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what things; but I will put an end to your trade! But pray, said Mr. Great-heart, before we fall to it, let us understand wherefore we must fight? (Now the women and children stood trembling, and knew not what to do.) Quoth the Giant, you rob the country, and rob it with the worst of thefts. These are but generals, said Mr. Great-heart; come to particulars, man!

God's ministers

pers.

Then said the Giant, Thou practisest the craft counted as kidnap. of a kidnapper; thou gatherest up women and children, and carriest them into a strange country, to the weakening of my Master's Kingdom. But now Great-heart replied, I am a servant of the God of heaven; my business is to persuade sinners to repentance. I am commanded to do my endeavour to turn men, women, and children, from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God; and if Great-heart must this be indeed the ground of thy quarrel, let us fall fight. to it as soon as thou wilt.

The Giant and Mr.

Then the Giant came up, and Mr. Great-heart went to meet him; and, as he went, he drew his sword; but the Giant had a club. So, without more ado, they fell to it; and, at the first blow, the Giant struck Mr. Great-heart down upon one of his knees; Weak folks prayers with that the women and children cried out. So at sometimes help Mr. Great-heart recovering himself, laid about him strong folks cries. in full lusty manner, and gave the Giant a wound in his arm. Thus he fought for the space of an hour, to that height of heat, that the breath came out of the Giant's nostrils as the heat doth out of a boiling caldron.

Then they sat down to rest them, but Mr. Great-heart betook himself to prayer; also the women and children did nothing but sigh and cry all the time that the battle did last.

The Giant struck down.

When they had rested them, and taken breath, they both fell to it again; and Mr. Great-heart, with a blow, fetched the Giant down to the ground. Nay, hold, let me recover, quoth he. So Mr. Great-heart fairly let him get up: so to it they went again, and the Giant missed but little of all-to-breaking Mr. Great-heart's scull with his club. Mr. Great-heart seeing that, runs to him in the full heat of his spirit, and pierceth him under the fifth rib; with that the Giant began to faint, and could hold up his club no longer. Then Mr. Great-heart seconded his blow, and smit the head of the Giant from his shoulders. Then the women and children rejoiced; and Mr. Great-heart also praised God for the deliverance he had wrought.

He is slain and his head disposed of.

When this was done, they amongst them erected a pillar, and

fastened the Giant's head thereon, and wrote under it, in letters that passengers might read:

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Now I saw that they went on to the ascent that was a little way off, cast up to be a prospect for Pilgrims; (that was the place from whence Christian had the first sight of Faithful his brother.) Wherefore here they sat down and rested; they also here did eat, and drink and make merry, for that they had gotten deliverance from this so dangerous an enemy. As they sat thus, and did eat, Christiana asked the guide if he had caught no hurt in the battle? Then said Mr. Great-heart, No, save a little on my flesh; yet that also shall be so far from being to my detriment, that it is at present a proof of my love to my Master and you; and shall be a means, by grace, to increase my reward at last.

Chr. But was you not afraid, good sir, when you saw him come with his club?

It is my duty, said he, to mistrust my own ability, that I may have reliance on him that is stronger than all.

Discourse of the

fight.

Chr. But what did you think when he fetched you down to the ground at the first blow?

Matthew here admires God's good

ness.

Why, I thought, quoth he, that so my Master himself was served; and yet He it was that conquered at last. Matth. When you all have thought what you please, I think God has been wonderful good unto us, both in bringing us out of this Valley, and in delivering us out of the hand of this enemy. For my part, I see no reason why we should distrust our God any more, since he has now, and in such a place as this, given us such testimony of his love.

Then they got up, and went forward. Now, a little before them stood an oak, and under it, when they came to it, Old Honest asleep they found an old Pilgrim fast asleep. They knew under an oak. that he was a Pilgrim by his clothes and his staff, and his girdle.

So the guide, Mr. Great-heart, awaked him; and the old gentleman, as he lifted up his eyes, cried out, What is the matter? Who are you? and what is your business here ?

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[The Pilgrims overtaking Honest.]

Great-heart. Come, man, be not so hot, here are none but friends.

One saint some

er for his enemy.

Yet the old man gets up, and stands upon his times takes anoth guard, and will know of them what they are. Then said the guide, My name is Great-heart; I am the guide of these Pilgrims that are going to the Celestial Country. Then said Mr. Honest, I cry you mercy; I feared that you had been of the company of those that some time ago did rob Little-faith of his money; but, now I look better about me, I perceive you are honester people. Great-heart. Why, what would or could you have done, to have helped yourself, if indeed we had been of that company?

Talk between Great-heart and he.

Hon. Done! why I would have fought as long as breath had been in me; and, had I so done, I am sure you could never have given me the worst on 't; for a Christian can never be overcome, unless he shall yield of himself.

Well said, father Honest, quoth the guide; for by this I know that thou art a cock of the right kind, for thou hast said the truth. Hon. And by this also I know, that thou knowest what true pilgrimage is; for all others do think that we are the soonest overcome of any.

1

Great-heart. Well, now we are so happily met, pray let me crave your name, and the name of the place you came from. Hon. My name I cannot, but I came from the town of Stupidity; it lieth about four degrees beyond the City of Destruction.

Whence Mr. Hon

est came.

Great-heart. Oh! are you that countryman? Then I deem I have half a guess of you; your name is Old Honesty, is it not? So the old gentleman blushed, and said, not Honesty in the abstract, but Honest is my name; and I wish that my nature may agree to what I am called.

Stupified ones are worse than those merely carnal.

But, sir, said the old gentleman, how could you guess that I am such a man, since I came from such a place? Great-heart. I had heard of you before by my Master; for he knows all things that are done on the earth. But I have often wondered that any should come from your place, for your town is worse than is the City of Destruction itself.

Hon. Yes, we lie more off from the sun, and so are more cold and senseless; but was a man in a mountain of ice, yet, if the Sun of Righteousness will arise upon him, his frozen heart shall feel a thaw; and thus it hath been with me.

Great-heart. I believe it, father Honest, I believe it; for I know the thing is true.

Then the old gentleman saluted all the Pilgrims with a holy kiss of charity, and asked them of their names, and how they had fared since they had set out on their pilgrimage.

Old Honest and
Christiana talk.

Then said Christiana, My name, I suppose, you have heard of; good Christian was my husband, and these four are his children. But can you think how the old gentleman was taken, when she told him who she was! He skipped, he smiled, he blessed them with a thousand good wishes, saying:

I have heard much of your husband, and of his travels and wars which he underwent in his days. Be it spoken to your comfort, the name of your husband rings all over these parts of the world; his faith, his courage, his enduring, and his sincerity under all, have made his name famous. Then he turned him to the boys, and asked them of their names, which they told him; and then said he unto them, Matthew, be thou like Matthew the publican, not in vice, but in virtue.* Samuel, said he, be thou like Samuel the prophet, a man of faith and prayer.t Joseph, said he, be thou like Joseph in Poti

* Matth. x. 3. † Psalm xcix. 6.

Old Mr. Honest's blessing on them.

phar's house, chaste, and one that flies from temptation.* And James, be thou like James the Just, and like James the brother of our Lord.t Then they told him of Mercy, and how she had left her town and her kindred to come along with Christiana, and with her sons. At that the old Honest man said, Mercy is thy name? by mercy shalt thou be sustained, and carried through all those difficulties that shall assault thee in thy way, till thou shalt come thither, where thou shalt look the Fountain of mercy in the face with comfort.

He blesseth Mercy.

All this while the guide, Mr. Great-heart, was very well pleased, and smiled upon his companions.

Talk of one Mr. Now, as they walked along together, the guide Fearing. asked the old gentleman, if he did not know one Mr. Fearing, that came on pilgrimage, out of his parts? Yes, very well, said he. He was a man that had the root of the matter in him; but he was one of the most troublesome Pilgrims that ever I met with in all my days.

Great-heart. I perceive you knew him; for you have given a very right character of him.

Hon. Knew him! I was a great companion of his; I was with him most an end; when he first began to think upon what would come upon us hereafter, I was with him.

Great-heart. I was his guide from my Master's house to the gates of the Celestial City.

Hon. Then you knew him to be a troublesome one.

Great-heart. I did so, but I could very well bear it; for men of my calling are oftentimes intrusted with the conduct of such as he

was.

Hon. Why, then, pray let us hear a little of him, and how he managed himself under your conduct.

age.

His behaviour at

Great-heart. Why, he was afraid that he should Mr. Fearing's troublesome pilgrim- come short of whither he had a desire to go. Every thing frightened him that he heard any body speak of, if it had but the least appearance of opposition in it. I heard that he lay roaring at the slough of Despond the slough of Des- for above a month together; nor durst he, for all he pond. saw several go over before him, venture, though they, many of them, offered to lend him their hands. He would not go back again neither. The Celestial City, he said, he should die if he came not to it; and yet he was dejected at every difficulty, and stumbled at every straw that any body cast in his way. Well, after he had lain at the slough of Despond a great while, as I have Gen. xxxix. † Acts i. 13, 14.

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