harlots, and all your other ware behind you, and then make
haste." "How should we live then?" said the fiddler, who would have been
through long ago, but for fear of breaking his instrument. "O," said the
watchman, "you must take the word of the king, for sending you whatsover
things may be for your advantage." "Hey, hey," said one, "_a bird in the
hand is worth two in the bush_;" and thereupon they all unanimously
turned back.

"Come through now," said the angel, and he drew me in, and the first
thing I saw in the porch was a large baptismal font, and by the side of
it a spring of saline water. "Why is this here at the entrance of the
road?" said I. "It is here," said the angel, "because every one must
wash himself therein, previous to obtaining honour in the palace of
Emmanuel; it is termed the _fountain of repentance_." Above I could see
written, "_this is the gate of the Lord_, &c." The porch and also the
street expanded, and became less difficult as one went forward. When we
had gone a little way up the street I could hear a soft voice behind me
saying, "_this is the road_, _walk in it_." The street was up-hill but
was very clean and straight, and though the houses were lower here than
in the city of _Perdition_, yet they were more pleasant. If there is
here less wealth, there is also less strife and care; if there are fewer
dishes, there are fewer diseases; if there is less noise, there is also
less sadness, and more pure joy. I was surprised at the calmness and the
delightful tranquillity that reigned here, so little resembling what I
had found below. Instead of swearing and cursing, buffoonery,
debauchery, and drunkenness; instead of pride and vanity, torpor in the
one corner, and riot in the other; instead of all the loud broiling, and
the boasting and bustling, and chattering, which were incessantly
stupifying a man yonder; and instead of the numberless constant evils to
be found below, you here saw sobriety, affability and cheerfulness, peace
and thankfulness, clemency, innocence, and content upon the face of every
body. No weeping here, except for the pollutions pervading the city of
the enemy; no hatred or anger, except against sin; and that same hatred
and anger against sin, always accompanied with a certainty of being able
to subdue it; no fear but of incensing the King, who was ever more ready
to forgive than be angry with his subjects; and here there was no sound
but of psalms of praise to