* and fuch Wares are vended: So here likewise, you have the proper Places, Rows, Streets, (viz. Countries and Kingdoms) where the Wares of this Fair are fooneft to be found. Here is the Britain The Streets Row, the French Row, the Italian Row, of this Fair. the Spanish Row, the German Row, where feveral forts of Vanities are to be fold. But as in other Fairs, fome one Commodity is as the Chief of all the Fair, fo the Ware of Rome and her Merchandize is greatly promoted in this Fair: Only our English Nation, with fome others, have taken a Dislike thereat. Fair. Now, as I faid, the Way to the Cœleftial City lies juft through the Town where this lufty Fair is kept; and he that will go to the City, and yet not go through 1 Cor. 5. 10. this Town, muft needs go out of the World. The Prince of Princes himself + Chrift went when here, went through this Town to through this his own Country, and that upon a Fair- Mat. 7. 8. day too: Yea, and as I think, it was Beel- Luke 4, 5, 6, zebub, the Chief Lord of this Fair, that 7. 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 fuch a Perfon of Honour, Beelzebub had him from Street to Street, and fhewed him all the Kingdoms of the World in a little Time, that he might, if poffible, allure that Bleffed One, to cheapen and buy fome of his Vanities ; but he had no Mind to the Merchan + Chrift dize, and therefore left the Town, with- bought nothing out laying out fo much as one Farthing in this Fair. upon * The Pil Fair. upon these Vanities. This Fair, therefore, is an ancient Thing of long ftanding, and a very great Fair. *Now thefe Pilgrims, as I faid, must grims enter the needs go through this Fair. Well, fo they did; but behold, even as they entered into the Fair, all the People in the Fair were The Fair in moved, and the Town itself, as it were, in a Hubbub about them; and that for feveral Reasons: For, a Hubbub about them. + The first Caufe of the Hubbub. Cor. 2. 7,8. The fecond Caufe of the Hubbub. $ The third Caufe of the Hubbub. First, The Pilgrims were cloathed with fuch kind of Raiment as was diverfe from the Raiment of any that traded in that Fair. The People, therefore, of the Fair, made a great Gazing upon them: Some faid they were Fools; fome they were Bedlams; and fome, they were Outlandish Men. Secondly, And as they wondered at their Apparel, fo they did likewife at their Speech; for few could underftand what they faid; they naturally fpoke 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 feemed Barbarians to each other. Thirdly, But that which did not a little amufe the Merchandizers, was that thefe Pilgrims fet very light by all their Wares; they cared not fo 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, fignifying, that their Trade and Traffick were in Heaven. One *One chanced mockingly, beholding the The fourth Carriages of the Men, to lay unto them, Caufe of the What will ye buy? But they looking grave Hubbub. ly upon him, faid, We buy the Truth. At Prov. 23. 23. that, there was an Occafion taken to def. examined. pife the Men the more fome mocking, § They are fome taunting, fome fpeaking reproach mocked. fully, and fome calling upon others to fmite them. At laft Things came to an Hub- + The Fair in bub, and great Stir in the Fair, infomuch an Hubbub. that all Order was confounded. Now was Word presently brought to the great One of the Fair, who quickly came down and deputed fome of his moft_trusty Friends to take thofe Men into an Examination, about whom the Fair was almoft overturned. So the Men were brought 1 They are to Examination; and they that fat upon them, asked them, Whence they came, whither they went, and what they did there in fuch an unusual Garb? The Men told them, That they were Pilgrims and They tell Strangers in the World, and that they and whence were going to their own Country, which they came. was the heavenly Jerufalem; and that they Heb. 11. 13; had given no Occafion to the Men of the 14, 15, 16. Town, nor yet to the Merchandizers, thus to abuse them, and to ftop them in their Journey: Except it was for that, when one afked them what they would buy, they faid, they would buy the Truth. who they are; But they that were appointed to examine They are taken them, did not believe them to be any for Madmen. other than Bedlams and Mad, or else fuch as came to put all Things into a Confufion in the air. Therefore they took them and beat them, and befmeared them + They are put in the Cage. Their Beba "viour in the Cage. The Men There with Dirt, and then put them into th fome Men in the Fair that were more of the Fair do obferving, and lefs prejudiced than the fall out among Reft, began to check and blame the bafer themfelves about thefe two Men. 1 Sort for their continual Abufes done by them to the Men: They therefore in angry Manner let fly at them again, counting them as bad as the Men in the Cage, and telling them that they feemed Confederates, and fhould be made Partakers of their Misfortunes. The others replied, that for ought they could fee, the Men were quiet and fober, and intended no Body any Harm: And that there were many that traded in their Fair, that were more worthy to be put into the Cage, yea, and Pillory too, than were the Men that they had abused. Thus, after divers Words had paffed on both Sides, (the Men behaving themfelves all the while very wifely and foberly before them) they fell to fome Blows among themfelves, and did Harm one to another. § Then were thefe two poor Men brought before their Examiners again, and there Disturbance. charged as being guilty of the late Hub § They are made the Authors of this .. bub |