popularly called Bishop Bunyan. His episcopal visitations were
annual. From Bedford he rode every year to London, and preached
there to large and attentive congregations. From London he went
his circuit through the country, animating the zeal of his
brethren, collecting and distributing alms, and making up
quarrels. The magistrates seem in general to have given him
little trouble. But there is reason to believe that, in the year
1685, he was in some danger of again occupying his old quarters
in Bedford gaol. In that year the rash and wicked enterprise of
Monmouth gave the Government a pretext for persecuting the
Nonconformists; and scarcely one eminent divine of the
Presbyterian, Independent, or Baptist persuasion remained
unmolested. Baxter was in prison: Howe was driven into exile:
Henry was arrested. Two eminent Baptists, with whom Bunyan had
been engaged in controversy, were in great peril and distress.
Danvers was in danger of being hanged; and Kiffin's grandsons
were actually hanged. The tradition is that, during those evil
days, Bunyan was forced to disguise himself as a waggoner, and
that he preached to his congregation at Bedford in a smoke-frock,
with a cart-whip in his hand. But soon a great change took
place. James the Second was at open war with the Church, and
found it necessary to court the Dissenters. Some of the
creatures of the government tried to secure the aid of Bunyan.
They probably knew that he had written in praise of the
indulgence of 1672, and therefore hoped that he might be equally
pleased with the indulgence of 1687. But fifteen years of
thought, observation, and commerce with the world had made him
wiser. Nor were the cases exactly parallel. Charles was a
professed Protestant: James was a professed Papist. The object
of Charles's indulgence was disguised; the object of James's