me!" tradition is current in Bedford, which I do not like; but I cannot disprove it. It is said, that a constable who was about to seize him in Castle-Lane on a dark night, desisted on hearing him say," The devil's in the fellow; what does he want with The constable let him go, under the conviction that John Bunyan would not have used such profane language. There is another version of this story, which is more probable. He was once overtaken when disguised as a waggoner, by a constable, who asked if he knew that devil of a fellow, Bunyan? "Know him!" he replied, "you would be warranted to call him a devil, if you knew him as well as I once did." Neither of these stories, although both are current, seems characteristic. The evasion is not like the man, even if the profanity were justifiable. Not, however, that he was very squeamish about rough words. There are some strange words, in the early editions of the first part of the Pilgrim's Progress. He said once to a Cambridge Scholar, who interrupted him. with some logical subtilties, whilst he was preaching in a barn, "Away with your hellish logic, and speak Scripture." The Cantab replied, "It is blasphemy to call logic hellish; for it is our reason, and thus the gift of God, which distinguisheth man irom a beast." Bunyan's answer was like himself: "SIN distinguisheth a man from a beast. Is sin, therefore, the gift of God?"-Doe's Circular. But in whatever way Bunyin escaped from his pursuers, during the last years of Charles II., he did escape. Doe says, "It pleased the Lord to preserve him out of the hands of his enemies, in the severe persecution at the latter end of King Charles II.'s reign, though they often searched and laid wait for him, and sometimes narrowly missed him."-Ibid. About this time he published "The Life and Death of Mr. Badman;" "A Holy Life, the Beauty of Christianity;" "The Pharisee and Publican;" with some smaller Treatises. I say, published; because Doe's list is no clue to the date of their composition. He, unfortunately, did not inquire of Bunyan how many of his Books were written in prison: or if he did, he paid but little attention to the answer. Hence his account is, "Whilst Bunyan was in prison he wrote several of his published Books, as by many of their Epistles appears, as, "Pray by the Spirit; Holy City; Resurrection, Grace Abounding, and others; also the Pilgrim's Progress, as himself and many others have said."-Doe's Circular. This is very unsatisfactory. The Work out of which the Pilgrim sprang, whichever it may be, was written in prison. The Heavenly Footman is generally (but unwarrantably) supposed to be the germ of that Allegory: but that Work was still in manuscript when Doe wrote his list. I have had, therefore, to judge chiefly by internal evidence, when I have assigned other Books, or passages of them, to the prison. I may thus be occasionally wrong in the case of mere passages and yet, I can hardly be very far wrong; for the smell of a prison is even more distinguishable than "the smell of the lamp," in theology. No one, however, will be so much pleased as myself, by the detection of any anachronisms, if such there be, in this volume. I have had no purpose, which errors can help; and, therefore, have no feelings, which their exposure can hurt. Besides, it is worth while to obtain just views of both the process and progress of the development of Bunyan's mind; for as it waxed, but never waned, all its phases are improvements, and thus lessons which Philosophy should study, and Theology commend. : I cannot conclude my brief account of his Pastorship, better than in the words of an old Elegy on his death: "He in the Pulpit preached Truth first, and then, He in his Practice preached it o'er again." Kilpin's and White's Notes. CHAPTER XLIV. BUNYAN'S BIBLIOGRAPHY. In a work which is designed to illustrate the compositions of Bunyan from every source capable of affording either interest or information,-some bibliographical notices respecting his most famous production appear to be equally natural and appropriate: for though it is certain that little original matter can be communicated respecting the supposed literary prototype of the Pilgrim's Progress, it may be useful to recapitulate, from a variety of sources not commonly consulted, the very strange notions which have been brought forward respecting it; which will be preceded by a few particulars relative to the more remarkable editions of the book. There is probably no one that truly appreciates the character of the Author of the wonderful allegory of the Pilgrim's Progress, who will either require or believe in any other original for that work, than the scripture metaphor that human life, and especially a life of Christian holiness, is a pilgrimage "from this world to that which is to come." The image itself was practically introduced when "the Lord said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from they kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee" (Gen. xii., 1): concerning which call the Apostle adds to the historian, that he obeyed and "went out, not knowing whither he went." (Heb. xi., 8.) Hence Jacob described both his own life and the lives of his progenitors by the very name of a pilgrim's progress, when he said, "The days of the years of my pilgrimage |