In No. 417 of this Journal it is chronicled that John Bunyan scrupled
to eat mince-pies, because of the superstitious character popularly
attached to them; but it would appear from an anecdote sent to us by a
correspondent, that if this was true at all of the author of the
_Pilgrim's Progress_, he must have received new light upon the
subject at a later period of life. When he was imprisoned for
preaching--so says the anecdote--in Bedford jail, a superstitious
lady, thinking to entrap him, sent a servant to request his acceptance
of a Christmas pie; whereupon Banyan replied: 'Tell your mistress that
I accept her present thankfully, for I have learned to distinguish
between a mince-pie and superstition.'