THE

PILGRIM's Progrefs.

Delivered under the

Similitude of a DREAM.

A

The THIRD PART.

FTER the two former Dreams conconcerning Chriftian, and Chriftiana his Wife, with their Children and Com

panions Pilgrimage from the City of Destruction, to the Region of Glory, I fell asleep again, and the Vifions of my Head returned upon me. I dreamed another Dream, and behold, There appeared unto me a great Multitude of People, in feveral difting Companies and Bands, travelling from the City of Deftruction, the Town of Carnal Policy, the Village of Morality, and from the rest of the Cities, Towns, Villages and Hamlets that belong to the Valley of Destruction: For fo was the whole Country called that lay on this Side of the Wicket-gate, which the Man Evangelift fhewed unto Chriftian; and fo was alfo all that Country called, that was fitua

A 6

ted

ted wide of the Gate on the Right-hand, and onthe Left extending itfelf along the Walls and Borders of that Region, wherein lay the Way to the Heavenly Country. This was the Name of that Country, even the Valley of Deftruction.

Now I faw in my Dream, that all the Highway Roads, and Lanes, that led from the Valley of Deftruction, towards the Gate of the Way of Life, were full of People, who were travelling/toward that Gate, and fome of them walked along very vigorously, others halted, and grew weary, through the violent Heat of the Seafon, which

* Time of Perfecution.

made them even ready to

faint; for it was in the * hotteft Time of all the Year; and the Sun burnt up theHerb of the Field, and fcorched the poor Travellers, fo that many of them were forced to fit down and reft themselves; and in the Night-time ma ny of them returned back again to their old Habitations; others more hardy than the reft, went on till they came to the Slough of Defpond, where Pliable forfook Chriftian, and there falling into the Filth and Mire of that Place, were to dif hearten'd, that they returned in whole Droves to their own Dwellings again; and very few there were who would venture thro' the Slough; yet fome got very dextroufly over the Steps, without being in the leaft bemired, whilft others, through Ignorance, or Heedlefnefs, miffing thofe Steps, were forced to wade through the Dirt, which was very deep, and made their Paffage exceeding painful; but at length, with much ado, they weather'd

the

the Point, and mafter'd the Difficulties of that horrid Quagmire, and got fafe upon dry Ground,

Among the rest of the Travellers that got over this Slough, I faw a young, Man of an amiable Countenance, walking by himself, after he had got clear of the Slough; but he was all over bedaubed with the Filth of that Place, which made him go very heavily on; for what with ftruggling to get thro', and what with the Apprehenfions he lay under during his Paffage, he was extreamly weakned, and his Joints were loofen'd: Befides, it was the Nature of the Dirt of this Place, to caufe a Trembling and Diforder in the Limbs of thofe that were defiled with it, and to whatfoever Part of their Body it ftuck, there it would do them fome Injury. Now the young Man being all

clammed with it, he went with a very flow over

Pace, his Head hanging down, his Hands quivering, and his Feet tripping at the leaft Unevenness or Ruggednefs in the Way, and a Speck or two of the Dirt being fpatter'd in his Eyes, made him dimfighted, fo that he groped along like one that is blind, and fometimes ftepped out of the Path.

In this Condition he was, when at length I faw it my Dream, that he fat down upon the Ground to bemoan his fad Eftate, and he wept very bitterly; and behold, a bright Cloud hover'd over his Head, which gradually defcending, overshadowed him, and out of the Cloud a Hand was reached forth, which, with the Tears that ran like Rivers from his Eyes, wafhed the Dirt from off his Face and his whole Body, fo that in a Moment (as it were) his Sight and his Strength were reftored to

him

him again, and a Voice came out of the Cloud, faying, Son of Man, go on in the Strength of the Lord thy God. So he was mightily comforted and refreshed after this, and began to rouze up himfelf, being more nimble and active, more vigorous and ftrong than ever he was before; and his Fyes being healed alfo, he clearly faw the fhining Light that Evangelift fhewed to Chriftian. Then he tript along over the Plain, and made directly up to the fhining Light, by Means of which he quickly. found the Wicket-gate; at which he knocked aloud, minding what was written over the Gate, viz. Knock, and it shall be opened,

Now I faw in my Dream, that as foon as he had knocked at the Wicket-gate, a whole Shower of Arrows thot at him from the Caftle of Belzebub, fo that he was wounded in feveral Places, and extreamly frighted at the Adventure; which made him knock again and again, very hard, for fear that thofe that fhot at him fhould come and kill him outright, before he could get in: But prefently, to his great Comfort, the Gate was open'd to him, and when he that open'd the Gate faw the Arrows fficking in his Fleth, he bid him haft in, for fear of more Danger: So he ftepp'd in, and made Obey fance to the Man that open'd the Gate, for he feem'd to be a Perfon worthy of Reverence, by his grave Countenance and compos'd Behaviour. So he spake to the Man, whofe Name was Goodwill, and faid, Sir, having heard, of the Fame of the Heavenly Country, and being inform'd by feveral Travellers, that the Way to it was by this Gate; I being weary of living in the Valley of Deftruction,