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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, and bringeth to light the fhadow of death."

Now was Chriftian much affected with his deliverance from all the dangers of his folitary way" which dangers, though he feared them more before, yet he faw them more clearly now, because the light of the day made them confpicuous to him: about this time the fun was rifing, and this was another mercy to Chriftian; for you muft note, that though the first part of the Valley of the Shadow of Death was dangerous, yet the fecond part, which he was yet to go, was, if poffible, far more dangerous: for, from the place where he now stood, even to the end of the valley, the way was all along full of snares, traps, gins, and nets, and so full of pits, pitfalls, deep holes, and fhelvings down, that had it been dark, as it was when he came the first part of the way, if he had had a thousand fouls, they must, in the judgment of reafon, been all caft away; but, as I faid, just now the fun was rifing. Then faid he, "His candle fhineth on my head, and by his light

I

go through darkness.”

In this light therefore he came to the end of the valley.. Now I faw in my dream, that at the end

n Now Christian perceives, of a truth, that his merciful and compaffionate High Prieft, who was tempted in all points as he was, knows how to pity and fuccour them that are tempted, and can, with the temptation, alfo make a way for his escape.

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of this valley lay blood, bones, afhes, and mangled bodies of men, even of pilgrims who had gone this way formerly: and while I was musing what should be the reason, I efpied a little before me a cave, where two giants, Pope and Pagan, dwelt in old time; by whofe power and tyranny the men, whofe bones, blood, afhes, &c. lay there, were cruelly put to death. But by this place Christian went without much danger, whereat I fomewhat wondered: but I have learnt fince, that Pagan has been dead many a day; and, as for the other, though he be yet alive, he is, by reafon of age, and alfo of the many fhrewd brushes which he met with in his younger days, grown fo crazy and ftiff in his joints, that he can now do little more than fit in his cave's mouth, grinning at pilgrims as they go by, and biting his nails, because he cannot come at them.

So I faw that Christian went on his way; yet, at the fight of the old man who fat at the mouth of the cave, he could not tell what to think; especially becaufe he spake to him, though he could not go after him; faying, You will never mend, till more of you be burnt. But he held his peace, and fet a good face on't, and fo went by, and catched no hurt. Then fang Christian,

O world of wonders! (I can fay no lefs).
That I fhould be preferv'd in that diftrefs
That I have met with here! O bleffed be
That hand who from it hath deliver'd me!
Dangers in darkness, devils, hell, and fin,
Did compass me, while I this vale was in :
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Yea,

gons of the pit: we heard alfo, in that valley, a continual howling and yelling, as of people under unutterable mifery, who fat there bound in affliction and irons; over that valley hangs the difcouraging clouds of confufion; Death alfo doth always spread his wings over it; in a word, it is dreadful, being utterly without order.

Chr. I perceive not yet, from any thing that you have faid, but this is ftill my way to the defired ha

ven.

Men. Be it thy way; we will not choose it for

ours.

So they parted; and Christian went on his way; but still with his fword drawn in his hand, for fear left he should be affaulted.

I faw then in my dream, that as far as this valley reached there was on the right hand a very deep ditch that is the ditch into which the blind have led the blind in all ages, and both have there miferably perished. Again, on the left hand, there was a very dangerous quag, into which, even if a good man falls, he finds no bottom for his foot to ftand on into that quag King David once did fall; and had, no doubt, been fmothered in it, had not he, who is able, plucked him out. The pathway here was exceedingly narrow, and therefore good Christian was the more put to it: when he fought, in the dark, to fhun the ditch on the one hand, he was ready to tip over into the mire on the other; and when he fought to escape the mire, without great

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great carefulness he would be ready to fall into the ditch1. Thus he went on, and here I heard him figh most bitterly for befides the danger mentioned, the pathway itself was fo dark, that ofttimes, when he lift up his foot to fet forward, he knew not where, or upon what, he fhould fet it About the midft of this valley, I perceived. was the mouth of Hell, and it stood also hard by the way-fide: now, thought Chriftian, what fhall I do? And ever and anon the flame and fmoke would come out in fuch abundance, with fparks and hideous noifes (things that cared not for Christian's fword, as Apollyon did), that he was forced to put his fword, and betake himself to another weapon, up called All Prayer: fo he cried, in my hearing, "O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my foul." Thus he went on a great while, yet ftill the flames would be reaching towards him. He heard also doleful voices, and rushings to and fro, so that sometimes he thought he fhould be torn in pieces, or trodden down like mire in the streets. This frightful fight was seen, and thefe 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 ftopt, and began to muse about what he had beft do: fometimes he had half

1 The ditch, on the right hand of that narrow path which led through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, may mean prefumption, or vain confidence: and the quag on the left hand may mean despair.

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a thought

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, and bringeth to light the fhadow of death."

Now was Chriftian much affected with his deliverance from all the dangers of his folitary way"; which dangers, though he feared them more before, yet he faw them more clearly now, because the light of the day made them confpicuous to him: about this time the fun was rifing, and this was another mercy to Chriftian; for you must note, that though the first part of the Valley of the Shadow of Death was dangerous, yet the fecond part, which he was yet to go, was, if poffible, far more dangerous : for, from the place where he now stood, even to the end of the valley, the way was all along full of fnares, traps, gins, and nets, and fo full of pits, pitfalls, deep holes, and fhelvings down, that had it been dark, as it was when he came the first part of the way, if he had had a thousand fouls, they must, in the judgment of reason, been all cast away; but, as I faid, juft now the fun was rifing. Then faid he, "His candle fhineth on my head, and by his light I go through darkness.”

In this light therefore he came to the end of the valley.. Now I faw in my dream, that at the end

n Now Christian perceives, of a truth, that his merciful and compaffionate High Prieft, who was tempted in all points as he was, knows how to pity and fuccour them that are tempted, and can, with the temptation, alfo make a way for his efcape.

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