hat upon a fair-day, too; yea, and as I think, it was
Beelzebub, the chief lord of this fair, that invited him to buy of his
vanities, yea, would have made him lord of the fair, would he but have
done him reverence as he went through the town. Yea, because he was such
a person of honor Beelzebub had him from street to street, and showed
him all the kingdoms of the world in a little time, that he might, if
possible, allure that Blessed One to cheapen and buy some of his
vanities; but he had no mind to the merchandise, and therefore left the
town without laying out so much as one farthing upon these vanities.
This fair, therefore, is an ancient thing of long standing, and a very
great fair.

Now these pilgrims, as I said, must needs go through this fair. Well, so
they did; but, behold, even as they entered into the fair, all the
people in the fair were moved, and the town itself, as it were, in a
hubbub about them, and that for several reasons: For,

First, The pilgrims were clothed with such kind of raiment as was
diverse from the raiment of any that traded in that fair. The people,
therefore, of the fair made a great gazing upon them; some said they
were fools; some they were bedlams; and some they were outlandish men.

Secondly, And as they wondered at their apparel, so they did likewise at
their speech; for few could understand what they said. They naturally
spoke the language of Canaan; but they that kept the fair were the men
of this world. So that from one end of the fair to the other they seemed
barbarians each to the other.

Thirdly, But that which did not a little amuse the merchandisers was,
that these pilgrims set very light by all their wares. They cared not so
much as to look upon them; and if they called upon them to buy, they
would put their fingers in their ears, and cry, "Turn away mine eyes
from beholding vanity," and look upward, signifying that their trade and
traffic was in heaven.

One chanced mockingly, beholding the carriage of the men, to say unto
them, "What will ye buy?" But they looking gravely upon him, said, "We
buy the truth." At that, there was an occasion taken to despise the men
the more; some mocking, some taunting, some speaking reproachfully, and
some calling upon others to smite them. At last things came to a hubbub
and great stir in the fair, insomuch that all order was confounded. Now
was word presently brought to the great one of the fair, who quickly
came down, and deputed s