The Holy War, John Bunyan [best book reader .txt] 📗

meaning of this? they neither sound Boot-and-saddle, nor Horse-and-away, nor a charge. What do these madmen mean that yet they should be so merry and glad?’ Then answered one of themselves and said, ‘This is for joy that their Prince Emmanuel is coming to relieve the town of Mansoul; and to this end he is at the head of an army, and that this relief is near.’

The men of Mansoul also were greatly concerned at this melodious charm of the trumpets; they said, yea, they answered one another, saying, ‘This can be no harm to us; surely this can be no harm to us.’ Then said the Diabolonians, ‘What had we best to do?’ and it was answered, ‘It was best to quit the town;’ and ‘that,’ said one, ‘ye may do in pursuance of your last counsel, and by so doing also be better able to give the enemy battle, should an army from without come upon us. So, on the second day, they withdrew themselves from Mansoul, and abode in the plains without; but they encamped themselves before Eye-gate, in what terrene and terrible manner they could. The reason why they would not abide in the town (besides the reasons that were debated in their late conclave) was, for that they were not possessed of the stronghold, and ‘because,’

said they, ‘we shall have more convenience to fight, and also to fly, if need be, when we are encamped in the open plains.’

Besides, the town would have been a pit for them rather than a place of defence, had the Prince come up and inclosed them fast therein. Therefore they betook themselves to the field, that they might also be out of the reach of the slings, by which they were much annoyed all the while that they were in the town.

Well, the time that the captains were to fall upon the Diabolonians being come, they eagerly prepared themselves for action; for Captain Credence had told the captains over night, that they should meet their Prince in the field to-morrow. This, therefore, made them yet far more desirous to be engaging the enemy; for ‘You shall see the Prince in the field to-morrow’ was like oil to a flaming fire, for of a long time they had been at a distance: they therefore were for this the more earnest and desirous of the work.

So, as I said, the hour being come, Captain Credence, with the rest of the men of war, drew out their forces before it was day by the sallyport of the town. And, being all ready, Captain Credence went up to the head of the army, and gave to the rest of the captains the word, and so they to their under-officers and soldiers: the word was ‘The sword of the Prince Emmanuel, and the shield of Captain Credence;’ which is, in the Mansoulian tongue, ‘The word of God and faith.’ Then the captains fell on, and began roundly to front, and flank, and rear Diabolus’s camp.

Now, they left Captain Experience in the town, because he was yet ill of his wounds, which the Diabolonians had given him in the last fight. But when he perceived that the captains were at it, what does he but, calling for his crutches with haste, gets up, and away he goes to the battle, saying, ‘Shall I lie here, when my brethren are in the fight, and when Emmanuel, the Prince, will show himself in the field to his servants?’ But when the enemy saw the man come with his crutches, they were daunted yet the more; ‘for,’ thought they, ‘what spirit has possessed these Mansoulians, that they fight us upon their crutches?’ Well, the captains, as I said, fell on, and did bravely handle their weapons, still crying out and shouting, as they laid on blows, ‘The sword of the Prince Emmanuel, and the shield of Captain Credence!’

Now, when Diabolus saw that the captains were come out, and that so valiantly they surrounded his men, he concluded that, for the present, nothing from them was to be looked for but blows, and the dints of their ‘two-edged sword.’

Wherefore he also falls on upon the Prince’s army with all his deadly force: so the battle was joined. Now who was it that at first Diabolus met with in the fight, but Captain Credence on the one hand, and the Lord Willbewill on the other: now Willbewill’s blows were like the blows of a giant, for that man had a strong arm, and he fell in upon the election doubters, for they were the life-guard of Diabolus, and he kept them in play a good while, cutting and battering shrewdly. Now when Captain Credence saw my lord engaged, he did stoutly fall on, on the other hand, upon the same company also; so they put them to great disorder. Now Captain Good-Hope had engaged the vocation doubters, and they were sturdy men; but the captain was a valiant man: Captain Experience did also send him some aid; so he made the vocation doubters to retreat. The rest of the armies were hotly engaged, and that on every side, and the Diabolonians did fight stoutly. Then did my Lord Secretary command that the slings from the castle should be played; and his men could throw stones at an hair’s breadth. But, after a while, those that were made to fly before the captains of the Prince, did begin to rally again, and they came up stoutly upon the rear of the Prince’s army: wherefore the Prince’s army began to faint; but, remembering that they should see the face of their Prince by-and-by, they took courage, and a very fierce battle was fought. Then shouted the captains, saying, ‘The sword of the Prince Emmanuel, and the shield of Captain Credence!’ and with that Diabolus gave back, thinking that more aid had been come. But no Emmanuel as yet appeared. Moreover, the battle did hang in doubt; and they made a little retreat on both sides. Now, in the time of respite, Captain Credence bravely encouraged his men to stand to it; and Diabolus did the like, as well as he could. But Captain Credence made a brave speech to his soldiers, the contents whereof here follow:-

‘Gentlemen soldiers, and my brethren in this design, it rejoiceth me much to see in the field for our Prince, this day, so stout and so valiant an army, and such faithful lovers of Mansoul. You have hitherto, as hath become you, shown yourselves men of truth and courage against the Diabolonian forces; so that, for all their boast, they have not yet much cause to boast of their gettings.

Now take to yourselves your wonted courage, and show yourselves men even this once only; for in a few minutes after the next engagement, this time, you shall see your Prince show himself in the field; for we must make this second assault upon this tyrant Diabolus, and then Emmanuel comes.’

No sooner had the captain made this speech to his soldiers, but one Mr. Speedy came post to the captain from the Prince, to tell him that Emmanuel was at hand. This news when the captain had received, he communicated to the other field-officers, and they again to their soldiers and men of war. Wherefore, like men raised from the dead, so the captains and their men arose, made up to the enemy, and cried as before, ‘The sword of the Prince Emmanuel, and the shield of Captain Credence!’

The Diabolonians also bestirred themselves, and made resistance as well as they could; but in this last engagement the Diabolonians lost their courage, and many of the doubters fell down dead to the ground. Now, when they had been in heat of battle about an hour or more, Captain Credence lift up his eyes and saw, and, behold, Emmanuel came; and he came with colours flying, trumpets sounding, and the feet of his men scarce touched the ground, they hasted with that celerity towards the captains that were engaged. Then did Credence wind with his men to the townward, and gave to Diabolus the field: so Emmanuel came upon him on the one side, and the enemies’ place was betwixt them both. Then again they fell to it afresh; and now it was but a little while more but Emmanuel and Captain Credence met, still trampling down the slain as they came.

But when the captains saw that the Prince was come, and that he fell upon the Diabolonians on the other side, and that Captain Credence and his Highness had got them up betwixt them, they shouted, (they so shouted that the ground rent again,) saying, ‘The sword of Emmanuel, and the shield of Captain Credence!’ Now, when Diabolus saw that he and his forces were so hard beset by the Prince and his princely army, what does he, and the lords of the pit that were with him, but make their escape, and forsake their army, and leave them to fall by the hand of Emmanuel, and of his noble Captain Credence: so they fell all down slain before them, before the Prince, and before his royal army; there was not left so much as one doubter alive; they lay spread upon the ground dead men, as one would spread dung upon the land.

When the battle was over, all things came into order in the camp.

Then the captains and elders of Mansoul came together to salute Emmanuel, while without the corporation: so they saluted him, and welcomed him, and that with a thousand welcomes, for that he was come to the borders of Mansoul again. So he smiled upon them, and said, ‘Peace be to you.’ Then they addressed themselves to go to the town; they went then to go up to Mansoul, they, the Prince, with all the new forces that now he had brought with him to the war. Also all the gates of the town were set open for his reception, so glad were they of his blessed return. And this was the manner and order of this going of his into Mansoul: First. As I said, all the gates of the town were set open, yea, the gates of the castle also; the elders, too, of the town of Mansoul placed themselves at the gates of the town, to salute him at his entrance thither: and so they did; for, as he drew near, and approached towards the gates, they said, ‘Lift up your heads, O

ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.’ And they answered again, ‘Who is the King of glory?’ and they made return to themselves, ‘The Lord, strong and mighty; the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors,’ etc.

Secondly. It was ordered also, by those of Mansoul, that all the way from the town gates to those of the castle, his blessed Majesty should be entertained with the song, by them that had the best skill in music in all the town of Mansoul: then did the elders, and the rest of the men of Mansoul, answer one another as Emmanuel entered the town, till he came at the castle gates, with songs and sound of trumpets, saying, ‘They have seen thy goings, O God; even the goings of my God, my King, in the sanctuary. So the singers went before, the players on instruments followed after, and among them were the damsels playing on timbrels.’

Thirdly. Then the captains, (for I would speak a word of them,) they in their order waited on the Prince, as he entered into the gates of Mansoul. Captain Credence went before, and Captain Good-Hope with him; Captain Charity came behind with other of his companions, and Captain Patience followed after all; and the rest of