roaring Apollyon made all the time of the
fight; he spake like a dragon: and on the other side, what sighs and
groans burst from Christian's heart. I never saw him all the while give
so much as one pleasant look, till he perceived he had wounded Apollyon
with his two-edged sword; then, indeed, he did smile, and look upward;
but it was the dreadfulest fight that I ever saw.

So when the battle was over, Christian said, I will here give thanks to
him that hath delivered me out of the mouth of the lion; to him that did
help me against Apollyon. And so he did, saying:

Great Beelzebub, the captain of this fiend,
Design'd my ruin; therefore to this end
He sent him harness'd out, and he with rage,
That hellish was, did fiercely me engage:
But blessed Michael helped me, and I,
By dint of sword, did quickly make him fly.
Therefore to him let me give lasting praise,
And thank and bless his holy name always.

Then there came to him a hand, with some of the leaves of the tree of
life, the which Christian took and applied to the wounds that he had
received in the battle, and was healed immediately. He also sat down in
that place to eat bread, and to drink of the bottle that was given to
him a little before; so being refreshed, he addressed himself to his
journey, with his sword drawn in his hand; for, he said, I know not but
some other enemy may be at hand. But he met with no other affront from
Apollyon quite through the valley.

Now at the end of this valley was another, called the Valley of the
Shadow of Death; and Christian must needs go through it, because the way
to the Celestial City lay through the midst of it. Now this valley is a
very solitary place; the prophet Jeremiah thus describes it: "A
wilderness, a land of deserts and pits, a land of drought, and of the
shadow of death, a land that no man" (but a Christian) "passeth through,
and where no man dwelt."

Now here Christian was worse put to it than in his fight with Apollyon,
as by the sequel you shall see.

I saw then in my dream, that when Christian was got to the borders of
the Shadow of Death, there met him two men, children of them that
brought up an evil report of the good land--making haste to go back--to
whom Christian spake as follows:

_Chr._ Whither are you going?

_Men._ They said, Back, back, and we would have you do so too, if either
life or peace is prized by you.

Why, what's the matter? said Christian.

_Men._ Matter? sai