The Holy War – John Bunyan

sees him must both love and fear him; I, for my part, can do no less; but I
know not what will be the end of these things.[12] At this answer they were
all at a stand; both they in prison, and they that followed the messenger
thither to hear the news; nor knew they what or what manner of
interpretation to put upon what the Prince had said. Now, when the prison
was cleared of the throng, the prisoners among themselves began to
comment upon Emmanuel's words. My Lord Mayor said that the answer did
not look with a rugged face; but Will-be-will said that it betokened evil; and
the Recorder, that it was a messenger of death. Now, they that were left, and
that stood behind, and so could not so well hear what the prisoners said,
some of them catched hold of one piece of a sentence, and some on a bit of
another; some took hold of what the messenger said, and some of the
prisoners' judgment thereon; so none had the right understanding of things;
but you cannot imagine what work these people made, and what a confusion
there was in Mansoul now.[13]
For presently they that had heard what was said, flew about the town;
one crying one thing, and another the quite contrary, and both were sure
enough they told the truth, for they did hear, they said, with their ears what
was said, and therefore could not be deceived. One would say, We must all
be killed; another would say, We must all be saved; and a third would say
that the Prince would not be concerned with Mansoul; and a fourth that the
prisoners must be suddenly put to death. And as I said, every one stood to it
that he told his tale the rightest, and that all others but he were out.
Wherefore Mansoul had now molestation upon molestation, nor could any
man know on what to rest the sole of his foot; for one would go by now, and
as he went, if he heard his neighbour tell his tale, to be sure he would tell the
quite contrary, and both would stand in it that he told the truth. Nay, some of
them had got this story by the end, that the Prince did intend to put Mansoul
to the sword. And now it began to be dark; wherefore poor Mansoul was in
sad perplexity all that night until the morning.[14]
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