The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan

had gone to bed, he told his wife what he had done — namely, that he
had taken a couple of prisoners, and cast them into his dungeon for
trespassing on his grounds. He also asked her what he should further do
to them.
So she asked him who they were, where they came from, and where
they were going — and he told her. Then she counseled him that when
he awoke in the morning, he should beat them without mercy.
So, when he arose in the morning, he took a large crab-tree cudgel, and
went down into the dungeon to them. He began to berate them as if
they were dogs — even though they never gave him any reason for
doing so.
Then he fell upon them, and beat them mercilessly with the cudgel —
and in such a way that they were not able to defend themselves or
escape the Giant's clutches.
This done, he withdrew and left them there to commiserate their
wretchedness, and to mourn over their distress. So all that day they
spent the time in nothing but sighs and bitter lamentations.
The next night, Diffidence, talking further with her husband about the
Pilgrims, and finding out that they were still alive — told him to advise
them to kill themselves.
So when morning came, he went to them in the same surly manner as
before. Perceiving them to be in much pain because of the beating that
he had given them the day before — he told them that since they were
never going to get out of that dungeon — the best thing for them would
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