CHRISTIAN STILL DEJECTED. it or no. Now Christian again seemed for doing it; but Hopeful made his second reply as followeth : HOPEFUL COM FORTS HIM AGAIN ER THINGS TO RE- My brother, said he, rememberest thou not how valiant thou hast been BY CALLING FORM- heretofore? Apollyon could not crush thee; nor could all that thou didst hear, or see, or feel, in the Valley of the Shadow of Death. What hardship, terror, and amazement hast thou already gone through! and art thou now nothing but fears? Thou seest that I am in the dungeon with thee, a far weaker man by nature than thou art; also this Giant hath wounded me as well as thee, and hath also cut off the bread and water from my mouth, and with thee I mourn without the light. But let us exercise a little more patience. Remember how thou playedst the man at Vanity Fair, and wast neither afraid of the chain nor cage, nor yet of bloody death. Wherefore let us (at least to avoid the shame that becomes not a Christian to be found in) bear up with patience as well as we can. Now, night being come again, and the Giant and his wife being in bed, she asked him concerning the prisoners, and if they had taken his counsel? To which he replied, They are sturdy rogues; they choose rather to bear all hardships than to make away with themselves. Then said she, Take them into the CastleYard to-morrow, and shew them the bones and skulls* of those that thou hast already despatched; and make them believe, ere a week comes to an end, thou wilt tear them in pieces, as thou hast done their fellows before them. ON SATURDAY, THAT SHORTLY So, when the morning was come, the Giant goes to them again, and takes them into the Castle-Yard, and shews them as his wife had bidden him. These, said he, were Pilgrims as you are once; and they trespassed on my grounds as you have done ; and, when I thought fit, I tore them in pieces; and so within ten days I will do you. Go, get you down to your den again! and with that he beat them all the way thither. They lay, therefore, all day on Saturday, in lamentable case, as before. Now, when night was come, and when Mrs. Diffidence and her husband the Giant were got to bed, they began to renew their discourse of their prisoners; and withal the old Giant wondered that he could neither by his blows nor counsel bring them to an end. And with that his wife replied, I fear, said she, that they live in hopes that some will come to relieve them; or that they have picklocks about them, by the means of which they hope to escape. And sayest thou so, my dear, said the Giant; I will therefore search them in the morning. Well, on Saturday, about midnight, they began to pray, and continued in prayer till almost break of day. A KEY IN CHRIS Now, a little before it was day, good Christian, as one half amazed, brake out into this passionate speech: What a fool, quoth he, am I, to lie in a stinking dungeon, when I may as TIAN'S BOSOM, well walk at liberty! I have a key in my bosom, called Promise, that will, I am persuaded, open any lock CALLED PROMISE, OPENS ANY LOCK IN DOUBTING in Doubting Castle. Then said Hopeful, That's good news good brother, pluck it out of thy bosom, and try. Then Christian pulled it out of his bosom, and began to try at the dungeon-door, whose bolt, as he turned the key, gave back, and the door flew open with ease, and Christian and Hopeful both came out. Then he went to the outward door, that leads into the CastleYard, and with his key opened that door also. After that he went to the iron gate, for that must be opened too; but that lock went damnable hard, yet the key did open it. Then they thrust open the gate to make their escape with speed; but that gate, as it opened, made such a creaking, that it waked Giant Despair, who hastily rising to pursue his prisoners, felt his limbs to fail; for his fits took him again, so that he could by 110 means go after them. Then they went on, and came to the King's highway, and so were safe, because they were out of his jurisdiction. Now, when they were gone over the stile, they began to contrive with themselves what they should do at that stile, to prevent those that should come after from falling into the hands of Giant Despair. So they consented to erect there a Pillar, and A PILLAR ERECTED HIS FELLOW. BY CHRISTIAN AND to engrave upon the side thereof this sentence: "Over this stile is the way to Doubting Castle, which is kept by Giant Despair, who despiseth the King of the Celestial Country, and seeks to destroy His holy Pilgrims." Many, therefore, that followed after read what was written, and escaped, the danger. This done, they sang as follows: Out of the way we went, and then we found They went then till they came to the THE DELECTABLE tains belong to the Lord of that hill of which we have spoken before: so they went up to the Mountains to behold the gardens and orchards, the vineyards, and fountains of water; where also they drank, and washed themselves, and did FRESHED IN THE freely eat of the vineyards. Now there THEY ARE RE MOUNTAINS. were on the tops of these Mountains Shepherds feeding their flocks, and they stood by the highway-side. The Pilgrims, therefore, went to them, and leaning upon their staffs, as is common with weary Pilgrims. when they stand to talk with any by TALK WITH THE the way, they asked, Whose Delect SHEPHERDS. able Mountains are these? and whose be the sheep that feed upon them? Shep. These Mountains are Immanuel's land, and they are within sight of His City; and the sheep also are His, and He laid down His life for them. Chr. Is this the way to the Celestial City? Chr. How far is it thither? Shep. Too far for any but those who shall get thither indeed. Chr. Is the way safe, or dangerous? Shep. Safe for those for whom it is to be safe, “but transgressors shall fall therein.” 1 Chr. Is there in this place any relief for Pilgrims that are weary and faint in the way? Shep. The Lord of these Mountains hath given us a charge, "not to be forgetful to entertain strangers; "2 therefore the good of the place is before you. I saw also in my dream, that when the Shepherds perceived they were wayfaring men, they also put questions to them, (to which they made answer as in other. places,) as, Whence came you? and how got you into the way? and by what means have you so persevered therein? for but few of them that begin to come hither do shew their face on these Mountains. But when the THE SHEPHERDS Shepherds heard their answers, being pleased therewith, they looked very lovingly upon them, and said, "Wel come to the Delectable Mountains!" |