These brave speeches of these four noble captains the town of Mansoul refused to hear, yet a sound thereof did beat against Ear-gate, though the force thereof could not break it open. In fine, the town desired a time to prepare their answer to these demands. The captains then told them, 'that if they would throw out to them one Ill-pause, that was in the town, that they might reward him according to his works, then they would give them time to consider; but if they would not cast him to them over the wall of Mansoul, then they would give them none; for,' said they, 'we know that so long as Ill-pause draws breath in Mansoul, all good consideration will be confounded, and nothing but mischief will come thereon.'
Then Diabolus, who was there present, being loth to lose his Ill-pause, because he was his orator, (and yet be sure he had, could the captains have laid their fingers on him,) was resolved at this instant to give them answer by himself; but then, changing his mind, he commanded the then Lord Mayor, the Lord Incredulity, to do it, saying, 'My Lord, do you give these runagates an answer; and speak out, that Mansoul may hear, and understand you.'
So Incredulity, at Diabolus' command, began and said: 'Gentlemen, you have here, as we do behold, to the disturbance of our prince, and the molestation of the town of Mansoul, camped against it: but from whence you come we will not know, and what you are we will not believe. Indeed, you tell us in your terrible speech that you have this authority from Shaddai; but by what right he commands you to do it, of that we shall yet be ignorant. You have also, by the authority aforesaid, summoned this town to desert her Lord; and for protection, to yield up herself to the great Shaddai, your King; flatteringly telling her, that if she will do it, he will pass by, and not charge her with her past offences. Further, you have also, to the terror of the town of Mansoul, threatened, with great and sore destructions, to punish this corporation, if she consents not to do as your wills would have her.
'Now, captains, from whencesoever you come, and though your designs be never so right, yet know ye, that neither my Lord Diabolus, nor I his servant Incredulity, nor yet our brave Mansoul, doth regard either your persons, message, or the King that you say hath sent you: his power, his greatness, his vengeance, we fear not; nor will we yield at all to your summons.
'As for the war that you threaten to make upon us, we must therein defend ourselves as well as we can; and know ye, that we are not without wherewithal to bid defiance to you. And, in short, for I will not be tedious,' I tell you that we take you to be some vagabond runagate crew, that, having shaken off all obedience to your King, have gotten together in tumultuous manner, and are ranging from place to place to see if, through the flatteries you are skilled to make on the one side, and threats wherewith you think to fright on the other, to make some silly town, city, or country, to desert their place and leave it to you; but Mansoul is none of them. To conclude, we dread you not, we fear you not, nor will we obey your summons: our gates we will shut upon you, our place we will keep you out of; nor will we long thus suffer you to sit down before us. Our people must live in quiet; your appearance doth disturb them (Luke 11:21); wherefore arise with bag and baggage, and begone, or we will let fly from the walls against you.'[106]
This oration, made by old Incredulity, was seconded by desperate Will-be-will, in words to this effect: 'Gentlemen, we have heard your demands, and the noise of your threats, and have heard the sound of your summons, but we fear not your force; we regard not your threats, but will still abide as you found us. And we command you, that in three days' time you cease to appear in these parts, or you shall know what it is once to dare offer to rouse the lion Diabolus, when asleep in his town of Mansoul.'
The Recorder, whose name was Forget-good, he also added as followeth: 'Gentlemen, my Lords, as you see, have, with mild and gentle words, answered your rough and angry speeches; they have, moreover, in my hearing, given you leave quietly to depart as you came. Wherefore, take their kindness, and begone. We might have come out with force upon you, and have caused you to feel the dint of our swords; but as we love ease and quiet ourselves, so we love not to hurt or molest others.'[107]
Then did the town of Mansoul shout for joy; as if, by Diabolus and his crew, some great advantage had been gotten of the captains. They also rang the bells, and made merry, and danced upon the walls. Diabolus also returned to the castle, and the Lord Mayor and Recorder to their place; but the Lord Will-be-will took special care that the gates should be secured with double guards, double bolts, and double locks and bars. And that Ear-gate especially might the better be looked to—for that was the gate in at which the King's forces sought most to enter—the Lord Will-be-will made one old Mr. Prejudice, an angry and ill-conditioned fellow, captain of the ward at that gate, and put under his power sixty men, called Deafmen;[108] men advantageous for that service, forasmuch as they mattered no words of the captains, nor of their soldiers.[109]
[CHAPTER V.]
[CONTENTS:—The captains resolve to give them battle—The town resolutely resists, and the captains retire to winter quarters—Tradition, Human-wisdom, and Man's invention enlist under Boanerges, but are taken prisoners, and carried to Diabolus; they are admitted soldiers for him, under Captain Anything—Hostilities are renewed, and the town much molested—A famine and mutiny in Mansoul—The town sounds a parley—Propositions made and rejected—Understanding and Conscience quarrel with Incredulity—A skirmish ensues, and mischief is done on both sides.]