53 Life and Death of Mr. Badman Sabon.Rtf

THE LIFE AND DEATH OF MR. BADMAN, PRESENTED TO THE WORLD IN A FAMILIAR DIALOGUE BETWEEN MR. WISEMAN AND MR. ATTENTIVE. BY JOHN BUNYAN Printed by J. A. for Nath. Ponder, at the Peacock in the Poultry, near the Church, 1680. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. The life of Badman is a very interesting among the most degraded classes of society. description, a true and lively portraiture, of the Swearing was formerly considered to be a habit demoralized classes of the trading community of gentility; but now it betrays the blackguard, in the reign of King Charles II; a subject which even when disguised in genteel attire. Those naturally led the author to use expressions dangerous diseases which are so surely engend- familiar among such persons, but which are ered by filth and uncleanness, he calls not by now either obsolete or considered as vulgar. In Latin but by their plain English names. In every fact it is the only work proceeding from the case, the Editor has not ventured to make the prolific pen and fertile imagination of Bunyan, slightest alteration; but has reprinted the whole in which he uses terms that, in this delicate and in the author’s plain and powerful language. refined age, may give offence. So, in the The life of Badman forms a third part to the venerable translation of the holy oracles, there Pilgrim’s Progress, not a delightful pilgrimage are some objectionable expressions, which, to heaven, but, on the contrary, a wretched although formerly used in the politest company, downward journey to the infernal realms. The now point to the age in which it was written. author’s object is to warn poor thoughtless The same ideas or facts would now be sinners, not with smooth words, to which they expressed by terms which could not give would take no heed; but to thunder upon their offence; and every reader must feel great consciences the peril of their souls, and the pleasure in the improvement of our language, as increasing wretchedness into which they were seen in the contrast between the two periods, madly hurrying. He who is in imminent, but and especially in the recollection that the facts unseen danger, will bless the warning voice if it might be stated with equal precision, and reach his ears, however rough and startling the reflections made with equal force, in terms at sound may be. which the most delicate mind could not be The life of Badman was written in an age offended. when profligacy, vice, and debauchery, Those who read the writings of Bunyan must marched like a desolating army through our feel continually reminded of his ardent land, headed by the king, and officered by his attachment to his Saviour, and his intense love polluted courtiers; led on with all the pomp and to the souls of sinners. He was as delicate in his splendour which royalty could display. The expressions as any writer of his age, who king and his ministers well knew that the most addressed the openly vicious and profane— formidable enemies to tyranny, oppression, and calling things by their most forcible and misgovernment, were the piety and stern popular appellations. A wilful untruth is, with morality of the Puritans, Nonconformists, and him, ‘a lie.’ To show the wickedness and the small classes of virtuous citizens of other extreme folly of swearing, he gives the words denominations; and therefore every effort was and imprecations then commonly in use; but made by allurements and intimidation to which, happily for us, we never hear, except debauch and demoralize their minds. Well does 2 THE WORKS OF JOHN BUNYAN Bunyan say that ‘wickedness like a flood is like in debauchery, and its ensuing miseries, are all to drown our English world. It has almost faithfully displayed. swallowed up all our youth, our middle age, old In the course of the narrative, a variety of age, and all are almost carried away of this awful examples of divine vengeance are flood. It reels to and fro like a drunkard, it is introduced; some from that singular compi- like to fall and rise no more.’ ‘It is the very lation, Clarke’s looking-glass for Saints and haunts and walks of the infernal spirits.’ Sinners; others from ‘Beard’s theatre of God’s ‘England shakes and makes me totter for its Judgments’ and many that happened under the transgressions.’ author’s own immediate knowledge. The The gradations of a wicked man in that evil faithfulness of his extracts from books has been age, from his cradle to his grave, are graphically fully verified. The awful death of Dorothy set before the reader; it is all drawn from Mately, of Ashover, in Derbyshire, mentioned, I reality, and not from efforts of imagination. had an opportunity of testing, by the aid of my Every example is a picture of some real kind friend, Thomas Bateman, Esq., of occurrence, either within the view of the Yolgrave. He sent me the following extract author, or from the narratives of credible from the Ashover Register for 1660:— witnesses. ‘All the things that here I discourse ‘Dorothy Mately, supposed wife to John Flint of, have been acted upon the stage of this of this parish, forswore herself; whereupon the world, even many times before mine eyes.’ ground opened, and she sunk over head, March Badman is represented as having had the very 23, and being found dead, she was buried, great advantage of pious parents, and a godly March 25.’ Thus fully confirming the facts, as master, but run riot in wickedness from his stated by Bunyan. Solemn providences, childhood. Lying and pilfering mark his early intended, in the inscrutable wisdom of God, for days; followed in after life by swearing, wise purposes, must not be always called cheating, drunkenness, hypocrisy, infidelity and ‘divine judgments.’ A ship is lost, and the good atheism. His conscience became hardened to with the bad, sink together; a missionary is that awful extent, that he had no bands in his murdered; a pious Malay is martyred; still no death. The career of wickedness has often been one can suppose that these are instances of so pictured, as to encourage and cherish vice divine vengeance. But when the atrocious and profanity—to excite the unregenerate mind bishop Bonner, in his old age, miserably ‘to ride post by other men’s sins.’1 Not so the perishes in prison, it reminds us of our Lord’s life of Badman. The ugly, wretched, miserable saying, ‘with what measure ye mete, it shall be consequences that assuredly follow a vicious measured to you again.’ career, are here displayed in biting words— Bunyan’s pictures, of which the life of alarming the conscience, and awfully warning Badman is a continued series, are admirably the sinner of his destiny, unless happily he finds painted from life. The extraordinary depths of that repentance that needeth not to be repented hypocrisy, used in gaining the affections of a of. No debauchee ever read the life of Badman pious wealthy young woman, and entrapping to gratify or increase his thirst for sin. The her into a marriage, are admirably drawn, as is tricks which in those days so generally accom- its companion or counterpart, when Badman, in panied trading, are unsparingly exposed; his widower-hood, suffers an infamous becoming bankrupt to make money, a species strumpet to inveigle him into a miserable of robbery, which ought to be punished as marriage, as he so richly deserved. The death- felony; double weights, too heavy for buying, bed scene of the pious broken-hearted Mrs. and light to sell by, overcharging those who Badman, is a masterpiece. In fact the whole is a take credit, and the taking advantage of the series of pictures drawn by a most admirable necessities of others, with the abuse of evil gains artist, and calculated to warn and attract the sinner from his downward course. 1 Reynolds’ preface to God’s Revenge against Murder. THE LIFE AND DEATH OF MR. BADMAN 3 In comparison with the times of Bunyan, folly and sin, ‘The devil rides him off his legs.’ England has now become wonderfully reformed ‘As the devil corrects vice,’ refers to those who from those grosser pollutions which disgraced pretend to correct bad habits by means her name. Persons of riper age, whose reminis- intended to promote them. ‘The devil is a cences go back to the times of the slave trade, cunning schoolmaster.’ Satan taking the wicked slavery, and war, will call to mind scenes of into his foul embraces is ‘like to like, as the vice, brutality, open debauchery and profligacy, devil said to the collier.’ which, in these peaceful and prosperous times, In two things the times have certainly would be instantly repressed and properly improved. Bunyan describes all ‘pawnbrokers’ punished. Should peace be preserved, domestic, to have been ‘vile wretches,’ and, in extortion, social, and national purity and happiness must the women to be worse than the men. Happily increase with still greater and more delightful for our days, good and even pious pawnbrokers rapidity. Civilization and Christianity will may be found, who are honourable exceptions triumph over despotism, vice, and false to Mr. Bunyan’s sweeping rule; nor do our religions, and the time be hastened on, in which women in any respect appear to be greater the divine art of rendering each other happy extortioners than our men. The instructions, will engross the attention of all mankind. Much exhortations, and scriptural precepts and yet remains to be done for the conversion of the examples to enforce honest dealing, inter- still numerous family connections of Mr.

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