Rest then, my soul! from endless anguish freed, The bank above must fail, before the venture miss, CHAP. IX. They pass over the Enchanted Ground, and enter the pleasant country of Beulah-the fate of Weary-o'-theworld, and Zealous-mind.-Tender-conscience and his other companions pass the river, and are admitted into the City of God. Ow, as they went along, they came to the place Hopeful out of the road into a by-way, which might easily be done : for, though it was a by-way, yet it seemed to lie straight before them as the true way. But, however, our pilgrims had the good fortune to escape the way that led to the nets, by means of Spiritual-man's company, who had a shrewd insight into that road. Now I saw in my dream, that they had not gone far before they all began to be very drowsy, insomuch that Weary-o'-the-world began to talk of lying down, and taking a nap; at which, Convert, who had not spoken a word since they departed from the cave of Reformation till this time, fetched a deep sigh, and wept bitterly; but, amidst his tears, he called out very earnestly to Wearyo'the-world, warning him not to sleep in that place. This sudden passion and extraordinary carriage of Convert, who had been silent all the way before, made every. body curious to know the occasion of it; and Spiritualman desired him to acquaint the company with the occasion of this sudden motion. Then Convert telling them, if they would escape death, or very near danger of it, they must not offer to sleep on that ground, promised to give them an account of his life in short, and desired them to give good attention to his words, which would be a means to keep them waking. So he began: You may remember, the shepherds, at parting, among other good and wholesome advices bid us have an especial care not to sleep on the enchanted ground. Now, when I saw some of the company inclined to sleep, I called to mind the shepherds' exhortation, and also my own for mer miscarriage in this point, which made me burst forth into tears, to think how far I have gone back from hea、 venward, by reason of my sleeping in this place, and what danger you would all have run, should you but have lain down on this enchanted ground; for this is the place the shepherds told us of. Spiritual-man. Blessed art thou of the Lord, O happy young man, who hast prevented us from sleeping in this place. Pray, entertain us with a relation of your past travels; for I perceive, by your discourse, that you have Leen this way before now, Concert. It is possible that you may have heard of one Atheist, that met Christian and Hopeful a little way off from this place, as they travelled towards the heavenly city. I am the man, though my name be now changed; nor was that my proper name, but was given me after my sleep on the enchanted ground; for my name before as Well-meaning, but now is Convert. I was born in the valley of Destruction, and brought out from thence very young by my father; but as we came along by that man behind us, even by Human-reason, I was so pleased with his discourse, that my father could not get me along with him, but I must needs tarry a while, to converse with Iluman-reason, telling my father, that he being old and crazy, I should soon overtake him. But Humanreason had such enticing ways with him, that I had not power to leave his company a great while; nay, and at last, when he saw that I would go, he would needs accompany me to this place; and, at parting, he gave me something to drink out of a phial, which he told me was an excellent cephalic, and good against all the distempers of the brain, to which travellers are liable, by reason of heats and colds, and the like; and so he took his leave, and went back to his cave. But he was no sooner gone than I fell asleep on this ground, whether through the influence of that liquor he gave me, or through the nature of the vapours which arise out of the ground, I know not; but my sleep seemed very sweet unto me; and I believe I had slept my last here, had I not been used from my childhood to walk in my sleep: for, get ing up in my sleep, I walked back the same way by which I came, till I was quite off from the enchanted ground, and there I met with Christian and Hopeful, who were going forward to Mount Zion. So, when they had told me whither they were going, I fell a-laughing heartily at them, calling them a hundred fools for taking on them so tedious a journey, when they were like to have nothing for their pains but mere labour and travel. Now, all this while, my brains were so stupified with the liquor which Human-reason had made me drink, that I was not sensible I had been asleep, but was as one in a dream, and my fancy was possessed with an imagination that I had been as far as any pilgrims could go, but could find no such place as the heavenly Jerusalem ; and therefore I believed that there was none, and so I told them. But, however, they would not hearken to my foolish words, but went forward on their journey, and I kept on my course backward, till I came to the town of Vanity, where I took up my lodging for a great while; till once upon a time, being at one of the public shows in the fair, I was struck with a thunderbolt from heaven, which had almost cost me my life; for I was forced to keep my chamber a whole year upon it. Now, in this time of my confinement, I began to think of my former life, and the miserable condition I was in, if it should. please God to take me away. This made me weep day and night by myself. I fasted also, and prayed, and humbled myself before the Lord in secret; and I vowed a vow unto God, that if it would please him to restore me health again, I would undertake a pilgrimage to Mount Zion, on the first opportunity that I could meet with company. So God heard my prayers, my vows, and my tears, and restored me again in a little time, and I walked abroad, and soon left that wicked town; and remembring that I had an acquaintance or two in the cave of Reformation, men of sober dispositions, and religious lives, I resolved to go and see them, if perhaps I might prevail upon them to go along with me. So I went ac-cordingly to the aforesaid cave, and found my two friends there, whom I often broke my mind to about this mat- ter; but they put off, till we could get more company, telling me, that it would not be long before some pilgrims would come by, which made me long for the happy hour when I might hear of any travellers that were going that way. In the mean time, while I abode in the cave, I conversed with a great many men there, and, among the rest, I prevailed on Zealous-mind and Yielding to go along with us; for my friends' names were Seek-truth and Weary-o'-the-world, whom we have in our company now. So when Tender-conscience came by, and was looking on the pillar of History, Seek-truth happened to see him, and knowing by his habit that he was a pilgrim, he presently struck up a bargain with him to bear him company, and called the rest of us out of the cave; a little way off from which we overtook Spiritual-man, and so we all joined company, and came along together, not one of us but Yielding being lost. He must needs follow the seducer in the town of Vanity, and so got surfeit with excess of wine, which killed him. Now I saw in my dream, that the pilgrims by this time were got over the Enchanted Ground, and entering into the country of Beulah, whose air was sweetened with all manner of aromatic perfumes, which revived their drooping spirits, grown heavy and almost stupified with walking over the enchanted ground. Here were trees growing, whose fruits never fade away, and whose leaves are always green. In this place there is a perpetual spring, the birds always singing, the meadows adorned with flowers, and all things abounding that are delightful: for it lies within sight of Paradise, and the shadow of the celestial city reaches to it. Here they walked and comforted themselves with the pleasures which this goodly land afforded, reflecting back upon the toils and hardships they had undergone; they solaced themselves with the thoughts that now they were near their journey's end, and within plain view of the celestial Jerusalem, which they had so long and so fervently desired to see. The farther they walked, the plainer might the glory of that place be seen; and the more earnestly did they long to come to it. So they spurred one another forward with comfortable words, saying, 'Come, let us go up to the house of the Lord, our feet shall be standing in thy courts, O Jerusalem.' In the sight of angels we will sing unto thee, O Lord, and will adore thee in thy holy temple. 66 And, as they passed along, they came to certain vineyards which belong to the King; and the keepers invited them in, saying, 'Come in, ye blessed of the Lord! and taste ye the wine that rejoices the heart of God and man.' So the pilgrims went into the vineyards, and drank of the wine thereof, which filled them with love and joy, with desire and hope to see the King's face, of whom the keepers of the vineyards told them many glorious things, saying, that he was the fairest among ten thousand, therefore the virgins loved him,” and run after the odour of his ointments. They said also, that he was a great lover of pilgrims, and that he himself took upon him once to be a pilgrim. Many more good commendations they gave of him, which made these men impatient till they got to the city; so they left the vineyards, and went forward, and ran as it were for their lives. Thus they continued running. till they came in sight of the gate; but, in a kind of a bottom, they were stopped by a river, which was very deep, and had no bridge to go over it. Moreover I saw in my dream, that there sat a multitude of men, women, and children of all nations, tribes, and languages, on the banks of the river, and many were in the river. So when the pilgrims came down to the river side, they sat down likewise on the bank, and began to question one another how they should get over; also they asked of some that were sitting there before them, whether there was any other way to go into the city? and they answered them, No. Then they were greatly perplexed in mind, to think how they should get over this river. But Weary-o'-the-world said unto his companions, Be not discouraged because of the river, for I will venture in first, and accordingly as it fares with me you may act. If I get over in safety, then you may securely follow; but if I sink and perish in these deep · waters, then you have your choice before you; do what seems good in your own eyes.' So he boldly rushed into the river, plunging himself over head and ears in a |