to counsel them
to make away themselves. So when morning was come, he goes to them in
a surly manner as before, and perceiving them to be very sore with the
stripes that he had given them the day before, he told them, that
since they were never like to come out of that place, their only way
would be forthwith to make an end of themselves, either with Knife,
Halter, or Poison. For why, said he, should you chuse life, seeing it
is attended with so much bitterness? But they desired him to let them
go. With that he looked ugly upon them, and rushing to them had
doubtless made an end of them himself, but that he fell into one of
his Fits (for he sometimes in Sunshine weather fell into Fits) and
lost for a time the use of his hand; wherefore he withdrew, and left
them as before, to consider what to do. Then did the Prisoners consult
between themselves, whether 'twas best to take his counsel or no; and
thus they began to discourse:--

_Chr._ Brother, said _Christian_, what shall we do? The life that we
now live is miserable: for my part I know not whether is best, to live
thus, or to die out of hand. _My soul chuseth strangling rather than
life_, and the Grave is more easy for me than this Dungeon. Shall we
be ruled by the Giant?

_Hope._ Indeed our present condition is dreadful, and death would be
far more welcome to me than thus for ever to abide; but yet let us
consider, the Lord of the Country to which we are going hath said,
Thou shalt do no murder, no not to another man's person; much more
then are we forbidden to take his counsel to kill ourselves. Besides,
he that kills another can but commit murder upon his body; but for one
to kill himself is to kill body and soul at once. And moreover, my
Brother, thou talkest of ease in the Grave; but hast thou forgotten
the Hell, whither for certain the murderers go? For no murderer hath
eternal life, _&c._ And let us consider again, that all the Law is not
in the hand of Giant _Despair_. Others, so far as I can understand,
have been taken by him as well as we, and yet have escaped out of his
hand. Who knows but that God that made the world may cause that Giant
_Despair_ may die? Or that at some time or other he may forget to lock
us in? Or but he may in short time have another of his Fits before us,
and may lose the use of his limbs? And if ever that should come to
pass again, for my part I am resolved to pluck up the heart of a man,
and to try my utmost to get from under his h