[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.]
Now, when the captains saw the answer of the great ones, and that they could not get a hearing from the old natives of the town, and that Mansoul was resolved to give the King's army battle, they prepared themselves to receive them, and to try it out by the power of the arm. And first, they made their force more formidable against Ear-gate; for they knew that unless they could penetrate that, no good could be done upon the town. This done, they put the rest of their men in their places; after which they gave out the word, which was, 'YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN.' Then they sounded the trumpet; then they in the town made them answer, with shout against shout, charge against charge, and so the battle began. Now they in the town had planted upon the tower over Ear-gate, two great guns, the one called Highmind, and the other Heady. Unto these two guns they trusted much; they were cast in the castle by Diabolus' founder, whose name was Mr. Puff-up; and mischievous pieces they were. But so vigilant and watchful, when the captains saw them, were they, that though sometimes their shot would go by their ears with a whiz, yet they did them no harm. By these two guns, the townsfolk made no question but greatly to annoy the camp of Shaddai, and well enough to secure the gate, but they had not much cause to boast of what execution they did, as by what follows will be gathered.
The famous Mansoul also had some other small pieces in it, of which they made use against the camp of Shaddai.
They from the camp also did as stoutly, and with as much of that as may in truth be called valor, let fly as fast at the town and at Ear-gate: for they saw that unless they could break open Ear-gate, it would be but in vain to batter the wall. Now the King's captains had brought with them several slings, and two or three battering-rams; with their slings, therefore, they battered the houses and people of the town, and with their rams they sought to break Ear-gate open.
The camp and the town had several skirmishes and brisk encounters, while the captains, with their engines, made many brave attempts to break open or beat down the tower that was over Ear-gate and, at the said gate, to make their entrance. But Mansoul stood it out so lustily, through the rage of Diabolus, the valor of the Lord Will-be-will, and the conduct of old Incredulity, the Mayor, and Mr. Forget-good, the Recorder, that the charge and expense of that summer's wars, on the King's side, seemed to be almost quite lost, and the advantage to return to Mansoul. But when the captains saw how it was, they made a fair retreat and entrenched themselves in their winter quarters. Now in this war, you must needs think there was much loss on both sides, of which be pleased to accept this brief account following:—
The King's captains, when they marched from the court to come up against Mansoul to war, as they came crossing over the country, they happened to light upon three young fellows that had a mind to go for soldiers; proper men they were, and men of courage and skill, to appearance. Their names were Mr. Tradition, Mr. Human-wisdom, and Mr. Man's-invention. So they came up to the captains and proffered their services to Shaddai. The captains then told them of their design, and bid them not to be rash in their offers; but the young men told them they had considered the thing before, and that hearing they were upon their march for such a design, came hither on purpose to meet them, that they might be listed under their excellencies. Then Captain Boanerges, for that they were men of courage, enlisted them into his company, and so away they went to the war.
Now when the war was begun, in one of the briskest skirmishes, so it was, that a company of the Lord Will-be-will's men sallied out at the sally-port, or postern of the town, and fell in upon the rear of Captain Boanerges' men, where these three fellows happened to be, so they took them prisoners, and away they carried them into the town; where they had not lain long in durance, but it began to be noised about the streets of the town what three notable prisoners the Lord Will-be-will's men had taken, and brought in prisoners out of the camp of Shaddai. At length tidings thereof were carried to Diabolus to the castle, to wit, what my Lord Will-be-will's men had done, and whom they had taken prisoners.
Then Diabolus called for Will-be-will to know the certainty of this matter. So he asked him, and he told him; then did the giant send for the prisoners, who, when they were come, demanded of them who they were, whence they came, and what they did in the camp of Shaddai; and they told him. Then he sent them to ward again. Not many days later, he sent for them again and asked them if they would be willing to serve him against their former captains. They then told him that they did not so much live by religion, as by the fates of fortune; and that since his lordship was willing to entertain them, they should be willing to serve him. Now, while things were thus in hand, there was one Captain Anything, a great doer in the town of Mansoul, and to this Captain Anything did Diabolus send these men, with a note under his hand to receive them into his company; the contents of which letter were thus:—
'Anything, my darling, the three men that are the bearers of this letter have a desire to serve me in the war, nor know I better to whose conduct to commit them than to thine; receive them, therefore, in my name, as need shall require, make use of them against Shaddai and his men. Farewell.' So they came, and he received them; and he made of two of them serjeants, but he made Mr. Man's-invention his armor-bearer. But thus much for this, and now to return to the camp.
