Is invited to his Palace.

and, besides, it grows towards night; therefore if you please, I will go along with you.

So they went along together, and the old man had him through a lane on the left hand of the high road, which brought him to a stately palace, whose gate stood wide open, and they came unto the first court, which was all green and full of flowers, having several delightful arbours artificially built round it, and a crystal fountain in the middle of the court; there were also beautiful trees planted round it, on whose boughs innumerable birds of several kinds sat chirping and singing with admirable harmony. So as they walked together across the court, there met him an ancient lady, accompanied by two beautiful young damsels, on whom she leaned: the name of the lady was Intemperance, and she was the wife of Carnal-security. Now it seems

these two had built this palace to inveigle pilgrims, and seduce them out of their way to the Heavenly Country; as the palace called Beautiful was built for the relief, comfort, and direction of pilgrims in their journey. But poor Tender-conscience knew nothing of all this; he that had so lately escaped the snare Spiritual-pride had laid for him, was now caught in the gins of Carnal-security.

Now I saw in my dream, that the lady Intemperance bid Tender-conscience welcome to her house, and so did the two young damsels who attended her, who were her daughters; the name of the one was Wantonness, and the name of the other was Forgetfulness.

Then she desired him to approach nearer the house; so they all walked together through the first court, and came to the entrance of the second; there the lady Intemperance desired them all to sit. down, whilst she reached several bunches of grapes which hung down from a vine that covered the

Tender-conscience gets intoxicated and dallies with Mrs. Wantonness.

place where they sat, and she squeezed them into a golden cup which she held in her hand, and having tasted thereof, presented it to Tender-conscience, bidding him to drink it off, so he did accordingly, and presently he was intoxicated therewith, and began to dally with Mrs. Wantonness; at which the lady Intemperance, and her husband Carnal-security, seemed not to be displeased, but rather to encourage him, by giving him another cup of the juice of the grapes, which worked so mightily in his weak head, that having tumbled and dallied awhile with Mrs Wantonness on a bank of sweet flowers, at last fell asleep in the arms of Mrs. Forgetfulness. Then they caused him to be carried into the palace by two of their servants, and laid on a soft bed in the best chamber of the whole house, resolving if possible to win him by all means to tarry with them, and not to go forward in his journey to this end they prepared an excellent concert of music, who were planted out of the sight of the bed where Tender-conscience lay, yet so as they might be heard as plain as though they had been by his bed-side, but could not be seen by him if he should awake out of his sleep; and they were ordered to play the sweetest airs and most melodious tunes their art could furnish them with, all the while he was asleep, and likewise to keep on playing if he should chance to awake, for it was the nature of these grapes, of whose liquor they had drank so plentifully, to make some people sleep many years together, and others to sleep all their life-time; and very few had the power to awaken, especially in any short time; and it was the nature of the music to create dreams in them that slept; pleasant, delightful, and enchanting dreams; and those who died sleeping were hurried out of the palace to a certain place where they tumbled into

Imminent danger of Tender-conscience.

the lake of Destruction, which lake is at the end of that path which led to the left hand, at the bottom the hill Difficulty; it is a burning lake, and has burned from the beginning of the world, and will do for ever and ever. Now this was the end of those poor wretches, who being seduced into the house of Carnal-security, and having drank of the wine of Intemperance, and committed folly with Wantonness, at length fall asleep with Forgetfulness, who, if they die sleeping, are forthwith cast into the burning lake, which is the second death.

Now it came to pass, that though Tender-conscience slept a great while, being lulled by the sound of such incomparable melody; yet they having not taken notice of his strong crutch which he had in his 'hand, nor knowing its secret and wonderful virtues, did not remove it from him, by which means he at length awoke from his sleep, rousing himself up, and wondering from whence all this delicious harmony might come; for his crutch being in his hand all the while he slept, at length as he went to turn himself in his sleep, he hit himself a blow in the eyes with the crutch, which awaked him. Then he began to wonder, as I said, where he was, how he got there, and what music that was: at length he called to mind, how an old man had invited him into his house very kindly, and how his lady had given him of her wine to drink, and how he had dallied with Mrs. Wantonness, but could not call to mind how he came upon the bed, but concluded that he had been drunk, and so brought into the palace, and with this thought, and the pleasant harmony of the music, he was just ready to fall asleep again; but at the same instant there came such a terrible clap of thunder as was almost enough to have awaked the very dead. At this his heart quaked within him, and the music ceased playing;

He is greatly alarmed.

so he arose from his bed, and looking out of window, he saw the air extremely darkened, saving only some intervals of lightning, which accompanied with thunder, seemed to threaten the destruction of the world. Poor Tender-conscience wept bitterly when he perceived such a dreadful tempest hanging over his head, and he in a strange place, not half on his journey; this made him very melancholy and pensive, and he burst out into these mournful expressions by himself:

"Wretch that I am, what will become of me? Where shall I hide myself from the fierce anger of the Lord? or how shall I escape his heavy displeasure? I doubt I have done amiss in coming into this place, and sleeping away my precious time, which is the reason that God is angry, and thunders in the ears of my soul: horror and confusion flash through my conscience like lightning! I know not what to do, nor where to turn my face for comfort!"

Then he looked for his crutch, and could not find it at first, which made him lament grievously; but at last he bethought himself of the bed whereon he slept; so he ran thither, and there found it to his no small comfort and joy. Then he prepared himself to go down stairs, but just as he was about to go from the window where he stood, there came another clap of thunder which made the very house to shake: and, after the thunder, he heard a voice whisper him in the ear, saying, Get thee out of this place, and beware of the woman with the golden cup in her hand, and of all that belong to her, for her ways are the ways of death; sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee, This made poor Tender-conscience to tremble afresh, so that the joints of his knees smote one against another, and he hastened to go down stairs; at which the music

Further temptations.

began to play again so sweetly, that he had much
ado to leave it; but remembering the thunder and
lightning, and the voice he heard, he went resolute-
ly down.
And as he was going through the hall,
he saw a table spread with all manner of dainties,
and heard the voices of young men and maidens, as
he thought, singing deliciously, which made him
again stand still awhile to listen to their music.
Then came one to him named Mr. Gluttony, and
desired him to sit down and eat what he liked best,
telling him withal, that the entertainment he saw
there before his eyes was prepared on purpose
for pilgrims, and how that many that were_tra-
velling towards the city of Zion did call in there,
and partook of the dainties that place afforded, it
being built for the ease and pleasure of pilgrims.
Then the young men and maidens seconded Mr.
Gluttony in their song, while several instruments of
music played to them in concert; and this was their
song→→

"Poor pilgrims here may eat, and drink, and sleep,
Whilst them in safety their good Lord will keep ;
Fall too, fall too, poor man, and take your fill,
In Nature's pleasure there can be no ill;
In vain our King's indulgent hand supplies
What peevish man his longing soul denies."

This was enough to have staggered a stouter man than Tender-conscience, and he himself could not have resisted so powerful a temptation, had it not been for the remembrance of the thunder and the voice. Also he called to mind that saying of the holy Jesus, "To do the will of my heavenly Father, is both my meat and my drink." So he turned away from Mr. Gluttony, and went apace out of the hall, without giving him one word, though he followed him, and entreated him to sit down and make merry with the good cheer that was before him. Then old