Since Prince Emmanuel had commanded a judicial court to convene for the trial of Diabolonians who had been arrested in Mansoul, Messer's atheism and credulity, forget-good, and hard heart had been called to the bar. Mr. False Peace, now at the bar, said his name was Mr. Peace and that the charges against him were not his his to own. Witnesses of his true identity had been called by the crier, and two appeared, Messrs. Searchtruth and Vouchtruth. Then said Mr. Searchtruth, My lord, I cold give him his oath. Then they swore him in, so he proceeded. Search truth continued. My Lord, I know and have known this man since my childhood and can confirm that his name is False Peace. I knew his father. His name was Mr. Flatterer, and his mother, before she was married, was called by the name Mrs. Soothup. And these two, when they came together, lived not long without this son. When he was born, they called him False Peace. I was his playmate, even though I was somewhat older than he. And when his mother used to call him home from playing, she used to say, False Peace, False Peace, come home quick, or I'll come and get you. Yes, I knew him when he nursed as a babe. And though I was still little, I can remember that when his mother used to sit at the door with him or played with him in her arms, she would call him 20 times all told, my little false peace, my pretty false peace, and oh, my sweet rogue false peace, and again, oh, my little bird false peace, and how do I love my child. The gossips all know this, though he has had the nerve to deny it in open court. Then Mr. Vouchtruth was called upon to speak what he knew of him, so they swore him in. Then said Mr. Vouchtruth, my lord, all that the former witness said is true. His name is False Peace, the son of Mr. Flatter and of Mrs. Soothup, his mother. And I have, in former times, seen him angry with those who have called him anything else but false peace, for he would say as much to all such who mocked and nicknamed him. But this was during a time when Mr. False Peace was a great man, and when the Diabolonians were the brave men in Mansoul. The court said, gentlemen, You have heard what these two men have sworn against the prisoner at the bar, and now, Mr. False Peace, to you. You have denied your name to be False Peace, yet you see that these honest men have sworn that this is your name. As to your plea, in that you are quite, besides the matter of your indictment, you are not charged for evil doing because you are a man of peace or a peacemaker among your neighbors, but instead you are charged because you wickedly and satanically brought, kept, and held the town of Mansoul, both under its apostasy from and its rebellion against its king. in a false, lying, and damnable peace contrary to the law of Shaddai and to the hazard of the destruction of the then miserable town of Mansoul. All you have pleaded for yourself is that you have denied your name and et cetera. But here, you see, we have witnesses to prove that you are the man. For the peace that you boast so much of making among your neighbors, continued the court. Know that peace that is not a companion of truth and holiness is a peace without true foundation and is grounded upon a lie. This false peace is both deceitful and damnable, as also the great Shaddai has said. Your plea, therefore, has not delivered you from what you are charged with by the indictment, but rather it fastens all upon you. but you shall have a very fair trial. Let us call the witnesses who are to testify as to the matter of fact and see what they have to say for our Lord the King against the prisoner at the bar." And so the clerk said, Mr. Knowall, what do you say for our Lord the King against the prisoner at the bar? Mr. Nowall said, my Lord, to my knowledge, this man has for a long time made it his business to keep the town of Mansoul in a sinful quietness in the midst of all her lewdness, filthiness, and turmoils, and has said, and that in my hearing, come, come, let us fly from all trouble on whatever principles it comes, and let us pursue a quiet and peaceable life, even though it lacks a good foundation. Come, Mr. Hate Lies, what have you to say? My lord, I have heard him say that peace secured by unrighteousness is better than trouble with truth. Where did you hear him say this? I heard him say it in Folly Yard, at the house of one Mr. Simple, next door to the sign of the self-deceiver. Yes, he said this, to my knowledge, 20 times in that place. The clerk said, we may spare further witnesses the trouble. This evidence is plain and complete. Set him aside, jailkeeper, and set Mr. No-Truth to the bar. Mr. No-Truth, you are here indicted by the name of No-Truth, an intruder upon the town of Mansoul, for that you have always set yourself to deface and utterly spoil any remaining law and image of Shaddai found in Mansoul, after her deep apostasy from her king, to Diabolus, the envious tyrant, to the dishonor of Shaddai, and to the endangering of the utter ruin of the famous town of Mansoul. What do you say? Are you guilty of this indictment or not?" No truth said. Not guilty, my lord. Then the witnesses were called, and Mr. Nowal gave his. My Lord, this man was at the pulling down of the image of Shaddai. In fact, he did it with his own hands. I myself stood by and saw him do it, and he did it at the commandment of Diabolus. Yes, this Mr. Notruth did more than this. He also set up the horned image of the beast. Diabolus in the same place. He also, at the bidding of Diabolus, tore and violently parted and caused to be consumed all he could find that remained of the king's law, even whatever he could lay his hands on in Mansoul. Who saw him do this besides yourself? I did, my Lord, and so did many more besides, for this was not done secretly or in a corner, but in open view of all. Yes, he chose to do it publicly, for he delighted in doing it. Mr. No Truth, how could you have the nerve to plead not guilty when you were so evidently the doer of all this wickedness? Sir, I thought I must say something, and as my name is, so I speak. Before now, it has been to my advantage to speak with no truth, so I figured I might reap the same benefit now. Set him aside, jailkeeper, and set Mr. Pitiless to the bar. Mr. Pitiless, you are here indicted by the name of Pitiless, an intruder upon the town of Mansoul, for that you most traitorously and wickedly shut up all bowels of compassion, and would not allow poor Mansoul to grieve her own misery when she had apostatized from her rightful king, but evaded and at all times turned her mind awry from those thoughts that had in them a tendency to lead her to repentance. What do you say to this indictment, guilty or not guilty? Not guilty of pitilessness, said Pitiless. 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. How do you deny your name and say it is not pitiless, but cheer up? Call the witnesses. What say you witnesses to this plea? To be continued.