Diabolus gathered an army of doubters and blood men for another assault against Mansoul. The blood men, being organized under eight captains, being organized under eight captains. Mr. Prywell, the scoutmaster general, warned Mansoul of this new Diabolonian plan. So Emmanuel ordered captains Credence and Patience to secure the side of Mansoul against the Blood Men. He also ordered Captains Good Hope and Charity and My Lord Willbewill to take charge of the other side of town. And I, said the Prince, will set my standard upon the battlements of your castle while you three watch against the Doubters. This being done, he again commanded that the brave Captain, the Captain Experience, should draw up his men in the marketplace, and that there he should exercise them day by day before the people of the town of Mansoul. Now this siege was long, and the enemy made many fierce attempts against the town of Mansoul, especially by those called the Blood Men. Some of the townsmen were met with many troublesome encounters from those foes, especially Captain Self-Denial, who, I should have told you before, was commanded to protect Ear Gate and Eye Gate against the blood men. This captain's self-denial was a young man, but stout, and a townsman in Mansoul, as Captain Experience also was. Emmanuel, at his second return to Mansoul, and for the good of the corporation, made him a captain over a thousand of the Mansoulians. This captain, therefore, being a strong man and a man of great courage and willing to risk danger to himself for the good of the town of Mansoul, would now and then dart out upon the blood men and give them many notable alarms. He entered several brisk skirmishes with them and also slaughtered some of them. but you should understand that this was not easily done. His encounters with them caused him to receive several marks on his face, yes, and some upon some other parts of his body. So after some time spent for the trial of the faith and hope, and love of the town of Mansoul, Prince Emmanuel called his captains and men of war together one day and divided them into two companies. This done, he commanded them to an appointed time in the very early morning to dart out upon the enemy. He said, let half of you fall upon the doubters and half of you fall upon the blood men. Those of you who go out against the doubters, lay hands upon as many of them as you can and kill, slay and cause them to perish by any means you can. But for you who go out against the blood men, do not slay them, but take them alive. So at that time, appointed in the morning, the captains went out against the enemies as they were commanded. Captain Good Hope, Captain Charity, and those who were joined with them, while Captain Innocent and Captain Experience went out against the doubters. And Captain Credence, Captain Patience, and Captain Self-Denial, and the rest who were to join with them, went out against the blood men. Now, those who went out against the doubters came together in formation before the plain and marched on to engage them in battle. But the doubters, remembering their last failure, retreated, not daring to stand the shock fleeing from the prince's men. Therefore, the Mansoulian army pursued them, and in their pursuit slew many, but they could not catch them all. Now, some of those that escaped went home. The rest were wanderers, dispersed up and down the country by fives, nines, and seventeens, where they showed and exercised many of their diabolonian actions upon the barbarous people. Nor did these people rise up in arms against them, but allowed themselves to be enslaved by them. After this, they would show themselves in companies before the town of Mansoul, but never to abide in it. For if Captain Credence, Captain Good Hope, or Captain Experience showed themselves to them, they fled. Those who went out against the blood men did as they were commanded. They restrained from slaying any, but sought to surround them. But when the blood men saw that no Emmanuel was in the field, they also concluded that no Emmanuel was in Mansoul. Therefore, looking upon what the captains did to be, as they called it, a fruit of the extravagance of their wild and foolish fancies, they rather despised them than feared them. But the captains, minding their business, finally surrounded them, and those who had routed the doubters came in at once to their aid. So, in the end, after a little struggle, for the blood men also would have run for it, only now it was too late. For though they are mischievous and cruel where they can overcome, yet all blood men are chicken-hearted men. When they once come to see themselves matched and equaled, the captains took them and brought them to the prince. Now, When they were taken, set before the prince and examined, he found them to be of three different counties, though they all came out of one land. Number one, one sort of them came out of Blind Manshar. and they were such as did what they did ignorantly. Two, another sort of them came out of blind zeal shire, and they did what they did superstitiously. Number three, the third sort of them came out of the town of malice in the country of envy, and they did what they did out of spite and irreconcilable anger. For the first of these, namely, they that came out of blind man's shire, when they saw where they were and against whom they had fought, they trembled and cried as they stood before him. And as many as these as asked him mercy, he touched their lips with his golden scepter. They that came out of blind Zealshire, they did not do as their companions had done, for they pleaded that they had a right to do what they did, because Mansoul was a town whose laws and customs were diverse from all that dwelt thereabout. Very few of these could be brought to see their evil, but those who did and asked for mercy, they also obtained favor. Now they that came out of the town of Malice, which is in the county of Envy, they neither wept nor disputed nor repented, but stood gnawing their tongues before him for anguish and madness, because they could not have their will upon Mansoul. Now this last group, with all those of the other two sorts who did not sincerely ask pardon for their faults, he bound them sufficiently for that appointed time for them to answer for what they had done against Mansoul and against their king at the great and general court to be held for our Lord the King, where he himself should appoint for the country and kingdom of universe. So they were bound each man for himself to come in when called upon to answer before the Lord the King for what they had done as before. And this is what was done concerning the second army, which was sent by Diabolus to overthrow Mansoul. But there were three of those that came from the land of doubting who, after they had wandered and ranged the country a while, and perceived that they had escaped, were so bold as to attack Mansoul, knowing that there were still Diabolonians in the town. I say, they were so hardy as to thrust themselves into Mansoul among them. Three did I say? I think there were four. Now, to whose house should these Diabolonian doubters go, but to be continued.