Books: The Pilgrim\'s Progress
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{141} Then I saw in my dream that these good companions, when
Christian was gone to the bottom of the hill, gave him a loaf of
bread, a bottle of wine, and a cluster of raisins; and then he went
on his way.
But now, in this Valley of Humiliation, poor Christian was hard put
to it; for he had gone but a little way, before he espied a foul
fiend coming over the field to meet him; his name is Apollyon. Then
did Christian begin to be afraid, and to cast in his mind whether
to go back or to stand his ground. But he considered again that
he had no armour for his back; and therefore thought that to turn
the back to him might give him the greater advantage with ease to
pierce him with his darts.
Christian's resolution at the approach of Apollyon
Therefore he resolved to venture and stand his ground; for, thought
he, had I no more in mine eye than the saving of my life, it would
be the best way to stand.
{142} So he went on, and Apollyon met him. Now the monster was
hideous to behold; he was clothed with scales, like a fish, (and
they are his pride,) he had wings like a dragon, feet like a bear,
and out of his belly came fire and smoke, and his mouth was as the
mouth of a lion. When he was come up to Christian, he beheld him
with a disdainful countenance, and thus began to question with him.
{143} APOL. 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 subjects, for all that
country is mine, and I am the prince and god of it. How is it,
then, that thou hast run away from thy king? Were it not that I
hope thou mayest do me more service, I would strike thee now, at
one blow, to the ground.
{144} CHR. I was born, indeed, in your dominions, but your service
was hard, and your wages such as a man could not live on, "for the
wages of sin is death" [Rom 6:23]; therefore, when I was come to
years, I did, as other considerate persons do, look out, if, perhaps,
I might mend myself.
Apollyon's flattery
APOL. There is no prince that will thus lightly lose his subjects,
neither will I as yet lose thee; but since thou complainest of thy
service 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, go back with thee?
{145} APOL. Thou hast done in this, according to the proverb,
"Changed a bad for a worse"; but it is ordinary for those that
have professed themselves his servants, after a while to give him
the slip, and return again to me. Do thou so too, and all shall
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?
APOL. Thou didst the same to me, and yet I am willing to pass by
all, if now thou wilt yet turn again and go back.
{146} CHR. What I promised thee was in my nonage; and, besides, I
count the Prince under whose banner now I stand is able to absolve
me; yea, and to pardon also what I did as to my compliance with
thee; and besides, O thou destroying Apollyon! to speak truth,
I like his service, his wages, his servants, his government, his
company, and country, better than thine; and, therefore, leave off
to persuade me further; I am his servant, and I will follow him.
{147} APOL. Consider, again, when thou art in cool blood, what thou
art like to meet with in the way that thou goest. Thou knowest
that, for the most part, his servants come to an ill end, because
they are transgressors against me and my ways. How many of them
have been put to shameful deaths! and, besides, thou countest his
service better than mine, whereas he never came yet from the place
where he is to deliver any that served him out of their hands; but
as for me, how many times, as all the world very well knows, have
I delivered, either by power, or fraud, those that have faithfully
served me, from him and his, though taken by them; and so I will
deliver thee.
CHR. His forbearing at present to deliver them is on purpose to try
their love, whether they will cleave to him to the end; and as for
the ill end thou sayest they come to, that is most glorious in their
account; for, for present deliverance, they do not much expect it,
for they stay for their glory, and then they shall have it when
their Prince comes in his and the glory of the angels.
APOL. Thou hast already been unfaithful in thy service to him; and
how dost thou think to receive wages of him?
CHR. Wherein, O Apollyon! have I been unfaithful to him?
{148} APOL. Thou didst faint at first setting out, when thou wast
almost choked in the Gulf of Despond; thou didst attempt wrong ways
to be rid of thy burden, whereas thou shouldst have stayed till
thy Prince had taken it off; thou didst sinfully sleep and lose
thy choice thing; thou wast, also, almost persuaded to go back at
the sight of the lions; and when thou talkest of thy journey, and
of what thou hast heard and seen, thou art inwardly desirous of
vain-glory in all that thou sayest or doest.
CHR. All this is true, and much more which thou hast left out;
but the Prince whom I serve and honour is merciful, and ready to
forgive; but, besides, these infirmities possessed me in thy country,
for there I sucked them in; and I have groaned under them, been
sorry for them, and have obtained pardon of my Prince.
{149} APOL. Then Apollyon broke out into a grievous rage, saying,
I am an enemy to this Prince; I hate his person, his laws, and
people; I am come out on purpose 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.
APOL. Then Apollyon straddled quite over the whole breadth of the
way, and said, I am void of fear in this matter: prepare thyself
to die; for I swear by my infernal den, that thou shalt go no
further; here will I spill thy soul.
{150} And with that he threw a flaming dart at his breast; but
Christian had a shield in his hand, with which he caught it, and
so prevented the danger of that.
Then did Christian draw, for he saw it was time to bestir him; and
Apollyon as fast made at him, throwing darts as thick as hail; by
the which, notwithstanding all that Christian could do to avoid it,
Apollyon wounded him in his head, his hand, and foot. This made
Christian give a little back; Apollyon, therefore, followed his work
amain, and Christian again took courage, and resisted as manfully
as he could. This sore combat lasted for above half a day, even
till Christian was almost quite spent; for you must know that
Christian, by reason of his wounds, must needs grow weaker and
weaker.
{151} Then Apollyon, espying his opportunity, began to gather up
close to Christian, and wrestling with him, gave him a dreadful
fall; and with that Christian's sword flew out of his hand. Then
said Apollyon, I am sure of thee now. And with that he had almost
pressed him to death, so that Christian began to despair of life;
but as God would have it, while Apollyon was fetching of his
last blow, thereby to make a full end of this good man, Christian
nimbly stretched out his hand for his sword, and caught it, saying,
"Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy; when I fall I shall arise"
[Micah 7:8];
Christian's victory over Apollyon
and with that gave him a deadly thrust, which made him give back,
as one that had received his mortal wound. Christian perceiving
that, made at him again, saying, "Nay, in all these things we are
more than conquerors through him that loved us". [Rom. 8:37] And
with that Apollyon spread forth his dragon's wings, and sped him
away, that Christian for a season saw him no more. [James 4:7]
{152} In this combat no man can imagine, unless he had seen and
heard as I did, what yelling and hideous roaring Apollyon made all
the time of the fight -- he spake like a dragon; and, on the other
side, what sighs and groans burst from Christian's heart. I never
saw him all the while give so much as one pleasant look, till he
perceived he had wounded Apollyon with his two-edged sword; then,
indeed, he did smile, and look upward; but it was the dreadfullest
sight that ever I saw.
A more unequal match can hardly be, -- CHRISTIAN must fight an
Angel; but you see,
The valiant man by handling Sword and Shield,
Doth make him, tho' a Dragon, quit the field.
{153} So when the battle was over, Christian said, "I will here
give thanks to him that delivered me out of the mouth of the lion,
to him that did help me against Apollyon." And so he did, saying
--
Great Beelzebub, the captain of this fiend,
Design'd my ruin; therefore to this end
He sent him harness'd out: and he with rage
That hellish was, did fiercely me engage.
But blessed Michael helped me, and I,
By dint of sword, did quickly make him fly.
Therefore to him let me give lasting praise,
And thank and bless his holy name always.
{154} Then there came to him a hand, with some of the leaves of the
tree of life, the which Christian took, and applied to the wounds
that he had received in the battle, and was healed immediately.
He also sat down in that place to eat bread, and to drink of the
bottle that was given him a little before; so, being refreshed,
he addressed himself to his journey, with his sword drawn in his
hand; for he said, I know not but some other enemy may be at hand.
But he met with no other affront from Apollyon quite through this
valley.
{155} Now, at the end of this valley was another, called the Valley
of the Shadow of Death, and Christian must needs go through it,
because the way to the Celestial City lay through the midst of it.
Now, this valley is a very solitary place. The prophet Jeremiah
thus describes it: "A wilderness, a land of deserts and of pits,
a land of drought, and of the shadow of death, a land that no man"
(but a Christian) "passed through, and where no man dwelt." [Jer.
2:6]
Now here Christian was worse put to it than in his fight with
Apollyon, as by the sequel you shall see.
{156} I saw then in my dream, that when Christian was got to the
borders of the Shadow of Death, there met him two men, children of
them that brought up an evil report of the good land [Num. 13],
making haste to go back; to whom Christian spake as follows: --
{157} CHR. Whither are you going?
MEN. They said, Back! back! and we would have you to do so too,
if either life or peace is prized by you.
CHR. Why, what's the matter? said Christian.
MEN. Matter! said they; we were going that way as you are going,
and went as far as we durst; and indeed we were almost past coming
back; for had we gone a little further, we had not been here to
bring the news to thee.
CHR. But what have you met with? said Christian.
MEN. Why, we were almost in the Valley of the Shadow of Death; but
that, by good hap, we looked before us, and saw the danger before
we came to it. [Ps. 44:19; 107:10]
CHR. But what have you seen? said Christian.
{158} MEN. Seen! Why, the Valley itself, which is as dark as pitch;
we also saw there the hobgoblins, satyrs, and dragons of the pit;
we heard also in that Valley a continual howling and yelling, as of
a people under unutterable misery, who there sat bound in affliction
and irons; and over that Valley hangs the discouraging clouds of
confusion. Death also doth always spread his wings over it. In
a word, it is every whit dreadful, being utterly without order.
[Job 3:5; 10:22]
CHR. Then, said Christian, I perceive not yet, by what you have
said, but that this is my way to the desired haven. [Jer. 2:6]
MEN. Be it thy way; we will not choose it for ours. So, they parted,
and Christian went on his way, but still with his sword drawn in
his hand, for fear lest he should be assaulted.
{159} I saw then in my dream, so far as this valley reached, there
was on the right hand a very deep ditch; that ditch is it into
which the blind have led the blind in all ages, and have both there
miserably perished. [Ps. 69:14,15] Again, behold, on the left
hand, there was a very dangerous quag, into which, if even a good
man falls, he can find no bottom for his foot to stand on. Into
that quag King David once did fall, and had no doubt therein been
smothered, had not HE that is able plucked him out.
{160} The pathway was here also exceeding narrow, and therefore
good Christian was the more put to it; for when he sought, in the
dark, to shun the ditch on the one hand, he was ready to tip over
into the mire on the other; also when he sought to escape the mire,
without great carefulness he would be ready to fall into the ditch.
Thus he went on, and I heard him here sigh bitterly; for, besides
the dangers mentioned above, the pathway was here so dark, and
ofttimes, when he lift up his foot to set forward, he knew not
where or upon what he should set it next.
Poor man! where art thou now? thy day is night.
Good man, be not cast down, thou yet art right,
Thy way to heaven lies by the gates of Hell;
Cheer up, hold out, with thee it shall go well.
{161} About the midst of this valley, I perceived the mouth of
hell to be, and it stood also hard by the wayside. Now, thought
Christian, what shall I do? And ever and anon the flame and smoke
would come out in such abundance, with sparks and hideous noises,
(things that cared not for Christian's sword, as did Apollyon
before), that he was forced to put up his sword, and betake himself
to another weapon called All-prayer. [Eph. 6:18] So he cried in my
hearing, "O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul!" [Ps. 116:4]
Thus he went on a great while, yet still the flames would be
reaching towards him. Also he heard doleful voices, and rushings
to and fro, so that sometimes he thought he should be torn in
pieces, or trodden down like mire in the streets. This frightful
sight was seen, and these dreadful noises were heard by him for
several miles together; and, coming to a place where he thought he
heard a company of fiends coming forward to meet him, he stopped,
and began to muse what he had best to do. Sometimes he had half
a thought to go back; then again he thought he might be half way
through the valley; he remembered also how he had already vanquished
many a danger, and that the danger of going back might be much more
than for to go forward; so he resolved to go on. Yet the fiends
seemed to come nearer and nearer; but when they were come even
almost at him, he cried out with a most vehement voice, "I will walk
in the strength of the Lord God!" so they gave back, and came no
further.
{162} One thing I would not let slip. I took notice that now poor
Christian was so confounded, that he did not know his own voice;
and thus I perceived it. Just when he was come over against the
mouth of the burning pit, one of the wicked ones got behind him, and
stepped up softly to him, and whisperingly suggested many grievous
blasphemies to him, which he verily thought had proceeded from his
own mind. This put Christian more to it than anything that he met
with before, even to think that he should now blaspheme him that
he loved so much before; yet, if he could have helped it, he would
not have done it; but he had not the discretion either to stop his
ears, or to know from whence these blasphemies came.
{163} When Christian had travelled in this disconsolate condition
some considerable time, he thought he heard the voice of a man,
as going before him, saying, "Though I walk through the valley of
the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me."
[Ps. 23:4]
{164} Then he was glad, and that for these reasons:
First, Because he gathered from thence, that some who feared God
were in this valley as well as himself.
Secondly, For that he perceived God was with them, though in that
dark and dismal state; and why not, thought he, with me? though,
by reason of the impediment that attends this place, I cannot
perceive it. [Job 9:11]
Thirdly, For that he hoped, could he overtake them, to have company
by and by. So he went on, and called to him that was before; but
he knew not what to answer; for that he also thought to be alone.
And by and by the day broke; then said Christian, He hath turned
"the shadow of death into the morning". [Amos 5:8]
{165} Now morning being come, he looked back, not out of desire to
return, but to see, by the light of the day, what hazards he had
gone through in the dark. So he saw more perfectly the ditch that
was on the one hand, and the mire that was on the other; also how
narrow the way was which led betwixt them both; also now he saw the
hobgoblins, and satyrs, and dragons of the pit, but all afar off,
(for after break of day, they came not nigh;) yet they were discovered
to him, according to that which is written, "He discovereth deep
things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of
death." [Job 12:22]
{166} Now was Christian much affected with his deliverance from all
the dangers of his solitary way; which dangers, though he feared
them more before, yet he saw them more clearly now, because the light
of the day made them conspicuous to him. And about this time the
sun was rising, and this was another mercy to Christian; for you
must note, that though the first part of the Valley of the Shadow
of Death was dangerous, yet this second part which he was yet to
go, was, if possible, far more dangerous; for from the place where
he now stood, even to the end of the valley, the way was all along
set so full of snares, traps, gins, and nets here, and so full of
pits, pitfalls, deep holes, and shelvings down there, that, had it
now been dark, as it was when he came the first part of the way,
had he had a thousand souls, they had in reason been cast away; but,
as I said just now, the sun was rising. Then said he, "His candle
shineth upon my head, and by his light I walk through darkness."
[Job 29:3]
{167} In this light, therefore, he came to the end of the valley.
Now I saw in my dream, that at the end of this valley lay blood,
bones, ashes, and mangled bodies of men, even of pilgrims that had
gone this way formerly; and while I was musing what should be the
reason, I espied a little before me a cave, where two giants, POPE
and PAGAN, dwelt in old time; by whose power and tyranny the men
whose bones, blood, and ashes, &c., lay there, were cruelly put
to death. But by this place Christian went without much danger,
whereat I somewhat wondered; but I have learnt since, that PAGAN
has been dead many a day; and as for the other, though he be yet
alive, he is, by reason of age, and also of the many shrewd brushes
that he met with in his younger days, grown so crazy and stiff in
his joints, that he can now do little more than sit in his cave's
mouth, grinning at pilgrims as they go by, and biting his nails
because he cannot come at them.
{168} So I saw that Christian went on his way; yet, at the sight of
the Old Man that sat in the mouth of the cave, he could not tell
what to think, especially because he spake to him, though he could
not go after him, saying, "You will never mend till more of you be
burned." But he held his peace, and set a good face on it, and so
went by and catched no hurt. Then sang Christian:
O world of wonders! (I can say no less),
That I should be preserved in that distress
That I have met with here! O blessed be
That hand that from it hath deliver'd me!
Dangers in darkness, devils, hell, and sin
Did compass me, while I this vale was in:
Yea, snares, and pits, and traps, and nets, did lie
My path about, that worthless, silly I
Might have been catch'd, entangled, and cast down;
But since I live, let JESUS wear the crown.
{169} Now, as Christian went on his way, he came to a little ascent,
which was cast up on purpose that pilgrims might see before them.
Up there, therefore, Christian went, and looking forward, he saw
Faithful before him, upon his journey. Then said Christian aloud,
"Ho! ho! So-ho! stay, and I will be your companion!" At that,
Faithful looked behind him; to whom Christian cried again, "Stay,
stay, till I come up to you!" But Faithful answered, "No, I am
upon my life, and the avenger of blood is behind me."
{170} At this, Christian was somewhat moved, and putting to all
his strength, he quickly got up with Faithful, and did also overrun
him; so the last was first. Then did Christian vain-gloriously
smile, because he had gotten the start of his brother; but not
taking good heed to his feet, he suddenly stumbled and fell, and
could not rise again until Faithful came up to help him.
Christian's fall makes Faithful and he go lovingly together
Then I saw in my dream they went very lovingly on together, and had
sweet discourse of all things that had happened to them in their
pilgrimage; and thus Christian began:
{171} CHR. My honoured and well-beloved brother, Faithful, I am
glad that I have overtaken you; and that God has so tempered our
spirits, that we can walk as companions in this so pleasant a path.
FAITH. I had thought, dear friend, to have had your company quite
from our town; but you did get the start of me, wherefore I was
forced to come thus much of the way alone.
CHR. How long did you stay in the City of Destruction before you
set out after me on your pilgrimage?
FAITH. Till I could stay no longer; for there was great talk presently
after you were gone out that our city would, in short time, with
fire from heaven, be burned down to the ground.
CHR. What! did your neighbours talk so?
FAITH. Yes, it was for a while in everybody's mouth.
CHR. What! and did no more of them but you come out to escape the
danger?
FAITH. Though there was, as I said, a great talk thereabout, yet
I do not think they did firmly believe it. For in the heat of the
discourse, I heard some of them deridingly speak of you and of your
desperate journey, (for so they called this your pilgrimage), but
I did believe, and do still, that the end of our city will be with
fire and and brimstone from above; and therefore I have made my
escape.
{172} CHR. Did you hear no talk of neighbour Pliable?
FAITH. Yes, Christian, I heard that he followed you till he came
at the Slough of Despond, where, as some said, he fell in; but he
would not be known to have so done; but I am sure he was soundly
bedabbled with that kind of dirt.
CHR. And what said the neighbours to him?
FAITH. He hath, since his going back, been had greatly in derision,
and that among all sorts of people; some do mock and despise him;
and scarce will any set him on work. He is now seven times worse
than if he had never gone out of the city.
CHR. But why should they be so set against him, since they also
despise the way that he forsook?
FAITH. Oh, they say, hang him, he is a turncoat! he was not true
to his profession. I think God has stirred up even his enemies to
hiss at him, and make him a proverb, because he hath forsaken the
way. [Jer. 29:18,19]
CHR. Had you no talk with him before you came out?
FAITH. I met him once in the streets, but he leered away on the
other side, as one ashamed of what he had done; so I spake not to
him.
{173} CHR. Well, at my first setting out, I had hopes of that man;
but now I fear he will perish in the overthrow of the city; for
it is happened to him according to the true proverb, "The dog is
turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed, to her
wallowing in the mire." [2 Pet. 2:22]
FAITH. These are my fears of him too; but who can hinder that which
will be?
CHR. Well, neighbour Faithful, said Christian, let us leave him,
and talk of things that more immediately concern ourselves. Tell
me now, what you have met with in the way as you came; for I know
you have met with some things, or else it may be writ for a wonder.
{174} FAITH. I escaped the Slough that I perceived you fell into,
and got up to the gate without that danger; only I met with one
whose name was Wanton, who had like to have done me a mischief.
CHR. It was well you escaped her net; Joseph was hard put to it by
her, and he escaped her as you did; but it had like to have cost
him his life. [Gen. 39:11-13] But what did she do to you?
FAITH. You cannot think, but that you know something, what a
flattering tongue she had; she lay at me hard to turn aside with
her, promising me all manner of content.
CHR. Nay, she did not promise you the content of a good conscience.
FAITH. You know what I mean; all carnal and fleshly content.
CHR. Thank God you have escaped her: "The abhorred of the Lord
shall fall into her ditch." [Ps. 22:14]
FAITH. Nay, I know not whether I did wholly escape her or no.
CHR. Why, I trow, you did not consent to her desires?
FAITH. No, not to defile myself; for I remembered an old writing
that I had seen, which said, "Her steps take hold on hell." [Prov.
5:5] So I shut mine eyes, because I would not be bewitched with
her looks. [Job 31:1] Then she railed on me, and I went my way.
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