On Friday, Giant Despair counsels them to kill them

next she talked with her husband further about them, and, understanding that they were yet alive, did advise him to counsel them to make way with themselves; so, when morning was come, he goes to them in a surly manner as before, and perceiving them to be very sore with the stripes that he had given them the day before, he told them, that since they were never like to come out of that place, their only way would be forthwith to make an end of themselves, either with knife, halter, or poison for why, said he, should you choose to live, seeing it is attended with so much bitterness? But they desired him to let them go. With that he looked ugly upon them, and, rushing to them, had doubtless made an end of them himself, but that he fell in one of his fits (for The Giant somehe sometimes, in sunshiny weather, fell into fits) times has fits. and lost for a time the use of his hands; wherefore he withdrew, and left them, as before, to consider what to do. Then did the prisoners consult between themselves, whether it was best to take his counsel or no; and thus they began to discourse:

selves.

Brother, said Christian, what shall we do? The Christian crushed. 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! 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 Hopeful comforts body and soul at once. And, moreover, my broth- him.

er, thou talkest of ease in the Grave; but has thou forgotten the Hell whither for certain the murderers go? for " no murderer hath eternal life," &c. And let us consider again, that all the law is not in the hand of Giant Despair; others, so far as I can understand, have been taken by him as well as we, and yet have escaped out of his hands. Who knows but that God, who made the world, may cause that Giant Despair may die; or that, at some time or other, he may forget to lock us in; or but 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 re solved to pluck up the heart of a man, and to try my utmost to get

Job vii. 15.

(The Pilgrims in the Dungeon of Giant Despair.]

from under his hand. I was a fool that I did not try to do it before; but, however, my brother, let's be patient, and endure a while; the time may come that may give us a happy release; but let us not be our own murderers." With these words Hopeful at present did moderate the mind of his brother; so they continued together, in the dark, that day in their sad and doleful condition.

Well, towards evening, the Giant goes down into the dungeon again, to see if his prisoners had taken his counsel; but, when he came there, he found them alive; and, truly, alive was all; for now, what for want of bread and water, and by reason of the wounds they received when he beat them, they could do little but breathe. But, I say he found them alive: at which he fell into a grievous rage, and told them that, seeing they had disobeyed his counsel, it should be worse with them than if they had never been born.

At this they trembled greatly, and I think that Christian fell into a swoon; but, coming a little to himself again, they renewed their discourse about the Giant's counsel, and whether yet they had best take it or no. Now Christian again seemed for doing it; but Hopeful made his second reply as followeth :

Christian still dejected:

My brother, said he, rememberest thou not how valiant thou hast been heretofore? Apollyon could not crush thee; nor could

Hopeful comforts

to remembrance.

all that thou didst hear, or see, or feel, in the Valley of the Shadow of Death. What hardship, him again by calterror, and amazement hast thou already gone ling former things through! and art thou now nothing but fears? Thou seest that I am in the dungeon with thee, a far weaker man by nature than thou art; also this Giant hath wounded me as well as thee, and hath also cut off the bread and water from my mouth, and with thee I mourn without the light. But let us exercise a little more patience. Remember how thou playedst the man at Vanity-fair, and wast neither afraid of the chain nor cage, nor yet of bloody death. Wherefore let us (at least to avoid the shame that becomes not a Christian to be found in) bear up with patience as well as we can.

Now, night being come again, and the Giant and his wife being in bed, she asked him concerning the prisoners, and if they had taken his counsel? To which he replied, They are sturdy rogues; they choose rather to bear all hardships than to make way with themselves. Then said she, Take them into the Castle-Yard tomorrow, and show them the bones and sculls of those that thou hrast already despatched; and make them believe, ere a week comes to an end, thou wilt tear them in pieces, as thou hast done their fellows before them.

and with that he
They lay, there-

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 Castle-Yard, and shows them as his wife had bidden him. These, said he, were Pilgrims as you are once; and they trespassed on my grounds as you have done; and, when I thought fit, I tore them in pieces; and so within ten days I will do you. Go, get you down to your den again! beat them all the way thither. fore, all day on Saturday, in 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 counsel bring them to an end. And with that his wife replied, I fear, said she, that they live in hopes that some will come to relieve them; or that they have pick-locks about them, by the means of which they hope to escape. And sayest thou so, my dear, said the Giant; I will therefore search them in the morning.

Well, on Saturday, about midnight, they began to pray, and continued in prayer till almost break of day.

Now, a little before it was day, good Christian, as one half

A key in Chris

[The Pilgrims escaping from Doubting Castle.]

amazed, brake out into this passionate speech: What a fool, quoth he, am I, to lie in a stinking dungeon, when I may tian's bosom called as well walk at liberty! I have a key in my bosom, called Promise, that will, I am persuaded, open any lock in Doubting Castle. Then said Hopeful, That's good news: good brother, pluck it

Promise, opens any lock in Doubting Castle.

out of thy bosom, and try.

Then Christian pulled it out of his bosom, and began to try at the dungeon door, whose bolt, as he turned the key, gave back, and the door flew open with ease, and Christian and Hopeful both came out. Then he went to the outward door, that leads into the Castle-Yard, and with his key opened that door also. After that 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 highway, and so were safe, because they were out of his jurisdiction.

A Pillar erected

by Christian and his fellow.

Now, when they were gone over the stile, they began to contrive, with themselves what they should do at that stile, to prevent those that 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 danger. This done, they sang as follows:

Out of the way we went, and then we found,
What 'twas to tread upon forbidden ground,

And let them that come after have a care,

Lest they, for trespassing, his prisoners are,

Whose castle's Doubting, and whose name 's Despair.