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them before him, and put them into his The GrievousCaftle in a very dark Dungeon nafty and nefs of their ftinking to the Spirits of thefe two Men: Pfal. 88. 16. Here then they lay from Wednesday Morning 'till Saturday Night without one Bit of Bread, or Drop of Drink, or Light, or any to ask how they did: They were therefore here in evil Cafe, and were far from Friends and Acquaintance. Now in this Place Chriftian had double Sorrow, becaufe it was through his unadvised Hafle, that they were brought into this Diftress.

Now Giant Defpair had a Wife, and her Name was Diffidence! So when he was gone to Bed, he told his Wife what he had done; to wit, That he had taken a Couple of Prifoners, and cast them into his Dungeon, for trefpaffing on his Grounds. Then he asked her allo, what he had beft to do further to them. So fhe asked him what they were, whence they came, and whither they were bound? and he told her. Then fhe counfelled him, that when he arofe in the Morning he fhould beat them without Mercy: So when he arofe, he getteth him a grievous Crab Tree Cudgel, and goes down into the Dungeon to them, and there firft falls to rating of them as if On Thursday they were Dogs, although they gave him Giant Despair never a Word of Diftafte: Then he falls upon them,and beats them fearfully,in fuch

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Sort,

The Pilgrims now, to gratify the Flesh,
Will feek it's Eafe; but, oh! how they afref
Do hereby plunge themselves nettó Griefs into !
Who seek to please the Flesh, themselves undo.

beats his Prifoners.

Sort, that they were not able to help them. felves, or turn them upon the Floor. This 'done, he withdraws, and leaves them there to condole their Mifery, and to mourn under their Diftrefs: So all that Day they spent their Time in nothing but Sighs and bitter Lamentations. The next Night fhe talked with her Hufband about them further, and understanding that they were yet alive, did advise him to counsel them to make away themselves: So when Morning was come, he goes to them in a furly Manner, as before, and perceiving them to be very fore with the Stripes that he had given them the Day before, he told them, That fince they were never like to come out of that Place, their only Way would be forthwith to make an End of themselves, either with Knife, Halter, or Giant Defpair Poison: For why, faid he, fhould you counjels them chufe Life, feeing it is attended with fo much Bitterness? But they defired him to let them go; with which he looked ugly upon them, and rufhing to them had doubtlefs made an End of them himself, but that he fell into one of his * Fits (for he fometimes in Sun-fhiny Weather fell into Fits) and loft for a Time the Use of his Hand: Wherefore he withdrew, and left them as before, to confider what to do. Then did the Prifoners confult between themselves, whether it was beft to take his Counsel or no; and thus they began to difcourfe:

On Friday

to kill them

felves.

*The Giant Sometimes has Fits.

T

+ Chriftian begins to de

Spair.

Chr. Brother, faid Chriftian, + what shall we do? The Life that we now live is miferable! For my Part, I know not whe

ther

ther it is best to live thus, or die out of Hand. My Soul chufeth Strangling rather Job. 7. 5. than Life, and the Grave is more eafy for

me than this Dungeon! Shall we be ruled by the Giant?

Hope. Indeed our prefent Condition is Hopeful comdreadful, and Death would be far more forts him. welcome to me, than thus for ever to abide: But let us confider, the Lord of the Country to which we are going, hath faid, Thou shalt do no Murder; no, not to another Man's Perfon; much more then are we forbidden to take his Counsel, to kill ourselves. Befides, he that kills another, can but commit Murder upon his Body: But for one to kill himself, is to kill Body and Soul at once. And more

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over, my Brother, thou talkeft of Eafe in the Grave, but haft thou forgotten the Hell; whither for certain the Murderers go? For no Murderer hath eternal Life, &c. And let us confider again, That all the Law is not in the Hand of Giant DeSpair: Others, fo far as I can understand, have been taken by him, as well as we; and yet have escaped out of his Hands. Who knows, but that God, who made the World, may caufe that Giant Despair may die, or that, at fome Time or other, he may forget to lock us in; or that he may in a fhort Time have another of his Fits before us, and may lose the Use of his Limbs? And if ever that should come to pass again, for my Part I am refolved to pluck up the Heart of a Man, and to try my utmost to get from under his Hand. I was a Fool that I did not try to do it L2

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before; but, however, my Brother, let us be patient, and endure a while, the Time may come that may give us a happy Releafe: But let us not be our own MurderWith thefe Words Hopeful at prefent did moderate the Mind of his Brother; fo they continued together (in the Dark) that Day in their fad and doleful Condition.

Well, towards Evening the Giant goes down into the Dungeon again, to fee if his Prifoners had taken his Counfel; but when he came there he found them alive; and truly alive was all; for now, what for want of Bread and Water, and by Reafon of the Wounds they received when he beat them, they could do little but breathe. But I fay, he found them alive; at which he fell into a grievous Rage, and told them, That feeing they had difobeyed his Counfel, it fhould be worfe with them than if they had never been born.

At this they trembled greatly, and I think that Chriftian fell into a Swoon; but coming a little to himfelf again, they renewed their Difcourfe about the Giant's Counfel, and whether yet they had best take it or no. *Now Chriftian again seemed to be for doing it, but Hopeful made his fecond Reply as followeth.

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Hope. My Brother, faid be, rememcomforts him breit thou not, how valiant thou hast been again, by call heretofore? Apollyon could not crush thee, ing former Things to Re- nor could all that thou didst hear, or fee, or feel in the Valley of the Shadow of Death; what Hardfhips, Terror,and Amazement haft thou already gone through?

membrance.

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and art thou now nothing but Fear? Thou feeft that I am in the Dungeon with thee, a far weaker Man by Nature than thou art; alfo this Giant has wounded me as well as thee, and hath alfo cut off the Bread and Water from my Mouth, and with thee I mourn without the Light. But let us exercife a little more Patience: Remember how thou playdeft the Man at Vanity Fair, and was 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, fhe asked him concerning the Prifoners, and if they had taken his Counfel: To which he replied; they are sturdy Rogues, they chufe rather to bear all Hardships, than to make away themfelves. Then faid fhe; Take them into the Caftle-Yard Tomorrow, and fhew them the Bones and Sculls of thofe that thou haft already dif patched, and make them believe ere a Week comes to an End, thou wilt also tear them in Pieces, as thou haft done their Fellows before them.

So when the Morning was come, the Giant goes to them again, and takes them into the Castle-Yard, and fhews them as his Wife had bidden him: Thefe, faid he, were Pilgrims as you are, once, and they trefpaffed in my Grounds, as you have dong; and when I thought fit, I

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