第67章 Part 7(2)

So after a few more such kind of compliments, Mr. Profane took his leave of his friend Cerberus; and Cerberus again, with a thousand of their pit-wishes, bid him haste, with all speed, to his masters. The which when he had heard, he made obeisance, and began to gather up his heels to run.

Thus, therefore, he returned, and went and came to Mansoul;and going, as afore, to the house of Mr. Mischief, there he found the Diabolonians assembled, and waiting for his return.

Now when he was come, and had presented himself, he also delivered to them his letter, and adjoined this compliment to them therewith: 'My lords, from the confines of the pit, the high and mighty principalities and powers of the den salute you here, the true Diabolonians of the town of Mansoul.

Wishing you always the most proper of their benedictions, for the great service, high attempts, and brave achievements that you have put yourselves upon, for the restoring to our prince Diabolus the famous town of Mansoul.'

This was therefore the present state of the miserable town of Mansoul: she had offended her Prince, and he was gone; she had encouraged the powers of hell, by her foolishness, to come against her to seek her utter destruction.

True, the town of Mansoul was somewhat made sensible of her sin, but the Diabolonians were gotten into her bowels; she cried, but Emmanuel was gone, and her cries did not fetch him as yet again. Besides, she knew not now whether, ever or never, he would return and come to his Mansoul again; nor did they know the power and industry of the enemy, nor how forward they were to put in execution that plot of hell that they had devised against her.

They did, indeed, still send petition after petition to the Prince, but he answered all with silence. They did neglect reformation, and that was as Diabolus would have it; for he knew, if they regarded iniquity in their heart, their King would not hear their prayer; they therefore did still grow weaker and weaker, and were as a rolling thing before the whirlwind. They cried to their King for help, and laid Diabolonians in their bosoms: what therefore should a King do to them? Yea, there seemed now to be a mixture in Mansoul;the Diabolonians and the Mansoulians would walk the streets together. Yea, they began to seek their peace; for they thought that, since the sickness had been so mortal in Mansoul, it was in vain to go to handygripes with them.

Besides, the weakness of Mansoul was the strength of their enemies; and the sins of Mansoul, the advantage of the Diabolonians. The foes of Mansoul did also now begin to promise themselves the town for a possession: there was no great difference now betwixt Mansoulians and Diabolonians: both seemed to be masters of Mansoul. Yea, the Diabolonians increased and grew, but the town of Mansoul diminished greatly. There were more than eleven thousand men, women, and children that died by the sickness in Mansoul.

But now, as Shaddai would have it, there was one whose name was Mr. Prywell, a great lover of the people of Mansoul. And he, as his manner was, did go listening up and down in Mansoul to see, and to hear, if at any time he might, whether there was any design against it or no. For he was always a jealous man, and feared some mischief sometime would befal it, either from the Diabolonians within, or from some power without. Now upon a time it so happened, as Mr. Prywell went listening here and there, that he lighted upon a place called Vilehill, in Mansoul, where Diabolonians used to meet; so hearing a muttering, (you must know that it was in the night,) he softly drew near to hear; nor had he stood long under the house-end, (for there stood a house there,) but he heard one confidently affirm, that it was not, or would not be long before Diabolus should possess himself again of Mansoul; and that then the Diabolonians did intend to put all Mansoulians to the sword, and would kill and destroy the King's captains, and drive all his soldiers out of the town.

He said, moreover, that he knew there were above twenty thousand fighting men prepared by Diabolus for the accomplishing of this design, and that it would not be months before they all should see it.

When Mr. Prywell had heard this story, he did quickly believe it was true: wherefore he went forthwith to my Lord Mayor's house, and acquainted him therewith; who, sending for the subordinate preacher, brake the business to him; and he as soon gave the alarm to the town; for he was now the chief preacher in Mansoul, because, as yet, my Lord Secretary was ill at ease. And this was the way that the subordinate preacher did take to alarm the town therewith. The same hour he caused the lecture bell to be rung; so the people came together: he gave them then a short exhortation to watchfulness, and made Mr. Prywell's news the argument thereof. 'For,' said he, 'an horrible plot is contrived against Mansoul, even to massacre us all in a day, nor is this story to be slighted; for Mr. Prywell is the author thereof. Mr. Prywell was always a lover of Mansoul, a sober and judicious man, a man that is no tattler, nor raiser of false reports, but one that loves to look into the very bottom of matters, and talks nothing of news, but by very solid arguments.

'I will call him, and you shall hear him your own selves;' so he called him, and he came and told his tale so punctually, and affirmed its truth with such ample grounds, that Mansoul fell presently under a conviction of the truth of what he said. The preacher did also back him, saying, 'Sirs, it is not irrational for us to believe it, for we have provoked Shaddai to anger, and have sinned Emmanuel out of the town;we have had too much correspondence with Diabolonians, and have forsaken our former mercies: no marvel then, if the enemy both within and without should design and plot our ruin; and what time like this to do it? The sickness is now in the town, and we have been made weak thereby. Many a good meaning man is dead, and the Diabolonians of late grow stronger and stronger.