Sidebilder
PDF
ePub

The AUTHOR of the THIRD PART of t PILGRIM'S PROGRESS, upon the Peru

TH

HO' many things are writ to please the eye, Amongst the rest for this I dare engage, Where virtue dwells it will acceptance find, And, to your pilgrim, moft that reads, be kind. But all to pleafe, would be a task as hard As for the winds from blowing to be barr'd, The pious chriftian, in a mirrour, here May fee the promis'd land, and without fear Of threaten'd danger, bravely travel on Until his journey he has fafely gone, And does arrive upon the happy fhore, Where joys inoreafe and forrow is no more. This is a dream not fabl'd as of old ; In this exprefs the facred truths are told, That do to our eternal peace belong, And after mourning, changes to a fong Of glorious triumphs, that are without end, If we but bravely for the prize contend. No pilgrimage like this can make us bleft, Since it brings us to everlafting reft: So well in every part the sense is laid, That it to charm the reader may be faid With curious fancy, and create delight, Which to an imitation muft invite.

And happy are they that, through ftormy feas And dangers, feek adventures like to thefe, Who fell the world, for this great pearl of price, Which, once procur'd, will purchase paradife. He who in fuch a bark does spread his fails, Needs never fear at laft these profp'rous gales, That will conduct him to a land where he Shall feel no storms, but in a calm fhall be; Where, crown'd with glory, he fhall fit and fing Eternal praife to his redeeming King,

Who conquer'd death, despoil'd him of his sting..

So wishes your faithful friend,

B. D

[blocks in formation]

A

FTER the two former dreams concerning Chriftiana and Christiana his wife, with their children and companion pilgrimage from the city of Deftru&tion to the region of glory, I fell asleep a in, and the vifions of my head returned upon, me: I eamed another dream, and behold there appeared unto a great multitude of people, in feveral diftin&t compats and bands, travelling from the city of Deltruction, the wn of Carnal-Policy, the village of Morality, and from e rest of the cities, towns, villages, and hamless that beng to the valley of Deftruction; for fo was the whole untry called that lay on this fide of the wicket-gate, which Evangelift fewed unto Chriftian; and fo was alfo at country called that was fituated fide of the gate, on le right hand and on the left, extending itself along by Je walls and borders of that region, wherein lay the way the heavenly country. This was the name of that proince, even the valley of Deftruction.

le man

Now I faw in my dream, that all the highways, roads, nd lanes, that led from the valley of Deftruction, towards he gate of the way of life, were full of people who were

travelling

zion.

travelling towards the gate of the way of life, were full d people who were travelling towards that gate; and fomes them walked along very vigorously; others halted and gr very weary, through the most violent heat of the feaf which then made them even ready to faint, for it was i the hottest time of the year, and the fa Time of perfecu- burnt up the herb of the field, and foord ed the poor travellers fo, that many of the were forced to fit down and rest themselver end in the night-time many of them returned back y to their old habitations; others, more hardy than ther went on till they came to the flough of Defpond, Pliable fo-fook Chriftian, and there, failing into the and mire of that place, were fo difheartened that they turned in whole droves to their own dwellings again; as very few there were that would venture through the flough yet feme got very dexterously over the fteps, without bere in the leaft befmired; whilft others, through heedlefice and ignorance, miffing the fteps, were forced to wade th the dirt, which was very deep, and made their paffage ceeding painful; but at length, with much ado, they we thered the point, and maltered the difficulties of that b rid quagmire, and got fafe upon dry ground.

Among the rest of thefe travellers that got over ti ough, I faw a young man of an amiable countenan walking by himself after he had got clear of the fough but he was ad over bedaubed with the filth of that place which made him go very heavily on; for what with frug gling to get through, and what with the difmal apprence fion he lay under during his paffage, he was extremely weakened, his joints were loofened; befides, i was the nature of the dirt of this place to cause trembling and cif order in the limbs of those that were defiled with it, and to whatfoever part of their body it luck, there it would do them fome injury. Now the young man being all overclammed with it, he went a very flow pace, his head hanging down, his hands quivering, and his feet tripping at the leaft unevennefs and ruggedness in the way; and a fpeck or two of the dirt being (pattered near his eyes made him dim fighted, to that he groped along like one that blind, and fometimes ftepped out of the path.

[ocr errors]

In this condition he was, hen at length I faw in my dream

eam that he fat down upon the ground to bemoan his fad ate, and wept bitterly; and behold a bright cloud hovered er his head, which gradually defcending, over-shadowed n, and out of the cloud a hand was reached forth, which, th the tears that ran like rivers from his eyes washed the t off his face and his whole body, fo that in a moment it were) his fight and strength were reftored again; and voice came out of the cloud, faying, Son of man, go on the ftrength of the Lord thy God: So he was mightily formed and refreshed after this, and began to rouze hinf, being more nimble and active, more vigorous and ng, than ever he was before; and his eyes being healed ›, he clearly faw the shining light that Evangelil fhewed Chriftian. Then he tript along over the plain, and de directly up to the faining light, by means of which, found the wicked-gate; at which he knocked aloud, nding what was written over the gate, viz. Knock, and hall be opened.

Now I faw in my dream, that, as foon as he had knockat the wicked-gate, a whole fhower of arrows were fhot him from the caftle of Beelzebub, fo that he was woundin feveral places, and extremely frightened at the adture; which made him knock again and again very rd, for fear those that shot at him would come and kill n out right before he could get in; bet presently to his eat comfort, the gate was opened to him; and when he at opened the gate faw the arrows ftick in his flesh, he dhin haften in, for fear of more danger.

So he stepped in, and made obeisance to the man that ened the gate, for he seemed to be a perfon worthy of erence, by his grave countenance and compofed beha ur; fo he fpake to the man, whofe name was Goodl, and faid, fir, having heard of the fame of the heamly country, and being informed by feveral travellers at the way to it was by this gate, I, being weary of living the valley of Deftruction, and earnestly defirous to fee at region of blifs, humbly made bold to knock at this te, which you have been graciously pleafed to open to me, which high favor I return you my humble and hearty anks: But as I food at the gate, after I knocked the firit ne, I was hot with thefe arrows which you now fee king in my fleh, and I fear I am mortally wounded,

O 24

for

for my fpirits fail me, and there is a mift before my e and with that he fell at Good-will's feer, begging hi tel' where he might find one that had skill to probe wounds, and cure them, if not mortal.

Good-will, taking compaffion on the young man, a his name: My name, replied the young man, is Ten: confcience. I was born and bred in the town of Vaslights: Then Goud-will having regifered the young ma name, he wrote a certificate, and gave it him, biddinge deliver it at the next houfe, which was the house of L Interpreter, withal fhewing him the way to it, for it but a little way off from the gate; there, fays he, you find a remedy for your wounds, and fee many glo things.

Then I faw in my dream that Good-will gave to Tend confcience a strong crutch made of lignum-vitæ, or thes of life, to refl himfelf upon, and eafe his feet as he w along, he having nothing in his hand before but a twig vain opinions, which he gathered from the tree of kn ledge, growing on the banks of the waters of Conta Thi weak reed was all the ftaff that Tender-confaes leaned upon in his journey, till fuch time as Good-w bidding him throw it away gave him the aforefaid fre crutch, which he bid him he fure not to part with, fora it fhould be of fingular ufe to him all the way, and eg cially now when he was wounded, for that it had a part lar virtue to ftay the bleeding of wounds: So Good-s having given Tender-confcience ample directions to i the way, bade him farewell, and left him to go forward his journey

Then Tender-confcience began to pluck up his fpiri being much comforted, eafed, and fupported by the cre which Good-will had given him: For no fooner was he poffeflion of it, but his wounds abated in bleeding; a by that time it grew warm in his hand, it fent forth a c ain odoriferous perfume, which exceedingly refreshed fpirits, and he found himself grow ftronger by the heal of this wonderful crutch.

And thus he travelled on till at length he arrived at t houfe of the Interpreter, where knocking at the door. prefently opened; and asked his bufineis, Tender-con ence made anfwer, I would fpeak with the Interpreter,

« ForrigeFortsett »