Page:The pilgrims progress as originally published by John Bunyan ; being a facsimile of the first edition (1878).djvu/18

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The Authors Apology for his Book

But to divert my ſelf in doing this,
From worſer thoughts, which make me do amiſs.

Thus I ſet Pen to Paper with delight,
And quickly had my thoughts in black and white.
For having now my Method by the end,
Still as I pull' d, it came; and ſo I penned
It down, until it came at laſt to be
For length and breadth the bigneſs which you ſee.

Well, when I had thus put mine ends together,
I ſhew'd them others, that I might ſee whether
They would condemn them, or them juſtifie:
And some said, let them live some, let them die.
Some ſaid, John, print it; others ſaid, Not ſo:
Some ſaid, It might do good; others ſaid, No.

Now was I in ſtraight, and did not ſee
Which was the beſt thing to be done by me:
At laſt I thought, Since you are thus divided,
I print it will; and ſo the caſe decided.

For, thought I; Some, I ſee, would have it done,
Though others in that Channel do not run;
To prove then who adviſed for the beſt,''
Thus I thought fit to put it to the teſt.

I further thought, If now I did deny
Those that would have it thus, to gratifie,
I did not know but hinder them I might
Of that which would to them be great delight.

For thoſe that were not for its coming forth,
I said to them, Offend you I am loth;
Yet ſince your Brethren pleased with it be,
Forbear to judge, till you do further ſee.

If