"Tis strange to me, that they that love to tell
Things done of old, yea, and that do excel
Their equals in historiology,

Speak not of Mansoul's wars, but let them lie
Dead, like old fables, or such worthless things,
That to the reader no advantage brings:

When men, let them make what they will their own,
Till they know this, are to themselves unknown.

Of stories I well know there 's divers sorts,
Some foreign, some domestic; and reports
Are thereof made, as fancy leads the writers;
By books a man may guess at the inditers.

Some will again of that which never was,
Nor will be, feign, and that without a cause,
Such matter, raise such mountains, tell such things
Of men, of laws, of countries, and of kings:
And in their story seem to be so sage,
And with such gravity clothe ev'ry page,
That though their frontispiece say all is vain,
Yet to their way disciples they obtain.'

But, readers, I have somewhat else to do,

True Christians.

The Scriptures.

Than with vain stories thus to trouble you; What here I say, some men do know so well, They can with tears and joy the story tell. The town of Mansoul is well known to many, Nor are her troubles doubted of by any That are acquainted with those histories That Mansoul, and her wars, anatomize. Then lend thine ear to what I do relate Touching the town of Mansoul and her state, How she was lost, took captive, made a slave; And how against him set, that should her save. Yea, how by hostile ways, she did oppose Her Lord, and with his enemy did close. For they are true; he that will them deny Must needs the best of records vilify. For my part, I (myself) was in the town, Both when 'twas set up, and when pulling down, I saw Diabolus in his possession, And Mansoul also under his oppression. Yea, I was there when she own'd him for lord, And to him did submit with one accord.

1 Very few persons can imagine what trumpery trash was circulated by hawkers and chapmen in Bunyan's time, and even to the period when the Tract Society was established. Lying wonders and lewd stories were eagerly read, to the destruction of millions. Thanks to the piety of Sunday-school teachers, their supplications were heard, and our youth, when taught to read, are now supplied with nutritious literary food, by the aid of that invaluable society.-(ED.)

I saw the battering rams, and how they play'd," To beat ope Ear-gate, and I was afraid Not only Ear-gate, but the very town, Would by those battering rams be beaten down. I saw the fights, and heard the captains shout, And each in battle saw who faced about;

I saw who wounded were, and who were slain; Lusts. And who, when dead, would come to life again.

I heard the cries of those that wounded were, While others fought like men bereft of fear, And while the cry, Kill, kill, was in mine ears, The gutters ran, not so with blood as tears.

Indeed, the captains did not always fight, But then they would molest us day and night;

2 Bunyan, in his Grace Abounding, No. 4, thus records that awful period of his experience-'It was my delight to be taken captive by the devil at his will.' In 1752, and even in Burder's edition, the line is strangely altered to

'Then I was there, and grieved for to see.'-(ED.)

3 Terms much used by writers in Bunyan's time, meaning. as stated in the margin, 'her soul.'-ED.

4 The battering rams' are the books of Holy Scripture; see margin, p. 286.-(Ed.)

Their cry, Up, fall on, let us take the town,
Kept us from sleeping, or from lying down.

I was there when the gates were broken ope,
And saw how Mansoul then was stript of hope.'
I saw the captains march into the town,

How there they fought, and did their foes cut down.
I heard the prince bid Boanerges go

Up to the castle, and there seize his foe,
And saw him and his fellows bring him down

In chains of great contempt quite through the town.
I saw Emmanuel when he possest

His town of Mansoul, and how greatly blest
A town, his gallant town of Mansoul was,
When she received his pardon, lived his laws!
When the Diabolonians were caught,
When tried, and when to execution brought,
Then I was there; yea, I was standing by
When Mansoul did the rebels crucify.

I also saw Mansoul clad all in white,
And heard her prince call her his heart's delight.
I saw him put upon her chains of gold,
And rings, and bracelets, goodly to behold.

What shall I say?—I heard the people's cries, And saw the prince wipe tears from Mansoul's

eyes.

I heard the groans, and saw the joy of
many:
Tell you of all, I neither will, nor can I.
But by what here I say, you well may see
That Mansoul's matchless wars no fables be.
Mansoul! the desire of both princes was,
One keep his gain would, t'other gain his loss;
Diabolus would cry, The town is mine;
Emmanuel would plead a right Divine
Unto his Mansoul; then to blows they go,
And Mansoul cries, These wars will me undo.
Mansoul! her wars seem'd endless in her
She's lost by one, becomes another's prize.
And he again that lost her last would swear,
Have her I will, or her in pieces tear.

Mansoul, it was the very seat of war,
Wherefore her troubles greater were by far,
Than only where the noise of war is heard,
Or where the shaking of a sword is fear'd,
Or only where small skirmishes are fought,
Or where the fancy fighteth with a thought.

eyes,

1 'I felt such a clogging and heat at my stomach, by reason of my terrors, that I was, especially at some times, as if my breast-bone would split asunder.'-(Grace Abounding, No.164.) 2 The death of the body, or loss of a limb, is as nothing compared with the eternal loss of a never-dying soul.-(ED.) 3 This line, in the first edition, is at the bottom of a page. In many copies, viz., in that of 1752, printed both at London and at Glasgow; that with Mason's notes, 1782; and that with Adam's notes, 1795, &c., this line is omitted, and one inserted to make up the rhyme

"They are the only men that have science.'

She saw the swords of fighting men made red, And heard the cries of those with them wounded; Must not her frights then be much more by far, Than theirs that to such doings strangers are? Or theirs that hear the beating of a drum, But not made fly for fear from house and home? Mansoul not only heard the trumpet sound, But saw her gallants gasping on the ground; Wherefore, we must not think that she could restWith them, whose greatest earnest is but jest: Or where the blust'ring threat'ning of great wars Do end in parleys, or in wording jars.

Mansoul, her mighty wars, they did portend Her weal or woe, and that world without end; Wherefore she must be more concerned than they Whose fears begin and end the self-same day : Or where none other harm doth come to him That is engaged, but loss of life or limb,2 As all must needs confess that now do dwell In Universe, and can this story tell.

Count me not then with them that to amaze
The people, set them on the stars to gaze,
Insinuating with much confidence,

That each of them is now the residence 3
Of some brave creatures; yea, a world they will
Have in each star, though it be past their skill
To make it manifest to any man,
That reason hath, or tell his fingers can.*

But I have too long held thee in the porch,
And kept thee from the sunshine with a torch.
Well, now go forward, step within the door,
And there behold five hundred times much more
Of all sorts of such inward rarities

As please the mind will, and will feed the eyes
With those, which if a Christian, thou wilt see
Not small, but things of greatest moment be.

Nor do thou go to work without my key
(In mysteries men soon do lose their way),
And also turn it right if thou wouldst know
My riddle, and wouldst with my heifer plough.
It lies there in the window, fare thee
well,

My next may be to ring thy passing-bell.

The margent.6

JO. BUNYAN.

It is not surprising that Bunyan wondered at the confidence with which these speculations were published. His knowledge of invisible things was drawn exclusively from the Bible, which is silent upon the subject of a plurality of worlds. He does not say there is no such thing, but that it cannot be demonstrated.-(ED.)

5 Bunyan intended his marginal notes as a key to the text. How strikingly does this illustrate the first page of his 'Pilgrim'-'I lighted on a certain place where was a den;' the margin is a key to show that it was written in the jail. So, in the latter part of the Holy War,' the Diabolonians dashed young children in pieces; the margin explains this to meau 'good and tender thoughts.'-(ED.)

The wall of the town was well built, yea, so fast and firm was it knit and compact together, that had it not been for the townsmen themselves, they could not have been shaken or broken for ever. For here lay the excellent wisdom of him that built Mansoul, that the walls could never be broken down, nor hurt, by the most mighty adverse potentate, unless the townsmen gave consent thereto.

The Body.

This famous town of Mansoul had five gates in at which to come, out at which to go, and these were made likewise answerable to the walls, to wit, impregnable, and such as could never be opened nor forced but by the will and leave of those within. The names of the gates were these, Ear-gate, Eye-gate, MouthThe five senses. gate, Nose-gate, and Feel-gate.1

The state of Mansoul at first.

Other things there were that belonged to the town of Mansoul, which, if you adjoin to these, will yet give further demonstration to all of the glory and strength of the place. It had always a sufficiency of provision within its walls; it had the best, most wholesome, and excellent law that then was extant in the world. There was not a rascal, rogue, or traitorous person then within its walls. They were all true men, and fast joined together; and this, you know, is a great matter. And to all these, it was always-so long as it had the goodness to keep true to Shaddai the king-his countenance, his protection, and it was his delight, &c.

The five senses (see the margin) are the gates to Mansoul. While they were guarded, no enemy could injure the town; now they require a double watch.-(ED.)

AzBohos (Diabolus) is frequently used in the New Testament. It is translated 'a slanderer,' 'an accuser,' and 'adversary; and, in Mat. iv. 1; Re. xii. 9; xx 2, The prince of devils'

It is the same as 1 (Satan), in Hebrew.-(ED.) It must not be supposed that this is a reflection upon the unhappy sons of Africa who had been sold into slavery. The margin is the key to the meaning of the words; blacks or

Well, he seeing himself thus exalted to greatness and honour, and raging in his mind for higher state and degree, what doth he but begins to think with himself how he might be set up as Lord over all, and have the sole power under Shaddai! Now that did the King reserve for his Son, yea, and had already bestowed it upon him. Wherefore he first consults with himself what had best to be done, and then breaks his mind to some other of his companions, to the which they also agreed. So, in fine, they came to this issue, that they should make an attempt upon the King's Son to destroy him, that the inheritance might be theirs. Well, to be short, the treason, as I said, was concluded, the time appointed, the word given, the rebels rendezvoused, and the assault attempted.* Now the King and his Son being ALL and always EYE, could not but discern all passages in his dominions; and he having always love for his Son as for himself, could not, at what he saw, but be greatly provoked and offended; wherefore, what does he, but takes them in the very nick; and, first trip that they made towards their design, convicts them of the treason, horrid rebellion, and conspiracy that they had devised, and now attempted to put into practice; and casts them altogether out of all place of trust, benefit, honour, and preferment. This done, he banishes them the court; turns them down into the horrible pits, as fast bound in chains, never more to expect the least favour from his hands, but to abide the judgment that he had appointed, and that for ever. 2 Pe. ii. 4;

Jude 6.

And yet, now, they being thus cast out of all place of trust, profit, and honour, and also knowing that they had lost their prince's favour for ever, being banished his courts, and cast down to the horrible pits, you may be sure they would now add to their former pride what malice and rage against Shaddai, and against his Son, they could.

negrocs' mean 'sinners, the fallen angels.' Negro slaves were believed to be convicted criminals sold to the whites for trans portation. English convicts were, at that time, sold as slaves to the planters in the West Indies. A man, for merely being a Quaker, was thus sold as a slave in New England. The horrors that were disclosed in this diabolical traffic stamps a demon character upon every slave-dealer or holder. The principal of these are negroes, who steal their fellows; and, like black devils, sell them to the white devils, who hold these poor creatures in slavery.—(ED.)

And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon fought, and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.' Re. ii. 7, 8.