John Bunyan............................................................................................................................................1

{10} As I walked through the wilderness of this world, I lighted on a certain place where was a Den (The

Jail/Gaol), and I laid me down in that place to sleep: and, as I slept, I dreamed a dream. I dreamed, and

behold, I saw a man clothed with rags, standing in a certain place, with his face from his own house, a book

in his hand, and a great burden upon his back. [Isa. 64:6; Luke 14:33; Ps. 38:4; Hab. 2:2; Acts 16:30,31] I

looked, and saw him open the book, and read therein; and, as he read, he wept, and trembled; and, not being

able longer to contain, (His Outcry) he brake out with a lamentable cry, saying, "What shall I do?" [Acts

{11} In this plight, therefore, he went home and refrained himself as long as he could, that his wife and

children should not perceive his distress; but he could not be silent long, because that his trouble increased.

Wherefore at length he brake his mind to his wife and children; and thus he began to talk to them: O my dear

wife, said he, and you the children of my bowels, I, your dear friend, am in myself undone by reason of a

burden that lieth hard upon me; moreover, I am for certain informed that this our city (This world) will be

burned with fire from heaven; in which fearful overthrow, both myself, with thee my wife, and you my sweet

babes, shall miserably come to ruin, except (the which yet I see not) some way of escape can be found,

whereby we may be delivered. (He knows not the way yet/He knows no way of escape as of yet) At this his

relations were sore amazed; not for that they believed that what he had said to them was true, but because

they thought that some frenzy distemper had got into his head; therefore, it drawing towards night, and they

hoping that sleep might settle his brains, with all haste they got him to bed. But the night was as troublesome

to him as the day; wherefore, instead of sleeping, he spent it in sighs and tears. So, when the morning was

come, they would know how he did. He told them, Worse and worse: he also set to talking to them again; but

They also thought to drive away his distemper by harsh and surly carriages to him; sometimes they would

deride, sometimes they would chide, and sometimes they would quite neglect him. Wherefore he began to

retire himself to his chamber, to pray for and pity them, and also to condole his own misery; he would also

walk solitarily in the fields, sometimes reading, and sometimes praying: and thus for some days he spent his

{12} Now, I saw, upon a time, when he was walking in the fields, that he was, as he was wont, reading in his

book, and greatly distressed in his mind; and, as he read, he burst out, as he had done before, crying, "What

{13} I saw also that he looked this way and that way, as if he would run; yet he stood still, because, as I

perceived, he could not tell which way to go. I looked then, and saw a man named Evangelist coming to him

{14} He answered, Sir, I perceive by the book in my hand, that I am condemned to die, and after that to come

to judgement [Heb. 9:27]; and I find that I am not willing to do the first [Job 16:21], nor able to do the

{15} Then said Evangelist, Why not willing to die, since this life is attended with so many evils? The man

answered, Because I fear that this burden is upon my back will sink me lower than the grave, and I shall fall

into Tophet. [Isa. 30:33] And, Sir, if I be not fit to go to prison, I am not fit, I am sure, to go to judgement,

Then said Evangelist, If this be thy condition, why standest thou still? He answered, Because I know not

whither to go. Then he gave him a parchment roll, and there was written within, Flee from the wrath to come.

{17} The man therefore read it, and looking upon Evangelist very carefully, said, Whither must I fly? Then

said Evangelist, pointing with his finger over a very wide field, Do you see yonder wicketgate? [Matt.

7:13,14] (Christ, and the way to Him cannot be found without the Word) The man said, No. Then said the

other, Do you see yonder shining light? [Ps. 119:105; 2 Pet. 1:19] He said, I think I do. Then said Evangelist,

Keep that light in your eye, and go up directly thereto: so shalt thou see the gate; at which, when thou

Now, he had not run far from his own door, but his wife and children, perceiving it, began to cry after him to

return; but the man put his fingers in his ears, and ran on, crying, Life! life! eternal life! [Luke 14:26] So he

The neighbours also came out to see him run [Jer. 20:10]; and, as he ran, some mocked, others threatened,

and some cried after him to return; and, among those that did so, there were two that resolved to fetch him

The name of the one was Obstinate and the name of the other Pliable. Now, by this time, the man was got a

good distance from them; but, however, they were resolved to pursue him, which they did, and in a little time

they overtook him. Then said the man, Neighbours, wherefore are ye come? They said, To persuade you to

go back with us. But he said, That can by no means be; you dwell, said he, in the City of Destruction, the

place also where I was born: I see it to be so; and, dying there, sooner or later, you will sink lower than the

grave, into a place that burns with fire and brimstone: be content, good neighbours, and go along with me.

{20} OBST. What! said Obstinate, and leave our friends and our comforts behind us?

CHR. Yes, said Christian, for that was his name, because that ALL which you shall forsake is not worthy to

be compared with a little of that which I am seeking to enjoy [2 Cor. 4:18]; and, if you will go along with me,

and hold it, you shall fare as I myself; for there, where I go, is enough and to spare. [Luke 15:17] Come away,

{21} OBST. What are the things you seek, since you leave all the world to find them?

CHR. I seek an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away [1 Pet. 1:4], and it is laid up in

heaven, and safe there [Heb. 11:16], to be bestowed, at the time appointed, on them that diligently seek it.

OBST. Tush! said Obstinate, away with your book; will you go back with us or no?

CHR. No, not I, said the other, because I have laid my hand to the plough. [Luke 9:62]

{22} OBST. Come, then, neighbour Pliable, let us turn again, and go home without him; there is a company

of these crazyheaded coxcombs, that, when they take a fancy by the end, are wiser in their own eyes than

PLI. Then said Pliable, Don't revile; if what the good Christian says is true, the things he looks after are

OBST. What! more fools still! Be ruled by me, and go back; who knows whither such a brainsick fellow

CHR. Nay, but do thou come with thy neighbour, Pliable; there are such things to be had which I spoke of,

and many more glorious besides. If you believe not me, read here in this book; and for the truth of what is

expressed therein, behold, all is confirmed by the blood of Him that made it. [Heb. 9:1722; 13:20]

PLI. Well, neighbour Obstinate, said Pliable, (Pliable contented to go with Christian) I begin to come to a

point; I intend to go along with this good man, and to cast in my lot with him: but, my good companion, do

{24} CHR. I am directed by a man, whose name is Evangelist, to speed me to a little gate that is before us,

OBST. And I will go back to my place, said Obstinate; (Obstinate goes railing back) I will be no companion

{25} Now, I saw in my dream, that when Obstinate was gone back, Christian and Pliable went talking over

the plain; and thus they began their discourse. (Talk between Christian and Pliable)

{26} CHR. Come, neighbour Pliable, how do you do? I am glad you are persuaded to go along with me. Had

even Obstinate himself but felt what I have felt of the powers and terrors of what is yet unseen, he would not

PLI. Come, neighbour Christian, since there are none but us two here, tell me now further what the things

{27} CHR. I can better conceive of them with my mind, than speak of them with my tongue (God's things

unspeakable): but yet, since you are desirous to know, I will read of them in my book.

CHR. There is an endless kingdom to be inhabited, and everlasting life to be given us, that we may inhabit

CHR. There are crowns and glory to be given us, and garments that will make us shine like the sun in the

CHR. There shall be no more crying, nor Sorrow: for He that is owner of the place will wipe all tears from

CHR. There we shall be with seraphims and cherubims, creatures that will dazzle your eyes to look on them.

[Isa. 6:2] There also you shall meet with thousands and ten thousands that have gone before us to that place;

none of them are hurtful, but loving and holy; every one walking in the sight of God, and standing in his

presence with acceptance for ever. [1 Thess. 4:16,17; Rev. 5:11] In a word, there we shall see the elders with

their golden crowns [Rev. 4:4], there we shall see the holy virgins with their golden harps [Rev. 14:15],

there we shall see men that by the world were cut in pieces, burnt in flames, eaten of beasts, drowned in the

seas, for the love that they bare to the Lord of the place, all well, and clothed with immortality as with a

PLI. The hearing of this is enough to ravish one's heart. But are these things to be enjoyed? How shall we get

CHR. The Lord, the Governor of the country, hath recorded that in this book; the substance of which is, If we

PLI. Well, my good companion, glad am I to hear of these things: come on, let us mend our pace.

CHR. I cannot go so fast as I would, by reason of this burden that is on my back.

Now I saw in my dream, that just as they had ended this talk they drew near to a very miry slough, that was in

the midst of the plain; and they, being heedless, did both fall suddenly into the bog. The name of the slough

was Despond. Here, therefore, they wallowed for a time, being grievously bedaubed with the dirt; and

Christian, because of the burden that was on his back, began to sink in the mire.

PLI. At this Pliable began to be offended, and angrily said to his fellow, Is this the happiness you have told

me all this while of? If we have such ill speed at our first setting out, what may we expect betwixt this and

our journey's end? May I get out again with my life, you shall possess the brave country alone for me. (It is

not enough to be pliable) And, with that, he gave a desperate struggle or two, and got out of the mire on that

side of the slough which was next to his own house: so away he went, and Christian saw him no more.

{31} Wherefore Christian was left to tumble in the Slough of Despond alone: but still he endeavoured to

struggle to that side of the slough that was still further from his own house, and next to the wicketgate;

the which he did, but could not get out, because of the burden that was upon his back: but I beheld in my

dream, that a man came to him, whose name was Help, and asked him, What he did there?

CHR. Sir, said Christian, I was bid go this way by a man called Evangelist, who directed me also to yonder

gate, that I might escape the wrath to come; and as I was going thither I fell in here.

HELP. Then said he, Give me thy hand: so he gave him his hand, and he drew him out, and set him upon

{33} Then I stepped to him that plucked him out, and said, Sir, wherefore, since over this place is the way

from the City of Destruction to yonder gate, is it that this plat is not mended, that poor travellers might go

thither with more security? And he said unto me, (What makes the Slough of Despond) This miry slough is

such a place as cannot be mended; it is the descent whither the scum and filth that attends conviction for sin

doth continually run, and therefore it is called the Slough of Despond; for still, as the sinner is awakened

about his lost condition, there ariseth in his soul many fears, and doubts, and discouraging apprehensions,

which all of them get together, and settle in this place. And this is the reason of the badness of this ground.

{34} It is not the pleasure of the King that this place should remain so bad. [Isa. 35:3,4] His labourers also

have, by the direction of His Majesty's surveyors, been for above these sixteen hundred years employed about

this patch of ground, if perhaps it might have been mended: yea, and to my knowledge, said he, here have

been swallowed up at least twenty thousand cartloads, yea, millions of wholesome instructions, that have at

all seasons been brought from all places of the King's dominions, and they that can tell, say they are the best

materials to make good ground of the place; if so be, it might have been mended, but it is the Slough of

True, there are, by the direction of the Lawgiver, certain good and substantial steps, placed even through the

very midst of this slough; but at such time as this place doth much spew out its filth, as it doth against change

of weather, these steps are hardly seen; or, if they be, men, through the dizziness of their heads, step beside,

and then they are bemired to purpose, notwithstanding the steps be there; but the ground is good when they

Now, I saw in my dream, that by this time Pliable was got home to his house again, so that his neighbours

came to visit him; (His entertainment by them at his return) and some of them called him wise man for

coming back, and some called him fool for hazarding himself with Christian: others again did mock at his

cowardliness; saying, Surely, since you began to venture, I would not have been so base to have given out for

a few difficulties. So Pliable sat sneaking among them. But at last he got more confidence, and then they all

turned their tales, and began to deride poor Christian behind his back. And thus much concerning Pliable.

Now, as Christian was walking solitarily by himself, he espied one afar off, come crossing over the field to

meet him; and their hap was to meet just as they were crossing the way of each other. The gentleman's name

that met him was Mr. Worldly Wiseman, he dwelt in the town of Carnal Policy, a very great town, and also

hard by from whence Christian came. This man, then, meeting with Christian, and having some inkling of

him, for Christian's setting forth from the City of Destruction was much noised abroad, not only in the

town where he dwelt, but also it began to be the town talk in some other places, Mr. Worldly Wiseman,

therefore, having some guess of him, by beholding his laborious going, by observing his sighs and groans,

CHR. A burdened manner, indeed, as ever, I think, poor creature had! And whereas you ask me, Whither

away? I tell you, Sir, I am going to yonder wicketgate before me; for there, as I am informed, I shall be put

CHR. Yes; but I am so laden with this burden that I cannot take that pleasure in them as formerly; methinks I

WORLD. I would advise thee, then, that thou with all speed get thyself rid of thy burden; for thou wilt never

be settled in thy mind till then; nor canst thou enjoy the benefits of the blessing which God hath bestowed

CHR. That is that which I seek for, even to be rid of this heavy burden; but get it off myself, I cannot; nor is

there any man in our country that can take it off my shoulders; therefore am I going this way, as I told you,

CHR. A man that appeared to me to be a very great and honourable person; his name, as I remember, is

WORLD. I beshrew him for his counsel! there is not a more dangerous and troublesome way in the world

than is that unto which he hath directed thee; and that thou shalt find, if thou wilt be ruled by his counsel.

Thou hast met with something, as I perceive, already; for I see the dirt of the Slough of Despond is upon thee;

but that slough is the beginning of the sorrows that do attend those that go on in that way. Hear me, I am

older than thou; thou art like to meet with, in the way which thou goest, wearisomeness, painfulness, hunger,

perils, nakedness, sword, lions, dragons, darkness, and, in a word, death, and what not! These things are

certainly true, having been confirmed by many testimonies. And why should a man so carelessly cast away

CHR. Why, Sir, this burden upon my back is more terrible to me than all these things which you have

mentioned; nay, methinks I care not what I meet with in the way, if so be I can also meet with deliverance

{41} (Worldly Wiseman does not like that men should be serious in reading the Bible)

WORLD. I thought so; and it is happened unto thee as to other weak men, who, meddling with things too

high for them, do suddenly fall into thy distractions; which distractions do not only unman men, as thine, I

perceive, have done thee, but they run them upon desperate ventures to obtain they know not what.

WORLD. But why wilt thou seek for ease this way, seeing so many dangers attend it? especially since, hadst

thou but patience to hear me, I could direct thee to the obtaining of what thou desirest, without the dangers

that thou in this way wilt run thyself into; yea, and the remedy is at hand. Besides, I will add, that instead of

{43} WORLD. Why, in yonder villagethe village is named Morality there dwells a gentleman whose

name is Legality, a very judicious man, and a man of very good name, that has skill to help men off with such

burdens as thine are from their shoulders: yea, to my knowledge, he hath done a great deal of good this way;

ay, and besides, he hath skill to cure those that are somewhat crazed in their wits with their burdens. To him,

as I said, thou mayest go, and be helped presently. His house is not quite a mile from this place, and if he

should not be at home himself, he hath a pretty young man to his son, whose name is Civility, that can do it

as well as the old gentleman himself; there, I say, thou mayest be eased of thy burden; and if thou art not

minded to go back to thy former habitation, as, indeed, I would not wish thee, thou mayest send for thy wife

and children to thee to this village, where there are houses now stand empty, one of which thou mayest have

at reasonable rates; provision is there also cheap and good; and that which will make thy life the more happy

is, to be sure, there thou shalt live by honest neighbours, in credit and good fashion.

Now was Christian somewhat at a stand; but presently he concluded, if this be true, which this gentleman

hath said, my wisest course is to take his advice; and with that he thus further spoke.

So Christian turned out of his way to go to Mr. Legality's house for help; but, behold, when he was got now

hard by the hill, it seemed so high, and also that side of it that was next the wayside did hang so much over,

that Christian was afraid to venture further, lest the hill should fall on his head; wherefore there he stood still

and wotted not what to do. Also his burden now seemed heavier to him than while he was in his way. There

came also flashes of fire out of the hill, that made Christian afraid that he should be burned. [Ex. 19:16,18]

{47} (Evangelist findeth Christian under Mount Sinai, and looketh severely upon him)

And now he began to be sorry that he had taken Mr. Worldly Wiseman's counsel. And with that he saw

Evangelist coming to meet him; at the sight also of whom he began to blush for shame. So Evangelist drew

nearer and nearer; and coming up to him, he looked upon him with a severe and dreadful countenance, and

EVAN. What dost thou here, Christian? said he: at which words Christian knew not what to answer;

wherefore at present he stood speechless before him. Then said Evangelist further, Art not thou the man that I

EVAN. How is it, then, that thou art so quickly turned aside? for thou art now out of the way.

{49} CHR. I met with a gentleman so soon as I had got over the Slough of Despond, who persuaded me that

CHR. He looked like a gentleman, and talked much to me, and got me at last to yield; so I came hither; but

when I beheld this hill, and how it hangs over the way, I suddenly made a stand lest it should fall on my head.

CHR. He asked me if I had a family? And I told him. But, said I, I am so loaden with the burden that is on

{50} CHR. He bid me with speed get rid of my burden; and I told him that it was ease that I sought. And said

I, I am therefore going to yonder gate, to receive further direction how I may get to the place of deliverance.

So he said that he would shew me a better way, and short, not so attended with difficulties as the way, Sir,

that you set me in; which way, said he, will direct you to a gentleman's house that hath skill to take off these

burdens, so I believed him, and turned out of that way into this, if haply I might be soon eased of my burden.

But when I came to this place, and beheld things as they are, I stopped for fear (as I said) of danger: but I now

EVAN. Then, said Evangelist, stand still a little, that I may show thee the words of God. So he stood

trembling. Then said Evangelist, "See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who

refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from

heaven." [Heb. 12:25] He said, moreover, "Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my

soul shall have no pleasure in him." [Heb. 10:38] He also did thus apply them: Thou art the man that art

running into this misery; thou hast begun to reject the counsel of the Most High, and to draw back thy foot

{52} Then Christian fell down at his feet as dead, crying, "Woe is me, for I am undone!" At the sight of

which Evangelist caught him by the right hand, saying, "All manner of sin and blasphemies shall be forgiven

unto men." [Matt. 12:31, Mark 3:28] "Be not faithless, but believing." [John 20:27] Then did Christian again

Then Evangelist proceeded, saying, Give more earnest heed to the things that I shall tell thee of. I will now

show thee who it was that deluded thee, and who it was also to whom he sent thee. The man that met thee

is one Worldly Wiseman, and rightly is he so called; partly, because he savoureth only the doctrine of this

world, [1 John 4:5] (therefore he always goes to the town of Morality to church): and partly because he loveth

that doctrine best, for it saveth him best from the cross. [Gal 6:12] And because he is of this carnal temper,

therefore he seeketh to pervert my ways, though right. Now there are three things in this man's counsel, that

{54} First, Thou must abhor his turning thee out of the way; and thine own consenting thereunto: because

this is to reject the counsel of God for the sake of the counsel of a Worldly Wiseman. The Lord says, "Strive

to enter in at the strait gate" [Luke 13:24], the gate to which I sent thee; for "strait is the gate that leadeth unto

life, and few there be that find it." [Matt. 7:14] From this little wicketgate, and from the way thereto, hath

this wicked man turned thee, to the bringing of thee almost to destruction; hate, therefore, his turning thee out

{55} Secondly, Thou must abhor his labouring to render the cross odious unto thee; for thou art to prefer it

"before the treasures in Egypt." [Heb. 11:25,26] Besides the King of glory hath told thee, that he that "will

save his life shall lose it." [Mark 8:35; John 12:25; Matt. 10:39] And, "He that cometh after me, and hateth

not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he

cannot be my disciple." [Luke 14:26] I say, therefore, for man to labour to persuade thee, that that shall be thy

death, without which, THE TRUTH hath said, thou canst not have eternal life; this doctrine thou must abhor.

{56} Thirdly, Thou must hate his setting of thy feet in the way that leadeth to the ministration of death. And

for this thou must consider to whom he sent thee, and also how unable that person was to deliver thee from

He to whom thou wast sent for ease, being by name Legality, is the son of the bondwoman which now is,

and is in bondage with her children [Gal 4:2127]; and is, in a mystery, this Mount Sinai, which thou hast

feared will fall on thy head. Now, if she, with her children, are in bondage, how canst thou expect by them to

be made free? This Legality, therefore, is not able to set thee free from thy burden. No man was as yet ever

rid of his burden by him; no, nor ever is like to be: ye cannot be justified by the works of the law; for by the

deeds of the law no man living can be rid of his burden: therefore, Mr. Worldly Wiseman is an alien, and Mr.

Legality is a cheat; and for his son Civility, notwithstanding his simpering looks, he is but a hypocrite and

cannot help thee. Believe me, there is nothing in all this noise, that thou hast heard of these sottish men, but a

design to beguile thee of thy salvation, by turning thee from the way in which I had set thee. After this,

Evangelist called aloud to the heavens for confirmation of what he had said: and with that there came words

and fire out of the mountain under which poor Christian stood, that made the hair of his flesh stand up. The

words were thus pronounced: `As many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written,

Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.'

{58} Now Christian looked for nothing but death, and began to cry out lamentably; even cursing the time in

which he met with Mr. Worldly Wiseman; still calling himself a thousand fools for hearkening to his counsel;

he also was greatly ashamed to think that this gentleman's arguments, flowing only from the flesh, should

have the prevalency with him as to cause him to forsake the right way. This done, he applied himself again to

CHR. Sir, what think you? Is there hope? May I now go back and go up to the wicketgate? Shall I not be

abandoned for this, and sent back from thence ashamed? I am sorry I have hearkened to this man's counsel.

EVAN. Then said Evangelist to him, Thy sin is very great, for by it thou hast committed two evils: thou hast

forsaken the way that is good, to tread in forbidden paths; yet will the man at the gate receive thee, for he has

goodwill for men; only, said he, take heed that thou turn not aside again, `lest thou perish from the way, when

his wrath is kindled but a little.' [Ps. 2:12] Then did Christian address himself to go back; and Evangelist,

after he had kissed him, gave him one smile, and bid him Godspeed. So he went on with haste, neither spake

he to any man by the way; nor, if any asked him, would he vouchsafe them an answer. He went like one that

was all the while treading on forbidden ground, and could by no means think himself safe, till again he was

got into the way which he left, to follow Mr. Worldly Wiseman's counsel. So, in process of time, Christian

got up to the gate. Now, over the gate there was written, `Knock, and it shall be opened unto you.' [Matt 7:8]

At last there came a grave person to the gate, named Goodwill, who asked who was there? and whence he

{61} CHR. Here is a poor burdened sinner. I come from the City of Destruction, but am going to Mount

Zion, that I may be delivered from the wrath to come. I would therefore, Sir, since I am informed that by this

GOODWILL. I am willing with all my heart, said he; and with that he opened the gate.

{62} So when Christian was stepping in, the other gave him a pull. Then said Christian, What means that?

The other told him. A little distance from this gate, there is erected a strong castle, of which Beelzebub is the

captain; (Satan envies those that enter the strait gate) from thence, both he and them that are with him shoot

arrows at those that come up to this gate, if haply they may die before they can enter in.

Then said Christian, I rejoice and tremble. So when he was got in, the man of the gate asked him who

CHR. Evangelist bid me come hither, and knock, (as I did); and he said that you, Sir, would tell me what I

CHR. Yes; my wife and children saw me at the first, and called after me to turn again; also, some of my

neighbours stood crying and calling after me to return; but I put my fingers in my ears, and so came on my

CHR. Yes, both Obstinate and Pliable; but when they saw that they could not prevail, Obstinate went railing

{64} (A man may have company when he sets out for heaven, and yet go thither alone)

CHR. We, indeed, came both together, until we came at the Slough of Despond, into the which we also

suddenly fell. And then was my neighbour, Pliable, discouraged, and would not venture further. Wherefore,

getting out again on that side next to his own house, he told me I should possess the brave country alone for

him; so he went his way, and I came mine he after Obstinate, and I to this gate.

GOODWILL. Then said Goodwill, Alas, poor man! is the celestial glory of so small esteem with him,

that he counteth it not worth running the hazards of a few difficulties to obtain it?

CHR. Truly, said Christian, I have said the truth of Pliable, and if I should also say all the truth of myself, it

will appear there is no betterment betwixt him and myself. It is true, he went back to his own house, but I also

turned aside to go in the way of death, being persuaded thereto by the carnal arguments of one Mr. Worldly

GOODWILL. Oh, did he light upon you? What! he would have had you a sought for ease at the hands of

Mr. Legality. They are, both of them, a very cheat. But did you take his counsel?

CHR. Yes, as far as I durst; I went to find out Mr. Legality, until I thought that the mountain that stands by

GOODWILL. That mountain has been the death of many, and will be the death of many more; it is well

CHR. Why, truly, I do not know what had become of me there, had not Evangelist happily met me again, as I

was musing in the midst of my dumps; but it was God's mercy that he came to me again, for else I had never

come hither. But now I am come, such a one as I am, more fit, indeed, for death, by that mountain, than thus

to stand talking with my lord; but, oh, what a favour is this to me, that yet I am admitted entrance here!

GOODWILL. We make no objections against any, notwithstanding all that they have done before they

came hither. They are in no wise cast out [John vi.37]; and therefore, good Christian, come a little way with

me, and I will teach thee about the way thou must go. (Christian directed yet on his way) Look before thee;

dost thou see this narrow way? THAT is the way thou must go; it was cast up by the patriarchs, prophets,

Christ, and his apostles; and it is as straight as a rule can make it. This is the way thou must go.

CHR. But, said Christian, are there no turnings or windings by which a stranger may lose his way?

GOODWILL. Yes, there are many ways butt down upon this, and they are crooked and wide. But thus thou

mayest distinguish the right from the wrong, the right only being straight and narrow. [Matt 7:14]

Then I saw in my dream that Christian asked him further if he could not help him off with his burden that was

upon his back; for as yet he had not got rid thereof, nor could he by any means get it off without help.

(There is no deliverance from guilt and burden of sin, but by the death and blood of Christ)

He told him, As to thy burden, be content to bear it, until thou comest to the place of deliverance; for there it

{69} Then Christian began to gird up his loins, and to address himself to his journey. So the other told him,

That by that he was gone some distance from the gate, he would come at the house of the Interpreter, at

whose door he should knock, and he would show him excellent things. Then Christian took his leave of his

Then he went on till he came to the house of the Interpreter, where he knocked over and over; at last one

{71} CHR. Sir, here is a traveller, who was bid by an acquaintance of the goodman of this house to call

here for my profit; I would therefore speak with the master of the house. So he called for the master of the

house, who, after a little time, came to Christian, and asked him what he would have.

CHR. Sir, said Christian, I am a man that am come from the City of Destruction, and am going to the Mount

Zion; and I was told by the man that stands at the gate, at the head of this way, that if I called here, you would

INTER. Then said the Interpreter, Come in; I will show that which will be profitable to thee. So he

commanded his man to light the candle, and bid Christian follow him: so he had him into a private room,

(Christian sees a grave picture) and bid his man open a door; the which when he had done, Christian saw the

picture of a very grave person hang up against the wall; and this was the fashion of it. (The fashion of the

picture) It had eyes lifted up to heaven, the best of books in his hand, the law of truth was written upon his

lips, the world was behind his back. It stood as if it pleaded with men, and a crown of gold did hang over his

INTER. The man whose picture this is, is one of a thousand; he can beget children [1 Cor. 4:15], travail in

birth with children [Gal. 4:19], and nurse them himself when they are born. And whereas thou seest him with

his eyes lift up to heaven, the best of books in his hand, and the law of truth writ on his lips, it is to show thee

that his work is to know and unfold dark things to sinners; even as also thou seest him stand as if he pleaded

with men: and whereas thou seest the world as cast behind him, and that a crown hangs over his head, that is

to show thee that slighting and despising the things that are present, for the love that he hath to his Master's

service, he is sure in the world that comes next to have glory for his reward. (Why he showed him the picture

Now, said the Interpreter, I have showed thee this picture first, because the man whose picture this is, is the

only man whom the Lord of the place whither thou art going, hath authorised to be thy guide in all difficult

places thou mayest meet with in the way; wherefore, take good heed to what I have shewed thee, and bear

well in thy mind what thou hast seen, lest in thy journey thou meet with some that pretend to lead thee right,

{74} Then he took him by the hand, and led him into a very large parlour that was full of dust, because never

swept; the which after he had reviewed a little while, the Interpreter called for a man to sweep. Now, when he

began to sweep, the dust began so abundantly to fly about, that Christian had almost therewith been choked.

Then said the Interpreter to a damsel that stood by, Bring hither the water, and sprinkle the room; the which,

INTER. The Interpreter answered, This parlour is the heart of a man that was never sanctified by the sweet

grace of the gospel; the dust is his original sin and inward corruptions, that have defiled the whole man. He

that began to sweep at first, is the Law; but she that brought water, and did sprinkle it, is the Gospel. Now,

whereas thou sawest, that so soon as the first began to sweep, the dust did so fly about that the room by him

could not be cleansed, but that thou wast almost choked therewith; this is to shew thee, that the law, instead

of cleansing the heart (by its working) from sin, doth revive, put strength into, and increase it in the soul,

even as it doth discover and forbid it, for it doth not give power to subdue. [Rom. 7:6; 1 Cor. 15:56; Rom.

{76} Again, as thou sawest the damsel sprinkle the room with water, upon which it was cleansed with

pleasure; this is to show thee, that when the gospel comes in the sweet and precious influences thereof to the

heart, then, I say, even as thou sawest the damsel lay the dust by sprinkling the floor with water, so is sin

vanquished and subdued, and the soul made clean through the faith of it, and consequently fit for the King of

{77} I saw, moreover, in my dream, that the Interpreter took him by the hand, and had him into a little room,

where sat two little children, each one in his chair. (He showed him passion and patience)

The name of the eldest was Passion, and the name of the other Patience. Passion seemed to be much

discontented; but Patience was very quiet. Then Christian asked, What is the reason of the discontent of

The Interpreter answered, The Governor of them would have him stay for his best things till the beginning of

Then I saw that one came to Passion, and brought him a bag of treasure, and poured it down at his feet, the

which he took up and rejoiced therein, and withal laughed Patience to scorn. (And quickly lavishes all away)

But I beheld but a while, and he had lavished all away, and had nothing left him but rags.

{78} CHR. Then said Christian to the Interpreter, Expound this matter more fully to me.

INTER. So he said, These two lads are figures: Passion, of the men of this world; and Patience, of the men of

that which is to come; for as here thou seest, Passion will have all now this year, that is to say, in this world;

so are the men of this world, they must have all their good things now, they cannot stay till next year, that is

until the next world, for their portion of good. (The worldly man for a bird in the hand) That proverb, `A bird

in the hand is worth two in the bush', is of more authority with them than are all the Divine testimonies of the

good of the world to come. But as thou sawest that he had quickly lavished all away, and had presently left

CHR. Then said Christian, Now I see that Patience has the best wisdom, and that upon many accounts. First,

because he stays for the best things. Second, and also because he will have the glory of his, when the other

{79} (Things that are first must give place; but things that are last are lasting)

INTER. Nay, you may add another, to wit, the glory of the next world will never wear out; but these are

suddenly gone. Therefore Passion had not so much reason to laugh at Patience, because he had his good

things first, as Patience will have to laugh at Passion, because he had his best things last; for first must give

place to last, because last must have his time to come; but last gives place to nothing; for there is not another

to succeed. He, therefore, that hath his portion first, must needs have a time to spend it; but he that hath his

portion last, must have it lastingly; (Dives had his good things first) therefore it is said of Dives, "Thou in thy

lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted, and thou art

CHR. Then I perceive it is not best to covet things that are now, but to wait for things to come.

INTER. You say the truth: "For the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are

eternal." [2 Cor. 4:18] But though this be so, yet since things present and our fleshly appetite are such near

neighbours one to another; and again, because things to come, and carnal sense, are such strangers one to

another; therefore it is, that the first of these so suddenly fall into amity, and that distance is so continued

{80} Then I saw in my dream that the Interpreter took Christian by the hand, and led him into a place where

was a fire burning against a wall, and one standing by it, always casting much water upon it, to quench it; yet

{81} The Interpreter answered, This fire is the work of grace that is wrought in the heart; he that casts water

upon it, to extinguish and put it out, is the Devil; but in that thou seest the fire notwithstanding burn higher

and hotter, thou shalt also see the reason of that. So he had him about to the backside of the wall, where he

saw a man with a vessel of oil in his hand, of the which he did also continually cast, but secretly, into the fire.

{82} The Interpreter answered, This is Christ, who continually, with the oil of his grace, maintains the work

already begun in the heart: by the means of which, notwithstanding what the devil can do, the souls of his

people prove gracious still. [2 Cor. 12:9] And in that thou sawest that the man stood behind the wall to

maintain the fire, that is to teach thee that it is hard for the tempted to see how this work of grace is

I saw also, that the Interpreter took him again by the hand, and led him into a pleasant place, where was

builded a stately palace, beautiful to behold; at the sight of which Christian was greatly delighted. He saw

also, upon the top thereof, certain persons walking, who were clothed all in gold.

Then the Interpreter took him, and led him up towards the door of the palace; and behold, at the door stood a

great company of men, as desirous to go in; but durst not. There also sat a man at a little distance from the

door, at a tableside, with a book and his inkhorn before him, to take the name of him that should enter

therein; he saw also, that in the doorway stood many men in armour to keep it, being resolved to do the men

that would enter what hurt and mischief they could. Now was Christian somewhat in amaze. At last, when

every man started back for fear of the armed men, Christian saw a man of a very stout countenance come up

to the man that sat there to write, saying, Set down my name, Sir: the which when he had done, he saw the

man draw his sword, and put a helmet upon his head, and rush toward the door upon the armed men, who laid

upon him with deadly force; but the man, not at all discouraged, fell to cutting and hacking most fiercely. So

after he had received and given many wounds to those that attempted to keep him out, he cut his way through

them all [Acts 14:.22], and pressed forward into the palace, at which there was a pleasant voice heard from

those that were within, even of those that walked upon the top of the palace, saying

So he went in, and was clothed with such garments as they. Then Christian smiled and said; I think verily I

Now, said Christian, let me go hence. Nay, stay, said the Interpreter, till I have shewed thee a little more, and

after that thou shalt go on thy way. So he took him by the hand again, and led him into a very dark room,

Now the man, to look on, seemed very sad; he sat with his eyes looking down to the ground, his hands folded

together, and he sighed as if he would break his heart. Then said Christian, What means this? At which the

Then said Christian to the man, What art thou? The man answered, I am what I was not once.

MAN. The man said, I was once a fair and flourishing professor, both in mine own eyes, and also in the eyes

of others; I once was, as I thought, fair for the Celestial City, and had then even joy at the thoughts that I

MAN. I am now a man of despair, and am shut up in it, as in this iron cage. I cannot get out. Oh, now I

MAN. I left off to watch and be sober. I laid the reins, upon the neck of my lusts; I sinned against the light of

the Word and the goodness of God; I have grieved the Spirit, and he is gone; I tempted the devil, and he is

come to me; I have provoked God to anger, and he has left me: I have so hardened my heart, that I cannot

{86} Then said Christian to the Interpreter, But is there no hope for such a man as this? Ask him, said the

INTER. Then said the Interpreter, Is there no hope, but you must be kept in the iron cage of despair?

MAN. I have crucified him to myself afresh [Heb. 6:6]; I have despised his person [Luke 19:14]; I have

despised his righteousness; I have "counted his blood an unholy thing"; I have "done despite to the Spirit of

grace". [Heb. 10:2829] Therefore I have shut myself out of all the promises, and there now remains to me

nothing but threatenings, dreadful threatenings, fearful threatenings, of certain judgement and fiery

MAN. For the lusts, pleasures, and profits of this world; in the enjoyment of which I did then promise myself

much delight; but now every one of those things also bite me, and gnaw me like a burning worm.

{88} MAN. God hath denied me repentance. His Word gives me no encouragement to believe; yea, himself

hath shut me up in this iron cage; nor can all the men in the world let me out. O eternity, eternity! how shall I

INTER. Then said the Interpreter to Christian, Let this man's misery be remembered by thee, and be an

CHR. Well, said Christian, this is fearful! God help me to watch and be sober, and to pray that I may shun

INTER. Tarry till I shall show thee one thing more, and then thou shalt go on thy way.

{89} So he took Christian by the hand again, and led him into a chamber, where there was one rising out of

bed; and as he put on his raiment, he shook and trembled. Then said Christian, Why doth this man thus

tremble? The Interpreter then bid him tell to Christian the reason of his so doing. So he began and said, This

night, as I was in my sleep, I dreamed, and behold the heavens grew exceeding black; also it thundered and

lightened in most fearful wise, that it put me into an agony; so I looked up in my dream, and saw the clouds

rack at an unusual rate, upon which I heard a great sound of a trumpet, and saw also a man sit upon a cloud,

attended with the thousands of heaven; they were all in flaming fire: also the heavens were in a burning

flame. I heard then a voice saying, "Arise, ye dead, and come to judgement"; and with that the rocks rent, the

graves opened, and the dead that were therein came forth. Some of them were exceeding glad, and looked

upward; and some sought to hide themselves under the mountains. [1 Cor. 15:52; 1 Thes. 4:16; Jude 14; John

5:28,29; 2 Thes. 1:7,8; Rev. 20:1114; Isa. 26:21; Micah 7:16,17; Ps. 95:13; Dan. 7:10] Then I saw the man

that sat upon the cloud open the book, and bid the world draw near. Yet there was, by reason of a fierce flame

which issued out and came from before him, a convenient distance betwixt him and them, as betwixt the

judge and the prisoners at the bar. [Mal. 3:2,3; Dan. 7:9,10] I heard it also proclaimed to them that attended

on the man that sat on the cloud, Gather together the tares, the chaff, and stubble, and cast them into the

burning lake. [Matt. 3:12; 13:30; Mal. 4:1] And with that, the bottomless pit opened, just whereabout I stood;

out of the mouth of which there came, in an abundant manner, smoke and coals of fire, with hideous noises. It

was also said to the same persons, "Gather my wheat into the garner." [Luke 3:17] And with that I saw many

catched up and carried away into the clouds, but I was left behind. [1 Thes. 4:16,17] I also sought to hide

myself, but I could not, for the man that sat upon the cloud still kept his eye upon me; my sins also came into

my mind; and my conscience did accuse me on every side. [Rom. 3:14,15] Upon this I awaked from my

MAN. Why, I thought that the day of judgement was come, and that I was not ready for it: but this frighted

me most, that the angels gathered up several, and left me behind; also the pit of hell opened her mouth just

where I stood. My conscience, too, afflicted me; and, as I thought, the Judge had always his eye upon me,

{91} Then said the Interpreter to Christian, Hast thou considered all these things?

INTER. Well, keep all things so in thy mind that they may be as a goad in thy sides, to prick thee forward in

the way thou must go. Then Christian began to gird up his loins, and to address himself to his journey. Then

said the Interpreter, The Comforter be always with thee, good Christian, to guide thee in the way that leads to

{92} Now I saw in my dream, that the highway up which Christian was to go, was fenced on either side with

a wall, and that wall was called Salvation. [Isa. 26:1] Up this way, therefore, did burdened Christian run, but

{93} He ran thus till he came at a place somewhat ascending, and upon that place stood a cross, and a little

below, in the bottom, a sepulchre. So I saw in my dream, that just as Christian came up with the cross, his

burden loosed from off his shoulders, and fell from off his back, and began to tumble, and so continued to do,

till it came to the mouth of the sepulchre, where it fell in, and I saw it no more.

{94} (When God Releases us of our guilt and burden we are as those that leap for joy)

Then was Christian glad and lightsome, and said, with a merry heart, "He hath given me rest by his sorrow,

and life by his death." Then he stood still awhile to look and wonder; for it was very surprising to him, that

the sight of the cross should thus ease him of his burden. He looked therefore, and looked again, even till the

springs that were in his head sent the waters down his cheeks. [Zech. 12:10] Now, as he stood looking and

weeping, behold three Shining Ones came to him and saluted him with "Peace be unto thee". So the first said

to him, "Thy sins be forgiven thee" [Mark 2:5]; the second stripped him of his rags, and clothed him with

change of raiment [Zech. 3:4]; the third also set a mark on his forehead, and gave him a roll with a seal upon

it, which he bade him look on as he ran, and that he should give it in at the Celestial Gate. [Eph. 1:13] So they

(A Christian can sing though alone, when God doth give him the joy of his heart)

I saw then in my dream, that he went on thus, even until he came at a bottom, where he saw, a little out of the

way, three men fast asleep, with fetters upon their heels. The name of the one was Simple, another Sloth, and

{96} Christian then seeing them lie in this case went to them, if peradventure he might awake them, and

cried, You are like them that sleep on the top of a mast, for the Dead Sea is under you a gulf that hath no

bottom. [Prov. 23:34] Awake, therefore, and come away; be willing also, and I will help you off with your

irons. He also told them, If he that "goeth about like a roaring lion" comes by, you will certainly become a

prey to his teeth. [1 Pet. 5:8] (There is no persuasion will do, if God openeth not the eyes)

With that they looked upon him, and began to reply in this sort: Simple said, "I see no danger"; Sloth said,

"Yet a little more sleep"; and Presumption said, "Every fat must stand upon its own bottom; what is the

answer else that I should give thee?" And so they lay down to sleep again, and Christian went on his way.

{97} Yet was he troubled to think that men in that danger should so little esteem the kindness of him that so

freely offered to help them, both by awakening of them, counselling of them, and proffering to help them off

with their irons. And as he was troubled thereabout, he espied two men come tumbling over the wall on the

left hand of the narrow way; and they made up apace to him. The name of the one was Formalist, and the

name of the other Hypocrisy. So, as I said, they drew up unto him, who thus entered with them into

FORM. and HYP. We were born in the land of Vainglory, and are going for praise to Mount Zion.

CHR. Why came you not in at the gate which standeth at the beginning of the way? Know you not that it is

written, that he that cometh not in by the door, "but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a

FORM. and HYP. They said, That to go to the gate for entrance was, by all their countrymen, counted too far

about; and that, therefore, their usual way was to make a short cut of it, and to climb over the wall, as they

CHR. But will it not be counted a trespass against the Lord of the city whither we are bound, thus to violate

{99} (They that come into the way, but not by the door, think that they can say something in vindication of

FORM. and HYP. They told him, that, as for that, he needed not to trouble his head thereabout; for what they

did they had custom for; and could produce, if need were, testimony that would witness it for more than a

FORM. and HYP. They told him, That custom, it being of so long a standing as above a thousand years,

would, doubtless, now be admitted as a thing legal by any impartial judge; and besides, said they, if we get

into the way, what's matter which way we get in? if we are in, we are in; thou art but in the way, who, as we

perceive, came in at the gate; and we are also in the way, that came tumbling over the wall; wherein, now, is

CHR. I walk by the rule of my Master; you walk by the rude working of your fancies. You are counted

thieves already, by the Lord of the way; therefore, I doubt you will not be found true men at the end of the

way. You come in by yourselves, without his direction; and shall go out by yourselves, without his mercy.

{100} To this they made him but little answer; only they bid him look to himself. Then I saw that they went

on every man in his way without much conference one with another, save that these two men told Christian,

that as to laws and ordinances, they doubted not but they should as conscientiously do them as he; therefore,

said they, we see not wherein thou differest from us but by the coat that is on thy back, which was, as we

{101} (Christian has got his Lord's coat on his back, and is comforted therewith; he is comforted, also, with

CHR. By laws and ordinances you will not be saved, since you came not in by the door. [Gal. 2:16] And as

for this coat that is on my back, it was given me by the Lord of the place whither I go; and that, as you say, to

cover my nakedness with. And I take it as a token of his kindness to me; for I had nothing but rags before.

And besides, thus I comfort myself as I go: Surely, think I, when I come to the gate of the city, the Lord

thereof will know me for good since I have this coat on my backa coat that he gave me freely in the day

that he stripped me of my rags. I have, moreover, a mark in my forehead, of which, perhaps, you have taken

no notice, which one of my Lord's most intimate associates fixed there in the day that my burden fell off my

shoulders. I will tell you, moreover, that I had then given me a roll, sealed, to comfort me by reading as I go

on the way; I was also bid to give it in at the Celestial Gate, in token of my certain going in after it; all which

To these things they gave him no answer; only they looked upon each other, and laughed. Then, I saw that

they went on all, save that Christian kept before, who had no more talk but with himself, and that sometimes

sighingly, and sometimes comfortably; also he would be often reading in the roll that one of the Shining Ones

I beheld, then, that they all went on till they came to the foot of the Hill Difficulty; at the bottom of which

was a spring. There were also in the same place two other ways besides that which came straight from the

gate; one turned to the left hand, and the other to the right, at the bottom of the hill; but the narrow way lay

right up the hill, and the name of the going up the side of the hill is called Difficulty. Christian now went to

the spring, and drank thereof, to refresh himself [Isa. 49:10], and then began to go up the hill, saying

The other two also came to the foot of the hill; but when they saw that the hill was steep and high, and that

there were two other ways to go, and supposing also that these two ways might meet again, with that up

which Christian went, on the other side of the hill, therefore they were resolved to go in those ways. Now the

name of one of these ways was Danger, and the name of the other Destruction. So the one took the way

which is called Danger, which led him into a great wood, and the other took directly up the way to

Destruction, which led him into a wide field, full of dark mountains, where he stumbled and fell, and rose no

I looked, then, after Christian, to see him go up the hill, where I perceived he fell from running to going, and

from going to clambering upon his hands and his knees, because of the steepness of the place. Now, about the

midway to the top of the hill was a pleasant arbour, made by the Lord of the hill for the refreshing of weary

travellers; thither, therefore, Christian got, where also he sat down to rest him. Then he pulled his roll out of

his bosom, and read therein to his comfort; he also now began afresh to take a review of the coat or garment

that was given him as he stood by the cross. Thus pleasing himself awhile, he at last fell into a slumber, and

thence into a fast sleep, which detained him in that place until it was almost night; and in his sleep, his roll

Now, as he was sleeping, there came one to him, and awaked him, saying, Go to the ant, thou sluggard;

consider her ways and be wise. [Prov. 6:6] And with that Christian started up, and sped him on his way, and

Now, when he was got up to the top of the hill, there came two men running to meet him amain; the name of

the one was Timorous, and of the other, Mistrust; to whom Christian said, Sirs, what's the matter? You run

the wrong way. Timorous answered, that they were going to the City of Zion, and had got up that difficult

place; but, said he, the further we go, the more danger we meet with; wherefore we turned, and are going

Yes, said Mistrust, for just before us lie a couple of lions in the way, whether sleeping or waking we know

not, and we could not think, if we came within reach, but they would presently pull us in pieces.

CHR. Then said Christian, You make me afraid, but whither shall I fly to be safe? If I go back to mine own

country, that is prepared for fire and brimstone, and I shall certainly perish there. If I can get to the Celestial

City, I am sure to be in safety there. I must venture. To go back is nothing but death; to go forward is fear of

death, and lifeeverlasting beyond it. I will yet go forward. So Mistrust and Timorous ran down the hill, and

Christian went on his way. (Christian missed his roll wherein he used to take comfort) But, thinking again of

what he had heard from the men, he felt in his bosom for his roll, that he might read therein, and be

comforted; but he felt, and found it not. Then was Christian in great distress, and knew not what to do; for he

wanted that which used to relieve him, and that which should have been his pass into the Celestial City. (He

is perplexed for his roll) Here, therefore, he begun to be much perplexed, and knew not what to do. At last he

bethought himself that he had slept in the arbour that is on the side of the hill; and, falling down upon his

knees, he asked God's forgiveness for that his foolish act, and then went back to look for his roll. But all the

way he went back, who can sufficiently set forth the sorrow of Christian's heart? Sometimes he sighed,

sometimes he wept, and oftentimes he chid himself for being so foolish to fall asleep in that place, which was

erected only for a little refreshment for his weariness. Thus, therefore, he went back, carefully looking on this

side and on that, all the way as he went, if happily he might find his roll, that had been his comfort so many

times in his journey. He went thus, till he came again within sight of the arbour where he sat and slept; but

that sight renewed his sorrow the more, by bringing again, even afresh, his evil of sleeping into his mind.

Thus, therefore, he now went on bewailing his sinful sleep, saying, O wretched man that I am that I should

sleep in the daytime! that I should sleep in the midst of difficulty! that I should so indulge the flesh, as to

use that rest for ease to my flesh, which the Lord of the hill hath erected only for the relief of the spirits of

{108} How many steps have I took in vain! Thus it happened to Israel, for their sin; they were sent back

again by the way of the Red Sea; and I am made to tread those steps with sorrow, which I might have trod

with delight, had it not been for this sinful sleep. How far might I have been on my way by this time! I am

made to tread those steps thrice over, which I needed not to have trod but once; yea, now also I am like to be

Now, by this time he was come to the arbour again, where for a while he sat down and wept; but at last, as

Christian would have it, looking sorrowfully down under the settle, there he espied his roll; the which he,

with trembling and haste, catched up, and put it into his bosom. But who can tell how joyful this man was

when he had gotten his roll again! for this roll was the assurance of his life and acceptance at the desired

haven. Therefore he laid it up in his bosom, gave thanks to God for directing his eye to the place where it lay,

and with joy and tears betook himself again to his journey. But oh, how nimbly now did he go up the rest of

the hill! Yet, before he got up, the sun went down upon Christian; and this made him again recall the vanity

of his sleeping to his remembrance; and thus he again began to condole with himself: O thou sinful sleep;

how, for thy sake, am I like to be benighted in my journey! I must walk without the sun; darkness must cover

the path of my feet; and I must hear the noise of the doleful creatures, because of my sinful sleep. [1 Thes.

5:6,7] Now also he remembered the story that Mistrust and Timorous told him of; how they were frighted

with the sight of the lions. Then said Christian to himself again, These beasts range in the night for their prey;

and if they should meet with me in the dark, how should I shift them? How should I escape being by them

torn in pieces? Thus he went on his way. But while he was thus bewailing his unhappy miscarriage, he lift up

his eyes, and behold there was a very stately palace before him, the name of which was Beautiful; and it

{110} So I saw in my dream that he made haste and went forward, that if possible he might get lodging there.

Now, before he had gone far, he entered into a very narrow passage, which was about a furlong off the

porter's lodge; and looking very narrowly before him as he went, he espied two lions in the way. Now,

thought he, I see the dangers that Mistrust and Timorous were driven back by. (The lions were chained, but

Then he was afraid, and thought also himself to go back after them, for he thought nothing but death was

before him. But the porter at the lodge, whose name is Watchful, perceiving that Christian made a halt as if

he would go back, cried unto him, saying, Is thy strength so small? [Mark 8:3437] Fear not the lions, for

they are chained, and are placed there for trial of faith where it is, and for discovery of those that had none.

{111} Then I saw that he went on, trembling for fear of the lions, but taking good heed to the directions of

the porter; he heard them roar, but they did him no harm. Then he clapped his hands, and went on till he came

and stood before the gate where the porter was. Then said Christian to the porter, Sir, what house is this? And

may I lodge here tonight? The porter answered, This house was built by the Lord of the hill, and he built it

for the relief and security of pilgrims. The porter also asked whence he was, and whither he was going.

{112} CHR. I am come from the City of Destruction, and am going to Mount Zion; but because the sun is

CHR. My name is now Christian, but my name at the first was Graceless; I came of the race of Japheth,

{113} CHR. I had been here sooner, but that, "wretched man that I am!" I slept in the arbour that stands on

the hillside; nay, I had, notwithstanding that, been here much sooner, but that, in my sleep. I lost my

evidence, and came without it to the brow of the hill and then feeling for it, and finding it not, I was forced

with sorrow of heart, to go back to the place where I slept my sleep, where I found it, and now I am come.

POR. Well, I will call out one of the virgins of this place, who will, if she likes your talk, bring you into the

rest of the family, according to the rules of the house. So Watchful, the porter, rang a bell, at the sound of

which came out at the door of the house, a grave and beautiful damsel, named Discretion, and asked why she

{114} The porter answered, This man is in a journey from the City of Destruction to Mount Zion, but being

weary and benighted, he asked me if he might lodge here tonight; so I told him I would call for thee, who,

after discourse had with him, mayest do as seemeth thee good, even according to the law of the house.

{115} Then she asked him whence he was, and whither he was going, and he told her. She asked him also

how he got into the way; and he told her. Then she asked him what he had seen and met with in the way; and

he told, her. And last she asked his name; so he said, It is Christian, and I have so much the more a desire to

lodge here tonight, because, by what I perceive, this place was built by the Lord of the hill for the relief and

security of pilgrims. So she smiled, but the water stood in her eyes; and after a little pause, she said, I will call

forth two or three more of the family. So she ran to the door, and called out Prudence, Piety, and Charity,

who, after a little more discourse with him, had him into the family; and many of them, meeting him at the

threshold of the house, said, Come in, thou blessed of the Lord; this house was built by the Lord of the hill,

on purpose to entertain such pilgrims in. Then he bowed his head, and followed them into the house. So when

he was come in and sat down, they gave him something to drink, and consented together, that until supper

was ready, some of them should have some particular discourse with Christian, for the best improvement of

time; and they appointed Piety, and Prudence, and Charity to discourse with him; and thus they began:

PIETY. Come, good Christian, since we have been so loving to you, to receive you in our house this night, let

us, if perhaps we may better ourselves thereby, talk with you of all things that have happened to you in your

CHR. I was driven out of my native country by a dreadful sound that was in mine ears: to wit, that

CHR. It was as God would have it; for when I was under the fears of destruction, I did not know whither to

go; but by chance there came a man, even to me, as I was trembling and weeping, whose name is Evangelist,

and he directed me to the wicketgate, which else I should never have found, and so set me into the way that

CHR. Yes, and did see such things there, the remembrance of which will stick by me as long as I live;

especially three things: to wit, how Christ, in despite of Satan, maintains his work of grace in the heart; how

the man had sinned himself quite out of hopes of God's mercy; and also the dream of him that thought in his

CHR. Yes, and a dreadful one it was. I thought it made my heart ache as he was telling of it; but yet I am

CHR. No; he took me and had me where he shewed me a stately palace, and how the people were clad in

gold that were in it; and how there came a venturous man and cut his way through the armed men that stood

in the door to keep him out, and how he was bid to come in, and win eternal glory. Methought those things

did ravish my heart! I would have stayed at that good man's house a twelvemonth, but that I knew I had

CHR. Saw! why, I went but a little further, and I saw one, as I thought in my mind, hang bleeding upon the

tree; and the very sight of him made my burden fall off my back, (for I groaned under a very heavy burden,)

but then it fell down from off me. It was a strange thing to me, for I never saw such a thing before; yea, and

while I stood looking up, for then I could not forbear looking, three Shining Ones came to me. One of them

testified that my sins were forgiven me; another stripped me of my rags, and gave me this broidered coat

which you see; and the third set the mark which you see in my forehead, and gave me this sealed roll. (And

CHR. The things that I have told you were the best; yet some other matters I saw, as, namelyI saw three

men, Simple, Sloth, and Presumption, lie asleep a little out of the way, as I came, with irons upon their heels;

but do you think I could awake them? I also saw Formality and Hypocrisy come tumbling over the wall, to

go, as they pretended, to Zion, but they were quickly lost, even as I myself did tell them; but they would not

believe. But above all, I found it hard work to get up this hill, and as hard to come by the lions' mouths, and

truly if it had not been for the good man, the porter that stands at the gate, I do not know but that after all I

might have gone back again; but now I thank God I am here, and I thank you for receiving of me.

{122} Then Prudence thought good to ask him a few questions, and desired his answer to them.

CHR. Yes, but with much shame and detestation: "Truly, if I had been mindful of that country from whence I

came out, I might have had opportunity to have returned; but now I desire a better country, that is, an

PRUD. Do you not yet bear away with you some of the things that then you were conversant withal?

CHR. Yes, but greatly against my will; especially my inward and carnal cogitations, with which all my

countrymen, as well as myself, were delighted; but now all those things are my grief; and might I but choose

I would choose never to think of those things more; but when I would be doing of that which is best, that

{123} PRUD. Do you not find sometimes, as if those things were vanquished, which at other times are your

CHR. Yes, but that is seldom; but they are to me golden hours in which such things happen to me.

PRUD. Can you remember by what means you find your annoyances, at times, as if they were vanquished?

CHR. Yes, when I think what I saw at the cross, that will do it; and when I look upon my broidered coat, that

will do it; also when I look into the roll that I carry in my bosom, that will do it; and when my thoughts wax

CHR. Why, there I hope to see him alive that did hang dead on the cross; and there I hope to be rid of all

those things that to this day are in me an annoyance to me; there, they say, there is no death; and there I shall

dwell with such company as I like best. [Isa. 25:8; Rev. 21:4] For, to tell you truth, I love him, because I was

by him eased of my burden; and I am weary of my inward sickness. I would fain be where I shall die no

CHR. Then Christian wept, and said, Oh, how willingly would I have done it! but they were all of them

CHAR. But you should have talked to them, and have endeavoured to have shown them the danger of being

CHR. So I did; and told them also of what God had shown to me of the destruction of our city; "but I seemed

CHR. Yes, and that with much affection: for you must think that my wife and poor children were very dear

CHAR. But did you tell them of your own sorrow, and fear of destruction? for I suppose that destruction was

CHR. Yes, over, and over, and over. They might also see my fears in my countenance, in my tears, and also

in my trembling under the apprehension of the judgement that did hang over our heads; but all was not

CHR. Why, my wife was afraid of losing this world, and my children were given to the foolish delights of

youth: so what by one thing, and what by another, they left me to wander in this manner alone.

CHAR. But did you not, with your vain life, damp all that you by words used by way of persuasion to bring

CHR. Indeed, I cannot commend my life; for I am conscious to myself of many failings therein; I know also

that a man by his conversation may soon overthrow what by argument or persuasion he doth labour to fasten

upon others for their good. Yet this I can say, I was very wary of giving them occasion, by any unseemly

action, to make them averse to going on pilgrimage. Yea, for this very thing they would tell me I was too

precise, and that I denied myself of things, for their sakes, in which they saw no evil. Nay, I think I may say,

that if what they saw in me did hinder them, it was my great tenderness in sinning against God, or of doing

CHAR. Indeed Cain hated his brother, "because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous" [1 John

3:12]; and if thy wife and children have been offended with thee for this, they thereby show themselves to be

implacable to good, and "thou hast delivered thy soul from their blood". [Ezek. 3:19]

Now I saw in my dream, that thus they sat talking together until supper was ready. So when they had made

ready, they sat down to meat. (Their talk at supper time) Now the table was furnished "with fat things, and

with wine that was well refined": and all their talk at the table was about the Lord of the hill; as, namely,

about what he had done, and wherefore he did what he did, and why he had builded that house. And by what

they said, I perceived that he had been a great warrior, and had fought with and slain "him that had the Power

of death", but not without great danger to himself, which made me love him the more. [Heb. 2:14,15]

{129} For, as they said, and as I believe (said Christian), he did it with the loss of much blood; but that which

put glory of grace into all he did, was, that he did it out of pure love to his country. And besides, there were

some of them of the household that said they had been and spoke with him since he did die on the cross; and

they have attested that they had it from his own lips, that he is such a lover of poor pilgrims, that the like is

They, moreover, gave an instance of what they affirmed, and that was, he had stripped himself of his glory,

that he might do this for the poor; and that they heard him say and affirm, "that he would not dwell in the

mountain of Zion alone." They said, moreover, that he had made many pilgrims princes, though by nature

they were beggars born, and their original had been the dunghill. [1 Sam 2:8; Ps. 113:7]

Thus they discoursed together till late at night; and after they had committed themselves to their Lord for

protection, they betook themselves to rest: the Pilgrim they laid in a large upper chamber, whose window

opened towards the sunrising: the name of the chamber was Peace; where he slept till break of day, and then

So in the morning they all got up; and, after some more discourse, they told him that he should not depart till

they had shown him the rarities of that place. And first they had him into the study, where they showed him

records of the greatest antiquity; in which, as I remember my dream, they showed him first the pedigree of

the Lord of the hill, that he was the son of the Ancient of Days, and came by that eternal generation. Here

also was more fully recorded the acts that he had done, and the names of many hundreds that he had taken

into his service; and how he had placed them in such habitations that could neither by length of days, nor

{133} Then they read to him some of the worthy acts that some of his servants had done: as, how they had

"subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the

violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight,

{134} They then read again, in another part of the records of the house, where it was shewed how willing

their Lord was to receive into his favour any, even any, though they in time past had offered great affronts to

his person and proceedings. Here also were several other histories of many other famous things, of all which

Christian had a view; as of things both ancient and modern; together with prophecies and predictions of

things that have their certain accomplishment, both to the dread and amazement of enemies, and the comfort

The next day they took him and had him into the armoury, where they showed him all manner of furniture,

which their Lord had provided for pilgrims, as sword, shield, helmet, breastplate, ALLPRAYER, and shoes

that would not wear out. And there was here enough of this to harness out as many men for the service of

They also showed him some of the engines with which some of his servants had done wonderful things. They

shewed him Moses' rod; the hammer and nail with which Jael slew Sisera; the pitchers, trumpets, and lamps

too, with which Gideon put to flight the armies of Midian. Then they showed him the ox's goad wherewith

Shamgar slew six hundred men. They showed him also the jawbone with which Samson did such mighty

feats. They showed him, moreover, the sling and stone with which David slew Goliath of Gath; and the

sword, also, with which their Lord will kill the Man of Sin, in the day that he shall rise up to the prey. They

showed him, besides, many excellent things, with which Christian was much delighted. This done, they went

Then I saw in my dream, that on the morrow he got up to go forward; but they desired him to stay till the next

day also; and then, said they, we will, if the day be clear, show you the Delectable Mountains, which, they

said, would yet further add to his comfort, because they were nearer the desired haven than the place where at

present he was; so he consented and stayed. When the morning was up, they had him to the top of the house,

and bid him look south; so he did: and behold, at a great distance, he saw a most pleasant mountainous

country, beautified with woods, vineyards, fruits of all sorts, flowers also, with springs and fountains, very

delectable to behold. [Isa. 33:16,17] Then he asked the name of the country. They said it was Immanuel's

Land; and it is as common, said they, as this hill is, to and for all the pilgrims. And when thou comest there

from thence, said they, thou mayest see to the gate of the Celestial City, as the shepherds that live there will

Now he bethought himself of setting forward, and they were willing he should. But first, said they, let us go

again into the armoury. (Christian sent away armed) So they did; and when they came there, they harnessed

him from head to foot with what was of proof, lest, perhaps, he should meet with assaults in the way. He

being, therefore, thus accoutred, walketh out with his friends to the gate, and there he asked the porter if he

CHR. Oh, said Christian, I know him; he is my townsman, my near neighbour; he comes from the place

CHR. Well, said Christian, good Porter, the Lord be with thee, and add to all thy blessings much increase, for

Then he began to go forward; but Discretion, Piety, Charity, and Prudence would accompany him down to

the foot of the hill. So they went on together, reiterating their former discourses, till they came to go down the

hill. Then said Christian, As it was difficult coming up, so, so far as I can see, it is dangerous going down.

Yes, said Prudence, so it is, for it is a hard matter for a man to go down into the Valley of Humiliation, as

thou art now, and to catch no slip by the way; therefore, said they, are we come out to accompany thee down

{141} Then I saw in my dream that these good companions, when Christian was gone to the bottom of the

hill, gave him a loaf of bread, a bottle of wine, and a cluster of raisins; and then he went on his way.

But now, in this Valley of Humiliation, poor Christian was hard put to it; for he had gone but a little way,

before he espied a foul fiend coming over the field to meet him; his name is Apollyon. Then did Christian

begin to be afraid, and to cast in his mind whether to go back or to stand his ground. But he considered again

that he had no armour for his back; and therefore thought that to turn the back to him might give him the

greater advantage with ease to pierce him with his darts. (Christian's resolution at the approach of Apollyon)

Therefore he resolved to venture and stand his ground; for, thought he, had I no more in mine eye than the

{142} So he went on, and Apollyon met him. Now the monster was hideous to behold; he was clothed with

scales, like a fish, (and they are his pride,) he had wings like a dragon, feet like a bear, and out of his belly

came fire and smoke, and his mouth was as the mouth of a lion. When he was come up to Christian, he

CHR. I am come from the City of Destruction, which is the place of all evil, and am going to the City of

APOL. By this I perceive thou art one of my subjects, for all that country is mine, and I am the prince and

god of it. How is it, then, that thou hast run away from thy king? Were it not that I hope thou mayest do me

{144} CHR. I was born, indeed, in your dominions, but your service was hard, and your wages such as a

man could not live on, "for the wages of sin is death" [Rom 6:23]; therefore, when I was come to years, I did,

APOL. There is no prince that will thus lightly lose his subjects, neither will I as yet lose thee; but since thou

complainest of thy service and wages, be content to go back: what our country will afford, I do here promise

CHR. But I have let myself to another, even to the King of princes; and how can I, with fairness, go back

APOL. Thou hast done in this, according to the proverb, "Changed a bad for a worse"; but it is ordinary for

those that have professed themselves his servants, after a while to give him the slip, and return again to me.

CHR. I have given him my faith, and sworn my allegiance to him; how, then, can I go back from this, and

APOL. Thou didst the same to me, and yet I am willing to pass by all, if now thou wilt yet turn again and go

{146} CHR. What I promised thee was in my nonage; and, besides, I count the Prince under whose banner

now I stand is able to absolve me; yea, and to pardon also what I did as to my compliance with thee; and

besides, O thou destroying Apollyon! to speak truth, I like his service, his wages, his servants, his

government, his company, and country, better than thine; and, therefore, leave off to persuade me further; I

{147} (Apollyon pleads the grievous ends of Christians, to dissuade Christian from persisting in his way)

APOL. Consider, again, when thou art in cool blood, what thou art like to meet with in the way that thou

goest. Thou knowest that, for the most part, his servants come to an ill end, because they are transgressors

against me and my ways. How many of them have been put to shameful deaths! and, besides, thou countest

his service better than mine, whereas he never came yet from the place where he is to deliver any that served

him out of their hands; but as for me, how many times, as all the world very well knows, have I delivered,

either by power, or fraud, those that have faithfully served me, from him and his, though taken by them; and

CHR. His forbearing at present to deliver them is on purpose to try their love, whether they will cleave to

him to the end; and as for the ill end thou sayest they come to, that is most glorious in their account; for, for

present deliverance, they do not much expect it, for they stay for their glory, and then they shall have it when

APOL. Thou hast already been unfaithful in thy service to him; and how dost thou think to receive wages of

APOL. Thou didst faint at first setting out, when thou wast almost choked in the Gulf of Despond; thou didst

attempt wrong ways to be rid of thy burden, whereas thou shouldst have stayed till thy Prince had taken it off;

thou didst sinfully sleep and lose thy choice thing; thou wast, also, almost persuaded to go back at the sight of

the lions; and when thou talkest of thy journey, and of what thou hast heard and seen, thou art inwardly

CHR. All this is true, and much more which thou hast left out; but the Prince whom I serve and honour is

merciful, and ready to forgive; but, besides, these infirmities possessed me in thy country, for there I sucked

them in; and I have groaned under them, been sorry for them, and have obtained pardon of my Prince.

APOL. Then Apollyon broke out into a grievous rage, saying, I am an enemy to this Prince; I hate his person,

CHR. Apollyon, beware what you do; for I am in the King's highway, the way of holiness; therefore take

APOL. Then Apollyon straddled quite over the whole breadth of the way, and said, I am void of fear in this

matter: prepare thyself to die; for I swear by my infernal den, that thou shalt go no further; here will I spill thy

{150} And with that he threw a flaming dart at his breast; but Christian had a shield in his hand, with which

Then did Christian draw, for he saw it was time to bestir him; and Apollyon as fast made at him, throwing

darts as thick as hail; by the which, notwithstanding all that Christian could do to avoid it, Apollyon wounded

him in his head, his hand, and foot. This made Christian give a little back; Apollyon, therefore, followed his

work amain, and Christian again took courage, and resisted as manfully as he could. This sore combat lasted

for above half a day, even till Christian was almost quite spent; for you must know that Christian, by reason

Then Apollyon, espying his opportunity, began to gather up close to Christian, and wrestling with him, gave

him a dreadful fall; and with that Christian's sword flew out of his hand. Then said Apollyon, I am sure of

thee now. And with that he had almost pressed him to death, so that Christian began to despair of life; but as

God would have it, while Apollyon was fetching of his last blow, thereby to make a full end of this good

man, Christian nimbly stretched out his hand for his sword, and caught it, saying, "Rejoice not against me, O

mine enemy; when I fall I shall arise" [Micah 7:8]; (Christian's victory over Apollyon) and with that gave

him a deadly thrust, which made him give back, as one that had received his mortal wound. Christian

perceiving that, made at him again, saying, "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through

him that loved us". [Rom. 8:37] And with that Apollyon spread forth his dragon's wings, and sped him away,

In this combat no man can imagine, unless he had seen and heard as I did, what yelling and hideous roaring

Apollyon made all the time of the fighthe spake like a dragon; and, on the other side, what sighs and

groans burst from Christian's heart. I never saw him all the while give so much as one pleasant look, till he

perceived he had wounded Apollyon with his twoedged sword; then, indeed, he did smile, and look upward;

So when the battle was over, Christian said, "I will here give thanks to him that delivered me out of the

mouth of the lion, to him that did help me against Apollyon." And so he did, saying

Then there came to him a hand, with some of the leaves of the tree of life, the which Christian took, and

applied to the wounds that he had received in the battle, and was healed immediately. He also sat down in

that place to eat bread, and to drink of the bottle that was given him a little before; so, being refreshed, he

addressed himself to his journey, with his sword drawn in his hand; for he said, I know not but some other

enemy may be at hand. But he met with no other affront from Apollyon quite through this valley.

Now, at the end of this valley was another, called the Valley of the Shadow of Death, and Christian must

needs go through it, because the way to the Celestial City lay through the midst of it. Now, this valley is a

very solitary place. The prophet Jeremiah thus describes it: "A wilderness, a land of deserts and of pits, a land

of drought, and of the shadow of death, a land that no man" (but a Christian) "passed through, and where no

Now here Christian was worse put to it than in his fight with Apollyon, as by the sequel you shall see.

I saw then in my dream, that when Christian was got to the borders of the Shadow of Death, there met him

two men, children of them that brought up an evil report of the good land [Num. 13], making haste to go

MEN. They said, Back! back! and we would have you to do so too, if either life or peace is prized by you.

MEN. Matter! said they; we were going that way as you are going, and went as far as we durst; and indeed

we were almost past coming back; for had we gone a little further, we had not been here to bring the news to

MEN. Why, we were almost in the Valley of the Shadow of Death; but that, by good hap, we looked before

{158} MEN. Seen! Why, the Valley itself, which is as dark as pitch; we also saw there the hobgoblins, satyrs,

and dragons of the pit; we heard also in that Valley a continual howling and yelling, as of a people under

unutterable misery, who there sat bound in affliction and irons; and over that Valley hangs the discouraging

clouds of confusion. Death also doth always spread his wings over it. In a word, it is every whit dreadful,

CHR. Then, said Christian, I perceive not yet, by what you have said, but that this is my way to the desired

MEN. Be it thy way; we will not choose it for ours. So, they parted, and Christian went on his way, but still

{159} I saw then in my dream, so far as this valley reached, there was on the right hand a very deep ditch;

that ditch is it into which the blind have led the blind in all ages, and have both there miserably perished. [Ps.

69:14,15] Again, behold, on the left hand, there was a very dangerous quag, into which, if even a good man

falls, he can find no bottom for his foot to stand on. Into that quag King David once did fall, and had no doubt

{160} The pathway was here also exceeding narrow, and therefore good Christian was the more put to it; for

when he sought, in the dark, to shun the ditch on the one hand, he was ready to tip over into the mire on the

other; also when he sought to escape the mire, without great carefulness he would be ready to fall into the

ditch. Thus he went on, and I heard him here sigh bitterly; for, besides the dangers mentioned above, the

pathway was here so dark, and ofttimes, when he lift up his foot to set forward, he knew not where or upon

{161} About the midst of this valley, I perceived the mouth of hell to be, and it stood also hard by the

wayside. Now, thought Christian, what shall I do? And ever and anon the flame and smoke would come out

in such abundance, with sparks and hideous noises, (things that cared not for Christian's sword, as did

Apollyon before), that he was forced to put up his sword, and betake himself to another weapon called

Allprayer. [Eph. 6:18] So he cried in my hearing, "O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul!" [Ps. 116:4]

Thus he went on a great while, yet still the flames would be reaching towards him. Also he heard doleful

voices, and rushings to and fro, so that sometimes he thought he should be torn in pieces, or trodden down

like mire in the streets. (Christian put to a stand, but for a while) This frightful sight was seen, and these

dreadful noises were heard by him for several miles together; and, coming to a place where he thought he

heard a company of fiends coming forward to meet him, he stopped, and began to muse what he had best to

do. Sometimes he had half a thought to go back; then again he thought he might be half way through the

valley; he remembered also how he had already vanquished many a danger, and that the danger of going back

might be much more than for to go forward; so he resolved to go on. Yet the fiends seemed to come nearer

and nearer; but when they were come even almost at him, he cried out with a most vehement voice, "I will

{162} (Christian made believe that he spake blasphemies, when it was Satan that suggested them into his

One thing I would not let slip. I took notice that now poor Christian was so confounded, that he did not know

his own voice; and thus I perceived it. Just when he was come over against the mouth of the burning pit, one

of the wicked ones got behind him, and stepped up softly to him, and whisperingly suggested many grievous

blasphemies to him, which he verily thought had proceeded from his own mind. This put Christian more to it

than anything that he met with before, even to think that he should now blaspheme him that he loved so much

before; yet, if he could have helped it, he would not have done it; but he had not the discretion either to stop

{163} When Christian had travelled in this disconsolate condition some considerable time, he thought he

heard the voice of a man, as going before him, saying, "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of

First, Because he gathered from thence, that some who feared God were in this valley as well as himself.

Secondly, For that he perceived God was with them, though in that dark and dismal state; and why not,

thought he, with me? though, by reason of the impediment that attends this place, I cannot perceive it. [Job

Thirdly, For that he hoped, could he overtake them, to have company by and by. So he went on, and called to

him that was before; but he knew not what to answer; for that he also thought to be alone. And by and by the

day broke; then said Christian, He hath turned "the shadow of death into the morning". [Amos 5:8]

Now morning being come, he looked back, not out of desire to return, but to see, by the light of the day, what

hazards he had gone through in the dark. So he saw more perfectly the ditch that was on the one hand, and the

mire that was on the other; also how narrow the way was which led betwixt them both; also now he saw the

hobgoblins, and satyrs, and dragons of the pit, but all afar off, (for after break of day, they came not nigh;) yet

they were discovered to him, according to that which is written, "He discovereth deep things out of darkness,

Now was Christian much affected with his deliverance from all the dangers of his solitary way; which

dangers, though he feared them more before, yet he saw them more clearly now, because the light of the day

made them conspicuous to him. And about this time the sun was rising, and this was another mercy to

Christian; for you must note, that though the first part of the Valley of the Shadow of Death was dangerous,

yet this second part which he was yet to go, was, if possible, far more dangerous; for from the place where he

now stood, even to the end of the valley, the way was all along set so full of snares, traps, gins, and nets here,

and so full of pits, pitfalls, deep holes, and shelvings down there, that, had it now been dark, as it was when

he came the first part of the way, had he had a thousand souls, they had in reason been cast away; but, as I

said just now, the sun was rising. Then said he, "His candle shineth upon my head, and by his light I walk

{167} In this light, therefore, he came to the end of the valley. Now I saw in my dream, that at the end of this

valley lay blood, bones, ashes, and mangled bodies of men, even of pilgrims that had gone this way formerly;

and while I was musing what should be the reason, I espied a little before me a cave, where two giants, POPE

and PAGAN, dwelt in old time; by whose power and tyranny the men whose bones, blood, and ashes, lay

there, were cruelly put to death. But by this place Christian went without much danger, whereat I somewhat

wondered; but I have learnt since, that PAGAN has been dead many a day; and as for the other, though he be

yet alive, he is, by reason of age, and also of the many shrewd brushes that he met with in his younger days,

grown so crazy and stiff in his joints, that he can now do little more than sit in his cave's mouth, grinning at

{168} So I saw that Christian went on his way; yet, at the sight of the Old Man that sat in the mouth of the

cave, he could not tell what to think, especially because he spake to him, though he could not go after him,

saying, "You will never mend till more of you be burned." But he held his peace, and set a good face on it,

{169} Now, as Christian went on his way, he came to a little ascent, which was cast up on purpose that

pilgrims might see before them. Up there, therefore, Christian went, and looking forward, he saw Faithful

before him, upon his journey. Then said Christian aloud, "Ho! ho! Soho! stay, and I will be your

companion!" At that, Faithful looked behind him; to whom Christian cried again, "Stay, stay, till I come up to

you!" But Faithful answered, "No, I am upon my life, and the avenger of blood is behind me."

At this, Christian was somewhat moved, and putting to all his strength, he quickly got up with Faithful, and

did also overrun him; so the last was first. Then did Christian vaingloriously smile, because he had gotten

the start of his brother; but not taking good heed to his feet, he suddenly stumbled and fell, and could not rise

Then I saw in my dream they went very lovingly on together, and had sweet discourse of all things that had

{171} CHR. My honoured and wellbeloved brother, Faithful, I am glad that I have overtaken you; and that

God has so tempered our spirits, that we can walk as companions in this so pleasant a path.

FAITH. I had thought, dear friend, to have had your company quite from our town; but you did get the start

CHR. How long did you stay in the City of Destruction before you set out after me on your pilgrimage?

FAITH. Till I could stay no longer; for there was great talk presently after you were gone out that our city

FAITH. Though there was, as I said, a great talk thereabout, yet I do not think they did firmly believe it. For

in the heat of the discourse, I heard some of them deridingly speak of you and of your desperate journey, (for

so they called this your pilgrimage), but I did believe, and do still, that the end of our city will be with fire

FAITH. Yes, Christian, I heard that he followed you till he came at the Slough of Despond, where, as some

said, he fell in; but he would not be known to have so done; but I am sure he was soundly bedabbled with that

FAITH. He hath, since his going back, been had greatly in derision, and that among all sorts of people; some

do mock and despise him; and scarce will any set him on work. He is now seven times worse than if he had

CHR. But why should they be so set against him, since they also despise the way that he forsook?

FAITH. Oh, they say, hang him, he is a turncoat! he was not true to his profession. I think God has stirred up

even his enemies to hiss at him, and make him a proverb, because he hath forsaken the way. [Jer. 29:18,19]

FAITH. I met him once in the streets, but he leered away on the other side, as one ashamed of what he had

{173} CHR. Well, at my first setting out, I had hopes of that man; but now I fear he will perish in the

overthrow of the city; for it is happened to him according to the true proverb, "The dog is turned to his own

vomit again; and the sow that was washed, to her wallowing in the mire." [2 Pet. 2:22]

CHR. Well, neighbour Faithful, said Christian, let us leave him, and talk of things that more immediately

concern ourselves. Tell me now, what you have met with in the way as you came; for I know you have met

FAITH. I escaped the Slough that I perceived you fell into, and got up to the gate without that danger; only I

CHR. It was well you escaped her net; Joseph was hard put to it by her, and he escaped her as you did; but it

FAITH. You cannot think, but that you know something, what a flattering tongue she had; she lay at me hard

CHR. Thank God you have escaped her: "The abhorred of the Lord shall fall into her ditch." [Ps. 22:14]

FAITH. No, not to defile myself; for I remembered an old writing that I had seen, which said, "Her steps take

hold on hell." [Prov. 5:5] So I shut mine eyes, because I would not be bewitched with her looks. [Job 31:1]

FAITH. When I came to the foot of the hill called Difficulty, I met with a very aged man, who asked me what

I was, and whither bound. I told him that I am a pilgrim, going to the Celestial City. Then said the old man,

Thou lookest like an honest fellow; wilt thou be content to dwell with me for the wages that I shall give thee?

Then I asked him his name, and where he dwelt. He said his name was Adam the First, and that he dwelt in

the town of Deceit. [Eph. 4:22] I asked him then what was his work, and what the wages he would give. He

told me that his work was many delights; and his wages that I should be his heir at last. I further asked him

what house he kept, and what other servants he had. So he told me that his house was maintained with all the

dainties in the world; and that his servants were those of his own begetting. Then I asked if he had any

children. He said that he had but three daughters: The Lust of the Flesh, The Lust of the Eyes, and The Pride

of Life, and that I should marry them all if I would. [1 John 2:16] Then I asked how long time he would have

FAITH. Why, at first, I found myself somewhat inclinable to go with the man, for I thought he spake very

fair; but looking in his forehead, as I talked with him, I saw there written, "Put off the old man with his

{176} FAITH. Then it came burning hot into my mind, whatever he said, and however he flattered, when he

got me home to his house, he would sell me for a slave. So I bid him forbear to talk, for I would not come

near the door of his house. Then he reviled me, and told me that he would send such a one after me, that

should make my way bitter to my soul. So I turned to go away from him; but just as I turned myself to go

thence, I felt him take hold of my flesh, and give me such a deadly twitch back, that I thought he had pulled

part of me after himself. This made me cry, "O wretched man!" [Rom. 7:24] So I went on my way up the hill.

Now when I had got about halfway up, I looked behind, and saw one coming after me, swift as the wind; so

CHR. Just there, said Christian, did I sit down to rest me; but being overcome with sleep, I there lost this roll

{177} FAITH. But, good brother, hear me out. So soon as the man overtook me, he was but a word and a

blow, for down he knocked me, and laid me for dead. But when I was a little come to myself again, I asked

him wherefore he served me so. He said, because of my secret inclining to Adam the First; and with that he

struck me another deadly blow on the breast, and beat me down backward; so I lay at his foot as dead as

before. So, when I came to myself again, I cried him mercy; but he said, I know not how to show mercy; and

with that he knocked me down again. He had doubtless made an end of me, but that one came by, and bid

FAITH. I did not know him at first, but as he went by, I perceived the holes in his hands and in his side; then

CHR. That man that overtook you was Moses. He spareth none, neither knoweth he how to show mercy to

FAITH. I know it very well; it was not the first time that he has met with me. It was he that came to me when

I dwelt securely at home, and that told me he would burn my house over my head if I stayed there.

CHR. But did you not see the house that stood there on the top of the hill, on the side of which Moses met

FAITH. Yes, and the lions too, before I came at it: but for the lions, I think they were asleep, for it was about

noon; and because I had so much of the day before me, I passed by the porter, and came down the hill.

CHR. He told me, indeed, that he saw you go by, but I wish you had called at the house, for they would have

showed you so many rarities, that you would scarce have forgot them to the day of your death. But pray tell

FAITH. Yes, I met with one Discontent, who would willingly have persuaded me to go back again with him;

his reason was, for that the valley was altogether without honour. He told me, moreover, that there to go was

the way to disobey all my friends, as Pride, Arrogancy, Selfconceit, Worldlyglory, with others, who he

knew, as he said, would be very much offended, if I made such a fool of myself as to wade through this

FAITH. I told him, that although all these that he named might claim kindred of me, and that rightly, for

indeed they were my relations according to the flesh; yet since I became a pilgrim, they have disowned me, as

I also have rejected them; and therefore they were to me now no more than if they had never been of my

I told him, moreover, that as to this valley, he had quite misrepresented the thing; for before honour is

humility, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Therefore, said I, I had rather go through this valley to the honour

that was so accounted by the wisest, than choose that which he esteemed most worthy our affections.

FAITH. Yes, I met with Shame; but of all the men that I met with in my pilgrimage, he, I think, bears the

wrong name. The others would be said nay, after a little argumentation, and somewhat else; but this

FAITH. What! why, he objected against religion itself; he said it was a pitiful, low, sneaking business for a

man to mind religion; he said that a tender conscience was an unmanly thing; and that for a man to watch

over his words and ways, so as to tie up himself from that hectoring liberty that the brave spirits of the times

accustom themselves unto, would make him the ridicule of the times. He objected also, that but few of the

mighty, rich, or wise, were ever of my opinion [1 Cor. 1:26; 3:18; Phil. 3:7,8]; nor any of them neither [John

7:48], before they were persuaded to be fools, and to be of a voluntary fondness, to venture the loss of all, for

nobody knows what. He, moreover, objected the base and low estate and condition of those that were chiefly

the pilgrims of the times in which they lived: also their ignorance and want of understanding in all natural

science. Yea, he did hold me to it at that rate also, about a great many more things than here I relate; as, that it

was a shame to sit whining and mourning under a sermon, and a shame to come sighing and groaning home:

that it was a shame to ask my neighbour forgiveness for petty faults, or to make restitution where I have taken

from any. He said, also, that religion made a man grow strange to the great, because of a few vices, which he

called by finer names; and made him own and respect the base, because of the same religious fraternity. And

FAITH. Say! I could not tell what to say at the first. Yea, he put me so to it, that my blood came up in my

face; even this Shame fetched it up, and had almost beat me quite off. But at last I began to consider, that

"that which is highly esteemed among men, is had in abomination with God." [Luke 16:15] And I thought

again, this Shame tells me what men are; but it tells me nothing what God or the Word of God is. And I

thought, moreover, that at the day of doom, we shall not be doomed to death or life according to the hectoring

spirits of the world, but according to the wisdom and law of the Highest. Therefore, thought I, what God says

is best, indeed is best, though all the men in the world are against it. Seeing, then, that God prefers his

religion; seeing God prefers a tender conscience; seeing they that make themselves fools for the kingdom of

heaven are wisest; and that the poor man that loveth Christ is richer than the greatest man in the world that

hates him; Shame, depart, thou art an enemy to my salvation! Shall I entertain thee against my sovereign

Lord? How then shall I look him in the face at his coming? Should I now be ashamed of his ways and

servants, how can I expect the blessing? [Mark 8:38] But, indeed, this Shame was a bold villain; I could

scarce shake him out of my company; yea, he would be haunting of me, and continually whispering me in the

ear, with some one or other of the infirmities that attend religion; but at last I told him it was but in vain to

attempt further in this business; for those things that he disdained, in those did I see most glory; and so at last

I got past this importunate one. And when I had shaken him off, then I began to sing

{183} CHR. I am glad, my brother, that thou didst withstand this villain so bravely; for of all, as thou sayest,

I think he has the wrong name; for he is so bold as to follow us in the streets, and to attempt to put us to

shame before all men: that is, to make us ashamed of that which is good; but if he was not himself audacious,

he would never attempt to do as he does. But let us still resist him; for notwithstanding all his bravadoes, he

promoteth the fool and none else. "The wise shall inherit glory, said Solomon, but shame shall be the

FAITH. I think we must cry to Him for help against Shame, who would have us to be valiant for the truth

FAITH. No, not I; for I had sunshine all the rest of the way through that, and also through the Valley of the

{184} CHR. It was well for you. I am sure it fared far otherwise with me; I had for a long season, as soon

almost as I entered into that valley, a dreadful combat with that foul fiend Apollyon; yea, I thought verily he

would have killed me, especially when he got me down and crushed me under him, as if he would have

crushed me to pieces; for as he threw me, my sword flew out of my hand; nay, he told me he was sure of me:

but I cried to God, and he heard me, and delivered me out of all my troubles. Then I entered into the Valley

of the Shadow of Death, and had no light for almost half the way through it. I thought I should have been

killed there, over and over; but at last day broke, and the sun rose, and I went through that which was behind

Moreover, I saw in my dream, that as they went on, Faithful, as he chanced to look on one side, saw a man

whose name is Talkative, walking at a distance beside them; for in this place there was room enough for them

all to walk. He was a tall man, and something more comely at a distance than at hand. To this man Faithful

FAITH. Come on, then, and let us go together, and let us spend our time in discoursing of things that are

TALK. To talk of things that are good, to me is very acceptable, with you or with any other; and I am glad

that I have met with those that incline to so good a work; for, to speak the truth, there are but few that care

thus to spend their time, (as they are in their travels), but choose much rather to be speaking of things to no

FAITH. That is indeed a thing to be lamented; for what things so worthy of the use of the tongue and mouth

TALK. I like you wonderful well, for your sayings are full of conviction; and I will add, what thing is so

pleasant, and what so profitable, as to talk of the things of God? What things so pleasant (that is, if a man

hath any delight in things that are wonderful)? For instance, if a man doth delight to talk of the history or the

mystery of things; or if a man doth love to talk of miracles, wonders, or signs, where shall he find things

{187} FAITH. That is true; but to be profited by such things in our talk should be that which we design.

TALK. That is it that I said; for to talk of such things is most profitable; for by so doing, a man may get

knowledge of many things; as of the vanity of earthly things, and the benefit of things above. Thus, in

general, but more particularly by this, a man may learn the necessity of the new birth, the insufficiency of our

works, the need of Christ's righteousness, Besides, by this a man may learn, by talk, what it is to repent, to

believe, to pray, to suffer, or the like; by this also a man may learn what are the great promises and

consolations of the gospel, to his own comfort. Further, by this a man may learn to refute false opinions, to

TALK. Alas! the want of this is the cause why so few understand the need of faith, and the necessity of a

work of grace in their soul, in order to eternal life; but ignorantly live in the works of the law, by which a man

{188} FAITH. But, by your leave, heavenly knowledge of these is the gift of God; no man attaineth to them

TALK. All this I know very well; for a man can receive nothing, except it be given him from Heaven; all is

of grace, not of works. I could give you a hundred scriptures for the confirmation of this.

FAITH. Well, then, said Faithful, what is that one thing that we shall at this time found our discourse upon?

TALK. What you will. I will talk of things heavenly, or things earthly; things moral, or things evangelical;

things sacred, or things profane; things past, or things to come; things foreign, or things at home; things more

FAITH. Now did Faithful begin to wonder; and stepping to Christian, (for he walked all this while by

himself), he said to him, (but softly), What a brave companion have we got! Surely this man will make a very

CHR. At this Christian modestly smiled, and said, This man, with whom you are so taken, will beguile, with

CHR. His name is Talkative; he dwelleth in our town. I wonder that you should be a stranger to him, only I

CHR. He is the son of one Saywell; he dwelt in Prating Row; and is known of all that are acquainted with

him, by the name of Talkative in Prating Row; and notwithstanding his fine tongue, he is but a sorry fellow.

CHR. That is, to them who have not thorough acquaintance with him; for he is best abroad; near home, he is

ugly enough. Your saying that he is a pretty man, brings to my mind what I have observed in the work of the

painter, whose pictures show best at a distance, but, very near, more unpleasing.

CHR. God forbid that I should jest (although I smiled) in this matter, or that I should accuse any falsely! I

will give you a further discovery of him. This man is for any company, and for any talk; as he talketh now

with you, so will he talk when he is on the alebench; and the more drink he hath in his crown, the more of

these things he hath in his mouth; religion hath no place in his heart, or house, or conversation; all he hath

CHR. Deceived! you may be sure of it; remember the proverb, "They say and do not." [Matt. 23:3] But the

kingdom of God is not in word, but in Power. [1 Cor 4:20] He talketh of prayer, of repentance, of faith, and

of the new birth; but he knows but only to talk of them. I have been in his family, and have observed him

both at home and abroad; and I know what I say of him is the truth. (His house is empty of religion) His

house is as empty of religion as the white of an egg is of savour. There is there neither prayer nor sign of

repentance for sin; yea, the brute in his kind serves God far better than he. (He is a stain to religion) He is the

very stain, reproach, and shame of religion, to all that know him; it can hardly have a good word in all that

end of the town where he dwells, through him. [Rom. 2:24,25] (The Proverb that goes of him)

Thus say the common people that know him, A saint abroad, and a devil at home. His poor family finds it so;

he is such a churl, such a railer at and so unreasonable with his servants, that they neither know how to do for

or speak to him. (Men shun to deal with him) Men that have any dealings with him say it is better to deal with

a Turk than with him; for fairer dealing they shall have at their hands. This Talkative (if it be possible)

will go beyond them, defraud, beguile, and overreach them. Besides, he brings up his sons to follow his steps;

and if he findeth in any of them a foolish timorousness, (for so he calls the first appearance of a tender

conscience,) he calls them fools and blockheads, and by no means will employ them in much, or speak to

their commendations before others. For my part, I am of opinion, that he has, by his wicked life, caused many

{194} FAITH. Well, my brother, I am bound to believe you; not only because you say you know him, but

also because, like a Christian, you make your reports of men. For I cannot think that you speak these things of

CHR. Had I known him no more than you, I might perhaps have thought of him, as, at the first, you did; yea,

had he received this report at their hands only that are enemies to religion, I should have thought it had been a

slander,a lot that often falls from bad men's mouths upon good men's names and professions; but all these

things, yea, and a great many more as bad, of my own knowledge, I can prove him guilty of. Besides, good

men are ashamed of him; they can neither call him brother, nor friend; the very naming of him among them

{195} FAITH. Well, I see that saying and doing are two things, and hereafter I shall better observe this

CHR. They are two things, indeed, and are as diverse as are the soul and the body; for as the body without

the soul is but a dead carcass, so saying, if it be alone, is but a dead carcass also. The soul of religion is the

practical part: "Pure religion and undefiled, before God and the Father, is this, To visit the fatherless and

widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." [James 1:27; see vv. 2226] This

Talkative is not aware of; he thinks that hearing and saying will make a good Christian, and thus he deceiveth

his own soul. Hearing is but as the sowing of the seed; talking is not sufficient to prove that fruit is indeed in

the heart and life; and let us assure ourselves, that at the day of doom men shall be judged according to their

fruits. [Matt. 13, 25] It will not be said then, Did you believe? but, Were you doers, or talkers only? and

accordingly shall they be judged. The end of the world is compared to our harvest; and you know men at

harvest regard nothing but fruit. Not that anything can be accepted that is not of faith, but I speak this to show

FAITH. This brings to my mind that of Moses, by which he describeth the beast that is clean. [Lev. 11:37;

Deut. 14:68] He is such a one that parteth the hoof and cheweth the cud; not that parteth the hoof only, or

that cheweth the cud only. The hare cheweth the cud, but yet is unclean, because he parteth not the hoof. And

this truly resembleth Talkative; he cheweth the cud, he seeketh knowledge, he cheweth upon the word; but he

divideth not the hoof, he parteth not with the way of sinners; but, as the hare, he retaineth the foot of a dog or

CHR. You have spoken, for aught I know, the true gospel sense of those texts. And I will add another thing:

Paul calleth some men, yea, and those great talkers, too, sounding brass and tinkling cymbals; that is, as he

expounds them in another place, things without life, giving sound. [1 Cor. 13:13; 14:7] Things without life,

that is, without the true faith and grace of the gospel; and consequently, things that shall never be placed in

the kingdom of heaven among those that are the children of life; though their sound, by their talk, be as if it

FAITH. Well, I was not so fond of his company at first, but I am as sick of it now. What shall we do to be rid

CHR. Take my advice, and do as I bid you, and you shall find that he will soon be sick of your company too,

CHR. Why, go to him, and enter into some serious discourse about the power of religion; and ask him plainly

(when he has approved of it, for that he will) whether this thing be set up in his heart, house, or conversation.

{197} FAITH. Then Faithful stepped forward again, and said to Talkative, Come, what cheer? How is it

TALK. Thank you, well. I thought we should have had a great deal of talk by this time.

{198} FAITH. Well, if you will, we will fall to it now; and since you left it with me to state the question, let

it be this: How doth the saving grace of God discover itself when it is in the heart of man?

TALK. I perceive, then, that our talk must be about the power of things. Well, it is a very good question, and

I shall be willing to answer you. And take my answer in brief, thus: First, Where the grace of God is in the

FAITH. Nay, hold, let us consider of one at once. I think you should rather say, It shows itself by inclining

TALK. Why, what difference is there between crying out against, and abhorring of sin?

FAITH. Oh, a great deal. A man may cry out against sin of policy, but he cannot abhor it, but by virtue of a

godly antipathy against it. I have heard many cry out against sin in the pulpit, who yet can abide it well

enough in the heart, house, and conversation. Joseph's mistress cried out with a loud voice, as if she had been

very holy; but she would willingly, notwithstanding that, have committed uncleanness with him. Some cry

out against sin even as the mother cries out against her child in her lap, when she calleth it slut and naughty

{200} FAITH. No, not I; I am only for setting things right. But what is the second thing whereby you would

FAITH. This sign should have been first; but first or last, it is also false; for knowledge, great knowledge,

may be obtained in the mysteries of the gospel, and yet no work of grace in the soul. [1 Cor. 13] Yea, if a

man have all knowledge, he may yet be nothing, and so consequently be no child of God. When Christ said,

"Do you know all these things?" and the disciples had answered, Yes; he addeth, "Blessed are ye if ye do

them." He doth not lay the blessing in the knowing of them, but in the doing of them. For there is a

knowledge that is not attended with doing: He that knoweth his masters will, and doeth it not. A man may

know like an angel, and yet be no Christian, therefore your sign of it is not true. Indeed, to know is a thing

that pleaseth talkers and boasters, but to do is that which pleaseth God. Not that the heart can be good without

knowledge; for without that, the heart is naught. (Knowledge and knowledge) There is, therefore, knowledge

and knowledge. Knowledge that resteth in the bare speculation of things; and knowledge that is accompanied

with the grace of faith and love; which puts a man upon doing even the will of God from the heart: the first of

these will serve the talker; but without the other the true Christian is not content. (True knowledge attended

with endeavors) "Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole

FAITH. Well, if you please, propound another sign how this work of grace discovereth itself where it is.

FAITH. A work of grace in the soul discovereth itself, either to him that hath it, or to standers by.

To him that hath it thus: It gives him conviction of sin, especially of the defilement of his nature and the sin

of unbelief, (for the sake of which he is sure to be damned, if he findeth not mercy at God's hand, by faith in

Jesus Christ [John 16:8, Rom. 7:24, John 16:9, Mark 16:16]). This sight and sense of things worketh in him

sorrow and shame for sin; he findeth, moreover, revealed in him the Saviour of the world, and the absolute

necessity of closing with him for life, at the which he findeth hungerings and thirstings after him; to which

hungerings, the promise is made. [Ps. 38:18, Jer. 31:19, Gal. 2:16, Acts 4:12, Matt. 5:6, Rev. 21:6] Now,

according to the strength or weakness of his faith in his Saviour, so is his joy and peace, so is his love to

holiness, so are his desires to know him more, and also to serve him in this world. But though I say it

discovereth itself thus unto him, yet it is but seldom that he is able to conclude that this is a work of grace;

because his corruptions now, and his abused reason, make his mind to misjudge in this matter; therefore, in

him that hath this work, there is required a very sound judgement before he can, with steadiness, conclude

1. By an experimental confession of his faith in Christ. [Rom. 10:10, Phil. 1:27, Matt. 5:19]

2. By a life answerable to that confession; to wit, a life of holiness, heartholiness, familyholiness, (if he

hath a family), and by conversationholiness in the world which, in the general, teacheth him, inwardly, to

abhor his sin, and himself for that, in secret; to suppress it in his family and to promote holiness in the world;

not by talk only, as a hypocrite or talkative person may do, but by a practical subjection, in faith and love, to

the power of the Word. [John 14:15, Ps. 50:23, Job 42:56, Eze. 20:43] And now, Sir, as to this brief

description of the work of grace, and also the discovery of it, if you have aught to object, object; if not, then

{203} TALK. Nay, my part is not now to object, but to hear; let me, therefore, have your second question.

FAITH. It is this: Do you experience this first part of this description of it? and doth your life and

conversation testify the same? or standeth your religion in word or in tongue, and not in deed and truth? Pray,

if you incline to answer me in this, say no more than you know the God above will say Amen to; and also

nothing but what your conscience can justify you in; for not he that commendeth himself is approved, but

whom the Lord commendeth. Besides, to say I am thus and thus, when my conversation, and all my

{204} TALK. Then Talkative at first began to blush; but, recovering himself, thus he replied: You come now

to experience, to conscience, and God; and to appeal to him for justification of what is spoken. This kind of

discourse I did not expect; nor am I disposed to give an answer to such questions, because I count not myself

bound thereto, unless you take upon you to be a catechiser, and, though you should so do, yet I may refuse to

FAITH. Because I saw you forward to talk, and because I knew not that you had aught else but notion.

Besides, to tell you all the truth, I have heard of you, that you are a man whose religion lies in talk, and that

your conversation gives this your mouthprofession the lie. (Faithful's plain dealing with Talkative) They

say, you are a spot among Christians; and that religion fareth the worse for your ungodly conversation; that

some have already stumbled at your wicked ways, and that more are in danger of being destroyed thereby;

your religion, and an alehouse, and covetousness, and uncleanness, and swearing, and lying, and

vaincompany keeping, will stand together. The proverb is true of you which is said of a whore, to wit, that

TALK. Since you are ready to take up reports and to judge so rashly as you do, I cannot but conclude you are

CHR. Then came up Christian, and said to his brother, I told you how it would happen: your words and his

lusts could not agree; he had rather leave your company than reform his life. But he is gone, as I said; let him

go, the loss is no man's but his own; he has saved us the trouble of going from him; for he continuing (as I

suppose he will do) as he is, he would have been but a blot in our company: besides, the apostle says, "From

FAITH. But I am glad we had this little discourse with him; it may happen that he will think of it again:

however, I have dealt plainly with him, and so am clear of his blood, if he perisheth.

{207} CHR. You did well to talk so plainly to him as you did; there is but little of this faithful dealing with

men nowadays, and that makes religion to stink so in the nostrils of many, as it doth; for they are these

talkative fools whose religion is only in word, and are debauched and vain in their conversation, that (being

do puzzle the world, blemish Christianity, and grieve the sincere. I wish that all men would deal with such as

you have done: then should they either be made more conformable to religion, or the company of saints

{208} Thus they went on talking of what they had seen by the way, and so made that way easy which would

otherwise, no doubt, have been tedious to them; for now they went through a wilderness.

Now, when they were got almost quite out of this wilderness, Faithful chanced to cast his eye back, and

espied one coming after them, and he knew him. Oh! said Faithful to his brother, who comes yonder? Then

Christian looked, and said, It is my good friend Evangelist. Ay, and my good friend too, said Faithful, for it

was he that set me in the way to the gate. Now was Evangelist come up to them, and thus saluted them:

CHR. Welcome, welcome, my good Evangelist, the sight of thy countenance brings to my remembrance thy

FAITH. And a thousand times welcome, said good Faithful. Thy company, O sweet Evangelist, how

EVAN. Then said Evangelist, How hath it fared with you, my friends, since the time of our last parting?

{211} Then Christian and Faithful told him of all things that had happened to them in the way; and how, and

EVAN. Right glad am I, said Evangelist, not that you have met with trials, but that you have been victors;

and for that you have, notwithstanding many weaknesses, continued in the way to this very day.

I say, right glad am I of this thing, and that for mine own sake and yours. I have sowed, and you have reaped:

and the day is coming, when both he that sowed and they that reaped shall rejoice together; that is, if you hold

out: "for in due season ye shall reap, if ye faint not." [John 4:36, Gal. 6:9] The crown is before you, and it is

an incorruptible one; so run, that you may obtain it. [1 Cor. 9:2427] Some there be that set out for this

crown, and, after they have gone far for it, another comes in, and takes it from them: hold fast, therefore, that

you have; let no man take your crown. [Rev. 3:11] You are not yet out of the gunshot of the devil; you have

not resisted unto blood, striving against sin; let the kingdom be always before you, and believe steadfastly

concerning things that are invisible. Let nothing that is on this side the other world get within you; and, above

all, look well to your own hearts, and to the lusts thereof, "for they are deceitful above all things, and

desperately wicked"; set your faces like a flint; you have all power in heaven and earth on your side.

CHR. Then Christian thanked him for his exhortation; but told him, withal, that they would have him speak

further to them for their help the rest of the way, and the rather, for that they well knew that he was a prophet,

and could tell them of things that might happen unto them, and also how they might resist and overcome

them. To which request Faithful also consented. So Evangelist began as followeth:

(He predicteth what troubles they shall meet with in Vanity Fair, and encourageth them to steadfastness)

EVAN. My sons, you have heard, in the words of the truth of the gospel, that you must, through many

tribulations, enter into the kingdom of heaven. And, again, that in every city bonds and afflictions abide in

you; and therefore you cannot expect that you should go long on your pilgrimage without them, in some sort

or other. You have found something of the truth of these testimonies upon you already, and more will

immediately follow; for now, as you see, you are almost out of this wilderness, and therefore you will soon

come into a town that you will by and by see before you; and in that town you will be hardly beset with

enemies, who will strain hard but they will kill you; and be you sure that one or both of you must seal the

testimony which you hold, with blood; but be you faithful unto death, and the King will give you a crown of

{214} (He whose lot it will be there to suffer, will have the better of his brother)

He that shall die there, although his death will be unnatural, and his pain perhaps great, he will yet have the

better of his fellow; not only because he will be arrived at the Celestial City soonest, but because he will

escape many miseries that the other will meet with in the rest of his journey. But when you are come to the

town, and shall find fulfilled what I have here related, then remember your friend, and quit yourselves like

men, and commit the keeping of your souls to your God in welldoing, as unto a faithful Creator.

{215} Then I saw in my dream, that when they were got out of the wilderness, they presently saw a town

before them, and the name of that town is Vanity; and at the town there is a fair kept, called Vanity Fair: it is

kept all the year long. It beareth the name of Vanity Fair because the town where it is kept is lighter than

vanity; and, also because all that is there sold, or that cometh thither, is vanity. As is the saying of the wise,

{216} This fair is no newerected business, but a thing of ancient standing; I will show you the original of it.

Almost five thousand years agone, there were pilgrims walking to the Celestial City, as these two honest

persons are: and Beelzebub, Apollyon, and Legion, with their companions, perceiving by the path that the

pilgrims made, that their way to the city lay through this town of Vanity, they contrived here to set up a fair; a

fair wherein, should be sold all sorts of vanity, and that it should last all the year long: therefore at this fair

are all such merchandise sold, as houses, lands, trades, places, honours, preferments, titles, countries,

kingdoms, lusts, pleasures, and delights of all sorts, as whores, bawds, wives, husbands, children, masters,

servants, lives, blood, bodies, souls, silver, gold, pearls, precious stones, and what not.

And, moreover, at this fair there is at all times to be seen juggling cheats, games, plays, fools, apes, knaves,

Here are to be seen, too, and that for nothing, thefts, murders, adulteries, false swearers, and that of a

And as in other fairs of less moment, there are the several rows and streets, under their proper names, where

such and such wares are vended; so here likewise you have the proper places, rows, streets, (viz. countries

and kingdoms), where the wares of this fair are soonest to be found. Here is the Britain Row, the French

Row, the Italian Row, the Spanish Row, the German Row, where several sorts of vanities are to be sold. But,

as in other fairs, some one commodity is as the chief of all the fair, so the ware of Rome and her merchandise

is greatly promoted in this fair; only our English nation, with some others, have taken a dislike thereat.

Now, as I said, the way to the Celestial City lies just through this town where this lusty fair is kept; and he

that will go to the city, and yet not go through this town, must needs go out of the world. [1 Cor. 5:10] (Christ

The Prince of princes himself, when here, went through this town to his own country, and that upon a fair day

too; yea, and as I think, it was Beelzebub, the chief lord of this fair, that invited him to buy of his vanities;

yea, would have made him lord of the fair, would he but have done him reverence as he went through the

town. [Matt. 4:8, Luke 4:57] Yea, because he was such a person of honour, Beelzebub had him from street

to street, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a little time, that he might, if possible, allure the

Blessed One to cheapen and buy some of his vanities; but he had no mind to the merchandise, and therefore

left the town, without laying out so much as one farthing upon these vanities. This fair, therefore, is an

Now these pilgrims, as I said, must needs go through this fair. (The fair in a hubbub about them) Well, so

they did: but, behold, even as they entered into the fair, all the people in the fair were moved, and the town

First, The pilgrims were clothed with such kind of raiment as was diverse from the raiment of any that traded

in that fair. The people, therefore, of the fair, made a great gazing upon them: some said they were fools,

Secondly, And as they wondered at their apparel, so they did likewise at their speech; for few could

understand what they said; they naturally spoke the language of Canaan, but they that kept the fair were the

men of this world; so that, from one end of the fair to the other, they seemed barbarians each to the other.

Thirdly, But that which did not a little amuse the merchandisers was, that these pilgrims set very light by all

their wares; they cared not so much as to look upon them; and if they called upon them to buy, they would

put their fingers in their ears, and cry, Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity, and look upwards,

signifying that their trade and traffic was in heaven. [Ps. 119:37, Phil. 3:1920]

One chanced mockingly, beholding the carriage of the men, to say unto them, What will ye buy? But they,

looking gravely upon him, answered, "We buy the truth." [Prov. 23:23] (They are mocked)

At that there was an occasion taken to despise the men the more; some mocking, some taunting, some

speaking reproachfully, and some calling upon others to smite them. (The fair in a hubbub)

At last things came to a hubbub and great stir in the fair, insomuch that all order was confounded. Now was

word presently brought to the great one of the fair, who quickly came down, and deputed some of his most

trusty friends to take these men into examination, about whom the fair was almost overturned. (They are

examined) So the men were brought to examination; and they that sat upon them, asked them whence they

came, whither they went, and what they did there, in such an unusual garb? (They tell who they are, and

whence they came) The men told them that they were pilgrims and strangers in the world, and that they were

going to their own country, which was the heavenly Jerusalem, [Heb. 11:1316] and that they had given no

occasion to the men of the town, nor yet to the merchandisers, thus to abuse them, and to let them in their

journey, except it was for that, when one asked them what they would buy, they said they would buy the

truth. (They are not believed) But they that were appointed to examine them did not believe them to be any

other than bedlams and mad, or else such as came to put all things into a confusion in the fair. (They are put

in the cage) Therefore they took them and beat them, and besmeared them with dirt, and then put them into

There, therefore, they lay for some time, and were made the objects of any man's sport, or malice, or revenge,

the great one of the fair laughing still at all that befell them. But the men being patient, and not rendering

railing for railing, but contrariwise, blessing, and good words for bad, and kindness for injuries done, some

men in the fair that were more observing, and less prejudiced than the rest, began to check and blame the

baser sort for their continual abuses done by them to the men; they, therefore, in angry manner, let fly at them

again, counting them as bad as the men in the cage, and telling them that they seemed confederates, and

should be made partakers of their misfortunes. (The men of the fair do fall out among themselves about these

The other replied that, for aught they could see, the men were quiet, and sober, and intended nobody any

harm; and that there were many that traded in their fair that were more worthy to be put into the cage, yea,

and pillory too, than were the men they had abused. Thus, after divers words had passed on both sides, the

men behaving themselves all the while very wisely and soberly before them, they fell to some blows among

themselves, and did harm one to another. (They are made the authors of this disturbance) Then were these

two poor men brought before their examiners again, and there charged as being guilty of the late hubbub that

had been in the fair. (They are led up and down the fair in chains, for a terror to others)

So they beat them pitifully, and hanged irons upon them, and led them in chains up and down the fair, for an

example and a terror to others, lest any should speak in their behalf, or join themselves unto them. (Some of

But Christian and Faithful behaved themselves yet more wisely, and received the ignominy and shame that

was cast upon them, with so much meekness and patience, that it won to their side, though but few in

comparison of the rest, several of the men in the fair. This put the other party yet into greater rage, insomuch

that they concluded the death of these two men. (Their adversaries resolve to kill them) Wherefore they

threatened, that the cage nor irons should serve their turn, but that they should die, for the abuse they had

Then were they remanded to the cage again, until further order should be taken with them. So they put them

{225} Here, therefore, they called again to mind what they had heard from their faithful friend Evangelist,

and were the more confirmed in their way and sufferings by what he told them would happen to them. They

also now comforted each other, that whose lot it was to suffer, even he should have the best of it; therefore

each man secretly wished that he might have that preferment: but committing themselves to the allwise

disposal of Him that ruleth all things, with much content, they abode in the condition in which they were,

Then a convenient time being appointed, they brought them forth to their trial, in order to their condemnation.

When the time was come, they were brought before their enemies and arraigned. The judge's name was Lord

Hategood. Their indictment was one and the same in substance, though somewhat varying in form, the

"That they were enemies to and disturbers of their trade; that they had made commotions and divisions in the

town, and had won a party to their own most dangerous opinions, in contempt of the law of their prince."

Then Faithful began to answer, that he had only set himself against that which hath set itself against Him that

is higher than the highest. And, said he, as for disturbance, I make none, being myself a man of peace; the

parties that were won to us, were won by beholding our truth and innocence, and they are only turned from

the worse to the better. And as to the king you talk of, since he is Beelzebub, the enemy of our Lord, I defy

{229} Then proclamation was made, that they that had aught to say for their lord the king against the prisoner

at the bar, should forthwith appear and give in their evidence. So there came in three witnesses, to wit, Envy,

Superstition, and Pickthank. They were then asked if they knew the prisoner at the bar; and what they had to

Then stood forth Envy, and said to this effect: My Lord, I have known this man a long time, and will attest

ENVY. My Lord, this man, notwithstanding his plausible name, is one of the vilest men in our country. He

neither regardeth prince nor people, law nor custom; but doth all that he can to possess all men with certain of

his disloyal notions, which he in the general calls principles of faith and holiness. And, in particular, I heard

him once myself affirm that Christianity and the customs of our town of Vanity were diametrically opposite,

and could not be reconciled. By which saying, my Lord, he doth at once not only condemn all our laudable

ENVY. My Lord, I could say much more, only I would not be tedious to the court. Yet, if need be, when the

other gentlemen have given in their evidence, rather than anything shall be wanting that will despatch him, I

will enlarge my testimony against him. So he was bid to stand by. Then they called Superstition, and bid him

look upon the prisoner. They also asked, what he could say for their lord the king against him. Then they

SUPER. My Lord, I have no great acquaintance with this man, nor do I desire to have further knowledge of

him; however, this I know, that he is a very pestilent fellow, from some discourse that, the other day, I had

with him in this town; for then, talking with him, I heard him say, that our religion was naught, and such by

which a man could by no means please God. Which sayings of his, my Lord, your Lordship very well knows,

what necessarily thence will follow, to wit, that we do still worship in vain, are yet in our sins, and finally

{232} Then was Pickthank sworn, and bid say what he knew, in behalf of their lord the king, against the

Pick. My Lord, and you gentlemen all, This fellow I have known of a long time, and have heard him speak

things that ought not to be spoke; for he hath railed on our noble prince Beelzebub, and hath spoken

contemptibly of his honourable friends, (Sins are all lords and great ones) whose names are the Lord Old

Man, the Lord Carnal Delight, the Lord Luxurious, the Lord Desire of Vain Glory, my old Lord Lechery, Sir

Having Greedy, with all the rest of our nobility; and he hath said, moreover, That if all men were of his mind,

if possible, there is not one of these noblemen should have any longer a being in this town. Besides, he hath

not been afraid to rail on you, my Lord, who are now appointed to be his judge, calling you an ungodly

villain, with many other such like vilifying terms, with which he hath bespattered most of the gentry of our

{233} When this Pickthank had told his tale, the Judge directed his speech to the prisoner at the bar, saying,

Thou runagate, heretic, and traitor, hast thou heard what these honest gentlemen have witnessed against thee?

JUDGE. Sirrah! sirrah! thou deservest to live no longer, but to be slain immediately upon the place; yet, that

all men may see our gentleness towards thee, let us hear what thou, vile runagate, hast to say.

FAITH. 1. I say, then, in answer to what Mr. Envy hath spoken, I never said aught but this, That what rule, or

laws, or customs, or people, were flat against the Word of God, are diametrically opposite to Christianity. If I

have said amiss in this, convince me of my error, and I am ready here before you to make my recantation.

{235} 2. As to the second, to wit, Mr. Superstition, and his charge against me, I said only this, That in the

worship of God there is required a Divine faith; but there can be no Divine faith without a Divine revelation

of the will of God. Therefore, whatever is thrust into the worship of God that is not agreeable to Divine

revelation, cannot be done but by a human faith, which faith will not be profitable to eternal life.

{236} 3. As to what Mr. Pickthank hath said, I say (avoiding terms, as that I am said to rail, and the like) that

the prince of this town, with all the rabblement, his attendants, by this gentleman named, are more fit for a

being in hell, than in this town and country: and so, the Lord have mercy upon me!

Then the Judge called to the jury (who all this while stood by, to hear and observe): Gentlemen of the jury,

you see this man about whom so great an uproar hath been made in this town. You have also heard what

these worthy gentlemen have witnessed against him. Also you have heard his reply and confession. It lieth

now in your breasts to hang him or save his life; but yet I think meet to instruct you into our law.

{238} There was an Act made in the days of Pharaoh the Great, servant to our prince, that lest those of a

contrary religion should multiply and grow too strong for him, their males should be thrown into the river.

[Exo. 1:22] There was also an Act made in the days of Nebuchadnezzar the Great, another of his servants,

that whosoever would not fall down and worship his golden image, should be thrown into a fiery furnace.

[Dan. 3:6] There was also an Act made in the days of Darius, that whoso, for some time, called upon any god

but him, should be cast into the lions' den. [Dan. 6] Now the substance of these laws this rebel has broken,

not only in thought, (which is not to be borne), but also in word and deed; which must therefore needs be

{239} For that of Pharaoh, his law was made upon a supposition, to prevent mischief, no crime being yet

apparent; but here is a crime apparent. For the second and third, you see he disputeth against our religion; and

Then went the jury out, whose names were, Mr. Blindman, Mr. Nogood, Mr. Malice, Mr. Lovelust, Mr.

Liveloose, Mr. Heady, Mr. Highmind, Mr. Enmity, Mr. Liar, Mr. Cruelty, Mr. Hatelight, and Mr.

Implacable; who every one gave in his private verdict against him among themselves, and afterwards

unanimously concluded to bring him in guilty before the Judge. (Everyones private verdict) And first, among

themselves, Mr. Blindman, the foreman, said, I see clearly that this man is a heretic. Then said Mr.

Nogood, Away with such a fellow from the earth. Ay, said Mr. Malice, for I hate the very looks of him.

Then said Mr. Lovelust, I could never endure him. Nor I, said Mr. Liveloose, for he would always be

condemning my way. Hang him, hang him, said Mr. Heady. A sorry scrub, said Mr. Highmind. My heart

riseth against him, said Mr. Enmity. He is a rogue, said Mr. Liar. Hanging is too good for him, said Mr.

Cruelty. Let us despatch him out of the way, said Mr. Hatelight. Then said Mr. Implacable, Might I have all

the world given me, I could not be reconciled to him; (They conclude to bring him in guilty of death)

therefore, let us forthwith bring him in guilty of death. And so they did; therefore he was presently

condemned to be had from the place where he was, to the place from whence he came, and there to be put to

They therefore brought him out, to do with him according to their law; and, first, they scourged him, then

they buffeted him, then they lanced his flesh with knives; after that, they stoned him with stones, then pricked

him with their swords; and, last of all, they burned him to ashes at the stake. Thus came Faithful to his end.

Now I saw that there stood behind the multitude a chariot and a couple of horses, waiting for Faithful, who

(so soon as his adversaries had despatched him) was taken up into it, and straightway was carried up through

But as for Christian, he had some respite, and was remanded back to prison. So he there remained for a space;

but He that overrules all things, having the power of their rage in his own hand, so wrought it about, that

Christian for that time escaped them, and went his way. And as he went, he sang, saying

Now I saw in my dream, that Christian went not forth alone, for there was one whose name was Hopeful

(being made so by the beholding of Christian and Faithful in their words and behaviour, 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. (There are more of the men of the fair will follow)

This Hopeful also told Christian, that there were many more of the men in the fair, that would take their time

So I saw that quickly after they were got out of the fair, they overtook one that was going before them, whose

name was Byends: 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 Fairspeech, and he was going to the Celestial City (but told them not his

From Fairspeech! said Christian. Is there any good that lives there? [Prov. 26:25]

BYENDS. I am a stranger to you, and you to me: if you be going this way, I shall be glad of your company;

CHR. This town of Fairspeech, said Christian, I have heard of; and, as I remember, they say it is a wealthy

BYENDS. Yes, I will assure you that it is; and I have very many rich kindred there.

BYENDS. Almost the whole town; and in particular, my Lord Turnabout, my Lord Timeserver, my Lord

Fairspeech, (from whose ancestors that town first took its name), also Mr. Smoothman, Mr.

Facingbothways, Mr. Anything; and the parson of our parish, Mr. Twotongues, 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

greatgrandfather was but a waterman, looking one way and rowing another, and I got most of my estate by

BYENDS. 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 honourable family, and is arrived to such a pitch of

breeding, that she knows how to carry it to all, even to prince and peasant. (Where Byends differs from

others in religion) It is 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

{247} Then Christian stepped a little aside to his fellow, Hopeful, saying, It runs in my mind that this is one

Byends of Fairspeech; 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. Byends, of Fairspeech?

BYENDS. 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.

BYENDS. 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

{248} CHR. I thought, indeed, that you were the man that I heard of; and to tell you what I think, I fear this

BYENDS. Well, if you will thus imagine, I cannot help it; you shall find me a fair companykeeper, if you

CHR. 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,

BYENDS. You must not impose, nor lord it over my faith; leave me to my liberty, and let me go with you.

Then said Byends, 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

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. Byends, and behold, as they came up with him, he made

them a very low conge {conge'}; and they also gave him a compliment. (He has new companions)

The men's names were Mr. Holdtheworld, Mr. Moneylove, and Mr. Saveall; men that Mr. Byends had

formerly been acquainted with; for in their minority they were schoolfellows, and were 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, flattery, lying, or by putting on

the guise of religion; and these four gentlemen had attained much of the art of their master, so that they could

{250} Well, when they had, as I said, thus saluted each other, Mr. Moneylove said to Mr. Byends, Who

are they upon the road before us? (for Christian and Hopeful were yet within view).

BYENDS. They are a couple of far countrymen, that, after their mode, are going on pilgrimage.

MONEYLOVE. Alas! Why did they not stay, that we might have had their good company? for they, and

BYENDS. 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 never so godly, yet if he jumps not with

{251} SAVEALL. 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

BYENDS. Why, they, after their headstrong manner, conclude that it is 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 are

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 golden slippers, in the sunshine,

{252} HOLDTHEWORLD. Ay, and hold you there still, good Mr. Byends; 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 when the sun shines; you see how the bee lieth still all 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.

SAVEALL. I think that we are all agreed in this matter, and therefore there needs no more words about it.

MONEYLOVE. 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

{253} BYENDS. My brethren, we are, as you see, going all on pilgrimage; and, for our better diversion

Suppose a man, a minister, or a tradesman, 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

extraordinarily zealous in some points of religion that he meddled not with before, may he not use these

{254} MONEYLOVE. I see the bottom of your question; and, with these gentlemen's good leave, I will

endeavour to shape you an answer. And first, to speak to your question as it concerns 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 of 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 but a man may do this, (provided he has a call), ay, and

{255} 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.

{256} 2. Besides, his desire after that benefice makes him more studious, a more zealous preacher, and so

makes him a better man; yea, makes him better improve his parts, which is according to the mind of God.

{257} 3. Now, as for his complying with the temper of his people, by dissenting, to serve them, some of his

principles, this argueth, (1) That he is of a selfdenying, temper; (2) Of a sweet and winning deportment; and

{258} 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 has improved in his parts and industry thereby, be counted as one that

{259} And now to the second part of the question, which concerns the tradesman you mentioned. Suppose

such a 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 that this

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

{260} This answer, thus made by this Mr. Moneylove to Mr. Byends's 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. Byends 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. Byends, but old Mr. Holdtheworld,

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. Byends and them, at their parting a little before.

{260} So they came up to each other, and after a short salutation, Mr. Holdtheworld propounded the

CHR. 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 in the sixth of John), how much more abominable is it to make

of him and religion a stalkinghorse to get and enjoy the world! Nor do we find any other than heathens,

{261} 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 becoming circumcised, they say 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 daughter and their cattle were that which they sought to obtain, and their

religion the stalkinghorse they made use of to come at them. Read the whole story. [Gen. 34:2023]

{262} 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 20:4647]

{263} 3. Judas the devil was also of this religion; he was religious for the bag, that he might be possessed of

{264} 4. Simon the witch 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 8:1922]

{265} 5. Neither will it out of my mind, but that that man that takes up religion for the world, will throw

away religion for the world; for so surely as Judas resigned 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 both 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. Byends 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,

Then Christian and Hopeful outwent them again, and went till they came to a delicate plain called Ease,

where they went with much content; but that plain was but narrow, so they were quickly got over it. (Lucre

Hill a dangerous hill) Now at the further 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 brink 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.

{267} (Demas at the Hill Lucre. He calls to Christian and Hopeful to come to him)

Then I saw in my dream, that a little off the road, over against the silver mine, stood Demas (gentlemanlike)

to call to passengers to come and see; who said to Christian and his fellow, Ho! turn aside hither, and I will

DEMAS. Here is a silver mine, and some digging in it for treasure. If you will come, with a little pains you

CHR. Not I, said Christian, I have heard of this place before now; and how many have there 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? [Hos.

DEMAS. Not very dangerous, except to those that are careless, (but withal, he blushed as he spake).

CHR. Then said Christian to Hopeful, Let us not stir a step, but still keep on our way.

HOPE. I will warrant you, when Byends comes up, if he hath the same invitation as we, he will turn in

CHR. No doubt thereof, for his principles lead him that way, and a hundred to one but he dies there.

CHR. 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 and King will certainly hear thereof, and will there put us to shame, where we would stand with

Demas cried again, that he also was one of their fraternity; and that if they would tarry a little, he also himself

{270} CHR. Then said Christian, What is thy name? Is it not the same by the which I have called thee?

CHR. I know you; Gehazi was your greatgrandfather, and Judas your father; and you have trod in their

steps. [2 Kings 5:20, Matt. 26:14,15, 27:15] It is but a devilish prank that thou usest; thy father was hanged

for a traitor, and thou deservest no better reward. Assure thyself, that when we come to the King, we will do

By this time Byends 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 never were seen again in the way. Then sang Christian

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 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

{273} CHR. 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

inclining to do, my brother, we had, for aught I know, been made ourselves like this woman, a spectacle for

HOPE. 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

{274} CHR. Let us take notice of what we see here, for our help for 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

HOPE. 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. [Num. 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

{275} CHR. 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 showed them [Gen. 13:13]; for the land of Sodom was now like the garden of Eden heretofore. [Gen.

13:10] 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

HOPE. 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

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". [Ps. 65:9, Rev. 22, Ezek. 47] Now their way lay just upon the bank

of the 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: (Trees by the river. The fruit and

leaves of the tree) besides, on the banks of this river, on either side, were green trees, that bore all manner of

fruit; and the leaves of the trees were good for medicine; with the fruit of these trees they were also much

delighted; and the leaves they eat to prevent surfeits, and other diseases that are incident to those that heat

their blood by travels. (A meadow in which they lie down to sleep) 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. 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. [Ps. 23:2, Isa. 14:30] Thus they

So when they were disposed to go on, (for they were not, as yet, at their journey's end,) they ate and drank,

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. [Num. 21:4] Wherefore, still as they went on, they wished for 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 Bypath Meadow. (One temptation does make way for another) Then said Christian to his fellow, If

this meadow lieth along by our wayside, let us 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

CHR. That is not like, 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. (See what it is too suddenly to fall in with strangers)

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 Vainconfidence); 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 were behind lost the sight of him that went before.

He, therefore, that went before, (Vainconfidence by name), not seeing the way before him, fell into a deep

pit [Isa. 9:16], which was on purpose there made, by the Prince of those grounds, to catch vainglorious fools

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 very dreadful

{281} CHR. Who could have thought that this path should have led us out of the way?

HOPE. I was afraid on it at the very first, and therefore gave you that gentle caution. I would have spoken

CHR. 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.

HOPE. Be comforted, my brother, for I forgive thee; and believe, too, that this shall be for our good.

CHR. I am glad I have with me a merciful brother; but we must not stand thus: let us try to go back again.

CHR. No, if you please, let me go first, that if there be any danger, I may be first therein, because by my

HOPE. 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, "Set thine heart toward the

highway, even the way which 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

Yet they adventured to go back, but it was so dark, and the flood was so high, that in their going back they

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 until the daybreak; but, being weary, they fell asleep. (He finds them

in his grounds, and carries them to Doubting Castle) 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 grievousness of their

imprisonment) 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. [Ps. 88:18] 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. Now in this place

Christian had double sorrow, because it was through his unadvised counsel that they were brought into this

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 to 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 counselled him

that when he arose in the morning he should beat them without any mercy. So, when he arose, he getteth him

a grievous crabtree cudgel, and goes down into the dungeon to them, and there first falls to rating of them as

if they were dogs, although they never gave him 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

about them further, and understanding they were yet alive, did advise him to counsel them to make away

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 life, seeing it is attended with so much bitterness? But

they desired him to let them go. (The giant sometimes has fits) 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 hand; wherefore he withdrew,

and left them as before, to consider what to do. Then did the prisoners consult between themselves whether it

CHR. Brother, said Christian, what shall we do? The life that we now live is miserable. For my part I know

not whether 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?

HOPE. 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, for certain the murderers go? "For no murderer hath eternal life," 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 hand. Who knows, but the God that 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

{287} 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 to take it or no. Now

Christian again seemed to be for doing it, but Hopeful made his second reply as followeth:

HOPE. 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 fear! Thou

seest that I am in the dungeon with thee, a far weaker man by nature than thou art; also, this Giant has

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

{290} 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 hardship, than to make away themselves. Then said she, Take them into the castleyard

tomorrow, and show them the bones and skulls of those that thou hast already despatched, and make them

believe, ere a week comes to an end, thou also wilt tear them in pieces, as thou hast done their fellows before

{291} (On Saturday, the Giant threatened that shortly he would pull them in pieces)

So when the morning was come, the Giant goes to them again, and takes them into the castleyard, and

shows them, as his wife had bidden him. These, said he, were pilgrims as you are, once, and they trespassed

in 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. Go, 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, were 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 his counsel bring them to an end.

And with that his wife replied, I fear, said she, that they live in hope 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

{292} Well, on Saturday, about midnight, they began to pray, and continued in prayer till almost break of

Now, a little before it was day, good Christian, as one half amazed, brake out in 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

{293} 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 castleyard, 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 damnable hard, yet the key did open it.

Then they 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

Now, when they were over the stile, they began to contrive with themselves what they should do at that stile

to prevent those that should 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

They went then till they came to the Delectable Mountains, which mountains belong to the Lord of that hill of

which we have spoken before; so they went up to the mountains, to behold the gardens and orchards, the

vineyards and fountains of water; where also they drank and washed themselves, and did freely eat of the

vineyards. (They are refreshed in the mountains) Now there were on the tops of these mountains Shepherds

feeding their flocks, and they stood by the highway side. (Talk with the Shepherds) The Pilgrims therefore

went to them, and leaning upon their staves, (as is common with weary pilgrims when they stand to talk with

any by the way), they asked, Whose Delectable Mountains are these? And whose be the sheep that feed upon

{296} SHEP. These mountains are Immanuel's Land, and they are within sight of his city; and the sheep also

SHEP. Safe for those for whom it is to be safe; but the transgressors shall fall therein. [Hos. 14:9]

CHR. Is there, in this place, any relief for pilgrims that are weary and faint in the way?

SHEP. The Lord of these mountains hath given us a charge not to be forgetful to entertain strangers,

I saw also in my dream, that when the Shepherds perceived that they were wayfaring men, they also put

questions to them, to which they made answer as in other places; as, Whence came you? and, How got you

into the way? and, By what means have you so persevered therein? For but few of them that begin to come

hither do show their face on these mountains. But when the Shepherds heard their answers, being pleased

therewith, they looked very lovingly upon them, and said, Welcome to the Delectable Mountains.

The Shepherds, I say, whose names were Knowledge, Experience, Watchful, and Sincere, took them by the

hand, and had them to their tents, and made them partake of that which was ready at present. They said,

moreover, We would that ye should stay here awhile, to be acquainted with us; and yet more to solace

yourselves with the good of these Delectable Mountains. They then told them, that they were content to stay;

Then I saw in my dream, that in the morning the Shepherds called up to Christian and Hopeful to walk with

them upon the mountains; so they went forth with them, and walked a while, having a pleasant prospect on

every side. Then said the Shepherds one to another, Shall we show these pilgrims some wonders? (The

Mountain of Error) So when they had concluded to do it, they had them first to the top of a hill called Error,

which was very steep on the furthest side, and bid them look down to the bottom. So Christian and Hopeful

looked down, and saw at the bottom several men dashed all to pieces by a fall that they had from the top.

Then said Christian, What meaneth this? The Shepherds answered, Have you not heard of them that were

made to err by hearkening to Hymeneus and Philetus as concerning the faith of the resurrection of the body?

[2 Tim. 2:17,18] They answered, Yes. Then said the Shepherds, Those that you see lie dashed in pieces at the

bottom of this mountain are they; and they have continued to this day unburied, as you see, for an example to

others to take heed how they clamber too high, or how they come too near the brink of this mountain.

Then I saw that they had them to the top of another mountain, and the name of that is Caution, and bid them

look afar off; which, when they did, they perceived, as they thought, several men walking up and down

among the tombs that were there; and they perceived that the men were blind, because they stumbled

sometimes upon the tombs, and because they could not get out from among them. Then said Christian, What

{301} The Shepherds then answered, Did you not see a little below these mountains a stile, that led into a

meadow, on the left hand of this way? They answered, Yes. Then said the Shepherds, From that stile there

goes a path that leads directly to Doubting Castle, which is kept by Giant Despair, and these, pointing to them

among the tombs, came once on pilgrimage, as you do now, even till they came to that same stile; and

because the right way was rough in that place, they chose to go out of it into that meadow, and there were

taken by Giant Despair, and cast into Doubting Castle; where, after they had been a while kept in the

dungeon, he at last did put out their eyes, and led them among those tombs, where he has left them to wander

to this very day, that the saying of the wise man might be fulfilled, "He that wandereth out of the way of

understanding, shall remain in the congregation of the dead." [Pro. 21:16] Then Christian and Hopeful looked

upon one another, with tears gushing out, but yet said nothing to the Shepherds.

Then I saw in my dream, that the Shepherds had them to another place, in a bottom, where was a door in the

side of a hill, and they opened the door, and bid them look in. They looked in, therefore, and saw that within

it was very dark and smoky; they also thought that they heard there a rumbling noise as of fire, and a cry of

some tormented, and that they smelt the scent of brimstone. Then said Christian, What means this? The

Shepherds told them, This is a byway to hell, a way that hypocrites go in at; namely, such as sell their

birthright, with Esau; such as sell their master, with Judas; such as blaspheme the gospel, with Alexander;

and that lie and dissemble, with Ananias and Sapphira his wife. Then said Hopeful to the Shepherds, I

perceive that these had on them, even every one, a show of pilgrimage, as we have now; had they not?

HOPE. How far might they go on in pilgrimage in their day, since they notwithstanding were thus miserably

Then said the Pilgrims one to another, We have need to cry to the Strong for strength.

By this time the Pilgrims had a desire to go forward, and the Shepherds a desire they should; so they walked

together towards the end of the mountains. Then said the Shepherds one to another, Let us here show to the

Pilgrims the gates of the Celestial City, if they have skill to look through our perspective glass. (The Hill

Clear) The Pilgrims then lovingly accepted the motion; so they had them to the top of a high hill, called

Then they essayed to look, but the remembrance of that last thing that the Shepherds had shown them, made

their hands shake; by means of which impediment, they could not look steadily through the glass; yet they

thought they saw something like the gate, and also some of the glory of the place. Then they went away, and

When they were about to depart, one of the Shepherds gave them a note of the way. Another of them bid

them beware of the Flatterer. The third bid them take heed that they sleep not upon the Enchanted Ground.

And I slept, and dreamed again, and saw the same two Pilgrims going down the mountains along the highway

towards the city. Now, a little below these mountains, on the left hand, lieth the country of Conceit; from

which country there comes into the way in which the Pilgrims walked, a little crooked lane. Here, therefore,

they met with a very brisk lad, that came out of that country; and his name was Ignorance. So Christian asked

IGNOR. Sir, I was born in the country that lieth off there a little on the left hand, and I am going to the

CHR. But how do you think to get in at the gate? for you may find some difficulty there.

CHR. But what have you to show at that gate, that may cause that the gate should be opened to you?

IGNOR. I know my Lord's will, and I have been a good liver; I pay every man his own; I pray, fast, pay

{309} CHR. But thou camest not in at the wicketgate that is at the head of this way; thou camest in hither

through that same crooked lane, and therefore, I fear, however thou mayest think of thyself, when the

reckoning day shall come, thou wilt have laid to thy charge that thou art a thief and a robber, instead of

IGNOR. Gentlemen, ye be utter strangers to me, I know you not; be content and follow the religion of your

country, and I will follow the religion of mine. I hope all will be well. And as for the gate that you talk of, all

the world knows that that is a great way off of our country. I cannot think that any man in all our parts doth so

much as know the way to it, nor need they matter whether they do or no, since we have, as you see, a fine,

pleasant green lane, that comes down from our country, the next way into the way.

When Christian saw that the man was "wise in his own conceit", he said to Hopeful, whisperingly, "There is

more hope of a fool than of him." [Prov. 26:12] And said, moreover, "When he that is a fool walketh by the

way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool." [Eccl. 10:3] What, shall we talk

further with him, or outgo him at present, and so leave him to think of what he hath heard already, and then

stop again for him afterwards, and see if by degrees we can do any good to him? Then said Hopeful

HOPE. He further added, It is not good, I think, to say all to him at once; let us pass him by, if you will, and

So they both went on, and Ignorance he came after. Now when they had passed him a little way, they entered

into a very dark lane, where they met a man whom seven devils had bound with seven strong cords, and were

carrying of him back to the door that they saw on the side of the hill. [Matt. 12:45, Prov. 5:22] Now good

Christian began to tremble, and so did Hopeful his companion; yet as the devils led away the man, Christian

looked to see if he knew him; and he thought it might be one Turnaway, that dwelt in the town of Apostasy.

But he did not perfectly see his face, for he did hang his head like a thief that is found. But being once past,

Hopeful looked after him, and espied on his back a paper with this inscription, "Wanton professor and

Then said Christian to his fellow, Now I call to remembrance, that which was told me of a thing that

happened to a good man hereabout. The name of the man was Littlefaith, but a good man, and he dwelt in

the town of Sincere. The thing was this: At the entering in at this passage, (Broadway Gate) there comes

down from Broadway Gate, (Dead Man's Lane) a lane called Dead Man's Lane; so called because of the

murders that are commonly done there; and this Littlefaith going on pilgrimage, as we do now, chanced to

sit down there, and slept. Now there happened, at that time, to come down the lane, from Broadway Gate,

three sturdy rogues, and their names were Faintheart, Mistrust, and Guilt, (three brothers), and they espying

Littlefaith, where he was, came galloping up with speed. Now the good man was just awake from his sleep,

and was getting up to go on his journey. So they came up all to him, and with threatening language bid him

stand. At this Littlefaith looked as white as a clout, and had neither power to fight nor fly. (Littlefaith

Then said Faintheart, Deliver thy purse. (They got away his silver, and knocked him down) But he making

no haste to do it (for he was loath to lose his money), Mistrust ran up to him, and thrusting his hand into his

pocket, pulled out thence a bag of silver. Then he cried out, Thieves! Thieves! With that Guilt, with a great

club that was in his hand, struck Littlefaith on the head, and with that blow felled him flat to the ground,

where he lay bleeding as one that would bleed to death. All this while the thieves stood by. But, at last, they

hearing that some were upon the road, and fearing lest it should be one Greatgrace, that dwells in the city of

Goodconfidence, they betook themselves to their heels, and left this good man to shift for himself. Now,

after a while, Littlefaith came to himself, and getting up, made shift to scrabble on his way. This was the

Chr. No; the place where his jewels were they never ransacked, so those he kept still. But, as I was told, the

good man was much afflicted for his loss, for the thieves got most of his spendingmoney. (Littlefaith

That which they got not (as I said) were jewels, also he had a little odd money left, but scarce enough to bring

him to his journey's end [1 Peter 4:18]; nay, if I was not misinformed, he was forced to beg as he went, to

keep himself alive; for his jewels he might not sell. But beg, and do what he could, he went (as we say) with

{313} HOPE. But is it not a wonder they got not from him his certificate, by which he was to receive his

CHR. It is a wonder; but they got not that, though they missed it not through any good cunning of his; for he,

being dismayed with their coming upon him, had neither power nor skill to hide anything; so it was more by

{314} HOPE. But it must needs be a comfort to him, that they got not his jewels from him.

CHR. It might have been great comfort to him, had he used it as he should; but they that told me the story

said, that he made but little use of it all the rest of the way, and that because of the dismay that he had in the

taking away his money; indeed, he forgot it a great part of the rest of his journey; and besides, when at any

time it came into his mind, and he began to be comforted therewith, then would fresh thoughts of his loss

CHR. Grief! ay, a grief indeed. Would it not have been so to any of us, had we been used as he, to be robbed,

and wounded too, and that in a strange place, as he was? It is a wonder he did not die with grief, poor heart! I

was told that he scattered almost all the rest of the way with nothing but doleful and bitter complaints; telling

also to all that overtook him, or that he overtook in the way as he went, where he was robbed, and how; who

they were that did it, and what he lost; how he was wounded, and that he hardly escaped with his life.

{316} HOPE. But it is a wonder that his necessity did not put him upon selling or pawning some of his

CHR. Thou talkest like one upon whose head is the shell to this very day; for what should he pawn them, or

to whom should he sell them? In all that country where he was robbed, his jewels were not accounted of; nor

did he want that relief which could from thence be administered to him. Besides, had his jewels been missing

at the gate of the Celestial City, he had (and that he knew well enough) been excluded from an inheritance

there; and that would have been worse to him than the appearance and villainy of ten thousand thieves.

{317} HOPE. Why art thou so tart, my brother? Esau sold his birthright, and that for a mess of pottage, and

that birthright was his greatest jewel; and if he, why might not Littlefaith do so too? [Heb. 12:16]

CHR. Esau did sell his birthright indeed, and so do many besides, and by so doing exclude themselves from

the chief blessing, as also that caitiff did; but you must put a difference betwixt Esau and Littlefaith, and

also betwixt their estates. (Esau was ruled by his lusts) Esau's birthright was typical, but Littlefaith's jewels

were not so; Esau's belly was his god, but Littlefaith's belly was not so; Esau's want lay in his fleshly

appetite, Littlefaith's did not so. Besides, Esau could see no further than to the fulfilling of his lusts;

"Behold, I am at the point to die, (said he), and what profit shall this birthright do me?" [Gen. 25:32] But

Littlefaith, though it was his lot to have but a little faith, was by his little faith kept from such

extravagances, and made to see and prize his jewels more than to sell them, as Esau did his birthright. (Esau

never had faith) You read not anywhere that Esau had faith, no, not so much as a little; therefore, no marvel

if, where the flesh only bears sway, (as it will in that man where no faith is to resist), if he sells his birthright,

and his soul and all, and that to the devil of hell; for it is with such, as it is with the ass, who in her occasions

cannot be turned away. [Jer. 2:24] When their minds are set upon their lusts, they will have them whatever

But Littlefaith was of another temper, his mind was on things divine; his livelihood was upon things that

were spiritual, and from above; therefore, to what end should he that is of such a temper sell his jewels (had

to fill his mind with empty things? (A comparison between the turtledove and the crow) Will a man give a

penny to fill his belly with hay; or can you persuade the turtledove to live upon carrion like the crow?

Though faithless ones can, for carnal lusts, pawn, or mortgage, or sell what they have, and themselves

outright to boot; yet they that have faith, saving faith, though but a little of it, cannot do so. Here, therefore,

{318} HOPE. I acknowledge it; but yet your severe reflection had almost made me angry.

CHR. Why, I did but compare thee to some of the birds that are of the brisker sort, who will run to and fro in

untrodden paths, with the shell upon their heads; but pass by that, and consider the matter under debate, and

HOPE. But, Christian, these three fellows, I am persuaded in my heart, are but a company of cowards; would

they have run else, think you, as they did, at the noise of one that was coming on the road? Why did not

Littlefaith pluck up a greater heart? He might, methinks, have stood one brush with them, and have yielded

CHR. That they are cowards, many have said, but few have found it so in the time of trial. As for a great

heart, Littlefaith had none; and I perceive by thee, my brother, hadst thou been the man concerned, thou art

And, verily, since this is the height of thy stomach, now they are at a distance from us, should they appear to

But, consider again, they are but journeymen thieves, they serve under the king of the bottomless pit, who, if

need be, will come into their aid himself, and his voice is as the roaring of a lion. [1 Pet. 5:8] I myself have

been engaged as this Littlefaith was, and I found it a terrible thing. These three villains set upon me, and I

beginning, like a Christian, to resist, they gave but a call, and in came their master. I would, as the saying is,

have given my life for a penny, but that, as God would have it, I was clothed with armour of proof. Ay, and

yet, though I was so harnessed, I found it hard work to quit myself like a man. No man can tell what in that

{320} HOPE. Well, but they ran, you see, when they did but suppose that one Greatgrace was in the way.

CHR. True, they have often fled, both they and their master, when Greatgrace hath but appeared; and no

marvel; for he is the King's champion. But, I trow, you will put some difference betwixt Littlefaith and the

King's champion. All the King's subjects are not his champions, nor can they, when tried, do such feats of

war as he. Is it meet to think that a little child should handle Goliath as David did? Or that there should be the

strength of an ox in a wren? Some are strong, some are weak; some have great faith, some have little. This

CHR. If it had been, he might have had his hands full; for I must tell you, that though Greatgrace is

excellent good at his weapons, and has, and can, so long as he keeps them at sword's point, do well enough

with them; yet, if they get within him, even Faintheart, Mistrust, or the other, it shall go hard but they will

{322} Whoso looks well upon Greatgrace's face, shall see those scars and cuts there, that shall easily give

demonstration of what I say. Yea, once I heard that he should say, (and that when he was in the combat), "We

despaired even of life." How did these sturdy rogues and their fellows make David groan, mourn, and roar?

Yea, Heman, and Hezekiah, too, though champions in their day, were forced to bestir them, when by these

assaulted; and yet, notwithstanding, they had their coats soundly brushed by them. Peter, upon a time, would

go try what he could do; but though some do say of him that he is the prince of the apostles, they handled him

Besides, their king is at their whistle. He is never out of hearing; and if at any time they be put to the worst,

he, if possible, comes in to help them; and of him it is said, The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold

the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon; he esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood. The arrow cannot

make him flee; sling stones are turned with him into stubble. Darts are counted as stubble: he laugheth at the

shaking of a spear. [Job 41:2629] What can a man do in this case? (The excellent mettle that is in Job's

horse) It is true, if a man could, at every turn, have Job's horse, and had skill and courage to ride him, he

might do notable things; for his neck is clothed with thunder, he will not be afraid of the grasshopper; the

glory of his nostrils is terrible: he paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength, he goeth on to meet the

armed men. He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted, neither turneth he back from the sword. The quiver

rattleth against him, the glittering spear, and the shield. He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage,

neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet. He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha! and he smelleth

the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting. [Job 39:1925]

{324} But for such footmen as thee and I are, let us never desire to meet with an enemy, nor vaunt as if we

could do better, when we hear of others that they have been foiled, Nor be tickled at the thoughts of our own

manhood; for such commonly come by the worst when tried. Witness Peter, of whom I made mention before.

He would swagger, ay, he would; he would, as his vain mind prompted him to say, do better, and stand more

for his Master than all men; but who so foiled, and run down by these villains, as he?

When, therefore, we hear that such robberies are done on the King's highway, two things become us to do:

{325} 1. To go out harnessed, and to be sure to take a shield with us; for it was for want of that, that he that

laid so lustily at Leviathan could not make him yield; for, indeed, if that be wanting, he fears us not at all.

Therefore, he that had skill hath said, "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to

2. It is good, also, that we desire of the King a convoy, yea, that he will go with us himself. This made David

rejoice when in the Valley of the Shadow of Death; and Moses was rather for dying where he stood, than to

go one step without his God. [Exo. 33:15] Oh, my brother, if he will but go along with us, what need we be

afraid of ten thousands that shall set themselves against us? [Ps. 3:58, 27:13] But, without him, the proud

{327} I, for my part, have been in the fray before now; and though, through the goodness of him that is best, I

am, as you see, alive, yet I cannot boast of my manhood. Glad shall I be, if I meet with no more such brunts;

though I fear we are not got beyond all danger. However, since the lion and the bear have not as yet devoured

me, I hope God will also deliver us from the next uncircumcised Philistine. Then sang Christian

So they went on and Ignorance followed. They went then till they came at a place where they saw a way put

itself into their way, and seemed withal to lie as straight as the way which they should go: and here they knew

not which of the two to take, for both seemed straight before them; therefore, here they stood still to consider.

(The Flatterer finds them) And as they were thinking about the way, behold a man, black of flesh, but

covered with a very light robe, came to them, and asked them why they stood there. They answered they were

going to the Celestial City, but knew not which of these ways to take. Follow me, said the man, it is thither

that I am going. (Christian and his fellow deluded) So they followed him in the way that but now came into

the road, which by degrees turned, and turned them so from the city that they desired to go to, that, in little

time, their faces were turned away from it; yet they followed him. But by and by, before they were aware, he

led them both within the compass of a net, in which they were both so entangled that they knew not what to

do; and with that the white robe fell off the black man's back. (They are taken in a net)

Then they saw where they were. Wherefore, there they lay crying some time, for they could not get

CHR. Then said Christian to his fellow, Now do I see myself in error. Did not the Shepherds bid us beware

of the flatterers? As is the saying of the wise man, so we have found it this day. A man that flattereth his

HOPE. They also gave us a note of directions about the way, for our more sure finding thereof; but therein

we have also forgotten to read, and have not kept ourselves from the paths of the destroyer. Here David was

wiser than we; for, saith he, "Concerning the works of men, by the word of thy lips, I have kept me from the

paths of the destroyer." [Ps. 17:4] Thus they lay bewailing themselves in the net. At last they espied a Shining

One coming towards them with a whip of small cord in his hand. When he was come to the place where they

were, he asked them whence they came, and what they did there. They told him that they were poor pilgrims

going to Zion, but were led out of their way by a black man, clothed in white, who bid us, said they, follow

him, for he was going thither too. Then said he with the whip, It is Flatterer, a false apostle, that hath

transformed himself into an angel of light. [Prov. 29:5, Dan. 11:32, 2 Cor. 11:13,14] So he rent the net, and

let the men out. Then said he to them, Follow me, that I may set you in your way again. So he led them back

to the way which they had left to follow the Flatterer. Then he asked them, saying, Where did you lie the last

night? They said, With the Shepherds upon the Delectable Mountains. (They are examined, and convicted of

forgetfulness) He asked them then if they had not of those Shepherds a note of direction for the way. They

answered, Yes. But did you, said he, when you were at a stand, pluck out and read your note? They answered,

No. He asked them, Why? They said, they forgot. He asked, moreover, if the Shepherds did not bid them

They answered, Yes, but we did not imagine, said they, that this finespoken man had been he. [Rom. 16:18]

Then I saw in my dream that he commanded them to lie down; which, when they did, he chastised them sore,

to teach them the good way wherein they should walk [Deut. 25:2]; and as he chastised them he said, "As

many as I love, I rebuke and chasten; be zealous, therefore, and repent." [2 Chron. 6:26,27, Rev. 3:19] This

done, he bid them go on their way, and take good heed to the other directions of the shepherds. So they

{331} Now, after a while, they perceived, afar off, one coming softly and alone, all along the highway to

meet them. Then said Christian to his fellow, Yonder is a man with his back towards Zion, and he is coming

HOPE. I see him; let us take heed to ourselves now, lest he should prove a flatterer also. So he drew nearer

and nearer, and at last came up unto them. His name was Atheist, and he asked them whither they were

{332} ATHEIST. I laugh to see what ignorant persons you are, to take upon you so tedious a journey, and

{333} ATHEIST. When I was at home in mine own country, I heard as you now affirm, and from that

hearing went out to see, and have been seeking this city this twenty years; but find no more of it than I did the

ATHEIST. Had not I, when at home, believed, I had not come thus far to seek; but finding none, (and yet I

should, had there been such a place to be found, for I have gone to seek it further than you), I am going back

again, and will seek to refresh myself with the things that I then cast away, for hopes of that which, I now see,

CHR. Then said Christian to Hopeful his fellow, Is it true which this man hath said?

Hope. Take heed, he is one of the flatterers; remember what it hath cost us once already for our hearkening to

such kind of fellows. What! no Mount Zion? Did we not see, from the Delectable Mountains the gate of the

city? Also, are we not now to walk by faith? Let us go on, said Hopeful, lest the man with the whip overtake

us again. [2 Cor. 5:7] (A remembrance of former chastisements is a help against present temptations) You

should have taught me that lesson, which I will round you in the ears withal: "Cease, my son, to hear the

instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge." [Prov. 19:27] I say, my brother, cease to hear

CHR. My brother, I did not put the question to thee for that I doubted of the truth of our belief myself, but to

prove thee, and to fetch from thee a fruit of the honesty of thy heart. As for this man, I know that he is

blinded by the god of this world. Let thee and I go on, knowing that we have belief of the truth, "and no lie is

HOPE. Now do I rejoice in hope of the glory of God. So they turned away from the man; and he, laughing at

I saw then in my dream, that they went till they came into a certain country, whose air naturally tended to

And here Hopeful began to be very dull and heavy of sleep; wherefore he said unto Christian, I do now begin

to grow so drowsy that I can scarcely hold up mine eyes, let us lie down here and take one nap.

HOPE. Why, my brother? Sleep is sweet to the labouring man; we may be refreshed if we take a nap.

CHR. Do you not remember that one of the Shepherds bid us beware of the Enchanted Ground? He meant by

that that we should beware of sleeping; "Therefore let us not sleep, as do others, but let us watch and be

HOPE. I acknowledge myself in a fault, and had I been here alone I had by sleeping run the danger of death.

I see it is true that the wise man saith, Two are better than one. Hitherto hath thy company been my mercy,

CHR. Now then, said Christian, to prevent drowsiness in this place, let us fall into good discourse.

CHR. Then Christian began and said, I will ask you a question. How came you to think at first of so doing as

HOPE. I continued a great while in the delight of those things which were seen and sold at our fair; things

which, I believe now, would have, had I continued in them, still drowned me in perdition and destruction.

HOPE. All the treasures and riches of the world. Also, I delighted much in rioting, revelling, drinking,

swearing, lying, uncleanness, Sabbathbreaking, and what not, that tended to destroy the soul. But I found at

last, by hearing and considering of things that are divine, which indeed I heard of you, as also of beloved

Faithful that was put to death for his faith and good living in Vanity Fair, that "the end of these things is

death". [Rom.6:2123] And that for these things' sake "cometh the wrath of God upon the children of

HOPE. No, I was not willing presently to know the evil of sin, nor the damnation that follows upon the

commission of it; but endeavoured, when my mind at first began to be shaken with the Word, to shut mine

CHR. But what was the cause of your carrying of it thus to the first workings of God's blessed Spirit upon

HOPE. The causes were, 1. I was ignorant that this was the work of God upon me. I never thought that, by

awakenings for sin, God at first begins the conversion of a sinner. 2. Sin was yet very sweet to my flesh, and I

was loath to leave it. 3. I could not tell how to part with mine old companions, their presence and actions

were so desirable unto me. 4. The hours in which convictions were upon me were such troublesome and such

heartaffrighting hours that I could not bear, no not so much as the remembrance of them, upon my heart.

HOPE. Yes, verily, but it would come into my mind again, and then I should be as bad, nay, worse, than I

8. But especially, when I thought of myself, that I must quickly come to judgment.

{342} CHR. And could you at any time, with ease, get off the guilt of sin, when by any of these ways it came

HOPE. No, not I, for then they got faster hold of my conscience; and then, if I did but think of going back to

(When he could no longer shake off his guilt by sinful courses, then he endeavors to mend)

HOPE. I thought I must endeavour to mend my life; for else, thought I, I am sure to be damned.

HOPE. Yes; and fled from not only my sins, but sinful company too; and betook me to religious duties, as

prayer, reading, weeping for sin, speaking truth to my neighbours, These things did I, with many others, too

HOPE. Yes, for a while; but at the last, my trouble came tumbling upon me again, and that over the neck of

HOPE. There were several things brought it upon me, especially such sayings as these: "All our

righteousnesses are as filthy rags." [Isa. 64:6] "By the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." [Gal.

2:16] "When ye shall have done all those things, say, We are unprofitable", [Luke 17:10] with many more

such like. From whence I began to reason with myself thus: If ALL my righteousnesses are filthy rags; if, by

the deeds of the law, NO man can be justified; and if, when we have done ALL, we are yet unprofitable, then

it is but a folly to think of heaven by the law. (His being a debtor by the law troubled him)

I further thought thus: If a man runs a hundred pounds into the shopkeeper's debt, and after that shall pay for

all that he shall fetch; yet, if this old debt stands still in the book uncrossed, for that the shopkeeper may sue

HOPE. Why; I thought thus with myself. I have, by my sins, run a great way into God's book, and that my

now reforming will not pay off that score; therefore I should think still, under all my present amendments,

But how shall I be freed from that damnation that I have brought myself in danger of by my former

HOPE. Another thing that hath troubled me, even since my late amendments, is, that if I look narrowly into

the best of what I do now, I still see sin, new sin, mixing itself with the best of that I do; so that now I am

forced to conclude, that notwithstanding my former fond conceits of myself and duties, I have committed sin

enough in one duty to send me to hell, though my former life had been faultless.

{346} (This made him break his mind to Faithful, who told him the way to be saved)

HOPE. Do! I could not tell what to do, until I brake my mind to Faithful, for he and I were well acquainted.

And he told me, that unless I could obtain the righteousness of a man that never had sinned, neither mine

HOPE. Had he told me so when I was pleased and satisfied with mine own amendment, I had called him fool

for his pains; but now, since I see mine own infirmity, and the sin that cleaves to my best performance, I have

{347} CHR. But did you think, when at first he suggested it to you, that there was such a man to be found, of

HOPE. I must confess the words at first sounded strangely, but after a little more talk and company with him,

CHR. And did you ask him what man this was, and how you must be justified by him?

HOPE. Yes, and he told me it was the Lord Jesus, that dwelleth on the right hand of the Most High. And

thus, said he, you must be justified by him, even by trusting to what he hath done by himself, in the days of

his flesh, and suffered when he did hang on the tree. I asked him further, how that man's righteousness could

be of that efficacy to justify another before God? And he told me he was the mighty God, and did what he

did, and died the death also, not for himself, but for me; to whom his doings, and the worthiness of them,

HOPE. I made my objections against my believing, for that I thought he was not willing to save me.

HOPE. He bid me go to him and see. Then I said it was presumption; but he said, No, for I was invited to

come. [Matt. 11:28] Then he gave me a book of Jesus, his inditing, to encourage me the more freely to come;

and he said, concerning that book, that every jot and tittle thereof stood firmer than heaven and earth. [Matt.

24:35] Then I asked him, What I must do when I came; and he told me, I must entreat upon my knees, with

all my heart and soul, the Father to reveal him to me. [Ps. 95:6, Dan. 6:10, Jer. 29:12,13] Then I asked him

further, how I must make my supplication to him? And he said, Go, and thou shalt find him upon a

mercyseat, where he sits all the year long, to give pardon and forgiveness to them that come. I told him that

I knew not what to say when I came. (He is bid to pray) And he bid me say to this effect: God be merciful to

me a sinner, and make me to know and believe in Jesus Christ; for I see, that if his righteousness had not

been, or I have not faith in that righteousness, I am utterly cast away. Lord, I have heard that thou art a

merciful God, and hast ordained that thy Son Jesus Christ should be the Saviour of the world; and moreover,

that thou art willing to bestow him upon such a poor sinner as I am, (and I am a sinner indeed); Lord, take

therefore this opportunity and magnify thy grace in the salvation of my soul, through thy Son Jesus Christ.

HOPE. Not at the first, nor second, nor third, nor fourth, nor fifth; no, nor at the sixth time neither.

HOPE. I believed that that was true which had been told me, to wit, that without the righteousness of this

Christ, all the world could not save me; and therefore, thought I with myself, if I leave off I die, and I can but

die at the throne of grace. And withal, this came into my mind, "Though it tarry, wait for it; because it will

surely come, it will not tarry." [Heb. 2:3] So I continued praying until the Father showed me his Son.

HOPE. I did not see him with my bodily eyes, but with the eyes of my understanding; [Eph. 1:18,19] and

thus it was: One day I was very sad, I think sadder than at any one time in my life, and this sadness was

through a fresh sight of the greatness and vileness of my sins. And as I was then looking for nothing but hell,

and the everlasting damnation of my soul, suddenly, as I thought, I saw the Lord Jesus Christ look down from

heaven upon me, and saying, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." [Acts 16:30,31]

{351} But I replied, Lord, I am a great, a very great sinner. And he answered, "My grace is sufficient for

thee." [2 Cor.12:9] Then I said, But, Lord, what is believing? And then I saw from that saying, "He that

cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst", that believing and coming

was all one; and that he that came, that is, ran out in his heart and affections after salvation by Christ, he

indeed believed in Christ. [John 6:35] Then the water stood in mine eyes, and I asked further. But, Lord, may

such a great sinner as I am be indeed accepted of thee, and be saved by thee? And I heard him say, "And him

that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out." [John 6:37] Then I said, But how, Lord, must I consider of thee

in my coming to thee, that my faith may be placed aright upon thee? Then he said, "Christ Jesus came into

the world to save sinners." [1 Tim. 1:15] "He is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that

believeth." [Rom. 10:4] "He died for our sins, and rose again for our justification." [Rom. 4:25] "He loved us,

and washed us from our sins in his own blood." [Rev. 1:5] "He is mediator betwixt God and us." [1 Tim. 2:5]

"He ever liveth to make intercession for us." [Heb. 7:24,25] From all which I gathered, that I must look for

righteousness in his person, and for satisfaction for my sins by his blood; that what he did in obedience to his

Father's law, and in submitting to the penalty thereof, was not for himself, but for him that will accept it for

his salvation, and be thankful. And now was my heart full of joy, mine eyes full of tears, and mine affections

{352} CHR. This was a revelation of Christ to your soul indeed; but tell me particularly what effect this had

HOPE. It made me see that all the world, notwithstanding all the righteousness thereof, is in a state of

condemnation. It made me see that God the Father, though he be just, can justly justify the coming sinner. It

made me greatly ashamed of the vileness of my former life, and confounded me with the sense of mine own

ignorance; for there never came thought into my heart before now that showed me so the beauty of Jesus

Christ. It made me love a holy life, and long to do something for the honour and glory of the name of the

Lord Jesus; yea, I thought that had I now a thousand gallons of blood in my body, I could spill it all for the

{353} I saw then in my dream that Hopeful looked back and saw Ignorance, whom they had left behind,

coming after. Look, said he to Christian, how far yonder youngster loitereth behind.

IGNOR. I take my pleasure in walking alone, even more a great deal than in company, unless I like it the

Then said Christian to Hopeful, (but softly), Did I not tell you he cared not for our company? But, however,

said he, come up, and let us talk away the time in this solitary place. Then directing his speech to Ignorance,

IGNOR. I hope well; for I am always full of good motions, that come into my mind, to comfort me as I walk.

CHR. So do many that are never like to come there. "The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing."

CHR. That I doubt; for leaving all is a hard matter: yea, a harder matter than many are aware of. But why, or

CHR. That may be through its deceitfulness; for a man's heart may minister comfort to him in the hopes of

IGNOR. But my heart and life agree together, and therefore my hope is well grounded.

CHR. Ask my fellow if I be a thief! Thy heart tells thee so! Except the Word of God beareth witness in this

{357} IGNOR. But is it not a good heart that hath good thoughts? and is not that a good life that is according

CHR. Yes, that is a good heart that hath good thoughts, and that is a good life that is according to God's

commandments; but it is one thing, indeed, to have these, and another thing only to think so.

IGNOR. Pray, what count you good thoughts, and a life according to God's commandments?

CHR. There are good thoughts of divers kinds; some respecting ourselves, some God, some Christ, and some

CHR. When we pass the same judgment upon ourselves which the Word passes. To explain myselfthe

Word of God saith of persons in a natural condition, "There is none righteous, there is none that doeth good."

[Rom. 3] It saith also, that "every imagination of the heart of man is only evil, and that continually." [Gen.

6:5] And again, "The imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth." [Rom. 8:21] Now then, when we

think thus of ourselves, having sense thereof, then are our thoughts good ones, because according to the Word

CHR. Therefore thou never hadst one good thought concerning thyself in thy life. But let me go on. As the

Word passeth a judgment upon our heart, so it passeth a judgment upon our ways; and when OUR thoughts

of our hearts and ways agree with the judgment which the Word giveth of both, then are both good, because

CHR. Why, the Word of God saith that man's ways are crooked ways; not good, but perverse. [Ps. 125:5,

Prov. 2:15] It saith they are naturally out of the good way, that they have not known it. [Rom. 3] Now, when

a man thus thinketh of his ways,I say, when he doth sensibly, and with hearthumiliation, thus think, then

hath he good thoughts of his own ways, because his thoughts now agree with the judgment of the Word of

CHR. Even as I have said concerning ourselves, when our thoughts of God do agree with what the Word

saith of him; and that is, when we think of his being and attributes as the Word hath taught, of which I cannot

now discourse at large; but to speak of him with reference to us: Then we have right thoughts of God, when

we think that he knows us better than we know ourselves, and can see sin in us when and where we can see

none in ourselves; when we think he knows our inmost thoughts, and that our heart, with all its depths, is

always open unto his eyes; also, when we think that all our righteousness stinks in his nostrils, and that,

therefore, he cannot abide to see us stand before him in any confidence, even in all our best performances.

{361} IGNOR. Do you think that I am such a fool as to think God can see no further than I? or, that I would

CHR. How! think thou must believe in Christ, when thou seest not thy need of him! Thou neither seest thy

original nor actual infirmities; but hast such an opinion of thyself, and of what thou dost, as plainly renders

thee to be one that did never see a necessity of Christ's personal righteousness to justify thee before God.

IGNOR. I believe that Christ died for sinners, and that I shall be justified before God from the curse, through

his gracious acceptance of my obedience to his law. Or thus, Christ makes my duties, that are religious,

1. Thou believest with a fantastical faith; for this faith is nowhere described in the Word.

2. Thou believest with a false faith; because it taketh justification from the personal righteousness of Christ,

3. This faith maketh not Christ a justifier of thy person, but of thy actions; and of thy person for thy actions'

4. Therefore, this faith is deceitful, even such as will leave thee under wrath, in the day of God Almighty; for

true justifying faith puts the soul, as sensible of its condition by the law, upon flying for refuge unto Christ's

righteousness, which righteousness of his is not an act of grace, by which he maketh for justification, thy

obedience accepted with God; but his personal obedience to the law, in doing and suffering for us what that

required at our hands; this righteousness, I say, true faith accepteth; under the skirt of which, the soul being

shrouded, and by it presented as spotless before God, it is accepted, and acquit from condemnation.

{364} IGNOR. What! would you have us trust to what Christ, in his own person, has done without us? This

conceit would loosen the reins of our lust, and tolerate us to live as we list; for what matter how we live, if we

may be justified by Christ's personal righteousness from all, when we believe it?

CHR. Ignorance is thy name, and as thy name is, so art thou; even this thy answer demonstrateth what I say.

Ignorant thou art of what justifying righteousness is, and as ignorant how to secure thy soul, through the faith

of it, from the heavy wrath of God. Yea, thou also art ignorant of the true effects of saving faith in this

righteousness of Christ, which is, to bow and win over the heart to God in Christ, to love his name, his word,

IGNOR. What! you are a man for revelations! I believe that what both you, and all the rest of you, say about

HOPE. Why, man! Christ is so hid in God from the natural apprehensions of the flesh, that he cannot by any

IGNOR. That is your faith, but not mine; yet mine, I doubt not, is as good as yours, though I have not in my

CHR. Give me leave to put in a word. You ought not so slightly to speak of this matter; for this I will boldly

affirm, even as my good companion hath done, that no man can know Jesus Christ but by the revelation of

the Father; [Matt. 11:27] yea, and faith too, by which the soul layeth hold upon Christ, if it be right, must be

wrought by the exceeding greatness of his mighty power; the working of which faith, I perceive, poor

Ignorance, thou art ignorant of. [1 Cor. 12:3, Eph. 1:18,19] Be awakened, then, see thine own wretchedness,

and fly to the Lord Jesus; and by his righteousness, which is the righteousness of God, for he himself is God,

IGNOR. You go so fast, I cannot keep pace with you. Do you go on before; I must stay a while behind.

CHR. Well, come, my good Hopeful, I perceive that thou and I must walk by ourselves again.

{368} So I saw in my dream that they went on apace before, and Ignorance he came hobbling after. Then said

Christian to his companion, It pities me much for this poor man, it will certainly go ill with him at last.

HOPE. Alas! there are abundance in our town in his condition, whole families, yea, whole streets, and that of

pilgrims too; and if there be so many in our parts, how many, think you, must there be in the place where he

CHR. Indeed the Word saith, "He hath blinded their eyes, lest they should see", But now we are by

ourselves, what do you think of such men? Have they at no time, think you, convictions of sin, and so

CHR. Then I say, sometimes (as I think) they may; but they being naturally ignorant, understand not that

such convictions tend to their good; and therefore they do desperately seek to stifle them, and presumptuously

HOPE. I do believe, as you say, that fear tends much to men's good, and to make them right, at their

CHR. Without all doubt it doth, if it be right; for so says the Word, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of

3. It begetteth and continueth in the soul a great reverence of God, his Word, and ways, keeping it tender, and

making it afraid to turn from them, to the right hand or to the left, to anything that may dishonour God, break

HOPE. Well said; I believe you have said the truth. Are we now almost got past the Enchanted Ground?

CHR. We have not now above two miles further to go thereon. But let us return to our matter. (In general)

Now the ignorant know not that such convictions as tend to put them in fear are for their good, and therefore

CHR. 1. They think that those fears are wrought by the devil, (though indeed they are wrought of God); and,

2. They also think that these fears tend to the spoiling of their faith, when, alas, for them, poor men that they

are, they have none at all! and therefore they harden their hearts against them.

3. They presume they ought not to fear; and, therefore, in despite of them, wax presumptuously confident.

4. They see that those fears tend to take away from them their pitiful old selfholiness, and therefore they

{373} HOPE. I know something of this myself; for, before I knew myself, it was so with me.

CHR. Well, we will leave, at this time, our neighbour Ignorance by himself, and fall upon another profitable

CHR. Well then, did you not know, about ten years ago, one Temporary in your parts, who was a forward

HOPE. Know him! yes, he dwelt in Graceless, a town about two miles off of Honesty, and he dwelt next

CHR. Right, he dwelt under the same roof with him. Well, that man was much awakened once; I believe that

HOPE. I am of your mind, for, my house not being above three miles from him, he would ofttimes come to

me, and that with many tears. Truly I pitied the man, and was not altogether without hope of him; but one

CHR. He told me once that he was resolved to go on pilgrimage, as we do now; but all of a sudden he grew

{375} HOPE. Now, since we are talking about him, let us a little inquire into the reason of the sudden

{376} 1. Though the consciences of such men are awakened, yet their minds are not changed; therefore,

when the power of guilt weareth away, that which provoked them to be religious ceaseth, wherefore they

naturally turn to their own course again, even as we see the dog that is sick of what he has eaten, so long as

his sickness prevails he vomits and casts up all; not that he doth this of a free mind (if we may say a dog has a

mind), but because it troubleth his stomach; but now, when his sickness is over, and so his stomach eased, his

desire being not at all alienate from his vomit, he turns him about and licks up all, and so it is true which is

written, "The dog is turned to his own vomit again." [2 Pet. 2:22] Thus I say, being hot for heaven, by virtue

only of the sense and fear of the torments of hell, as their sense of hell and the fears of damnation chills and

cools, so their desires for heaven and salvation cool also. So then it comes to pass, that when their guilt and

fear is gone, their desires for heaven and happiness die, and they return to their course again.

{377} 2. Another reason is, they have slavish fears that do overmaster them; I speak now of the fears that

they have of men, for "the fear of man bringeth a snare". [Prov. 29:25] So then, though they seem to be hot

for heaven, so long as the flames of hell are about their ears, yet when that terror is a little over, they betake

themselves to second thoughts; namely, that it is good to be wise, and not to run (for they know not what) the

hazard of losing all, or, at least, of bringing themselves into unavoidable and unnecessary troubles, and so

{378} 3. The shame that attends religion lies also as a block in their way; they are proud and haughty; and

religion in their eye is low and contemptible, therefore, when they have lost their sense of hell and wrath to

{379} 4. Guilt, and to meditate terror, are grievous to them. They like not to see their misery before they

come into it; though perhaps the sight of it first, if they loved that sight, might make them fly whither the

righteous fly and are safe. But because they do, as I hinted before, even shun the thoughts of guilt and terror,

therefore, when once they are rid of their awakenings about the terrors and wrath of God, they harden their

{380} CHR. You are pretty near the business, for the bottom of all is for want of a change in their mind and

will. And therefore they are but like the felon that standeth before the judge, he quakes and trembles, and

seems to repent most heartily, but the bottom of all is the fear of the halter; not that he hath any detestation of

the offence, as is evident, because, let but this man have his liberty, and he will be a thief, and so a rogue still,

{381} HOPE. Now I have showed you the reasons of their going back, do you show me the manner thereof.

1. They draw off their thoughts, all that they may, from the remembrance of God, death, and judgment to

2. Then they cast off by degrees private duties, as closet prayer, curbing their lusts, watching, sorrow for sin,

4. After that they grow cold to public duty, as hearing, reading, godly conference, and the like.

5. Then they begin to pick holes, as we say, in the coats of some of the godly; and that devilishly, that they

may have a seeming colour to throw religion (for the sake of some infirmity they have espied in them) behind

6. Then they begin to adhere to, and associate themselves with, carnal, loose, and wanton men.

7. Then they give way to carnal and wanton discourses in secret; and glad are they if they can see such things

in any that are counted honest, that they may the more boldly do it through their example.

9. And then, being hardened, they show themselves as they are. Thus, being launched again into the gulf of

misery, unless a miracle of grace prevent it, they everlastingly perish in their own deceivings.

{382} Now I saw in my dream, that by this time the Pilgrims were got over the Enchanted Ground, and

entering into the country of Beulah, whose air was very sweet and pleasant, the way lying directly through it,

they solaced themselves there for a season. Yea, here they heard continually the singing of birds, and saw

every day the flowers appear on the earth, and heard the voice of the turtle in the land. [Isa. 62:4, Song of

Solomon 2:1012] In this country the sun shineth night and day; wherefore this was beyond the Valley of the

Shadow of Death, and also out of the reach of Giant Despair, neither could they from this place so much as

see Doubting Castle. (Angels) Here they were within sight of the city they were going to, also here met them

some of the inhabitants thereof; for in this land the Shining Ones commonly walked, because it was upon the

borders of heaven. In this land also, the contract between the bride and the bridegroom was renewed; yea,

here, "As the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so did their God rejoice over them." [Isa. 62:5] Here they

had no want of corn and wine; for in this place they met with abundance of what they had sought for in all

their pilgrimage. [Isa. 62:8] Here they heard voices from out of the city, loud voices, saying, "`Say ye to the

daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh! Behold, his reward is with him!' Here all the inhabitants of

the country called them, `The holy people, The redeemed of the Lord, Sought out'", etc. [Isa. 62:11,12]

{383} Now as they walked in this land, they had more rejoicing than in parts more remote from the kingdom

to which they were bound; and drawing near to the city, they had yet a more perfect view thereof. It was

builded of pearls and precious stones, also the street thereof was paved with gold; so that by reason of the

natural glory of the city, and the reflection of the sunbeams upon it, Christian with desire fell sick; Hopeful

also had a fit or two of the same disease. Wherefore, here they lay by it a while, crying out, because of their

{384} But, being a little strengthened, and better able to bear their sickness, they walked on their way, and

came yet nearer and nearer, where were orchards, vineyards, and gardens, and their gates opened into the

highway. Now, as they came up to these places, behold the gardener stood in the way, to whom the Pilgrims

said, Whose goodly vineyards and gardens are these? He answered, They are the King's, and are planted here

for his own delight, and also for the solace of pilgrims. So the gardener had them into the vineyards, and bid

them refresh themselves with the dainties. [Deut. 23:24] He also showed them there the King's walks, and the

{385} Now I beheld in my dream that they talked more in their sleep at this time than ever they did in all

their journey; and being in a muse thereabout, the gardener said even to me, Wherefore musest thou at the

matter? It is the nature of the fruit of the grapes of these vineyards to go down so sweetly as to cause the lips

{386} So I saw that when they awoke, they addressed themselves to go up to the city; but, as I said, the

reflection of the sun upon the city (for the city was pure gold) was so extremely glorious that they could not,

as yet, with open face behold it, but through an instrument made for that purpose. So I saw, that as I went on,

there met them two men, in raiment that shone like gold; lso their faces shone as the light. [Rev. 21:18, 2 Cor.

{387} These men asked the Pilgrims whence they came; and they told them. They also asked them where

they had lodged, what difficulties and dangers, what comforts and pleasures they had met in the way; and

they told them. Then said the men that met them, You have but two difficulties more to meet with, and then

{388} Christian then, and his companion, asked the men to go along with them; so they told them they

would. But, said they, you must obtain it by your own faith. So I saw in my dream that they went on together,

Now, I further saw, that betwixt them and the gate was a river, but there was no bridge to go over: the river

was very deep. At the sight, therefore, of this river, the Pilgrims were much stunned; but the men that went in

{390} (Death is not welcome to nature, though by it we pass out of this world into glory*)

The Pilgrims then began to inquire if there was no other way to the gate; to which they answered, Yes; but

there hath not any, save two, to wit, Enoch and Elijah, been permitted to tread that path since the foundation

of the world, nor shall, until the last trumpet shall sound. [1 Cor. 15:51,52] The Pilgrims then, especially

Christian, began to despond in their minds, and looked this way and that, but no way could be found by them

by which they might escape the river. Then they asked the men if the waters were all of a depth. (Angels help

us not comfortably through death) They said: No; yet they could not help them in that case; for, said they,

{391} They then addressed themselves to the water and, entering, Christian began to sink, and crying out to

his good friend Hopeful, he said, I sink in deep waters; the billows go over my head, all his waves go over

Then said the other, Be of good cheer, my brother, I feel the bottom, and it is good. Then said Christian, Ah!

my friend, the sorrows of death hath compassed me about; I shall not see the land that flows with milk and

honey; and with that a great darkness and horror fell upon Christian, so that he could not see before him. Also

here he in great measure lost his senses, so that he could neither remember nor orderly talk of any of those

sweet refreshments that he had met with in the way of his pilgrimage. But all the words that he spake still

tended to discover that he had horror of mind, and heart fears that he should die in that river, and never obtain

entrance in at the gate. Here also, as they that stood by perceived, he was much in the troublesome thoughts

of the sins that he had committed, both since and before he began to be a pilgrim. It was also observed that he

was troubled with apparitions of hobgoblins and evil spirits, for ever and anon he would intimate so much by

words. Hopeful, therefore, here had much ado to keep his brother's head above water; yea, sometimes he

would be quite gone down, and then, ere a while, he would rise up again half dead. Hopeful also would

endeavour to comfort him, saying, Brother, I see the gate, and men standing by to receive us: but Christian

would answer, It is you, it is you they wait for; you have been Hopeful ever since I knew you. And so have

you, said he to Christian. Ah! brother! said he, surely if I was right he would now arise to help me; but for my

sins he hath brought me into the snare, and hath left me. Then said Hopeful, My brother, you have quite

forgot the text, where it is said of the wicked, "There are no bands in their death, but their strength is firm.

They are not in trouble as other men, neither are they plagued like other men. [Ps. 73:4,5] These troubles and

distresses that you go through in these waters are no sign that God hath forsaken you; but are sent to try you,

whether you will call to mind that which heretofore you have received of his goodness, and live upon him in

Then I saw in my dream, that Christian was as in a muse a while. To whom also Hopeful added this word, Be

of good cheer, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole; and with that Christian brake out with a loud voice, Oh, I see

him again! and he tells me, "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the rivers,

they shall not overflow thee." [Isa. 43:2] Then they both took courage, and the enemy was after that as still as

a stone, until they were gone over. Christian therefore presently found ground to stand upon, and so it

followed that the rest of the river was but shallow. Thus they got over. (The angels do wait for them, so soon

as they are passed out of this world) Now, upon the bank of the river, on the other side, they saw the two

shining men again, who there waited for them; wherefore, being come out of the river, they saluted them,

saying, We are ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for those that shall be heirs of salvation. Thus they

{394} (They have put off mortality) Now you must note that the city stood upon a mighty hill, but the

Pilgrims went up that hill with ease, because they had these two men to lead them up by the arms; also, they

had left their mortal garments behind them in the river, for though they went in with them, they came out

without them. They, therefore, went up here with much agility and speed, though the foundation upon which

the city was framed was higher than the clouds. They therefore went up through the regions of the air,

sweetly talking as they went, being comforted, because they safely got over the river, and had such glorious

{395} The talk they had with the Shining Ones was about the glory of the place; who told them that the

beauty and glory of it was inexpressible. There, said they, is the Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, the

innumerable company of angels, and the spirits of just men made perfect. [Heb. 12:2224] You are going

now, said they, to the paradise of God, wherein you shall see the tree of life, and eat of the neverfading

fruits thereof; and when you come there, you shall have white robes given you, and your walk and talk shall

be every day with the King, even all the days of eternity. [Rev. 2:7, 3:4, 21:4,5] There you shall not see again

such things as you saw when you were in the lower region upon the earth, to wit, sorrow, sickness, affliction,

and death, for the former things are passed away. You are now going to Abraham, to Isaac, and Jacob, and to

the prophetsmen that God hath taken away from the evil to come, and that are now resting upon their beds,

each one walking in his righteousness. [Isa. 57:1,2, 65:17] The men then asked, What must we do in the holy

place? To whom it was answered, You must there receive the comforts of all your toil, and have joy for all

your sorrow; you must reap what you have sown, even the fruit of all your prayers, and tears, and sufferings

for the King by the way. [Gal. 6:7] In that place you must wear crowns of gold, and enjoy the perpetual sight

and vision of the Holy One, for there you shall see him as he is. [1 John 3:2] There also you shall serve him

continually with praise, with shouting, and thanksgiving, whom you desired to serve in the world, though

with much difficulty, because of the infirmity of your flesh. There your eyes shall be delighted with seeing,

and your ears with hearing the pleasant voice of the Mighty One. There you shall enjoy your friends again

that are gone thither before you; and there you shall with joy receive, even every one that follows into the

holy place after you. There also shall you be clothed with glory and majesty, and put into an equipage fit to

ride out with the King of Glory. When he shall come with sound of trumpet in the clouds, as upon the wings

of the wind, you shall come with him; and when he shall sit upon the throne of judgment; you shall sit by

him; yea, and when he shall pass sentence upon all the workers of iniquity, let them be angels or men, you

also shall have a voice in that judgment, because they were his and your enemies. [1 Thes. 4:1316, Jude

1:14, Dan. 7:9,10, 1 Cor. 6:2,3] Also, when he shall again return to the city, you shall go too, with sound of

{396} Now while they were thus drawing towards the gate, behold a company of the heavenly host came out

to meet them; to whom it was said, by the other two Shining Ones, These are the men that have loved our

Lord when they were in the world, and that have left all for his holy name; and he hath sent us to fetch them,

and we have brought them thus far on their desired journey, that they may go in and look their Redeemer in

the face with joy. Then the heavenly host gave a great shout, saying, "Blessed are they which are called unto

the marriage supper of the Lamb." [Rev. 19:9] There came out also at this time to meet them, several of the

King's trumpeters, clothed in white and shining raiment, who, with melodious noises, and loud, made even

the heavens to echo with their sound. These trumpeters saluted Christian and his fellow with ten thousand

{397} This done, they compassed them round on every side; some went before, some behind, and some on

the right hand, some on the left, (as it were to guard them through the upper regions), continually sounding as

they went, with melodious noise, in notes on high: so that the very sight was, to them that could behold it, as

if heaven itself was come down to meet them. Thus, therefore, they walked on together; and as they walked,

ever and anon these trumpeters, even with joyful sound, would, by mixing their music with looks and

gestures, still signify to Christian and his brother, how welcome they were into their company, and with what

gladness they came to meet them; and now were these two men, as it were, in heaven, before they came at it,

being swallowed up with the sight of angels, and with hearing of their melodious notes. Here also they had

the city itself in view, and they thought they heard all the bells therein to ring, to welcome them thereto. But

above all, the warm and joyful thoughts that they had about their own dwelling there, with such company,

and that for ever and ever. Oh, by what tongue or pen can their glorious joy be expressed! And thus they

{398} Now, when they were come up to the gate, there was written over it in letters of gold, "Blessed are

they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the

{399} Then I saw in my dream that the Shining Men bid them call at the gate; the which, when they did,

some looked from above over the gate, to wit, Enoch, Moses, and Elijah, to whom it was said, These pilgrims

are come from the City of Destruction, for the love that they bear to the King of this place; and then the

Pilgrims gave in unto them each man his certificate, which they had received in the beginning; those,

therefore, were carried in to the King, who, when he had read them, said, Where are the men? To whom it

was answered, They are standing without the gate. The King then commanded to open the gate, "That the

righteous nation," said he, "which keepeth the truth, may enter in." [Isa. 26:2]

{400} Now I saw in my dream that these two men went in at the gate: and lo, as they entered, they were

transfigured, and they had raiment put on that shone like gold. There was also that met them with harps and

crowns, and gave them to themthe harps to praise withal, and the crowns in token of honour. Then I heard

in my dream that all the bells in the city rang again for joy, and that it was said unto them, "ENTER YE

INTO THE JOY OF YOUR LORD." I also heard the men themselves, that they sang with a loud voice,

{401} Now, just as the gates were opened to let in the men, I looked in after them, and, behold, the City

shone like the sun; the streets also were paved with gold, and in them walked many men, with crowns on

{402} There were also of them that had wings, and they answered one another without intermission, saying,

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord." [Rev. 4:8] And after that they shut up the gates; which, when I had seen, I

Now while I was gazing upon all these things, I turned my head to look back, and saw Ignorance come up to

the river side; but he soon got over, and that without half that difficulty which the other two men met with.

For it happened that there was then in that place, one Vainhope, a ferryman, that with his boat helped him

over; so he, as the other I saw, did ascend the hill, to come up to the gate, only he came alone; neither did any

man meet him with the least encouragement. When he was come up to the gate, he looked up to the writing

that was above, and then began to knock, supposing that entrance should have been quickly administered to

him; but he was asked by the men that looked over the top of the gate, Whence came you, and what would

you have? He answered, I have eat and drank in the presence of the King, and he has taught in our streets.

Then they asked him for his certificate, that they might go in and show it to the King; so he fumbled in his

bosom for one, and found none. Then said they, Have you none? But the man answered never a word. So

they told the King, but he would not come down to see him, but commanded the two Shining Ones that

conducted Christian and Hopeful to the City, to go out and take Ignorance, and bind him hand and foot, and

have him away. Then they took him up, and carried him through the air to the door that I saw in the side of

the hill, and put him in there. Then I saw that there was a way to hell, even from the gates of heaven, as well