Excerpt from The Entire Works of John Bunyan, Vol. 4 of 4

This is an ingenious and pathetic fiction. The chief character looks at us with a living and truthful expression. We tremble to see how he entangles himself in crime and wretchedness. His horrible folly blinding him to the future, becomes, by turns, the object of our pity and detestation. It seems as if we were with a real man, and that-it would give us comfort to about in his ear, and bid him look at the pit of destruction yawning just before him.

It is in the breadth and rude force of the delineations, that. The merit of this remarkable narrative consists. The name of Badman shows that there is to be no attempt at any nicety of drawing or development. It tells us, at once and plainly, with what kind of a personage we are to become acquainted, and what sort of incidents we may look for in his life. There is more of honesty than art in this outset of a story. Some readers will feel that they can too readily picture to themselves the career of such a. Character to be interested in it. A man who, we are forewarned, can only be had from first to last, will appear too entirely destitute of modifying qualities to be an Object of sympathy. N or are such objections without reason. To some minds the following narrative will present much which is repulsive: to others it will appear cold and harsh, the usual alternations Of natural feeling being lost under the dismal sway of all-prevailing, desperate wickedness. Most persons largely and profoundly acquainted with human character, love to speak of its wonderful combinations of light and darkness - of good and evil some traces, at least, of the former remaining even in the most deplorable instances of helpless, unresisting depravity. This is not a mere notion; or the result Of a proud, philosophic desire to vindicate human virtue. It is in accordance with reason and Scripture, that a man may be lost, though there be still large remnants of good in him, even to the moment of his ruin but it agrees with neither to suppose that man, in his present state, can be finally and absolutely destitute of moral feeling.

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