HONEST. So the old gentleman blushed, and said, Not Honesty in the abstract, but Honest is my name; and I wish that my nature may agree to what I am called. But, sir, said the old gentleman, how could you guess that I am such a man, since I came from such a place?

GREAT-HEART. I had heard of you before by my Master, for he knows all things that are done on the earth. But I have often wondered that any should come from your place; for your town is worse than is the city of Destruction itself.

HONEST. Yes, we lie more off from the sun, and so are more cold and senseless. But were a man in a mountain of ice, yet if the Sun of righteousness should arise upon him, his frozen heart shall feel a thaw; and thus it has been with me.

GREAT-HEART. I believe it, father Honest, I believe it; for I know the thing is true.

Then the old gentleman saluted all the pilgrims with a holy kiss of charity, and asked them their names, and how they had fared since they set out on their pilgrimage.

CHRISTIANA. Then said Christiana, My name I suppose you have heard of; good Christian was my husband, and these four are his children. But can you think how the old gentleman was taken when she told him who she was? He skipped, he smiled, he blessed them with a thousand good wishes, saying:

HONEST. I have heard much of your husband, and of his travels and wars which he underwent in his days. Be it spoken to your comfort, the name of your husband rings all over these parts of the world: his faith, his courage, his enduring, and his sincerity under all, have made his name famous. Then he turned him to the boys, and asked them of their names, which they told him. Then said he unto them, Matthew, be thou like Matthew the publican, not in vice, but in virtue. Samuel, said he, be thou like Samuel the prophet, a man of faith and prayer.

Stupified ones are worse than those merely carnal.

Old Mr. Honest's
blessing on them.

Matt. x. 3.
Psa. xcix. 6.

Gen. xxxix.

Acts i. 13.

He blesseth Mercy.

Talk of one Mr.
Fearing.

Mr. Fearing's troublesome pilgrimage,

Joseph, said he, be thou like Joseph in Potiphar's house, chaste and one that flees from temptation. And James, be thou like James the just, and like James the brother of our Lord. Then they told him of Mercy, and how she had left her town and her kindred to come along with Christiana, and with her sons. At that the old honest man said, Mercy is thy name: by mercy shalt thou be sustained and carried through all those difficulties that shall assault thee in thy way, till thou shalt come thither where thou shalt look the Fountain of mercy in the face with comfort. All this while the guide Mr. Great-heart was very well pleased, and smiled upon his companion.

Now, as they walked along together the guide asked the old gentleman, if he did not know one Mr. Fearing, that came on pilgrimage out of his parts.

HONEST. Yes, very well, said he. He was a man that had the root of the matter in him: but he was one of the most troublesome pilgrims that ever I met with in all my days.

GREAT-HEART. I perceive you knew him, for you have given a very right character of him.

HONEST. Knew him! I was a great companion of his; I was with him most an end; when he first began to think upon what would come upon us hereafter, I was with him.

GREAT-HEART. I was his guide from my Master's house to the gates of the celestial city.

HONEST. Then you knew him to be a troublesome one.

GREAT-HEART. I did so; but I could very well bear; for men of my calling are oftentimes intrusted with the conduct of such as he was.

HONEST. Well then, pray let us hear a little of him, and how he managed himself under your conduct.

GREAT-HEART. Why, he was always afraid that he should come short of whither he had a desire to go. Everything

frightened him that he heard anybody speak of, if it had but the least appearance of opposition in it. I have heard that he lay roaring at the Slough of Despond for above a month together; nor durst he, for all he saw several go over before him, venture, though they many of them offered to lend him their hands. He would not go back again neither. The celestial city,-he said he should die if he came not to it; and yet he was dejected at every difficulty, and stumbled at every straw that anybody cast in his way. Well, after he had lain at the Slough of Despond a great while, as I have told you, one sunshiny morning, I don't know how, he ventured, and so got over; but when he was over, he would scarcely believe it. He had, I think, a Slough of Despond in his mind, a slough that he carried everywhere with him, or else he could never have been as he was. So he came up to the gate, you know what I mean, that stands at the head of this way, and there also he stood a good while before he would venture to knock. When the gate was opened, he would give back, and give place to others, and say that he was not worthy. For, for all he got before some to the gate, yet many of them went in before him. There the poor man would stand shaking and shrinking; I dare say it would have pitied one's heart to have seen him. Nor would he go back again. At last he took the hammer that hanged on the gate, in his hand, and gave a small rap or two; then one opened to him, but he shrunk back as before. He that opened, stepped out after him, and said, Thou trembling one, what wantest thou? With that he fell down to the ground. He that spoke to him wondered to see him so faint, so he said to him, Peace be to thee; up, for I have set open the door to thee; come in, for thou art blessed. With that he got up, and went in trembling; and when he was in, he was ashamed to show his face. Well, after he had been

entertained there awhile, as you know how the manner is, he was

His behaviour at the Interpreter's

door.

bid go on his way, and also told the way he should take. So he went on till he came to our house; but as he behaved himself at the gate, so he did at my Master the Interpreter's door. He lay thereabout in the cold a good while, before he would

adventure to call; yet he would not go back; and the nights
were long and cold then. Nay, he had a note of necessity in
his bosom to my Master to receive him, and grant him the
comfort of his house, and also to allow him a stout and valiant
conductor, because he was himself so chicken-hearted a man ;
and yet for all that he was afraid to call at the door.
So he lay
up and down thereabouts, till, poor man, he was almost starved;
yea, so great was his dejection, that though he saw several

others for knocking get in, yet he was afraid to venture. At
last, I think I looked out of the window, and perceiving a man.
to be
up and down about the door, I went out to him, and asked
what he was; but, poor man, the water stood in his eyes; so I
perceived what he wanted. I went therefore in, and told it in
the house, and we showed the thing to our Lord: so he sent me
out again, to entreat him to come in; but I dare say, I had hard
work to do it. At last he came in; and I will say that for my
Lord, he carried it wonderfully lovingly to him. There were
but a few good bits at the table, but some of it was laid upon
his trencher. Then he presented the note; and my Lord
looked thereon, and said his desire should be granted. So when
he had been there a good while, he seemed to get some heart,
and to be a little more comforted. For my Master, you must
know, is one of very tender bowels, especially to them that are
afraid; wherefore he carried it so towards him, as might tend
most to his encouragement. Well, when he had had a sight of
the things of the place, and was ready to take his journey to go
to the city, my Lord, as he did to Christian before, gave him a
bottle of spirits, and some comfortable things to eat.
Thus we
set forward, and I went before him; but the man was but of few
words, only he would sigh aloud.

When we were come to the place where the three fellows were hanged, he said that he doubted that that would be his end also. Only he seemed glad when he saw the Cross and the Sepulchre. There I confess he desired to stay a little to look; and he seemed for a while after to be a little cheery. When he came to the hill Difficulty, he made no stick at that, nor did he much fear the lions: for you must know that his troubles were not about such things as these; his fear was about his acceptance at last.

I got him in at the house Beautiful, I think before he was

How he was entertained there.

He is a little encouraged at the Interpreter's house.

He was greatly afraid when he

saw the gibbet, but cheery when he saw the cross.