Evangelist's exhortations.

105

troubles they shall

meet with in Vanity Fair, and encou

rageth them to stedfastness.

rather, for that they well knew that he was a prophet, and could tell them of things that might happen unto them, and also how they might resist and overcome them. To which request Faithful also consented. So Evangelist began as followeth. EVAN. My sons, you have heard in the word of the truth of the gospel, that you must He predicteth what "through many tribulations enter into the kingdom of heaven;" and again, that" in every city, bonds and afflictions abide you ;" and therefore you cannot expect that you should go long on your pilgrimage without them, in some sort or other. You have found something of the truth of these testimonies upon you already, and more will immediately follow; for now, as you see, you are almost out of this wilderness, and therefore you will soon come into a town that you will by and by see before you; and in that town you will be hardly beset with enemies, who will strain hard but they will kill you; and be you sure that one or both of you must seal the testimony which you hold with blood; but “be you faithful unto death, and the King will give you a crown of life." He that shall die there, although his death will be unnatural, and his pains, perhaps, great, he will yet have the better of his fellow; not only because he will be arrived at the celestial city soonest, but because he will escape many miseries that the other will meet with in the rest of his journey. But when you are come to the town, and shall find fulfilled what I have here related, then remember your friend, and quit yourselves like men, and “commit the keeping of your souls to God in well-doing, as unto a faithful Creator."

He whose lot it will be there to suffer, wil

have the better of his

brother.

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Vanity Fair.

Then I saw in my dream, that when they were got out of the wilderness, they presently saw a town before them, and the name of that town is Vanity; and at the town there is a fair kept, called Vanity Fair. It is kept all the year long. It beareth the name of Vanity Fair, because the town where it is kept, is lighter than vanity, Psa. Ixii. 9. and also, because all that is there sold, or that cometh thither, is vanity, as is the saying of the wise, "All that cometh is vanity," Eccl. xi. 8. see also i. 2—14. ii. 11-17. Isa. xl. 17.

66

This fair is no new-erected business, but a thing The antiquity of of ancient standing. I will show you the original of it.

this fair.

Almost five thousand years ago, there were pilgrims walking to the celestial city, as these two honest persons are; and Beelzebub, Apollyon, and Legion, with their companions, perceiving by the path that the pilgrims made, that their way to the city lay through this town of Vanity, they contrived here to set up a fair; a fair wherein should be sold all sorts of vanity, and that it should last all the The merchandize year long. Therefore at this fair are all such merchandize sold as houses, lands, trades, places, honours, preferments, titles, countries, kingdoms, lusts, pleasures; and delights of all sorts, as harlots, wives, husbands, children masters, servants, lives, blood, bodies, souls, silver gold, pearls, precious stones, and what not.

of this fair.

And moreover, at this fair there is at all times to be seen jugglings, cheats, games, plays, fools, apes, knaves, and rogues, and that of every kind.

Here are to be seen, too, and that for nothing, thefts, murders, adulteries, false swearers, and that of a blood-red colour.

Vanity Fair.

107

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

The streets of this

Italian Row, the Spanish Row, the fair. 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 merchandize is greatly promoted in this fair; only our English nation, with some others, have taken a dislike thereat.

went

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, 66 I must needs go out of the world,” 1 Cor. v. 10. The Prince of princes Christ himself, when here, went through this through this fair. town to his own country, and that upon a fairday 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 honour, 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 Christ bought nomind to the merchandize, and, there- thing in this fair. fore, left the town without laying out so much as one farthing upon these vanities, Matt. iv. 8-10. Luke iv. 5-8. This fair, therefore, is

108

Hubbub at the Pilgrims in the fair.

an ancient thing of long standing, and a very great fair.

The pilgrims enter

the 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 fair in a hub- the town itself, as it were, in a hubbub about them, and that for several

bub about them.

reasons: For,

The first cause of the hubbub.

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, Job xii. 4. 1 Cor. iv. 9.

of the hubbub.

Secondly, And as they wondered at their appaThe second cause rel, 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, 1 Cor. ii. 7, 8.

Third cause of the hubbub.

and

Thirdly, But that which did not a little amuse the merchandizers was, that these pilgrims set very light by all their wares. They cared not so much as to look upon them; if they called upon them to buy, they would put their fingers in their ears, and cry, "Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity," Psa. cxix. 37. and look upwards, signifying that their trade and traffic was in heaven, Phil. iii. 20, 21.

One chanced mockingly, beholding the carriage of the men, to say unto them, "What will ye buy?"

The Pilgrims put into the cage.

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They are mocked.

But they, looking gravely upon him, said, “ We buy the truth," Prov. xxiii. 23. At Fourth cause of that, there was an occasion taken to the hubbub. despise the men the more; some mocking, some taunting, some speaking reproachfully, and some calling upon others to smite them. At last things came to a hubbub, and great stir in the fair, insomuch that all order was confounded. Now was word presently brought to the great one of the fair, who quickly came down, and deputed some of his most trusty friends to take those men into examination, about whom the fair was almost overturned. So the men were brought to examination; and they that sat upon them asked whence they came, whither they went, and what they did there in such an unusual garb. The men told them

They are examined.

They tell who they

came.

that they were pilgrims and strangers are, and whence they in the world, and that they were going to their own country, which was the heavenly Jerusalem, Heb. xi. 13-16. and that they had given no occasion to the men of the town, nor yet to the merchandizers, thus to abuse them, and to let them in their journey, except it was for that, when one asked them what they would buy, they said they would buy the truth. But they that were appointed to examine them, did lieved not believe them to be any other than bedlams and mad, or else such as came to put all things into a confusion in the fair. Therefore they They are put in the took them and beat them, and be- cage.

They are not be

smeared them with dirt, and then put them into the cage, that they might be made a spectacle to all the men of the fair. There, therefore, they lay for some time, and were made the

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