Now when the tyrant had arrived at Hell-Gate Hill, with his old friend Incredulity, they immediately descended the den, and having there with their fellows for a while condoled their misfortune and great loss that they sustained against the town of Mansoul, they fell at length into a passion, and revenged they would be for the loss that they sustained before the town of Mansoul. Wherefore they presently call a council to contrive yet further what was to be done against the famous town of Mansoul; for their yawning paunches could not wait to see the result of their Lord Lucifer's and their Lord Apollyon's counsel that they had given before; for their raging gorge thought every day, even as long as a short for ever, until they were filled with the body and soul, with the flesh and bones, and with all the delicates of Mansoul. They therefore resolve to make another attempt upon the town of Mansoul, and that by an army mixed and made up partly of doubters, and partly of blood-men. A more particular account now take of both.
The doubters are such as have their name from their nature, as well as from the land and kingdom where they are born: their nature is to put a question upon every one of the truths of Emmanuel; and their country is called the land of Doubting, and that land lieth off, and farthest remote to the north, between the land of Darkness and that called the 'valley of the shadow of death.' For though the land of Darkness, and that called 'the valley of the shadow of death,' be sometimes called as if they were one and the self-same place, yet indeed they are two, lying but a little way asunder, and the land of Doubting points in, and lieth between them. This is the land of Doubting; and these that came with Diabolus to ruin the town of Mansoul are the natives of that country.
The blood-men are a people that have their name derived from the malignity of their nature, and from the fury that is in them to execute it upon the town of Mansoul: their land lieth under the dog-star, and by that they are governed as to their intellectuals. The name of their country is the province of Loath-good: the remote parts of it are far distant from the land of Doubting, yet they do both butt and bound upon the hill called Hell-Gate Hill. These people are always in league with the doubters, for they jointly do make question of the faith and fidelity of the men of the town of Mansoul, and so are both alike qualified for the service of their prince.
Now of these two countries did Diabolus, by the beating of his drum, raise another army against the town of Mansoul, of five-and-twenty thousand strong. There were ten thousand doubters, and fifteen thousand blood-men, and they were put under several captains for the war; and old Incredulity was again made general of the army.
As for the doubters, their captains were five of the seven that were heads of the last Diabolonian army, and these are their names: Captain Beelzebub, Captain Lucifer, Captain Apollyon, Captain Legion, and Captain Cerberus; and the captains that they had before were some of them made lieutenants, and some ensigns of the army.
But Diabolus did not count that, in this expedition of his, these doubters would prove his principal men, for their manhood had been tried before; also the Mansoulians had put them to the worst: only he did bring them to multiply a number, and to help, if need was, at a pinch. But his trust he put in his blood-men, for that they were all rugged villains, and he knew that they had done feats heretofore.
As for the blood-men, they also were under command and the names of their captains were, Captain Cain, Captain Nimrod, Captain Ishmael, Captain Esau, Captain Saul, Captain Absalom, Captain Judas, and Captain Pope.
1. Captain Cain was over two bands, namely, the zealous and the angry blood-men: his standard-bearer bare the red colours, and his scutcheon was the murdering club.
2. Captain Nimrod was captain over two bands, namely, the tyrannical and encroaching blood-men: his standard-bearer bare the red colours, and his scutcheon was the great bloodhound.
3. Captain Ishmael was captain over two bands, namely, the mocking and scorning blood-men: his standard-bearer bare the red colours, and his scutcheon was one mocking at Abraham's Isaac.
4. Captain Esau was captain over two bands, namely, the blood-men that grudged that another should have the blessing;also over the blood-men that are for executing their private revenge upon others: his standard-bearer bare the red colours, and his scutcheon was one privately lurking to murder Jacob.
5. Captain Saul was captain over two bands, namely, the groundlessly jealous and the devilishly furious blood-men: his standard-bearer bare the red colours, and his scutcheon was three bloody darts cast at harmless David.
6. Captain Absalom was captain over two bands, namely, over the blood-men that will kill a father or a friend for the glory of this world; also over those blood-men that will hold one fair in hand with words, till they shall have pierced him with their swords: his standard-bearer did bear the red colours, and his scutcheon was the son pursuing the father's blood.
7. Captain Judas was over two bands, namely, the blood-men that will sell a man's life for money, and those also that will betray their friend with a kiss: his standard-bearer bare the red colours, and his scutcheon was thirty pieces of silver and the halter.
8. Captain Pope was captain over one band, for all these spirits are joined in one under him: his standard-bearer bare the red colours, and his scutcheon was the stake, the flame, and the good man in it.
Now, the reason why Diabolus did so soon rally another force, after he had been beaten out of the field, was, for that he put mighty confidence in this army of blood-men; for he put a great deal of more trust in them than he did before in his army of doubters; though they had also often done great service for him in the strengthening of him in his kingdom.
