Page:The Pilgrims Progress (1890).djvu/129

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THE PILGRIM’S PROGRESS
87

mon grew rich in religion; and Job says, that a good man shall lay up gold as dust; but he must not be such as the men before us, if they be as you have described them.

Save. I think that we are all agreed in this matter: and therefore there needs no more words about it.

Money. No, there needs no more words about this matter, indeed; for he that believes neither Scripture nor reason (and you see we have both on our side), neither knows his own liberty nor seeks his own safety.

Then Christian and Hopeful outwent them again, and went till they came to a delicate plain called Ease, where they went with much content; but that plain was but narrow, so they were quickly got over it. Now at the farther side of that plain was a little hill, called Lucre, and in that hill a silver-mine, which some of them that had formerly gone that way, because of the rarity of it, had turned aside to see; but going too near the brim of the pit, the ground, being deceitful under them, broke, and they were slain: some also had been maimed there, and could not, to their dying day, be their own men again.

Then I saw in my dream, that a little off the road, over against the silver-mine, stood Demas[1] (gentleman-like) to call passengers to come and see; who said to Christian and his fellow, Ho! turn aside hither, and I will show you a thing.

Chr. What thing so deserving as to turn us out of the way to see it?

Demas. Here is a silver-mine, and some digging in it for treasure: if you will come, with a little pains you may richly provide for yourselves.

Hope. Then said Hopeful, Let us go see.

  1. Demas: See 2 Timothy iv. 10.