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

When they were gone from the townfmen, and when their friends had bid them farewell, they quickly came to the place where Faithful was put to death; here they made a ftand, and thanked him who had enabled them to bear his cross so well; and rather because they now found that they had been benefited by this man's fufferings,

They went on therefore after this, a good way further, talking of Chriftian and Faithful, and how Hopeful joined himself to Chriftian after that Faithful was dead.

Now they were come up even with the hill Lucre, where the filver-mine was which took Demas off from his pilgrimage, and into which, as fome think, By-Ends fell and perifhed: wherefore they confidered that. But when they were come to the old monument which stood over against the hill Lucre, to wit, the pillar of falt, which stood within the view of Sodom and its ftinking lake, they marvelled, as Christian had done before, that men of that knowledge and ripeness of wit as they were, fhould be fo blind as to turn afide here. Only they confidered again, that nature is not affected with the harms which others have met with, efpecially if the thing upon which they look has an attracting virtue upon the foolish eye.

I faw now that they went on till they came to the river,

river, which was on this fide of the Delectable Mountains, where the fine trees grow on both fides, whofe leaves, if taken inwardly, are good against surfeits, Pfalm xxiii.; where the meadows are green all the year long, and where they might lie down fafely. By this river fide, in the meadows, there were cotes and folds for fheep, and a house was likewise built for the nourishing and bringing up of thofe lambs, that is, the babes of those women who go on pilgrimage; Heb. v. 2; Ifa. xl. 11. Here also there was one who was entrusted with them, one who could have compaffion on them, who could gather these lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bofom, and who could gently lead those that were with young. Now to the care of this man, Chriftiana admonished her four daughters to commit their little ones, that by these waters they might be housed, harboured, fuccoured, and nourished, and that none of them might be lacking in time to come. man, if any of them go aftray, or be loft, will bring them back again; he will alfo bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen them that are fick. Here they will never want meat, drink, and clothing here they will be kept from thieves and robbers; for this man will die before one of thofe committed to his truft fhall be loft. Befides, here they shall be fure to have good nurture and admonition, and fhall be taught to walk in right paths; that you know is a favour of no fmall account. as you fee, are delicate waters, pleafant meadows,

This

Alfo here,

dainty flowers, a variety of trees, and fuch as bear wholesome fruit: fruit, not like that which Matthew eat of, which fell over the wall, out of Belzebub's garden: but fruit which procureth health where there is none, and continueth and increaseth it where it is.

They were content to commit their little ones to him; and that which was alfo an encouragement to them fo to do was, that all this was to be at the charge of the King, and fo this was an hofpital for young children and orphans.

As they went on, and were now come to By-path Meadow, to the ftile over which Chriftian went with his fellow Hopeful, when they were both taken by giant Defpair, and put into Doubting-Caftle; they fat down, and confulted what was best to be done; to wit, as they were now fo ftrong, and had got fuch a man as Mr. Great-heart for their conductor, whether they had not beft make an attempt upon the giant, demolish his castle, and if there were any pilgrims in it, fet them at liberty, before they went any farther. So one faid one thing, and another said the contrary. One queftioned, if it was lawful to go upon unconfecrated ground; another faid they might, provided their end was good: but Mr. Great-heart faid, Though the affertion offered last could not be univerfally true, yet, says he, I have a commandment to refift fin, to overcome evil, and to fight the good fight of faith: and pray, with whom fhould I fight this good fight of faith, if not

with

with giant Despair? I will therefore attempt to take away his life, and demolish Doubting-Caftle. Then, faid he, who will go with me? I will, faid old Honeft; and fo will we too, faid Chriftiana's four fons, Matthew, Samuel, James, and Jofeph; for they were young men and strong.

So they left the women in the road, and with them Mr. Feeble-mind and Mr. Ready-to-halt, with his crutches to be their guard, until they came back; for in that place, though giant Defpair dwelt fo near, yet, they keeping in the road, a little child might lead them.

Mr. Great-heart, old Honeft, and the four young men, fet out to go up to Doubting-Caftle, to look for giant Despair. When they came to the castlegate, they knocked for entrance with an unusual noife. With that the old giant comes to the gate, and Diffidence his wife follows: then, faid he, Who and what is he that is fo hardy as to moleft the giant Defpair after this manner? Mr. Great-heart replied, It is I, Great-heart, one of the King of the celeftial country's conductors of pilgrims to their place and I demand of thee, that thou open thy gates for my entrance, and prepare thyself also to fight, for I am come to take away thy head, and demolish Doubting-Caftle.

Now giant Defpair, because he was a giant, thought that no man could overcome him; and again, thought he, fince heretofore I have made a conqueft of angels, fhall Great-heart make me afraid? So he har

8

neffed

neffed himself, and went out: he had a cap of steel upon his head, a breaft-plate of fire girded to him, and he came out in iron fhoes with a great club in his hand. Then these fix men made up to him, and befet him behind and before. When Diffidence, the giantess, came up to help him, old Mr. Honeft cut her down at one blow. Thus they fought for their lives, and giant Defpair was brought down to the ground, but was very loth to die: he struggled hard, and had, as they fay, as many lives as a cat; but Great-heart was his death, for he left him not till he had fevered his head from his shoulders.

Then they fell to demolishing Doubting-Castle, and that, you know, might with ease be done, fince giant Defpair was dead. They were feven days in deftroying it. Of the pilgrims whom they found in it, one was Mr. Defpondency, who was almost starved to death, with Much-afraid his daughter; these two they faved alive. But it would have made you have wondered, to have feen the dead bodies which lay here and there in the castle yard, and how full of dead men's bones the dungeon was.

When Mr. Great-heart and his companions had performed this exploit, they took Mr. Defpondency, and his daughter Much-afraid, under their protection, for they were honeft people, though they were prifoners in Doubting-Castle, confined there by that giant Despair. Therefore, I fay, they took with them the head of the giant (for his body they had buried under a heap of ftones), and down they

came