be pleased to give them his advice about their now so important affairs, for that Diabolus was come and set before the town with no less than twenty thousand Doubters. They said moreover, that both he and his captains were cruel men, and that they were afraid of them. But to this he said, You must look to the law of Abe Prince, and there see what is laid upon you to do.

3. Then they desired that his Highness would help them to frame a petition to Shaddai, and unto Emanuel his Son, and that he would set his own hand thereto, as a token that he was one with them in it. For, said they, my Lord, many a one have we sent, but can get no answer of peace, but now surely one with thy band unto it, may obtain good for Mansoul.

But all the answer he gave to this, was, That they had offended their Emanuel, and bad also grieved bimself, and that therefore they must as yet partake of their own devices.

This answer of the Lord Secretary fell like a millstone upon them; yea, it crushed them so, that they could not tell what to do, yet they durst not comply with the demands of Diabolus, nor with the demands of his captains, Lam. i. 3. So then here were the straights that the town of Mansoul was betwixt, when the enemy came upon her: Her foes were ready to swallow her up, and her friends did forbear to help her.

Then stood up my Lord Mayor, whose name was iny Lord Understanding, and he began to pick and pick, until he had picked comfort out of that seemingly bitter saying of my Lord Secretary; for thus he discanted upon it: First, he said, This unavoidably follows. upon the saying of my Lord, That we must yet suffer for our sins. But, quoth he, the words yet sound as if at last we should be saved from our enemies, and that after a few more sorrows, Emanuel will come and be our help. Now the Lord Mayor was the more critical in his dealing with the Secretary's words, because my Lord was more

than

than a prophet, and because none of his words were such, but that at all times they were most exactly significant, and the townsmen were allowed to pry into them, and to expound them to their best advantage.

So they took their leaves of my Lord, and returned and went, and came to the captains, to whom they did tell what my Lord High Secretary had said, who, whẹn they had heard it, were all of the same opinion as was my Lord Mayor himself; the captains therefore began to take some courage unto them, and to prepare to make some brave attempt upon the camp of the enemy, and to destroy all that were Diabolians, with the roving Doubters that the tyrant had brought with him to destroy the poor town of Mansoul.

So all betook themselves forthwith to their places, the captains to theirs, the Lord Mayor to his, the subordinate preacher to his, and my Lord Will-be-will to his. The captains longed to be at some work for their Prince, for they delighted in warlike atchievements. The next day therefore they came together and consulted, and after consultation had, they resolved to give an answer to the captain of Diabolus with slings; and so they did at the rising of the sun on the morrow; for Diabolus had adventured to come nearer again, but the slingstones were to him and his like hornets; for as there is nothing to the town of Mansaul so terrible as the roar ing of Diabolus's drum, so there is nothing to Diabolus, so terrible as the well playing of Emanuel's slings. Wherefore Diabolus was forced to make another retreat, yet further off from the famous town of Mansoul. Then did the Lord Mayor of Mansoul cause the bells to be rung, and that thanks should be sent to the Lord High Sccretary, by the mouth of the subordinate preacher; for that by bis words the captains and elders of Mansoul bad been strengthened against Diabolus.

When Diabolus saw that his captains and soldiers,

lords, and renowned, were frightned and beaten down by the stones that came from the golden slings of the Prince of the town of Mansoul, he bethought himself, and said, I will try to catch them by fawning, I will try to flatter them into my net.

Wherefore, after a while he came down again to the wall, not with his drum, nor with Capt. Sepulcher, but having all so-besugared his lips, he seemed to be a very sweet-mouthed, peaceable Prince, designing nothing for humours-sake, nor to be revenged on Mansoul for injuries by them done to him, but the welfare, and good, and advantage of the town and people therein, was now, as he said, his only design. Wherefore, after he had called for audience, and desired that the townsfolk would give it to him, he proceeded in his oration: and said,

Oh! the desire of my heart, the famous town of Mansoul, how many nights have I watched, and how many weary steps have I taken, if perhaps I might do , thee good, 1 Pet. v. 8. Rev. xii. 10. Far be it, far be from me to desire to make war upon you; if ye will but willingly and quietly deliver up yourselves unto me. You know that you were mine of old, Mat. iv. 8. Luke iv. 6. 7. Remember also, that so long as you enjoyed me for your Lord, and that I enjoyed you for my subjects, you wanted for nothing of all the delights of the earth, that I, your Lord and Prince, could get for you; or that I could invent to make you bonny and blith withal. Consider you never had so many hard, dark, troublesome, and heart-afflicting hours, while you were mine, as you have had since you revolted from me, nor shall you ever have peace again until you and I become one as before, But be prevailed with to embrace me again, and I will grant, yea, enlarge your old charter with abundance of privileges, so that your license and liberty shall be to take, hold, enjoy, and make your own,

all

all that is pleasant from the East to the West. Nor shall any of those incivilities wherewith you have offended me, be ever charged upon you by me, so long as the sun and moon endureth. Nor shall any of those dear friends of mine, that now, for the fear of you, lay lurking in dens and holes, and caves in Mansoul, be hurtful to you any more; yea, they shall be your servants, and shall minister unto you of their substance, and of whatever shall come to hand. I need speak no more, you know them, and have some time since been much delighted in their company, why then should we abide at such odds? Let us renew our old acquaintance and friendship again.

Bear with your friend; I take the liberty at this time to speak thus freely unto you. The love that I have to you presses me to do it, as also does the zeal of my heart for my friends with you; put me not therefore to further trouble, nor yourselves to further frights. Have you I will, in a way of peace or war; nor do you flatter yourselves with the power and force of your captains, or that your Emanuel will shortly come into your help; for such strength will do you no pleasure.

I am come against you with a stout and valiant army, and all the chief princes of the den are even at the head. Besides, my captains are swifter than eagles, stronger than lions, and more greedy of prey than are the evening wolves. What is Og or Bashan! what is Goliah of Gath! and what is an hundred more of them to one of the least of my captains! how then shall Mansoul think to escape my hand and force?

Diabolus having thus ended his flattering, fawning, deceitful, and lying speech to the famous town of Mansoul, the Lord Mayor replied unto him as follows:

O Diabolus! Prince of Darkness, and Master of all Deceit! thy lying flatteries we have had, and made sufficient probation of, and have tasted too deeply of that

destruc

destructive cup already; should we therefore again hearken unto thee, and so break the commandment of our great Shaddai, to join affinity with thee, would not our Prince reject us, and cast us off for ever, and being cast off by him, can the place that he has prepared for thee, be a place of rest for us! Besides, O thou that art empty and void of all truth, we are rather ready to die by thy hand, than to fall in with thy flattering and lying

deceits.

When the tyrant saw that there was little to be got in parlying with my Lord Mayor, he fell into a hellish rage, and resolved that again with his army of Doubters he would another time assault the town of Mansoul.

So he called for his drummer, who beat up for his men (and while he did beat Mansoul did shake) to be in a readiness to give battle to the corporation; then Diabolus drew near with bis army, and thus disposed of his men. Captain Cruel, and Captain Torment, these he drew up, and placed against Feel-gate, and commanded them to set down there for the war. And he also appointed, that if need were, Captain No-ease should come in to their relief. At Nose-gate he placed Captain Brimstone and Captain Sepulchre, and bid them look well to their ward on that side of the town of Mansoul. But at Eye-gate he placed that grim-faced one, the Captain Past-hope, and there also now he did set up his terrible standard.

Now Captain Insatiable was to look to the carriages of Diabolus, and was also appointed to take into custody that, or those persous and things that should at any time as prey be taken from the enemy.

Now Mouth-gate the inhabitants of Mansoul kept for a sally port, wherefore that they kept strong, for that was it, by, and out at which the townsfolk did send their petitions to Emanuel their Prince; that also was the gate, from the top of which the captains did play