54 pages 1 hour read

John Bunyan

The Pilgrim's Progress

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1678

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Part 1, Pages 274-459Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1, Pages 274-459 Summary

After seeing the cross, Christian walks down the hill and comes across three chained, sleeping men—Simple, Sloth, and Presumption—who refuse Christian’s help. Formalist and Hypocrisie appear and announce that they took a shortcut. According to them, this is acceptable because it’s legal. Christian tells them that the law won’t save them. Christian, Formalist, and Hypocrisie continue until they reach the Hill of Difficulty, which the latter two decide to try to go around. As Christian walks up the hill, two men named Timorous and Mistrust come down, unwilling to face more danger. Worried about what’s to come, Christian searches for the roll the angels gave him and realizes he lost it while he stopped to sleep in an arbor. Lamenting that he fell asleep in a place meant only to serve as a brief waystation, he retraces his steps and finds the document.

As Christian approaches Porter’s Lodge, he sees two lions that Timorous and Mistrust warned him about. Christian cannot see that the lions are chained, but the Porter tells him to walk past them, and he does. The Porter agrees to let Christian spend the night at his home, where Christian talks with Piety, Prudence, and Charity about his journey and home.