ould be ready to fall into the ditch.
Thus he went on, and I heard him here sigh bitterly; for, besides
the dangers mentioned above, the pathway was here so dark, and
ofttimes, when he lift up his foot to set forward, he knew not
where or upon what he should set it next.

Poor man! where art thou now? thy day is night.
Good man, be not cast down, thou yet art right,
Thy way to heaven lies by the gates of Hell;
Cheer up, hold out, with thee it shall go well.

{161} 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. [Eph. 6:18] So he cried in my
hearing, "O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul!" [Ps. 116:4]
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
further.

{162} One thing I would not let slip. I took notice that now poor
Christian was so confounded, that he did not know his own voice;
and thus I perceived it. Just when he was come over against the
mouth of the burning pit, one of the wicked ones got behind him, and
stepped up softly to him, and whisperingly suggested many grievous
blasphemies to him, which he verily thought had proceeded from his
own mind. This put Christian more to it than anything that he me