, 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.
{288} 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 to take it or no. Now Christian again seemed to be for
doing it, but Hopeful made his second reply as followeth:--
{289} HOPE. 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 fear!
Thou seest that I am in the dungeon with thee, a far weaker man by
nature than thou art; also, this Giant has 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 becomes
not a Christian to be found in) bear up with patience as well as
we can.
{290} 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 hardship, than to make away 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 despatched,
and make them believe, ere a week comes to an end, thou also wilt
tear them in pieces, as thou hast done their fellows before them.
{291} 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 in 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. Go, 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 a
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