THE
PILGRIM'S PROGRESS
JOHN
BUNYAN
Section
6
Evangelist
overtakes Christian and Faithful - Vanity
Fair - the Pilgrims brought to trial - Faithful's martyrdom
THE
TRIAL
Then,
a convenient time being appointed,
they brought them forth to their trial, in order to their condemnation. When
the time was come, they were brought before their enemies and arraigned. The
judge's name was LORD HATEGOOD. Their indictment was one and the same in
substance, though somewhat varying in form; the contents thereof was this:
That
they were enemies to, and disturbers of, their trade; that they had made
commotions and divisions in the town, and had won a party to their own most
dangerous opinions, in contempt of the law of their prince.
Then
FAITHFUL began to answer, that he had only set himself against that which
had set itself against him that is higher than the highest. "And,"
said he, "as for disturbance, I make none, being myself a man of peace;
the parties that were won to us, were won by beholding our truth and
innocence, and they are only turned from the worse to the better. And as to
the king you talk of, since he is BEELZEBUB, the enemy of our' Lord, I defy
him and all his angels."
Then
proclamation was made, that they that had aught to say for their lord the
king against the prisoner at the bar, should forthwith appear and give in
their evidence. So there came in three witnesses: to wit, ENVY,
SUPERSTITION, and PICKTHANK. They were then asked if they knew the prisoner
at the bar? and what they had to say for their lord the king against him?
Envy.
Then stood forth ENVY, and said to this effect: "My lord, I have known
this man a long time; and will attest upon my oath before this honourable
bench, that he is –– "
Lord
Hategood, the Judge.
Hold; give him his oath!
So
they sware him. Then he said, "My lord, this man, notwithstanding his
plausible name, is one of the vilest men in our country; he neither regards
prince nor people, law nor custom; but doth all that he can to possess all
men with certain of his disloyal notions, which he, in the general, calls
principles of faith and holiness. And in particular, I heard him once myself
affirm that Christianity and the customs of our town of
Vanity
were diametrically
opposite, and could not be reconciled. By which saying, my lord, he doth at
once not only condemn all our laudable doings, but us in the doing of
them."
Judge.
Then did the judge say unto him, "Hast thou any more to say?"
Envy.
"My
lord, I could say much more; only I would not be tedious to the court. Yet,
if need be, when the other gentlemen have given in their evidence, rather
than anything shall be wanting that will dispatch him, I will enlarge my
testimony against him." So he was bidden to stand by.
Then
they called SUPERSTITION, and bade him look upon the prisoner; they also
asked what he could say for their lord the king against him? Then they sware
him; so he began:
Superstition.
My lord, I have no great acquaintance with this man; nor do I desire to have
further knowledge of him. However, this I know, that he is a very pestilent
fellow, from some discourse that the other day I had with him in this town;
for then, talking with him, I heard him say that our religion was naught,
and such by which a man could by no means please God; which sayings of his,
my lord, your lordship very well knows what necessarily thence will follow:
to wit, that we still do worship in vain; are yet in our sins: and finally
shall be damned. And this is that which I have to say.
Then
was PICKTHANK sworn, and bid say what he knew in behalf of their lord the
king against the prisoner at the bar.
Pickthank.
My lord, and you gentlemen all, this fellow I have known of a long time; and
have heard him speak things that ought not to be spoken. For he hath railed
on our noble Prince BEELZEBUB; and hath spoken contemptibly of his
honourable friends, whose names are, the Lord OLDMAN; the Lord CARNALDELIGHT;
the Lord LUXURIOUS; the Lord DESIRE OF VAINGLORY; my old Lord LECHERY; Sir
HAVING GREEDY; with all the rest of our nobility: and he hath said moreover,
that if all men were of his mind, if possible, there is not one of these
noble men should have any longer a being in this town. Besides, he hath not
been afraid to rail on you, my lord, who are now appointed to be his judge;
calling you an ungodly villain, with many other such like defaming terms,
with which he hath bespattered most of the gentry of our town.
When
this PICKTHANK had told his tale, the judge directed his speech to the
prisoner at the bar, saying, "Thou apostate, heretic, and traitor ! –
hast thou heard what these honest gentle-men have witnessed against
thee?"
Faith.
May I speak a few words in my own defence?
Judge.
Sirrah, sirrah ! – thou deservest to live no longer, but to be slain
immediately upon the place; yet that all men may see our gentleness towards
thee, let us hear what thou, vile apostate, hast to say.
Faith.
1. I say, then, in answer to what Mr. ENVY hath spoken, I never said aught
but this: That what rule, or laws, or customs, or people, were flat against
the Word of God, are diametrically opposite to Christianity. If I have said
amiss in this, convince me of my error; and I am ready here before you to
make my recantation.
2.
As to the second, to wit, Mr. SUPERSTITION, and his charge against me, I
said only this: That in the worship of God there is required a divine faith;
but there can be no divine faith without a divine revelation of the will of
God: therefore whatever is thrust into the worship of God that is not
agreeable to a divine revelation, cannot be done but by a human faith; which
faith will not profit to eternal life.
3.
As to what Mr. PICKTHANK hath said, I say – avoiding terms, as that I am
said to rail, and the like – that the prince of this town, with all the
rabble – his attendants, by this gentleman named – are more fit for
being in hell than in this town and country; and so the Lord have mercy upon
me!
Then
the judge called to the jury – who all this while stood by, to hear and
observe, – " Gentlemen of the jury, you see this man about whom so
great an uproar hath been made in this town; you have also heard what these
worthy gentlemen have witnessed against him; also you have heard his reply
and confession: it lieth now in your breasts to hang him, or save his life;
but yet I think meet to instruct you into our law.
"There
was an act made in the days of Pharaoh the Great, servant to our prince,
that lest those of a contrary religion should multiply and grow too strong
for him, their males should be thrown into the river.
"And
the children of
Israel
were fruitful, and
increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the
land was filled with them. Now there arose up a new king over
Egypt
, which knew not
Joseph. And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of
Israel are more and mightier than we: Come on, let us deal wisely
with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth
out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so
get them up out of the land. Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to
afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities,
Pithom and Raamses. But the more they afflicted them, the more they
multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of
Israel
. And the Egyptians
made the children of
Israel
to serve with
rigour: And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and
in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service,
wherein they made them serve, was with rigour. And the king of Egypt
spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was
Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah: And he said, When ye do the office
of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it
be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter,
then she shall live. But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of
Egypt
commanded them, but
saved the men children alive.
And
the king of
Egypt
called for the
midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved
the men children alive? And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the
Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are
lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them. Therefore God
dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very
mighty. And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made
them houses. And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is
born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save
alive." Exodus 1:7-22
There
was also an act made in the days of Nebuchadnezzar the Great, another of his
servants, that whoever would not fall down and worship his golden image
should be thrown into a fiery furnace.
"Nebuchadnezzar
the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and
the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the
province
of
Babylon
. Then
Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors,
and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs,
and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image
which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. Then the princes, the governors,
and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and
all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication
of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before
the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Then an herald cried aloud, To you
it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages,
That
at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut,
psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the
golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: And whoso falleth not
down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning
fiery furnace. Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound
of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all
the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped
the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. Wherefore at that
time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews.
They
spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever. Thou, O
king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the
cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of
musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image: And whoso falleth not
down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a
burning fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the
affairs of the
province
of
Babylon
, Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy
gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Then
Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.
Nebuchadnezzar
spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have
set up? Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the
cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of
musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well:
but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a
burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out
of my hands? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king,
O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the
burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O
king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy
gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." Daniel
3:1-18
There
was also an act made in the days of Darius, that whoso, for some time,
called upon any God but his, should be cast into the lions' den.
"It
pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which
should be over the whole kingdom; And over these three presidents; of whom
Daniel was first: that the princes might give accounts unto them, and
the king should have no damage. Then this Daniel was preferred above the
presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and
the king thought to set him over the whole realm. Then the presidents and
princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but
they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was
faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him. Then said these
men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it
against him concerning the law of his God.
Then
these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said thus
unto him, King Darius, live for ever. All the presidents of the kingdom, the
governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have
consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree,
that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save
of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions. Now, O king,
establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed,
according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree." Daniel 6:1-9
Now
the substance of these laws this rebel has broken; not only in thought
(which is not to be borne), but also in word and deed, which must therefore
needs be intolerable.
"For
that of Pharaoh, his law was made upon suspicion to prevent mischief, no
crime yet being apparent; but here is a crime apparent. For the second and
third, you see he disputes against our religion; and for the treason he hath
confessed, he deserves to die the death."
Then
went the jury out, whose names were, Mr. BLIND-MAN, Mr. NO-GOOD, Mr. MALICE,
Mr. LOVE-LUST, Mr. LIVE-LOOSE, Mr. HEADY, Mr. HIGH-MIND, Mr. ENMITY, Mr.
LIAR, Mr. CRUELTY, Mr. HATE-LIGHT, and Mr. IMPLACABLE; who everyone gave in
his private verdict, against him among themselves, and afterwards
unanimously concluded to bring him in guilty before the judge. And first
among themselves, Mr. BLIND-MAN the foreman said, "I see clearly that
this man is a heretic." Then said Mr. NO-GOOD, "Away with such a
fellow from the earth!" "Aye," said Mr. MALICE, "for I
hate the very looks of him." Then said Mr. LOVE-LUST, "I could
never endure him." "Nor I," said Mr. LIVE-LOOSE; "for he
would always be condemning my way," "Hang him, hang him !"
said Mr. HEADY. "A sorry scrub," said Mr. HIGH-MIND. "My
heart rises against him," said Mr. ENMITY. "He is a rogue,"
said Mr. LIAR. "Hanging is too good for him," said Mr. CRUELTY.
"Let us dispatch him out of the way," said Mr. HATE-LIGHT. Then
said Mr. IMPLACABLE, "Might I have all the world given me, I could not
be reconciled to him; therefore let us forthwith bring him in guilty of
death." And so they did; therefore he was presently condemned to be had
from the place where he was to the place from whence he came, and there to
be put to the most cruel death that could be invented.
They
therefore brought him out, to do with him according to their law; and first
they scourged him, then they buffeted him, then they lanced his flesh with
knives; after that they stoned him with stones, then pricked him with their
swords; and last of all they burned him to ashes at the stake. Thus came
FAITHFUL to his end. Now I saw that there stood behind the multitude a
chariot and a couple of horses waiting for FAITHFUL, who – so soon as his
adversaries had dispatched him – was taken up into it, and straightway was
carried up through the clouds, with sound of trumpet, the nearest way to the
Celestial Gate. But as for CHRISTIAN, he had some respite, and was remanded
back to prison; so he there remained for a space. But he that overrules all
things, having the power of their rage in his own hand, so wrought it about
that CHRISTIAN, for that time, escaped them, and went his way.
And as he went he sang, saying:
"Well,
FAITHFUL, thou hast faithfully profest
Unto thy Lord, with whom thou shalt be blest,
When faithless ones, with all their vain delight,
Are crying out under their hellish plight.
Sing, FAITHFUL, sing! – and let thy name survive;
For though they killed thee, thou art yet alive."
The
Pilgrim's Progress - Section 7 - Christian and Hopeful
The
Pilgrim's Progress - Contents
