To his worthy friend the author of the Third Part of the Pilgrim's Progrefs, upon the perufal thereof, &c.

To many are this I etha
HO' many things are writ to please the age,
Amongit the reft for this I dare engage,
Where virtue dwells, it will acceptance find,
And, to your pilgrim, moft that read be kind.
But all to pleafe, would be a task as hard,
As for the winds from blowing to be barr'd.
The pious Chriftian, in a mirror, here
May fee the promis'd land, and without fear
Of threaten'd danger, bravely travel on
Until his journey he has fafely gone,
And does arrive upon the happy shore,
Where joys increase, and fórrow is no more,
This is a dream not fabl'd as of old ;
In this exprefs the facred truths are told
That do to our eternal peace belong,
And, after mourning, changes to a fong
Of glorious triumphs that are without end,
If we but bravely for the prize contend.
No pilgrimage like this can make us blest,
Since it brings us to everlafting reft:
So well in every part the fenfe is laid,
That it to charm the reader may be faid,
With curious fancy, and create delight,
Which to an imitation must invite.

And happy are they that, thro' the formy feas
And dangers, seek adventures like to theft!
Who fell the world for this great pearl of price,
Which, once procur'd, will purchase paradife!
He who in fuch a bark does spread his fails
Needs never fear at last these profp'rous gales,

That

That will conduct him to a land where he
Shall feel no ftorms, but in a calm shall be;
Where, crown'd with glory, he shall fit and
fing

Eternal praise to his redeeming King,
Who conquer'd death, despoil'd him of his fling.

So wishes your faithful friend.

B. D.

Thefe lines are humbly recommended to the Reader, written upon the perusal of this book, &c.

N reading of this book, I plainly find

mind:

For he, who virtue loves, of virtue fpeaks,
And the ftrong chains of vice with courage breaks.
What here at first seems clouded, foon reveals
The pilgrim's joys, which he no more conceals;
But ftill he tries his patience and his love,
To travel tow'rds the kingdom that's above.
Some interpofing fears have time to reign;
But thofe, by faith expell'd, his fou! again
Clears up, and like the bow that paints the skies,
After a fhower, (on which mankind relies
As a fure pledge the deluge fhall no more
Make all one boundless fea without a shore),
Gives certain hopes that heaven's anger's past,
And he his hope in a bleft and has caft.
You write fo plainly, that the weakest mind
Under fimilitudes may comfort find.

A guide you give, that by the hand doth lead
Thofe pilgrims that the heavenly roads do tread,
And tells them always where the danger is,
How to step over or to wifely mifs,

The ftumbling-blocks that Satan daily lays,
To overthrow them that mind not their ways:
So being bruis'd againft rocks of defpair,
Or doubt or fear, they know not how nor where,
They faint and languish in the middle way,
Or back to Egypt hafte without delay,
Preferring darknefs to the glorious day

They were approaching. This book has my voice
And is of all in this kind the most choice.
Peruse it well, and you will find it reach
From earth to heaven, in what it well does
teach:

If you'd be bleft, then mind what it does i

preach.

J

L. C.

THE

A

PART III.

Fter the two former dreams concerning Chriftian and Chriftiana his wife, with their children and companions' pilgri mage from the city of Destruction to the region of glory, I fell asleep again, and the vifions of my head returned upon me. I dreamed another dream, and behold there appeared unto me a I great multitude of people in feveral diftin& companies and bands, travelling from the city of Destruction, the town of Carnal Policy, the village of Morality, and from the reft of the cities, towns, villages, and hamlets, that belong to the valley of Deftruction; for fo was the whole country called that lay on this fidè of the wicket-gate which the man Evangelift fhewed unto Chriftian, and fo was alfo that country called, that was fituated wide of the gate, on the right hand and on the left, extending itfelf along by the walls and borders of that re gion, wherein lay the way to the heavenly country. This was the name of that province, even the valley of Deflruction.

Now I faw in my dream, that all the highway-roads and lanes that led from the valley of Deftruction towards the gate of the way of

B b z

Part III. were full of people, who were travelling to wards that gate; and fome of them walked a long very vigoroufly; others halted and grew

Time of per- of the feafon, which made them weary, through the violent heat fecution.

even ready to faint, for it was în the hottest time of all the year, and the fun burnt up the herb of the field, and fcorched the poor travellers fo, that many of them were forced to fit down and reft themselves; and, in the night time, many of them returned back again to their old habitations; others, more hardy than the reft, went on till they came to the Slough of Defpond, where Pliable forfook Chriftian, and there, falling into the filth and mire of that place, were fo difheartened, that they returned in whole droves to their own dwellings again; and very few there were that would venture through the flough; yet some got very dexterously over the fteps without being in the leaft bemired; whilft others, through ignorance or heedlefsnefs, miffing those steps, were forced to wade through the dirt, which was very deep, and made their paffage exceed ing painful; but at length, with much ado, they weathered the point, and maftered the difficul ties of that horrid quagmire, and got fafe upon dry ground.

Among he reft of thefe travellers that got over this flough, I faw young man of an ami able countenance, walking by himself after he got clear of the flough; but he was all over be. daubed with the filth of that place, which made him go very heavily on; for, what with frug