Christian, Christiana's husband, had seen some time before. Here, therefore, they saw the man in the cage, the man and his dream, the man that cut his way through his enemies, and the picture of the biggest of them all, together with the rest of those things that were then so profitable to Christian.

This done, and after those things had been somewhat digested by Christiana and her company, the Interpreter takes them apart again, and has them first

THE MAN WITH

THE MUCK-RAKE

EXPOUNDED.

into a room where was a man that could look no way but downwards, with a muck-rake in his hand; there stood also one over his head, with a celestial crown in his hand, and proffered him that crown for his muckrake; but the man did neither look up nor regard, but raked to himself the straws, the small sticks, and dust of the floor.

Then said Christiana, I persuade myself that I know somewhat the meaning of this; for this is a figure of a man of this world: is it not, good Sir?

Thou hast said the right, said he, and his muck-rake doth shew his carnal mind. And whereas thou seest him rather give heed to rake up straws, and sticks, and the dust of the floor, than to do what he says that calls to him from above, with the celestial crown in his hand, it is to shew that Heaven is but as a fable to some, and that things here are counted the only things substantial. Now, whereas it was also shewed thee that the man could look no way but downwards, it is to let thee know that earthly things, when they are with power upon men's minds, quite carry their hearts away from God.

Then said Christiana, O deliver me from this muck-rake.

That prayer, said the Interpreter,

CHRISTIANA'S

PRAYER AGAINST
THE MUCK-RAKE.

has lain by till it is almost rusty; "Give me not riches," is scarce the prayer of one of ten thousand. Straws, and sticks, and dust, with most are the great things now looked after.

With that Christiana and Mercy wept, and said, It is, alas! too true.

When the Interpreter had shewed them this, he had them into the very best room in the house; (a very brave room it was :) so he bid them look round about, and see if they could find any thing profitable there. Then they looked round and round;

OF THE SPIDER.

for there was nothing to be seen but a very great spider on the wall; and that they over-. looked.

Then said Mercy, Sir, I see nothing. But Christiana held her peace.

SPIDER.

But, said the Interpreter, look again; she therefore looked again, and said, Here is not any thing but an ugly spider, who hangs by his hands upon the wall. Then said he, Is there but one spider TALK ABOUT THE in all this spacious room? Then the water stood in Christiana's eyes, for she was a woman quick of apprehension; and she said, Yea, Lord, there are more here than one; yea, and spiders whose venom is far more destructive than that which is in her. The Interpreter then looked pleasantly on her, and said, Thou hast said the truth. This made Mercy to blush, and the boys to cover their faces; for they all began now to understand the riddle.

2 Prov. xxx. 8.

Then said the Interpreter again, "The spider taketh hold with her hands," as you see," and is in Kings' palaces." And wherefore is this recorded, but to shew you, that how full of the venom of sin soever you be, yet you may, by the hand of Faith, lay hold of and dwell in the best room that belongs to the King's House above?

I thought, said Christiana, of something of this; but I could not imagine it at all. I thought that we were like spiders, and that we looked like ugly creatures, in what fine rooms soever we were; but that by this spider, that venomous and ill-favoured creature, we were to learn how to act faith, that came not into my thoughts. And yet she had taken hold with her hands, and, as I see, dwelleth in the best room in the house. God has made nothing in vain.

Then they seemed all to be glad; but the water stood in their eyes; yet they looked one upon another, and also bowed before the Interpreter.

OF THE HEN

He had them then into another room, AND CHICKENS. where was a hen and chickens, and bid them observe a while. So one of the chickens went to the trough to drink, and, every time she drank, she lifted up her head and her eyes towards Heaven. See, said he, what this little chick doth, and learn of her to acknowledge whence your mercies come, by receiving them with looking up. Yet again, said he, observe and look. So they gave heed, and perceived that the hen did walk in a fourfold method towards her chickens: 1. She had a common call," and that she hath all day long. 2. She had a "special call," and that she had but sometimes. 3. She had a "brooding note." And, 4. She had an "outcry."

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Now, said he, compare this hen to your King, and these chickens to His obedient ones. For, answerable to her, Himself has His methods which He walketh in towards His people. By His common call, He gives nothing; by His special call, He always has something to give; He has also a brooding voice for them that are under His wing; and He has an outcry, to give the alarm when he seeth the Enemy come. I chose, my darlings, to lead you into the room where such things are, because you are women, and they are easy for you.

And, Sir, said Christiana, pray let us see some more. So he had them into the slaughter- OF THE BUTCHER house, where was a butcher killing a AND THE SHEEP. sheep; and behold the sheep was quiet, and took her death patiently. Then said the Interpreter, You must learn of this sheep to suffer, and to put up with wrong's

without murmurings and complaints. Behold how quietly she takes her death, and, without objecting, she suffereth her skin to be pulled over her ears. Your King doth call you His sheep.

After this, he led them into his OF THE GARDEN. garden, where was great variety of flowers, and he said, Do you see all these? So Christiana said, Yes. Then said he again, Behold the flowers are diverse in stature, in quality, and colour, and smell, and virtue; and some are better than others; also, where the gardener had set them, there they stand, and quarrel not with one another.

Again, he had them into his field, OF THE FIELD. which he had sown with wheat and corn; but when they beheld, the tops of all were cut off, only the straw remained. He said again, This ground was dunged, and ploughed, and sowed, but what shall we do with the crop? Then said Christiana, Burn and make muck of the rest. Then said the Interpreter again, Fruit, you see, is that thing you look for, and for want of that you condemn it to the fire, and to be trodden under foot of men; beware that in this you condemn not yourselves!

some,

OF THE ROBIN

Then, as they were coming in from AND THE SPIDER. abroad, they espied a little robin with a great spider in his mouth: so the Interpreter said, Look here; so they looked, and Mercy wondered; but Christiana said, What a disparagement it is to such a pretty little bird as the robin red-breast is, he being also a bird above many, that loveth to maintain a kind of sociableness with men! I had thought they had lived upon crumbs of bread, or