Resists the arguments of Carnal-security.

Carnal-security met him at the hall-door, which opened into the inner court of the palace, and he took him by the hand, asking him whither he was going in such haste?

To whom Tender-conscience replied, I am going forward on my journey.

Carnal. Aye, but tarry and eat first; for you have a long way to walk before you will find another house, and therefore it is not convenient for you to go out fasting from hence, lest you faint by the

wav.

Tender. It is written, "Man lives not by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God,"

Carnal. This is not applicable to your case, you must not expect to be fed by miracles; meat and drink are appointed for the support of our frail bodies, and therefore it is a foolish preciseness to abstain from eating when we have absolute need of it.

Tender. Aye, but I have no such absolute need of eating or drinking either at this time, it being early in the morning; and I have read in a certain book thus, "Woe be to thee, O land! when thy princes eat in the morning: but blessed is the land whose princes eat in due season, for refreshment, and not for riotousness."

Carnal. Neither is this saying any ways applicable to you; for you are not a prince, but a poor pilgrim; and this is spoken altogether of princes.

Tender. Yes, I am a prince, and am going to take possession of my crown, and kingdom, for we are made kings and priests unto God, and we shall reign with him for ever; and therefore cease to persuade me in this manner, or to retard my journey, for I will go in the strength of the Lord my God.

Carnal. Well, since you are so obstinate that

He gets into the highway again.

you will not hearken to my counsel in this point, pray be advised to drink before you go, at yonder vine, where you see the grapes hang so thick and plump.

Tender. No, neither will I drink in this place; for I remember how I drank of the juice of those fatal grapes, and they intoxicated me, so that I committed folly with Mrs. Wantonness, and slept away my time when I should have been going forward on my journey; and I believe you have a design upon me to make me drunk again, or else you would not press so hard.

Now by this time, as they went on talking together, they came to a fountain of water, clear as crystal, and Mrs. Wantonness was bathing herself in the fountain; who, when she saw Tender-conscience going out of the court with her father, ran out of the fountain, naked as she was, and embraced him, and prayed him to tarry awhile longer. This was a grievous temptation, and he knew not how to resist it, for she used such alluring arts and fawning tricks as had almost conquered him, but, at length, calling to mind the terrible thundering and lightning, with the voice which followed them, he suddenly sprung out of her arms, and ran away as fast as he could; neither did he stop till he came out of the outermost gate of the palace, and till he got into the high-way again, where Carnal-security first seduced him, and then he went on singing-

"My soul like to a bird from fowler's snare,
Escaped is, while after me they stare :
Their ways are pleasant, but they sting at last,
Woe be to them who in their net are cast.

They spread their gins on every side for men,
Seducing souls to their enchanted den;
All's fair without, but rotten is within;
Fair is the form, but black the guilt of sin."

Tender-conscience arrives at the palace called Beautiful.

At length he came to the place where the lions lay, who began to roar at the sight of him, which put him in a great fright, so that he stood still at first; but calling to mind what he had seen in the cave of Good-resolution, concerning the dangers that those brave worthies had encountered and overcome, he took courage, and went boldly on his way, brandishing his crutch towards the lions; at which they immediately ceased their roaring, and lay still while he passed by, and came up to the gate of the palace called Beautiful, where the porter stood ready to receive him: but first he examined from whence he came, and whither he was going.

Tender. Sir, I am come from the Valley of Destruction, and I am going towards the Holy Sion, or Heavenly Jerusalem.

Porter. Did you come in at the Wicket-gate which is at the head of the Way of Life?

Tender. Yes sir, and was directed by one Goodwill, who kept that Gate, to call at the house of the Interpreter,

Porter. Let me see your pass, that I may shew it to one of the virgins, who, if she be satisfied of the truth, will receive you hospitably, and shew you the civilities of this house.

So Tender-conscience pulled out his pass, and gave it to Watchful the Porter, who immediately rung a bell; at which the Virgin Dicretion came out, and the porter told her who Tender-conscience was, and whither he was going, withal, giving her the Interpreter's pass to read; which when she had perused, and marked the seal, she desired him to walk in.

So she had him to the hall, and there came to him Prudence, Piety, and Charity, and welcomed him to the house, and brought him a little wine and a few figs to refresh himself at present till dinner

He relates his adventures in ascending the hill.

should be ready; for they supposed him to be weary and spent with getting up the hill Difficulty, not knowing that he had taken a long sleep in the house of Carnal-security. But he voluntarily told them how he had met with an old man, as soon as he was past the stage on the top of the hill, who invited me into his house, which, said he, is a stately palace on the left hand on the high-road. So he told them all that happened to him in that place, and how he was forced at last to take to his heels, and run away from Mrs. Wantonness.

Then Piety desired to know his name; and he told her, saying, My name is Tender-conscience.

Well, says she, Tender-conscience, you have escaped one of the greatest dangers upon the road for the old man who enticed you into his house is called Carnal-security, and his wife is the lady Intemperance, who is always to be seen with a golden cup in her hand, full of enchantments, whereby she intoxicates those that drink out of it.

Aye, says Tender-conscience, I believe that was the lady who gave me the juice of grapes to drink out of a golden cup, when we were entering the second court.

Piety. And did you not see her two daughters, Mrs. Wantonness, and Mrs. Forgetfulness?

Tender. I knew not their names, said he; but I saw two beautiful young damsels waiting upon the lady Intemperance, and I being overcome with the strength of the wine, fell to dallying with one of them, till at length I fell asleep in the other's arms.

Piety. These are the same that I mean, and they use to bewitch men to destruction, if once they come within their arms, especially if they fall asleep therein; but how could you get away from them. again? for they use to have so many tricks and artifices to entangle those that come once within

We should flee the first temptations to ungodliness.

their doors, that not one out of ten gets out of their clutches without suffering some great damage.

Tender. Oh! said he, I tarried talking and arguing the case with the old man so long, that I had almost lost the day: now, as we were discoursing together, his daughter came out of a fountain stark naked, and embraced me, using all the enticing words imaginable to stay me from going away; but I, finding myself not able to struggle, or resist so powerful a temptation, all of a sudden gave a spring out of her arms, and ran away as hard as I could drive.

Piety. In this I commend your conduct; for though it be said, "Resist the devil and he will flee from you," yet it is to be understood of other temptations. For when any one is tempted to unchaste or lascivious actions, there is no time for disputing; a resolution and speedy flight is the only way to secure the victory: the soul may stand in the battle against adversities, persecutions, crosses, and the like; but the pleasures of the flesh must be subdued by retreating from them. "He that toucheth pitch shall be defiled," says the wise man; and he that stands capitulating with the temptations of uncleanness, is in danger to fail. The soul, like wax, is hardened by cold stormy weather; but in the sun-shine of prosperity, and the heat of lust, she melts and becomes effeminate and yielding: therefore well said one of old, "Flee youthful lusts, which war against the soul;" he does not say, stand and face them, and resist them; but, run away from them. It is in some degree the same in that common vice, which this age does so much and so shamefully abound in, I mean excessive drinking. Men think they may safely venture into company without being obliged to drink; and when they are in company, they think they may drink a little without doing themselves any harm: