Bible Stories and Religious ClassicsWells, Philip P. (Philip Patterson)
Religion
Bible Stories and Religious Classics
Wells, Philip P. (Philip Patterson)
Bible stories, English -- Juvenile literature; Christian literature for children
And as, in other fairs of less moment, there are the several rows and
streets under their proper names, where such and such wares are vended:
so here likewise you have the proper places, rows, streets, namely,
countries and kingdoms, where the wares of this fair are soonest to be
found. Here is the Britain Row, the French Row, the Italian Row, the
Spanish Row, the German Row, where several sorts of vanities are to be
sold. But as in other fairs some one commodity is as the chief of all
the fair, so the ware of Rome and her merchandise is greatly promoted in
this fair; only our English nation, with some others, have taken a
dislike thereat.
Now, as I said, the way to the Celestial City lies just through this
town where this lusty fair is kept; and he that would go to the city,
and yet not go through this town, "must needs go out of the world." The
Prince of princes himself, when here, went through this town to his own
country, and that upon a fair-day, too; yea, and as I think, it was
Beelzebub, the chief lord of this fair, that invited him to buy of his
vanities, yea, would have made him lord of the fair, would he but have
done him reverence as he went through the town. Yea, because he was such
a person of honor Beelzebub had him from street to street, and showed
him all the kingdoms of the world in a little time, that he might, if
possible, allure that Blessed One to cheapen and buy some of his
vanities; but he had no mind to the merchandise, and therefore left the
town without laying out so much as one farthing upon these vanities.
This fair, therefore, is an ancient thing of long standing, and a very
great fair.
Now these pilgrims, as I said, must needs go through this fair. Well, so
they did; but, behold, even as they entered into the fair, all the
people in the fair were moved, and the town itself, as it were, in a
hubbub about them, and that for several reasons: For,
First, The pilgrims were clothed with such kind of raiment as was
diverse from the raiment of any that traded in that fair. The people,
therefore, of the fair made a great gazing upon them; some said they
were fools; some they were bedlams; and some they were outlandish men.
Secondly, And as they wondered at their apparel, so they did likewise at
their speech; for few could understand what they said. They naturally
spoke the language of Canaan; but they that kept the fair were the men
of this world. So that from one end of the fair to the other they seemed
barbarians each to the other.
Thirdly, But that which did not a little amuse the merchandisers was,
that these pilgrims set very light by all their wares. They cared not so
much as to look upon them; and if they called upon them to buy, they
would put their fingers in their ears, and cry, "Turn away mine eyes
from beholding vanity," and look upward, signifying that their trade and
traffic was in heaven.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account