The Holy War, Made by King Shaddai Upon Diabolus, for the Regaining of the Metropolis of the World; Or, The Losing and Taking Again of the Town of MansoulBunyan, John
ReligionChristian
The Holy War, Made by King Shaddai Upon Diabolus, for the Regaining of the Metropolis of the World; Or, The Losing and Taking Again of the Town of Mansoul
Bunyan, John
Christian fiction; Soul; Spiritual warfare -- Fiction
After this, the Prince gave a charge that the three strongholds that, at
the command of Diabolus, the Diabolonians built in Mansoul, should be
demolished and utterly pulled down; of which holds and their names, with
their captains and governors, you read a little before. But this was
long in doing, because of the largeness of the places, and because the
stones, the timber, the iron, and all rubbish, was to be carried without
the town.
When this was done, the Prince gave order that the Lord Mayor and
aldermen of Mansoul should call a court of judicature for the trial and
execution of the Diabolonians in the corporation now under the charge of
Mr. True-Man, the gaoler.
Now, when the time was come, and the court set, commandment was sent to
Mr. True-Man, the gaoler, to bring the prisoners down to the bar. Then
were the prisoners brought down, pinioned and chained together, as the
custom of the town of Mansoul was. So, when they were presented before
the Lord Mayor, the Recorder, and the rest of the honourable bench,
first, the jury was empannelled, and then the witnesses sworn. The names
of the jury were these: Mr. Belief, Mr. True-Heart, Mr. Upright, Mr.
Hate-Bad, Mr. Love-God, Mr. See-Truth, Mr. Heavenly-Mind, Mr. Moderate,
Mr. Thankful, Mr. Good-Work, Mr. Zeal-for-God, and Mr. Humble.
The names of the witnesses were—Mr. Know-All, Mr. Tell-True, Mr.
Hate-Lies, with my Lord Willbewill and his man, if need were.
So the prisoners were set to the bar. Then said Mr. Do-Right, (for he
was the Town-Clerk,) ‘Set Atheism to the bar, gaoler.’ So he was set to
the bar. Then said the Clerk, ‘Atheism, hold up thy hand. Thou art here
indicted by the name of Atheism, (an intruder upon the town of Mansoul,)
for that thou hast perniciously and doltishly taught and maintained that
there is no God, and so no heed to be taken to religion. This thou hast
done against the being, honour, and glory of the King, and against the
peace and safety of the town of Mansoul. What sayest thou? Art thou
guilty of this indictment, or not?
_Atheism_. Not guilty.
_Crier_. Call Mr. Know-All, Mr. Tell-True, and Mr. Hate-Lies into the
court.
So they were called, and they appeared.
Then said the Clerk, ‘You, the witnesses for the King, look upon the
prisoner at the bar; do you know him?’
Then said Mr. Know-All, ‘Yes, my lord, we know him; his name is Atheism;
he has been a very pestilent fellow for many years in the miserable town
of Mansoul.’
_Clerk_. You are sure you know him?
_Know_. Know him! Yes my lord; I have heretofore too often been in his
company to be at this time ignorant of him. He is a Diabolonian, the son
of a Diabolonian: I knew his grandfather and his father.
_Clerk_. Well said. He standeth here indicted by the name of Atheism,
etc., and is charged that he hath maintained and taught that there is no
God, and so no heed need be taken to any religion. What say you, the
King’s witnesses, to this? Is he guilty or not?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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