256 THE PILGRIM’S PROGRESS.

thou like Samuel the prophet, a man of faith and prayer.” Joseph,” said he, “be

thou like Joseph in Potiphar’s house, chaste, and one that flees from temptation.” And.
James, be thou like James the Just, and like James the brother of our Lord.””. Then

they told him of Mercy, and how she had left her town and her kindred to come along

with Christiana and with her sons. At that, the old honest man said, “ Merey is thy

name? by Mercy shalt thou be sustained and carried through all those difficulties that

shall assault thee in thy way, till thou shalt come thither where thou shalt lock the

Fountain of Mercy in the face with comfort.”

All this while the guide, Mr. Great-heart, was very well pleased and smiled upon
his companion.

Now, as they walked along together, the guide asked the old gentleman if he did
not know one Mr. Fearing, that came on pilgrimage out of his parts.

Hon. “Yes, very well,” said he. “He was a man that had the root of the matter
in him; but he was one of the most troublesome pilgrims that ever I met with in all
my days.”

Great. I perceive you knew him, for you have given a very right character of him.

Hon. Knew him! I was a great companion of his; I was with him most an end:
when he first began to think upon what would come upon us hereafter, I was with him.

Great. I was his guide from my master’s house to the gates of the Celestial City.

Hoy. Then you knew him to be a troublesome one?

Great. I did so; but I could very well bear it, for men of my calling are oftentimes
entrusted with the conduct of such as he was.

Hoy. Well, then, pray let us hear a little of him, and how he managed himself under
your conduct.

Great. Why, he was always afraid that he should come short of whither he had a
desire to go. Everything frightened him that he heard anybody speak of, if it had
but the least appearance of opposition in it. I hear that he lay roaring at the Slough
of Despond for above a month together; nor durst he, for all he saw several go over
before him, venture, though they, many of them, offered to lend him their hand. He
would not go back again neither. The Celestial City, he said, he should die if he came
not to it; and yet was dejected at every difficulty, and stumbled at every straw that
anybody cast in his way. Well, after he had lain at the Slough of Despond a great
while, as I have told you, one sunshine morning, I don’t know how, he ventured, and
so got over; but, when he was over, he would scarce believe it. He had, I think, a
Slough of Despond in his mind, a slough that he carried everywhere with him, or else
he could never have been as he was. So he came up to the gate (you know what I