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THEY DEPART FROM THE HOUSE OF MNASON.

CHAPTER XIII.

THE PILGRIMS KILL GIANT DESPAIR, AND HIS WIFE; AND TOTALLY DEMOLISH HIS CASTLE.THEY PROCEED TO THE DELECTABLE MOUNTAINS.

WELL, the time drew on that the pilgrims must go on their way; therefore they prepared for their journey. They sent for their friends; they conferred with them; they had some time set apart therein, to commit each other to the protection of their Prince. There were again that brought them of such things as they had, that were fit for the weak and the strong, for the women and the men, and so laded them with such things as were necessary.(a) Then they set forward on their way; and their friends accompanying them so far as was convenient, they again committed each other to the protection of their King, and departed.

They, therefore, that were of the pilgrims company, went on, and Mr. Great-heart went before them; now the women and children being weakly, they were forced to go as they could bear; by this means Mr. Ready-to-halt and Mr. Feeble-mind had more to sympathize with their condition.

When they were gone from the townsmen, and when their friends had bid them farewell, they quickly came to the place where Faithful was put to death: therefore they made a stand, and thanked Him that had enabled him to bear his cross so well; and the rather, because they now found that they had a benefit by such a man's sufferings as he was. They went on, therefore, after this a good way further, talking of Christian and Faithful; and how Hopeful joined himself to Christian, after that Faithful was dead.(6)

(a) Acts xxviii. 10. (b) Part I. p. 169.

THEY ARRIVE AT THE WATER OF LIFE.

395

Now they were come up with the hill Lucre, where the silver mine was, which took Demas off from his pilgrimage, and into which, as some think, By-ends fell and perished: wherefore they considered that. But when they were come to the old monument that stood over against the hill Luere, to wit, to the pillar of salt, that stood also within the view of Sodom and its stinking lake,(a) they marvelled, as did Christian before, that men of that knowledge and ripeness of wit, as they were, should be so blind as to turn aside here. Only they considered again, that nature is not affected with the harms that others have met with, especially if that thing, upon which they look, has an attracting virtue upon the foolish eye.

I saw now that they went on till they came to the river that was on this side of the Delectable Mountains(6)to the river where the fine trees grow on both sides, and whose leaves, if taken inwardly, are good against surfeits ; (c) where the meadows are green all the year long, and where they might lie down safely.

By this river side, in the meadows, there were cotes and folds for sheep, a house built for the nourishing and bringing up of those lambs, the babes of those women that go on pilgrimage. Also there was here one that was entrusted with them, who could have compassion, and that could gather these lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and that could gently lead those that were with young. (d) Now to the care of this man Christiana admonished her four daughters to commit their little ones, that by these waters they might be housed, harboured, succoured, and nourished, and that none of them might be lacking in time to come. This man, if any of them go astray, or be lost, he will bring them back again; he will also bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen

(a) Part I. p. 177. (b) Part I. p. 182. (c) Ps. xxiii. (d) Heb. v. 2. fs. lxiii.

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AN HOSPITAL FOR YOUNG CHILDREN.

them that are sick.(a) Here they will never want meat, drink, and clothing; here they will be kept from thieves and robbers: for this man will die before one of those committed to his trust shall be lost. Besides, here they shall be sure to have good nurture and admonition; and shall be taught to walk in right paths; and that, you know, is a favour of no small account. Also here, as you see, are delicate waters, pleasant meadows, dainty flowers, variety of trees, and such as bear wholesome fruit: fruit not like that which Matthew eat of, that fell over the wall out of Beelzebub's garden; but fruit that procureth health where there is none, and that continueth and increaseth where it is.*

So they were content to commit their little ones to him; and that which was also an encouragement to them so to do, was, for that all this was to be at the charge of the King: and so was an hospital to young children and orphans.

Now they went on; and when they were come to By-path meadow, to the stile over which Christian went with his fellow Hopeful, when they were taken by giant Despair, and put into Doubting Castle: they sat down, and consulted what was best to be done; to wit, now they were so strong, and had got such a man as Mr. Great-heart for their conductor, whether they had not best to make an attempt upon the giant, demolish his castle, and if there were any pilgrims in it, to set them at liberty, before they went any further.(b) So one said one thing, and another said to the contrary. One questioned if it was lawful to go upon

Here we frequently find our author speaking of our Lord and Saviour as Man. He excels in this. It were to be wished, that authors and preachers wrote and spake more frequently of the manhood of Jesus, who was a perfect Man, like unto us in all things except sin.

(a) Jer. xxiii. 4. Ezek. xxxiv. 11-16. (b) Part I. p. 186-192.

THEY DETERMINE TO ATTACK GIANT DESPAIR. 397

unconsecrated ground; another said they might, provided their end was good. But Mr. Great-heart said, Though that assertion offered last cannot be universally true, yet I have a commandment to resist sin, to overcome evil, to fight the good fight of faith: and I pray, with whom should I fight this good fight, if not with giant Despair? I will therefore attempt the taking away of his life, and the demolishing of Doubting Castle. Then, said he, "Who will go with me?" Then said old Honest, "I will.” "And so we will too," said Christiana's four sons, Matthew, Samuel, James, and Joseph: for they were young men and strong.(a)

So they left the women on the road, and with them Mr. Feeble-mind and Mr. Ready-to-halt, with his crutches, to be their guard, until they came back; for in that place, though giant Despair dwelt so near, they keeping in the road" a little child might lead them."(b)

So Mr. Great-heart, old Honest, and the four young men, went to go up to Doubting Castle, to look for giant Despair. When they came at the castle gate, they knocked for entrance with an unusual noise. With that the old giant comes to the gate, and Diffidence his wife follows. Then said he, "Who and what is he that is so hardy, as after this manner to molest the giant Despair?" Mr. Great-heart replied, “It is I, Great-heart, one of the King of the celestial country's conductors of pilgrims to their place: and I demand of thee, that thou open thy gates for my entrance; prepare thyself also to fight, for I am come to take away thy head, and to demolish Doubting Castle."

Now giant Despair, because he was a giant, thought no man could overcome him; and again, thought he, "Since heretofore I have made a conquest of angels, shall Great-heart make me afraid?" So he harnessed

(a) 1 John ii. 13, 14. (b) Isaiah xi. 6.

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THEY KILL THE GIANT.

himself, and went out he had a cap of steel upon his head, a breast-plate of fire girded to him, and he came out in iron shoes with a great club in his hand. Then these six men made up to him, and beset him behind and before also when Diffidence, the giantess, came up to help him, old Mr. Honest cut her down at one blow. Then they fought for their lives, and giant Despair was brought down to the ground, but was very loth to die: he struggled hard, and had, as they say, as many lives as a cat; but Great-heart was his death; for he left him not till he had severed his head from his shoulders.*

Then they fell to demolishing Doubting Castle; and that, you know, might with ease be done, since giant Despair was dead. They were seven days in destroying of that: and in it, of pilgrims, they found one Mr. Despondency, almost starved to death, and one Much-afraid, his daughter; these two they saved alive. But it would have made you wonder, to have seen the dead bodies that lay here and there in the castle-yard, and how full of dead men's bones the dungeon was.

When Mr. Great-heart and his companions had performed this exploit, they took Mr. Despondency, and his daughter Much-afraid, into their protection; for they were honest people, though they were prisoners in Doubting Castle, to that giant Despair. They therefore, I say, took with them the head of the giant (for his body they had buried under a heap of stones;) and down to the road and to their companions they came, and showed them what they had done. Now when Feeble-mind and Ready-to-halt saw that it was

What cannot Great-heart do? What feats not perform? What victories not gain? Who can stand before Great-heart? Diffidence shall fall, and giant Despair be slain, by the power of Great-heart, with the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, Eph. vi. 17. even Despondency, though almost starved, shall be delivered, and his daughter Much-afraid shall be rescued. O for more of Great-heart's company!