Books: The Pilgrim\'s Progess in Words of One Syllable
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Mary Godolphin >> The Pilgrim\'s Progess in Words of One Syllable
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But their guide came up, and struck so hard at him with his sword
as to force him to fall back.
Giant Grim:--Will you slay me on my own ground?
Great-heart:--It is the King's high way on which we stand, and
in His way it is that you have put these beasts. But these, who
are in my charge, though weak, shall hold on in spite of all. And
with that he dealt him a blow that brought him to the ground; so
Giant Grim was slain.
Then Great-heart said, Come now with me, and you shall take no
harm from the two beasts. So they went by, but shook from head to
foot at the mere sight of their teeth and claws.
At length they came in sight of the lodge, to which they soon
went up, but made the more haste to get there as it grew dusk. So
when they were come to the gate the guide gave a knock, and the
man at the lodge said in a loud voice, Who is there?
Great-heart:--It is I
Mr. Watchful:--How now, Mr. Great-heart? What has brought you
here at so late an hour? Then Great-heart told him that he had
come with some friends on their way to Zion.
Mr. Watchful:--Will you go in and stay till the day dawns?
Great-heart:--No, I will go back to my Lord to night.
Christiana:--Ah, Sir, I know not how we can part with you, for
it is to your stout heart that we owe our lives. You have fought
for us, you have taught us what is right, and your faith and your
love have known no bounds.
Mercy:--O that we could have you for our guide all the rest of
the way! For how can such weak folk as we are hold out in a path
fraught with toils and snares, if we have no friends to take us?
James:--Pray, Sir, keep with us and help us, when the way we go
is so hard to find.
Great-heart:--As my Lord wills, so must I do; if He send me to
join you once more, I shall be glad to wait on you. But it was
here that you were in fault at first, for when He bade me come
thus far with you, if you had said, We beg of you to let him go
quite through with us, He would have let me do so. But now I must
go back; and so good Christiana, Mercy and my dear boys, fare ye
all well.
Then did Watchful, who kept the lodge, ask Christiana whence she
had come and who her friends were.
Christiana:--I come from The City of Destruction, and I was the
wife of one Christian, who is dead.
Then Watchful rang the hell, as at such times he is wont, and
there came to the door a maid, to whom he said: Go, make it known
that Christiana, the wife of Christian, and her four boys are
come on their way to The Celestial City. .
So she went in and told all this. And, oh, what shouts of joy
were sent forth when those words fell from her mouth! So all came
with haste to Watchful; for Christiana still stood at the door.
Some of the most grave said to her, Christiana, come in, thou
wife of that good man, come in, thou blest one, come in, with all
that are with thee.
So she went in, and the rest with her. They then bade them sit
down in a large room, where the chief of the house came to see
them and to cheer his guests. Then he gave each of them a kiss.
But as it was late, and Christiana and the rest were faint with
the great fright they had had, they would fain have gone to rest.
Nay, said those of the house, take first some meat; for as
Watchful had heard that they were on their way, a lamb had been
slain for them When the meal had come to an end, and they had
sung a psalm, Christiana said, If we may be so bold as to choose,
let us be in that room which was Christian's when he was here.
So they took them there, but ere she went to sleep, Christiana
said, I did not think when my poor Christian set off with his
load on his back that I should do the same thing.
Mercy:--No, nor did you think then that you should rest in the
same room as he had done.
Christiana:--And less still to see his dear face once more who
was dead and gone, and to praise the Lord the King with him; and
yet now I think I shall.
Mercy:--Do you not hear a noise?
Christiana:--Hark! as far as I can make out, the sounds we hear
come from the lute, the pipe, and the horn.
Mercy:--Sweet sounds in the house, sweet sounds in the air,
sweet sounds in the heart, for joy that we are here.
Thus did Christiana and Mercy chat, and they, then slept.
Now at dawn when they woke up, Christiana said to Mercy: What was
it that made you laugh in your sleep last night? Were you in a
dream?
Mercy:--Yes, and a sweet dream it was. But are you sure that I
did laugh?
Christiana:--Yes, you gave a laugh as if from your heart of
hearts. Do pray, Mercy, tell it to me.
Mercy:--I dreamt that I lay in some lone wood to weep and wail,
for that my heart should be so hard a one. Now I had not been
there long when I thought there were some who had come to hear me
speak in my sleep; but I went on with my moans. At this they said
with a laugh that I was a fool. Then I saw a Bright One with
wings come up to me, who said, Mercy, what ails you? And when he
heard the cause Of my grief, he said, Peace be to thee. He then
came up to wipe off my tears and had me clad in robes of gold,
and put a chain on my neck, and a crown on my head. Then he took
me by the hand and said, Mercy, come this way. So he went up with
me till we came to a gate, at which he gave a knock and then he
took me to a throne on which one sat. The place was as bright as
the stars, nay more like the sun. And I thought that I saw
Christian there. So I woke from my dream. But did I laugh?
Christiana:--Laugh! Yes, and so you might, to see how well off
you were! For you must give me leave to tell you, that as you
find the first part true, so you will find true the last.
Mercy:--Well, I am glad of my dream, for I hope ere long to see
it come to pass, so as to make me laugh once more.
Christiana:--I think it is now high time to rise, and to know
what we must do.
Mercy:--Pray, if they should ask us to stay, let us by all means
do so; for I should much like to know more of these maids. I
think Prudence, Piety, and Charity have, each of them, a most
choice mien.
Christiana:--We shall see what they will do.
So they came down.
Then Prudence and Piety: If you will stay, here you shall have
what the house will yield.
Charity:--Yes, and that with a good will.
So they were there some time, much to their good.
Prudence:--Christiana, I give you all praise, for you have
brought your boys up well. With James I have had a long chat; he
is a good boy, and has learnt much that will bring peace to his
mind, while he lives on this earth, and in the world to come it
will cause him to see the face of Him who sits on the throne. For
my own part, I will teach all your sons. At the same time, said
she to them: You must still give heed to all that Christiana can
teach you, but more than all, you must read the Book of God's
Word, which sent your dear sire on his way to the land of bliss.
By the time that Christiana and the rest had been in this place a
week, a man, Mr. Brisk by name, came to woo Mercy, with the wish
to wed her. Now Mercy was fair to look on and her mind was at all
times set on work and the care of those round her. She would knit
hose for the poor, and give to all those things of which they
stood in need.
She will make me a good house wife, thought Brisk.
Mercy one day said to those of the house: Will you tell me what
you think of Mr. Brisk?
They then told her that the young man would seem to have a great
sense of the love of God, but that they had fears it did not
reach his soul, which they thought did cleave too much to this
world.
Nay then, said Mercy, I will look no more on him, for I will not
have a clog to my soul.
Prudence:--If you go on as you have set out, and work so hard
for the poor, he will soon cool.
So the next time he came, he found her at her work.
What, still at it? said he.
Mercy:--Yes.
Mr. Brisk:--How much can you earn in the day.
Mercy:--I work at these things for the good of those for whom I
do them; and more than this, to do the will of Him who was slain
on the cross for me.
With that his face fell, and he came no more to see her.
Prudence:--Did I not tell you that Mr. Brisk would soon flee
from you? Yea, he may seem to love Mercy, but Mercy and he should
not tread the same road of life side by side.
Now Matthew, the son of Christiana, fell sick, so they sent to
Mr. Skill to cure him. Then said he: Tell me what he eats.
Christiana:--Well, there is no food here but what is good.
Mr. Skill:--This boy has in him a crude mass of food, which if I
do not use the means to get rid of, he will die.
Samuel said to Christiana, What was it that you saw Matthew pick
up and eat when we came from the gate which is at the head of
this way?
Christiana:--It was some of the fruit that grows there; I chid
him for it.
Skill:--I felt sure that it was some bad food; now that fruit
hurts more than all, for it is the fruit from Beelzebub's
grounds. Did no one warn you of it? Some fall down dead when they
eat it.
Then Christiana wept and said, What shall I do for my son? Pray,
Sir, try your best to cure him, let it cost what it may.
Then Skill gave strange drugs to him, which he would not take. So
Christiana put one of them to the tip of her tongue. Oh, Matthew,
said she, it is sweet, sweet as balm; if you love me, if you love
Mercy, if you love your life, do take it!
So in time he did, and felt grief for his sin. He quite lost the
pain, so that with a staff he could walk, and went from room to
room to talk with Mercy, Prudence, Piety and Charity.
Christiana:--Pray, Sir, what else are these Pills good for?
Skill:--They are good for all those that go on their way to The
Celestial City.
Christiana:--I pray of you to make me up a large box full of
them, for if I can get these, I will take none else.
Skill:--I make no doubt that if a man will but use them as he
should, he could not die. But good Christiana, these pills will
be of no use if you do not give them as I have done, and that is,
in a glass of grief for the sins of those who take them. So he
gave some to Christiana and the rest of her boys, and to Mercy;
he bade Matthew, too, keep a good look out that he ate no more
green plums; then he gave them a kiss, and went his way.
Now, as they had spent some time here, they made a move to go.
Then Joseph, who was Christiana's third, son, said to her: You
were to send to the house of Mr. Interpreter to beg him to grant
that Mr. Great-heart should go with us as our guide.
Good boy! said Christiana, I had not thought of it.
So she wrote a note, and Interpreter said to the man who brought
it: Go, tell them that I will send him.
Great-heart soon came, and he said to Christiana and Mercy, My
Lord has sent you some wine and burnt corn, and to the boys figs
and dry grapes.
They then set off, and Prudence and Piety went with them. But
first Christiana took leave of Watchful, who kept the gate, and
put a small coin in his hand while she gave him her thanks for
all that he had done for her and her dear boys. She then said to
him, Have you seen men go by since we have been here?
Watchful:--Yes, I have, and there has been a great theft on this
high way; but the thieves were caught.
Then Christiana and Mercy said they felt great fear to go on that
road.
Matthew:--Fear not, as long as we have Mr. Great-heart with us
to guide us.
I now saw in my dream that they went on till they came to the
brow of the hill, when Piety said: O, I must go back to fetch
that which I meant to give to Christiana and Mercy, and it was a
list of all those things which they had seen at the house where
we live. On these, said she, I beg of you to look from time to
time, and call them to mind for your good.
They now went down the hill to the Vale of Humiliation. It was a
steep hill, and their feet slid as they went on; but they took great
care, and when they had got to the foot of it, Piety said to
Christiana: This is the vale where Christian met with Apollyon and
where they had that fierce fight which I know you must have heard
of. But be of good cheer, as long as we have Mr. Great-heart to
guide us, there is nought here that will hurt us, save those sights
that spring from our own fears. And as to Apollyon, the good folk of
the town, who tell us that such a thing fell out in such a place, to
the hurt of such a one, think that some foul fiend haunts that
place, when lo! it is from the fruit of their own ill deeds that
such things do fall on them. For they that make slips must look for
frights. And hence it is that this vale has so bad a name.
James:--See, there is a post with words on it, I will go and
read them.
So he went, and found that these words were cut on it: Let the
slips which Christian met with ere he came here, and the fights
he had in this place, warn all those who come to the Vale of
Humiliation.
Mr. Great-heart:--It is not so hard to go up as down this hill,
and that can be said of but few hills in this part of the world.
But we will leave the good man, he is at rest, and he had a brave
fight with the foe; let Him who dwells on high grant that we fare
no worse when our strength comes to be put to the test. This vale
brings forth much fruit.
Now, as they went on, they met a boy who was clad in mean clothes
and kept watch on some sheep. He had a fine fresh face, and as he
sat on the bank he sang a song.
Hark, said Great-heart, to the words of that boy's song.
So they gave ear to it.
"He that is down need fear no fall, He that is low, no pride, He
that is meek at all times shall Have God to be his guide."
Then said Great-heart: Do you hear him? I dare say this boy leads
as gay a life as he that is clad in silk, and that he wears more
of that plant which they call heart's ease.
Samuel:--Ask Great-heart in what part of this vale it was that
Apollyon came to fight Christian?
Great-heart:--The fight took place at that part of the plain
which has the name of Forgetful Green. And if those who go on
their way, meet with a shock, it is when they lose sight of the
good which they have at the hand of Him who dwells on high.
Mercy:--I think I feel as well in this place as I have done in
all the rest of our way. This vale has a sweet grace, and just
suits my mind; for I love to be in such a spot as this, where
there are no coach wheels to make a din. Here one may think a
while what he is, whence he came, and for what the King has made
him; here one may muse and pray.
Just then they thought that the ground they trod on shook. But
the guide bade them be of good cheer, and look well to their
feet, lest by chance they should meet with some snare.
Then James felt sick, but I think the cause of it was fear, and
Christiana gave him some of the wine which Mr. Interpreter had
put in her hands, and three of the pills which Mr. Skill had made
up, and the boy soon got well.
They then went on a while, and Christiana said, What is that
thing on the road? A thing of such a shape I have not seen in all
my life!
Joseph said, What is it?
A vile thing, child, a vile thing! said she.
Joseph:--But what is it like?
Christiana:--It is like--I can't tell what. Just then it was far
off, now it is nigh.
Great-heart:--Well, let them that have the most fear keep close
to me.
Then it went out of sight of all of them.
But they had not gone far when Mercy cast a look back, and saw a
great beast come fast up to them with a loud roar.
This noise made them all quail with fright save their guide, who
fell back and put the rest in front of him. But when the brute
saw that Great-heart meant to fight him, he drew back and was
seen no more.
Now they had not left the spot long when a great mist fell on
them, so that they could not see.
What shall we do? said they.
Their guide told them not to fear, but to stand still, and see
what an end he would put to this too.
Then said Christiana to Mercy: Now I see what my poor dear
Christian went through; I have heard much of this place. Poor
man, he went here in the dead of the night, and no one with him;
but who can tell what the Valley of the Shadow of Death should
mean, till they come to see it? To be here fills my breast with
awe!
Great-heart: It seems now as if the earth and its bars were round
us. I would not boast, but I trust we shall still make our way.
Come, let us pray for light to Him that can give it.
So did they weep and pray. And as the path was now more smooth,
they went straight on.
Mercy:--To be here is not so sweet as it was at The Gate, or at
Mr. Interpreter's, or at the good house where we were last.
Oh, said one of the boys, it is not so bad to go through this
place as it is to dwell here for all time; for aught I know we
have to go this way that our last home may seem to us the more
blest.
Great-heart:--Well said, Samuel; thou dost now speak like a man.
Samuel:--Why, if I do in truth get out of this place, I think I
shall prize that which is light and good more than I have done
all my life.
Great-heart:--We shall be out by and by.
So on they went.
Joseph:--Can we not see to the end of this vale yet?
Great-heart:--Look to your feet, for you will soon be where the
snares are.
So they took good heed.
Great-heart:--Men come here and bring no guide with them; hence
it is they die from the snares they meet with in the way. Poor
Christian! it is strange he should have got out of this place,
and been safe. But God dwelt in his soul, and he had a stout
heart, of his own, or else he could not have done it.
Christiana:--I wish that there were some inn here where we could
all take rest.
I Well, said Mr. Honest--one whom they had just met--there is
such a place not far off.
So there they went, and the host, whose name was Gaius, said:
Come in, for my house was built for none but such as you.
Great-heart:--Good Gaius, let us sup. What have you for us to
eat? We have gone through great toils, and stand much in want of
food.
Gaius:--It is too late for us to go out and seek food; but of
such as we have you shall eat.
The meal was then spread, and near the end of the feast all sat
round the board to crack nuts, when old Honest said to Gaius,
Tell me what this verse means:
A man there was, and some did count him mad; The more that this
man gave the more he had.
Then all the youths gave a guess as to what Gaius would say to
it; so he sat still a while, and then said:
He that gives his goods to the poor, Shall have as much and ten
times more.
Joseph:--I did not think, Sir, that you would have found it out.
Gaius:--Ah! I have learnt of my Lord to be kind, and I find I
gain by it.
Then Samuel said in a low tone to Christiana, This is a good
man's house; let us make a long stay, and why should not Matthew
wed Mercy here?
When Gaius heard him say this, quoth he: With all my heart. And
he gave Mercy to Matthew to wife.
By this time Christiana's son James had come of age, and Gaius
gave Phebe (who was his child) to be his wife. They spent ten
days at the house of Gaius, and then took their leave. But on the
last day he made them a feast, of which they all ate and drank.
Great-heart:--Now, Gaius, the hour has come that we must be
gone; so tell me what I owe you for this long stay at your inn,
for we have been here some years.
Gaius:--At my house no one pays; for the good Samaritan told me
that I was to look to him for all the cost I was put to. They now
took leave of him and went on their way, when they met with all
kinds of frights and fears, till they came to a place which bore
the name of Vanity Fair. There they went to the house of Mr.
Mnason, who said to his guests: If there be a thing that you
stand in need of, do but say so, and we will do what we can to
get it for you.
Well, then, said they, we should like much to see some of the
good folk in this town.
So Mnason gave a stamp with his foot, at which Grace came up, and
he sent her to fetch some of his friends who were in the house,
and they all sat down to a meal.
Then said Mr. Mnason, as he held out his hand to point to
Christiana: My friends, I have guests here who are on their way
to Zion. But who do you think this is? This is the wife of
Christian whom (with his friend Faithful) the men of this town
did treat so ill.
Well, said they, go who would have thought to meet Christiana at
this place! May The King whom you love and serve bring you where
He is, in peace!
They then told her that the blood of Faithful had lain like a,
load on their hearts; and that since, they had burnt him no more
men had been sent to the Stake at Vanity Fair. In those days,
said they, good men could not walk the streets, but now they can
show their heads.
Christiana and her sons and Mercy made this place their home for
some years, and in course of time Mr. Mnason, who had a wife and
two girls, gave his first born, whose name was Grace, to Samuel
to wife, and Martha to Joseph.
Now, one day, a huge snake came out of the woods and slew some of
the folk of the town. None of these were so bold as to dare to
face him, but all fled when they heard that he came near, for he
took off the babes by scores.
But Great-heart and the rest of the men who were at Mr. Mnason's
house, made up their minds to kill this snake, and so rid the
town of him. So they went forth to meet him, and at first the
snake did not seem to heed them; but as they were strong men at
arms, they drove him back. Then they lay in wait for him, and
fell on him, till at last they knew he must die of his wounds. By
this deed Mr. Great-heart and the rest won the good will of the
whole town.
The time now drew near for them to go on their way. Mr.
Great-heart went first as their guide; and I saw in my dream that
they came to the stream on this side of The Delectable Mountains,
where fine trees grew on each bank, the leaves of which were good
for the health, and the fields were green all the year round; and
here they might lie down and be safe. Here, too, there were folds
for sheep, and a house was built in which to rear the lambs, and
there was One who kept watch on them, who would take them in His
arms and lay them in His breast.
Now Christiana bade the four young wives place their babes by the
side of this stream, so that they might lack nought in time to
come. For, said she, if they should stray or be lost, He will
bring them back; He will give strength, to the sick, and here
they shall not want meat, drink, or clothes. So they left their
young ones to Him.
When they went to By-Path Meadow they sat on the stile to which
Christian had gone with Hopeful, when Giant Despair shut the two
up in Doubting Castle. They sat down to think what would be the
best thing to do, now that they were so strong a force, and had
such a man as Mr. Great-heart to guide them; to wit, if it would
not be well to pull down Doubting Castle, and should there be
poor souls shut up there who were on their way to The Celestial
City, to set them free. One said this thing and one said that; at
last quoth Mr. Great-heart: We are told in the book of God's Word,
that we are to fight the good fight. And, I pray, with whom
should we fight if not with Giant Despair? So who will go with
me?
Christiana's four sons said: We will; for they were young and
strong; so they left their wives and went.
When they gave their knock at the gate, Giant Despair and his
wife Diffidence, came to them.
Giant Despair:--Who and what is he that is so bold as to come to
the gate of Giant Despair?
Great-heart:--It is I, a guide to those who are on their way to
Zion. And I charge thee to throw wide thy gates and stand forth,
for I am come to slay thee and pull down thy house.
Giant Despair:--What, shall such as Great-heart make me fear?
No!
So he put a cap of steel on his head, and with a breast plate of
fire, and a club in his hand, he came out to fight his foes.
Then these six men made up to him, and they fought for their
lives, till Despair was brought to the ground and put to death by
Great-heart. Next they fell on his house, but it took six days to
pull it down. They found there Mr. Despondency and one
Much-afraid, his child, and set them free.
Then they all went onto The Delectable Mountains. They made
friends with the men that kept watch on their flocks, who were as
kind to them as they had been to Christian and Hopeful.
You have brought a good train with you, said they. Pray, where
did you find them?
So their guide told them how it had come to pass.
By and by they got to The Enchanted Ground, where the air makes
men sleep. Now they had not gone far, when a thick mist fell on
them, so that for a while they could not see; and as they could
not walk by sight, they kept near their guide by the help of
words. But one fell in a bush, while one stuck fast in the mud,
and some of the young ones lost their shoes in the mire. Oh, I am
down! said one. Where are you? cried the next; while a third
said, I am held fast in the bush!
Then they came to a bench, Slothful's Friend by name, which had
shrubs and plants round it, to screen those who sat there from
the sun. But Christiana and the rest gave such good heed to what
their guide told them, that though they were worn out with toil,
yet there was not one of them that had so much as a wish to stop
there; for they knew that it would he death to sleep but for a
short time on The Enchanted Ground.
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