CHR. My name is now Christian, but my name at the first was Graceless. I came of the race of Japhet, whom God will persuade to dwell in the tents of Shem. (Gen. ix. 27.)

PORT. But how doth it happen that you come so late? The sun is set.

CHR. I had been here sooner, but that, wretched man that I am, I slept in the arbour that stands on the hill-side. 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.

PORT. Well, I will call out one of the virgins of this place, who will, if she likes your talk, bring you in to 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 of the door of the house a grave and beautiful damsel, named Discretion, and asked why she was called.

The Porter answered, "This man is on a journey from the City of Destruction to Mount Zion; but, being weary and benighted, he asked me if he might lodge here to-night: 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."

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 on the way; and he told her. And at last she asked his name. So he said, "It is Christian; and I have so much the more a desire to lodge here to-night, 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 of my family." So she ran to the door, and called out Prudence, Piety, and Charity, who, after a little more discourse with him, had him in to 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 ilgrims in." Then he bowed his head, and followed them into the ouse. 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, 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 into 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 pilgrimage..

CHR. With a very good will, and I am glad that you are so well disposed.

PIETY. What moved you at first to betake yourself to a pilgrim's life?

CHR. I was driven out of my native country by a dreadful sound that was in mine ears; to wit, that unavoidable destruction did attend me, if I abode in that place where I was.

PIETY. But how did it happen that you came out of your country this way ?

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

Wicket-gate, which else I should never have found, and so set me into the way that hath led me directly to this house.

PIETY. But did you not come by the house of the Interpreter?

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 sleep the day of judgment was come.

PIETY. Why? did you hear him tell his dream?

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 glad 1 heard of it. PIETY. Was that all you saw at the house of the Interpreter?

CHR. No; he took me, and had me where he showed 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 farther to go. PIETY. And what saw you else in the way?

It

CHR. Saw? Why, I went but a little farther, and I saw one, as I thought in my mind, hang bleeding upon a tree; and the very sight of him made my burden fall off my back; for I groaned under a very heavy burden, and then it fell down from off me. 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, with that, he plucked it out of his bosom).

PIETY. But you saw more than this, did you not?

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

CHRISTIAN WEEPS ABOUT HIS FAMILY.

43

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

PRU. Do you not think sometimes of the country from whence you came?

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, a heavenly one. (Heb. xi. 15, 16.)

PRU. 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 mine own things, I would choose never to think of those things more; but, when I would be doing that which is best, that which is worst is with me. (Rom. vii. 15-21).

PRU. Do you not find sometimes as if those things were vanquished, which at other times are your perplexity?

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

PRU. 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

How Christian gets

tions.

into the roll that I carry in my bosom, that power against his corrupwill do it; and, when my thoughts wax

warm about whither I am going, that will do it.

PRU. And what makes you so desirous to go to Mount Zion? CHR. Why, there. I hope to see Him alive that did hang dead

on the cross; and there I hope to be rid of

Why Christian would

all those things that to this day are in me be at Mount Zion. an annoyance to me. There, they say,

:

there is no death (Isa. xxv. 8; Rev. xxi. 4); and there I shall dwell with such company as I like best. For, to tell you the 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 more, and with the company that shall continually cry, Holy, holy, holy!

CHAR. Then said Charity to Christian, "Have you a family? are you a married man ?"

CHR. I have a wife and four small children.

CHAP. And why did you not bring them along with you? CHR. Then Christian wept, and said, Oh, how willingly would I have done it! but they were all of them utterly averse to my going on pilgrimage."

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

CHR. So I did, and told them also what God had shown to me of the destruction of our city; but I seemed to them as one that mocked, and they believed me not. (Gen. xix. 14.)

CHAR. And did you pray to God that he would bless your counsel to them?

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

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

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 judgment that did hang over our heads: but all was not sufficient to prevail with them to come with

me.

CHAR. But what could they say for themselves why they came 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 them away with you?

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 any wrong to my neighbour.

CHAR. Indeed, Cain hated his brother (1 John iii. 12), because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous; and, if thy wife and children have been offended with thee for this, they thereby show themselves to be implacable to good; thou hast delivered thy soul from their blood. (Ezek. iii. 19.)

Now, I saw in my dream, that thus they sat talking together till supper was ready. So, when they had made ready, they sat down to meat. Now, the table was furnished with fat things, and 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