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terminated in 1672, it was probably published before his release, or at latest immediately after it. The earliest with which Mr. Major has been able to supply me, either by means of his own diligent enquiries, or the kindness of his friends, is that "eighth e-di-ti-on" so humorously introduced by Gay, and printed, not for Ni-cho-las * Bod-ding-ton, but for Nathanael Ponder, at the Peacock in the Poultrey, near the Church, 1682; for whom also the ninth was published in 1684, and the tenth in 1685. All these no doubt were large impressions.

66

This noted eighth edition is "with additions;" but there is no reason to suppose that they were new ones, never made before," for the ninth and tenth bear the same promise and contain no alteration whatever. One passage of considerable length was added after the second edition,—the whole scene between Mr. By-Ends and his three friends, and their subsequent discourse with Christian and Faithful. It appears to have been written with reference to some particular case; and in Bunyan's circle, the name of the person intended was probably well known. Perhaps it was first inserted in the fourth impression " which had many additions more than any preceding:" this is stated in an advertisement on the back of the frontispiece to the eighth: where it is also said "the publisher observing that many persons desired to have it illustrated with pictures, hath endeavoured to gratify them therein and besides those that are ordinarily printed to the fifth impression, hath provided thirteen copper cuts curiously engraven for such as desire them." This notice is repeated in the next edition, with this alteration, that the seventh instead of the fourth is named as having the additions, and the 8th. as that which had the ordinary prints. I can only say with certainty that no additions have been made subsequently to the eighth, and no other alterations than such verbal ones as an Editor has sometimes thought proper to

This immortal name appears to the sixth edition of the second part," printed for Robert Ponder, and sold by Nicholas Boddington in Duck-Lane, 1693."

f

make, or as creep into all books which are reprinted without a careful collation of the text.

The rapidity with which these editions succeeded one another, and the demand for pictures to illustrate them, are not the only proofs of the popularity which the Pilgrim's Progress obtained, before the second part was published. In the verses prefixed to that part Bunyan complains of dishonest imitators.

some have of late to counterfeit My Pilgrim, to their own, my

title set

t;

Yea others, half my name, and title too,

Have stitched to their books, to make them do.

Only one of these has fallen in my way,- for it is by accident only that books of this perishable kind, which have no merit of their own to preserve them, are to be met with: and this though entitled "the Second part of the Pilgrim's Progress" has no other relation to the first than in it's title,

* "from this present world of Wickedness and Misery, to an Eternity of Holiness and Felicity, exactly described under the similitude of a dream, relating the manner and occasion of his setting out from, and difficult and dangerous journey through the world, and safe arrival at last to Eternal Happiness.

66 They were Strangers and Pilgrims on Earth, but they desired a better Country, that is an Heavenly. Hebrews xi. 13. 16.

"Let us lay aside every weight, and the Sin that doth so easily beset us, and run with patience the race that is set before us. Hebrews xii. 1.

London, printed for Thomas Malthus, at the Sun, in the Poultry. 1683.

The Author who signs himself T. S. dedicates this book " to Him that is higher than the Highest; the Almighty and everlasting Jehovah, who is the terror and confusion of the hardened and impenitent world, and the hope and happiness of all converted and returning sinners." At the conclusion is an Apology for his Book, wherein he says that the hope of delivering plain truth in a familiar manner which should at the same time satisfy the judicious and yet be understood by the meanest capacities and the most illiterate persons, was the motive" which put the author of the First Part of the Pilgrim's Progress upon composing and publishing that necessary and useful tract, which hath deservedly obtained such an universal esteem and commendation. And this consideration likewise, together with the importunity of others, was the motive that prevailed with me to compose and publish the following meditations in such a method as might serve as a supplement, or a second part to it: wherein I have endeavoured to supply a fourfold defect, which, I observe, the brevity of that discourse necessitated the author into: First there is nothing said of the State of Man in his first creation;

which was probably a trick of the publishers. These interlopers may very likely have given Bunyan an additional inducement to prepare a second part himself. It appeared in 1684 with this notice on the back of the title page; "I appoint Mr. Nathaniel Ponder, but no other to print this book, John Bunyan, January 1, 1684." No additions or alterations were made in this part, though the author lived more than four years after its publication.

A collation of the first part with the earliest attainable copies has enabled me in many places to restore good old vernacular English which had been injudiciously altered, or carelessly corrupted. This has also been done in the second part; but there I had the first edition before me, and this it is evident had not been inspected either in manuscript or while passing through the press, by any person capable of correcting it. It is plain that Bunyan had willingly availed himself of such corrections in the first part; and therefore it would have been improper to have restored a certain vulgarism

nor secondly of the misery of Man in his lapsed estate, before conversion: thirdly, a too brief passing over the methods of divine goodness in the convincing, converting and reconciling of sinners to himself and fourthly, I have endeavoured to deliver the whole in such serious and spiritual phrases that may prevent that lightness and laughter, which the reading some passages therein occasions in some vain and frothy minds. And now that it may answer my design, and be universally useful, I commend both it and thee to the blessing of Him, whose wisdom and power, grace and goodness, it is that is only able to make it so. And withal I heartily wish, that what hath been formally proposed by some well-minded persons, might be more generally and universally practised, viz. the giving of books of this nature at funerals, instead of rings, gloves, wine, or biscuit; assuring myself that reading, meditation, and several holy and heavenly discourses which may probably be raised upon the occasion of such presents as these, would mightily tend to the making people serious; and furnish not only the person who discourses, but the rest who are present, and who would otherwise be employing their thoughts and tongues too, in such foolish, vain and frothy discourse, as is too too commonly used at such times, with such frames of spirits as may be suitable to the greatness and solemnity of that occasion which then calls them together.— Amongst those few who have practised this, abundance of good hath been observed to have been done by that means; and who knows, were it more generally used and become a custom amongst us at our burials what good might be effected thereby?"

* of diction in the second, which the Editor of the folio edition had amended. Had it not been for this consideration, I should perhaps have restored his own text. For Bunyan was confident in his own powers of expression; he says -thine only way

Before them all, is to say out thy say

In thine own native language, which no man

Now useth, nor with ease dissemble can.

And he might well be confident in it. His is a homespun style, not a manufactured one: and what a difference is there between its homeliness, and the flippant vulgarity of the Roger L'Estrange† and Tom Brown school! If it is not a well of English undefiled to which the poet as well as the philologist must repair, if they would drink of the living waters, it is a clear stream of current English,—the vernacular speech of his age, sometimes indeed in its rusticity and coarseness, but always in its plainness and its strength. To this natural style Bunyan is in some degree beholden for his general popularity;-his language is every where level to the most ignorant reader, and to the meanest capacity: there is a homely reality about it; a nursery tale is not more intelligible, in it's manner of narration, to a child. Another cause of his popularity is, that he taxes the imagination as little as the understanding. The vividness of his own, which, as his history shows, sometimes could not distinguish ideal impressions from actual ones, occasioned this. He saw the things of which he was writing, as distinctly with his mind's eye as if they were indeed passing before him in a dream. And the reader perhaps sees them more satisfactorily to himself, because the outline only of the picture is presented to him, and the author

• The vulgarism alluded to consists in the almost uniform use of a for have, -never marked as a contraction, e-g- might a made me take heed,—like to a been smothered.

+ Let me not be understood as passing an indiscriminate censure upon Sir Roger L'Estrange's stile. No better specimens of idiomatic English are to be found than in some of his writings; but no baser corruptions and vilifications than in some of his translations. I suspect that he was led into this fault by the desire of avoiding the opposite one into which his father had been betrayed.

having made no attempt to fill up the details every reader supplies them according to the measure and scope of his own intellectual and imaginative powers.

When Bunyan's success had raised a brood of imitators, he was accused of being an imitator himself. He replied to this charge in some of his most characteristic rhymes, which were prefixed to his Holy War, as an Advertisement to the Reader.

Some say the Pilgrim's Progress is not mine,
Insinuating as if I would shine

In name and fame by the worth of another,
Like some made rich by robbing of their brother.

Or that so fond I am of being Sire,
I'll father bastards; or if need require,
I'll tell a lye in print, to get applause.

I scorn it; John such dirt-heap never was
Since God converted him. Let this suffice
To shew why I my Pilgrim patronize.

It came from mine own heart, so to my head,
And thence into my fingers trickled;
Then to my pen, from whence immediately
On paper I did dribble it daintily.

Manner and matter too was all mine own;

Nor was it unto any mortal known,

Till I had done it. Nor did any then

By books, by wits, by tongues, or hand, or pen,
Add five words to it, or wrote half a line

Thereof the whole and every whit is mine.

:

Also for This thine eye is now upon,

The matter in this manner came from none
But the same heart and head, fingers and pen
As did the other. Witness all good men,
For none in all the world without a lye,
Can say that" this is mine," excepting I.

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