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answer, my Lord, in the next place, that I am Christiana, once the wife of Christian, that now is gotten above."

With that the Keeper of the gate did marvel, saying; "What, is she now become a Pilgrim, that but a while ago abhorred that life?" Then she bowed her head and said, "Yea; and so are these my sweet babes also."

Then he took her by the hand, and let her in, and said also, "Suffer the little children to come unto me;"* and with that he shut up the gate. This done, he called to a trumpeter that was above, over the gate, to entertain Christiana with shouting, and sound of the trumpet, for joy. So he obeyed, and sounded, and filled the air with his melodious notes.

Now all this while poor Mercy did stand without, trembling and crying, for fear that she was rejected. But when Christiana had gotten admittance for herself and her boys, then she began to make intercession for Mercy.

And she said, "My Lord, I have a companion of mine that stands yet without, that is come hither upon the same account as myself; one that is much dejected in her mind, for that she comes, as she thinks, without sending for; whereas, I was sent to by my husband's King to come."

Now Mercy began to be very impatient, and each minute was as long to her as an hour; wherefore she prevented Christiana from a fuller interceding for her, by knocking at the gate herself; and she knocked then so loud, that she made Christiana to start. Then said the Keeper of the gate, "Who is there?" and Christiana said, "It is my friend."

So he opened the gate and looked out; but Mercy was fallen down without in a swoon; for she fainted, and was afraid that no gate would be open to her.

Then he took her by the hand, and said, "Damsel, I bid thee arise."

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'O sir, (said she,) I am faint; there is scarce life left in me.' But he answered, "that one said, When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord; and my prayer came unto Thee, into thy holy temple.'t Fear not, but stand upon thy feet, and tell me wherefore thou art come.

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Mercy. I am come for that unto which I was never invited, as my friend Christiana was. Hers was from the King, and mine was but from her. Wherefore I presume. Keeper. Did she desire thec to come with her to this place?

* Matt. xix. 14.

Note.-Delays make the hungering soul the more fervent. + Jonah ii. 7.

Mercy. Yes; and, as my Lord sees, I am come. And if there is any grace or forgiveness of sins to spare, I beseech that thy poor hand-maid may be partaker thereof.

Then he took her again by the hand, and led her gently in, and said, 'I pray for all them that believe on me.' Then said he to those that stood by, 'Fetch something, and give it Mercy to smell on, thereby to stay her faintings.' So they fetched her a bundle of myrrh; and a while after she was revived.

And now was Christiana and her boys, and Mercy, received of the Lord at the head of the way, and spoken kindly unto by him. Then said they yet farther unto him, "We are sorry for our sins, and beg of our Lord his pardon, and farther information what we must do.'

'I grant pardon (said he) by word and deed; by word in the promise of forgiveness; by deed, in the way I obtained it. Take the first from my lips with a kiss;* and the other as it shall be revealed.'

Now I saw in my dream, that he spoke many good words unto them, whereby they were greatly gladdened. He also had them up to the top of the gate, and showed them by what deed they were saved; and told them withal, that that sight they would have again as they went along in the way, to their comfort.

So he left them awhile in a summer parlor below, where they entered into talk by themselves; and thus Christiana began: 'O Lord! how glad am I, that we are got in hither!' Mercy. So you well may; but I, of all, have cause to leap for joy.

Christiana. I thought one time as I stood at the gate, (because I had knocked and none did answer,) that all our labor had been lost, especially when that ugly cur made such a heavy barking at us.

Mercy. But my worst fear was, after I saw that you was taken into his favor, and that I was left behind: 'Now, (thought I,) it is fulfilled which is written; Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.' I had much ado to forbear crying out, 'Undone!' And afraid I was to knock any more: but when I looked up to what was written over the gate, I took courage. I also thought that I must either knock again,|| or die: so I knocked, but I cannot tell how: for my spirit now struggled between life and leath.

Mark this.

* Song i. 2.

↑ John xx. 20, Matt. xxiv. 41.

i. e. a distant view of Christ crucified. Part. I. p. 11.

Christiana. Can you not tell how you knocked? I am sure your knocks were so earnest, that the very sound made me start: I thought I never heard such knocking in all my life; I thought you would come in by a violent hand, or 'Take the kingdom by storm.'†

Mercy. Alas! to be in my case, who that so was, could but have done so? You saw that the door was shut upon me, and that there was a most cruel dog thereabout. Who, (I say,) that was so faint-hearted as I, but would have knocked with all their might? But pray, What said my Lord unto my rudeness? Was he not angry with me?

Christiana. When he heard your lumbering noise, he gave a wonderful innocent smile; I believe what you did pleased him well, for he showed no sign to the contrary. But I marvel in my heart, why he keeps such a dog; had I known that before, I should not have had heart enough to have ventured myself in this manner. But now we are in, we are in; and I am glad with all my heart.

Mercy. I will ask, if you please, next time he comes down, why he keeps such a filthy cur in his yard: I hope he will not take it amiss.

"Do so, (said the children,) and persuade him to hang him; for we are afraid he will bite us when we go hence.

So at last he came down to them again; and Mercy fell to the ground on her face, before him, and worshipped, and said, "Let my Lord accept the sacrifice of praise which I now offer unto him with the calves of my lips."

So he said unto her, "Peace be to thee; stand up." But she continued upon her face, and said; " Righteous art thou, O Lord, when I plead with thee; let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore dost thou keep so cruel a dog in thy yard, at the sight of which, such women and children, as we, are ready to fly from the gate for fear?"

He answered and said; 'That dog has another owner; he also is kept close in another man's ground; only my Pilgrims hear his barking. He belongs to the castle which you see there at a distance; but can come up to the walls at this place. He has frightened many an honest Pilgrim from worse to better, by the great voice of his roaring. Indeed he that owneth him, doth not keep him out of any

*The Apostle says, (Philipp. ii. 3, 4.) "In lowness of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others." Christiana thinks her companion prays better than she.

Matt. xi. 12.

Christ is well pleased with loud and restless prayer.

Jer. xii. 1, 2.

¶ Part I. p. 12.

good-will to me or mine, but with intent to keep the Pilgrims from coming to me, and that they may be afraid to come and knock at this gate for entrance. Sometimes also he has broken out, and has worried some that I loved; but I take all at present patiently. I also give my Pilgrims timely help, so that they are not delivered up to his power, to do to them what his doggish nature would prompt him to. But what! my purchased one, I trow, hadst thou known never so much beforehand, thou wouldst not have been afraid of a dog! The beggars that go from door to door, will, rather than they will lose a supposed alms, run the hazard of the bawling, barking, and biting too of a dog. And shall a dog in another man's yard, a dog whose barking I turn to the profit of Pilgrims, keep any from coming to me? I deliver them from the lions, and my darling from the power of the dog."

Then said Mercy, "I confess my ignorance: I speak what I understand not; I acknowledge that thou dost all things well."+

Then Christiana began to talk of their journey, and to inquire after the way. So he fed them and washed their feet, and set them in the way of his steps, according as he had dealt with her husband before. So I saw in my dream, that they went on their way; and the weather was comfortable to them.

Then Christiana began to sing, saying;

Bless'd be the day that I began

A Pilgrim for to be;

And blessed also be the Man,

That thereunto mov'd me.
'Tis true, 'twas long ere I began

To seek to live for ever:
But now I run fast as I can;
'Tis better late than never.
Our tears to joy, our fears to faith
Are turned as we see;

That our beginning (as one saith)

Shows what our end will be.

Now there was, on the other side of the wall that fenced in the way up which Christiana and her companions were to go, a garden; and that belonged to him, whose was that barking dog, of whom mention was made before. And some of the fruit-trees that grew in the garden, shot their branches upon the wall; and being mellow, they that found

* This promise should serve as a check to the carnal fear of Pilgrims. tNote.-Truly wise Christians acquiesce in the wisdom of the LordPart I. p. 60.

them, did gather them up, and eat of them to their hurt. So Christiana's boys, (as boys are apt to do,) being pleased with the trees, and with the fruit that did hang thereon, did pluck them, and began to eat. Their mother did also chide them for so doing; but still the boys went on.

"Well (said she,) my sons, you transgress; for that fruit is none of ours:" (but she did not know that they did belong to the enemy: I will warrant you, if she had, she would have been ready to die for fear. But that passed, and they went on their way.)

Now, by that they were gone about two bows-shot from the place that led them into the way, they espied two very ill-favored ones coming down apace to meet them. With that, Christiana and Mercy, her friend, covered themselves with their veils, and kept also on their journey; the children also went on before; so that at last they met together. Then they that came down to meet them, came just up to the women, as if they would embrace them; but Christiana said, 'Stand, back, or go peaceably as you should.' Yet these two, as men that are deaf, regarded not Christiana's words, but began to lay hands upon them: at that, Christiana waxed very wroth, and spurned at them with her feet. Mercy also, as well as she could, did what she could to shift them. "Stand back, and be gone; for we have no money to lose, being Pilgrims, as you see, and such too as live upon the charity of our friends."

Then said one of the two men, 'We make no assault upon you for money, but are come out to tell you, that if you will but grant one small request which we shall ask, we will make women of you for ever."

Now, Christiana, imagining what they should mean, made answer again; 'We will neither hear, nor regard, nor yield to what you shall ask: we are in haste, and cannot stay; our blessed is of life and death.' So again she and her companions made a fresh essay to go past them: but they letted them in their way.

And the ill-favored ones said, "We intend no hurt to your lives; it is another thing we would have."

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Ay, (quoth Christiana,) you would have us body and soul; for I know it is for that you are come: but we will die rather upon the spot, than to suffer ourselves to be brought into such snares, and shall hazard our well-being hereafter." And with that, they both shrieked out, and cried, Murder! Murder! And so put themselves under those laws that are provided for the protection of women.

* Deut. xxii. 23. 26, 27.

But

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