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themselves to receive them; and to try it out by the power of the arm. And first they made their force more formidable against Ear-gate; for they knew, that unless they could penetrate that, no good could be done upon the town. This done, they put the rest of their men in their places. After which, they gave out the word, which was, Ye must be born again. Then they sounded the trumpet; then they in the town made the answer, with shout against shout, charge against charge, and so the battle began. Now they in the town had planted upon the tower over Ear-gate, two great guns, the one called High-mind, and the other Heady. Unto these two guns they trusted much. They were cast in the castle by Diabolus's founder, whose name was Mr.. Puff-up, and mischievous pieces they were.

But so vi

gilent and watchful were the captains when they saw them, that though sometimes their shot would go by their ears with a whiz, yet they did them no harm. By these two guns, the townsfolk made no question but greatly to annoy the camp of Shaddai, and well enough to secure the gate; but they had not much cause to boast of what execution they did, as by what follows will be gathered. The famous Mansoul had also some other small pieces in it, of the which they made use against the camp of Shaddai.

They from the camp also did as stoutly, and with as much of that as may, in truth, be called valour, let fly as fast at the town, and at Ear-gate for they saw that unless they could break open Ear-gate, 'twould be but in vain to batter the wall. Now the King's captains had brought with them several slings, and two or three battering rams; with their slings therefore they battered the houses and people of the town, and with their rams therefore they sought to break Ear-gate open.

The camp and the town had several skirmishes and brisk encounters, while the captains with their engines attempted

attempted to break open, or beat down the tower that, was over Ear-gate, and at the said gate to make their entrance: But Mansoul stood it out so lustily, through the rage of Diabolus, the valour of the Lord Will-bewill, and the conduct of old Incredulity the Mayor, and Mr. Forget-good the Recorder, that the charge and expence of that summer's wars, on the King's side, seemed to be almost quite lost, and the advantage to return to Mansoul: But when the Captains saw how it was, they made a fair retreat, and intrenched themselves in their winter quarters. Now in this war, you must needs think there was much loss on both sides, of which be pleased to take this brief account following.

The King's captains, when they marched from the court to come against Mansoul to war, as they came crossing over the country, they happened to light upon three young fellows that had a mind to go for soldiers; proper men they were, and men of courage and skill, to appearance. Their names were Mr. Tradition, Mr. Human Wisdom, and Mr. Man's Invention. So they came up to the captains, and proffered their service to Shaddai. The captains then told them of their design, and bid them not to be rash in their offers; but the young men told them they had considered the thing before, and that hearing they were upon their march for such a design, came hither on purpose to meet them, that they might be enlisted under their Excellencies. Then Captain Boanerges, for that they were men of courage, listed them into his company, and so away they went to the war. '

Now, when the war was begun, in one of the briskest skirmishes, so it was, that a company of the Lord Will-be-will's men sallied out of the sally-ports, or posterns of the town, and fell in upon the rear of Captain Boanerges's men, where these three fellows happened to be, so he took them prisoners, and away they carried them

them into the town; where they had not lain long in durance, but it began to be noised about the streets of the town, what three notable prisoners the Lord Will- be-will's men had taken, aud brought in prisoners out of the camp of Shaddai. At length tidings thereof was carried to Diabolus to the castle, to wit, what my Lord Will-be-will's men had done, and whom they had taken prisoners.

Then Diabolus called for Will-be-will to know the certainty of this matter. So he asked him, and he told him. Then did the giant send for the prisoners, who when they were come, he demanded of them who they were, whence they came, and what they did in the camp of Shaddai, and they told him. Then he sent them into ward again. Not many days after he sent for them to him again, and then asked them, if they would be willing to serve him against their former captains? They then told him, that they did not so much live by religion, as by the fates of fortune. And that since his Lordship was willing to entertain them, they should be willing to serve him. Now while things were thus in hand, there was one Captain Anything, a great doer in the town of Mansoul, and to this Captain Anything did Diabolus send these men, with a note under his hand to receive them into his company; the contents of which letter were thus:

Anything, my darling, the three men that are the bearers of this letter, have a desire to serve me in the war; nor know I better to whose conduct to commit them than to thine. Receive them therefore in my name, and as need shall require, make us of them against Shaddai and his men, Farewel. So they came, and he received them, and he made two of them serjeants, but he made Mr. Man's Invention his ancient Bearer. But thus much for this, and now to return to the camp.

They of the camp did also some, execution upon the

town,

town, for they did beat down the roof of the new Lord Mayor's house, and so laid him more open than he was before. They had almost, with a sling, slain my Lord Will-be-will outright; but he made a shift to recover again. But they made a notable slaughter among the Aldermen; for with one only shot they cut off six of them, to wit, Mr. Swearing, Mr. Whoring, Mr. Fury, Mr. Stand-to-lies, Mr. Drunkenness, and Mr. Cheating.

They also dismounted the two guns that stood upon the tower over Ear-gate, and laid them fiat in the dirt. I told you before that the King's noble captains had drawn off to their Winter Quarters, and had there intrenched themselves and their carriages, so as with the best advantage to their King, and the greatest annoyance to the enemy, they might give the seasonable and warm alarms to the town of Mansoul, and this design of them did so hit, that I may say they did almost what they would to the molestation of the corporation.

For now could not Mansoul sleep securely as before, nor could they now go to their debaucheries with that quietness as in times past. For they had from the camp of Shaddai such frequent, warm, and terrifying alarms; yea, alarms upon alarms, first at one gate, and then at another, and again, at all the gates at once, that they were broken as to former peace. Yea, they had their alarms so frequently, and that when the nights were at the longest, the weather coldest, and so conse-quently the season most unseasonable, that that winter was, to the town of Mansoul, a winter by itself. Sometimes the trumpets would sound, and sometimes the slings would whirl the stones into the town. Sometimes ten thousand of the Kings soldiers would be running round the walls of Mansoul at midnight, shouting and lifting up the voice for the battle. Sometimes again, some of them in the town would be wounded, and their cry and lamentable voice would be heard, to the great moles

molestation of the now languishing town of Mansoul. Yea, so distressed were they with those that laid siege against them, that I dare say, Diabolus, their King, had in these days his rest much broken.

In those days, as I was informed, new thoughts, and thoughts that began to run counter one to another, began to possess the minds of the men of the town of Mansoul. Some would say, There is no living thus. Others would then reply, This will be over shortly. Then would a third stand up and answer, Let us turn to King Shaddai, and so put an end to all these troubles. And a fourth would come in with a fair speech, saying, I doubt he will

not receive us.

The old gentleman too, the Recorder, that was so before Diabolus took Mansoul, he also began to talk aloud, and his words were now to the town of Mansoul, as if they were great claps of thunder. No noise now so terrible to Mansoul, as was his, with the noise of the soldiers, and shoutings of the captains.

Also things began to grow scarce in Mansoul; now the things that her soul lusted after were departed from her, Luke xv. 14, 15. Upon all her pleasant things there was a blast, and burning instead of beauty. Wrinkles now, and some shews of the shadow of death were upon the inhabitants of Mansoul. And now, O how glad would Mansoul have been to have enjoyed quietness and satisfaction of mind, though joined with the meanest condition in the world!

The captains also, in the deep of this winter, did send by the mouth of Boanerges's trumpeter, a summons to Mansoul, to yield up herself to the King, the great King Shaddai. They sent it once, and twice, and thrice, not knowing but that, at some times, there might be in Mansoul some willingness to surrender up themselves unto them, might they have but the colour of an invitation to do it under. Yea, so far as I could

gather

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