[5] Abridged from the paper on Southey's Life of Bunyan, in
the last Quarterly Review.


Of the first appearance of this celebrated parable, Mr. Southey's
diligence has preserved the following notices:--

"'It is not known in what year the Pilgrim's Progress was
first published, no copy of the first edition having as yet
been discovered; the second is in the British Museum; it is
"with additions," and its date is 1678; but as the book is
known to have been written during Bunyan's imprisonment, which
terminated in 1672, it was probably published before his
release, or at latest immediately after it. The earliest with
which Mr. Major has been able to supply me, either by means of
his own diligent inquiries, or the kindness of his friends, is
that "eighth e-di-ti-on" so humorously introduced by Gay, and
printed--not for Ni-cho-las Bod-ding-ton, but for Nathanael
Ponder, at the Peacock in the Poultrey, near the Church, 1682;
for whom also the ninth was published in 1684, and the tenth
in 1685. All these no doubt were large impressions.'

"When the astonishing success of the Pilgrim's Progress had
raised a swarm of imitators, the author himself, according to
the frequent fashion of the world, was accused of plagiarism,
to which he made an indignant reply, in what he considered as
verses, prefixed to his 'Holy War.'

'Some say the Pilgrim's Progress is not mine,
Insinuating as if I would shine