CHAPTER I.

I walked through the wilderness of this world, I lighted on a certain place
where was a den,* and laid me down in that place to sleep; and, as I slept, I
dreamed a dream. I dreamed, and behold, I saw a man clothed with rags,

 

standing in a certain place, with his face from his own house, a book in his
hand, and a great burden upon his back.’* I looked, and saw him open the book, and
read therein; and as he read, he wept and trembled; and, not being able longer to
contain, he brake out with a lamentable cry, saying, “ What shall I do?””

In this plight, therefore, he went home, and restrained himself as long as he could,
that his wife and children should not perceive his distress; but he could not be silent
long, because that his trouble increased. Wherefore at length he brake his mind to
his wife and children; and thus he began to talk to them: “O my dear wife,” said he,
“and you the children of my bowels, I, your dear friend, am in myself undone by
reason of a burden that lieth hard upon me; moreover, I am certainly informed that
this our city will be burned with fire from heaven; in which fearful overthrow, both
myself, with thee, my wife, and you, my sweet babes, shall miserably come to ruin,
except (the which yet I see not) some way of escape can be found whereby we may he
delivered.” At this his relations were sore amazed; not for that they believed that
what he had said to thenr was true, but because they thought that some frenzy dis-
temper had got into his head; therefore, it drawing towards night, and they hoping
that sleep might settle his brains, with all haste they got him to bed. But the night
was as troublesome to him as the day; wherefore, instead of sleeping, he spent it in
sighs and tears. So when the morning was come, they would know how he did. [Le

* Bedford jail in which Bauyan was twelve years a prisoner,
+ See reterences to the Bible at the end.

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