By-ends comes from the wealthy town of Fair-speech and is going to the Celestial City. Christian and Hopeful encounter him after they leave Vanity Fair. Christian recognizes By-ends and warns Hopeful that he’s a hypocrite. By-ends says that he never goes against the tide of the world in religious matters, setting him apart from stricter Christians, and that he likes religion best in fancy trappings instead of in poor ones. After By-ends parts ways from Christian and Hopeful (whom he accuses of being overly rigid), he gathers a small group of pilgrims who agree with him that religion and worldly goods are compatible. He and his friends disappear after visiting Demas’s silver-mine.
Get the entire The Pilgrim’s Progress LitChart as a printable PDF.
By-ends Character Timeline in The Pilgrim’s Progress
The timeline below shows where the character By-ends appears in The Pilgrim’s Progress. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 1: Christian, Hopeful, and By-ends
Christian and Hopeful encounter a man named By-ends, who comes from the wealthy town of Fair-speech and is heading to the Celestial City....
(full context)
When Christian confronts By-ends, By-ends insists that he was unfairly nicknamed by people who are jealous of his good...
(full context)
By-ends poses a question to his new companion Money-love: if someone has the opportunity to obtain...
(full context)
By-end’s group decides to pose these same questions to Christian and Hopeful. When they catch up...
(full context)
Part 1: Demas and By-path Meadow
...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...
(full context)
