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and rob it with the worst of thieves." "These are but generals, (said Mr. Great-Heart;) come to particularize,

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Then said the Giant, “Thou practisest the craft of a kidnapper; thou gatherest up women and children, and carriest them into a strange country, to the weakening of my master's kingdom." But now Great-Heart replied, "I am a servant of the God of heaven; my business is to persuade sinners to repentance: I am commanded to do my endeavor to turn men, women, and children, from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God; and if this be indeed the ground of thy quarrel, let us fall to it as soon as thou wilt."

Then the Giant came up, and Mr. Great-Heart went to meet him; and as he went, he drew his sword; but the Giant had a club. So without more ado, they fell to it; and at the first blow, the Giant struck Mr. Great-Heart down upon one of his knees: with that the women and children cried.* So Mr. Great-Heart, recovering himself, laid about him in full lusty manner, and gave the Giant a wound in his arm; that he fought for the space of an hour, to that ́ height of heat, that the breath came out of the Giant's nostrils, as the heat doth out of a boiling cauldron.

Then they sat down to rest them; but Mr. Great-Heart betook himself to prayer; also the women and children did nothing but sigh and cry all the time that the battle did last.

When they had rested them, and taken breath, they both fell to it again; and Mr. Great-Heart, with a full blow, fetched the Giant down to the ground: "Nay, hold, let me recover," quoth he. So Mr. Great-Heart let him fairly get up: so to it they went again, and the Giant missed but little of breaking Mr. Great-Heart's skull with his club.

Mr. Great-Heart seeing that, runs to him in the full heat of his spirit, and pierced him under the fifth rib: with that, the Giant began to faint, and could hold up his club no longer. Then Mr. Great-Heart seconded his blow, and smote the head of the Grant from his shoulders. Then the women and children rejoiced; and Mr. Great-Heart also praised God for the deliverance he had wrought.

When this was done, they among themselves erected a pillar, and fastened the Giant's head thereon, and wrote under it in letters, that passengers might read:

He that did wear this head, was one

That pilgrims did misuse;

He stopt their way, he spared none,
But did them all abuse:

*Note.-Weak folks' prayers at some time help strong folks' cries.

Until that I, GREAT-HEART, arose,

The pilgrims' guide to be:

Until that I did him oppose,

That was their enemy.

Now I saw that they went to the ascent that was a little way off, cast up to be a prospect for pilgrims; (that was the place from whence Christian had the first sight of Faithful, his brother.)* Wherefore here they sat down and rested: they also here did eat and drink, and make merry; for that they had gotten deliverance from this so dangerous an enemy. As they sat thus and did eat, Christiana asked the Guide, "If he had caught no hurt in the battle?" Then said Mr. Great-Heart; "No; save a little on my flesh: yet that also shall be so far from being to my detriment, that it is at present a proof of my love to my Master and you; and shall be a means, by grace, to increase my reward at last."

"But was you not afraid, good sir, when you saw him come with his club ?"

"It is my duty (said he) to mistrust my own ability, that I may have reliance on him that is stronger than all.". "But what did you think, when he fetched you down to the ground at the first blow?" "Why, I thought, (quoth he,) that so my Master himself was served; and yet he it was that conquered at last."

Matthew. When you all have thought what you please, I think God has been wonderful good unto us, both in bringing us out of this Valley, and in delivering us out of the hand of this enemy: for my part, I see no reason why we should distrust our God any more, since he has now, and in such place as this, given us such testimony of his love as this.

Then they got up and went forward. Now a little before them stood an oak, and under it, when they came to it, they found an old pilgrim fast asleep: they knew that he was a pilgrim by his clothes, and his staff, and his girdle.

So the Guide, Mr. Great-Heart, awaked him, and the old gentleman, as he lift up his eyes, cried out, "What is the matter? Who are you? And what is your business here?"t

Great-Heart. Come, man, be not so hot; here are none but friends.

Yet the old man gets up and stands upon his guard, and will know of them what they were. Then said the Guide, "My name is Great-Heart; I am the Guide of these pilgrims, which are going to the Celestial Country."

* Part I. p. 46.

† Note.-One saint sometimes takes another for his enemy.

Then said Mr. Honest, "I cry you mercy; I feared that you had been of the company of those that some time ago did rob Little-faith of his money; but now I look better about me, I perceive you are honester people."

Great-Heart. Why, what would, or could you have done, or how have helped yourself, if we indeed had been of that company?

Honest. Done! Why, I would have fought as long as breath had been in me; and had I so done, I am sure you never would have given me the worst on it; for a Christian can never be overcome, unless he should yield of himself. "Well said, Father Honest! (quoth the Guide;} for by this I know thou art a cock of the right kind, for thou hast said the truth."

Honest. And by this also I know that thou knowest what true pilgrimage is; for all others do think, that we are the soonest overcome of any.

Great-Heart. Well, now we are happily met; pray, let me crave your name, and the name of the place you came from?

Honest. My name I cannot; but I came from the town of Stupidity: it lieth about four degrees beyond the city of Destruction.

Great-Heart. Oh! are you that countryman? Then I deem I have half a guess of you; your name is Old Honest, is it not?

So the old gentleman blushed and said, "Not honest in the abstract; but Honest is my name, and I wish that my nature may agree to what I am called. But, sir, (said the old gentleman,) how could you guess that I am such a man, since I came from such a place?"

Great-Heart. I had heard of you before by my Master; for he knows all things that are done on the earth: But I have often wondered that any should come from your place, for your town is worse than is the city of Destruction itself.

Honest. Yea, we lie more off from the sun, and so are more cold and senseless: but, were a man in a mountain of ice, yet, if the Sun of Righteousness will arise upon him, his frozen heart shall feel a thaw! And thus it hath done with me.

Great-Heart. I believe it, Father Honest, I believe it; for I know the thing is true.

Then the old gentleman saluted all the pilgrims with a

*Note.-Stupified ones are worse than those merely carnal,

holy kiss of charity; and asked them of their names, and how they had fared since they set out on their pilgrimage. Then said Christiana; 66 My name, I suppose, you have heard of; good Christian was my husband, and these four were his children."

But can you think how the old gentleman was taken, when she told him who she was! He skipped, he smiled, and blessed them with a thousand good wishes, saying: "I have heard much of your husband, and of his travels and wars, which he underwent in his days. Be it spoken to your comfort, the name of your husband rings all over these parts of the world; his faith, his courage, his enduring, and his sincerity under all, has made his name famous."

Then he turned to the boys, and asked them of their names; which they told him; and then said he unto them, "Matthew, be thou like Matthew the publican;* not in vice, but in virtue. Samuel, (saith he,) be thou like Samuel, the prophet; a man of faith and prayer.† Joseph, (said he) be thou like Joseph in Potiphar's house; chaste, and one that flies from temptation. And, James, be thou like James the Just, and like James the brother of our Lord." Then they told him of Mercy, and how she had left her town and her kindred to come along with Christiana, and with her sons. At that, the old honest man said; "Mercy is thy name; by Mercy shalt thou be sustained, and carried through all those difficulties that shall assault thee in thy way, till thou shalt come thither, where thou shalt look the FOUNTAIN OF MERCY in the face with comfort."

All this while the Guide, Mr. Great-Heart, was very well pleased, and smiled upon his companion.

Now, as they walked together, the Guide asked the old gentleman if he did not know one Mr. Fearing, that came on pilgrimage out of his parts?

Honest. Yes, very well. He was a man that had the root of the matter in him; but he was one of the most troublesome pilgrims that I ever met with in all my days.

Great-Heart. I perceive you knew him; for you have given a very right character of him.

Honest. Knew him! I was a great companion of his; I was with him most an end; when he first began to think of what would come upon us hereafter, I was with him. Great-Heart. I was his guide from my Master's house, to the gate of the Celestial City.

*Matt. x. 3. Acts i. 14.

† Psalm xcix. 6.

+ Gen. xxxix. 8, &c.

Honest. Then you knew him to be a troublesome one. Great-Heart. I did so; but I could very well bear it; for men of my calling are oftentimes intrusted with the conduct of such as he was.

Honest. Well then, pray let us hear a little of him, and how he managed himself under your conduct.

Great-Heart. Why he was always afraid that he should come short whither he had a desire to go. Every thing frightened him that he heard any body speak of, that had but the least appearance of opposition in it. I hear, that he lay roaring at the slough of Despond, for above a month together; nor durst he, for all he saw several go over before him, venture, though many of them offered to lend him their hands. He would not go back neither. "The Celestial City! (he said,) he should die, if he came not to it;" and yet was dejected at every difficulty, and stumbled at every straw that any body cast in his way. Well, after he had lain in the slough of Despond a great while, as I have told you; one sunshiny morning, I do not know how, he ventured, and he got over: but when he was over, he would scarce believe it. He had, I think, a slough of Despond in his mind, a slough that he carried every where with him, or else he could never have been as he was. So he came up to the gate, you know what I mean, that stands at the head of this way; and there also he stood a good while before he would venture to knock. When the gate was opened, he would give back, and give place to others, and say, "that he was not worthy:" for all he got before some to the gate, yet many of them went in before him. There the poor man would stand shaking and shrinking; I dare say it would have pitied one's heart to have seen him: nor would he go back again. At last he took the hammer that hanged at the gate in his hand, and gave a small rap or two; then one opened to him, but he shrunk back as before. He that opened stept out after him, and said, 'Thou trembling one, what wantest thou?' With that he fell down to the ground. He that spoke to him, wondered to see him so faint. He said to him, 'Peace be to thee! up; for I have set open the door to thee; come in, for thou art blest.' With that he got up, and went in trembling; and when that he was in, he was ashamed to show his face. Well; after he had been entertained there a while, as you know how the manner is, he was bid go on his way, and also told the way he should take. So he went till he came to our house: but as he behaved himself at the gate, so he did at my Master's, the Interpreter's door. He lay thereabout in the cold a good while, before he would adventure to call; yet he

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