The Pilgrim's Progress

But now, in this valley of humiliation, poor Christian was hard put to it, for he had gone but a little way before he espied a foul fiend coming over the field to meet him. His name is Apollyon. Then did Christian begin to be afraid, and to cast in his mind whether to go back or to stand his ground. But he considered again that he had no armor for his back, and therefore thought that to turn the back to him might give him the greater advantage with ease to pierce him with his darts. Therefore, he resolved to venture and stand his ground. For had I no more in mine eye than the saving of my life, it would be the best way to stand. So he went on, and Apollyon met him. Now the monster was hideous to behold. He was clothed with scales like a fish, for they are his pride. He had wings like a dragon, feet like a bear. And out of his belly came fire and smoke, and his mouth was as the mouth of a lion. When he was come up to Christian, he beheld him with a disdainful countenance, and thus began to question with him, Whence come you, and whither are you bound? I am come from the city of destruction, which is the place of all evil, and am going to the city of Zion. By this I perceive thou art one of my subjects. For all that country is mine, and I am the prince and god of it. How is it, then, that thou hast run away from my king? Were it not that I hoped thou mayest prove me more service, I would strike thee now at one blow to the ground. I was born, indeed, in your dominions. But your service was hard, and your wages such as a man could not live on, for the wages of sin is death. Therefore, when I was come to years, I did, as other considerate persons do, look out, if perhaps I might mend myself. Now, there is no prince that will thus blithely lose his subjects, neither will I as yet lose thee. But since thou complainest of thy service and wages, be content to go back. What our country will afford thee, I do here promise to give thee. But I have lent myself to another, even to the king of princes, and how can I with fairness go back with thee? Thou hast done in this according to the proper, changed a man for a worse. But it is ordinary for those that have professed themselves his servants, after a while, to give him the slip and return again to me. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. To thou, sir king, all shall be well. I I have given him my faith and swore my allegiance to him How then can I go back from this and not be hanged as a traitor? Don't be seen to me and yet I'm willing to pass by all If now I would yet turn again and go back what I promised thee was in my nunnage Besides I count the prince under whose banner now I stand is able to absolve me Yay, and to pardon also what I did as to my compliance with thee and besides those thou destroying Apollyon To speak truth. I like his service his wages Servants his government his company and country better than thine Therefore leave off to persuade me further. I am his servant and I will follow him Consider again When thou art in cool blood What thou art like to meet with in the way that thou goest Thou knowest that for the most part his servants come to an ill end It would be a transgressence against me and my ways How many of them have been put to shameful death? Besides thou countest his service better than mine For as he never came yet from the place where he is to deliver any that served him out of their hands What ash for me? How many times as all the world very well knows Have I delivered Either by power From those that faithfully served me from him and his Taken by them and so I will deliver His forbearing at present to deliver them is on purpose to try their love whether they will cleave to him to the end And as for the ill end thou sayest they come to that is most glorious in their account for for present deliverance They do not much expect it for they stay for their glory And then they shall have it when their prince comes in his and the glory of the angels Oh, that's already been unfaithful in my service to him But how does a fake to receive wages of him Wherein Oh Apollyon have I been unfaithful to him thou didst faint at first setting down When thou was almost choked in the gulf of despond Now didst attempt wrong ways to be rid of thy burden Whereas thou shouldest have stayed to thy prince in taking it off Thou didst sinfully sleep and lose thy choice thing I was also Almost persuaded to go back at the sight of the light And when thou talkest of my journey and of what I stirred and seen the one Desires of a glory in all All this is true And much more which those left out But the prince whom I serve and honor is merciful and ready to forgive But besides these infirmities possessed me in thy country for there I sucked them in and I have groaned under them been sorry for them and have obtained pardon of my prince I Beware what you do For I am in the king's highway the way of holiness Therefore take heed to yourself then Apollyon straddled quite over the whole breadth of the way In Christian had a shield in his hand with which he caught it and so prevented the danger of that Then did Christian draw for he saw that it was time to be stirring Polly and his fast made Darkest thickest hail and all the Christian could be avoided Apollyon Apollyon therefore all his work of a must know the Christian by reason of his wounds must needs grow weaker and weaker Then a pollen spying opportunity began to gather up close to Christian Wrestling with him gave him a dreadful fall That Christian sword flew out of his hand then said Apollyon He had almost pressed him to death so that Christian began to despair of life While Apollyon was fetching of his last blow thereby to make a full end of this good man Christian nimbly stretched out his hand for his sword and what it's saying rejoice not against me of mine enemy