them, had doubtless made an end of them himself, but that he fell into one of his fits; for he sometimes, in sunshiny weather, fell into fits, and lost for a time the use of his hand. 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:

"Brother," said Christian, "what shall we do? The life that we now live is miserable! For my part, I know not whether it is best to live thus, or to die out of hand. My soul chooseth strangling,* and death rather than life, and the grave is more easy for me than this dungeon! Shall we be ruled by the giant?"

Hopeful. Indeed our present condition is dreadful; and death would be far more welcome to me, than thus forever to abide. But 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 body and soul at once. And moreover, my brother, thou talkest of ease in the grave; but hast thou forgotten the hell; whither, for certain, the murderers go? For, "No murderer hath eternal life," etc. And let us consider again, that all the law is not in the hand of the 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 that 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 resolved to pluck up the heart of a man, and to try my utmost to get from under his hand. I was a fool that I did not try to do it before; but, however, my brother, let us be patient and endure awhile. 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 that they had dis

* Strangling. Job vii., 15.-Have another of his fits. The "sunshiny weather, in which the giant had "fits," represents seasons of hope in the midst of gloom. Thus Bunyan says of his own experience in the midst of depressing doubts, "I had some supports in this temptation; but they were but hints, touches, and short visits, though very sweet when present. Only they lasted not, but, like to Peter's sheet, of a sudden were caught up from me to heaven again."-Hopeful did moderate, etc. The student will do well to note carefully Bunyan's skill in drawing characters.

Strangling, choking. Other synonymes? Discriminate, etc.

obeyed 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 to be for doing it; but Hopeful made his second reply as followeth:

Hopeful. My brother, rememberest thou not how valiant thou hast been heretofore? Apollyon could not crush thee; nor could all that thou didst hear, or see, or feel, in the Valley of the Shadow of Death. What hardships, terror, and amazement hast thou already gone through! and art thou now nothing but fear? Thou seest that I am in the dungeon with thee; a far weaker man by nature than thou art; also this giant has wounded me as well as thee, and has 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 away with themselves." Then said she, "Take them into the castle-yard to-morrow, and show them the bones and skulls of those that thou hast already despatched; and make them believe, ere a week comes to an end thou wilt also tear them in pieces as thou hast done their fellows before them."

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 in 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." And with that he beat them all the way thither.

They lay therefore all day on Saturday in lamentable case, as before. Now when night was come, and Mrs. Diffidence and her husband, the giant were gone 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 picklocks about them, by the means of which they hope to

* And so within ten days I will do you. "Then hath the tempter come upon me with such discouragements as these: You are very hot after mercy, but I will cool you; this frame shall not last always; many have been as hot as you for a spirt, but I have quenched their zeal.' And with this, such and such who were fallen off would be set before mine eyes. Then I would be afraid that I should do so too!" Bunyan's Grace Abounding.

Crush, break, overwhelm, destroy, annihilate. Write out, etc.
They lay all day on Saturday in lamentable case. Analyze.

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 amazed, brake out in this passionate speech: "What a fool," quoth he, “am I, thus to lie in a stinking dungeon, when I may 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 is good news, good brother; pluck it 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 this key opened that door also. After, he went to the iron-gate, for that must be opened too; but that lock went very hard: yet the key did open it. Then they thrust open the door 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 the giant's jurisdiction.

Now, when they were gone over the stile, they began to contrive with themselves, what they should do at the stile, to prevent those that should come after from falling into the hand of Giant Despair. So they consented to erect there a pillar, and to engrave upon the stile 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."

Continued in prayer till almost break of day. "Prayer wrestleth with the devil, and will overthrow him; prayer wrestleth with God, and will overcome him; prayer wrestleth with all temptations, and makes them fly. Great things have been done by prayer, even by the prayer of those that have contracted guilt, and by their sins lost the smiles and sense of the favor of God Therefore, when this needy, this evil time has overtaken thee, pray! Ply it hard!" Bunyan's Saint's Privilege.

They went then till they came to the Delectable Mountains; which mountains belong to the Lord of that hill of which we have spoken before. So they went up to the mountains,* to behold the gardens and orchards, the vineyards and fountains of water; where also they drank and washed themselves, and did freely eat of the vineyards. Now there were on the tops of those mountains shepherds feeding their flocks; and they stood by the highway side. The pilgrims therefore went to them, and leaning upon their staffs, as is common with weary pilgrims, when they stand to talk with any by the way, they asked, "Whose delectable mountains are these? and whose be the sheep that feed upon them?"

Shepherds. These mountains are Emanuel's Land: and they are within sight of his city; and the sheep also are his, and He laid down his life for them. Christian. Is this the way to the Celestial City ?

Shepherds. You are just in the way.

Christian. How far is it thither ?

Shepherds. Too far for any but those that shall get thither indeed.
Christian. Is the way safe or dangerous?

Shepherds. Safe for those for whom it is to be safe; "But transgressors shall fall therein."

Christian. Is there in this place any relief for pilgrims, that are weary and faint in the way?

Shepherds. The Lord of these mountains hath given us a charge "not to be forgetful to entertain strangers. Therefore the good of the place is before you.

I also saw in my dream, that when the shepherds perceived they were wayfaring men, they also put questions to them, to which they made answer as in other places; as, "Whence came you?" and, "How got you into the way?" and, "By what means have you so persevered therein? for, but few of them that begin to come hither, do show their faces at these mountains." But when the shepherds heard their answers; being pleased therewith, they looked very lovingly upon them, and said, "Welcome to the Delectable Mountains!"

The shepherds, I say, whose names were Knowledge, Experience, Watchful, and Sincere, took them by the hand, and had them to their tents, and made them partake of that which was ready at present. They said, moreover, "We would that you should stay here awhile, to be acquainted with us; and yet more to solace yourselves with the good of the Delectable Mountains." Then they told them, that they were content to stay; so they went to their rest that night, because it was very late.

Then I saw in my dream, that in the morning the shepherds called up

So they went up to the mountains, etc. See this passage quoted in the sketch of Bunyan's Life, p. 288. In this delightful transition from the gloom and terror of Doubting Castle to the soft splendor and joy of the Delectable Mountains, Bunyan has unwittingly displayed consummate art. "It is as ordinary as for the light to shine, for God to make black and dismal dispensations to usher in bright and pleasing; yea, and the more frightful that is which goes before, the more comfortable is that which follows after." Bunyan's Antichrist and its Ruin.-Shall fall therein. Hos. xiv., 9.-Entertain strangers. Heb. xiii., 2.

The shepherds took them by the hand. Analyze.

Christian and Hopeful to walk with them upon the mountain.* So they went forth with them and walked awhile, having a pleasant prospect on every side. Then said the shepherds one to another, "Shall we show these pilgrims some wonders?" So, when they had concluded to do it, they had them first to the top of a hill, called Error; which was very steep on the farthest side; and bade them look down to the bottom. So Christian and Hopeful looked down, and saw at the bottom several men dashed all to pieces by a fall that they had from the top. Then said Christian, “What meaneth this?" The shepherds answered, "Have you not heard of them that were made to err, by hearkening to Hymeneus and Philetus; as concerning the faith of the resurrection of the body?" They answered, "Yes." Then said the shepherds, "Those that you see dashed in pieces at the bottom of this mountain, are they: and they have continued to this day unburied, as you see, for an example for others to take heed how they clamber too high, or how they come too near to the brink of this mountain.'

Then I saw, that they had them to the top of another mountain; and the name of this is Caution; and bade them look afar off. Which when they did, they perceived, as they thought, several men, walking up and down among the tombs that were there: and they perceived that the men were blind; because they stumbled sometimes upon the tombs, and because they could not get out from among them. Then said Christian, "What means this?"

The shepherds then answered: "Did you not see a little below these mountains a stile that led into a meadow, on the left-hand of this way?" They answered, "Yes." Then said the shepherds, "From the stile there goes a path that leads directly to Doubting Castle, which is kept by Giant Despair; and these men (pointing to them among the tombs) came once on pilgrimage, as you do now, even till they came to that same stile. And because the right way was rough in that place, they chose to go out of it into that meadow; and there were taken by Giant Despair, and cast into Doubting Castle; where, after they had been a while kept in a dungeon, he at last did put out their eyes, and led them among those tombs, where he has left them to wander to this very day, that the saying of the wise man might be fulfilled, "He that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead." Then Christian and Hopeful looked upon one another with tears gushing out, but yet said nothing to the shepherds.

Then I saw in my dream, that the shepherds had them to another place *To walk with them upon the mountain. In the old editions, thirteen of which were published prior to 1693, there were fourteen rude wood-cuts, and under each were four lines of rhyme. Under the one representing the shepherds entertaining the pilgrims on the Delectable Mountains were the following:

Hymeneus, etc. 2 Tim. ii., 17, 18.--Saying of the wise man. Prov. xxi.,

16.

Analyze, They have continued unburied, for an example. The last three words introduce a purpose or end (what is termed the final cause). Analyze, They come too near.

Too denotes degree.