Well on Saturday about midnight they began to pray, and continued in Prayer till almost break of day.

Now a little before it was day, good Christian, as one half amazed, brake out in this passionate speech:  What a fool, quoth he, am I, thus to lie in a stinking Dungeon, when I may as well walk at liberty!  I have a Key in my bosom called Promise, that will, I am persuaded, open any Lock in Doubting Castle.  Then said Hopeful, That’s good news; good Brother, pluck it out of thy bosom and try.

Then Christian pulled it out of his bosom, and began to try at the Dungeon door, whose bolt (as he turned the Key) gave back, and the door flew open with ease, and Christian and Hopeful both came out.  Then he went to the outward door that leads into the Castle-yard, and with his Key opened that door also.  After, he went to the iron Gate, for that must be opened too, but that Lock went damnable hard, yet the Key did open it.  Then they thrust open the Gate to make their escape with speed, but that Gate as it opened made such a creaking, that it waked Giant Despair, who hastily rising to pursue his Prisoners, felt his limbs to fail, so that he could by no means go after them.  Then they went on, and came to the King’s High-way again, and so were safe, because they were out of his Jurisdiction.

Now when they were gone over the Stile, they began to contrive with themselves what they should do at that Stile, to prevent those that should come after from falling into the hands of Giant Despair.  So they consented to erect there a Pillar, and to engrave upon the side thereof this sentence, Over this Stile is the way to Doubting Castle, which is kept by Giant Despair, who despiseth the King of the Coelestial Country, and seeks to destroy his holy Pilgrims.  Many therefore that followed after read what was written, and escaped the danger.  This done, they sang as follows:—­

“Out of the way we went, and then we found
What ’twas to tread upon forbidden ground;
And let them that come after have a care,
Lest heedlessness makes them, as we, to fare;
Lest they for trespassing his prisoners are,
Whose Castle’s Doubting, and whose name’s Despair.”

THE DELECTABLE MOUNTAINS

By John Bunyan

They went then till they came to the Delectable Mountains, which Mountains belong to the Lord of that Hill of which we have spoken before; so they went up to the Mountains, to behold the Gardens and Orchards, the Vineyards and Fountains of water; where also they drank, and washed themselves, and did freely eat of the Vineyards.  Now there was on the tops of these Mountains Shepherds feeding their flocks, and they stood by the High-way side.  The Pilgrims therefore went to them, and leaning upon their staves (as is common with weary Pilgrims, when they stand to talk with any by the way) they asked, Whose Delectable Mountains are these?  And whose be the sheep that feed upon them?