As soon as Mammon and Sir Guyon entered the House of Riches, the door
immediately shut of itself, and from behind it leapt forth an ugly
fiend, who followed them wherever they went. He kept an eager watch on
Guyon, hoping that before long the Knight would lay a covetous hand on
some of the treasures, in which case he was ready to tear him to pieces
with his claws.
The form of the house inside was rude and strong, like a huge cave hewn
out of the cliff; from cracks in the rough vault hung lumps of gold, and
every rift was laden with rich metal, so that they seemed ready to fall
in pieces, while high above all the spider spun her crafty web,
smothered in smoke and clouds blacker than jet. The roof, and floor, and
walls were all of gold, but covered with dust and hid in darkness, so
that no one could see the colour of it; for the cheerful daylight never
came inside that house, only a faint shadow of uncertain light, like a
dying lamp. Nothing was to be seen but great iron chests and strong
coffers, all barred with double bands of metal, so that no one could
force them open by violence; but all the ground was strewn with the
bones of dead men, who had lost their lives in that place, and were now
left there unburied.
They passed on, and Guyon spoke not a word till they came to an iron
door, which opened to them of its own accord, and showed them such a
store of riches as the eye of man had never seen before.
Then Mammon, turning to the warrior, said, “Behold here the world’s
happiness! Behold here the end at which all men aim, to be made rich!
Such favour—to be happy—is now laid before you.”
“I will not have your offered favour,” said the Knight, “nor do I intend
to be happy in that way. Before my eyes I place another happiness,
another end. To those that take pleasure in them, I resign these base
things. But I prefer to spend my fleeting hours in fighting and brave
deeds, and would rather be lord over those who have riches than have
them myself, and be their slave.”
At that the fiend gnashed his teeth, and was angry because he was kept
so long from his prey, for he thought that so glorious a bait would
surely have tempted his guest. Had it done so, he would have snatched
him away lighter than a dove in a falcon’s claws.
But, when Mammon saw he had missed his object, he thought of another way
to entrap the Knight unawares. He led him away into another room where
there were a hundred furnaces burning fiercely. By every furnace were
many evil spirits horrible to see, busily engaged in tending the fires,
or working with the molten metal. When they saw Guyon they all stood
stock still to wonder at him, for they had never seen such a mortal
before; he was almost afraid of their staring eyes and hideous figures.
“Behold what living eye has never seen before,” said Mammon. “Here is
the fountain of the world’s good. If, therefore, you will be rich, be
well advised and change your wilful mood, lest hereafter you may wish
and not be able to have.”
“Let it suffice that I refuse all your idle offers,” said Guyon. “All
that I need I have. Why should I covet more than I can use? Keep such
vain show for your worldlings, but give me leave to follow my quest.”
Mammon was much displeased, but he led him forward, to entice him
further. He brought him through a dark and narrow way to a broad gate,
built of beaten gold. The gate was open, but there stood in front of it
a sturdy fellow, very bold and defiant-looking. In his right hand he
held an iron club, but he himself seemed as if he were made of gold. His
name was Disdain. When he saw Guyon he brandished his club, but Mammon
bade him be still, and led his guest past him.
He took him into a large place, like some solemn temple; great golden
pillars upheld the massive roof, and every pillar was decked with crowns
and diadems, such as princes wore while reigning on earth. A crowd of
people of every sort and nation were there assembled, all pressing with
a great uproar to the upper part, where was placed a high throne. On it
sat a woman, clad in gorgeous robes of royalty. Her face seemed
marvellously fair; her beauty threw such brightness round that all men
could see it; it was not all her own, however, but was partly made up by
art.
[Illustration:
“=Behold thou Faeries sonne, with mortall eye,
That living eye before did never see:
* * * * *
Here is the fountaine of the worldes good:
How, therefore, if thou wilt enriched bee,
Avise thee well, and chaunge thy wilfull mood.=”
]
As she sat there, glittering, she held a great gold chain, the upper end
of which reached high into heaven, and the other end deep down into the
lower regions; and all the crowd around her pressed to catch hold of
that chain, to climb aloft by it, and excel others.
The name of the chain was _Ambition_, and every link was a step of
dignity. Some thought to raise themselves to a high place by riches,
some by pushing, some by flattery, some by friends—and all by wrong
ways, for those that were up themselves kept others low, and those that
were low held tight hold of others, not letting them rise, while every
one strove to throw down his companions.
When Guyon saw this he began to ask what all the crowd meant, and who
was the lady that sat on the throne.
“That goodly person, round whom every one flocks, is my dear daughter,”
said Mammon. “From her alone come honour and dignity, and this world’s
happiness, for which all men struggle, but which few get. She is called
Philotime, _the Love of Honour_, and she is the fairest lady in the
world. Since you have found favour with me, I will make her your wife,
if you like, that she may advance you, because of your work and just
merits.”
“I thank you much, Mammon,” said the gentle Knight, “for offering me
such favour, but I am only a mortal, and, I know well, an unworthy match
for such a wife. And, if I were not, yet is my troth plighted and my
love declared to another lady, and to change one’s love without cause is
a disgrace to a knight.”
Mammon was inwardly enraged, but, hiding his feelings, he led him away,
through the grisly shadows, by a beaten path, into a garden well
furnished with herbs and fruits of an unknown kind. They were not such
as men gather from the fertile earth, sweet and of good taste, but
deadly black, both leaf and flower. Here grew cypress and ebony, poppy
and deadly nightshade, hemlock, and many other poisonous plants. The
place was called the Garden of Proserpine. In the midst was a silver
seat, under a thick arbour, and near by grew a great tree with spreading
branches, laden with golden apples.
Mammon showed the Knight many wonders in the Garden of Proserpine, and
tried to tempt him to sit in the silver seat, or to eat of the golden
apples. If Guyon had done so, the horrible monster who waited behind
would have pounced on him and torn him to pieces; but he was wary and
took care not to yield to temptation, so the beguiler was cheated of his
prey. But now he began to feel weak and ill for want of food and sleep,
for three days had passed since he entered the cave. So he begged Mammon
to guide him back to the surface of the earth by the way they had come.
Mammon, though very unwilling, was forced to obey; but the change was
too much for Guyon in his feeble state, and as soon as he came into the
light, and began to breathe the fresh air, he fainted away.