of those who did hear,
there were not many who heeded, and of those there were not many who long
remembered; some would not believe that it was Belial whom they were
serving, others could not conceive that yonder little, untrodden passage
was the gate of Life, and would not believe that the three other
glittering gates were delusion, the castle preventing them from seeing
their destruction till they rushed upon it.

At this moment there came a troop of people from the street of Pride, and
knocked at the gate with great confidence but they were all so
stiffnecked, that they could never go into a place so low, without
soiling their perriwigs and their plumes, so they walked back in great
ill humour. At the tail of these came a party from the street of Lucre.
Said one, "is this the gate of Life?" "Yea," replied the watchmen who
were above. "What is to be done," said he, "in order to pass through?"
"Read on each side of the door, and you will learn." The miser read the
ten commandments. "Who," he cried, "will say, that I have broken one of
these?" But on looking aloft and seeing, "_love not the world_, _nor the
things that are therein_," he started, and could not swallow that
difficult sentence. There was among them an envious pig-tail who turned
back on reading, "_love thy neighbour as thyself_;" and a perjurer, and a
slanderer turned abruptly back on reading, "_bear not false witness_;"
some physicians on reading, "_thou shalt commit no murder_," exclaimed
"this is no place for us." To be brief, every one saw there something
which troubled him, so they all went back to chew the cud. I may add,
that there was not one of these people, but had so many bags and writings
stuck about him, that he could never have gone through a place so narrow,
even if he had made the attempt.

Presently there came a drove from the street of Pleasure walking towards
the gate. "Please to inform us," said one to the watchman, "to what
place this road is leading?" "This is the road," said the watchman,
"which leads to eternal joy and happiness;" whereupon they all strove to
get through, but they failed, for some had too much belly for a place so
narrow; others were too weak to push, having been enfeebled by women, who
impeded them moreover with their foolish whims. "O," said the watchman
who was looking upon them, "it is of no use for you to attempt to go
through with your vain toys; you must leave your pots, and your dishes,
and your