Now at the end of this valley was another, called the Valley of the Shadow of
Death; and Christian must needs go through it, because the way to the Celestial
City lay through the midst of it. Now, this valley is a very solitary place.
The prophet Jeremiah thus describes it: “A wilderness, a land of deserts and
pits, a land of drought, and of the Shadow of Death, a land that no man” (but a
Christian) “passeth through, and where no man dwelt.”
Now here Christian was worse put to it than in his
fight with Apollyon, as by the sequel you shall see.
I saw then in my dream, that when Christian was
got to the borders of the Shadow of Death, there met him two men, children of
them that brought up an evil report of the good land making haste to go back; to whom Christian spake
as follows.
Christian: Whither are you going?
The Two Men: They said, Back, back; and we would
have you do so too, if either life or peace is prized by you.
Christian: Why, what’s the matter? said Christian.
The Two Men: Matter! said they; we were going that
way as you are going, and went as far as we durst: and indeed we were almost
past coming back; for had we gone a little further, we had not been here to
bring the news to thee.
Christian: But what have you met with? said
Christian.
The Two Men: Why, we were almost in the Valley of
the Shadow of Death, but that by good hap we looked before us, and saw the
danger before we came to it.
Christian: But what have you seen? said Christian.
The Two Men: Seen! why the valley itself, which is
as dark as pitch: we also saw there the hobgoblins, satyrs, and dragons of the
pit: we heard also in that valley a continual howling and yelling, as of a
people under unutterable misery, who there sat bound in affliction and irons:
and over that valley hang the discouraging clouds of confusion: Death also doth
always spread his wings over it. In a word, it is every whit dreadful, being
utterly without order.
Christian: Then, said Christian, I perceive not
yet, by what you have said, but that this is my way to the desired haven.
The Two Men: Be
it thy way; we will not choose it for ours.
So they parted,
and Christian went on his way, but still with his sword drawn in his hand, for
fear lest he should be assaulted.
I saw then in my
dream, so far as this valley reached, there was on the right hand a very deep
ditch; that ditch is it into which the blind have led the blind in all ages,
and have both there miserably perished. Again, behold, on the left hand there
was a very dangerous quag, into which, if even a good man falls, he finds no
bottom for his foot to stand on: into that quag king David once did fall, and
had no doubt therein been smothered, had not He that is able plucked him out.
The pathway was
here also exceeding narrow, and therefore good Christian was the more put to
it; for when he sought, in the dark, to shun the ditch on the one hand, he was
ready to tip over into the mire on the other; also, when he sought to escape
the mire, without great carefulness he would be ready to fall into the ditch.
Thus he went on, and I heard him here sigh bitterly; for besides the danger
mentioned above, the pathway was here so dark, that ofttimes when he lifted up
his foot to go forward, he knew not where, or upon what he should set it next.
About the midst
of this valley I perceived the mouth of hell to be, and it stood also hard by
the wayside. Now, thought Christian, what shall I do? And ever and anon the
flame and smoke would come out in such abundance, with sparks and hideous
noises, (things that cared not for Christian’s sword, as did Apollyon before,)
that he was forced to put up his sword, and betake himself to another weapon,
called All-prayer, so he cried, in my hearing, O Lord,
I beseech thee, deliver my soul. Thus he went on a great while, yet
still the flames would be reaching towards him; also he heard doleful voices,
and rushings to and fro, so that sometimes he thought he should be torn in
pieces, or trodden down like mire in the streets. This frightful sight was
seen, and these dreadful noises were heard by him for several miles together;
and coming to a place where he thought he heard a company of fiends coming
forward to meet him, he stopped, and began to muse what he had best to do.
Sometimes he had half a thought to go back; then again he thought he might be
half-way through the valley. He remembered also, how he had already vanquished
many a danger; and that the danger of going back might be much more than for to
go forward. So he resolved to go on; yet the fiends seemed to come nearer and
nearer. But when they were come even almost at him, he cried out with a most
vehement voice, I will walk in the strength of the Lord God. So they gave back,
and came no farther.
