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and his countenance I have more desired than they that have most desired the light of the sun. His words I did use to gather for my food, and for antidotes against my faintings. He has held me, and has kept me from mine iniquities; yea, my steps have been strengthened in his way.'

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Now, while he was thus in discourse, his countenance changed; his "strong man bowed under him :" and, after he had said, 'Take me, for I come unto thee,' he ceased to be seen of them.

But glorious it was to see, how the open region was filled with horses and chariots, with trumpeters and pipers, with singers and players on stringed instruments, to welcome the pilgrims as they went up, and followed one another in at the beautiful gate of the city.

As for Christiana's children, the four boys that Christiana brought, with their wives and children, I did not stay where I was till they were gone over. Also since I came away, I heard one say, they were yet alive, and so would be for the increase of the church in that place where they were, for a time.

Shall it be my lot to go that way again, I may give those that desire it, an account of what I here am silent about; mean time I bid my reader

End of the Second Part.

FAREWELL.

THE

Pilgrim's Progress,

PART III.

CHAP. I.

In the time of Persecution Tender-conscience sets out on Pilgrimage. He arrives at the Wicket-gate, where he is kindly received, and from thence proceeds to the Interpreter's house ;-The manner of his entertainment.

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FTER the two former dreams, concerning Christian and Christiana his wife, with their children and companions' pilgrimage from the city of Destruction to the region of glory, I fell asleep again, and the visions of my head returned upon me. I dreamed another dream, and behold there appeared unto me a great multitude of people, in several distinct companies and bands, traveling from the city of Destruction, the town of Carnal Policy, the village of Morality, and from the rest of the cities, towns, villages, and hamlets, that belonged to the valley of Destruction; for so was the whole country called that lay on this side of the Wicket-gate, which the man Evangelist shewed unto Christian; and so was also that country called that was situated wide of the gate, on the right hand and on the left, extending itself along by the walls and borders of that region, wherein lay the way to the heavenly country. This was the name of that province, even the valley of Destruction.

Now I saw in my dream, that all the high-way roads and lanes, that led from the valley of Destruction towards the gate of the way of life, were full of people who were travelling towards that gate; and some of them walked along very vigorously; others halted and grew weary, through the violent heat of the season, which made them

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even ready to faint; for it was in the hottest time of all the year, and the sun burnt up the herb of the field, and scorched the poor travellers so, that many of them were forced to sit down and rest themselves; and in the nighttime many of them returned back again to their old habitations; others more hardy than the rest, went on till they came to the slough of Despond, where Pliabie forsook Christian, and there, falling into the filth and mire of the place, were so disheartened, that they returned in whole droves to their own dwellings again; and very few there were that would venture through the slough; yet some got very dexterously over the steps, without being in the least bemired; whilst others, through ignorance or heedlessness, missing those steps, were forced to wade through the dirt, which was very deep, and made their passage exceedingly painful; but at length, with much ado, they weathered the point, and mastered the difficulties of that horrid quagmire, and got safe upon dry ground.

Amongst the rest of these travellers that got over this slough, I saw a young man of an amiable countenance walking by himself, after he had got clear of the slough; but he was all over bedawbed with the filth of that place, which made him go very heavily on; for what with struggling to get through, and what with the dismal apprehension he lay under during his passage, he was extremely weakened, and his joints were loosened; besides it was the nature of the dirt of this place to cause a trembling and disorder in the limbs of those that were defiled with it, and to whatsoever part of their body it stuck, there it would do them some injury. Now the young man, being all over clammed with it, went a very slow pace, his head hanging down, his hands quivering, and his feet tripping at the least unevenness and ruggedness in the way; and a speck or two of the dirt being spattered near his eyes, made him dim-sighted, so that he groped along like one that is blind, and sometimes stepped out of the path.

In this condition he was, when, at length, I saw in my dream, that he sat down upon the ground to bemoan his sad estate, and he wept very bitterly; and behold a

bright cloud hovering over his head, which gradually descending, overshadowed him, and out of the cloud a hand was reached forth, which, with the tears that ran like rivers from his eyes, washed the dirt off his face and his whole body, so that in a moment (as it were) his sight and his strength were restored to him again; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, Son of man, go on in the strength of the Lord thy God.' So he was mightily comforted and refreshed after this, and began to rouse up himself, being more nimble and active, more vigorous and strong, than ever he was before; and his eyes being healed also, he clearly saw the shining light that Evangelist shewed to Christian. Then he tripped along over the plain, and made directly up to the shining light, by means of which he quickly found the wicket-gate; at which he knocked aloud, minding what was written over the gate, viz. "Knock, and it shall be opened."

Now I saw in my dream, that as soon as he had knocked at the Wicket-gate, a whole shower of arrows were shot at him from the castle of Beelzebub, so that he was wounded in several places, and extremely frightened at the adventure; which made him knock again and again very hard, for fear those that shot at him should come and kill him outright before he could get in; but presently, to his great comfort, the gate was opened to him; and when he that had opened the gate saw the arrows stick in his flesh, he bid him haste, in for fear of more danger.

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So he stepped in, and made obeisance to the man that opened the gate, for he seemed to be a person worthy of reverence, by his grave countenance and composed behaviour. So he spake to the man, whose name was Goodwill, and said, Sir, having heard of the fame of the heavenly country, and being informed by several travellers, that the way to it was by this gate,-I, being weary of living in the valley of Destruction, and earnestly desirous to see that region of bliss, humbly made bold to knock at this gate, which you have been graciously pleased to open to me; for which high favour I return you my humble and hearty thanks: but, as I stood at the gate, after I knocked the first time, I was shot with

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