had wings like a dragon; feet like a bear; out of his belly came fire and fmoke; and his mouth was as the mouth of a lion. When he was come up to Christian, he beheld him with a difdainful Countenance, and thus began to queftion with him.

Apollyon. Whence come you? and whither are you bound?

Chr. I am come from the city of Destruction, which is the place of all evil, and am going to the city of Zion.

Apol. By this I perceive thou art one of my fub-. jects; for all that country is mine, and I am the prince and god of it. How is it then that thou haft run away from thy king? Were it not that I hope thou mayeft do me more fervice, I would ftrike thee now, at one blow, to the ground,

Chr. I was born indeed in your dominions, but your fervice was hard, and your wages fuch as a man could not live on; "for the wages of fin is death." Therefore, when I was come to years, I did as other confiderate perfons do, look out, if perhaps I might mend myself.

Apol. There is no prince who will thus lightly lofe his fubjects, neither will I, as yet, lose thee; but, fince thou complaineft of thy fervice and wages, be content to go back; what our country will afford, I do here promise to give thee.

Chr. But I have let myself to another, even to the King of princes; and how can I, with fairness, back with thee?

go

Apol.

Apol. Thou haft done in this according to the proverb, Changed bad for worse: but it is common for those who have profeffed themselves his fervants, after a while, to give him the flip, and return again to me: do thou fo too, and all fhall be well.

Chr. I have given him my faith, and sworn my allegiance to him: how then can I go back from this, and not be hanged as a traitor?

and I am Apol. Thou didst the fame to me, yet willing to pass by all, if now thou wilt yet turn and go back.

Chr. What I promised thee was in my nonage: befides, I count that the prince, under whose banner I now stand, is able to abfolve me; yea, and to pardon all that I did as to my compliance with thee. Befides, O thou deftroying Apollyon, to speak truth, I like his fervice, his wages, his fervants, his government, his company, and country, better than thine; therefore leave off to perfuade me further, I am his fervant, and I will follow him.

Apol. Confider again, when thou art in cool blood, what thou art like to meet with in the way that thou goeft. Thou knoweft, that for the most part his fervants come to an ill end, because they are tranfgreffors against me and my ways. How many of them have been put to fhameful deaths! befides, thou counteft his fervice better than mine, whereas he never came yet from the place where he is, to deliver any who served him out of their enemies' hands: but as for me, how many times, as

all

all the world very well knows, have I delivered, either by power or fraud, those who have faithfully ferved me from him and his, though taken by them; and fo I will deliver thee.

Chr. His forbearing at prefent to deliver them is on purpose to try their love, whether they will cleave to him to the end. As for the ill end thou fayeft they come to, it is most glorious in their account: but, as for present deliverance, they do not much expect it; they ftay for their glory, and they fhall furely have it, when their prince comes in his own glory, and the glory of his holy angels.

Apol. Thou haft already been unfaithful in thy fervice to him; and how doft thou think to receive wages of him?

Chr. Wherein, O Apollyon! have I been unfaithful to him?

Apol. Thou didft faint at first setting out, when thou waft almost choked in the Gulph of Defpond: thou didst attempt by wrong ways to be rid of thy burden; whereas thou fhouldeft have ftayed till thy prince had taken it off: thou didst finfully sleep, and lose thy choice things: thou wast almost perfuaded to go back at the fight of the lions: and when thou talkeft of thy journey, and of what thou haft heard and feen, thou art inwardly defirous of vain-glory in all that thou doft fay or do.

Chr. All this is true, and much more, which

thou haft left out: but the prince whom I serve and honour is merciful and ready to forgive: befides,

thefe

thefe infirmities poffeffed me in thy country; for there I fucked them in, and I have groaned under them; have been forry for them; and have obtained pardon of my prince.

Then Apollyon broke out into a grievous rage, faying, I am an enemy to this prince; I hate his person, his laws, and people: I am come out on purpofe to withstand thee.

Chr. Apollyon, beware what you do; for I am in the king's highway, the way of holiness; therefore take heed to yourself.

Then Apollyon ftraddled quite over the whole breadth of the way, and said, I am void of fear in this matter; prepare thyfelf to die; for I fwear by my infernal den, that thou fhalt go no further. Here will I fpill thy foul. With that he threw a flaming dart at his breaft; but Christian had a fhield in his hand, with which he caught it, and fo prevented the danger of that. Then did Chriftian draw; for he faw it was time to beftir himself; and Apollyon as faft made at him, throwing darts as thick as hail; by which, notwithstanding all that Christian could do to avoid it, Apollyon wounded him in his head, his hand, and foot. This made Christian draw back a little: Apollyon, therefore, followed his work amain: but Chriftian again took courage, and refifted as manfully as he could. This fore combat lafted half a day, even till Chriftian was almost quite spent: for you must know that Chriftian, by reafon of his wounds, must needs grow

weaker