rub up, now here is a riddle for you. Then faid Mr. Ho neft, Let us hear it. Then faid Mr. Great-heart. (A Riddle.) He that will kill must first be overcome : Ha! faid Mr. Honeft, it is a hard one, hard to expound, and harder to practife. But come, landlord, faid he, I will if you please leave my part to you, do you expound it, and I will hear what you fay, No, faid Gaius, it was put to you, and it is expected you fhall answer it. Then faid the old gentleman, (The Riddle opened.) He first by grace must conquer'd be, Who, that he lives, would convince me, It is right, faid Gaius; good doctrine and experience teach this: For firft, until grace displays itself, and overcomes the foul with its glory,,it is altogether without heart to oppofe fin; befides, if finis Satan's cords, by which the foul lies bound, how fhall it make resistance, before it is loofed from that infirmity? Secondly, Nor will any that know either reafon or grace, believe that fuch a man can be a living monument of grace, that is a flave to his own corruptions. And now it comes in my mind, I will tell you a flory worth the hearing. There were two men that went on pilgrimage, the one began when he was young, the other when he was old: The young man had ftrong corruptions to grapple with, the old man's were weak with the decays of nature: The young man trod his steps as even as did the old one, and was every way as light as Who now, or which of them, had A question graces fhining clearest, fince both worth the minded to be alike ? ing. on. The young man's doubtless: For which heads it against the greatest oppofition, gives demonstration that it is ftrongeft; efpecially alfo when fo holdeth peace with That that meets not with half uch; as to be fure old age does not. sfides, I have obferved that old men have bleffed thems with this mistake; namely, taking the decays of re for a gracious conqueft over corruptions, and fo have apt to beguile themfelves: Indeed old men that are ious are beft able to give advice to them that are young, ufe they have feen most of the emptinefs of things: yet for an old and a young man to fet out both toge, the young one has the advantage of, the faireft difcoof a work of grace within him, though the old man's ruptions are naturally the weakeft. Thus they fat talking till break of day. ily was up, Chriftiana bid her fon James the fhould read a chapter; fo he read 53d of Ifaiah.-When he had done, Honeft afked why it was faid, That the Saviour is faid Come out of a dry ground, and alfo that he had no form comeliness in him. Now when the Another question. Great-heart. Then faid Mr. Great-heart, To the first I wer, because the church of the Jews, of which Chrift me, had then almoft loft all the fap and fpirit of religion. the fecond I fay, The words are fpoken in the perfons unbelievers; wha, because they want the eye that can into our Prince's heart, therefore they judge of him by meannefs of his outfide; just like thofe that know not at precious tones are covered over with a homely cruft; 0, when they have found one, because they know not at they have found caft it away again, as men do a mmon stone. Well, faid Gaius, now you are here; and fince, as I ow, Mr. Great-heart is good at his weapons, if you cafe, after we have refreshed ourselves, we will walk into fields, to fee if we can do any good. About a mile m hence there is one Slay-good, a giant, that does much annoy annoy the King's highway in thef parts; and I kn whereabout his haunt is, he is master of number of thien it would be well if we could clear thefe parts of him. So they confented and went, Mr. Great-heart-with fword, helmet, and fhield; and the reft with fpears ftaves. He is found When they came to the place where was, they found him with one Feeble-m with one Feeble- in his hand, whom his fervants had brou unto him, having taken him in the w mind in his hand. now the giant was rifling him, with ap pofe after that to pick his bones; for was of the nature of flesh-eaters. Well, fo foon as he faw Mr Great-heart and his frie at the mouth of his cave, with their weapons, he dema ed what they wanted. Great-heart. We want thee; for we are come to rever the quarrels of the many that thou haft flain of the pilgris when thou haft dragged them out of the King's highwa wherefore come out of the cave; fo he armed himself a came out, and to battle they went, and fought for an hour, and then stood still to take wind. Slay. Then faid the giant, Why are you here ont ground? Great-heart. To revenge the blood of pilgrims, as I thee before; fo they went to it again, and the giant m Mr. Great-heart give back; but he came up again, and the greatness of his mind he let fly with fuch floutne the giant's head and fides, that he made him let his pon fall out of his haud; fo he fmote) Giant Slay-good and flew him, and cut off his head, efaulted and brought it away to the inn: He alfo Feeble-mind, the pilgrim, and broug him with him to his lodgings. When were come home they fhewed his head the family, and fet it up, as they had d others before, for a terror to thofe that attempt to do as he did hereafter. Lain. Feeble-mind refcued from the giant. Then they afked Mr. Feeble-mind how he fell into hands? Feeble-mind. Then faid the poor man, I am a fickly m as you fee, and because death did ufually once a day ka my door, I thought I should never be How Feeble. 1 at home; fo I betook myself to a pil- mind came to be m's life; and have travelled hither from a pilgrim, town of Uncertain, where I and my er were born. I am a man of no ftrength at all of body, yet of mind, but would, if I could, though I can but wl, fpend my life in the pilgrim's way. When I came he gate, that is, at the head of the way, the Lord of : place did entertain me freely; neither objected he aalt my weakly looks, nor against my feeble mind; but e me fuch things as were neceffary for my journey, and me hope to the end.-When I came to the houfe of the erpreter, I received much kindness there; and because hill Difficulty was judged too hard for me, I was carried by one of his fervants. Indeed, I have found much ef from pilgrims, tho' none was willing to go fo foftly I am forced to do: Yet ftill as they came they bid me be of good cheer, and 1 The 5. 4. 1, that it was the will of their Lord that nfort fhould be given to the feeble-minded, and fo went their own pace. When I was come to Affault-lane, n this giant met with me, and bid me prepare for an counter; but, alas! feeble one that I was, I had more ed of a cordial; fo he came up and took me; I conceived should not kill me: Alfo when he had got me into his n, fince I went not with him willingly, I believed I ould come out alive again; for I have heard, That not y pilgrim that is taken captive by violent hands, if he eps heart-whole towards his mafter, is, by the laws of ovidence, to die by the hand of the enemy. Robbed 1 oked to be, and robbed to be fure I am but I am, as ou fee, escaped with life, for the which I thank my King the author, and you as the means. Other brunts I alfa ok for; but this I have resolved on, to wit, to run when can, to go when I cannot run, and to creep when I can ot go. As to the main, I thank him that loved me, I am xed; my way is before me, my mind is beyond the river at has no bridge, though I am, as you fee, but of a feeble ind. Hon. Then faid old Mr. Honeft, Have not you fome me ago been acquainted with one Mr. Fearing, a pil rima ? M Feeble. Acquainted with him! yes; he came from th town of Stupidity, which lieth four degrees Northward the city of Deftruction, and as many o of where I was born; yet we were we acquainted, for indeed he was my und my father's brother; he and I have he much of a temper; he was a little for we were much of a complexion. Mr. Fearing, Mr. Feeblemind's uncle. than I, but yet Feeble-mind has Some of Mr. Fearing's fea zures. Hon. I perceive you know him, and Is apt to believe alfo that you were related to another, for you have his whitely lo a caft like his with your eye, and your fpee is much alike. Feeble. Moft have faid fo that have kro us both and befides what I read in him, I have for t moft part, found in myself. Gaius comforts him. Gaius. Come, Sir, faid good Gaius, of good cheer, you are welcome to me, to my houfe, and what thou haft a mi to, call for freely and what thou wouldest have my vants do for thee, they will do it with a ready mind. Then faid Mr. Feeble-mind, This i unexpected favor, and as the fun-fhin out of a very dark cloud; did giant Sia good intend me this faver when he fopp me, and refolved to let me go no farthe that after he had rifled my pocket, I fhos go to Gaius mine hoft? Yet fo it is. Notice to be taken of Providence, did he intend, Tidings bor Now just as Mr. Feeble-mind and Ga were thus in, talk, there comes one runnin and called at the door, and told, That bout a mile and a half off, there was o Mr. Not-right, a pilgrim, ftruck dead mind's comment on the place where he was with a thund upon it. bolt. Feeble. Alas! faid Mr. Feeble-mind, he flain? He overtook me foms days before I came so as hither, and would be my company-keeper: He alfe with me when Slay-good the giant took me, but he nimble of his heels and efcaped; but it feems he cica to die, and I was took to live. W |