"As for the inconsiderableness Of things, by which I do my mind express, Works, vol. ii. p. 955. He said all this better, as well as more briefly, when he exclaimed on one occasion, "Bear with my plainness when I speak against sin:-I would strike it through with every word, because, else, it will strike us through with many sorrows."— Works, vol. iv., p. 2118. critic! I am not apologizing for Bunyan, but merely explaining, in these remarks upon his style. Let his style be criticised, even in my pages, where its peculiarities abound; and, alas, for the He will be pitied, however Bunyan may be blamed. D'Aubigné's apology for Luther will be verified by readers;"We must accustom ourselves to find him sometimes using expressions too coarsely vituperative for modern taste. It was the custom of the time. But we generally find even in those words which shock our notions of propriety in language, a suitableness and strength which redeem their harshness."-/ Hist. Great Reformation, vol. i., p. 316 CHAPTER XXXVI. BUNYAN'S CHURCH PERSECUTED. 1670. THE chief persecution of his own friends, Bunyan himself has nowhere told, so far as I am aware; although his anecdotes of local Informers are very explicit. In 1670, however, his people were much harassed by mean Informers, and meaner Magistrates, overstraining the Conventicle Act,-if that be possible. That Act was revived in 1669, with new clauses, and received the royal assent in April, 1670. Neal says of it, "The wit of man could hardly invent anything, short of capital punishment, more cruel or inhuman." This is true; and therefore Neal ought not to have expressed any wonder that either Charles II. or his conclave, should have agreed to it. Both would have agreed to anything hostile to Nonconformity, which public opinion would have allowed them to perpetrate; —the King, from reckless levity; and the Court, from reckless revenge. Even the Parliament joined issue with them, and introduced a clause into the Conventicle Act, "that if any dis pute should arise in regard to the interpretation of any part of the act, the Judges should always explain the doubt in the sense least favorable to conventicles; it being the intention of Parliament entirely to suppress them." Hume himself says of this clause, that the Commons "violated the plainest and most established maxims of civil policy,—which require that, in all criminal prosecutions, favor should always be given to the prisoner."-Hume, vol. vii., p. 457. In the space of one month, this Act began to be enforced upon Bunyan's friends, "in and near the town of Bedford,” while he himself was a prisoner in Bedford jail. This appears from a Narrative published that very year. I have the original before me, which bears date 1670. It has long been a rare Pamphlet, and borne a rare price, although extending only to fifteen pages. The noble conduct of the sufferers, and even of the mob, as evinced in the following extracts, will be the more intelligible, by the reader bearing in mind, that Bunyan was present at all the church-meetings of his flock that year. This appears from the Church-book, at Bedford. And it is well known, that the Jailor gave him great liberties. The people were thus both counseled and encouraged by him, to take "joyfully the spoiling of their goods." They had met for worship on Sabbath, at the house of "one John Fen, a Haberdasher of Hats;" when two Apparitors obtained a warrant from Justice Foster, to enter the house, and arrest them. Accordingly, these officials of the spiritual Court, West and Feckham, forced them before the magistrate; who fined them all, and committed the preacher to prison. Thus Foster's work ended for that day. Next day, however, he had to fine both a Churchwarden and a Constable five pounds each, for refusing to assist the spiritual functionaries in distraining the goods of their noncomformist neighbors.-P. 4. Still, the game was only beginning. Battison, another Churchwarden, tried to levy a fine of ten pounds upon a Maltster; but none of the Constables would help to break open the door of the Malt-house. The mob also tied a cow's tail to his back; and so hooted and hallooed him, that he was glad to leave Bardolf, the maltster, for a time. He was not much more successful at Covington's, the Grocer, where he had only to distrain for five shillings. Battison him self had to seize a brass kettle; for none of the officers would distrain. Indeed, the worthy Warden had to wait "two hours," before sixpence would bribe a boy to carry the kettle to his Inn. Even when it reached the Inn, neither Master nor Servants would allow it to enter the yard; but set it out in the street; and there it stood, until an overseer caused a beggar woman to carry it away at night.-P. 4. Thus ended another day of the spiritual Court's crusade at Bedford: a brass kettle was all the spoil! Next day, however, their worships, the Justices, "understanding how Battison was discouraged in his work by the backwardness of the other officers, and the open discountenance of the other people, commanded the doors to be broken open, and to levy the distresses; and promised to bear them harmless. Immediately old Battison. with a file of soldiers, in the middle of market-time, advanced again to the Malt-house, and breaks open the doors: but not without long time and trouble; all the people refusing to lend either bars or hammers. Fourteen quarters of Malt were distrained: but it was night before he could carry them away; for although the market-place was thronged with Porters, yet none of them would assist. They left their fares; some of them saying, 'they would be hung, drawn, and quartered, before they would assist in that work.' For which cause the Justices committed two of them (all they could catch) to the jail." So ended the second crusade of the spiritual Court! "Next day, being Lord's Day, the fines were doubled upon the Meeters, by another warrant from Foster," and the Meeters were forced into the Swan Inn, where they were kept from "ten of the clock in the morning, till four of the clock in the afternoon." Then their names were taken by the Justices, and themselves set at liberty. "Next morning Mr. Foster, the Justice (he was also the Commissary's deputy), appears early in the streets, with old Battison and the two Apparitors, a file of soldiers, and some constables, to see the fines levied upon the Meeters' goods." He sent also for many of the Tradesmen to assist him in his holy war: but, Lo, "most of the tradesmen, journeymen, laborers and servants" had either left the town or hid themselves, to avoid his call. The worthy deputy found the Town "so thin of people, that it looked more like a country village than a Corporation; and the shops being generally shut down, it seemed like a place visited with the Pest, where usually is written upon the door, Lord have mercy upon us.'"-P. 6. It was, remember, BUNYAN's flock, which had this mighty influence upon their neighbors. Bedford thought, and rightly, that it was discredit enough for the town, to have Bunyan himself in prison. Foster's first attempt was at a Cutler's: but the house being "visited with small-pox, the officers declined entering." From hence he went to a Shoemaker's; and, besides levying for five shillings, imposed another fine of one shilling, because Crispin would not say whether or not he "had been at Church the day before." Then a Heel-Maker was deprived of three carts' load of heel and last wood; of more value than any of his household goods. This was taken, to pay a fine of two pounds. Next a Tanner had his "best wearing coat distrained by the immediate order of Mr. Foster," for a fine of five shillings incurred, not by himself, but by his "better half." Then the Blacksmith lost all his anvils, as well as many locks and shovels, and would have had his "forge-bellows pulled down, if Battison's itch for better prices in other places" had not called him off. The Thermopyla of this grand field day, to Foster, was at the Pipe-Maker's. There they "hastened;" for Thomas Arthur had six pounds to pay. Incorrigible Bunyanite,—the Pipe-Maker locked all his doors in the face of the functionaries of the spiritual Court! What Deputy of a Commissary could brook such |