The Pilgrim’s Progress: Part 1: Demas and By-path Meadow Summary & Analysis

Christian and Hopeful come to a silver-mine in a hill called Lucre. This area is dangerous: many people have been injured or killed when they ventured too close to the edge of the mine. There, they meet a man named Demas who invites them to dig for treasure. Hopeful wants to take a closer look at the mine, but Christian has heard this place is deadly; he calls Demas an enemy for leading others astray. After Christian and Hopeful continue on their way, By-ends and his friends arrive and accept Demas’s invitation. It’s uncertain what became of them, but they are never heard from again.

Christian and Hopeful arrive at a strange monument. It looks like a woman who has been turned into a pillar. They decipher the writing on the statue, which says, “Remember Lot’s wife,” and realize this is the pillar of salt described in the Bible. Christian points out that if they had heeded Demas’s invitation, they might have wound up like Lot’s wife, too. Hopeful says he is no better than Lot’s wife, and it’s only by God’s grace that he didn’t do what she did. If Demas and his companions had only looked ahead to the statue, they would have seen the monument’s warning for themselves.

Christian and Hopeful walk along a pleasant river with fruit trees on its banks. They spend the next few days resting here, gathering fruit and sleeping in a nearby meadow. When they resume their journey, the going becomes rougher, and they grow discouraged. They see a path wandering through a place called By-path Meadow and, though Hopeful fears being led astray, they decide to follow this easier-looking route. They come upon a man named Vain-confidence who says he’s also headed to the Celestial City, and the pilgrims follow him.

Soon, not seeing what’s in front of him, Vain-confidence falls into a deep pit and lies groaning. Then it begins to storm and flood. Hopeful admits that he’d feared being led astray, but that he didn’t speak up more boldly because Christian is older. Christian apologizes for letting this happen, and Hopeful forgives him. The waters are too high to make their way safely back, so they fall asleep in a little shelter for the night.