han all, for it is the fruit from Beelzebub's grounds. Did no one warn
you of it? Some fall down dead when they eat it.
Then Christiana wept and said, What shall I do for my son? Pray, Sir,
try your best to cure him, let it cost what it may.
Then Skill gave strange drugs to him, which he would not take. So
Christiana put one of them to the tip of her tongue. Oh, Matthew, said
she, it is sweet, sweet as balm; if you love me, if you love Mercy, if
you love your life, do take it!
So in time he did, and felt grief for his sin. He quite lost the pain,
so that with a staff he could walk, and went from room to room to talk
with Mercy, Prudence, Piety and Charity.
Christiana:--Pray, Sir, what else are these Pills good for?
Skill:--They are good for all those that go on their way to The
Celestial City.
Christiana:--I pray of you to make me up a large box full of them, for
if I can get these, I will take none else.
Skill:--I make no doubt that if a man will but use them as he should, he
could not die. But good Christiana, these pills will be of no use if you
do not give them as I have done, and that is, in a glass of grief for
the sins of those who take them. So he gave some to Christiana and the
rest of her boys, and to Mercy; he bade Matthew, too, keep a good look
out that he ate no more green plums; then he gave them a kiss, and went
his way.
Now, as they had spent some time here, they made a move to go. Then
Joseph, who was Christiana's third, son, said to her: You were to send
to the house of Mr. Interpreter to beg him to grant that Mr. Great-heart
should go with us as our guide.
Good boy! said Christiana, I had not thought of it.
So she wrote a note, and Interpreter said to the man who brought it: Go,
tell them that I will send him.
Great-heart soon came, and he said to Christiana and Mercy, My Lord has
sent you some wine and burnt corn, and to the boys figs and dry grapes.
They then set off, and Prudence and Piety went with them. But first
Christiana took leave of Watchful, who kept the gate, and put a small
coin in his hand while she gave him her thanks for all that he had done
for her and her dear boys. She then said to him, Have you seen men go by
since we have been here?
Watchful:--Yes, I have, and there has been a great theft on this high
way; but the thieves were caught.
Then Christiana and Mercy said they felt great fear to go on that road.
Matthew:--Fear not, as long as we have Mr.
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