Chr. Are you a married man ?

THE WIFE AND
KINDRED OF

By-ends. Yes; and my wife is a very virtuous woman, the daughter of a virBY-ENDS. tuous woman; she was my Lady Feigning's daughter; therefore she came of a very honourable family, and is arrived to such a pitch of breeding, that she knows how to carry it to all, even to Prince and peasant. "Tis true, we somewhat differ in religion from those of the OTHERS IN RE- stricter sort; yet but in two small points, First, We never strive against wind and tide. Secondly, We are always most zealous when Religion goes in his silver slippers: we love much to walk with him in the street, if the sun shines, and the people applaud him.

WHERE BY-ENDS
DIFFERS FROM

LIGION.

Then Christian stepped a little aside to his fellow Hopeful, saying, It runs in my mind, that this is one By-ends of Fair-speech; and, if it be he, we have as very a knave in our company as dwelleth in all these parts. Then said Hopeful, Ask him; methinks he should not be ashamed of his name. So Christian came up with him again, and said, Sir, you talk as if you knew something more than all the world doth; and if I take not my mark amiss, I deem I have half a guess you; is not your name Mr. By-ends of Fair-speech? By-ends. This is not my name; but indeed it is a nickname that is given me by some that cannot abide me; and I must be content to bear it as a reproach, as other good men have borne theirs before me.

of

Chr. But did you never give an occasion to men call you by this name?

HOW BY-ENDS

By-ends. Never, never! The worst GOT HIS NAME. that ever I did to give them an occasion

to give me this name was, that I had always the luck to jump in my judgment with the present way of t times, whatever it was, and my chance was to get thereby; but if things are thus cast upon me, let me count them a blessing; but let not the malicious load me therefore with reproach.

Chr. I thought, indeed, that you were the man that I heard of; and, to tell you what I think, I fear this name belongs to you more properly than you are willing we should think it doth.

By-ends. Well, if you will thus imagine, I cannot help it. You shall find me a fair company-keeper, if you will still admit me your associate.

HE DESIRES TO
KEEP COMPANY

WITH REASON.

Chr. If you will go with us, you must go against wind and tide; the which, I perceive, is against your opinion you must also own Religion in his rags, as well as when in his silver slippers; and stand by him too when bound in irons, as well as when he walketh the streets with applause.

By-ends. You must not impose nor lord it over my faith; leave me to my liberty, and let me go with you. Chr. Not a step farther, unless you will do, in what I propound, as we.

Then said By-ends, I shall never desert my old principles, since they are harmless and profitable. If I may not go with you, I must do as I BY-ENDS AND did before you overtook me, even go by THEY PART. myself, until some overtake me that will be

my company.

glad of

Now I saw in my dream, that Christian and Hopeful forsook him, and kept their distance before him;

HE HAS NEW
COMPANIONS.

but one of them looking back saw three men following Mr. By-ends; and behold, as they came up with him, he made them a very low congée, and they also gave him a compliment. The men's names were, Mr. Hold-the-world, Mr. Moneylove, and Mr. Save-all; men that Mr. By-ends had formerly been acquainted with; for, in their minority, they were schoolfellows, and were taught by one Mr. Gripeman, a schoolmaster in Love-gain, which is a market-town in the county of Coveting, in the north. This schoolmaster taught them the art of getting, either by violence, cozenage, flattery, lying, or by putting on a guise of religion; and these four gentlemen had attained much of the art of their master, so that they could each of them have kept such a school themselves.

Well, when they had, as I said, thus saluted each other, Mr. Money-love said to Mr. By-ends, Who are they upon the road before us? for Christian and Hopeful were yet within view.

BY-ENDS' CHARACTER

By-ends. They are a couple of OF THE PILGRIMS. far countrymen that, after their mode, are going on pilgrimage.

Money-love. Alas! why did they not stay, that we might have had their good company; for they, and we, and you, Sir, I hope, are all going on a pilgrimage.

By-ends. We are so indeed; but the men before us are so rigid, and love so much their own notions, and do also so lightly esteem the opinions of others, that let a man be never so godly, yet, if he jumps not with them in all things, they thrust him quite out of their company.

Mr. Save-all. That's bad: but we read of some that are righteous overmuch; and such men's rigidness prevails with them to judge and condemn all but themselves. But, I pray, what and how many were the things wherein you differed?

By-ends. Why, they, after their headstrong manner, conclude that it is duty to rush on their journey all weathers, and I am for waiting for wind and tide. They are for hazarding all for God at a clap, and I am for taking all advantages to secure my life and estate. They are for holding their notions, though all other men be against them; but I am for religion, in what and so far as the times and my safety will bear it. They are for religion when in rags and contempt; but I am for him when he walks in his silver slippers, in the sunshine, and with applause.

Mr. Hold-the-world. Ay, and hold you there still, good Mr. By-ends! for, for my part, I can count him but a fool that, having the liberty to keep what he has, shall be so unwise to lose it. Let us be wise as serpents; it's best to make hay while the sun shines; you see how the bee lieth still all winter, and bestirs her only when she can have profit with pleasure. God sends sometimes rain, and sometimes sunshine; if they be such fools to go through the first, yet let us be content to take fair weather along with us. For my part, I like that religion best that will stand with the security of God's good blessings unto us; for who can imagine, that is ruled by his reason, since God has bestowed upon us the good things of this life, but that he would have us keep them for his sake? Abraham and Solomon grew rich in religion; and Job

says, that a good man "shall lay up gold as dust." But he must not be such as the men before us, if they be as you have described them.

Mr. Save-all. I think that we are all agreed in this matter, and therefore there needs no more words about it.

Mr. Money-love. No, there needs no more words about this matter indeed; for he that believes neither scripture nor reason (and you see we have both on our side), neither knows his own liberty, nor seeks his own safety.

Mr. By-ends. My brethren, we are, as you see, going all on pilgrimage, and, for our better diversion from things that are bad, give me leave to propound unto you this question :

Suppose a man, a minister or a tradesman, &c. should have an advantage lie before him to get the good blessings of this life, yet so as that he can by no means come by them, except, in appearance at least, he becomes extraordinary zealous in some points of religion that he meddled not with before: may he not use this means to attain his end, and yet be a right honest man?

Mr. Money-love. I see the bottom of your question; and, with these gentlemen's good leave, I will endeavour to shape you an answer. And first, to speak to your question, as it concerneth a minister himself: Suppose a minister, a worthy man, possessed but of a very small benefice, and has in his eye a greater, more fat and plump by far; he has also now an opportunity of getting it, yet so as by being more studious, by preaching more frequently and zealously, and because