Then Diabolus commanded the lord mayor Incredulity to give answer, and his oration was seconded by desperate Will-be-will, while the recorder, whose name was Forget-good, followed with threats.  Then did the town of Mansoul shout for joy, as if by Diabolus and his crew some great advantage had been obtained over the captains.  They also rang the bells, and sang and made merry, and danced for joy upon the walls.  Now, when the captains heard the answer of the great ones, and they could not get a hearing from the old natives of the town, they resolved to try it out by the power of the arm; so with their slings they battered the houses, and with rams they sought to break Eargate open, but Mansoul stood it out so lustily that after several skirmishes and brisk encounters they made a fair retreat and entrenched themselves in their winter quarters.

But now could not Mansoul sleep securely as before, nor could they go to their debaucheries with quietness, as in times past, for they had from the camp of Shaddai such frequent warm alarms, yea, alarms upon alarms, first at one gate and then at another, and again at all the gates at once, that they were broken as to former peace; yea, so distressed were they that I daresay Diabolus, their king, had in these days his rest much broken.  And by degrees new thoughts possessed the minds of the men of the town.  Some would say, “There is no living thus.”  Others would then reply, “This will be over shortly.”  Then a third would answer, “Let us turn to King Shaddai, and so put an end to all these troubles.”  The old gentlemen, too, Mr. Conscience, the recorder that was so before Diabolus took Mansoul, began to talk aloud, and his words were now like great claps of thunder.  Yea, so far as I could gather, the town had been surrendered before now had it not been for the opposition of old Incredulity and the fickleness of my lord Will-be-will.

They of the king’s army this winter sent three times to Mansoul to submit herself, and these summonses, especially the two last, so distressed the town that presently they called a consultation for a parley, and offered to come to an agreement on certain terms, but they were such that the captains, jointly and with the highest disdain, rejected, and returned to their trenches.

The captains then gathered themselves together for a conference, and agreed that a petition should forthwith be drawn up and forwarded by a fit man to Shaddai, with speed, that more forces be sent to Mansoul.  Now, the king at sight of the petition was glad; but how much more, think you, when it was seconded by his son.  Wherefore, the king called to him Emmanuel, his son, and said, “Come now, therefore, my son, and prepare thyself for war, for thou shalt go to my camp at Mansoul; thou shalt also there prosper and prevail.”

The time for the setting forth being expired, the king’s son addresses himself for the march and taketh with him five noble captains and their forces.  So they sat down before the town, not now against the gates only, but environed it round on every side.  But first, for two days together, they hung out the white flag to give the townsfolk time to consider; but they, as if they were unconcerned, made no reply to this favourable signal, so they then set the red flag upon the mount called Mount Justice.