THE
PILGRIMS PROGRESS:
IN THE SIMILITUDE OF A DREAM.
Now I saw in my dream, that Christian went
not forth alone; for there was
one whose name was Hopeful, (being so made
by the beholding of Christian and
Faithful in their words and behavior, in
their sufferings at the fair,) who
joined himself unto him, and entering into
a brotherly covenant, told him
that he would be his companion. Thus one
died to bear testimony to the
truth, and another rises out of his ashes
to be a companion with Christian
in his pilgrimage. This Hopeful also told
Christian, that there were many
more of the men in the fair that would take
their time, and follow after.
So I saw, that quickly after they were got
out of the fair, they overtook
one that was going before them, whose name
was By-ends; so they said to him,
What countryman, sir? and how far go you
this way? He told them, that he
came from the town of Fair-speech, and he
was going to the Celestial City;
but told them not his name.
From Fair-speech? said Christian; is there
any good that lives there? Prov.
26:25.
BY-ENDS: Yes, said By-ends, I hope so.
CHRISTIAN: Pray, sir, what may I call you?
said Christian.
BY-ENDS: I am a stranger to you, and you to
me: if you be going this way, I
shall be glad of your company; if not, I
must be content.
CHRISTIAN: This town of Fair-speech, said
Christian, I have heard of; and,
as I remember, they say it’s a wealthy
place.
BY-ENDS: Yes, I will assure you that it is;
and I have very many rich
kindred there.
CHRISTIAN: Pray, who are your kindred
there, if a man may be so bold?
BY-ENDS: Almost the whole town; and in
particular my Lord Turn-about, my
Lord Time-server, my Lord Fair-speech, from
whose ancestors that town first
took its name; also, Mr. Smooth-man, Mr.
Facing-both-ways, Mr. Any-thing;
and the parson of our parish, Mr.
Two-tongues, was my mother’s own brother,
by father’s side; and, to tell you the
truth, I am become a gentleman of
good quality; yet my great-grandfather was
but a waterman, looking one way
and rowing another, and I got most of my
estate by the same occupation.
CHRISTIAN: Are you a married man.
BY-ENDS: Yes, and my wife is a very
virtuous woman, the daughter of a
virtuous woman; she was my Lady Feigning’s
daughter; therefore she came of a
very honorable family, and is arrived to
such a pitch of breeding, that she
knows how to carry it to all, even to
prince and peasant. ‘Tis true, we
somewhat differ in religion from those of
the stricter sort, yet but in two
small points: First, we never strive
against wind and tide. Secondly, we are
always most zealous when religion goes in
his silver slippers; we love much
to walk with him in the street, if the sun
shines and the people applaud
him.
Then Christian stepped a little aside to
his fellow Hopeful, saying, it runs
in my mind that this is one By-ends, of
Fair-speech; and if it be he, we
have as very a knave in our company as
dwelleth in all these parts. Then
said Hopeful, Ask him; methinks he should
not be ashamed of his name. So
Christian came up with him again, and said,
Sir, you talk as if you knew
something more than all the world doth;
and, if I take not my mark amiss, I
deem I have half a guess of you. Is not
your name Mr. By-ends of
Fair-speech?
BY-ENDS: This is not my name, but indeed it
is a nickname that is given me
by some that cannot abide me, and I must be
content to bear it as a
reproach, as other good men have borne
theirs before me.
CHRISTIAN: But did you never give an
occasion to men to call you by this
name?
BY-ENDS: Never, never! The worst that ever
I did to give them an occasion to
give me this name was, that I had always
the luck to jump in my judgment
with the present way of the times, whatever
it was, and my chance was to get
thereby: but if things are thus cast upon
me, let me count them a blessing;
but let not the malicious load me therefore
with reproach.
CHRISTIAN: I thought, indeed, that you were
the man that I heard of; and to
tell you what I think, I fear this name
belongs to you more properly than
you are willing we should think it doth.
BY-ENDS: Well if you will thus imagine, I
cannot help it; you shall find me
a fair company-keeper, if you will still
admit me your associate.
CHRISTIAN: If you will go with us, you must
go against wind and tide; the
which, I perceive, is against your opinion:
you must also own Religion in
his rags, as well as when in his silver
slippers; and stand by him, too,
when bound in irons, as well as when he
walketh the streets with applause.
BY-ENDS: You must not impose, nor lord it
over my faith; leave me to my
liberty, and let me go with you.
CHRISTIAN: Not a step farther, unless you
will do, in what I propound, as
we.
Then said By-ends, I shall never desert my
old principles, since they are
harmless and profitable. If I may not go
with you, I must do as I did before
you overtook me, even go by myself, until
some overtake me that will be glad
of my company.
Now I saw in my dream, that Christian and
Hopeful forsook him, and kept
their distance before him; but one of them,
looking back, saw three men
following Mr. By-ends; and, behold, as they
came up with him, he made them a
very low congee; and they also gave him a
compliment. The men’s names were,
Mr. Hold-the-world, Mr. Money-love, and Mr.
Save-all, men that Mr. By-ends
had formerly been acquainted with; for in
their minority they were
schoolfellows, and taught by one Mr.
Gripeman, a schoolmaster in Lovegain,
which is a market-town in the county of
Coveting, in the North. This
Schoolmaster taught them the art of
getting, either by violence, cozenage,
flattering, lying, or by putting on a guise
of religion; and these four
gentlemen had attained much of the art of
their master, so that they could
each of them have kept such a school
themselves.
Well, when they had, as I said, thus
saluted each other, Mr. Money-love said
to Mr. By-ends, Who are they upon the road
before us? For Christian and
Hopeful were yet within view.
BY-ENDS: They are a couple of far
country-men, that, after their mode, are
going on pilgrimage.
MR. MONEY-LOVE: Alas! why did they not
stay, that we might have had their
good company? for they, and we, and you, sir,
I hope, are all going on
pilgrimage.
BY-ENDS: We are so, indeed; but the men
before us are so rigid, and love so
much their own notions, and do also so
lightly esteem the opinions of
others, that let a man be ever so godly,
yet if he jumps not with them in
all things, they thrust him quite out of
their company.
MR. SAVE-ALL: That is bad; but we read of
some that are righteous overmuch,
and such men’s rigidness prevails with them
to judge and condemn all but
themselves. But I pray, what, and how many,
were the things wherein you
differed?
BY-ENDS: Why, they, after their headstrong
manner, conclude that it is their
duty to rush on their journey all weathers,
and I am for waiting for wind
and tide. They are for hazarding all for
God at a clap; and I am for taking
all advantages to secure my life and
estate. They are for holding their
notions, though all other men be against
them; but I am for religion in
what, and so far as the times and my safety
will bear it. They are for
religion when in rags and contempt; but I
am for him when he walks in his
silver slippers, in the sunshine, and with
applause.
MR. HOLD-THE-WORLD: Aye, and hold you there
still, good Mr. By-ends; for,
for
my part, I can count him but a fool, that having the liberty to keep
what he has, shall be so unwise as to lose
it. Let us be wise as serpents.
It is best to make hay while the sun
shines. You see how the bee lieth still
in winter, and bestirs her only when she
can have profit with pleasure. God
sends sometimes rain, and sometimes
sunshine: if they be such fools to go
through the first, yet let us be content to
take fair weather along with us.
For my part, I like that religion best that
will stand with the security of
God’s good blessings unto us; for who can
imagine, that is ruled by his
reason, since God has bestowed upon us the
good things of this life, but
that he would have us keep them for his
sake? Abraham and Solomon grew rich
in religion; and Job says, that a good man
shall lay up gold as dust; but he
must not be such as the men before us, if
they be as you have described
them.
MR. SAVE-ALL: I think that we are all
agreed in this matter; and therefore
there needs no more words about it.
MR. MONEY-LOVE: No, there needs no more
words about this matter, indeed; for
he that believes neither Scripture nor
reason, (and you see we have both on
our side,) neither knows his own liberty
nor seeks his own safety.
BY-ENDS: My brethren, we are, as you see,
going all on pilgrimage; and for
our better diversion from things that are
bad, give me leave to propound
unto you this question.
Suppose a man, a minister, or a tradesman,
etc., should have an advantage
lie before him to get the good blessings of
this life, yet so as that he can
by no means come by them, except, in
appearance at least, he becomes
extraordinary zealous in some points of
religion that he meddled not with
before; may he not use this means to attain
his end, and yet be a right
honest man?
MR. MONEY-LOVE: I see the bottom of your
question; and with these
gentlemen’s good leave, I will endeavor to
shape you an answer. And first,
to speak to your question as it concerneth
a minister himself: suppose a
minister, a worthy man, possessed but of a
very small benefice, and has in
his eye a greater, more fat and plump by
far; he has also now an opportunity
of getting it, yet so as by being more
studious, by preaching more
frequently and zealously, and, because the
temper of the people requires it,
by altering of some of his principles; for
my part, I see no reason why a
man may not do this, provided he has a
call, aye, and more a great deal
besides, and yet be an honest man. For why?
1. His desire of a greater benefice is
lawful, (this cannot be
contradicted,) since it is set before him
by Providence; so then he may get
it if he can, making no question for
conscience’ sake.
2. Besides, his desire after that benefice
makes him more studious, a more
zealous preacher, etc., and so makes him a
better man, yea, makes him better
improve his parts, which is according to
the mind of God.
3. Now, as for his complying with the
temper of his people, by deserting, to
serve them, some of his principles, this
argueth, 1. That he is of a
self-denying temper. 2. Of a sweet and winning
deportment. And, 3. So more
fit for the ministerial function.
4. I conclude, then, that a minister that
changes a small for a great,
should not, for so doing, be judged as
covetous; but rather, since he is
improved in his parts and industry thereby,
be counted as one that pursues
his call, and the opportunity put into his
hand to do good.
And now to the second part of the question,
which concerns the tradesman you
mentioned. Suppose such an one to have but
a poor employ in the world, but
by becoming religious he may mend his
market, perhaps get a rich wife, or
more and far better customers to his shop;
for my part, I see no reason but
this may be lawfully done. For why?
1. To become religious is a virtue, by what
means soever a man becomes so.
2. Nor is it unlawful to get a rich wife,
or more custom to my shop.
3. Besides, the man that gets these by
becoming religious, gets that which
is good of them that are good, by becoming
good himself; so then here is a
good wife, and good customers, and good
gain, and all these by becoming
religious, which is good: therefore, to
become religious to get all these is
a good and profitable design.
This answer, thus made by Mr. Money-love to
Mr. By-ends’ question, was
highly applauded by them all; wherefore
they concluded, upon the whole, that
it was most wholesome and advantageous. And
because, as they thought, no man
was able to contradict it; and because
Christian and Hopeful were yet within
call, they jointly agreed to assault them
with the question as soon as they
overtook them; and the rather, because they
had opposed Mr. By-ends before.
So they called after them, and they stopped
and stood still till they came
up to them; but they concluded, as they
went, that not Mr. By-ends, but old
Mr. Hold-the-world should propound the
question to them, because, as they
supposed, their answer to him would be
without the remainder of that heat
that was kindled betwixt Mr. By-ends and them
at their parting a little
before.
So they came up to each other, and after a
short salutation, Mr.
Hold-the-world propounded the question to
Christian and his fellow, and then
bid them to answer if they could.
Then said Christian, Even a babe in
religion may answer ten thousand such
questions. For if it be unlawful to follow
Christ for loaves, as it is, John
6:26; how much more abominable is it to
make of him and religion a
stalking-horse to get and enjoy the world!
Nor do we find any other than
heathens, hypocrites, devils, and wizards,
that are of this opinion.
1. Heathens: for when Hamor and Shechem had
a mind to the daughter and
cattle of Jacob, and saw that there was no
way for them to come at them but
by being circumcised, they said to their
companions, If every male of us be
circumcised, as they are circumcised, shall
not their cattle, and their
substance, and every beast of theirs be
ours? Their daughters and their
cattle were that which they sought to
obtain, and their religion the
stalking-horse they made use of to come at
them. Read the whole story, Gen.
34:20-24.
2. The hypocritical Pharisees were also of
this religion: long prayers were
their pretence, but to get widows’ houses
was their intent; and greater
damnation was from God their judgment. Luke
20:46,47.
3. Judas the devil was also of this
religion: he was religious for the bag,
that he might be possessed of what was put
therein; but he was lost, cast
away, and the very son of perdition.
4. Simon the wizard was of this religion
too; for he would have had the Holy
Ghost, that he might have got money
therewith: and his sentence from
Peter’s mouth was according. Acts 8:19-22.
5. Neither will it go out of my mind, but
that that man who takes up
religion for the world, will throw away
religion for the world; for so
surely as Judas designed the world in
becoming religious, so surely did he
also sell religion and his Master for the
same. To answer the question,
therefore, affirmatively, as I perceive you
have done, and to accept of, as
authentic, such answer, is heathenish,
hypocritical, and devilish; and your
reward will be according to your works.
Then they stood staring one upon another,
but had not wherewith to answer
Christian. Hopeful also approved of the
soundness of Christian’s answer; so
there was a great silence among them. Mr.
By-ends and his company also
staggered and kept behind, that Christian
and Hopeful might outgo them. Then
said Christian to his fellow, If these men
cannot stand before the sentence
of men, what will they do with the sentence
of God? And if they are mute
when dealt with by vessels of clay, what will
they do when they shall be
rebuked by the flames of a devouring fire?
Then Christian and Hopeful outwent them
again, and went till they came at a
delicate plain, called Ease, where they
went with much content; but that
plain was but narrow, so they were quickly
got over it. Now at the farther
side of that plain was a little hill,
called Lucre, and in that hill a
silver-mine, which some of them that had
formerly gone that way, because of
the rarity of it, had turned aside to see;
but going too near the brim of
the pit, the ground, being deceitful under
them, broke, and they were slain:
some also had been maimed there, and could
not, to their dying day, be their
own men again.
Then I saw in my dream, that a little off
the road, over against the
silver-mine, stood Demas (gentleman-like)
to call passengers to come and
see; who said to Christian and his fellow,
Ho! turn aside hither, and I will
show you a thing.
CHRISTIAN: What thing so deserving as to
turn us out of the way to see it?
DEMAS: Here is a silver-mine, and some
digging in it for treasure; if you
will come, with a little pains you may
richly provide for yourselves.
HOPEFUL: Then said Hopeful, let us go see.
CHRISTIAN: Not I, said Christian: I have
heard of this place before now, and
how many there have been slain; and
besides, that treasure is a snare to
those that seek it, for it hindereth them
in their pilgrimage.
Then Christian called to Demas, saying, Is not
the place dangerous? Hath it
not hindered many in their pilgrimage?
Hosea 9:6.
DEMAS: Not very dangerous, except to those
that are careless; but withal he
blushed as he spake.
CHRISTIAN: Then said Christian to Hopeful,
Let us not stir a step, but still
keep on our way.
HOPEFUL: I will warrant you, when By-ends
comes up, if he hath the same
invitation as we, he will turn in thither
to see.
CHRISTIAN: No doubt thereof, for his
principles lead him that way, and a
hundred to one but he dies there.
DEMAS: Then Demas called again, saying, But
will you not come over and see?
CHRISTIAN: Then Christian roundly answered,
saying, Demas, thou art an enemy
to the right ways of the Lord of this way,
and hast been already condemned
for thine own turning aside, by one of his
Majesty’s judges, 2 Tim. 4:10;
and why seekest thou to bring us into the
like condemnation? Besides, if we
at all turn aside, our Lord the King will
certainly hear thereof, and will
there put us to shame, where we would stand
with boldness before him.
Demas cried again, that he also was one of
their fraternity; and that if
they would tarry a little, he also himself
would walk with them.
CHRISTIAN: Then said Christian, What is thy
name? Is it not the same by
which I have called thee?
DEMAS: Yes, my name is Demas; I am the son
of Abraham.
CHRISTIAN: I know you; Gehazi was your
great-grandfather, and Judas your
father, and you have trod in their steps;
it is but a devilish prank that
thou usest: thy father was hanged for a
traitor, and thou deservest no
better reward. 2 Kings 5:20-27;
Matt.26:14,15; 27:3-5. Assure thyself, that
when we come to the King, we will tell him
of this thy behavior. Thus they
went their way.
By this time By-ends and his companions
were come again within sight, and
they at the first beck went over to Demas.
Now, whether they fell into the
pit by looking over the brink thereof, or
whether they went down to dig, or
whether they were smothered in the bottom
by the damps that commonly arise,
of these things I am not certain; but this
I observed, that they were never
seen again in the way. Then sang Christian,
“By-ends and silver Demas both agree;
One calls, the other runs, that he may be
A sharer in his lucre: so these two
Take up in this world, and no farther go.”
Now I saw that, just on the other side of
this plain, the pilgrims came to a
place where stood an old monument, hard by
the highway-side, at the sight of
which they were both concerned, because of
the strangeness of the form
thereof; for it seemed to them as if it had
been a woman transformed into
the shape of a pillar. Here, therefore,
they stood looking and looking upon
it, but could not for a time tell what they
should make thereof. At last
Hopeful espied, written above upon the head
thereof, a writing in an unusual
hand; but he being no scholar, called to
Christian (for he was learned) to
see if he could pick out the meaning: so he
came, and after a little laying
of letters together, he found the same to
be this, “Remember Lot’s wife.” So
he read it to his fellow; after which they
both concluded that that was the
pillar of salt into which Lot’s wife was
turned, for her looking back with a
covetous heart when she was going from
Sodom for safety. Gen. 19:26. Which
sudden and amazing sight gave them occasion
for this discourse.
CHRISTIAN: Ah, my brother, this is a
seasonable sight: it came opportunely
to us after the invitation which Demas gave
us to come over to view the hill
Lucre; and had we gone over, as he desired
us, and as thou wast inclined to
do, my brother, we had, for aught I know,
been made, like this woman, a
spectacle for those that shall come after
to behold.
HOPEFUL: I am sorry that I was so foolish,
and am made to wonder that I am
not now as Lot’s wife; for wherein was the
difference betwixt her sin and
mine? She only looked back, and I had a
desire to go see. Let grace be
adored; and let me be ashamed that ever
such a thing should be in mine
heart.
CHRISTIAN: Let us take notice of what we
see here, for our help from time to
come. This woman escaped one judgment, for
she fell not by the destruction
of Sodom; yet she was destroyed by another,
as we see: she is turned into a
pillar of salt.
HOPEFUL: True, and she may be to us both
caution and example; caution, that
we should shun her sin; or a sign of what
judgment will overtake such as
shall not be prevented by this caution: so
Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, with
the two hundred and fifty
men that perished in their sin, did also
become a sign or example to others
to beware. Numb. 16:31,32; 26:9,10. But
above all, I muse at one thing, to
wit, how Demas and his fellows can stand so
confidently yonder to look for
that treasure, which this woman but for
looking behind her after, (for we
read not that she stepped one foot out of
the way,) was turned into a pillar
of salt; especially since the judgment
which overtook her did make her an
example within sight of where they are; for
they cannot choose but see her,
did they but lift up their eyes.
CHRISTIAN: It is a thing to be wondered at,
and it argueth that their hearts
are grown desperate in the case; and I
cannot tell who to compare them to so
fitly, as to them that pick pockets in the
presence of the judge, or that
will cut purses under the gallows. It is
said of the men of Sodom, that they
were “sinners exceedingly,” because they
were sinners “before the Lord,”
that is, in his eyesight, and
notwithstanding the kindnesses that he had
shown them; for the land of Sodom was now
like the garden of Eden as
heretofore. Gen. 13:10-13. This, therefore,
provoked him the more to
jealousy, and made their plague as hot as
the fire of the Lord out of heaven
could make it. And it is most rationally to
be concluded, that such, even
such as these are, that shall sin in the
sight, yea, and that too in despite
of such examples that are set continually
before them, to caution them to
the contrary, must be partakers of severest
judgments.
HOPEFUL: Doubtless thou hast said the
truth; but what a mercy is it, that
neither thou, but especially I, am not made
myself this example! This
ministereth occasion to us to thank God, to
fear before him, and always to
remember Lot’s wife.
I saw then that they went on their way to a
pleasant river, which David the
king called “the river of God;” but John,
“the river of the water of
life.” Psa. 65:9; Rev. 22:1; Ezek. 47:1-9.
Now their way lay just upon the
bank of this river: here, therefore,
Christian and his companion walked with
great delight; they drank also of the water
of the river, which was pleasant
and enlivening to their weary spirits.
Besides, on the banks of this river,
on either side, were green trees with all
manner of fruit; and the leaves
they ate to prevent surfeits, and other
diseases that are incident to those
that heat their blood by travel. On either
side of the river was also a
meadow, curiously beautified with lilies;
and it was green all the year
long. In this meadow they lay down and
slept, for here they might lie down
safely. Psa. 23:2; Isa. 14:30. When they
awoke they gathered again of the
fruit of the trees, and drank again of the
water of the river, and then lay
down again to sleep. Thus they did several
days and nights. Then they sang;
“Behold ye, how these Crystal Streams do
glide,
To comfort pilgrims by the highway-side.
The meadows green, besides their fragrant
smell,
Yield dainties for them; And he that can tell
What pleasant fruit, yea, leaves these
trees do yield,
Will soon sell all, that he may buy this
field.”
So when they were disposed to go on, (for
they were not as yet at their
journey’s end,) they ate, and drank, and
departed.
Now I beheld in my dream, that they had not
journeyed far, but the river and
the way for a time parted, at which they
were not a little sorry; yet they
durst not go out of the way. Now the way
from the river was rough, and their
feet tender by reason of their travels; so
the souls of the pilgrims were
much discouraged because of the way. Numb.
21:4. Wherefore, still as they
went on, they wished for a better way. Now,
a little before them, there was
on the left hand of the road a meadow, and
a stile to go over into it, and
that meadow is called By-path meadow. Then
said Christian to his fellow, If
this meadow lieth along by our wayside,
let’s go over into it. Then he went
to the stile to see, and behold a path lay
along by the way on the other
side of the fence. It is according to my
wish, said Christian; here is the
easiest going; come, good Hopeful, and let
us go over.
HOPEFUL: But how if this path should lead
us out of the way?
CHRISTIAN: That is not likely, said the
other. Look, doth it not go along by
the wayside? So Hopeful, being persuaded by
his fellow, went after him over
the stile. When they were gone over, and
were got into the path, they found
it very easy for their feet; and withal,
they, looking before them, espied a
man walking as they did, and his name was
Vain-Confidence: so they called
after him, and asked him whither that way
led. He said, To the Celestial
Gate. Look, said Christian, did not I tell
you so? by this you may see we
are right. So they followed, and he went
before them. But behold the night
came on, and it grew very dark; so that
they that went behind lost the sight
of him that went before.
He therefore that went before,
(Vain-Confidence by name,) not seeing the way
before him, fell into a deep pit, which was
on purpose there made, by the
prince of those grounds, to catch
vain-glorious fools withal, and was dashed
in pieces with his fall. Isa. 9:16.
Now, Christian and his fellow heard him
fall. So they called to know the
matter, but there was none to answer, only
they heard a groaning. Then said
Hopeful, Where are we now? Then was his
fellow silent, as mistrusting that
he had led him out of the way; and now it
began to rain, and thunder, and
lighten in a most dreadful manner, and the
water rose amain.
Then Hopeful groaned in himself, saying, Oh
that I had kept on my way!
CHRISTIAN: Who could have thought that this
path should have led us out of
the way?
HOPEFUL: I was afraid on’t at the very
first, and therefore gave you that
gentle caution. I would have spoke plainer,
but that you are older than I.
CHRISTIAN: Good brother, be not offended; I
am sorry I have brought thee out
of the way, and that I have put thee into such
imminent danger. Pray, my
brother, forgive me; I did not do it of an
evil intent.
HOPEFUL: Be comforted, my brother, for I
forgive thee; and believe, too,
that this shall be for our good.
CHRISTIAN: I am glad I have with me a
merciful brother: but we must not
stand here; let us try to go back again.
HOPEFUL: But, good brother, let me go
before.
CHRISTIAN: No, if you please, let me go
first, that if there be any danger,
I may be first therein, because by my means
we are both gone out of the way.
HOPEFUL: No, said Hopeful, you shall not go
first, for your mind being
troubled may lead you out of the way again.
Then for their encouragement
they heard the voice of one saying, “Let
thine heart be toward the highway,
even the way that thou wentest: turn
again.” Jer. 31:21. But by this time
the waters were greatly risen, by reason of
which the way of going back was
very dangerous. (Then I thought that it is
easier going out of the way when
we are in, than going in when we are out.)
Yet they adventured to go back;
but it was so dark, and the flood was so
high, that in their going back they
had like to have been drowned nine or ten
times.
Neither could they, with all the skill they
had, get again to the stile that
night. Wherefore at last, lighting under a
little shelter, they sat down
there till the day brake; but being weary,
they fell asleep. Now there was,
not far from the place where they lay, a
castle, called Doubting Castle, the
owner whereof was Giant Despair, and it was
in his grounds they now were
sleeping: wherefore he, getting up in the
morning early, and walking up and
down in his fields, caught Christian and
Hopeful asleep in his grounds. Then
with a grim and surly voice, he bid them
awake, and asked them whence they
were, and what they did in his grounds.
They told him they were pilgrims,
and that they had lost their way. Then said
the giant, You have this night
trespassed on me by trampling in and lying
on my grounds, and therefore you
must go along with me. So they were forced
to go, because he was stronger
than they. They also had but little to say,
for they knew themselves in a
fault. The giant, therefore, drove them
before him, and put them into his
castle, into a very dark dungeon, nasty and
stinking to the spirits of these
two men. Here, then, they lay from
Wednesday morning till Saturday night,
without one bit of bread, or drop of drink,
or light, or any to ask how they
did; they were, therefore, here in evil
case, and were far from friends and
acquaintance. Psa. 88:18. Now in this place
Christian had double sorrow,
because it was through his unadvised counsel
that they were brought into
this distress.
Now Giant Despair had a wife, and her name
was Diffidence: so when he was
gone to bed he told his wife what he had
done, to wit, that he had taken a
couple of prisoners, and cast them into his
dungeon for trespassing on his
grounds. Then he asked her also what he had
best do further to them. So she
asked him what they were, whence they came,
and whither they were bound, and
he told her. Then she counseled him, that
when he arose in the morning he
should beat them without mercy. So when he
arose, he getteth him a grievous
crab-tree cudgel, and goes down into the
dungeon to them, and there first
falls to rating of them as if they were
dogs, although they gave him never a
word of distaste. Then he falls upon them,
and beats them fearfully, in such
sort that they were not able to help
themselves, or to turn them upon the
floor. This done, he withdraws and leaves
them there to condole their
misery, and to mourn under their distress:
so all that day they spent the
time in nothing but sighs and bitter
lamentations. The next night, she,
talking with her husband further about
them, and understanding that they
were yet alive, did advise him to counsel
them to make away with themselves.
So when morning was come, he goes to them
in a surly manner, as before, and
perceiving them to be very sore with the
stripes that he had given them the
day before, he told them, that since they
were never like to come out of
that place, their only way would be
forthwith to make an end of themselves,
either with knife, halter, or poison; for
why, said he, should you choose to
live, seeing it is attended with so much
bitterness? But they desired him to
let them go. With that he looked ugly upon
them, and rushing to them, had
doubtless made an end of them himself, but
that he fell into one of his
fits, (for he sometimes in sunshiny weather
fell into fits,) and lost for a
time the use of his hands; wherefore he withdrew,
and left them as before to
consider what to do. Then did the prisoners
consult between themselves
whether it was best to take his counsel or
no; and thus they began to
discourse:
CHRISTIAN: Brother, said Christian, what
shall we do? The life that we now
live is miserable. For my part, I know not
whether it is best to live thus,
or to die out of hand. My soul chooseth
strangling rather than life, and the
grave is more easy for me than this
dungeon. Job. 7:15. Shall we be ruled by
the giant?
HOPEFUL: Indeed our present condition is
dreadful, and death would be far
more welcome to me than thus for ever to
abide; but yet, let us consider,
the Lord of the country to which we are
going hath said, “Thou shalt do no
murder,” no, not to another man’s person;
much more, then, are we forbidden
to take his counsel to kill ourselves.
Besides, he that kills another, can
but commit murder upon his body; but for
one to kill himself, is to kill
body and soul at once. And moreover, my
brother, thou talkest of ease in the
grave; but hast thou forgotten the hell
whither for certain the murderers
go? for “no murderer hath eternal life,”
etc. And let us consider again,
that all the law is not in the hand of
Giant Despair: others, so far as I
can understand, have been taken by him as
well as we, and yet have escaped
out of his hands. Who knows but that God,
who made the world, may cause that
Giant Despair may die; or that, at some
time or other, he may forget to lock
us in; or that he may, in a short time,
have another of his fits before us,
and may lose the use of his limbs? And if
ever that should come to pass
again, for my part, I am resolved to pluck
up the heart of a man, and to try
my utmost to get from under his hand. I was
a fool that I did not try to do
it before. But, however, my brother, let us
be patient, and endure a while:
the time may come that may give us a happy
release; but let us not be our
own murderers. With these words Hopeful at
present did moderate the mind of
his brother; so they continued together in
the dark that day, in their sad
and doleful condition.
Well, towards evening the giant goes down
into the dungeon again, to see if
his prisoners had taken his counsel. But
when he came there he found them
alive; and truly, alive was all; for now,
what for want of bread and water,
and by reason of the wounds they received
when he beat them, they could do
little but breathe. But I say, he found
them alive; at which he fell into a
grievous rage, and told them, that seeing
they had disobeyed his counsel, it
should be worse with them than if they had
never been born.
At this they trembled greatly, and I think
that Christian fell into a swoon;
but coming a little to himself again, they
renewed their discourse about the
giant’s counsel, and whether yet they had
best take it or no. Now Christian
again seemed for doing it; but Hopeful made
his second reply as followeth:
HOPEFUL: My brother, said he, rememberest
thou not how valiant thou hast
been heretofore? Apollyon could not crush
thee, nor could all that thou
didst hear, or see, or feel, in the Valley
of the Shadow of Death. What
hardship, terror, and amazement hast thou
already gone through; and art thou
now nothing but fears! Thou seest that I am
in the dungeon with thee, a far
weaker man by nature than thou art. Also
this giant hath wounded me as well
as thee, and hath also cut off the bread
and water from my mouth, and with
thee I mourn without the light. But let us
exercise a little more patience.
Remember how thou playedst the man at
Vanity Fair, and wast neither afraid
of the chain nor cage, nor yet of bloody
death: wherefore let us (at least
to avoid the shame that it becomes not a
Christian to be found in) bear up
with patience as well as we can.
Now night being come again, and the giant
and his wife being in bed, she
asked him concerning the prisoners, and if
they had taken his counsel: to
which he replied, They are sturdy rogues;
they choose rather to bear all
hardships than to make away with
themselves. Then said she, Take them into
the castle-yard to-morrow, and show them
the bones and skulls of those that
thou hast already dispatched, and make them
believe, ere a week comes to an
end, thou wilt tear them in pieces, as thou
hast done their fellows before
them.
So when the morning was come, the giant goes
to them again, and takes them
into the castle-yard, and shows them as his
wife had bidden him. These, said
he, were pilgrims, as you are, once, and
they trespassed on my grounds, as
you have done; and when I thought fit I
tore them in pieces; and so within
ten days I will do you: get you down to
your den again. And with that he
beat them all the way thither. They lay,
therefore, all day on Saturday in a
lamentable case, as before. Now, when night
was come, and when Mrs.
Diffidence and her husband the giant was
got to bed, they began to renew
their discourse of their prisoners; and
withal, the old giant wondered that
he could neither by his blows nor counsel
bring them to an end. And with
that his wife replied, I fear, said she,
that they live in hopes that some
will come to relieve them; or that they
have picklocks about them, by the
means of which they hope to escape. And
sayest thou so, my dear? said the
giant; I will therefore search them in the
morning.
Well, on Saturday, about midnight they
began to pray, and continued in
prayer till almost break of day.
Now, a little before it was day, good
Christian, as one half amazed, brake
out into this passionate speech: What a
fool, quoth he, am I, thus to lie in
a stinking dungeon, when I may as well walk
at liberty! I have a key in my
bosom, called Promise, that will, I am
persuaded, open any lock in Doubting
Castle. Then said Hopeful, That is good
news; good brother, pluck it out of
thy bosom, and try.
Then Christian pulled it out of his bosom,
and began to try at the
dungeon-door, whose bolt, as he turned the
key, gave back, and the door flew
open with ease, and Christian and Hopeful
both came out. Then he went to the
outward door that leads into the
castle-yard, and with his key opened that
door also. After he went to the iron gate,
for that must be opened too; but
that lock went desperately hard, yet the
key did open it. They then thrust
open the gate to make their escape with
speed; but that gate, as it opened,
made such a creaking, that it waked Giant
Despair, who hastily rising to
pursue his prisoners, felt his limbs to
fail, for his fits took him again,
so that he could by no means go after them.
Then they went on, and came to
the King’s highway, and so were safe,
because they were out of his
jurisdiction.
Now, when they were gone over the stile,
they began to contrive with
themselves what they should do at that
stile, to prevent those that shall
come after from falling into the hands of
Giant Despair. So they consented
to erect there a pillar, and to engrave
upon the side thereof this sentence:
“Over this stile is the way to Doubting
Castle, which is kept by Giant
Despair, who despiseth the King of’ the
Celestial country, and seeks to
destroy his holy pilgrims.” Many,
therefore, that followed after, read what
was written, and escaped the danger. This
done, they sang as follows:
“Out of the way we went, and then we found
What ‘twas to tread upon forbidden ground:
And let them that come after have a care,
Lest heedlessness makes them as we to fare;
Lest they, for trespassing, his prisoners
are,
Whose castle’s Doubting, and whose name’s
Despair.”
_________________________________________________________________