The Sun.
London, England, 1814-09-02 00:00:00

hclp being. impressCd xvi.lb cerlain untie of
rrffi.ht:,%.s aud heard-lieartt,;;:esi in the ltert.
! Now he had hot run far from his own house: says
the. author, but his wife and children perceiving.
it, I?egan to cry sifter him to return ; but the man
jut, his lingers into his eats, and tan on, crying,
' Life Life ! Eternal Life I' So, he looked nut
behind but fled towardS the 'Middle of the
This does not impress. its with a very fa
*ourahle idea of the disposition .of the,licro, aud
in fact, irith the exception_ of faith and" perse-
verance, he is a:mete negative character,• without
one good quality to recommend Lim. There is
little or no display (4 charity, beneficence, or ey,'n
bencrOlence, during the whole course 'of the -
grimage. The sentiments of Christian are Parrov ,
and atilt his -struggles- and exertions
idivlly selfish.

• " The author, -however, eorn'i,"7"l his Iv°ll
agreeably to the notion-Of ChriStianity existing itk
. l,is time, and accordingly this ,must be kept iii
view while forming our judgment of its merit. It
-discovers a rich 2nd happy invention, the
inci-
dents and characters are well PotirtrAyed, and
• • there is ranch skill in• the dramatic adaptation
dialougue to the characters introduced. Aa the
Author was illiterate, his taste is coarse and in,
'elegant, and he generally injures- the beauty of
his' pictures by some unlucky stroke. The ocCa:-
sional poetry introduced is execrable.
" In one point of view, however, the want of
learning arid taste is favourable to the general ef-
feet of the work. • Is gives to the whole an
,ap-
pearance of simplicity and truth, which is also
,aided by the author, like homer,. abridging no-
thing, but again and again repeating dialogues as
they were delivered, and incidents irg they oc,
eurreit The only, art which he`-possesses, and it
has an agreeable effect, is the 'art:
_of contrast.
Thus, for example, the beautiful palace, where
, he is entertained by the four virgins, Watchful;
Prudence, Piety, and Charity, its .succeeded by
his distressful combat with Apollyon) in the-valley
of humiliation, and the confinement in the dun-
geon of (;'ant' Despair is immediately followed by,
the pleasing picture of the Delectable Mountains.
By the introduction of two other pilgrims in ,
different parts of the joiirney
,Of Christian, the '
first of whom, Faithful, cuts .a martyr, and the
second, Hopeful, after the death of the fernier, .
accompanies Christian to the end of, .his
grimage, the author not only agreeably di versi,
fies his work, but, by their history and conversa.
tion, has, an opportunity of expounding his Whole
system of Faith, and of exhibiting the different
means by which the same great object is at-
tained. On the whole, according to the atithor's
views of Christianity, the wOrk is admirably con-
ceived ; and, • though incongruities• oesasionally
occur, these may in general be attributed less to
want of skill in the authdr than to the (HlE-
COlties of his task. For "exarnple, one is shine-
what surprised at the wickedness of different cha-

acters who present themselves to Christian after
the journey is 'almost terminated, and who, ac-
-cording to the leading idea of the work; that
Clitiotianityis a pilgrimage, cou'd hardly_ have
ten expected to have advanced so ,far in their

progress. . •
‘-‘ !t is difficult to give any speeinten of.this ce-
lebrated allegory; as its merit consists less in the
n.‘cuees, than_ in almost" krt.
, sisribly carrying on:the reader to that goa! white?)
is the object of pursuit. The folloWing deserip.'
tioo, however, is short, and gives. a favourable
.oleo of the author's powers of picturesque 41e-
lineation In• this light, therefore, be came
to. the end of the valley: Now. 1 saw in my
dream, that•at the end of this Valley lay blood,
bones, ashes, 'and mangled bodies of men, even
of pilgrims that bad gone this way formerly; and,.
while I was musing what should be the reason, 1
esitlied a little before Me a cave, where two giants,
Pope and Pagan, dwelt in, old time, by whose
power and tyranny the men . whose hones, blood,.
ashes, &c. lay theCe,'were cruelly pia. to death.
}lnt by this place Christian went without' much

danger, wfrereat I somewhat Ivonciered : but

Lave learned since, that Pagan Las been dead
many a day, and as for the other, though he be
alive,, he is, by reason of age, and also of the
nr4ny blirewd brnthes that tke met t%'ith in 'his
yom,ger days, grown so crazy an ~1 stiff in lois
joints, that he now eau do little wore than 'sit

in Lis cave's nnitub, grinning atliilgtims as they
go by, and biting his nails became he cannot

come at them. So I saw tharChriStiati went on
his v,•;.iy; yet at the sight of tht,ohl maw that sat
at the mouth of the cave,- he cOuld-not.tell what
to' think, especially because he spake to him,
though he could not go after him, saying, You,
will nexer mend till more of you be burnt.' But
he held. ins peace, and set a good face on it and
went by, and catched no hurt.'

" •Of the powerful painting in the volunie, no
part is superior• to the deseription of the passage
of Christian titrottgh the 'Jiver of Death. 'Tile
representation also of the arrival of Christian and.
liis.tellow pilgrim at
.the heavenly Jerusalem is
very pleasing, though intermingled with traits
which a good taste would have rejected. It con-
cludes in the following manner:—
` Nov' I saw in my dream that these two men
went in at the gate; and, lo ! as they entered,
they were transfigured, and they bail rairnvnt put
on that shone likegold.

There were Min that Met them with harps
and crowns, and gave to them, the harps to praise
withal, and the crowns in token of hOnour. Then
I heard in my dream that all the beds in the city
rang again for j°y, and that it was said Unto them•
,
Enter ye into the joy of your- Lord.'' I also
beard the men sing themselves with a
loud voice,
saying,- Blessing, honour, glory, and power,
be to-him that sitteth upon the throne, and the
Lamb, for ever and ever.' •

Now, just as the gates were opened to let in
the men,' I lOOked itt alter them, and behold the
city shone like the son ; the .streets also wrre
.
p+ved-w,ith gOld,'and in then waked many loco
with crowns upon their/ heads,- a 3 has iu their
hands, and golden harps .to sing.pr,aiel

There Were also of them that had wings, and
they answered one anotherwithout intermission,

saying., Holy, holy, hc►ly, is the Lord:. And
after th they shut up the gates ,- which cvhtli
had seen, I wished myself au ong