Yea, may we not by this means so cumber Mansoul with abundance, that they shall be forced to make of their castle a warehouse, instead of a garrison fortified against us, and a receptacle for men of war? Thus, if we get our goods and commodities thither, I reckon the castle is more than half ours. Besides, could we so order it, that they should be filled with such kind of wares, then if we made a sudden assault upon them, it would be hard for the captains to take a shelter there. Do you know that of the parable, 'The deceitfulness of riches choaks the word?' and again, When the heart is overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and the cares of this life, all mischief come upon them unawares?'

Luke viii. 14;

xxi. 34-36.

"Furthermore, my lords," quoth he, "you very well know that it is not easy for a people to be filled with our things, and not to have some of our Diabolonians as retainers to their houses and services. Where is a Mansoulian that is full of this world, that has not for his servants and waitingmen, Mr. Profuse, or Mr. Prodigality, or some other of our Diabolonian gang, as Mr. Voluptuousness, Mr. Pragmatical, Mr. Ostentation, or the like? Now these can take the castle of Mansoul, or blow it up, or make it unfit for a garrison for Emanuel, and any of these will do. Look to it, ManYea, these, for aught I know, may do it for us sooner than an army of twenty thousand men. Wherefore, to end as I began, my advice is, that we quietly withdraw ourselves, not offering any further force, or forcible attempt upon the castle, at least at this time, and let us set on foot our new project, and let us see if that will not make them destroy themselves."

soul!

This advice was highly applauded by them all, and was accounted the very masterpiece of hell, to wit, to choke Mansoul with a fulness of this world, and to surfeit her heart with the good things thereof. But see how things meet together. Just as this Diabolonian council was broken up, Captain Credence received a letter from Emanuel, the contents whereof were these: "That upon the third day he would meet him in the field, in the plains about Mansoul." "Meet me in the field!" quoth the captain; what meaneth my Lord by this? I know not what he meaneth by meeting me in the field." So he took the note in his hand, and carried it to my Lord Secretary, to ask his thoughts thereupon; (for my Lord was a seer in all matters concerning the King, and also for the good and comfort

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of the town of Mansoul.) So he showed my Lord the note, and desired his opinion thereupon: "For my part," quoth Captain Credence, "I know not the meaning thereof." So my Lord read it, and, after a little pause, he said, "The Diabolonians have had against Mansoul a great consultation to-day they have, I say, this day been contriving the utter ruin of the town; and the result of their counsel is, to set Mansoul into such a way, which, if taken, will surely make her destroy herself. And to this end they are making ready for their own departure out of the town, intending to betake themselves to field again, and there to lie till they shall see whether this their project will take or no. But be thou ready with the men of thy Lord, for on the third day they will be in the plain, there to fall upon the Diabolonians; for the Prince will by that time be in the field: yea, by that it is break of day, sun-rising, or before, and that with a mighty force against them. So he shall be before them, and thou shalt be behind them, and betwixt you both, their army shall be destroyed."

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When Captain Credence heard this, away goes he to the rest of the captains, and tells them what a note he had a while since received from the hand of Emanuel. "And," said he, "that which was dark therein has my Lord the Lord Secretary expounded unto me." He told them, moreover, what by himself and by them must be done to answer the mind. of their Lord. Then were the captains glad, and Captain Credence commanded, that all the King's trumpeters should ascend on the battlements of the castle, and there in the audience of Diabolus, and of the whole town of Mansoul, make the best music that heart could invent. The trumpeters then did as they were commanded. They got themselves up to the top of the castle, and thus they began to sound. Then did Diabolus start, and said, "What can be the meaning of this? they neither sound Boot-andsaddle, nor Horse-and-away, nor a charge. What do these madmen mean, that yet they should be so merry and glad?" Then answered him one of themselves, and said, "This is for joy that their Prince Emanuel is coming to relieve the town of Mansoul; that to this end he is at the head of an army, and that this relief is near."

The men of Mansoul also were greatly concerned at this melodious charm of the trumpets; they said, yea, they answered one to another, saying, "This can be no harm to us; surely, this can be no harm to us." Then said the Diabolonians, "What had we best to do?" and it was

answered, "It was best to quit the town ;" and "that, said one, "ye may do in pursuance of your last counsel, and by so doing also be better able to give the enemy battle, should an army from without come upon us." So on the second day they withdrew themselves from Mansoul, and abode in the plains without; but they encamped themselves before Eye-gate, in what terrene and terrible manner they could. The reason why they could not abide in the town (besides the reasons that were debated in their late conclave) was, for that they were not possessed of the strong hold, and because," said they, "we shall have more convenience to fight, and also to fly, if need be, when we are encamped in the open plain." Besides, the town would have been a pit for them, rather than a place of defence, had the Prince come up and enclosed them fast therein. Therefore they betook themselves to the field, that they might also be out of the reach of the slings, by which they were much annoyed all the while they were in the town.

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Well, the time that the captains were to fall upon the Diabolonians being come, they eagerly prepared themselves for action; for Captain Credence having told the captains over night, that they should meet their Prince in the field to-morrow, was like oil to a flaming fire; for of a long time they had been at a distance; they therefore were for this the more earnest and desirous of the work. So, as I said, the hour being come, Captain Credence, with the rest of the men of war, drew out their forces before it was day by the sally-port of the town. And being all ready, Captain Credence went up to the head of the army, and gave to the rest of the captains the word, and they to the under-officers and soldiers, which was, The sword of the Prince Emanuel, and the shield of The word. Captain Credence!" which is in the Mansoulian tongue, "The word of God and faith." Then the captains fell on, and began roundly to front, and flank, and rear Diabolus' camp.

Now, they left Captain Experience in the town, because he was ill of his wounds which the Diabolonians had given him in the last fight. But when he perceived that the captains were at it, what does he, but, calling for his crutches in haste, get up, and away he goes to the battle, saying, "Shall I lie here when my brethren are in the fight, and when Emanuel the Prince will show himself in the field to his servants?" But when the enemy saw the man come with his crutches, they were daunted yet the more; "for,"

thought they, "what spirit has possessed these Mansoulians, that they fight us upon their crutches! Well, the captains, as I said, fell on, and bravely handled their weapons, still crying out, and shouting as they laid on blows, "The sword of the Prince Emanuel, and the shield of Captain Credence!"

Now, when Diabolus saw that the captains were come out, and that so valiantly they surrounded his men, he concluded, that for the present nothing from them was to be looked for but blows, with the dints of their two-edged swords. Wherefore he also falls upon the Prince's army, with

all his deadly force. So the battle was joined. Now who was it that at first Diabolus met with in the fight, but Captain Credence on the one hand, and the Lord Will-be-will on the other; now Will-be-will's blows were like the blows of a giant, for that man had a strong arm, and he fell in upon the Election-Doubters, for they were the life-guard of Diabolus, and he kept them in play a good while, cutting and battering shrewdly. Now when Captain Credence saw my lord engaged, he stoutly on the other hand fell upon the same company also; so they put them to great disorder. Now Captain Good-Hope had engaged the Vocation-Doubters, and they were sturdy men; but the captain was a valiant man: Captain Experience also sent him some aid: so he made the Vocation-Doubters retreat. The rest of the armies were hotly engaged, and that on every side, and the Diabolonians fought stoutly. Then my Lord Secretary commanded that the slings from the castle should be played, and his men could throw stones at an hair's breadth. But, after a while those that fled before the captains of the Prince, began to rally again, and they came up stoutly upon the rear of the Prince's army, wherefore the Prince's army began to faint; but, remembering they should see the face of their Prince by and by, they took courage, and a very fierce battle was fought. Then shouted the captains, saying, "The sword of the Prince Emanuel, and the shield of Captain Credence!" and with that Diabolus gave back, thinking that more aid had been come. But no Emanuel as yet appeared. Moreover, the battle hung in doubt; and they made a little retreat on both sides. Now, in the time of respite, Captain Credence bravely encouraged his men to stand to it, and Diabolus did the like as well as he could. But Captain Credence made a brave speech to his soldiers, the contents whereof here follow:

"Gentlemen soldiers, and my brethren in this design, it rejoiceth me much to see in the field, for our Prince this day, so stout and so valiant an army, and faithful lovers of Mansoul. You have hitherto, as hath become you, shown yourselves men of truth and courage against the Diabolonian forces, so that for all their boast, they have not yet cause much to boast of their gettings. Now take to yourselves your wonted courage, and show yourselves men, even this once only; for in a few minutes after the next engagement this time, you shall see your Prince show himself in the field; for we must make this second assault upon this tyrant Diabolus, and then Emanuel comes."