The Pilgrims go to DOUBTING-CASTLE.

if it was lawful to go upon unconsecrated ground; another said they might, provided their end was good; but Mr. GREAT-HEART said, Though that assertion offered last cannot be universally true, yet I have a commandment to resist sin, to over'come evil, to fight the good fight of faith and, I pray, with whom shall I fight this good fight, if 'not with Giant DESPAIR? I will therefore attempt the taking away of his life, and the demolishing of 'DOUBTING-CASTLE.' Then said he, Who will 'go with me?' Then said old HONEST, I will,' ' and so will we too,' said CHRISTIANA's four sons, MATTHEW, SAMUEL, JOSEPH, and JAMES, 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 DESPAIR dwells so near, they keeping in the road, "a little child might "lead them." Isa. ix. 6.

So Mr. GREAT-HEART, old HONEST, and the four young men, went 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. With 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. GREAT-HEART replied, 'It is I, GREAT-HEART, one of the KING of the celestial Country's conductors of Pilgrims to their place and I demand (13.)

6

3 E

They destroy the Giant and Castle.

' 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-CAS'TLE.'

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, a breast-plate 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 head 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; GREAT-HEART was his death, for he left him not till he had severed his head from his shoulders.

Then they fell to demolishing of DOUBTING-CASTLE and that, you know, might with ease be done, since 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 onc MUCH-AFRAID his daughter; these two they saved alive. But it would have made you wonder, 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.

They release two pilgrims and rejoice.

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 Giant DESPAIR. They therefore, I say, took with them the head of the Giant, (for his body they had buriea under a heap of stones,) and down to the road, and to their companions they came, and shewed them what they had done. Now when Mr. FEEBLEMIND and READY-TO-HALT saw that it saw the head of Giant DESPAIR, indeed they were very jocund and merry. Now CHRISTIANA, if 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 dance 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 a 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