The Holy War – John Bunyan

HATE. I did, my Lord, and so did many more besides; for this was not
done by stealth, or in a corner, but in the open view of all, yea, he chose
himself to do it publicly, for he delighted in the doing of it.
CLERK. Mr. No-truth, how could you have the face to plead not guilty,
when you were so manifestly the doer of all this wickedness?
NO-TRUTH. Sir, I thought I must say something, and as my name is, so
I speak. I have been advantaged thereby before now, and did not know but
by speaking no truth I might have reaped the same benefit now.
CLERK. Set him by, jailer, and set Mr. Pitiless to the bar. Mr. Pitiless,
thou art here indicted by the name of Pitiless, an intruder upon the town of
Mansoul, for that thou didst most traitorously and wickedly shut up all
bowels of compassion, and wouldest not suffer Mansoul to condole her own
misery when she had apostatised from her rightful King, but didst evade, and
at all times turn her mind awry from those thoughts that had in them a
tendency to lead her to repentance. What sayest thou to this indictment?
Guilty, or not guilty?
Not guilty of pitilessness; all I did was to cheer-up, according to my
name, for my name is not Pitiless, but Cheer-up; and I could not abide to see
Mansoul inclined to melancholy.
CLERK. How! do you deny your name, and say it is not Pitiless but
Cheer-up? Call for the witnesses. What say you, the witnesses, to this plea?
KNOW. My Lord, his name is Pitiless; so he hath written himself in all
papers of concern wherein he has had to do. But these Diabolonians love to
counterfeit their names; Mr. Covetousness covers himself with the name of
Good-husbandry, or the like; Mr. Pride can, when need is, call himself Mr.
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