O sir, said she, I am faint; there is scarce life left in me. But he answered, that one once said, "When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord; and my prayer came unto thee, into thy holy temple." Fear not, but stand upon thy feet, and tell

me wherefore thou art come.

Mercy. I am come for that unto which I was never invited, as my friend Christiana was. Hers was from the King, and mine was but from her. Wherefore I fear I presume.

Keeper. Did she desire thee to come with her to this place?

Mercy. Yes; and, as my Lord sees, I am come. And if there is any grace and forgiveness of sins to spare, I beseech that thy poor handmaid may be a partaker thereof.

Mark this.

Then said he to

Then he took her again by the hand, and led her gently in, and said, I pray for all them that believe in me, by what means soever they come unto me. those that stood by, Fetch something, and give it to Mercy to smell on, thereby to stay her faintings; so they fetched her a bundle of myrrh. And a while after she was revived.

And now were Christiana, and her boys, and Mercy, received of the Lord at the head of the Way, and spoke kindly unto by him. Then said they yet further unto him, We are sorry for our sins, and beg of our Lord his pardon, and further information what we must do.

1

I grant pardon, said he, by Word and Deed: by Word, in the promise of forgiveness; by Deed, in the way I obtained it. Take the first from my lips with a kiss, and the other as it shall be revealed."†

Christ crucified seen afar off.

Now I saw in my dream that he spake many good words unto them, whereby they were greatly gladded. He also had them up to the top of the Gate, and showed them by what Deed they were saved; and told them withal, that that sight they would have again as they went along the way, to their comfort.

So he left them a while in a summer parlour below, where they entered into talk by themselves. And thus Christiana began: O Lord! how glad am I that we are got in hither!

Talk between the
Christians.

Mercy. So you well may ; but I, of all, have cause to leap for joy. Chr. I thought one time, as I stood at the Gate, (because I had knocked, and none did answer,) that all our labour had been lost; especially when that ugly Cur made such a heavy barking against us.

Mercy. But my worst fear was, after I saw that you was taken into his favour, and that I was left behind: now, thought I, it is fulfilled which is written, "Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left "* I had much ado to forbear crying out, "Undone !" And afraid I was to knock any more; but when I looked up to what was written over the Gate, I took courage. I also thought that I must either knock again, or die: so I knocked, but I cannot tell how; for my spirit now struggled between life and death.

Christiana thinks her companion prays better than she.

Chr. Can you not tell how you knocked? I am sure your knocks were so earnest, that the very sound of them made me start. I thought I never heard such knocking in all my life; I thought you would a come in by a violent hand, or a took the Kingdom by storm. †

Mercy. Alas! to be in my case, who that so was could but have done so? You saw that the door was shut upon me, and that there was a most cruel Dog thereabout. Who, I say, that was so faint-hearted as I, would not have knocked with all their might? But pray, what said my Lord to my rudeness? Was he not angry with me?

Christ pleased with loud and restless prayer.

If the soul at first did know all it

should meet with in its journey to heaven, it would hardly

ever set out.

Chr. When he heard your lumbering noise, he gave a wonderful innocent smile: I believe what you did pleased him well; for he showed no sign to the contrary. But I marvel in my heart why he keeps such a Dog; had I known that afore, I should not have had heart enough to have ventured myself in this manner. But now we are in, we are in; and I am glad with all my heart.

Mercy. I will ask, if you please, next time he comes down, why he keeps such a filthy Cur in his yard; I hope he will not take it amiss.

The Children are

Do so, said the children, and persuade him to afraid of the Dog. hang him; for we are afraid he will bite us when we go hence.

So at last he came down to them again, and Mercy fell to the ground on her face before him, and worshipped, and said, Let my Lord accept the sacrifice of praise which I now offer unto him with the calves of my lips.

So he said unto her, "Peace be to thee; stand up." But she continued upon her face, and said, “Righteous art thou, O Lord, when I plead with thee; yet let me talk with thee of thy judg

ments."*
Wherefore dost thou keep so cruel a
dog in thy yard, at the sight of which, such wo-
men and children as we are ready to fly from thy
gate for fear?

Mercy expostu

lates about the

dog.

Devil.

He answered and said, that dog has another owner; he also is kept close in another Man's ground; only my Pilgrims hear his barking. He belongs to the Castle which you see there at a distance, but can come up to the walls of this place. He has frighted many an honest Pilgrim from worse to better by the great voice of his roaring. Indeed, he that owneth him doth not keep him out of any good-will to me or mine; but with intent to keep the Pilgrims from coming to me, and that they may be afraid to come and knock at this Gate for entrance. Sometimes also he has broken out, and has worried some that I loved; but I take all at present patiently. I also give my Pilgrims timely help, so that they are not delivered to his power, to do with them what his doggish nature would prompt him to. But what, my purchased one! I trow, hadst thou known never so much beforehand, thou wouldst not have been afraid of a dog? The beggars that go from door to door will, rather than lose a supposed alms, run the hazard of the bawling, barking, and biting too, of a dog; and shall a dog, a dog in another man's yard, a dog whose barking I turn to the profit of Pilgrims, keep any from coming to me? I deliver them from the Lions, and my darling from the power of the dog.

Then said Mercy, I confess my ignorance; I spake what I understood not; I acknowledge that thou dost all things well.

A check to the car

nal fear of the Pilgrims.

Christians when wise enough acqui esce in the wisdom of their Lord.

Then Christiana began to talk of their journey, and to inquire after the Way. So he fed them, and washed their feet, and set them in the Way of his Steps, according as he had dealt with her husband before. So I saw in my dream, that they walked on their Way, and had the weather very comfortable to them.

Then Christiana began to sing, saying:

Bless'd be the day that I began

A Pilgrim for to be,

And blessed also be that man

That thereto moved me.

'Tis true, 'twas long ere I began

To seek to live for ever;

But now I run fast as I can,
'Tis better late than never.

* Jer. xii. 1. 2.

The Devil's garden.

fruit.

Our tears to joy, our fears to faith,
Are turned, as we see;
Thus our beginning (as one saith)

Shows what our end shall be.

Now, there was on the other side of the Wall that fenced in the way up which Christiana and her companions were to go, a Garden; and the Garden belonged to him whose was that barking dog, of whom mention was made before. And some of the fruit-trees that grew in that Garden shot their branches over the wall; and being mellow, they that found The children eat them did gather them up, and eat of them to their of the enemy's hurt. So Christiana's boys, as boys are apt to do, being pleased with the Trees, and with the Fruit that did hang thereon, did pluck them, and began to eat. Their Mother did also chide them for so doing, but still the boys went on. Well, said she, my sons, you transgress; for that fruit is none of ours. But she did not know that it belonged to the Enemy; I'll warrant you, if she had she would have been ready to die for fear. But that passed, and they went on their way. Now, by that they were gone about two bow-shots from the place that led them into the Way, they espied two very ill-favoured ones coming down apace to meet them. With that Christiana, and Mercy her friend, covered themselves with their veils, and so kept on their journey; Two ill-favoured the children also went on before; so at last they ones assault Chris- met together. Then they that came down to meet tiana and Mercy. them, came just up to the women as if they would embrace them: but Christiana said, Stand back, or go peaceably as you should! Yet these two, as men that are deaf, regarded not Christiana's words, but began to lay hands upon them. At that Christiana waxing very wroth, spurned at them with her feet; Mercy also, as well as she could, did what she could to shift them. Christiana again said to them, Stand back, and begone! for we have no money to lose, being Pilgrims, as you see, and such too as live upon the charity of our friends.

Then said one of the two men, We make no assault upon you for money; but are come out to tell you, that if you will but grant one small request which we shall ask, we will make Women of you for ever.

Now Christiana, imagining what they should mean, made answer again, We will neither hear nor regard, nor yield to what you shall ask; we are in haste, and cannot stay: our business is a business of life and death; so again she and her companion made a fresh essay to go past them; but they letted them in their way.

And they said, We intend no hurt to your lives; 'tis another thing we would have.

She cries out.

Ay, quoth Christiana, you would have us body and soul, for I know it is for that you are come; but we will die rather upon the spot, than to suffer ourselves to be brought into such snares as shall hazard our well-being hereafter.

And with that they both shrieked out, and cried, "Murder! Murder!"* and so put themselves under those laws that are provided for the protection of women. But the men still made their approach upon them, with design to prevail against them; they therefore cried out again.

'Tis good to cry out

when we are as

saulted.

The Reliever

comes.

Now they being, as I said, not far from the Gate in at which they came, their voice was heard, from whence they were, thither; wherefore some of the House came out, and knowing that it was Christiana's tongue, they made haste to her relief. But by that they were got within sight of them, the women were in a very great scuffle; the children also stood crying by. Then did he that came in for their relief call out to the ruffians, saying, What is that thing you do? Would you make my Lord's people to transgress? He also attempted to take them, but they did make The ill ones fly to their escape over the wall into the Garden of the the devil for relief. man to whom the great dog belonged; so the dog became their protector. This Reliever then came up to the Woman, and asked them how they did? So they answered, we thank thy Prince, pretty well; only we have been somewhat affrighted; we thank thee also for that thou camest in to our help, otherwise we had been overcome.

The Reliever talks to the women.

So, after a few more words, this Reliever said as followeth; I marvelled much, when you was entertained at the Gate above, being ye knew that ye are but weak women, that you petitioned not the Lord for a Conductor. Then might you have avoided these troubles and dangers for he would have granted you one.

Mark this.

Alas! said Christiana, we were so taken with our present blessing, that dangers to come were forgotten by us. Beside, who could have thought that, so near the King's Palace, there could have lurked such naughty ones? Indeed, it nad been well for us had we asked our Lord for one; but since our Lord knew it would be for our profit, I wonder he sent not one along with us.

Rel. It is not always

necessary to grant things not asked for,

*Deut. xxii. 23, 26, 27.