ed _The City of Perdition_." "Woe is me," said I,
"are all that are contained therein people of perdition?" "The whole,"
said he, "except some who may escape out to the most high city above,
ruled by the king Emmanuel." "Woe's me and mine," said I, "how shall
they escape, ever gazing, as they are, upon the thing which blinds them
more and more, and which plunders them in their blindness?" "It would be
quite impossible," said he, "for one man to escape from thence, did not
Emmanuel send his messengers, early and late, from above, to persuade
them to turn to him, their lawful King, from the service of the rebel,
and also transmit to some, the present of a precious ointment, called
_faith_, to anoint their eyes with; and whosoever obtains this _true_
ointment, (for there is a counterfeit of it, as there is of every thing
else, in the city of Perdition,) and anoints himself with it, will see
his wounds, and his madness, and will not tarry a minute longer here,
though Belial should give him his three daughters, yea, or the fourth,
which is the greatest of all, to do so."

"What are those great streets called?" said I. "Each is called," he
replied, "by the name of the princess who governs it: the first is the
street of _Pride_, the middle one the street of _Pleasure_, and the
nearest, the street of _Lucre_." "Pray tell me," said I, "who are
dwelling in these streets? What is the language which they speak? What
are the tenets which they hold; and to what nation do they belong?"
"Many," said he, "of every language, faith, and nation under the Sun, are
living in each of those vast streets below; and there are many living in
each of the three streets alternately, and every one as near as possible
to the gate; and they frequently remove, unable to tarry long in the one,
from the great love they bear to the princess of some other street; and
the old fox looks slyly on, permitting every one to love his choice, or
all three if he pleases, for then he is most sure of him."

"Come nearer to them," said the angel, and hurried with me downwards,
shrouded in his impenetrable veil, through much noxious vapour which was
rising from the city; presently we descended in the street of Pride, upon
a spacious mansion open at the top, whose windows had been dashed out by
dogs and crows, and whose owners had departed to England or France, to
seek there for what they could have obtained much easier at home; thus,
instead of the good, old, ch