But now, in this Valley of Humiliation, poor Christian was hard put to
it; for he had gone but a little way before he espied a foul fiend
coming over the field to meet him: his name is Apollyon. Then did
Christian begin to be afraid, and to cast in his mind whether to go back
or to stand his ground. But he considered again that he had no armor for
his back, and therefore thought that to turn the back to him might give
him greater advantage with ease to pierce him with darts; therefore he
resolved to venture and stand his ground; for, thought he, had I no more
in mine eye than the saving of my life, it would be the best way to
stand. So he went on, and Apollyon met him. Now, the monster was hideous
to behold: he was clothed with scales like a fish, and they are his
pride; he had wings like a dragon, and feet like a bear, and out of his
belly came fire and smoke; and his mouth was as the mouth of a lion.
When he was come up to Christian, he beheld him with a disdainful
countenance, and thus began to question with him:
[Sidenote: APOLLYON STAYS CHRISTIAN]
APOLLYON. Whence come you, and whither are you bound?
CHRIS. I am come from the City of Destruction, which is the place of all
evil, and am going to the City of Zion.
APOL. By this I perceive that thou art one of my subjects; for all that
country is mine, and I am the prince and God of it. How is it then that
thou hast run away from thy king? Were it not that I hope that thou
mayest do me more service, I would strike thee now at one blow to the
ground.
CHRIS. I was indeed born in your kingdom; but your service was hard, and
your wages such as a man could not live on; for the wages of sin is
death; therefore, when I was come to years, I did as other thoughtful
persons do, look out, if perhaps I might mend myself.
APOL. There is no prince that will thus lightly lose his subjects,
neither will I as yet lose thee; but, since thou complainest of thy
service and wages, be content to go back, and what our country will
afford I do here promise to give thee.
CHRIS. But I have let myself to another, even to the King of princes;
and how can I with fairness go back with thee?
APOL. Thou hast done in this according to the proverb, "changed a bad
for a worse;" but it is common for those that have called themselves His
servants, after awhile to give Him the slip, and return again to me. Do
thou so too, and all shall be well.
CHRIS. I have given Him my faith, and sworn my service to Him; how,
then, can I go back from this, and not be hanged as a traitor?
APOL. Thou didst the same to me, and yet I am willing to pass by all,
if now thou wilt yet turn again and go back.
CHRIS. What I promised thee was in my youth, and besides, I count that
the Prince under whose banner I now stand is able to set me free, yea,
and to pardon also what I did as to my service with thee. And besides, O
thou destroying Apollyon, to speak the truth, I like His service, His
wages, His servants, His government, His company, and country, better
than thine; therefore leave off to persuade me further: I am His
servant, and I will follow Him.
APOL. Consider again when thou art in cold blood, what thou art likely
to meet with in the way that thou goest. Thou knowest that for the most
part His servants come to an ill end, because they are disobedient
against me and my ways. How many of them have been put to shameful
deaths! And besides, thou countest His service better than mine; whereas
He never came yet from the place where He is, to deliver any that served
Him out of their hands; but as for me, how many times, as all the world
very well knows, have I delivered, either by power or fraud, those that
have faithfully served me, from Him and His, though taken by them! And
so I will deliver thee.
CHRIS. His forbearing at present to deliver them is on purpose to try
their love, whether they will cleave to Him to the end; and, as for the
ill end thou sayest they come to, that is most glorious in their
account. For, for present deliverance, they do not much expect it; for
they stay for their glory, and then they shall have it when their prince
comes in His and the glory of the angels.
APOL. Thou hast already been unfaithful in thy service to Him; and how
dost thou think to receive wages of Him?
CHRIS. Wherein, O Apollyon, have I been unfaithful to Him?
APOL. Thou didst faint at first setting out, when thou wast almost
choked in the Gulf of Despond. Thou didst attempt wrong ways to be rid
of thy burden, whereas thou shouldst have stayed till thy Prince had
taken it off. Thou didst sinfully sleep and lose thy choice things. Thou
wast almost persuaded to go back at the sight of the lions. And when
thou talkest of thy journey, and of what thou hast seen and heard, thou
art inwardly desirous of glory to thyself in all that thou sayest or
doest.
CHRIS. All this is true, and much more which thou hast left out; but the
Prince whom I serve and honor is merciful and ready to forgive. But
besides, these infirmities possessed me in thy own country; for there I
sucked them in, and I have groaned under them, been sorry for them, and
have obtained pardon of my Prince.
APOL. Then Apollyon broke out into a grievous rage, saying, "I am an
enemy to this Prince; I hate His person, His laws, and people. I am come
out on purpose to withstand thee."
[Sidenote: CHRISTIAN THE CONQUEROR]
CHRIS. Apollyon, beware what you do, for I am in the King's highway,
the way of holiness: therefore take heed to yourself.
APOL. Then Apollyon straddled quite over the whole breadth of the way,
and said, "I am void of fear in this matter. Prepare thyself to die; for
I swear by my infernal den, that thou shalt go no farther: here will I
spill thy soul." And, with that, he threw a flaming dart at his breast;
but Christian held a shield in his hand, with which he caught, and so
prevented the danger of that.
Then did Christian draw, for he saw it was time to bestir him; and
Apollyon as fast made at him, throwing darts as thick as hail, by the
which, notwithstanding all that Christian could do to avoid it, Apollyon
wounded him in his head, his hand, and foot. This made Christian give a
little back; Apollyon, therefore, followed his work amain, and Christian
again took courage, and resisted as manfully as he could. This sore
combat lasted for above half a day, even till Christian was almost quite
spent. For you must know that Christian, by reason of his wounds, must
needs grow weaker and weaker.
Then Apollyon, espying his opportunity, began to gather up close to
Christian, and, wrestling with him, gave him a dreadful fall; and, with
that, Christian's sword flew out of his hand. Then said Apollyon, "I am
sure of thee now." And, with that, he had almost pressed him to death,
so that Christian began to despair of life. But, as God would have it,
while Apollyon was fetching his last blow, thereby to make a full end
of this good man, Christian nimbly reached out his hand for his sword,
and caught it, saying, "Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I
fall I shall arise;" and, with that, gave him a deadly thrust, which
made him give back, as one that had received his mortal wound.
Christian, perceiving that, made at him again, saying, "Nay, in all
these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us."
And, with that, Apollyon spread forth his dragon's wings, and sped him
away, that Christian for a season saw him no more.
In this combat no man can imagine, unless he had seen and heard, as I
did, what yelling and hideous roaring Apollyon made all the time of the
fight: he spake like a dragon; and, on the other side, what sighs and
groans burst from Christian's heart. I never saw him all the while give
so much as one pleasant look, till he perceived he had wounded Apollyon
with his two-edged sword; then, indeed, he did smile and look upward;
but it was the dreadfullest sight that ever I saw.
[Sidenote: CHRISTIAN GIVES THANKS]
CHRIS. So, when the battle was over, Christian said, "I will here give
thanks to Him that hath delivered me out of the mouth of the lion; to
Him that did help me against Apollyon." And so he did, saying:
"Great Satan, the captain of this fiend,
Designed my ruin; therefore to this end
He sent him harnessed out: and he with rage
That hellish was, did fiercely me engage;
But blessed angels helped me; and I,
By dint of sword, did quickly make him fly:
Therefore to God let me give lasting praise,
And thank and bless His holy name always."
Then there came to him a hand with some of the leaves of the tree of
life; the which Christian took, and laid upon the wounds that he had
received in the battle, and was healed immediately. He also sat down in
that place to eat bread, and to drink of the bottle that was given to
him a little before: so, being refreshed, he went forth on his journey,
with his sword drawn in his hand; "For," he said, "I know not but some
other enemy may be at hand." But he met with no other harm from Apollyon
quite through this valley.
Now, at the end of this valley was another, called the Valley of the
Shadow of Death; and Christian must needs go through it, because the way
to the Celestial City lay through the midst of it. Now this valley is a
very solitary place; the prophet Jeremiah thus describes it: "A
wilderness, a land of deserts and pits, a land of drought, and of the
shadow of death, a land that no man" but a Christian "passeth through,
and where no man dwelt."
Now here Christian was worse put to it than in his fight with Apollyon,
as in the story you shall see.
I saw then in my dream, that when Christian was got to the borders of
the Shadow of Death, there met him two men, children of them that
brought up an evil report of the good land, making haste to go back; to
whom Christian spake as follows:
CHRIS. Whither are you going?
MEN. They said, "Back, back! and we would have you to do so too, if
either life or peace is prized by you."
CHRIS. "Why, what's the matter?" said Christian.
MEN. "Matter!" said they: "we were going that way as you are going, and
went as far as we durst: and indeed we were almost past coming back; for
had we gone a little farther, we had not been here to bring the news to
thee."
CHRIS. "But what have you met with?" said Christian.
MEN. Why, we were almost in the Valley of the Shadow of Death, but that
by good hap we looked before us, and saw the danger before we came to
it.
CHRIS. "But what have you seen?" said Christian.
MEN. Seen! why, the valley itself, which is as dark as pitch: we also
saw there the hobgoblins, satyrs, and dragons of the pit; we heard also
in that valley a continual howling and yelling, as of a people under
unutterable misery, who there sat bound in affliction and irons; and
over that hung the discouraging clouds of confusion; Death also does
always spread his wings over it. In a word, it is every whit dreadful,
being utterly without order.
CHRIS. Then said Christian, "I perceive not yet, by what you have said,
but that this is my way to the desired haven."
MEN. Be it thy way, we will not choose it for ours.
So they parted, and Christian went on his way, but still with his sword
drawn in his hand, for fear lest he should be attacked.
I saw then in my dream, as far as this valley reached, there was on the
right hand a very deep ditch; that ditch is it into which the blind have
led the blind in all ages, and have both there miserably perished.
Again, behold, on the left hand there was a very dangerous quag, or
marsh, into which, if even a good man falls, he finds no bottom for his
foot to stand on: into that quag King David once did fall, and had no
doubt there been smothered, had not He that is able plucked him out.
The pathway was here also exceedingly narrow, and therefore good
Christian was the more put to it; for when he sought, in the dark, to
shun the ditch, on the one hand he was ready to tip over into the mire
on the other; also when he sought to escape the mire, without great
carefulness he would be ready to fall into the ditch. Thus he went on,
and I heard him here sigh bitterly, for besides the danger mentioned
above, the pathway was here so dark, that ofttimes, when he lifted up
his foot to go forward, he knew not where or upon what he should set it
next.
[Sidenote: A COMPANY OF FIENDS]
About the midst of this valley I perceived the mouth of hell to be, and
it stood also hard by the wayside. Now, thought Christian, what shall I
do? And ever and anon the flame and smoke would come out in such
abundance, with sparks and hideous noises (things that cared not for
Christian's sword, as did Apollyon before), that he was forced to put up
his sword, and betake himself to another weapon, called "All-Prayer." So
he cried in my hearing, "O Lord, I beseech Thee, deliver my soul." Thus
he went on a great while, yet still the flames would be reaching towards
him; also he heard doleful voices, and rushings to and fro, so that
sometimes he thought he should be torn in pieces, or trodden down like
mire in the streets. This frightful sight was seen, and those dreadful
noises were heard by him, for several miles together, and, coming to a
place where he thought he heard a company of fiends coming forward to
meet him, he stopped, and began to muse what he had best to do.
Sometimes he had half a thought to go back; then again he thought he
might be half-way through the valley. He remembered, also, how he had
already vanquished many a danger, and that the danger of going back
might be much more than going forward. So he resolved to go on; yet the
fiends seemed to come nearer and nearer. But, when they were come even
almost at him, he cried out with a most vehement voice, "I will walk in
the strength of the Lord God." So they gave back, and came no farther.
[Sidenote: VALLEY OF SHADOW OF DEATH]
One thing I would not let slip: I took notice that now poor Christian
was so confounded that he did not know his own voice; and thus I
perceived it: just when he was come over against the mouth of the
burning pit, one of the wicked ones got behind him, and stepped up
softly to him, and whisperingly suggested many wicked words to him,
which he verily thought had proceeded from his own mind. This put
Christian more to it than anything he had met with before, even to think
that he should now speak evil of Him that he had so much loved before.
Yet, if he could have helped it, he would not have done it; but he had
not the wisdom either to stop his ears, or to know from whence those
wicked words came.
When Christian had traveled in this sorrowful condition some
considerable time he thought he heard the voice of a man, as going
before him, saying, "Though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of
Death I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me."
Then he was glad, and that for these reasons:
First,--Because he gathered from thence, that some who feared God were
in this valley as well as himself.
Secondly,--For that he perceived God was with them, though in that dark
and dismal state. And why not, thought he, with me, though by reason of
the kindness that attends this place, I cannot perceive it?
Thirdly,--For that he hoped (could he overtake them) to have company
by-and-by. So he went on, and called to him that was before; but he knew
not what to answer, for that he also thought himself to be alone. And
by-and-by the day broke. Then said Christian, "He hath turned the shadow
of death into the morning."
Now, morning being come, he looked back, not out of desire to return,
but to see, by the light of the day, what dangers he had gone through in
the dark. So he saw more perfectly the ditch that was on the one hand,
and the quag that was on the other; also how narrow the way which led
betwixt them both. Also now he saw the hobgoblins, and satyrs, and
dragons of the pit, but all afar off; for after break of day they came
not nigh; yet they were shown to him according to that which is written,
"He showeth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the
shadow of death."
Now was Christian much affected with his deliverance from all the
dangers of his solitary way; which dangers, though he feared them much
before, yet he saw them more clearly now, because the light of the day
made them plain to him. And about this time the sun was rising, and this
was another mercy to Christian; for you must note that, though the first
part of the Valley of the Shadow of Death was dangerous, yet this second
part, which he was yet to go, was if possible far more dangerous; for,
from the place where he now stood, even to the end of the valley, the
way was all along set so full of snares, traps, gins, and nets here,
and so full of pits, pitfalls, deep holes, and shelvings down there,
that, had it now been dark, as it was when he came the first part of the
way, had he had a thousand souls, they had in reason been cast away.
But, as I said just now the sun was rising. Then said he, "His candle
shineth on my head, and by His light I go through darkness."
[Sidenote: POPE AND PAGAN]
In this light, therefore, he came to the end of the valley. Now, I saw
in my dream that at the end of the valley lay blood, bones, ashes, and
mangled bodies of men, even of pilgrims that had gone this way formerly;
and, while I was musing what should be the reason, I espied a little
before me a cave, where two giants, POPE and PAGAN, dwelt in old time;
by whose power and tyranny, the men whose bones, blood, ashes, etc., lay
there, were cruelly put to death. But by this place Christian went
without danger, whereat I somewhat wondered; but I have learnt since,
that Pagan has been dead many a day; and, as for the other, though he be
yet alive, he is, by reason of age, also of the many shrewd brushes that
he met with in his younger days, grown so crazy and stiff in his joints,
that he can now do little more than sit in his cave's mouth, grinning at
pilgrims as they go by, and biting his nails because he cannot come to
them.
So I saw that Christian went on his way; yet, at the sight of the old
man that sat at the mouth of the cave, he could not tell what to think,
especially because he spoke to him, though he could not go after him,
saying, "You will never mend till more of you be burned." But he held
his peace, and set a good face on it, and so went by and caught no hurt.
Then sang Christian:
"O, world of wonders (I can say no less),
That I should be preserved in that distress
That I have met with here! Oh, blessed be
That hand that from it hath delivered me!
Dangers in darkness, devils, hell, and sin,
Did compass me, while I this vale was in;
Yes, snares, and pits, and traps, and nets did lie
My path about, that worthless, silly I
Might have been catched, entangled, and cast down;
But, since I live, let Jesus wear the crown."
[Illustration: Christian and Faithful Join Company.
Page 89]