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Pilgrim's Progress

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Added section Extract-Apollyon (with comment at the Discussion page).

The book was the basis of an opera by Ralph Vaughan Williams, premiered in 1951.

==Extract—Apollyon==

But now,

in this Valley of Humiliation, poor Christian was hard put

to it; for he had gone but a little way, before he espied a foul

fiend coming over the field to meet him; his name is Apollyon. Then

did Christian begin to be afraid, and to cast in his mind whether

to go back or to stand his ground.

Christian no armour for his back.

But he considered again, that

he had no armour for his back;

and, therefore, thought that to turn

the back to him might give him the greater advantage, with ease to

pierce him with his darts.

Therefore he resolved to venture and stand his ground;

Christian's resolution at the approach of Apollyon.

for, thought

he, had I no more in mine eye than the saving of my life, it would

be the best way to stand.

So he went on, and Apollyon met him. Now the monster was

hideous to behold; he was clothed with scales, like a fish (and

they are his pride), he had wings like a dragon, feet like a bear,

and out of his belly came fire and smoke, and his mouth was as the

mouth of a lion. When he was come up to Christian, he beheld him

with a disdainful countenance, and thus began to question with him.

Apol. Whence come you? and whither are you bound?

Chr. I am come from the City of Destruction, which is the place of

all evil, and am going to the City of Zion.

Apol. By this I perceive thou art one of my subjects, for all that

country is mine, and I am the prince and god of it.

Discourse betwixt Christian and Apollyon.

How is it,

then, that thou hast run away from thy king? Were it not that I

hope thou mayest do me more service, I would strike thee now, at

one blow, to the ground.

Chr. I was born, indeed, in your Dominions, but your service

was hard, and your wages such as a man could not live on, 'for the

wages of sin is death,' Ro. vi. 23;

therefore, when I was come to

years, I did as other considerate persons do, look out, if, perhaps,

I might mend myself.

Apol. There is no prince that will thus lightly lose his subjects,

Apollyon's flattery.

neither will I as yet lose thee;

but since thou complainest of thy

service and wages, be content to go back; what our country will

afford, I do here promise to give thee.

Chr. But I have let myself to another, even to the King of princes;

and how can I, with fairness, go back with thee?

Apol. Thou hast done in this according to the proverb,

Apollyon undervalues Christ's service.

'Changed a bad for a worse;'

but it is ordinary for those that

have professed themselves his servants, after a while to give him

the slip, and return again to me. Do thou so too, and all shall

be well.

Chr. I have given him my faith, and sworn my allegiance to him;

how, then, can I go back from this, and not be hanged as a traitor?

Apol. Thou didst the same to me,

Apollyon pretends to be merciful.

and yet I am willing to pass by

all, if now thou wilt yet turn again and go back.

Chr. What I promised thee was in my nonage; and besides, I

count the Prince under whose banner now I stand is able to absolve

me; yea, and to pardon also what I did as to my compliance with

thee; and besides, O thou destroying Apollyon! to speak truth,

I like his service, his wages, his servants, his government, his

company, and country, better than thine; and, therefore, leave off

to persuade me further; I am his servant, and I will follow him.

Apol. Consider again, when thou art in cool blood,

Apollyon pleads the grievous ends of Christians, to dissuade Christian from persisting in his way.

what thou

art like to meet with in the way that thou goest. Thou knowest

that, for the most part, his servants come to an ill end, because

they are transgressors against me and my ways. How many of them

have been put to shameful deaths! and, besides, thou countest his

service better than mine, whereas he never came yet from the place

where he is to deliver any that served him out of their hands; but

as for me, how many times, as all the world very well knows, have

I delivered, either by power or fraud, those that have faithfully

served me, from him and his, though taken by them; and so I will

deliver thee.

Chr. His forbearing at present to deliver them is on purpose to try

their love, whether they will cleave to him to the end; and as for

the ill end thou sayest they come to, that is most glorious in their

account; for, for present deliverance, they do not much expect it,

for they stay for their glory, and then they shall have it, when

their Prince comes in his and the glory of the angels.

Apol. Thou hast already been unfaithful in thy service to him; and

how doest thou think to receive wages of him?

Chr. Wherein, O Apollyon! have I been unfaithful to him?

Apol. Thou didst faint at first setting out, when thou wast

Apollyon pleads Christian's infirmities against him.

almost choked in the Gulf of Despond; thou didst attempt wrong ways

to be rid of thy burden, whereas thou shouldest have stayed till

thy Prince had taken it off; thou didst sinfully sleep, and lose

thy choice thing; thou wast, also, almost persuaded to go back, at

the sight of the lions; and when thou talkest of thy journey, and

of what thou hast heard and seen, thou art inwardly desirous of

vain-glory in all that thou sayest or doest.

Chr. All this is true, and much more which thou hast left out;

but the Prince, whom I serve and honour, is merciful, and ready to

forgive; but, besides, these infirmities possessed me in thy country,

for there I sucked them in; and I have groaned under them, been

sorry for them, and have obtained pardon of my Prince.

Apol. Then Apollyon broke out into a grievous rage, saying,

Apollyon in a rage falls upon Christian.

I am an enemy to this Prince; I hate his person, his laws, and

people; I am come out on purpose to withstand thee.

Chr. Apollyon, beware what you do; for I am in the king's highway,

the way of holiness, therefore take heed to yourself.

Apol. Then Apollyon straddled quite over the whole breadth of the

way, and said, I am void of fear in this matter: prepare thy self

to die; for I swear by my infernal den, that thou shalt go no

further; here will I spill thy soul.

And with that he threw a flaming dart at his breast; but

Christian had a shield in his hand, with which he caught it, and

so prevented the danger of that.

Then did Christian draw; for he saw it was time to bestir him: and

Apollyon as fast made at him, throwing darts as thick as hail;

Christian wounded in his understanding, faith, and conversation.

by the which, notwithstanding all that Christian could do to avoid it,

Apollyon wounded him in his head, his hand and foot. This made

Christian give a little back; Apollyon, therefore, followed his work

amain, and Christian again took courage, and resisted as manfully

as he could. This sore combat lasted for above half a day, even

till Christian was almost quite spent; for you must know, that

Christian, by reason of his wounds, must needs grow weaker and

weaker.

Then Apollyon, espying his opportunity, began to gather up

Apollyon casteth down to the ground the Christian.

close to Christian, and wrestling with him, gave him a dreadful

fall; and with that, Christian's sword flew out of his hand. Then

said Apollyon, I am sure of thee now. And with that he had almost

pressed him to death; so that Christian began to despair of life:

but as God would have it, while Apollyon was fetching of his

last blow, thereby to make a full end of this good man,

Christian's victory over Apollyon.

Christian

nimbly stretched out his hand for his sword, and caught it, saying,

'Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise,' Mi. vii. 8;

and with that gave him a deadly thrust, which made him give back,

as one that had received his mortal wound. Christian perceiving

that, made at him again, saying, 'Nay, in all these things we are

more than conquerors, through him that loved us.' Rom. viii. 37. And

with that Apollyon spread forth his dragon's wings, and sped him

away, that Christian for a season saw him no more. Ja. iv. 7.

<ref>Offor G (1859), "The works of John Bunyan", Vol 3, Blackie & Son. For download from archive.org .

There is also a version with seventeenth century spelling, that is, Bunyan J (1847), "Pilgrim's Progress", Ed Offor G, Hanserd Knollys Society.</ref>

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