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will you carry me and my children with you, that we also may go and worship the King ?"

Farther instruc

Then said the Visiter, Christiana, the bitter is before the sweet. Thou must through troubles, as tions to Christiana. did he that went before thee, enter this Celestial City. Wherefore I advise thee to do as did Christian thy husband; go to the WicketGate yonder over the plain, for that stands at the head of the way up which thou must go, and I wish thee all good speed. Also I advise that thou put this Letter in thy bosom; that thou read therein to thyself, and to thy children, until you have got it by root-of-heart; for it is one of the songs that thou must sing while thou art in this House of thy Pilgrimage; * also this thou must deliver in at the farther Gate.

Now I saw in my dream, that this old Gentleman, as he told me the story, did himself seem to be greatly affected therewith. He moreover proceeded and said, So Christiana called her sons together, and began thus to address herself unto Christiana prays them: My sons, I have, as you may perceive, been well for her jour. of late under much exercise in my soul about the ney. death of your Father; not for that I doubt at all of his happiness, for I am satisfied now that he is well. I have also been much affected with the thoughts of mine own state and yours, which I verily believe is by nature miserable. My carriage also to your Father in his distress is a great load to my conscience; for I hardened both mine own heart and yours against him, and refused to go with him on Pilgrimage.

The thoughts of these things would now kill me outright, but that for a dream which I had last night, and but that for the encouragement that this Stranger has given me this morning. Come, my children, let us pack up and be gone to the Gate that leads to the Celestial Country, that we may see your Father, and be with him and his companions in peace, according to the laws of that land.

Then did her children burst out into tears, for joy that the heart of their Mother was so inclined; so their Visiter bid them farewell, and they began to prepare to set out for their journey.

Christiana.

But while they were thus about to be gone, two Timorous and Merof the women that were Christiana's neighbours cy, come to visit came up to her house, and knocked at her door; to whom she said as before, If you come in God's name, come in! At this the women were stunned, for this kind of Christiana's new language they used not to hear, or to perceive to language stuns her drop from the lips of Christiana. Yet they came in

Psalm cxix. 54.

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old neighbours.

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but behold they found the good Woman preparing to be gone from her house.

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So they began, and said, Neighbour, pray what is your meaning by this?

Christiana answered and said to the eldest of them, whose name was Mrs. Timorous, I am preparing for a journey. (This Timorous was daughter to him that met Christian upon the hill of Difficulty, and would have had him go back for fear of the Lions.)

Tim. For what journey, I pray you?

Chr. Even to go after my good husband. And with that she fell a-weeping.

Tim. I hope not so, good neighbour; pray, for your poor chil dren's sake, do not so unwomanly cast away yourself.

Chr. Nay, my children shall go with me, not one of them is willing to stay behind.

Tim. I wonder in my very heart what or who has brought you into this mind!

Chr. Oh! neighbour, knew you but as much as I do, I doubt not but that you would go with me.

Tim. Pr'ythee, what new knowledge hast thou got, that so worketh off thy mind from thy friends, and that tempteth thee to go nobody knows where?

Death.

Then Christiana replied, I have been sorely afflicted since my husband's departure from me; but especially since he went over the River. But that which troubleth me most is my churlish carriage to him when he was under his distress. Besides, I am now as he was then; nothing will serve me but going on Pilgrimage. I was a-dreaming last night that I saw him. O that my soul was with him! He dwelleth in the presence of the King of the country; he sits and eats with Him at his table; he is become a companion of Immortals, and has a house now given him to dwell in, to which the best palace on earth, if compared, seems to me but as a dunghill. * The Prince of the Place has also sent for me, with promise of entertainment, if I shal' come to him; his messenger was here even now, and has brough me a Letter, which invites me to come. And with that she pluckd out her Letter, and read it, and said to them, What now will ou say to this?

1

Tim. Oh! the madness that has possessed thee and thy usband, to run yourselves upon such difficulties! You have hard, I am sure, what your husband did meet with, even in a maner, at the first step that he took on his way, as our neighbourǝbstinate can yet testify, for he went along with him, yea, and liable too; until they, like wise men, were afraid to go any farter. We also heard, over and above, how he met with the Lions, pollyon, the Shadow of Death, and many other things. Nor is the danger he met with at Vanity-Fair to be for: gotten by thee: for if he, though a Man, was so hard put to it, what canst thou, being but a poor Woman, do? Consider also that these four sweet babes are thy lildren, thy flesh and thy bones. Wherefore, though thou shoult be so rash as to cast away thyself, yet, for the sake of the fry of thy body, keep thou at home.

The easonings of the fesh.

But Christiana said unto her, Tempt m not, my neighbour; I have now a prize put into my hands to get gain, and I should be a

*2 Cor. v. 1-3.

fool of the greatest size, if I should have no heart to strike in with the opportunity. And for that you tell me of all these troubles that I am like to meet with in the way, they are so far off from A pertinent reply being to me a discouragement, that they show I to fleshly reason- am in the right. "The bitter must come before ing. the sweet," and that also will make the sweet the sweeter. Wherefore, since you came not to my house in God's name, as I said, I pray you to be gone, and not to disquiet me farther.

tiana.

Then Timorous all-to-reviled her, and said to her fellow, Come, neighbour Mercy, let us leave her in her own hands, since she scorns our counsel and company. But Mercy was at a stand, and could not so readily comply with her neighbour, and that for a twofold reason. Mercy's bowels 1. Her bowels yearned over Chrisyearn over Christiana. So she said within herself, If my neighbour will needs be gone, I will go a little way with her, and help her. 2. Her bowels yearned over her own soul; for what Christiana had said had taken some hold upon her mind. Wherefore she said within herself again, I will yet have more talk with this Christiana, and if I find truth and life in what she shall say, myself with my heart shall also go with her. Wherefore Mercy began thus to reply to her neighbour Timorous:

Mercy. Neighbour, I did indeed come with you to see Christiana the morning; and since she is, as you see, a taking of her last farwell of her country, I think to walk this sunshiny morning a littl with her to help her on her way. But she told her not of her secold reason, but kept it to herself.

Th. Well, I see you have a mind to go a-fooling too; but take heed time, and be wise: while we are out of danger, we are Timorou forsakes out; but when we are in, we are in. So Mrs. her, but Mercy Timorous returned to her house, and Christiana cleaves to er. betook herself to her journey. But when Timorous was got home to her house, she sends for some of her neighbours, to vit, Mrs. Bat's-eyes, Mrs. Inconsiderate, Mrs. Lightmind, and Mrs. Know-nothing. So when they her friends what were come to her house, she falls to telling of the the good Christiana Sory of Christiana, and of her intended journey. intends to do. And thus she began her tale:→→→

Timorous

tels

Neighbours, having had little to do this morning, I went to give Christiana a visit, and when I came at the door, I knocked, as you know't is our custom; and she answered, "If you come in God's name, come in." So in went, thinking all was well; but when I came in I found her preparing herself to depart the town, she

and also her children. So I asked her, what was her meaning by that? and she told me in short, That she was now of a mind to go on pilgrimage, as did her husband. She told me also of a dream that she had, and how the King of the Country where her husband was had sent her an inviting letter to come thither.

Then said Mrs. Know-nothing, And what! do you think she will go ?

Mrs. Know-nothing.

Tim. Ay, go she will, whatever comes on't; and methinks I know it by this;-for that which was my great argument to persuade her to stay at home, (to wit, the troubles she was like to meet with on the way,) is one great argument with her to put her forward on her journey. For she told me, in so many words, " The bitter goes before the sweet; yea, and for as much as it so doth, it makes the sweet the sweeter."

Mrs. Bat's-eyes.

Mrs. Bat's-eyes. Oh! this blind and foolish woman! said she; and will she not take warning by her Husband's afflictions? For my part, I see, if he were here again, he would rest himself content in a whole, skin, and never run so many hazards for nothing.

Mrs. Inconsiderate.

Mrs. Inconsiderate also replied, saying, Away with such fantastical fools from the town; a good riddance, for my part, I say of her. Should she stay where she dwells, and retain this her mind, who could live quietly by her? for she will either be dumpish or unneighbourly, or talk of such matters as no wise body can abide; wherefore, for my part, I shall never be sorry for her departure; let her go, and let better come in her room; 'twas never a good world since these whimsical fools dwelt in it.

Mrs. Light-mind.

Madam Wanton, she that had like to

have been too hard for Faithful, in time past.

Then Mrs. Light-mind added as followeth: Come, put this kind of talk away. I was yesterday at Madam Wanton's, where we were as merry as the Maids. For who do you think should be there, but I and Mrs. Love-the-flesh, and three or four more, with Mrs. Lechery, Mrs. Filth, and some others; so there we had music and dancing, and what else was meet to fill up the pleasure. And I dare say my lady herself is an admirably well-bred gentlewoman, and Mr. Lechery is as pretty a fellow. By this time Christiana was got on her way, and Mercy went along with her. So as they went, her children being there also, Christiana began to discourse. And Mercy and good Mercy, said Christiana, I take this as an unexpected

Discourse betwixt

Christiana.

favour, that thou shouldst set forth out of doors with me, to accompany me a little in my way.

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