like unto one beast upon the earth: its body was "like a dragon, and it had seven heads and ten horns." Rev. xii. 3. It made great havoc of children, and yet it was governed by a woman. This monster propounded conditions to men, and such men as loved their lives more than their souls accepted of those conditions.

Now Mr. Great-heart, together with those who came to visit the pilgrims at Mr. Mnason's house, entered into a covenant to go and engage this beast, if perhaps they might deliver the people of this town from the paws and mouth of this so devouring a serpent.

Then did Mr. Great-heart, Mr. Contrite, Mr. Holy-man, Mr. Dare-not-lie, and Mr. Penitent, with their weapons, go forth to meet him. Now the monster, at first, was very rampant, and looked upon these enemies with great disdain; but they so belaboured him, being sturdy men-at-arms, that they made him make a retreat; so they came home to Mr. Mnason's house again.

The monster,* you must know, had his certain seasons to come out in and to make his attempts upon the children of the people of the town: also these seasons did these valiant worthies watch him in, and did continually assault him; insomuch that, in process of time, he became not only wounded, but lame; also he had not made the havoc of the townsmen's children as formerly he had done. And it is verily believed by some that this beast will certainly die of his wounds. This therefore made Mr. Great-heart and his fellows of great fame in this town; so that many of the people that wanted their taste of things yet had a reverent esteem and respect for them. Upon this account therefore it was that these pilgrims got not much hurt here. True, there were some of the baser sort that could see no more than a mole nor understand no more than a beast,—these had no reverence for these men, nor took notice of their valour and adventures.

CHAPTER XIII.

The Pilgrims kill Giant Despair and his wife, and totally demolish his castle.- They proceed to the Delectable Mountains.

and Mr. Feeble-mind had more to sympathize with their condition.

WELL, the time drew on that the pilgrims | could bear; by this means Mr. Ready-to-halt 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. Acts xxviii. 10. 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

* This refers (observes the Rev. Mr. Scott) to the prevalence of popery for some time before the Revolution in 1688, by which many nominal Protestants were drawn aside, and numbers of children educated

the principles of darkness and superstition. The favour and frown of the prince and his party operated powerfully that worldly men in general yielded to

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 and that Faithful was dead.

Now they were come up 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: wherethe imposition; but several persons among the Nonconformists, as well as in the Established Church, did eminent service at this crisis by their preaching and writings, in exposing the delusions and abominations of the adherents to the papal sce: and these endeavours were eventually the means of overturning the plaz formed for the re-establishment of popery in Britain