An allegory of the Christian life written by John Bunyan during his second imprisonment in 1676–77, it vies with Foxe’s Book of Martyrs as the most-read Christian book next to the Bible. It traces the adventures of a man who, clothed in rags with a great burden on his back and a book in his hand, is directed by Evangelist to a distant shining light and a wicket gate. After a great many experiences during which his burden falls off at the foot of the cross, the man (Christian) fords the river and enters the Celestial City. Many of the characters and places in the story, such as the Giant Despair, Worldly Wiseman and Vanity Fair have become familiar figures in the English language. Scenes from Pilgrim’s Progress are on John Bunyan’s monument in Bunhill Fields Burying Ground.