Page 42 Advertisements Column 4

Otago Witness, Issue 2714, 14 March 1906, Page 42

SOME NOTED RELICS. Nearly two years ago the London Daily Telegraph was the first to announce that the original warrant whereby six baronets and seven esquires had put John Bunyan in Bedford Gaol was to be sold by public auction. When it appeared it fetched £305. The news now comes that Bunyan's anvil has been discovered, and it will shortly be offered to collectors at Sotheby's. There seems to be no doubt about the genuineness of the find. It is in the shape of an inverted obelisk or cone, weighing about 601b, and is 2ft in length. Stamped on its iron surface aro the roughly seared words, "J. Bunyan, Helistow." and the date, "1647." At that time Bunyan would be 19 years of age, and would have returned home after seeing some months' active service with Fairfax, The relic was found in the following manner: — An ironmonger at St. Neots, in succeeding to an old business, turned out and sold a laige quantity of iron implements and tools as old scrap iron. A marine store dealer bought some of the rubbish, and the anvil was amongst it. St. Neots is only a few miles from Elstow, Bunyan's birthplace, which was j formerly called Helenstow. When Bunyan rra3 dreaming dreams and claiming the rights and gifts of a seer, he was exhorted by one of his more lenient judges to stick to his trade of tinker, as his "real gift lay in ye repayring of olde kettles." \Fortunately for English literature, Bunyan persisted in bis mission. The anvil has endured, and probably will endure much longer than the copies of the first edition of "The Pilgrim's Progress," but what its value may be must be left to thearbitrament si auction*