did so stun Christian\nand Hopeful that they could not move.\n\nBut the men who went with them said: You can not come to the gate but\nthrough this stream.\n\nIs there no way but this one to the gate? said poor Christian.\n\nYes, quoth they, but there have been but two men, to wit, Enoch and\nElijah who have trod that path since the world was made.\n\nWhen Christian and Hopeful cast their eyes on the stream once more, they\nfelt their hearts sink with fear, and gave a look this way and that\nin much dread of the waves. Yet through it lay the way to Zion. Is the\nstream all of one depth? said Christian. He was told that it was not,\nyet that in that there was no help, for he would find the stream more or\nless deep, as he had faith in the King of the place. So they set foot\non the stream, but Christian gave a loud cry to his good friend Hopeful,\nand said: The waves close round my head, and I sink. Then said Hopeful:\nBe of good cheer; my feet feel the bed of the stream, and it is good.\n\nBut Christian said: Ah, Hopeful, the pains of death have got hold of me;\nI shall not reach the land that I long for. And with that a cloud came\non his sight, so that he could not see.\n\nHopeful had much to do to keep Christian's head out of the stream; nay,\nat times he had quite sunk, and then in a while he would rise up half\ndead.\n\nThen said Hopeful: My friend, all this is sent to try if you will call\nto mind all that God has done for you, and live on Him in your heart.\n\nAt these words Hopeful saw that Christian was in deep thought; so he\nsaid to him: Be of good cheer, Christ will make thee whole.\n\nThen Christian broke out with a loud voice: Oh, I see Him, and He speaks\nto me and says, When you pass through the deep streams, I will be with\nyou.\n\nAnd now they both got strength, and the stream was as still as a stone,\nso that Christian felt the bed of it with his feet, and he could walk\nthrough it. Thus they got to the right bank, where the two men in bright\nrobes stood to wait for them, and their clothes were left in the stream.\n\nNow you must bear in mind that Zion was on a steep hill, yet did\nChristian and Hopeful go up with ease and great speed, for they had\nthese two men to lead them by the arms.\n\nThe hill stood in the sky, for the base of it was there. So in sweet\ntalk they went up through the air. The Bright Ones told them of the\nbliss of the place, which they said was such as no tongues could tell,\nand that there they would see the Tree of Life, and eat of the fruit of\nit.\n\nWhen you come there, said they, white robes will be put on you, and\nyour talk from day to day shall be with the King for all time. There you\nshall not see such things as you saw on earth, to wit, care and want,\nand woe and death. You now go to be with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.\n\nChristian and Hopeful.--What must we do there?\n\nThey said: You will have rest for all your toil, and joy for all your\ngrief. You will reap what you have sown--the fruit of all the tears\nyou shed for the King by the way. In that place you will wear crowns of\ngold, and have at all times a sight of Him who sits on the throne. There\nyou shall serve Him with love, with shouts of joy and with songs of\npraise.\n\nNow, while they thus drew up to the gate, lo, a host of saints came to\nmeet them, to whom the two Bright Ones said: These are men who felt love\nfor our Lord when they were in the world, and left all for His name;\nand He sent us to bring them far on their way, that they might go in and\nlook on their Lord with joy.\n\nThen the whole host with great shouts came round on all sides (as it\nwere to guard them); so that is would seem to Christian and Hopeful as\nif all Zion had come down to meet them.\n\nNow, when Christian and Hopeful went in at the gate a great change took\nplace in them, and they were clad in robes that shone like gold. There\nwere bright hosts that came with harps and crowns, and they said to\nthem: Come, ye, in the joy of the Lord. And then I heard all the bells\nin Zion ring.\n\nNow, just as the gates were flung back for the men to pass in, I had\na sight of Zion, which shone like the sun; the ground was of gold, and\nthose who dwelt there had love in their looks, crowns on their heads,\nand palms in their hands, and with one voice they sent forth shouts of\npraise.\n\nBut the gates were now once more shut, and I could but wish that I, too,\nhad gone in to share this bliss. Then I woke, and, lo, it was a dream.\n\nEND OF FIRST PART.\n\n\n\nPART II.\n\nOnce more I had a dream, and it was this:--Christiana, the wife of\nChristian, had been on her knees to pray, and as she rose, she heard a\nloud knock at the door. If you come in God's name, said she, come in.\nThen I thought in my dream that a form, clad in robes as white as snow,\nthrew back the door, and said, Peace be to this house. At a sight so\nnew to her, Christiana at first grew pale with fear, but in a short time\ntook heart and told him she would fain know whence he came, and why. So\nhe said his name was Secret, and that he dwelt with those that are on\nhigh. Then said her guest: Christiana, here is a note for thee, which\nI have brought from Christian. So she took it, broke the seal, and read\nthese words, which were in gold:--\"To her who was my dear wife. The King\nwould have you do as I have done, for that was the way to come to this\nland, and to dwell with Him in joy.\" When Christiana read this, she shed\ntears, and said to him who brought the note, Sir, will you take me and\nmy sons with you, that we, too, may bow down to this king? But he said,\nChristiana, joy is born of grief: care must come first, then bliss. To\nreach the land where I dwell, thou must go through toils, as well as\nscorn and taunts. But take the road that leads up to the field gate\nwhich stands in the head of the way; and I wish you all good speed. I\nwould have thee wear this note in thy breast, that it may be read\nby thee till thou must give it up at the last gate that leads to The\nCelestial City.\n\nThen Christiana spoke to her boys, and said: My sons, I have of late\nbeen sad at the death of Christian, your dear sire. But I feel sure now\nthat it is well with him, and that he dwells in the land of life and\npeace. I have, too, felt deep grief at the thoughts of my own state and\nyours; for we were wrong to let our hearts grow cold, and turn a deaf\near to him in the time of his woe, and hold back from him when he fled\nfrom this City of Destruction.\n\nThe thought of these things would kill me, were it not for a dream which\nI had last night, and for what a guest who came here at dawn has told\nme. So come, my dear ones, let us make our way at once to the gate that\nleads to The Celestial City, that we may see your sire and be there with\nhim and his friends.\n\nThen her first two sons burst out in tears of joy that Christiana's\nheart was set that way.\n\nNow while they put all things right to go, two friends of Christiana's\ncame up to her house, and gave a knock at the door. To them she said,\nIf you come in God's name, come in. This mode of speech from the lips of\nChristiana struck them as strange. Yet they came in, and said, Pray what\ndo you mean by this?\n\nI mean to leave my home, said she to Mrs. Timorous--for that was the\nname of one of these friends.\n\nTimorous:--To what end, pray tell me?\n\nChristiana:--To go to my dear Christian. And with that she wept.\n\nTimorous:--Nay, can it be so? Who or what has brought you to this state\nof mind?\n\nChristiana:--Oh, my friend, if you did but know as much as I do, I doubt\nnot that you would be glad to go with me.\n\nTimorous:--Pray what new lore have you got hold of that draws your mind\nfrom your friends, and tempts you to go no one knows where?\n\nChristiana:--I dreamt last night that I saw Christian. Oh, that my soul\nwere with him now! The Prince of the place has sent for me, through one\nwho came to me at sun rise, and brought this note to bid me go there;\nread it, I pray you.\n\nTimorous:--Ah, how mad to run such risks! You have heard, I am sure,\nfrom our friend Obstinate, what Christian met with on the way, for he\nwent with him; yea, and Pliable, too, till they, like wise men, came\nback through fear. You heard how he met with the beasts of prey and\nApollyon, what he saw in the Valley of the Shadow of Death, and more\nstill that makes my hair stand on end to hear of; think, too, of these\nfour sweet boys who are your own flesh and bone; and, though you should\nbe so rash as to wish to go, yet for their sale, I pray you keep at\nhome.\n\nBut Christiana said: Tempt me not. I have now a chance put in my hand\nto get gain, and in truth I should be a fool if I had not the heart to\ngrasp it. And these toils and snares that you tell me of shall not keep\nme back; no, they serve but to show me that I am in the right. Care\nmust first be felt, then joy. So since you came not to my house in God's\nname, as I said, I pray you to be gone, and tempt me no more.\n\nThen Timorous said to Mercy (who had come with her): Let us leave her in\nher own hands, since she scorns all that I say.\n\nBut Mercy thought that if her friend Christiana must be gone, she would\ngo part of the way with her to help her. She took some thought, too, of\nher own soul, for what Christiana had said had laid hold on her mind,\nand she felt she must have some talk with this friend; and if she found\nthat truth and life were in her words, she would join her with all her\nheart.\n\nSo Mercy said to Timorous: I came with you to see Christiana, and since\non this day she takes leave of the town, I think the least I can do\nwould be to walk a short way with her to help her on. But the rest she\nkept from Timorous.\n\nTimorous:--Well, I see you have a mind to play the fool, too; but take\nheed in good time, and be wise.\n\nSo Mrs. Timorous went to her own house; and Christiana, with her four\nboys and Mercy, went on their way.\n\nMercy, said Christiana, I take this as a great boon that you should set\nfoot out of doors to start me on my way.\n\nThen said young Mercy (for she was quite young): If I thought it would\nbe good to join you, I would not go back at all to the town.\n\nChristiana:--Well, Mercy, cast your lot in with mine; I know what will\nbe the end of our toils. Christian is where he would not fail to be for\nall the gold in the mines of Spain. Nor shall you be sent back, though\nthere be no one but I to ask it for you; for the King who has sent for\nme and my boys is One who turns not from those who seek Him. If you like\nI will hire you, and you shall go as my maid, and yet shall share all\nthings with me, so that you do but go.\n\nMercy:--But how do I know that I shall be let in? If I thought I should\nhave help from Him from whom all help comes, I would make no pause, but\nwould go at once, let the way be as rough as it might.\n\nChristiana:--Well, Mercy, I will tell you what I would have you do. Go\nwith me as far as to the field gate, and there I will ask; and if no\nhopes should be held out to you by Him who keeps the gate, you can but\ngo back to your home.\n\nMercy: Well, I will go with you, and the Lord grant that my lot may be\ncast to dwell in the land for which my heart yearns.\n\nChristiana then felt glad that she had a friend to join her, and that\nher friend should have so great a care for her soul.\n\nSo they went on their way; but the face of Mercy wore so sad a mien that\nChristiana said to her, What ails you? Why do you weep?\n\nMercy:--Oh, who could but weep to think of the state of my poor friends\nnear and dear to me, in our had town?\n\nChristiana:--You feel for your friends as my good Christian did for me\nwhen he left me, for it went to his heart to find that I would not see\nthese things in the same light as he did. And now, you, I, and these\ndear boys, reap the fruits of all his woes. I hope, Mercy, these tears\nof yours will not be shed in vain, for He who could not lie, has said\nthat they who sow in tears shall reap in joy.\n\nNow when Christiana came up to the Slough Of Despond, she and her sons\nmade a stand, and Christiana told them that this was the place in which\nher dear Christian fell. But Mercy said, Come, let us try; all we have\nto do is to keep the steps well in view. Yet Christiana made a slip or\ntwo in the mud; but at last they got through the slough, and then they\nheard a voice say to them: Blest is she who hath faith, for those things\nwhich were told her of the Lord shall come to pass.\n\nSo now they went on once more, and Mercy said, Had I as good grounds\nto hope to get in at the gate as you have, I think no Slough Of Despond\nwould keep me back.\n\nWell, said Christiana, you know your sore, and I know mine, and hard\ntoil will it be for both of us to get to the end of the way; for how\ncan we think that they who set out on a scheme of so much bliss, should\nsteer clear of frights and fears on their way to that bright bourn which\nit is their aim to reach?\n\nWhen they came to the gate, it took them some time to make out a plan of\nwhat they should say to Him who stood there; and as Mercy was not so old\nas her friend, she said that it must rest with Christiana to speak for\nall of them. So, she gave a knock, and then (like Christian) two more;\nbut no one came.\n\nNow they heard the fierce bark of a dog, which made them shake with\nfear, nor did they dare for a while to knock a third time, lest the dog\nshould fly at them. So they were put to their wits' end to know what to\ndo: to knock they did not dare, for fear of the dog; to go back they did\nnot dare, lest He who kept the gate should see them as they went, and\nmight not like it. At last they gave a knock four times as loud as the\nfirst.\n\nThen He who stood at the gate said, Who is there? The dog was heard to\nbark no more, and the gate swung wide for them to come in.\n\nChristiana sank on her knees, and said, Let not our Lord be wroth that\nwe have made this loud noise at His gate.\n\nAt this He said: Whence come you, and what is it that you would have?\n\nQuoth Christiana: We are come from the town whence Christian came,\nto beg to be let in at this gate, that we may go on our way to The\nCelestial City. I was once the wife of Christian, who now is in the land\nof bliss.\n\nWith that, He who kept the gate threw up His arms and said, What! is she\non her road to The Celestial City who, but a short time since, did hate\nthe life of that place?\n\nThen Christiana bent her head, and said, Yes, and so are these, my dear\nsons. So He took her by the hand and led her in; and when her four sons\nhad gone through, He shut the gate. This done, He said to a man hard by,\nSound the horn for joy.\n\nBut now that Christiana was safe through the gate with her boys, she\nthought it time to speak a word for Mercy, so she said, My Lord, I have\na friend who stands at the gate, who has come here with the same trust\nthat I did; one whose heart is sad to think that she comes, it may be,\nwhen she is not sent for; while I had word from Christian's King to\ncome.\n\nThe time did so lag with poor Mercy while she stood to be let in, that\nthough it was but a short space, yet through fear and doubt did it seem\nto her like an hour at least; and Christiana could not say more for\nMercy to Him who kept the gate for the knocks, which came so fast, and\nwere at last so loud that they made Christiana start.\n\nThen He said, Who is there?\n\nQuoth Christiana: It is my friend.\n\nSo He threw back the gate to look out, but Mercy was in a swoon, from\nthe fear that she should not be let in.\n\nThen He took her by the hand and said, Fear not; stand firm on thy feet,\nand tell me whence thou art come, and for what end?\n\nMercy:--I do not come as my friend Christiana does, for I was not sent\nfor by the King, and I fear I am too bold. Yet if there is grace to\nshare, I pray Thee let me share it.\n\nThen He took her once more by the hand and led her in, and said, All may\ncome in who put their trust in me, let the means be what they may that\nbrought them here.\n\nThen He told those that stood by to bring her some myrrh, and in a while\nshe got well.\n\nNow I saw in my dream that he spoke good words to Mercy, Christiana, and\nher boys, so as to make glad their hearts. And He took them up to the\ntop of the gate, where He left them for a while, and Christiana said: Oh\nmy dear friend, how glad am I that we have all got in!\n\nMercy:--So you may well be; but most of all have I cause for joy.\n\nChristiana:--I thought at one time as I stood at the gate, and none came\nto me, that all our pains had been lost.\n\nMercy:--But my worst fears came when I saw Him who kept the gate grant\nyou your wish, and take no heed of me. And this brought to my mind the\ntwo who ground at the same mill, and how I was the one who was left; and\nI found it hard not to cry out, I am lost! I am lost!\n\nChristiana:--I thought you would have come in by rude force.\n\nMercy:--Ah me! You saw that the door was shut on me, and that a fierce\nhound was not far off. Who, with so faint a heart as mine, would not\ngive loud knocks with all her might? But, pray, what said my Lord at\nthis rude noise? Was He not wroth with me?\n\nChristiana:--When He heard your loud thumps at the door He gave a smile;\nand to my mind, what you did would seem to please Him well. But it\nis hard to guess why He keeps such a dog. Had I known of it, I fear I\nshould not have had the wish to come. But now we are in, we are safe;\nand I am glad with all my heart.\n\nOne of Christiana's boys said: Pray ask to have a chain put on the dog,\nfor it will bite us when we go hence.\n\nThen He who kept the gate came down to them once more, and Mercy fell\nwith her face to the ground, and said, Oh, let me bless and praise the\nLord with my lips!\n\nSo He said to her, Peace be to thee; stand up.\n\nBut she would not rise till she had heard from Him why He kept so fierce\na dog in the yard. He told her He did not own the dog, but that it was\nshut up in the grounds of one who dwelt near. In truth, said He, it is\nkept from no good will to me or mine, but to cause those who come here\nto turn back from my gate by the sound of its voice. But hadst thou\nknown more of me thou wouldst not have felt fear of a dog. The poor man\nwho goes from door to door will, for the sake of alms, run the risk of a\nbite from a cur; and shall a dog keep thee from me?\n\nMercy:--I spoke of what I knew not; but, Lord, I know that Thou dost all\nthings well.\n\nThen Christiana rose as if she would go on her way. So He fed them, and\nset them in the right path, as He had done to Christian. And as they\nwent, Christiana sang a hymn: \"We turn our tears to joy, and our fears\nto faith.\"\n\nThey had not gone far when they saw some fruit trees, the boughs of\nwhich hung from the top of a wall that was built around the grounds of\nhim who kept the fierce hound, and at times those that came that way\nwould eat them to their cost. So as they were ripe, Christiana's boys\nthrew them down and ate some of them; though Christiana chid them for\nit, and said, That fruit is not ours. But she knew not then whose it\nwas. Still the boys would eat of it.\n\nNow when they had gone but a bow shot from the place, they saw two men,\nwho with bold looks came fast down the hill to meet them. With that,\nChristiana and her friend Mercy, drew down their veils, and so kept on\ntheir way, and the boys went on first. Then the men came up to them, but\nChristiana said: Stand back, or go by in peace, as you should. Yet they\ntook no more heed of her words than if they had been deaf.\n\nChristiana, who did not like their looks, said, We are in haste, and can\nnot stay; our work is a work of life and death. With that she and the\nrest made a fresh move to pass, but the men would not let them. So with\none voice they all set up a loud cry. Now, as they were not far from\nthe held gate, they were heard from that place, and some of those in the\nlodge came out in haste to catch these bad men; when they soon leapt the\nwall, and got safe to the grounds where the dog was kept.\n\nReliever:--How was it that when you were at the gate you did not ask Him\nwho stood there to take you on your way, and guard you from harm? Had\nyou done so you would not have gone through these frights, for He would\nhave been sure to grant you your wish.\n\nChristiana:--Ah, Sir, the joy we felt when we were let in, drove from\nour thoughts all fears to come. And how could we think that such had men\ncould lurk in such a place as that? True, it would have been well for\nus if we had thought to ask Him; but since our Lord knew it would be for\nour good, how came it to pass that He did not send some one with us?\n\nReliever:--You did not ask. When the want of a thing is felt, that which\nwe wish for is worth all the more.\n\nChristiana:--Shall we go back to my Lord and tell Him we wish we had\nbeen more wise, and ask for a guard?\n\nReliever:--Go back you need not, for in no place where you go will you\nfind a want at all.\n\nWhen he had said this he took his leave, and the rest went on their way.\n\nMercy:--What a blank is here! I made sure we had been past all risk, and\nthat we should see no more care.\n\nChristiana:--Your youth may plead for you, my friend, and screen you\nfrom blame; but as for me, my fault is so much the worse in so far as\nI knew what would take place ere I came out of my door. Mercy:--But how\ncould you know this ere you set out?\n\nChristiana:--Why, I will tell you. One night as I lay in bed, I had a\ndream, in which I saw the whole scene as it took place just now.\n\nBy this time Christiana, Mercy and the four boys had come to the house\nof Interpreter. Now when they drew near to the door they heard the sound\nof Christiana's name; for the news of her flight had made a great stir;\nbut they knew not that she stood at the door. At last she gave a knock,\nas she had done at the gate, when there came to the door a young maid,\nInnocent by name.\n\nInnocent:--With whom would you speak in this place?\n\nChristiana:--As we heard that this is a place of rest for those that go\nby the way, we pray that we may be let in, for the day, as you see, is\nfar spent, and we are loth to go on by night.\n\nInnocent:--Pray what is your name, that I may tell it to my Lord?\n\nChristiana:--My name is Christiana; I was the wife of Christian, who\nsome time since came by this way, and these are his four sons.\n\nInnocent then ran in and said to those there, Can you guess who is at\nthe door? There are Christiana, her boys and her friend!\n\nSo they leapt for joy, and went to tell it to their Lord, who came to\nthe door and said, Art thou that Christiana whom Christian left in the\ntown of Destruction, when he set out for The Celestial City?\n\nChristiana:--I am she, and my heart was so hard as to slight his woes,\nand leave him to make his way as he could; and these are his four sons.\nBut I, too, am come, for I feel sure that no way is right but this.\n\nInterpreter:--But why do you stand at the door? Come in; it was but just\nnow that we spoke of you, for we heard that you were on your way. Come,\nmy dear boys, come in; come, my sweet maid, come in. So he took them\nto the house, and bade them sit down and rest. All in the house wore a\nsmile of joy to think that Christiana was on her way to The Celestial\nCity, and they were glad to see the young ones walk in God's ways, and\ngave them a kind of clasp of the hand to show their good will. They said\nsoft words, too, to Mercy, and bade them all be at their ease. To fill\nup the time till they could sup, Interpreter took them to see all those\nthings that had been shown to Christian. This done, they were led to a\nroom in which stood a man with a prong in his hand, who could look no\nway but down on the ground; and there stood one with a crown in his\nhand, which he said he would give him for his prong; yet the first man\ndid not look up, but went on to rake the straws, dust, and stocks which\nlay on the floor.\n\nThen said Christiana: I think I know what this means. It is a sketch of\na man of this world, is it not, good Sir?\n\nInterpreter:--Thou art right, and his prong shows that his mind is of\nthe earth, and that he thinks life in the next world is a mere song;\ntake note that he does not so much as look up; and straws, sticks, and\ndust, with most, are the great things to live for.\n\nAt that Christiana and Mercy wept, and said, Ah, yes, it is too true!\n\nInterpreter then took them to a room where were a hen and her chicks,\nand bade them look well at them for a while. So one of the chicks went\nto the trough to drink, and each time she drank would she lift up her\nhead and her eyes to the sky.\n\nSee, said he, what this bird does, and learn of her to know whence all\ngood comes, and to give to the Lord who dwells on high, the praise and\nthanks for it. Look once more, and see all the ways that the hen has\nwith her young brood. There is her call that goes on all day long; and\nthere is her call that comes but now and then; she has a third call\nto shield them with her wings; and her fourth is a loud cry, which she\ngives when she spies a foe. Now, said he, set her ways by the side of\nyour King's, and the ways of these chicks by the side of those who love\nto do His will, and then you will see what I mean. For He has a way to\nwalk in with His saints. By the call that comes all day He gives nought;\nby a call that is rare He is sure to have some good to give; then there\nis a call, too, for those that would come to His wings, which He spreads\nout to shield them; and He has a cry to warn men from those who might\nhurt their souls. I choose scenes from real life, as they are not too\nhard for you to grasp, when I fit them to your own case; and it is the\nlove I have for your souls that prompts me to show you these things.\n\nChristiana:--Pray let us see some more.\n\nInterpreter then took them to his field, which was sown with wheat and\ncorn; but when they came to look, the ears were cut off, and there was\nnought but the straw left.\n\nInterpreter:--What shall we do with the crop?\n\nChristiana:--Burn some, and use the rest to dress the ground with.\n\nInterpreter:--Fruit, you see, is the thing you look for, and for want of\nthat you cast off the whole crop. Take heed that in this you do not seal\nyour own doom; for by fruit I mean works.\n\nNow when they came back to the house the meal was not yet spread, so did\nChristiana beg of Interpreter to show or tell them some more things.\n\nInterpreter:--So much the more strong a man's health is, so much the\nmore prone is he to sin. The more fat the sow is, the more she loves\nthe mire. It is not so hard to sit up a night or two, as to watch for a\nwhole year; just as it is not so hard to start well as it is to hold\nout to the end. One leak will sink a ship, and one sin will kill a man's\nsoul. If a man would live well, let him keep his last day in mind.\n\nNow when Christiana, Mercy and the boys bad all had a good night's rest,\nthey rose with the sun, and made a move to leave; but Interpreter told\nthem to wait a while. For, said he, you must go hence in due form, such\nis the rule of the house.\n\nThen he told Innocent to take them to the bath, and there wash the\ndust from them. This done, they came forth fresh and strong, and as\nInterpreter said, Fair as the moon.\n\nNext he told those near him to bring the seal, and when it was brought\nhe set his mark on them that they might be known in each place where\nthey went.\n\nThen said Interpreter: Bring vests for them. And they were clad in robes\nas white as snow, so that it made each start to see the rest shine with\nso bright a light.\n\nInterpreter then sent for one of his men whose name was Great-heart, and\nbade that he should be clad in a coat of mail, with sword and shield,\nand that he should take them to a house, the name of which was\nBeautiful, where they would rest.\n\nThen Interpreter took his leave of them, with a good wish for each. So\nthey went on their way, and thus they sang:--\n\n\"O move me, Lord, to watch and pray, From sin my heart to clear; To take\nmy cross up day by day, And serve the Lord with fear.\"\n\nThey next came to the place where Christian's load had been lost in the\ntomb. Here they made a pause, and gave thanks to Him who laid down His\nlife to save theirs. So now they went up the hill, which was so steep\nthat the toil made Christiana pant for breath.\n\nHow can we doubt, said she, that they who love rest more than their\nsouls would choose some way on which they could go with more ease than\nthis?\n\nThen Mercy said, Come what may, I must rest for a while.\n\nAnd James, who was the least of the boys, gave way to tears.\n\nCome, Come! said Great-heart, sit not down here; for there is a seat\nnear us put there by the Prince. With this he took the young child by\nthe hand, and led him to it; and they were all glad to sit down, and to\nbe out of the heat of the sun's rays.\n\nThen said Mercy: How sweet is rest to them that work! And how good is\nthe Prince to place this seat here that such as we may rest! Of this\nspot I have heard much, but let us take heed that we sleep not, for that\nonce cost poor Christian dear.\n\nThen said Mr. Great-heart: Well, my brave boys, how do you do? What\nthink you of this hill?\n\nSir, said James, this hill beats me out of heart! And I see now that\nwhat I have been told is true; the land of bliss is up steps; but still,\nSir, it is worse to go down hill to death than up hill to life.\n\nYou are a good boy, said Great-heart.\n\nAt this Mercy could but smile, and it made James blush.\n\nChristiana:--Come, will you not drink of this flask, and eat some fruit,\nwhile we sit here to rest? For Mr. Interpreter put these in my hand as I\ncame out of his door.\n\nNow when they had sat there a while, their guide said to them: The day\nruns on, and if you think well of it, let us now go on our way.\n\nSo they all set out, the boys first, then the rest; but they had not\ngone far when Christiana found she had left the flask, so she sent James\nback to fetch it.\n\nMercy:--I think this is the place where Christian lost his scroll. How\nwas this, Sir?\n\nGreat-heart:--We may trace it to two things; one is sleep, and one is\nthat you cease to think of that which you cease to want; and when you\nlose sight of a boon you lose sight of Him who grants it, and the joy of\nit will end in tears.\n\nBy and by they came to a small mound with a post on it, where these\nwords were cut, Let him who sees this post take heed of his heart and\nhis tongue that they be not false. Then they went on till they came up\nto two large beasts of prey.\n\nNow Great-heart was a strong man, so he had no fear; but their fierce\nlooks made the boys start, and they all clung round Great-heart.\n\nHow now, my boys! You march on first, as brave as can be, when there is\nno cause for fear; but when a test of your strength comes, you shrink.\n\nNow when Great-heart drew his sword to force a way, there came up one\nGiant Grim, who said in a gruff voice, What right have you to come here?\n\nGreat-heart:--These folk are on their way to The Celestial City, and\nthis is the road they shall go, in spite of thee and the wild beasts.\n\nGrim:--This is not their way, nor shall they go on it. I am come forth\nto stop them, and to that end will back the wild beasts.\n\nNow, to say the truth, so fierce were these beasts, and so grim the\nlooks of them that the road was grown with weeds and grass from want of\nuse. And still Grim bade them turn, For, said he, you shall not pass.\n\nBut their guide came up, and struck so hard at him with his sword as to\nforce him to fall back.\n\nGiant Grim:--Will you slay me on my own ground?\n\nGreat-heart:--It is the King's high way on which we stand, and in His\nway it is that you have put these beasts. But these, who are in my\ncharge, though weak, shall hold on in spite of all. And with that he\ndealt him a blow that brought him to the ground; so Giant Grim was\nslain.\n\nThen Great-heart said, Come now with me, and you shall take no harm from\nthe two beasts. So they went by, but shook from head to foot at the mere\nsight of their teeth and claws.\n\nAt length they came in sight of the lodge, to which they soon went up,\nbut made the more haste to get there as it grew dusk. So when they were\ncome to the gate the guide gave a knock, and the man at the lodge said\nin a loud voice, Who is there?\n\nGreat-heart:--It is I\n\nMr. Watchful:--How now, Mr. Great-heart? What has brought you here at\nso late an hour? Then Great-heart told him that he had come with some\nfriends on their way to Zion.\n\nMr. Watchful:--Will you go in and stay till the day dawns?\n\nGreat-heart:--No, I will go back to my Lord to night.\n\nChristiana:--Ah, Sir, I know not how we can part with you, for it is to\nyour stout heart that we owe our lives. You have fought for us, you\nhave taught us what is right, and your faith and your love have known no\nbounds.\n\nMercy:--O that we could have you for our guide all the rest of the way!\nFor how can such weak folk as we are hold out in a path fraught with\ntoils and snares, if we have no friends to take us?\n\nJames:--Pray, Sir, keep with us and help us, when the way we go is so\nhard to find.\n\nGreat-heart:--As my Lord wills, so must I do; if He send me to join you\nonce more, I shall be glad to wait on you. But it was here that you were\nin fault at first, for when He bade me come thus far with you, if you\nhad said, We beg of you to let him go quite through with us, He would\nhave let me do so. But now I must go back; and so good Christiana, Mercy\nand my dear boys, fare ye all well.\n\nThen did Watchful, who kept the lodge, ask Christiana whence she had\ncome and who her friends were.\n\nChristiana:--I come from The City of Destruction, and I was the wife of\none Christian, who is dead.\n\nThen Watchful rang the hell, as at such times he is wont, and there came\nto the door a maid, to whom he said: Go, make it known that Christiana,\nthe wife of Christian, and her four boys are come on their way to The\nCelestial City..\n\nSo she went in and told all this. And, oh, what shouts of joy were sent\nforth when those words fell from her mouth! So all came with haste to\nWatchful; for Christiana still stood at the door.\n\nSome of the most grave said to her, Christiana, come in, thou wife of\nthat good man, come in, thou blest one, come in, with all that are with\nthee.\n\nSo she went in, and the rest with her. They then bade them sit down in\na large room, where the chief of the house came to see them and to cheer\nhis guests. Then he gave each of them a kiss. But as it was late, and\nChristiana and the rest were faint with the great fright they had had,\nthey would fain have gone to rest.\n\nNay, said those of the house, take first some meat; for as Watchful had\nheard that they were on their way, a lamb had been slain for them When\nthe meal had come to an end, and they had sung a psalm, Christiana said,\nIf we may be so bold as to choose, let us be in that room which was\nChristian's when he was here.\n\nSo they took them there, but ere she went to sleep, Christiana said, I\ndid not think when my poor Christian set off with his load on his back\nthat I should do the same thing.\n\nMercy:--No, nor did you think then that you should rest in the same room\nas he had done.\n\nChristiana:--And less still to see his dear face once more who was dead\nand gone, and to praise the Lord the King with him; and yet now I think\nI shall.\n\nMercy:--Do you not hear a noise?\n\nChristiana:--Hark! as far as I can make out, the sounds we hear come\nfrom the lute, the pipe, and the horn.\n\nMercy:--Sweet sounds in the house, sweet sounds in the air, sweet sounds\nin the heart, for joy that we are here.\n\nThus did Christiana and Mercy chat, and they, then slept.\n\nNow at dawn when they woke up, Christiana said to Mercy: What was it\nthat made you laugh in your sleep last night? Were you in a dream?\n\nMercy:--Yes, and a sweet dream it was. But are you sure that I did\nlaugh?\n\nChristiana:--Yes, you gave a laugh as if from your heart of hearts. Do\npray, Mercy, tell it to me.\n\nMercy:--I dreamt that I lay in some lone wood to weep and wail, for that\nmy heart should be so hard a one. Now I had not been there long when I\nthought there were some who had come to hear me speak in my sleep; but I\nwent on with my moans. At this they said with a laugh that I was a fool.\nThen I saw a Bright One with wings come up to me, who said, Mercy, what\nails you? And when he heard the cause Of my grief, he said, Peace be to\nthee. He then came up to wipe off my tears and had me clad in robes of\ngold, and put a chain on my neck, and a crown on my head. Then he took\nme by the hand and said, Mercy, come this way. So he went up with me\ntill we came to a gate, at which he gave a knock and then he took me\nto a throne on which one sat. The place was as bright as the stars, nay\nmore like the sun. And I thought that I saw Christian there. So I woke\nfrom my dream. But did I laugh?\n\nChristiana:--Laugh! Yes, and so you might, to see how well off you were!\nFor you must give me leave to tell you, that as you find the first part\ntrue, so you will find true the last.\n\nMercy:--Well, I am glad of my dream, for I hope ere long to see it come\nto pass, so as to make me laugh once more.\n\nChristiana:--I think it is now high time to rise, and to know what we\nmust do.\n\nMercy:--Pray, if they should ask us to stay, let us by all means do so;\nfor I should much like to know more of these maids. I think Prudence,\nPiety, and Charity have, each of them, a most choice mien.\n\nChristiana:--We shall see what they will do.\n\nSo they came down.\n\nThen Prudence and Piety: If you will stay, here you shall have what the\nhouse will yield.\n\nCharity:--Yes, and that with a good will.\n\nSo they were there some time, much to their good.\n\nPrudence:--Christiana, I give you all praise, for you have brought your\nboys up well. With James I have had a long chat; he is a good boy, and\nhas learnt much that will bring peace to his mind, while he lives on\nthis earth, and in the world to come it will cause him to see the face\nof Him who sits on the throne. For my own part, I will teach all your\nsons. At the same time, said she to them: You must still give heed to\nall that Christiana can teach you, but more than all, you must read the\nBook of God's Word, which sent your dear sire on his way to the land of\nbliss.\n\nBy the time that Christiana and the rest had been in this place a week,\na man, Mr. Brisk by name, came to woo Mercy, with the wish to wed her.\nNow Mercy was fair to look on and her mind was at all times set on work\nand the care of those round her. She would knit hose for the poor, and\ngive to all those things of which they stood in need.\n\nShe will make me a good house wife, thought Brisk.\n\nMercy one day said to those of the house: Will you tell me what you\nthink of Mr. Brisk?\n\nThey then told her that the young man would seem to have a great sense\nof the love of God, but that they had fears it did not reach his soul,\nwhich they thought did cleave too much to this world.\n\nNay then, said Mercy, I will look no more on him, for I will not have a\nclog to my soul.\n\nPrudence:--If you go on as you have set out, and work so hard for the\npoor, he will soon cool.\n\nSo the next time he came, he found her at her work.\n\nWhat, still at it? said he.\n\nMercy:--Yes.\n\nMr. Brisk:--How much can you earn in the day.\n\nMercy:--I work at these things for the good of those for whom I do them;\nand more than this, to do the will of Him who was slain on the cross for\nme.\n\nWith that his face fell, and he came no more to see her.\n\nPrudence:--Did I not tell you that Mr. Brisk would soon flee from you?\nYea, he may seem to love Mercy, but Mercy and he should not tread the\nsame road of life side by side.\n\nNow Matthew, the son of Christiana, fell sick, so they sent to Mr. Skill\nto cure him. Then said he: Tell me what he eats.\n\nChristiana:--Well, there is no food here but what is good.\n\nMr. Skill:--This boy has in him a crude mass of food, which if I do not\nuse the means to get rid of, he will die.\n\nSamuel said to Christiana, What was it that you saw Matthew pick up and\neat when we came from the gate which is at the head of this way?\n\nChristiana:--It was some of the fruit that grows there; I chid him for\nit.\n\nSkill:--I felt sure that it was some bad food; now that fruit hurts more\nthan all, for it is the fruit from Beelzebub's grounds. Did no one warn\nyou of it? Some fall down dead when they eat it.\n\nThen Christiana wept and said, What shall I do for my son? Pray, Sir,\ntry your best to cure him, let it cost what it may.\n\nThen Skill gave strange drugs to him, which he would not take. So\nChristiana put one of them to the tip of her tongue. Oh, Matthew, said\nshe, it is sweet, sweet as balm; if you love me, if you love Mercy, if\nyou love your life, do take it!\n\nSo in time he did, and felt grief for his sin. He quite lost the pain,\nso that with a staff he could walk, and went from room to room to talk\nwith Mercy, Prudence, Piety and Charity.\n\nChristiana:--Pray, Sir, what else are these Pills good for?\n\nSkill:--They are good for all those that go on their way to The\nCelestial City.\n\nChristiana:--I pray of you to make me up a large box full of them, for\nif I can get these, I will take none else.\n\nSkill:--I make no doubt that if a man will but use them as he should, he\ncould not die. But good Christiana, these pills will be of no use if you\ndo not give them as I have done, and that is, in a glass of grief for\nthe sins of those who take them. So he gave some to Christiana and the\nrest of her boys, and to Mercy; he bade Matthew, too, keep a good look\nout that he ate no more green plums; then he gave them a kiss, and went\nhis way.\n\nNow, as they had spent some time here, they made a move to go. Then\nJoseph, who was Christiana's third, son, said to her: You were to send\nto the house of Mr. Interpreter to beg him to grant that Mr. Great-heart\nshould go with us as our guide.\n\nGood boy! said Christiana, I had not thought of it.\n\nSo she wrote a note, and Interpreter said to the man who brought it: Go,\ntell them that I will send him.\n\nGreat-heart soon came, and he said to Christiana and Mercy, My Lord has\nsent you some wine and burnt corn, and to the boys figs and dry grapes.\n\nThey then set off, and Prudence and Piety went with them. But first\nChristiana took leave of Watchful, who kept the gate, and put a small\ncoin in his hand while she gave him her thanks for all that he had done\nfor her and her dear boys. She then said to him, Have you seen men go by\nsince we have been here?\n\nWatchful:--Yes, I have, and there has been a great theft on this high\nway; but the thieves were caught.\n\nThen Christiana and Mercy said they felt great fear to go on that road.\n\nMatthew:--Fear not, as long as we have Mr. Great-heart with us to guide\nus.\n\nI now saw in my dream that they went on till they came to the brow of\nthe hill, when Piety said: O, I must go back to fetch that which I meant\nto give to Christiana and Mercy, and it was a list of all those things\nwhich they had seen at the house where we live. On these, said she, I\nbeg of you to look from time to time, and call them to mind for your\ngood.\n\nThey now went down the hill to the Vale of Humiliation. It was a steep\nhill, and their feet slid as they went on; but they took great care, and\nwhen they had got to the foot of it, Piety said to Christiana: This\nis the vale where Christian met with Apollyon and where they had that\nfierce fight which I know you must have heard of. But be of good cheer,\nas long as we have Mr. Great-heart to guide us, there is nought here\nthat will hurt us, save those sights that spring from our own fears. And\nas to Apollyon, the good folk of the town, who tell us that such a thing\nfell out in such a place, to the hurt of such a one, think that some\nfoul fiend haunts that place, when lo! it is from the fruit of their\nown ill deeds that such things do fall on them. For they that make slips\nmust look for frights. And hence it is that this vale has so bad a name.\n\nJames:--See, there is a post with words on it, I will go and read them.\n\nSo he went, and found that these words were cut on it: Let the slips\nwhich Christian met with ere he came here, and the fights he had in this\nplace, warn all those who come to the Vale of Humiliation.\n\nMr. Great-heart:--It is not so hard to go up as down this hill, and\nthat can be said of but few hills in this part of the world. But we will\nleave the good man, he is at rest, and he had a brave fight with the\nfoe; let Him who dwells on high grant that we fare no worse when our\nstrength comes to be put to the test. This vale brings forth much fruit.\n\nNow, as they went on, they met a boy who was clad in mean clothes and\nkept watch on some sheep. He had a fine fresh face, and as he sat on the\nbank he sang a song.\n\nHark, said Great-heart, to the words of that boy's song.\n\nSo they gave ear to it.\n\n\"He that is down need fear no fall, He that is low, no pride, He that is\nmeek at all times shall Have God to be his guide.\"\n\nThen said Great-heart: Do you hear him? I dare say this boy leads as gay\na life as he that is clad in silk, and that he wears more of that plant\nwhich they call heart's ease.\n\nSamuel:--Ask Great-heart in what part of this vale it was that Apollyon\ncame to fight Christian?\n\nGreat-heart:--The fight took place at that part of the plain which has\nthe name of Forgetful Green. And if those who go on their way, meet with\na shock, it is when they lose sight of the good which they have at the\nhand of Him who dwells on high.\n\nMercy:--I think I feel as well in this place as I have done in all the\nrest of our way. This vale has a sweet grace, and just suits my mind;\nfor I love to be in such a spot as this, where there are no coach wheels\nto make a din. Here one may think a while what he is, whence he came,\nand for what the King has made him; here one may muse and pray.\n\nJust then they thought that the ground they trod on shook. But the guide\nbade them be of good cheer, and look well to their feet, lest by chance\nthey should meet with some snare.\n\nThen James felt sick, but I think the cause of it was fear, and\nChristiana gave him some of the wine which Mr. Interpreter had put in\nher hands, and three of the pills which Mr. Skill had made up, and the\nboy soon got well.\n\nThey then went on a while, and Christiana said, What is that thing on\nthe road? A thing of such a shape I have not seen in all my life!\n\nJoseph said, What is it?\n\nA vile thing, child, a vile thing! said she.\n\nJoseph:--But what is it like?\n\nChristiana:--It is like--I can't tell what. Just then it was far off,\nnow it is nigh.\n\nGreat-heart:--Well, let them that have the most fear keep close to me.\n\nThen it went out of sight of all of them.\n\nBut they had not gone far when Mercy cast a look back, and saw a great\nbeast come fast up to them with a loud roar.\n\nThis noise made them all quail with fright save their guide, who fell\nback and put the rest in front of him. But when the brute saw that\nGreat-heart meant to fight him, he drew back and was seen no more.\n\nNow they had not left the spot long when a great mist fell on them, so\nthat they could not see.\n\nWhat shall we do? said they.\n\nTheir guide told them not to fear, but to stand still, and see what an\nend he would put to this too.\n\nThen said Christiana to Mercy: Now I see what my poor dear Christian\nwent through; I have heard much of this place. Poor man, he went here\nin the dead of the night, and no one with him; but who can tell what the\nValley of the Shadow of Death should mean, till they come to see it? To\nbe here fills my breast with awe!\n\nGreat-heart: It seems now as if the earth and its bars were round us. I\nwould not boast, but I trust we shall still make our way. Come, let us\npray for light to Him that can give it.\n\nSo did they weep and pray. And as the path was now more smooth, they\nwent straight on.\n\nMercy:--To be here is not so sweet as it was at The Gate, or at Mr.\nInterpreter's, or at the good house where we were last.\n\nOh, said one of the boys, it is not so bad to go through this place as\nit is to dwell here for all time; for aught I know we have to go this\nway that our last home may seem to us the more blest.\n\nGreat-heart:--Well said, Samuel; thou dost now speak like a man.\n\nSamuel:--Why, if I do in truth get out of this place, I think I shall\nprize that which is light and good more than I have done all my life.\n\nGreat-heart:--We shall be out by and by.\n\nSo on they went.\n\nJoseph:--Can we not see to the end of this vale yet?\n\nGreat-heart:--Look to your feet, for you will soon be where the snares\nare.\n\nSo they took good heed.\n\nGreat-heart:--Men come here and bring no guide with them; hence it is\nthey die from the snares they meet with in the way. Poor Christian! it\nis strange he should have got out of this place, and been safe. But\nGod dwelt in his soul, and he had a stout heart, of his own, or else he\ncould not have done it.\n\nChristiana:--I wish that there were some inn here where we could all\ntake rest.\n\nI Well, said Mr. Honest--one whom they had just met--there is such a\nplace not far off.\n\nSo there they went, and the host, whose name was Gaius, said: Come in,\nfor my house was built for none but such as you.\n\nGreat-heart:--Good Gaius, let us sup. What have you for us to eat? We\nhave gone through great toils, and stand much in want of food.\n\nGaius:--It is too late for us to go out and seek food; but of such as we\nhave you shall eat.\n\nThe meal was then spread, and near the end of the feast all sat round\nthe board to crack nuts, when old Honest said to Gaius, Tell me what\nthis verse means:\n\nA man there was, and some did count him mad; The more that this man gave\nthe more he had.\n\nThen all the youths gave a guess as to what Gaius would say to it; so he\nsat still a while, and then said:\n\nHe that gives his goods to the poor, Shall have as much and ten times\nmore.\n\nJoseph:--I did not think, Sir, that you would have found it out.\n\nGaius:--Ah! I have learnt of my Lord to be kind, and I find I gain by\nit.\n\nThen Samuel said in a low tone to Christiana, This is a good man's\nhouse; let us make a long stay, and why should not Matthew wed Mercy\nhere?\n\nWhen Gaius heard him say this, quoth he: With all my heart. And he gave\nMercy to Matthew to wife.\n\nBy this time Christiana's son James had come of age, and Gaius gave\nPhebe (who was his child) to be his wife. They spent ten days at the\nhouse of Gaius, and then took their leave. But on the last day he made\nthem a feast, of which they all ate and drank.\n\nGreat-heart:--Now, Gaius, the hour has come that we must be gone; so\ntell me what I owe you for this long stay at your inn, for we have been\nhere some years.\n\nGaius:--At my house no one pays; for the good Samaritan told me that I\nwas to look to him for all the cost I was put to. They now took leave of\nhim and went on their way, when they met with all kinds of frights and\nfears, till they came to a place which bore the name of Vanity Fair.\nThere they went to the house of Mr. Mnason, who said to his guests: If\nthere be a thing that you stand in need of, do but say so, and we will\ndo what we can to get it for you.\n\nWell, then, said they, we should like much to see some of the good folk\nin this town.\n\nSo Mnason gave a stamp with his foot, at which Grace came up, and he\nsent her to fetch some of his friends who were in the house, and they\nall sat down to a meal.\n\nThen said Mr. Mnason, as he held out his hand to point to Christiana: My\nfriends, I have guests here who are on their way to Zion. But who do\nyou think this is? This is the wife of Christian whom (with his friend\nFaithful) the men of this town did treat so ill.\n\nWell, said they, go who would have thought to meet Christiana at this\nplace! May The King whom you love and serve bring you where He is, in\npeace!\n\nThey then told her that the blood of Faithful had lain like a load on\ntheir hearts; and that since, they had burnt him no more men had been\nsent to the Stake at Vanity Fair. In those days, said they, good men\ncould not walk the streets, but now they can show their heads.\n\nChristiana and her sons and Mercy made this place their home for some\nyears, and in course of time Mr. Mnason, who had a wife and two girls,\ngave his first born, whose name was Grace, to Samuel to wife, and Martha\nto Joseph.\n\nNow, one day, a huge snake came out of the woods and slew some of the\nfolk of the town. None of these were so bold as to dare to face him, but\nall fled when they heard that he came near, for he took off the babes by\nscores.\n\nBut Great-heart and the rest of the men who were at Mr. Mnason's house,\nmade up their minds to kill this snake, and so rid the town of him. So\nthey went forth to meet him, and at first the snake did not seem to heed\nthem; but as they were strong men at arms, they drove him back. Then\nthey lay in wait for him, and fell on him, till at last they knew he\nmust die of his wounds. By this deed Mr. Great-heart and the rest won\nthe good will of the whole town.\n\nThe time now drew near for them to go on their way. Mr. Great-heart went\nfirst as their guide; and I saw in my dream that they came to the stream\non this side of The Delectable Mountains, where fine trees grew on each\nbank, the leaves of which were good for the health, and the fields were\ngreen all the year round; and here they might lie down and be safe.\nHere, too, there were folds for sheep, and a house was built in which to\nrear the lambs, and there was One who kept watch on them, who would take\nthem in His arms and lay them in His breast.\n\nNow Christiana bade the four young wives place their babes by the side\nof this stream, so that they might lack nought in time to come. For,\nsaid she, if they should stray or be lost, He will bring them back;\nHe will give strength, to the sick, and here they shall not want meat,\ndrink, or clothes. So they left their young ones to Him.\n\nWhen they went to By-Path Meadow they sat on the stile to which\nChristian had gone with Hopeful, when Giant Despair shut the two up in\nDoubting Castle. They sat down to think what would be the best thing\nto do, now that they were so strong a force, and had such a man as Mr.\nGreat-heart to guide them; to wit, if it would not be well to pull down\nDoubting Castle, and should there be poor souls shut up there who were\non their way to The Celestial City, to set them free. One said this\nthing and one said that; at last quoth Mr. Great-heart: We are told\nin the book of God's Word, that we are to fight the good fight. And, I\npray, with whom should we fight if not with Giant Despair? So who will\ngo with me?\n\nChristiana's four sons said: We will; for they were young and strong; so\nthey left their wives and went.\n\nWhen they gave their knock at the gate, Giant Despair and his wife\nDiffidence, came to them.\n\nGiant Despair:--Who and what is he that is so bold as to come to the\ngate of Giant Despair?\n\nGreat-heart:--It is I, a guide to those who are on their way to Zion.\nAnd I charge thee to throw wide thy gates and stand forth, for I am come\nto slay thee and pull down thy house.\n\nGiant Despair:--What, shall such as Great-heart make me fear? No!\n\nSo he put a cap of steel on his head, and with a breast plate of fire,\nand a club in his hand, he came out to fight his foes.\n\nThen these six men made up to him, and they fought for their lives, till\nDespair was brought to the ground and put to death by Great-heart. Next\nthey fell on his house, but it took six days to pull it down. They found\nthere Mr. Despondency and one Much-afraid, his child, and set them free.\n\nThen they all went onto The Delectable Mountains. They made friends with\nthe men that kept watch on their flocks, who were as kind to them as\nthey had been to Christian and Hopeful.\n\nYou have brought a good train with you, said they. Pray, where did you\nfind them?\n\nSo their guide told them how it had come to pass.\n\nBy and by they got to The Enchanted Ground, where the air makes men\nsleep. Now they had not gone far, when a thick mist fell on them, so\nthat for a while they could not see; and as they could not walk by\nsight, they kept near their guide by the help of words. But one fell in\na bush, while one stuck fast in the mud, and some of the young ones lost\ntheir shoes in the mire. Oh, I am down! said one. Where are you? cried\nthe next; while a third said, I am held fast in the bush!\n\nThen they came to a bench, Slothful's Friend by name, which had shrubs\nand plants round it, to screen those who sat there from the sun. But\nChristiana and the rest gave such good heed to what their guide told\nthem, that though they were worn out with toil, yet there was not one\nof them that had so much as a wish to stop there; for they knew that it\nwould be death to sleep but for a short time on The Enchanted Ground.\n\nNow as it was still dark, their guide struck a light that he might look\nat his map (the book of God's Word); and had he not done so, they would\nall have been lost, for just at the end of the road was a pit, full of\nmud, and no one can tell how deep.\n\nThen thought I: Who is there but would have one of these maps or books\nin which he may look when he is in doubt, and knows not which way he\nshould take?\n\nThey soon came to a bench, on which sat two men, Heedless and Too-bold;\nand Christiana and the rest shook their heads for they saw that these\nmen were in a bad case. They knew not what they ought to do: to go on\nand leave them in their sleep, or to try to wake them. Now the guide\nspoke to them by name; but not a sound could he hear from their lips. So\nGreat-heart at last shook them, and did all he could to wake them.\n\nOne of the two, whose name was Heedless, said, Nay: I will pay you when\nI get in my debts.\n\nAt this the guide shook his head.\n\nThen Too-bold spoke out: I will fight as long as I can hold my sword.\n\nWhen he had said this all who stood round gave a laugh.\n\nChristiana:--'What does this mean?\n\nGreat-heart:--They talk in their sleep. If you strike or shake them,\nthey will still talk in the same way, for their sleep is like that of\nthe man on the mast of a ship, when the waves of the sea beat on him.\n\nThen did Christiana, Mercy and their train go on with fear, and they\nsought from their guide a light for the rest of the way.\n\nBut as the poor babes' cries were loud for want of rest, all fell on\ntheir knees to pray for help. And, by the time that they had gone but\na short way, a wind sprang up which drove off the fog; so, now that the\nair was clear, they made their way.\n\nThen they came to the land of Beulah, where the sun shines night and\nday. Here they took some rest, and ate of the fruit that hung from the\nboughs round them. But all the sleep that they could wish for in such\na land as this was but for a short space of time; for the bells rang to\nsuch sweet tunes, and such a blaze of lights burst on their eyes, that\nthey soon rose to walk to and fro on this bright way, where no base feet\ndare to tread.\n\nAnd now they heard shouts rise up, for there was a noise in the town\nthat a post was come from The Celestial City with words of great joy for\nChristiana, the wife of Christian. So search was made for her, and the\nhouse was found in which she was.\n\nThen the post put a note in her hands, the words of which were: Hail,\ngood Christiana! I bring thee word that the Lord calls for thee, to\nstand near His throne in robes of white, in ten days' time.\n\nWhen he who brought the note had read it to her, he gave her a sign that\nthey were words of truth and love, and said he had come to bid her make\nhaste to be gone. The sign was a shaft with a sharp point, which was to\ntell her, that at the time the note spoke of, she must die.\n\nChristiana heard with joy that her toils would so soon he at an end, and\nthat she should once more live with her dear Christian.\n\nShe then sent for her sons and their wives to come to her. To these she\ngave words of good cheer. She told them how glad she was to have them\nnear her at such a time. She sought, too, to make her own death, now\nclose at hand, of use to them, from this time up to the hour when they\nshould each of them have to quit this world. Her hope was that it might\nhelp guide them on their path; that the Faith which she had taught them\nto cling to, would have sunk deep in their hearts; and that all their\nworks should spring from love to God. She could but pray that they would\nbear these words in mind, and put their whole trust in Him who had borne\ntheir sins on the Cross, and had been slain to save them.\n\nWhen the day came that she must go forth to the world of love and truth,\nthe road was full of those who would fain see her start on her way; and\nthe last words that she was heard to say were: I come, Lord, to be with\nThee.\n\nTHE END.","title":"The Pilgrim's Progress in Words of One Syllable","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":26920}