imagination, though he had no books but the Bible, and Foxe's 'Acts and Monuments,' should produce so exquisite a performance as the 'Pilgrim's Progress:' it naturally grew out of the circumstances of his life. The manner in which he relates the steps that led to its composition and publication is so simple, and yet so expressive, that though it is printed with every edition of this work, as the author's apology for it, yet I cannot withhold myself the pleasure of inserting it in this place.

'When at the first I took my pen in hand
Thus for to write, I did not understand
That I at all should make a little book
In such a mode; nay, I had undertook
To make another; which, when almost done,
Before I was aware, I this begun;

And thus it was-I, writing of the way
And race of saints, in this our gospel day,
Fell suddenly into an allegory

About their journey, and the way to glory,
In more than twenty things which I set down :
This done, I twenty more had in my crown;
And they again began to multiply,

Like sparks that from the coals of fire do fly.
Nay, then, thought I, if that you breed so fast,
I'll put you by yourselves, lest you at last
Should prove ad infinitum, and eat out
The book that I already am about.
Well, so I did, but yet I did not think
To show to all the world my pen and ink
In such a mode; I only thought to make
I knew not what; nor did I undertake
Thereby to please my neighbour; no, not I;
I did it mine own self to gratify.

Neither did I but vacant seasons spend
In this my scribble, nor did I intend

But to divert myself, in doing this,

From worser thoughts, which make me do amiss.

Thus I set pen to paper with delight,

And quickly had my thoughts in black and white;
For having now my method by the end,

Still as I pulled, it came; and so I penned
It down; until at last, it came to be,

For length and breadth, the bigness which you see.
Well, when I had thus put my ends together,
I showed them others, that I might see whether
They would condemn them, or them justify;

And some said, Let them live; some, Let them die;
Some said, John, print it; others said, Not so;
Some said it might do good; others said, No.
Now was I in a strait, and did not see
Which was the best thing to be done by me?
At last I thought, Since you are thus divided,
I print it will, and so the case decided.'

"Thus it appears that, concerning this work, which from the excellence of its matter, and from the circumstances in which it was written, has excited universal admiration, the good man was himself obliged to give the casting vote in its favour, and was doubtless charged with vanity by many for publishing it: but he will now be justified, as actuated by the spirit of love and of a sound mind."

We must not omit the beautiful description of the Pilgrim's Progress" by Cowper, in the following beautiful lines:

"O thou, whom, borne on fancy's eager wing
Back to the season of life's happy spring,
I pleased remember, and while memory yet
Holds fast her office here, can ne'er forget;
Ingenious dreamer! in whose well-told tale
Sweet fiction and sweet truth alike prevail;
Whose hum'rous vein, strong sense, and simple style,
May teach the gayest, make the gravest smile;
Witty and well employed, and, like thy Lord,
Speaking in parables his slighted word;

I name thee not, lest so despised a name
Should move a sneer at thy deserved fame;
Yet e'en in transitory life's late day,

That mingles all my brown with sober grey,
Revere the man, whose PILGRIM marks the road,
And guides the PROGRESS of the soul to God."

We have been induced to give so extended a notice of this work, because it is one of those rare and singular productions which will stand alone and unrivalled, probably through every succeeding age; while it will administer instruction, consolation, and give delight to men of every class, from the days of childhood till the moment of descent into the grave. The illiterate tinker of Bedford will be mentioned with thanksgiving to God, when the names of many self-styled philosophers have perished, or are covered with eternal infamy.

In 1672 Mr. Bunyan was discharged from imprisonment. This event is generally ascribed to Dr. Barlow, Bishop of Lincoln. What assistance he afforded may be seen by the following extract from the preface to Dr. Owen's Sermons, page 30, printed at London, 1721. The author observes, that "notwithstanding the Doctor's nonconformity, he had some friends among the bishops, particularly Dr. Wilkins, Bishop of Chester, who was very cordial to him; and Dr. Barlow, bishop of Lincoln, formerly his tutor; who yet, on a special occasion, failed him, when he might have expected the service of his professed friendship.

"The case was this:-Mr. John Bunyan had been confined to a jail twelve years, upon an excommunication for nonconformity. Now there was a law, that if any two persons will go to the bishop of the diocese, and offer a cautionary bond that the prisoner shall

conform in half a year, the bishop may release him upon that bond; whereupon a friend of this poor man desired Dr. Owen to give him his letter to the bishop on his behalf, which he readily granted. The bishop, having read it, told the person that delivered it, that he had a particular kindness for Dr. Owen, and would deny him nothing he could legally do; 'Nay,' says he, 'with my service to him, I will strain a point to serve him.' This was his very expression. 'But,' said he, 'this being a new thing to me, I desire a little time to consider it, and if I can do it, you may be assured of my readiness.' He was waited upon again, about a fortnight after, and his answer was,-'That indeed he was informed he might do it; but the law providing that in case the bishop refused, application should be made to the lord chancellor, who thereupon should issue out an order to the bishop to take the cautionary bond, and release the prisoner,-now,' said he, 'you know what a critical time this is, and I have many enemies; I would desire you to move the lord chancellor in this case, and upon his order I will do it.' To which it was replied,-"This method was very chargeable, and the man was poor, and not able to expend so much money; and being satisfied he could do it legally, it was hoped his lordship would remember his promise, there being no straining a point in the case.' But he would do it upon no other terms, which at last was done,-but little thanks to the bishop."

An attempt has been made to vindicate the character of the bishop from a charge of illiberality in this instance, but there must have been some foundation for the reported interference of Owen with bishop Barlow, as most of the memoirs of Bunyan, as well as those of Owen, take notice of it. It is said that the

doctor was frequently in the practice of hearing Bunyan preach when he came to London; which led Charles II. to express his astonishment that a man of the doctor's learning could hear a tinker preach; to which Dr. Owen is said to have replied, " Had I the tinker's abilities, please your Majesty, I would most gladly relinquish my learning."

Bunyan appears to have been a very popular preacher, and must have had something exceedingly attractive in his address. In the middle of winter he would sometimes have more than twelve hundred hearers, before seven o'clock in the morning of a weekday when he visited the metropolis, one day's notice of his preaching would bring many more than the place of worship could contain. I do not know that anything of the same nature occurred again, till the days of Whitfield and Wesley.* It is most probable that the place where Bunyan exercised his ministry, when in London, was in the old meeting-house in Gravel Lane, Southwark, near the Falcon. Mr. Hanbury says that the meeting was in Zoar Street, Gravel Lane; and Mr. Wilson, that it was in Duke Street, Gravel Lane. We have now no certain information in which place it was; but, wherever it was, his ministry was always exceedingly popular.

A short time after his enlargement, he built a meeting-house at Bedford, by the voluntary contributions of his friends. In the records of the church at Bedford it is said, "August, 1672, the ground on which the meeting-house stands was bought by subscription. And in 1707 the present meeting-house, built by subscription, cost £400, opened in June." As this place will hold nearly a thousand people, it could not have been built, even at that time, for such a sum, had not See Orme's Life of Dr. Owen, 2nd edit., pp. 305, 306.