So, they approached in battle formation and sat down before Ear-gate, for that was the place of hearing for all throughout the town, as Eye-gate was the place of perspective. So, as I said, Tisiphone came up with his strategy to the gate, and laid in wait at a concealed position for Captain Resistance within bowshot of the town. This done, the giant, Diabolus, ascended close to the gate, and called to the town of Mansoul for audience. He went alone, except for one, Ill-pause, who was his orator in all difficult matters. Now, as I said, having approached the gate (as the manner of those times was), he sounded his trumpet for audience.
At the trumpet sound, the chiefs of the town of Mansoul came down to the wall to see who was there, and what was the matter. These chief townfolk were Lord Innocent, Lord Willbewill, Lord Mayor, Mr. Recorder, and Captain Resistance. Lord Willbewill, seeing who stood at the gate, demanded to know what he was, the reason he had come, and why he roused the town of Mansoul with so unusual a sound.
Diabolus began his oration, speaking as if he was a lamb, and said: “Gentlemen of the famous town of Mansoul, I am, as you may perceive, your neighbor, living nearby. I am bound by the King to pay my respects to you and do what service I can for you. Being faithful to myself and to you, I have a small concern to communicate to you. Please kindly listen and hear me patiently. And first of all, let me assure you, I seek your benefit in this, not mine; and once I’ve revealed all my mind to you, your advantage will be fully manifested to you. For, gentlemen, I am (to tell you the truth) here to show you how you may obtain great and ample deliverance from a bondage which has enslaved you, a captivity to which you are completely unaware.”
At this, the town of Mansoul began to prick up its ears. “What is it? For goodness sakes, what is it?” they thought.
Diabolus spoke again, saying, “I have something to say to you about your King, concerning His law, and also touching yourselves. Your King, I know, He is great and powerful. Yet, not all He has said to you is true; neither is it for your advantage:
“1. It is not true, this command to which He has dazzled you, for it shall not come to pass nor be fulfilled if you do the thing He has forbidden. If there really was any danger, it would be slavery to always live in fear of the greatest punishments for doing such a small and trivial thing as eating a little fruit.
“2. Touching His laws, this I say further, they are altogether unreasonable, intricate, and intolerable. Unreasonable, as was hinted before, because the punishment is not equal to the offence. There is great difference and disproportion between life and a fruit; yet the one must go for the other by the law of your Shaddai. But it is also intricate, in that He says, first, you may eat of all; and then afterwards, forbids the eating of one. Finally, it is intolerable, forasmuch as that fruit which you are forbidden to eat (if you are forbidden any) is that, and that alone, which is able, by your eating, to minister to you a blessing as yet unknown by you. This is manifest by the very name of the tree; it is called the “tree of knowledge of good and evil.” Is this knowledge yours yet? No, no; nor can you conceive how good, how pleasant, and how much to be desired to make one wise it is, so long as you stand by your King’s commandment. Why should you be held in ignorance and blindness? Why should you not be enlarged in knowledge and understanding? And now, O ye inhabitants of the famous town of Mansoul, to speak more particularly to yourselves you are not a free people! You are kept both in bondage and slavery, and that by a grievous threat; no reason being connected to it except, “So I will have it; so it shall be.” And is it not grievous to think about, that that very thing which you are forbidden to do, would yield you both wisdom and honor if you could do it? For then your eyes will be opened and you shall be as gods. Now, since this is so, can you be kept by any prince in more slavery and in greater bondage than you are under this day? You are made underlings, and are wrapped up in inconveniences, as I have well made apparent. For what bondage is greater than to be kept in blindness? Will not reason tell you that it is better to have eyes than to be without them? Is it not better to be at liberty than to be shut up in a dark and stinking cave?”
And while Diabolus spoke these words to Mansoul, Tisiphone shot at Captain Resistance, where he stood on the gate, and mortally wounded him in the head. To the amazement of the townsmen, and the encouragement of Diabolus, the Captain fell down quite dead over the wall. Now, when Captain Resistance was dead (and he was the only man of war in the town), poor Mansoul was wholly left naked of courage, nor had she now any heart to resist. But this was as the devil would have it.
Then Mr. Ill-pause stood forth, whom Diabolus brought as his orator. Ill-pause prepared to speak to the town of Mansoul— the tenor of his speech was as follows:
“Gentlemen,” he said, “it is my master’s happiness that he has this day a quiet and teachable assembly. We hope we shall convince you not to cast off good advice. My master has a very great love for you; and although, as he very well knows, he runs the risk of angering King Shaddai, yet love for you will make him do more than that. Nor does there need that a word more should be spoken to confirm for truth what he has said, there is not a word that carries with it self-evidence in its bowels; the very name of the tree may put an end to all controversy in this matter. I, therefore, at this time, shall only add this advice to you, under and by the leave of my lord.” Mr. Ill-pause bowed most courtly and courteously to his master, Diabolus, and continued: “Consider his words, look on the tree and the promising fruit thereof; remember also how little you know right now, and that this is the way to know more: and if your reasons are not conquered to accept of such good counsel, you are not the men that I took you to be.”
But when the townsfolk saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eye, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, they did as old Ill-pause advised; they took and did eat thereof.