ET ILL-PAUSE, THE DEVIL'S ORATOR

'I made haste and delayed not.'--_David_.

John Bunyan shall himself introduce, describe, and characterise this
varlet, this devil's ally and accomplice, this ancient enemy of Mansoul,
whose name is Ill-pause. Well, this same Ill-pause, says our author, was
the orator of Diabolus on all difficult occasions, nor took Diabolus any
other one with him on difficult occasions, but just Ill-pause alone. And
always when Diabolus had any special plot a-foot against Mansoul, and
when the thing went as Diabolus would have it go, then would Ill-pause
stand up, for he was Diabolus his orator. When Mansoul was under siege
of Emmanuel his four noble captains sent a message to the men of the town
that if they would only throw Ill-pause over the wall to them, that they
might reward him according to his works, then they would hold a parley
with the city; but if this varlet was to be let live in the city, then,
why, the city must see to the consequences. At which Diabolus, who was
there present, was loth to lose his orator, because, had the four
captains once laid their fingers on Ill-pause, be sure his master had
lost his orator. And, then, in the last assault, we read that Ill-pause,
the orator that came along with Diabolus, he also received a grievous
wound in the head, some say that his brain-pan was cracked. This, at any
rate, I have taken notice of, that never after this was he able to do
that mischief to Mansoul as he had done in times past. And then there
was also at Eye-gate that Ill-pause of whom you have heard before. The
same was he that was orator to Diabolus. He did much mischief to the
town of Mansoul, till at last he fell by the hand of the Captain Good-
hope.

1. Well, to begin with, this Ill-pause was a filthy Diabolonian varlet;
a treacherous and a villainous old varlet, the author of the _Holy War_
calls him. Now, what is a varlet? Well, a varlet is just a broken-down
old valet. A varlet is a valet who has come down, and down, and down,
and down again in the world, till, from once having been the servant and
the trusty friend of the very best of masters, he has come to be the ally
and accomplice of the very worst of masters. His first name, the name of
his first office, still sticks to him, indeed; but, like himself, and
with himself, his name has become depraved and corrupted till you would
not know it. A varlet, then, is just short and sharp for a scoundrel who