Life and Death of Mr. Badman. John Bunyan

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      Life and Death of Mr. Badman

      NOTE

      The Life and Death of Mr Badman was published by John Bunyan in 1680, two years after the First Edition of the First Part of The Pilgrim’s Progress.  In the opening sentence of his preface he tells us it was intended by him as the counterpart or companion picture to the Allegory.  But whatever his own intentions may have been, the Public of his own time seem to have declined to accept the book in this capacity.  Indeed, another writer, who signs himself T. S., undertook to complete Bunyan’s Allegory for him, in a book in size and type closely resembling it, and entitled The Second Part of the Pilgrim’s Progress . . . exactly Described under the Similitude of a Dream.  It was printed for Jho. Malthus at the Sun in the Poultry, and published in 1683.  So far as is known, only one copy of this book is now in existence, the copy which was formerly in the library of the poet Southey and now in that of the Baptist Union.  Upon this Bunyan seems to have changed his purpose, so far as The Life and Death of Mr Badman was concerned, and on the first of January, 1685, published the story of Christiana and her Children as his own Second Part of The Pilgrim’s Progress.

      The work before us, therefore, now stands apart by itself.  In its composition Bunyan seems to have been greatly influenced, so far as form is concerned, by a book which his wife brought with her on her marriage, and which, as he tells us in his Grace Abounding, they read together.  It was entitled The Plaine Man’s Pathway to Heaven: By Arthur Dent, Preacher of the Word of God at South Shoobury in Essex.  The eleventh impression, the earliest now known, is dated 1609.  Both books are in dialogue form, and in each case the dialogue is supposed to be carried on through one long day.  Bunyan’s Mr Wiseman, like Dent’s Theologus, holds forth instructive discourse, while the Mr Attentive of the former, like the Philagathus of the latter, listens and draws on his teacher by friendly questionings.  There is not in Bunyan’s conference, as there is in Dent’s, an Asunetus, who plays the part of an ignorant man to come out enlightened and convinced at last, or an Antilegon, who carps and cavils all the way; and there is not in Dent’s book what there is in Bunyan’s, a biographical narrative connecting the various parts of the dialogue; but the groundwork of each is the same—a searching manifestation and exposure of the nature and evils of various forms of immorality.

      Bunyan’s book came out in 1680, and was published by Nathaniel Ponder, who was also the publisher of The Pilgrim’s Progress.  A third edition appeared in 1696, but as no copy of the second edition is known to exist, no date can be assigned to it.  In 1684 Johannes Boekholt, a publisher in Amsterdam, obtained leave of the State to issue a Dutch translation, with the title Het Leven en Sterben van Mr Quaat.  This edition was illustrated by five copper-plate engravings, executed by Jan Luiken, the eminent Dutch engraver, who also illustrated The Pilgrim’s Progress the following year.  In 1782 a Welsh version, translated by T. Lewys, was published at Liverpool with the title: Bywyd a Marwolaeth yr annuwiol dan enw Mr Drygddyn.  A Gaelic version also was published at Inverness in 1824, entitled Beath agus Bas Mhr Droch-duine.

      The present edition has been reprinted from a copy of the first issue, lent by the Trustees of the Bunyan Church at Bedford, and the proofs read with a second copy of the same issue, in the library of the British Museum.  For convenience of reading, as in other issues of this series of Cambridge English Classics, the old type forms of j, s, u, etc. have been made uniform with those in general modern use; but neither the spelling (including the use of capitals and italics 1) nor the punctuation has been altered, save as specified.  Effect has been given to the errata noted by Bunyan himself, and printed on page 15 of this issue.

      The text of this edition of Bunyan’s Holy War2 is a careful reproduction of the First Edition of 1682.  It is not certain that there was any further authentic reprint in Bunyan’s life-time.  For though both in the Bodleian and the British Museum there is a copy purporting to be a second edition, and bearing date 1684, it is difficult to resist the impression that they are pirated copies, similar to those of which Nathaniel Ponder complained so bitterly in the case of The Pilgrim’s Progress.  For both paper and typography are greatly inferior to those of the first edition; some of Bunyan’s most characteristic marginalia are carelessly omitted; Bunyan’s own title—‘The Holy War made by Shaddai upon Diabolus for the regaining of the Metropolis of the World’—is altered to the feebler and more commonplace form—‘The Holy War made by Christ upon the Devil for the Regaining of Man’; and, further, when a new edition was issued in 1696, the alterations and omissions of 168 4 were ignored, and a simple reprint made of the first edition of 1682.

J. B.

      9 October, 1905.

      THE AUTHOR TO THE READER

      Courteous Reader,

      As I was considering with my self, what I had written concerning the Progress of the Pilgrim from this World to Glory; and how it had been acceptable to many in this Nation: It came again into my mind to write, as then, of him that was going to Heaven, so now, of the Life and Death of the Ungodly, and of their travel from this world to Hell.  The which in this I have done, and have put it, as thou seest, under the Name and Title of Mr. Badman, a Name very proper for such a Subject: I have also put it into the form of a Dialogue, that I might with more ease to my self, and pleasure to the Reader, perform the work.

      And although, as I said, I have put it forth in this method, yet have I as little as may be, gone out of the road of mine own observation of things.  Yea, I think I may truly say, that to the best of my remembrance, all the things that here I discourse of, I mean as to matter of fact, have been acted upon the stage of this World, even many times before mine eyes.

      Here therefore, courteous Reader, I present thee with the Life and Death of Mr. Badman indeed: Yea, I do trace him in his Life, from his Childhood to his Death; that thou mayest, as in a Glass, behold with thine own eyes, the steps that take hold of Hell; and also discern, while thou art reading of Mr. Badmans Death, whether thou thy self art treading in his path thereto.

      And let me entreat thee to forbear Quirking and Mocking, for that I say Mr. Badman is dead; but rather gravely enquire concerning thy self by the Word, whether thou art one of his Linage or no: For Mr. Badman has left many of his Relations behind him; yea, the very World is overspread with his Kindred.  True, some of his Relations, as he, are gone to their place, and long home, but thousands of thousands are left behind; as Brothers, Sisters, Cousens, Nephews, besides innumerable of his Friends and Associates.

      I may say, and yet speak nothing but too much truth in so saying, that there is scarce a Fellowship, a Community, or Fraternity of men in the World, but some of Mr. Badmans Relations are there: yea rarely can we find a Family or Houshold in a Town, where he has not left behind him either Brother, Nephew or Friend.

      The Butt therefore, that at this time I shoot at, is wide; and ’twill be as impossible for this Book to go into several Families, and not to arrest some, as for the Kings Messenger to rush into an house full of Traitors, and find none but honest men there.

      I cannot but think that this shot will light upon many, since our fields are so full of this Game; but how many it will kill to Mr. Badmans course, and make alive to the Pilgrims Progress, that is not in me to determine; this secret is with the Lord our God only, and he alone knows to whom he will bless it to so good and so blessed an end.  However, I have put fire to the Pan, and doubt not but the report will quickly be heard.

      I told you before, that Mr. Badman had left many of his Friends and Relations behind him, but if I survive them (as that’s a great question to me) I may also write of their lives: However, whether my life be longer or shorter, this is my Prayer at present, that God will stir up Witnesses against them, that may either convert or confound them; for wherever they live, and roll in their wickedness, they are the Pest and Plague of that Countrey.

      England shakes and totters already, by reason of the burden that Mr. Badman and his Friends have wickedly laid upon it: Yea, our Earth reels and staggereth

1

In this Project Gutenberg eText italics have been dropped as they are excessive but otherwise the text, complete with capitalisation, punctuation, spelling etc., is as in the edition transcribed.—DP.

2

Not included in this Project Gutenberg eText as we have already released “The Holy War.”—DP.