The religious tolerance which had allowed Bunyan the freedom to preach became curtailed with the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. The members of the Bedford Free Meeting were no longer able to meet in St. John’s Church, which they had been sharing with the Anglican congregation. That November, Bunyan was preaching at a farm near the village of Harlington, thirteen miles from Bedford when he was warned a warrant was out for his arrest. Deciding not to make an escape, he was arrested and brought before the magistrate. He was arrested under the Conventicle Act of 1593, which made it an offence to attend a religious gathering other than at the parish church with more than five people outside their family. The offence was punishable by 3 months imprisonment followed by banishment or execution if the person then failed to promise not to re-offend. As Bunyan refused to give up preaching, his period of imprisonment eventually extended to 12 years and brought great hardship to his family. Elizabeth, who made strenuous attemepts to obtain his release, was left to bring up four step-children, one of whom was blind.
Author: John Bunyan
Spanish Title: El progreso del peregrino
La tolerancia religiosa que había permitido a Bunyan la libertad de predicar se redujo con la restauración de la monarquía en 1660. Los miembros de la Reunión Libre de Bedford ya no pudieron reunirse en la iglesia de San Juan, que habían estado compartiendo con la congregación anglicana. Ese noviembre, Bunyan estaba predicando en una granja cerca del pueblo de Harlington, a trece millas de Bedford, cuando le avisaron de que había una orden de arresto contra él. Decidiendo no escapar, fue arrestado y llevado ante el magistrado. Se le detuvo en virtud de la Ley de Conventos de 1593, que tipificaba como delito la asistencia a una reunión religiosa que no fuera en la iglesia parroquial con más de cinco personas ajenas a su familia. El delito se castigaba con tres meses de prisión, seguidos de destierro ejecución si la persona no se comprometía a no reincidir. Como Bunyan se negó a dejar de predicar, su periodo de encarcelamiento se alargó hasta los 12 años y supuso grandes dificultades para su familia. Elizabeth, que hizo grandes esfuerzos para conseguir su liberación, tuvo que criar a cuatro hijastros, uno de los cuales era ciego.
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