Books: The Holy War
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John Bunyan >> The Holy War
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Then said the Prince, 'If I come to your town, will you suffer me
further to prosecute that which is in mine heart against mine
enemies and yours?--yea, will you help me in such undertakings?'
They answered, 'We know not what we shall do; we did not think once
that we should have been such traitors to Shaddai as we have proved
to be. What, then, shall we say to our Lord? Let him put no trust
in his saints; let the Prince dwell in our castle, and make of our
town a garrison; let him set his noble captains and his warlike
soldiers over us; yea, let him conquer us with his love, and
overcome us with his grace, and then surely shall he be but with
us, and help us, as he was and did that morning that our pardon was
read unto us. We shall comply with this our Lord, and with his
ways, and fall in with his word against the mighty.
'One word more, and thy servants have done, and in this will
trouble our Lord no more. We know not the depth of the wisdom of
thee, our Prince. Who could have thought, that had been ruled by
his reason, that so much sweet as we do now enjoy should have come
out of those bitter trials wherewith we were tried at the first!
But, Lord, let light go before, and let love come after: yea, take
us by the hand, and lead us by thy counsels, and let this always
abide upon us, that all things shall be the best for thy servants,
and come to our Mansoul, and do as it pleaseth thee. Or, Lord,
come to our Mansoul, do what thou wilt, so thou keepest us from
sinning, and makest us serviceable to thy Majesty.'
Then said the Prince to the town of Mansoul again, 'Go, return to
your houses in peace. I will willingly in this comply with your
desires; I will remove my royal pavilion, I will draw up my forces
before Eye-gate to-morrow, and so will march forwards into the town
of Mansoul. I will possess myself of your castle of Mansoul, and
will set my soldiers over you: yea, I will yet do things in
Mansoul that cannot be paralleled in any nation, country, or
kingdom under heaven.' Then did the men of Mansoul give a shout,
and returned unto their houses in peace; they also told to their
kindred and friends the good that Emmanuel had promised to Mansoul.
'And to-morrow,' said they, 'he will march into our town, and take
up his dwelling, he and his men, in Mansoul.'
Then went out the inhabitants of the town of Mansoul with haste to
the green trees and to the meadows, to gather boughs and flowers,
therewith to strew the streets against their Prince, the Son of
Shaddai, should come; they also made garlands and other fine works
to betoken how joyful they were, and should be to receive their
Emmanuel into Mansoul; yea, they strewed the street quite from Eye-
gate to the castle-gate, the place where the Prince should be.
They also prepared for his coming what music the town of Mansoul
would afford, that they might play before him to the palace, his
habitation.
So, at the time appointed he makes his approach to Mansoul, and the
gates were set open for him; there also the ancients and elders of
Mansoul met him to salute him with a thousand welcomes. Then he
arose and entered Mansoul, he and all his servants. The elders of
Mansoul did also go dancing before him till he came to the castle
gates. And this was the manner of his going up thither:- He was
clad in his golden armour, he rode in his royal chariot, the
trumpets sounded about him, the colours were displayed, his ten
thousands went up at his feet, and the elders of Mansoul danced
before him. And now were the walls of the famous town of Mansoul
filled with the tramplings of the inhabitants thereof, who went up
thither to view the approach of the blessed Prince and his royal
army. Also the casements, windows, balconies, and tops of the
houses, were all now filled with persons of all sorts, to behold
how their town was to be filled with good.
Now, when he was come so far into the town as to the Recorder's
house, he commanded that one should go to Captain Credence, to know
whether the castle of Mansoul was prepared to entertain his royal
presence (for the preparation of that was left to that captain),
and word was brought that it was. Then was Captain Credence
commanded also to come forth with his power to meet the Prince, the
which was, as he had commanded, done; and he conducted him into the
castle. This done, the Prince that night did lodge in the castle
with his mighty captains and men of war, to the joy of the town of
Mansoul.
Now, the next care of the townsfolk was, how the captains and
soldiers of the Prince's army should be quartered among them; and
the care was not how they should shut their hands of them, but how
they should fill their houses with them; for every man in Mansoul
now had that esteem of Emmanuel and his men that nothing grieved
them more than because they were not enlarged enough, every one of
them to receive the whole army of the Prince; yea, they counted it
their glory to be waiting upon them, and would, in those days, run
at their bidding like lackeys.
At last they came to this result:-
1. That Captain Innocency should quarter at Mr. Reason's.
2. That Captain Patience should quarter at Mr. Mind's. This Mr.
Mind was formerly the Lord Willbewill's clerk in time of the late
rebellion.
3. It was ordered that Captain Charity should quarter at Mr.
Affection's house.
4. That Captain Good-Hope should quarter at my Lord Mayor's. Now,
for the house of the Recorder, himself desired, because his house
was next to the castle, and because from him it was ordered by the
Prince that, if need be, the alarm should be given to Mansoul,--it
was, I say, desired by him that Captain Boanerges and Captain
Conviction should take up their quarters with him, even they and
all their men.
5. As for Captain Judgment and Captain Execution, my Lord
Willbewill took them and their men to him, because he was to rule
under the Prince for the good of the town of Mansoul now, as he had
before under the tyrant Diabolus for the hurt and damage thereof.
6. And throughout the rest of the town were quartered Emmanuel's
forces; but Captain Credence, with his men, abode still in the
castle. So the Prince, his captains, and his soldiers, were lodged
in the town of Mansoul.
Now, the ancients and elders of the town of Mansoul thought that
they never should have enough of the Prince Emmanuel; his person,
his actions, his words, and behaviour, were so pleasing, so taking,
so desirable to them. Wherefore they prayed him, that though the
castle of Mansoul was his place of residence, (and they desired
that he might dwell there for ever,) yet that he would often visit
the streets, houses, and people of Mansoul. 'For,' said they,
'dread Sovereign, thy presence, thy looks, thy smiles, thy words,
are the life, and strength, and sinews of the town of Mansoul.'
Besides this, they craved that they might have, without difficulty
or interruption, continual access unto him, (so for that very
purpose he commanded that the gates should stand open,) that they
might there see the manner of his doings, the fortifications of the
place, and the royal mansion-house of the Prince.
When he spake, they all stopped their mouths and gave audience; and
when he walked, it was their delight to imitate him in his goings.
Now, upon a time, Emmanuel made a feast for the town of Mansoul;
and upon the feasting-day the townsfolk were come to the castle to
partake of his banquet; and he feasted them with all manner of
outlandish food;--food that grew not in the fields of Mansoul; nor
in all the whole Kingdom of Universe; it was food that came from
his Father's court. And so there was dish after dish set before
them, and they were commanded freely to eat. But still, when a
fresh dish was set before them, they would whisperingly say to each
other, 'What is it?' for they wist not what to call it. They drank
also of the water that was made wine, and were very merry with him.
There was music also all the while at the table; and man did eat
angels' food, and had honey given him out of the rock. So Mansoul
did eat the food that was peculiar to the court; yea, they had now
thereof to the full.
I must not forget to tell you, that as at this table there were
musicians, so they were not those of the country, nor yet of the
town of Mansoul; but they were the masters of the songs that were
sung at the court of Shaddai.
Now, after the feast was over, Emmanuel was for entertaining the
town of Mansoul with some curious riddles of secrets drawn up by
his Father's secretary, by the skill and wisdom of Shaddai; the
like to these there is not in any kingdom. These riddles were made
upon the King Shaddai himself, and upon Emmanuel his Son, and upon
his wars and doings with Mansoul.
Emmanuel also expounded unto them some of those riddles himself;
but, oh! how they were lightened! They saw what they never saw;
they could not have thought that such rarities could have been
couched in so few and such ordinary words. I told you before, whom
these riddles did concern; and as they were opened, the people did
evidently see it was so. Yea, they did gather that the things
themselves were a kind of a portraiture, and that of Emmanuel
himself; for when they read in the scheme where the riddles were
writ, and looked in the face of the Prince, things looked so like
the one to the other, that Mansoul could not forbear but say, 'This
is the lamb! this is the sacrifice! this is the rock! this is the
red cow! this is the door! and this is the way!' with a great many
other things more.
And thus he dismissed the town of Mansoul. But can you imagine how
the people of the corporation were taken with this entertainment!
Oh! they were transported with joy, they were drowned with
wonderment, while they saw and understood, and considered what
their Emmanuel entertained them withal, and what mysteries he
opened to them. And when they were at home in their houses, and in
their most retired places, they could not but sing of him and of
his actions. Yea, so taken were the townsmen now with their
Prince, that they would sing of him in their sleep.
Now, it was in the heart of the Prince Emmanuel to new-model the
town of Mansoul, and to put it into such a condition as might be
most pleasing to him, and that might best stand with the profit and
security of the now flourishing town of Mansoul. He provided also
against insurrections at home, and invasions from abroad, such love
had he for the famous town of Mansoul.
Wherefore he first of all commanded that the great slings that were
brought from his Father's court, when he came to the war of
Mansoul, should be mounted, some upon the battlements of the
castle, some upon the towers; for there were towers in the town of
Mansoul, towers, new-built by Emmanuel since he came hither. There
was also an instrument, invented by Emmanuel, that was to throw
stones from the castle of Mansoul, out at Mouth-gate; an instrument
that could not be resisted, nor that would miss of execution.
Wherefore, for the wonderful exploits that it did when used, it
went without a name; and it was committed to the care of, and to be
managed by the brave captain, the Captain Credence, in case of war.
This done, Emmanuel called the Lord Willbewill to him, and gave him
in commandment to take care of the gates, the wall, and towers in
Mansoul; also the Prince gave him the militia into his hand, and a
special charge to withstand all insurrections and tumults that
might be made in Mansoul against the peace of our Lord the King,
and the peace and tranquillity of the town of Mansoul. He also
gave him in commission, that if he found any of the Diabolonians
lurking in any corner of the famous town of Mansoul, he should
forthwith apprehend them, and stay them, or commit them to safe
custody, that they may be proceeded against according to law.
Then he called unto him the Lord Understanding, who was the old
Lord Mayor, he that was put out of place when Diabolus took the
town, and put him into his former office again, and it became his
place for his lifetime. He bid him also that he should build him a
palace near Eye-gate; and that he should build it in fashion like a
tower for defence. He bid him also that he should read in the
Revelation of Mysteries all the days of his life, that he might
know how to perform his office aright.
He also made Mr. Knowledge the Recorder, not of contempt to old Mr.
Conscience, who had been Recorder before, but for that it was in
his princely mind to confer upon Mr. Conscience another employ, of
which he told the old gentleman he should know more hereafter.
Then he commanded that the image of Diabolus should be taken down
from the place where it was set up, and that they should destroy it
utterly, beating it into powder, and casting it into the wind
without the town wall; and that the image of Shaddai, his Father,
should be set up again, with his own, upon the castle gates; and
that it should be more fairly drawn than ever, forasmuch as both
his Father and himself were come to Mansoul in more grace and mercy
than heretofore. He would also that his name should be fairly
engraven upon the front of the town, and that it should be done in
the best of gold, for the honour of the town of Mansoul.
After this was done, Emmanuel gave out a commandment that those
three great Diabolonians should be apprehended, namely, the two
late Lord Mayors, to wit, Mr. Incredulity, Mr. Lustings, and Mr.
Forget-Good, the Recorder. Besides these, there were some of them
that Diabolus made burgesses and aldermen in Mansoul, that were
committed to ward by the hand of the now valiant and now right
noble, the brave Lord Willbewill.
And these were their names: Alderman Atheism, Alderman Hard-Heart,
and Alderman False-Peace. The burgesses were, Mr. No-Truth, Mr.
Pitiless, Mr. Haughty, with the like. These were committed to
close custody, and the gaoler's name was Mr. True-Man. This True-
Man was one of those that Emmanuel brought with him from his
Father's court when at the first he made a war upon Diabolus in the
town or Mansoul.
After this, the Prince gave a charge that the three strongholds
that, at the command of Diabolus, the Diabolonians built in
Mansoul, should be demolished and utterly pulled down; of which
holds and their names, with their captains and governors, you read
a little before. But this was long in doing, because of the
largeness of the places, and because the stones, the timber, the
iron, and all rubbish, was to be carried without the town.
When this was done, the Prince gave order that the Lord Mayor and
aldermen of Mansoul should call a court of judicature for the trial
and execution of the Diabolonians in the corporation now under the
charge of Mr. True-Man, the gaoler.
Now, when the time was come, and the court set, commandment was
sent to Mr. True-Man, the gaoler, to bring the prisoners down to
the bar. Then were the prisoners brought down, pinioned and
chained together, as the custom of the town of Mansoul was. So,
when they were presented before the Lord Mayor, the Recorder, and
the rest of the honourable bench, first, the jury was empannelled,
and then the witnesses sworn. The names of the jury were these:
Mr. Belief, Mr. True-Heart, Mr. Upright, Mr. Hate-Bad, Mr. Love-
God, Mr. See-Truth, Mr. Heavenly-Mind, Mr. Moderate, Mr. Thankful,
Mr. Good-Work, Mr. Zeal-for-God, and Mr. Humble.
The names of the witnesses were--Mr. Know-All, Mr. Tell-True, Mr.
Hate-Lies, with my Lord Willbewill and his man, if need were.
So the prisoners were set to the bar. Then said Mr. Do-Right, (for
he was the Town-Clerk,) 'Set Atheism to the bar, gaoler.' So he
was set to the bar. Then said the Clerk, 'Atheism, hold up thy
hand. Thou art here indicted by the name of Atheism, (an intruder
upon the town of Mansoul,) for that thou hast perniciously and
doltishly taught and maintained that there is no God, and so no
heed to be taken to religion. This thou hast done against the
being, honour, and glory of the King, and against the peace and
safety of the town of Mansoul. What sayest thou? Art thou guilty
of this indictment, or not?
Atheism. Not guilty.
Crier. Call Mr. Know-All, Mr. Tell-True, and Mr. Hate-Lies into
the court.
So they were called, and they appeared.
Then said the Clerk, 'You, the witnesses for the King, look upon
the prisoner at the bar; do you know him?'
Then said Mr. Know-All, 'Yes, my lord, we know him; his name is
Atheism; he has been a very pestilent fellow for many years in the
miserable town of Mansoul.'
Clerk. You are sure you know him?
Know. Know him! Yes my lord; I have heretofore too often been in
his company to be at this time ignorant of him. He is a
Diabolonian, the son of a Diabolonian: I knew his grandfather and
his father.
Clerk. Well said. He standeth here indicted by the name of
Atheism, etc., and is charged that he hath maintained and taught
that there is no God, and so no heed need be taken to any religion.
What say you, the King's witnesses, to this? Is he guilty or not?
Know. My lord, I and he were once in Villain's Lane together, and
he at that time did briskly talk of divers opinions; and then and
there I heard him say, that, for his part, he did believe that
there was no God. 'But,' said he, 'I can profess one, and be as
religious too, if the company I am in, and the circumstances of
other things,' said he, 'shall put me upon it.'
Clerk. You are sure you heard him say thus?
Know. Upon mine oath, I heard him say thus.
Then said the Clerk, 'Mr. Tell-True, what say you to the King's
judges touching the prisoner at the bar?'
Tell. My lord, I formerly was a great companion of his, for the
which I now repent me, and I have often heard him say, and that
with very great stomachfulness, that he believed there was neither
God, angel, nor spirit.
Clerk. Where did you hear him say so?
Tell. In Blackmouth Lane and in Blasphemer's Row, and in many
other places besides.
Clerk. Have you much knowledge of him?
Tell. I know him to be a Diabolonian, the son of a Diabolonian,
and a horrible man to deny a Deity. His father's name was Never-
be-good, and he had more children than this Atheism. I have no
more to say,
Clerk. Mr. Hate-Lies, look upon the prisoner at the bar; do you
know him?
Hate. My lord, this Atheism is one of the vilest wretches that
ever I came near, or had to do with in my life. I have heard him
say that there is no God; I have heard him say that there is no
world to come, no sin, nor punishment hereafter, and, moreover, I
have heard him say that it was as good to go to a whore-house as to
go to hear a sermon.
Clerk. Where did you hear him say these things?
Hate. In Drunkard's Row, just at Rascal-Lane's End, at a house in
which Mr. Impiety lived.
Clerk. Set him by, gaoler, and set Mr. Lustings to the bar. Mr.
Lustings, thou art here indicted by the name of Lustings, (an
intruder upon the town of Mansoul,) for that thou hast devilishly
and traitorously taught, by practice and filthy words, that it is
lawful and profitable to man to give way to his carnal desires; and
that thou, for thy part, hast not, nor never wilt, deny thyself of
any sinful delight as long as thy name is Lustings. How sayest
thou? Art thou guilty of this indictment, or not?
Then said Mr. Lustings, 'My lord, I am a man of high birth, and
have been used to pleasures and pastimes of greatness. I have not
been wont to be snubbed for my doings, but have been left to follow
my will as if it were law. And it seems strange to me that I
should this day be called into question for that, that not only I,
but almost all men, do either secretly or openly countenance, love,
and approve of.'
Clerk. Sir, we concern not ourselves with your greatness; (though
the higher, the better you should have been;) but we are concerned,
and so are you now, about an indictment preferred against you. How
say you? Are you guilty of it, or not?
Lust. Not guilty.
Clerk. Crier, call upon the witnesses to stand forth and give
their evidence.
Crier. Gentlemen, you, the witnesses for the King, come in and
give in your evidence for our Lord the King against the prisoner at
the bar.
Clerk. Come, Mr. Know-All, look upon the prisoner at the bar; do
you know him?
Know. Yes, my lord, I know him.
Clerk. What is his name?
Know. His name is Lustings; he was the son of one Beastly, and his
mother bare him in Flesh Street: she was one Evil-Concupiscence's
daughter. I knew all the generation of them.
Clerk. Well said. You have heard his indictment; what say you to
it? Is he guilty of the things charged against him, or not?
Know. My lord, he has, as he saith, been a great man indeed, and
greater in wickedness than by pedigree more than a thousandfold.
Clerk. But what do you know of his particular actions, and
especially with reference to his indictment?
Know. I know him to be a swearer, a liar, a Sabbath-breaker; I
know him to be a fornicator and an unclean person; I know him to be
guilty of abundance of evils. He has been, to my knowledge, a very
filthy man.
Clerk. But where did he use to commit his wickedness? in some
private corners, or more open and shamelessly?
Know. All the town over, my lord.
Clerk. Come, Mr. Tell-True, what have you to say for our Lord the
King against the prisoner at the bar?
Tell. My lord, all that the first witness has said I know to be
true, and a great deal more besides.
Clerk. Mr. Lustings, do you hear what these gentlemen say?
Lust. I was ever of opinion that the happiest life that a man
could live on earth was to keep himself back from nothing that he
desired in the world; nor have I been false at any time to this
opinion of mine, but have lived in the love of my notions all my
days. Nor was I ever so churlish, having found such sweetness in
them myself, as to keep the commendations of them from others.
Then said the Court, 'There hath proceeded enough from his own
mouth to lay him open to condemnation; wherefore, set him by,
gaoler, and set Mr. Incredulity to the bar.'
Incredulity set to the bar.
Clerk. Mr. Incredulity, thou art here indicted by the name of
Incredulity, (an intruder upon the town of Mansoul,) for that thou
hast feloniously and wickedly, and that when thou wert an officer
in the town of Mansoul, made head against the captains of the great
King Shaddai when they came and demanded possession of Mansoul;
yea, thou didst bid defiance to the name, forces, and cause of the
King, and didst also, as did Diabolus thy captain, stir up and
encourage the town of Mansoul to make head against and resist the
said force of the King. What sayest thou to this indictment? Art
thou guilty of it, or not?
Then said Incredulity, 'I know not Shaddai; I love my old prince; I
thought it my duty to be true to my trust, and to do what I could
to possess the minds of the men of Mansoul to do their utmost to
resist strangers and foreigners, and with might to fight against
them. Nor have I, nor shall I, change mine opinion for fear of
trouble, though you at present are possessed of place and power.'
Then said the Court, 'The man, as you see, is incorrigible; he is
for maintaining his villainies by stoutness of words, and his
rebellion with impudent confidence; and therefore set him by,
gaoler, and set Mr. Forget-Good to the bar.
Forget-Good set to the bar.
Clerk. Mr. Forget-Good, thou art here indicted by the name of
Forget-Good, (an intruder upon the town of Mansoul,) for that thou,
when the whole affairs of the town of Mansoul were in thy hand,
didst utterly forget to serve them in what was good, and didst fall
in with the tyrant Diabolus against Shaddai the King, against his
captains, and all his host, to the dishonour of Shaddai, the breach
of his law, and the endangering of the destruction of the famous
town of Mansoul. What sayest thou to this indictment? Art thou
guilty or not guilty?
Then said Forget-Good: 'Gentlemen, and at this time my judges, as
to the indictment by which I stand of several crimes accused before
you, pray attribute my forgetfulness to mine age, and not to my
wilfulness; to the craziness of my brain, and not to the
carelessness of my mind; and then I hope I may be by your charity
excused from great punishment, though I be guilty.'
Then said the Court, 'Forget-Good, Forget-Good, thy forgetfulness
of good was not simply of frailty, but of purpose, and for that
thou didst loathe to keep virtuous things in thy mind. What was
bad thou couldst retain, but what was good thou couldst not abide
to think of; thy age, therefore, and thy pretended craziness, thou
makest use of to blind the court withal, and as a cloak to cover
thy knavery. But let us hear what the witnesses have to say for
the King against the prisoner at the bar. Is he guilty of this
indictment, or not?'
Hate. My lord, I have heard this Forget-Good say, that he could
never abide to think of goodness, no, not for a quarter of an hour.
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