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to go up to Doubting Castle, to look for Giant Despair. When they came at the castle-gate, they knocked for entrance with an unusual noise. At that the old Giant comes to the gate, and Diffidence his wife follows. Then said he, Who, and what is he, that is so hardy, as after this manner, to molest the Giant Despair? Mr. Greatheart replied, It is I, Great-heart, one of the King of the Celestial Country's conductors of Pilgrims to their place; and I demand of thee that thou open thy gates for my entrance; prepare thyself also to fight, for I am come to take away thy head, and to demolish Doubting Castle.

Despair has overcome angels.

Now Giant Despair, because he was a Giant, thought no man could overcome him; and again, thought he, since heretofore I have made a conquest of angels, shall Great-heart make me afraid? So he harnessed himself, and went out. He had a cap of steel upon his head,

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Despair is loath to

die.

a breastplate of fire girded to him, and he came out in iron shoes, with a great club in his hand. Then these six men made up to him, and beset him behind and before; also, when Diffidence the Giantess came up to help him, old Mr. Honest cut her down at one blow. Then they fought for their lives, and Giant Despair was brought down to the ground, but was very loath to die; he struggled hard, and had, as they say, as many lives as a cat; but Great-heart was his death, for he left him not till he had severed his head from his shoulders. Then they fell to demolishing Doubting Castle, and that, you know, might with ease be done, since Doubting Castle Giant Despair was dead. They were seven days in destroying of that; and in it, of Pilgrims, they found one Mr. Despondency, almost starved to death, and one Much-afraid, his daughter: these two they saved alive. But it would have made you a-wondered to have seen the dead bodies that lay here and there in the Castle-yard, and how full of dead men's bones the dungeon was.

demolished.

When Mr. Great-heart and his companions had performed this exploit, they took Mr. Despondency and his daughter Much-afraid into their protection; for they were honest people, though they were prisoners in Doubting Castle to that tyrant Giant Despair

They therefore, I say, took with them the head of the Giant, (for his body they had buried under a heap of stones,) and down to the road and to their companions they came, and showed them what they had done Now, when Feeble-mind and Ready-to-halt saw that it was the head of Giant Despair, indeed they They have music and dancing for were very jocund and merry. Now Christiana, if joy. need was, could play upon the viol, and her daughter Mercy upon the lute; so, since they were so merry disposed, she played them a lesson, and Ready-to-halt would dance. So he took Despondency's daughter, Much-afraid, by the hand, and to dancing they went in the road. True, he could not dance without one crutch in his hand; but I promise you he footed it well; also the girl was to be commended, for she answered the music handsomely. As for Mr. Despondency, the music was not so much to him; he was for feeding rather than dancing, for that he was almost starved. So Christiana gave him some of her bottle of spirits for present relief, and then prepared him something to eat; and in little time the old gentleman came to himself, and began to be finely revived.

Now I saw in my dream, when all these things were finished, Mr. Great-heart took the head of Giant Despair, and set it upon a pole by the highway side, right over against the pillar that Christian erected, for a caution to Pilgrims that came after, to take heed of entering into his grounds.

Then he writ under it, upon a marble stone, these verses fol lowing:

A monument of deliverance.

This.is the head of him whose name only.
In former times did Pilgrims terrify.
His Castle's down, and Diffidence, his wife,
Brave Mr. Great-heart has bereft of life.
Despondency, his daughter Much-afraid,
Great-heart for them also the man has played.
Who hereof doubts, if he'll but cast his eye,
Up hither, may his scruples satisfy.

This head also, when doubting cripples dance,
Doth show from fears they have deliverance.

When these men had thus bravely showed themselves against Doubting Castle, and had slain Giant Despair, they went forward, and went on till they came to the Delectable Mountains, where Christian and Hopeful refreshed themselves with the varieties of the place. They also acquainted themselves with the Shepherds there, who welcomed them, as they had done Christian before, unto the Delectable Mountains.

Now the Shepherds, seeing so great a train follow Mr. Great

heart, (for with him they were well acquainted,) they said unto him, Good sir, you have got a goodly company here; pray, where did you find all these?

Then Mr. Great-heart replied :

:

First here is Christiana and her train,

Her sons and her sons' wives, who, like the wain,
Keep by the pole, and do by compass steer
From Sin to Grace, else they had not been here.
Next, here's old Honest come on pilgrimage;
Ready-to-halt too, who, I dare engage,
True-hearted is; and so is Feeble mind,
Who willing was not to be left behind;
Despondency, good man is coming after,
And so also is Much-afraid, his daughter.
May we have entertainment here, or must

We farther go? Let's know whereon to trust.

The guide's speech

to the Shepherds.

Their entertain

Then said the Shepherds, This is a comfortable company! You are welcome to us, for we have ment. for the feeble as well as for the strong; our Prince has an eye to what is done to the least of these.* Therefore infirmity must not be a block to our entertainment. So they had them to the palace-door, and then said unto them, Come in, Mr. Feeblemind; come in, Mr. Ready-to-halt; come in, Mr. Despondency, and Mrs. Much-afraid, his daughter. These, Mr. Great-heart, said the Shepherds to the guide, we call in by name, for that they are most subject to draw back; but as for you, and the rest that are strong, we leave you to your wonted liberty. Then said Mr. Great-heart, This day I see that grace doth shine in your faces, and that you are my Lord's Shepherds indeed; for that you A description of have not pushed these diseased neither with side false Shepherds. nor shoulder, but have rather strewed their way into the palace with flowers, as you should.†

So the feeble and weak went in, and Mr. Great-heart and the rest did follow. When they were also set down, the shepherds said to those of the weaker sort, What is it that you would have? for, said they, all things must be managed here to the supporting of the weak, as well as to the warning of the unruly.

So they made them a feast of things easy of digestion, and that were pleasant to the palate, and nourishing; the which when they had received, they went to their rest, each one respectively unto his proper place. When morning was come, because the Mountains were high, and the day clear, and because it was the custom of the shepherds to show the Pilgrims, before their de

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parture, some rarities, therefore, after they were ready, and had refreshed themselves, the shepherds took them out into the fields, and showed them first what they had shown to Christian before. Then they had them to some new places: the first was mount Marvel, where they looked, and beheld a man at a

Mount Marvel.

distance, that tumbled the hills about with words. Then they asked the shepherds, what that should mean? So they told them, that that man was the son of one Mr. Great-grace, of whom you read in the first part of the records of the Pilgrim's Progress; and he is set there to teach Pilgrims how to believe down, or to tumble out of their ways, what difficulties they should meet with, by faith.* Then said Mr. Great-heart, I know him; he is a man above many.

Then they had them to another place called Mount Innocence. mount Innocence; and there they saw a man clothed all in white; and two men, Prejudice and Ill-will, continually casting dirt upon him. Now, behold, the dirt, whatsoever they cast at him, would in a little time fall off again, and his garment would look as clear as if no dirt had been cast thereat.

Then said the Pilgrims, What means this? The shepherds answered, This man is named Godly-man, and this garment is to show the innocency of his life. Now, those that throw dirt at him are such as hate his well-doing; but, as you see, the dirt will not stick upon his clothes: so it shall be with him that liveth innocently in the world. Whoever they be that would make such men dirty, they labour all in vain; for God, by that a little time is spent, will cause that their innocence shall break forth as the light, and their righteousness as the noonday.

Then they took them, and had them to mount

Mount Charity. Charity, where they showed them a man that had a bundle of cloth lying before him, out of which he cut coats and garments for the poor that stood about him; yet his bundle, or roll of cloth, was never the less.

Then said they, What should this be? This is, said the shepherds, to show you, that he who has a heart to give of his labour to the poor I shall never want wherewithal. He that watereth shall be watered himself. And the cake that the widow gave to the prophet did not cause that she had the less in her barrel.

The work of one

They had them also to the place where they saw Fool and one Want one Fool and one Want-wit washing an Ethiopian, with intention to make him white; but the more they washed him, the blacker he was. Then they asked the shep

wit.

Mark xi 23 24.

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