s the Pilgrim's Progress. He advised me to print it close, and
make it a pamphlet, and then, if it did not sell, it would not cost me
much; but that religious pamphlets, especially if they had a shade of
allegory in them, were the very rage of the day. I put my work to the
press, and wrote early and late; and encouraging my companion to work
at odd hours and on Sundays, before the press-work of the second sheet
was begun, we had the work all in types, corrected, and a clean copy
thrown off for further revisal. The first sheet was wrought off; and I
never shall forget how my heart exulted when at the printing house this
day I saw what numbers of my works were to go abroad among mankind, and
I determined with myself that I would not put the Border name of
Elliot, which I had assumed, to the work.

Thus far have my History and Confessions been carried.

I must now furnish my Christian readers with a key to the process,
management, and winding up of the whole matter; which I propose, by the
assistance of God, to limit to a very few pages.

Chesters, July 27, 1712.--My hopes and prospects are a wreck. My
precious journal is lost! consigned to the flames! My enemy hath found
me out, and there is no hope of peace or rest for me on this side the
grave.

In the beginning of last week, my fellow lodger came home, running in a
great panic, and told me a story of the Devil having appeared twice in
the printing house, assisting the workmen at the printing of my book,
and that some of them had been frightened out of their wits. That the
story was told to Mr. Watson, who till that time had never paid any
attention to the treatise, but who, out of curiosity, began and read a
part of it, and thereupon flew into a great rage, called my work a
medley of lies and blasphemy, and ordered the whole to be consigned to
the flames, blaming his foreman, and all connected with the press, for
letting a work go so far that was enough to bring down the vengeance of
Heaven on the concern.

If ever I shed tears through perfect bitterness of spirit it was at
that time, but I hope it was more for the ignorance and folly of my
countrymen than the overthrow of my own hopes. But my attention was
suddenly aroused to other matters, by Linton mentioning that it was
said by some in the office the Devil had inquired for me.

"Surely you are not such a fool," said I, "as to believe that the Devil
really was in the printing office?"

"Oo, Gud bless yo