Well, towards evening the giant goes down into the
dungeon again, to see if his
prisoners had taken his counsel. But when he came there he found them alive;
and truly, alive was all; for now, what for want of bread and water, and by
reason of the wounds they received when he beat them, they could do little but
breathe. But I say, he found them alive; at which he fell into a grievous rage,
and told them, that seeing they had disobeyed his counsel, it should be worse
with them than if they had never been born.
At this they
trembled greatly, and I think that Christian fell into a swoon; but coming a
little to himself again, they renewed their discourse about the giant’s
counsel, and whether yet they had best take it or no. Now Christian again
seemed for doing it; but Hopeful made his second reply as followeth:
Hopeful: My
brother, said he, rememberest thou not how valiant thou hast been heretofore?
Apollyon could not crush thee, nor could all that thou didst hear, or see, or
feel, in the Valley of the Shadow of Death. What hardship, terror, and
amazement hast thou already gone through; and art thou now nothing but fears!
Thou seest that I am in the dungeon with thee, a far weaker man by nature than
thou art. Also this giant hath wounded me as well as thee, and hath also cut
off the bread and water from my mouth, and with thee I mourn without the light.
But let us exercise a little more patience. Remember how thou playedst the man
at Vanity Fair, and wast neither afraid of the chain nor cage, nor yet of
bloody death: wherefore let us (at least to avoid the shame that it becomes not
a Christian to be found in) bear up with patience as well as we can.
Now night being
come again, and the giant and his wife being in bed, she asked him concerning
the prisoners, and if they had taken his counsel: to which he replied, They are
sturdy rogues; they choose rather to bear all hardships than to make away with
themselves. Then said she, Take them into the castle-yard to-morrow, and show
them the bones and skulls of those that thou hast already dispatched, and make
them believe, ere a week comes to an end, thou wilt tear them in pieces, as
thou hast done their fellows before them.
So when the
morning was come, the giant goes to them again, and takes them into the
castle-yard, and shows them as his wife had bidden him. These, said he, were
pilgrims, as you are, once, and they trespassed on my grounds, as you have
done; and when I thought fit I tore them in pieces; and so within ten days I
will do you: get you down to your den again. And with that he beat them all the
way thither. They lay, therefore, all day on Saturday in a lamentable case, as
before. Now, when night was come, and when Mrs. Diffidence and her husband the
giant was got to bed, they began to renew their discourse of their prisoners;
and withal, the old giant wondered that he could neither by his blows nor
counsel bring them to an end. And with that his wife replied, I fear, said she,
that they live in hopes that some will come to relieve them; or that they have
picklocks about them, by the means of which they hope to escape. And sayest
thou so, my dear? said the giant; I will therefore search them in the morning.
Well, on
Saturday, about midnight they began to pray, and continued in prayer till
almost break of day.
Now, a little
before it was day, good Christian, as one half amazed, brake out into this
passionate speech: What a fool, quoth he, am I, thus to lie in a stinking
dungeon, when I may as well walk at liberty! I have a key in my bosom, called
Promise, that will, I am persuaded, open any lock in Doubting Castle. Then said
Hopeful, That is good news; good brother, pluck it out of thy bosom, and try.
Then Christian
pulled it out of his bosom, and began to try at the dungeon-door, whose bolt,
as he turned the key, gave back, and the door flew open with ease, and
Christian and Hopeful both came out. Then he went to the outward door that
leads into the castle-yard, and with his key opened that door also. After he
went to the iron gate, for that must be opened too; but that lock went
desperately hard, yet the key did open it. They then thrust open the gate to
make their escape with speed; but that gate, as it opened, made such a
creaking, that it waked Giant Despair, who hastily rising to pursue his
prisoners, felt his limbs to fail, for his fits took him again, so that he
could by no means go after them. Then they went on, and came to the King’s
highway, and so were safe, because they were out of his jurisdiction.
