THE PILGRIMS GO FORWARD. When they were to depart, Gaius made them a feast, and they did eat and drink, PREPARE to and were merry. Now the hour was come that they must be gone; wherefore Mr. Greatheart called for a reckoning; but Gaius told him, that at his house it was not the custom for Pilgrims to pay for their entertainment. He boarded them by the year; but looked for his pay from the Good Samaritan, who had promised him, at his return, whatsoeever charge he was at with them, faithfully to repay him.5 Then said Mr. Great-heart to him, HOW THEY GREET ONE "Beloved, thou dost faithfully whatsoever thou dost to the brethren and to strangers, which have borne witness of ANOTHER thy charity before the Church; whom if thou (yet) bring forward on their journey, after a godly sort, thou shalt do well."6 Then Gaius took his leave of them all AT PARTING. GAIUS HIS LAST FEEBLE-MIND. and his children, and particularly of KINDNESS TO Mr. Feeble-mind. He also gave him something to drink by the way. Now Mr. Feeble-mind, when they were going out of the door, made as if he intended to linger. The which when Mr. Great-heart espied, he said, Come, Mr. Feeble-mind, pray do you go along with us; I will your conductor, and you shall fare as the rest. Feeble. Alas! I want a suitable companion; you are all lusty and strong, but I, as you see, am weak. I choose, therefore, rather to come be FEEBLE-MIND FOR GOING Behind. behind, lest, by reason of my many infirmities, I should be both a burden to myself and to you. FOR IT. I am, as I said, a man of a weak and feeble HIS EXCUSE mind, and shall be offended and made weak at that which others can bear. I shall like no laughing; I shall like no gay attire; I shall like no unprofitable questions. Nay, I am so weak a man, as to be offended with that which others have a liberty to do. I do not yet know all the truth; I am a very ignorant Christian man. Sometimes, if I hear some rejoice in the Lord, it troubles me, because I cannot do so too. It is with me as it is with a weak man among the strong, or as with a sick man among the healthy, or as a lamp despised: ("He that is ready to slip with his feet, is as a lamp despised, in the thought of him that is at ease."7) so that I know not what to do. GREAT-HEART'S SPIRIT. But, brother, said Mr. Great-heart, I have it in commission "to comfort the feeble minded," and " to support the weak."8 You A CHRISTIAN must needs go along with us. We will wait for you; we will lend you our help.9 We will deny ourselves of some things, both opinionative and practical, for your sake. We will not enter into doubtful disputations before you.2 We will be made all things to you, rather than you shall be left behind.3 Now all this while they were at Gaius's door; and behold, as they were thus in the heat of their discourse, Mr.Ready-to-halt came by, with his crutches PROMISES. in his hand, and he also was going on Pilgrimage. Then said Mr. Feeble-mind to him, Man, how camest 7 Job, xii. 5. 8 1 Thess. v. 14. 9 Rom. xiv. 1. Rom. xiv. 1. 3 1 Cor. ix. 22. FEEBLE-MIND GLAD TO SEE thou hither I was but now complaining that I had not a suitable companion, but thou art according to my READY-TO-HALT wish. Welcome, welcome, good Mr. Ready-to-halt; I hope thou and I may be some help. COME BY. I shall be glad of thy company, said the other; and, good Mr. Feeble-mind, rather than we will part, since we are thus happily met, I will lend thee one of my crutches. Nay, said he, though I thank thee for thy goodwill, I am not inclined to halt before I am lame. Howbeit, I think, when occasion is, it may help me against a dog. Ready-to-halt. If either myself or my crutches can do thee a pleasure, we are both at thy command, good Mr. Feeble-mind. Thus, therefore, they went on; Mr. Great-heart and Mr. Honest went before, Christiana and her children went next, and Mr. Feeble-mind and Mr. Ready-tohalt came behind, with his crutches. Then said Mr. Honest, Pray, Sir, now we are upon the road, tell us NEW some profitable things of some that have gone TALK. on Pilgrimage before us. Great-heart. With a good will. I suppose you have heard how Christian of old did meet with Apollyon in the valley of Humiliation; and also what hard work he had to go through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. Also, I think you cannot but have heard how Faithful was put to it by Madam Wanton, with Adam the First, with one Discontent, and Shame; four as deceitful villains as a man can meet with upon the road. Hon. Yes, I have heard of all this; but, indeed, good Faithful was hardest put to it with Shame; he was an unwearied one. Great-heart. Ay, for, as the Pilgrim well said, he of all men had the wrong name. Hon. But pray, Sir, where was it that Christian and Faithful met Talkative? That same was also a notable one. Great-heart. He was a confident fool; yet many follow his ways. Hon. He had like to have beguiled Faithful. Great-heart. Ay, but Christian put him into a way quickly to find him out. Thus they went on till they came to the place where Evangelist met with Christian and Faithful, and prophesied to them what should befal them at Vanity-fair. Then said their guide, Hereabouts did Christian and Faithful meet with Evangelist, who prophesied to them of what troubles they should meet with at Vanity-fair. Hon. Say you so? I dare say it was a hard chapter that then he did read unto them. Great-heart. T' was so; but he gave them encouragement withal. But what do we talk of them? they were a couple of lion-like Men; they had set their faces like flint. Do not you remember how undaunted they were when they stood before the Judge? Hon. Well, Faithful bravely suffered ! Great-heart. So he did, and as brave things came on't; for Hopeful, and some others, as the story relates it, were converted by his death. Hon. Well, but pray go on; for you are well acquainted with things. Great-heart. Above all that Christian met with after he had passed through Vanity-fair, one By-ends was the arch one. Hon. By-ends; what was he? THEY COME WITHIN Great-heart. A very arch fellow, a downright hypocrite; one that would be religious whichever way the world went; but so cunning, that he would be sure neither to lose nor suffer for it. He had his mode of religion for every fresh occasion, and his wife was as good at it as he. He would turn from opinion to opinion; yea, and plead for so doing too. But, so far as I could learn, he came to an ill end with his by-ends; nor did I ever hear that any of his children was ever of any esteem with any that truly feared God. Now by this time they were come within sight of the Town of Vanity, SIGHT OF VANITYwhere Vanity-fair is kept. So, when they saw that they were so near the town, they consulted with one another how they should pass through the Town; and some said one thing, and some another. At last Mr. Great-heart said, I have, as you may understand, often been a conductor of Pilgrims through this town; now, I am acquainted with one Mr. Mnason, a Cyprusian by nation, an old disciple, at whose house we may lodge. If you think good, said he, we will turn in there. FAIR. Content, said old Honest; content, said Christiana; content, said Mr. Feeble-mind; and so they said all. Now, you must think that it was even-tide by that they got to the outside of the town; but Mr. Greatheart knew the way to the old Man's house. So thither they came, and he called at the door, and the old Man |