The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan Every Child Can ReadBunyan, John
Religion
The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan Every Child Can Read
Bunyan, John
Christian life -- Juvenile literature; Christian pilgrims and pilgrimages -- Juvenile literature
And, as in other fairs of less moment there are 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 are 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 goods are greatly promoted in this
fair; only our English nation, with some others, have taken 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 ask for 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 garments as were
different 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 store-keepers 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 upwards, signifying that their trade
and traffic were in heaven.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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