,,the   ,,history   ,,of ,,the          
,,devil1   ,,as ,,well   ,,ancient as   
,,modern3   ,,in ,,two ,,parts4         
,,part ,i4    ,containing a ,state of   
the ,devil's ,circumstances1 and the    
various      ,turns of his ,affairs2    
from his ,expulsion out of ,heaven1 to  
the      ,creation of ,man2 with        
,remarks on the ,several ,mistakes      
concerning      the ,reason and ,manner 
of his ,fall4    ,also his ,proceedings 
with ,mankind ever since ,adam1 to the  
first      planting of the ,christian   
,religion in the ,world4    ,,part ,,ii4
    ,containing his more private        
,conduct1 down to the present ,times3   
,his      ,government1 his ,appearances1
 his manner of ,working1 and the ,tools 
he works with4    ,bad as he is1 the    
,devil may be abus'd1   ,be falsly      
charg'd1 and causelesly accus'd1   ,when
 ,men1 unwilling to be blam'd alone1    
,shift off these ,crimes on ,him which  
are their ,own4      ,the ,,second      
,,edition4    ,,london3   ,printed for  

,t4 ,,warner1 at the ,black ,boy in     
,pater-noster ,row4 #agbg4       ,the   
,,preface   ,,to ,,the   ,,second       
,,edition4   ,this ,second ,edition of  
this ,work1 notwithstanding a large     
,impression of the ,first1 is a         
,certificate from the ,world of its     
general ,acceptation2 so we need not1   
according to the ,custom of ,editors1   
boast of it without ,evidence1 or tell a
 ,f----b in its ,favour4  ,the ,subject 
is singular1 and it has been handled    
after a singular ,manner3 ,the wise     
,world has been pleased with it1 the    
merry ,world has been diverted with it1 
and the ignorant ,world has been taught 
by it2 none but the malicious part of   
the ,world has been offended at it3 ,who
 can wonder1 that when the ,devil is not
 pleased1 his ,friends should be angry8 
,the strangest thing of it all is1 to   
hear ,satan complain that the ,story is 
handled prophanely3 ,but who can think  
it strange that his ,advocates should   
,,be1 what he was from the ,beginning8  

,the ,author affirms1 and has good      
,vouchers for it 7in the ,opinion of    
such whose ,judgment passes with him for
 an ,authority7 that the whole ,tenor of
 the ,work is solemn1 calculated to     
promote serious ,religion1 and capable  
of being improv'd in a religious manner4
 ,but he does not think that we are     
bound never to speak of the ,devil but  
with an ,air of ,terror1 as if we were  
always afraid of him4  ',tis evident the
 ,devil1 as subtle and as frightful as  
he is1 has acted the ridiculous and     
foolish ,part1 as much as most of ,god's
 ,creatures1 and daily does so4 ,and he 
cannot believe 'tis any ,sin to expose  
him for a foolish ,devil1 as he is1 or  
shew the ,world that he may be laugh'd  
at4  ,those that think the ,subject not 
handled with ,gravity enough1 have all  
the ,room given them in the ,world to   
handle it better2 and as the ,author    
professes he is far from thinking his   
,piece perfect1 they ought not to be    
angry that he gives them leave to mend  

it4 ,he has had the ,satisfaction to    
please some ,readers1 and to see good   
,men approve it2 and for the rest1 as my
 ,lord ,rochester says in another ,case1
    ,he counts their ,censure ,fame4    
,as for a certain ,reverend ,gentleman1 
who is pleased gravely to dislike the   
,work 7he hopes1 rather for the         
,author's sake than the ,devil's7 he    
only says1 ,let the ,performance be how 
it will1 and the ,author what he will1  
it is apparent he has not yet preach'd  
away all his ,hearers4  ,it is enough to
 me 7says the ,author7 that the ,devil  
himself is not pleased with my ,work1   
and less with the ,design of it2 let the
 ,devil and all his fellow ,complainers 
stand on one side1 and the honest1 well 
meaning1 charitable ,world1 who approve 
my ,work1 on the other1 and ,i'll tell  
,noses with ,satan1 if he dares4        
,,the ,,contents4   ,,part ,i4  ,,chap4 
,i4    ,being an ,introduction to the   
whole ,work1                            
,page #a   ,,chap4 ,,ii4    ,of the     

,word ,,devil1 as it is a proper ,name  
to the ,devil1 and   any or all his     
,host1 ,angels1 c4                      
#ah   ,,chap4 ,,iii4    ,of the         
,original of the ,,devil1 who he is1    
what he was before   his ,expulsion out 
of ,heaven1 and in what ,state he was   
from that   ,time to the ,creation of   
,man                                    
#ca   ,,chap4 ,,iv4    ,of the ,name of 
the ,devil1 his ,original1 and the      
,nature of his   ,circumstances since he
 has been call'd by that ,name          
#ch   ,,chap4 ,v4    ,of the ,station   
,satan had in ,heaven before he fell2   
the ,nature   and ,original of his      
,crime1 and some of ,mr4 ,milton's      
,mistakes   about it                    
#fc   ,,chap4 ,,vi4    ,what became of  
the ,devil and his ,host of fallen      
,spirits after   their being expell'd   
from ,heaven1 and his wandring          
,condition till   the ,creation2 with   
some more of ,mr4 ,milton's ,absurdities
 on   that ,subject                     

#gg   ,,chap4 ,,vii4    ,of the ,number 
of ,satan's ,host2 how they came first  
to know of   the new created ,worlds now
 in ,being1 and their ,measures with    
,mankind upon the ,discovery            
#hf   ,,chap4 ,,viii4    ,of the ,power 
of the ,devil at the ,time of the       
,creation of this   ,world2 whether it  
has not been farther straiten'd and     
limited   since that ,time1 and what    
,shifts and ,stratagems he is oblig'd   
to make use of to compass his ,designs  
upon ,mankind                   #ie     
,,chap4 ,,ix4    ,of the ,progress of   
,satan in carrying on his ,conquest over
   ,mankind1 from the ,fall of ,eve to  
the ,deluge                       #aaa  
,,chap4 ,x4    ,of the ,devil's second  
,kingdom1 and how he got footing in the 
renewed ,world by his ,victory over     
,noah and his ,race               #abi  
,,chap4 ,,xi4    ,of ,god's calling a   
,church out of the midst of a degenerate
   ,world1 and of ,satan's new ,measures
 upon that ,incident3 ,how   he attacked

 them immediately1 and his ,success in  
those ,attacks      #aei   ,,part ,,ii4 
,,chap4 ,i4    ,the ,introduction       
#aib   ,,chap4 ,,ii4    ,of ,hell as it 
is represented to us1 and how the ,devil
 is to   be understood1 as being        
personally in ,hell1 when at the same   
,time we find him at ,liberty ranging   
over the ,world                  #bjf   
,,chap4 ,,iii4    ,of the ,manner of    
,satan's acting and carrying on his     
,affairs   in this ,world1 and          
particularly of his ordinary ,workings  
in the   dark1 by ,possession and       
,agitation                              
#baf   ,,chap4 ,,iv4    ,of ,satan's    
,agents or ,missionaries1 and their     
,actings upon and   in the ,minds of    
,men in his ,name                       
#bbf   ,,chap4 ,v4    ,of the ,devil's  
,management in the ,pagan ,hierarchy by 
,omens1   ,entrails1 ,augurs1 ,oracles1 
and such like ,pageantry of ,hell2 and  
how they went off the ,stage at last by 
the ,introduction of true   ,religion   

#bde   ,,chap4 ,,vi4    ,of the         
extraordinary ,appearances of the       
,devil1 and particularly   of the       
,cloven-,foot                           
#bfe   ,,chap4 ,,vii4    ,whether is    
most hurtful to the ,world1 the ,devil  
walking about   without his             
,cloven-,foot1 or the ,cloven-,foot     
walking about without   the ,devil8     
#bhb   ,,chap4 ,,viii4    ,of the       
,cloven-,foot walking about the ,world  
without the ,devil   7viz47 of ,witches 
making ,bargains with the ,devil1 and   
particularly of selling the ,soul to the
 ,devil                       #caf      
,,chap4 ,,ix4    ,of the ,tools the     
,devil works with 7viz47 ,witches1      
,wizards   or ,warlocks1 ,conjurers1    
,magicians1 ,diviners1 ,astrologers1    
,interpreters of ,dreams1 ,tellers of   
,fortunes2 and above all the   rest1 his
 particular modern ,privy-,counsellors  
call'd ,wits and   ,fools               
#cci   ,,chap4 ,x4    ,of the various   
,methods the ,devil takes to converse   

with ,mankind    #ceb   ,,chap4 ,,xi4   
,of ,divination1 ,sorcery1 the          
,black-,art1 ,pawawing1 and such like   
,pretenders to ,devilisms1 and how far  
the ,devil is or is not   concern'd in  
them                                    
#cgg   ,the ,,conclusion4    ,of the    
,devil's last ,scene of ,liberty1 and   
what may be supposed   to be his ,end2  
with what we are to understand of his   
being   tormented for ever and ever     
#djd       ,,the   ,,history   ,,of     
,,the   ,,devil1 c4     ,,chap4 ,i4     
,being an ,introduction to the whole    
,work4   ,i doubt not but the title of  
this book will amuse some of my reading 
friends a little at first2 they will    
make a pause1 perhaps1 as they do at a  
witch's prayer1 and be some time        
resolving whether they had best look    
into it or no1 lest they should really  
raise the ,devil by reading his story4  
,children and old women have told       
themselves so many frightful things of  
the ,devil1 and have form'd ideas of him

 in their minds1 in so many horrible and
 monstrous shapes1 that really it were  
enough to fright the ,devil himself1 to 
meet himself in the dark1 dress'd up in 
the several figures which imagination   
has form'd for him in the minds of men2 
and as for themselves1 ,i cannot think  
by any means that the ,devil would      
terrify them half so much1 if they were 
to converse face to face with him4  ,it 
must certainly therefore be a most      
useful undertaking to give the true     
history of this ,tyrant of the air1 this
 ,god of the world1 this terror and     
aversion of mankind1 which we call      
,devil2 to shew what he ,,is1 and what  
he ,,is ,,not1 where he ,,is1 and where 
he ,,is ,,not1 when he is ,,in ,,us1 and
 when he ,,is ,,not2 for ,i cannot doubt
 but that the ,devil is really and bona 
fide in a great many of our honest      
weak-headed friends1 when they          
themselves know nothing of the matter4  
,nor is the work so difficult as some   
may imagine4 ,the ,devil's history is   

not so hard to come at1 as it seems to  
be2 ,his original and the first rise of 
his family is upon record1 and as for   
his conduct1 he has acted indeed in the 
dark1 as to method in many things2 but  
in general1 as cunning as he is1 he has 
been fool enough to expose himself in   
some of the most considerable           
transactions of his ,life1 and has not  
shewn himself a politician at all3 ,our 
old friend ,matchiavel outdid him in    
many things1 and ,i may in the process  
of this work give an account of several 
of the sons of ,adam1 and some societies
 of 'em too1 who have out-witted the    
,devil1 nay1 who have out-sin'd the     
,devil1 and that ,i think may be call'd 
out-shooting him in his own bow4  ,it   
may perhaps be expected of me in this   
history1 that since ,i seem inclin'd to 
speak favourably of ,satan1 to do him   
justice1 and to write his story         
impartially1 ,i should take some pains  
to tell you what religion he is of2 and 
even this part may not be so much a     

jest1 as at first sight you may take it 
to be2 for ,satan has something of      
religion in him1 ,i assure you2 nor is  
he such an unprofitable ,devil that way1
 as some may suppose him to be2 for     
tho'1 in reverence to my brethren1 ,i   
will not reckon him among the ,clergy2  
,no not so much as a gifted ,brother1   
yet ,i cannot deny1 but that he often   
preaches1 and if it be not profitably to
 his hearers2 'tis as much their fault1 
as it is out of his design4  ,it has    
indeed been suggested that he has taken 
orders1 and that a certain ,pope1 famous
 for being an extraordinary favourite of
 his1 gave him both institution and     
induction2 but as this is not upon      
record1 and therefore we have no        
authentic document for the probation1 ,i
 shall not affirm it for a truth1 for ,i
 would not slander the ,devil4  ,it is  
said also1 and ,i am apt to believe it1 
that he was very familiar with that holy
 father ,pope ,silvester ,,ii4 and some 
charge him with personating ,pope       

,hildebrand on an extraordinary         
occasion1 and himself sitting in the    
chair apostolick1 in a full             
congregation2 and you may hear more of  
this hereafter3 ,but as ,i do not meet  
with ,pope ,diabolus among the list2 in 
all father ,platina's lives of the      
,popes1 so ,i am willing to leave it as 
,i find it4  ,but to speak to the point1
 and a nice point it is ,i acknowledge2 
namely1 what religion the ,devil is of2 
my answer will indeed be general1 yet   
not at all ambiguous1 for ,i love to    
speak positively and with undoubted     
evidence4       #a4 ,he is a believer4  
,and if in saying so it should follow1  
that      even the ,devil has more      
religion than some of our men of fame   
can      at this time be charged with1  
,i hope my ,lord ---- and his ,grace the
      ---- of ---- and some of the upper
 class in the red-hot club1 will        
not wear the coat1 however well it may  
sit to their shapes1 or      challenge  
the ,satyr1 as if it were pointed at    

them1 because 'tis      due to them3 ,in
 a word1 whatever their ,lordships are1 
,i can assure      them that the ,devil 
is no ,infidel4       #b4 ,he fears     
,god4 ,we have such abundant evidence of
 this in sacred      ,history1 that if  
,i were not at present1 in common with a
 few      others1 talking to an infidel 
sort of ,gentlemen1 with whom those     
remote things call'd ,scriptures are not
 allow'd in evidence1 ,i      might say 
it was sufficiently prov'd2 but ,i doubt
 not in the      process of this        
undertaking to shew1 that the ,devil    
really fears      ,god1 and that after  
another manner than ever he fear'd      
,saint      ,frances or ,saint ,dunstan2
 and if that be proved1 as ,i take upon 
me to advance1 ,i shall leave it to     
judgment1 who's the better              
,christian1 the ,devil who believes and 
trembles1 or our modern      gentry of  
---- who believe neither ,god nor       
,devil4   ,having thus brought the      
,devil within the ,pale1 ,i shall leave 

him among you for the present2 not but  
that ,i may examine in its order who has
 the best claim to his brotherhood1 the 
,papists or the ,protestants2 and among 
the latter the ,lutherans or the        
,calvinists2 and so descending to all   
the several denominations of churches1  
see who has less of the ,devil in them1 
and who more2 and whether less or more  
the ,devil has not a seat in every      
synagogue1 a pew in every church1 a     
place in every pulpit1 and a vote in    
every synod2 even from the ,sanhedrim of
 the ,jews1 to our friends at the ,bull 
and ,mouth1 c4 from the greatest to the 
least4  ,it will1 ,i confess1 come very 
much within the compass of this part of 
my discourse1 to give an account1 or at 
least make an essay toward it1 of the   
share the ,devil has had in the         
spreading religion in the world2 and    
especially of dividing and subdividing  
opinions in religion2 perhaps1 to eke it
 out and make it reach the farther2 and 
also to shew how far he is or has made  

himself a missionary of the famous clan 
de propaganda fide2 it is true1 we find 
him heartily employ'd in almost every   
corner of the world ad propagandum      
errorem3 ,but that may require a history
 by it self4  ,as to his propagating    
religion1 'tis a little hard indeed1 at 
first sight1 to charge the ,devil with  
propagating religion1 that is to say1 if
 we take it literally1 and in the gross2
 but if you take it as the ,scots       
insisted to take the oath of fidelity1  
viz4 with an explanation1 it is plain   
,satan has very often had a share in the
 method1 if not in the design of        
propagating the christian faith3 ,for   
example4  ,i think ,i do no injury at   
all to the ,devil1 to say that he had a 
great hand in the old holy war1 as it   
was ignorantly and enthusiastically     
call'd2 stirring up the christian       
princes and powers of ,europe to run a  
madding after the ,turks and ,saracens1 
and make war with those innocent people 
above a thousand miles off1 only because

 they entred into ,god's heritage when  
he had forsaken it2 graz'd upon his     
ground when he had fairly turn'd it into
 a common1 and laid it open for the next
 comer2 spending their nation's         
treasure1 and embarking their kings and 
people1 7,i say7 in a war above a       
thousand miles off1 filling their heads 
with that religious madness1 call'd1 in 
those days1 holy zeal to recover the    
terra sancta1 the sepulchers of ,christ 
and the ,saints1 and as they call'd it  
falsly1 the holy city1 tho' true        
religion says it was the accursed city1 
and not worth spending one drop of blood
 for4  ,this religious ,bubble was      
certainly of ,satan1 who1 as he craftily
 drew them in1 so like a true ,devil he 
left them in the lurch when they came   
there1 fac'd about to the ,saracens1    
animated the immortal ,saladin against  
them1 and manag'd so dexterously that he
 left the bones of about thirteen or    
fourteen hundred thousand ,christians   
there as a trophy of his infernal       

politicks2 and after the christian world
 had run a la santa terra1 or in        
,english a saunt'ring1 about a hundred  
year1 he dropt it to play another game  
less foolish1 but ten times wickeder    
than that which went before it1 namely1 
turning the crusadoes of the ,christians
 one against another2 and1 as ,hudibras 
said in another case1    ,made them     
fight like mad or drunk   ,for dame     
religion as for punk4   ,of this you    
have a compleat account in the history  
of the ,popes decrees against the ,count
 de ,thoulouse1 and the ,waldenses and  
,albigenses1 with the crusadoes and     
massacres which follow'd upon them1     
wherein to do the ,devil's politicks    
some justice1 he met with all the       
success he could desire2 the zealots of 
that day executed his infernal orders   
most punctually1 and planted religion in
 those countries in a glorious and      
triumphant manner1 upon the destruction 
of an infinite number of innocent       
people1 whose blood has fatten'd the    

soil for the growth of the ,catholick   
faith1 in a manner very particular1 and 
to ,satan's full satisfaction4  ,i      
might1 to compleat this part of his     
history1 give you the detail of his     
progress in these first steps of his    
alliances with ,rome2 and add a long    
list of massacres1 wars1 and expeditions
 in behalf of religion1 which he has had
 the honour to have a visible hand in2  
such as the ,parisian massacre1 the     
,flemish war under the ,duke d' ,alva1  
the ,smithfield fires in the ,marian    
days in ,england1 and the massacres in  
,ireland2 all which would most          
effectually convince us that the ,devil 
has not been idle in his business2 but  
,i may meet with these again in my way1 
'tis enough1 while ,i am upon the       
generals only1 to mention them thus in a
 summary way2 ,i say1 'tis enough to    
prove that the ,devil has really been as
 much concerned as any body1 in the     
methods taken by some people for        
propagating the christian religion in   

the world4  ,some have rashly1 and ,i   
had almost said maliciously charg'd the 
,devil with the great triumphs of his   
friends the ,spaniards in ,america1 and 
would place the conquest of ,mexico and 
,peru to the credit of his account4     
,but ,i cannot join with them in this at
 all1 ,i must say1 ,i believe the ,devil
 was innocent of that matter2 my reason 
is1 because1 ,satan was never such a    
fool as to spend his time1 or his       
politicks1 or embark his allies to      
conquer nations who were already his    
own2 that would be ,satan against       
,beelzebub1 making war upon himself1 and
 at least doing nothing to the purpose4 
,if they should charge him1 indeed1 with
 deluding ,philip ,,ii4 of ,spain into  
that preposterous attempt call'd the    
,armada1 7anglice1 the ,spanish         
,invasion17 ,i should indeed more       
readily join with them2 but whether he  
did it weakly1 in hope1 which was indeed
 not likely1 that it should succeed2 or 
wickedly1 to destroy that great fleet of

 the ,spaniards1 and draw them within   
the reach of his own dominions1 the     
elements2 this being a question which   
authors differ exceedingly about1 ,i    
shall leave it to decide it self4  ,but 
the greatest piece of management1 which 
we find the ,devil has concern'd himself
 in of late1 in the matter of religion1 
seems to be that of the mission into    
,china2 and here indeed ,satan has acted
 his master-piece3 ,it was1 no doubt1   
much for his service that the ,chineses 
should have no insight into matters of  
religion1 ,i mean1 that we call         
christian2 and therefore1 tho' ,popery  
and the ,devil are not at so much       
variance as some may imagine1 yet he did
 not think it safe to let the general   
system of ,christianity be heard of     
among them in ,china4 ,hence when the   
name of the christian religion had but  
been received with some seeming         
approbation in the country of ,japan1   
,satan immediately1 as if alarm'd at the
 thing1 and dreading what the           

consequence of it might be1 arm'd the   
,japoneses against it with such fury1   
that they expell'd it at once4  ,it was 
much safer to his designs1 when1 if the 
story be not a fiction1 he put that     
,dutch witicism into the mouths of the  
,states commanders1 when they came to   
,japan2 who having more wit than to own 
themselves ,christians in such a place  
as that1 when the question was put to   
them1 answered negatively1 ,that they   
were not1 but that they were of another 
religion call'd ,hollanders4  ,however1 
it seems the diligent ,jesuits          
out-witted the ,devil in ,china1 and1 as
 ,i said above1 over-shot him in his own
 ,bow2 for the mission being in danger  
by the ,devil and the ,chinese          
,emperor's joining together1 of being   
wholly expell'd there too1 as they had  
been in ,japan1 they cunningly fell in  
with the ecclesiasticks of the country1 
and joining the priestcraft of both     
religions together1 they brought ,jesus 
,christ and ,confucius to be so         

reconcilable1 that the ,chinese and the 
,roman idolatry appeared capable of a   
confederacy1 of going on hand in hand   
together1 and consequently of being very
 good friends4  ,this was a master-piece
 indeed1 and1 as they say1 almost       
frighted ,satan out of his wits2 but he 
being a ready manager1 and particularly 
famous for serving himself of the       
rogueries of the priests1 fac'd about   
immediately to the mission1 and making a
 virtue of necessity1 clapt in1 with all
 possible alacrity1 with the proposal#a2
 so the ,jesuits and he form'd a        
hotch-potch of religion made up of      
,popery and ,paganism and calculated to 
leave the latter rather worse than they 
found it1 binding the faith of ,christ  
and the philosophy or morals of         
,confucius together1 and formally       
christening them by the name of         
religion2 by which means the politick   
interest of the mission was preserved2  
and yet ,satan lost not one inch of     
ground with the ,chineses1 no1 not by   

the planting the ,gospel it self1 such  
as it was1 among them4  ,nor has it been
 such disadvantage to him that this plan
 or scheme of a new modell'd religion   
would not go down at ,rome1 and that the
 ,inquisition damn'd it with ,bell1     
,book and ,candle2 distance of place    
serv'd his new allies1 the missionaries1
 in the stead of a protection from the  
,inquisition2 and now and then a rich   
present well plac'd found them friends  
in the congregation it self2 and where  
any ,nuncio with his impudent zeal      
pretended to take such a long voyage to 
oppose them1 ,satan took care to get him
 sent back re infecta1 or inspir'd the  
million to move him off the premisses1  
by methods of their own 7that is to say1
 being interpreted7 to murther him4     
,thus the mission has in itself been    
truly devilish1 and the ,devil has      
interested himself in the planting the  
christian religion in ,china4  ,the     
influence the ,devil has in the         
,politicks of mankind1 is another       

especial part of his history1 and would 
require1 if it were possible1 a very    
exact description2 but here we shall    
necessarily be obliged to inquire so    
nicely into the ,arcana of              
circumstances1 and unlock the cabinets  
of state in so many courts1 canvass the 
councils of ministers and the conduct of
 princes so fully1 and expose them so   
much1 that it may1 perhaps1 make a      
combustion among the great politicians  
abroad2 and in doing that we may come so
 near home too1 that tho' personal      
safety and prudentials forbid our       
medling with our own country1 we may be 
taken in a double entendre1 and fall    
unpitied for being only suspected of    
touching truths that are so tender1     
whether we are guilty or no2 on these   
accounts ,i must meddle the less with   
that part1 at least for the present4    
,be it that the ,devil has had a share  
in some of the late councils of ,europe1
 influencing them this way or that way1 
to his own advantage1 what is it to us8 

,for example1 ,what if he has had any   
concern in the late affair of ,thorn8   
,what need we put it upon him1 seeing   
his confederates the ,jesuites with the 
,assessorial tribunal of ,poland take it
 upon themselves8 ,i shall leave that   
part to the issue of time4 ,i wish it   
were as easy to persuade the world that 
he had no hand in bringing the injur'd  
,protestants to leave the justice due to
 the cries of protestant blood to the   
arbitrament of a popish power1 who dare 
say that the ,devil must be in it1 if   
justice should be obtain'd that way3 ,i 
should rather say1 the ,devil is in it1 
or else it would never be expected4  ,it
 occurs next to enquire from the        
premisses1 whether the ,devil has more  
influence or less in the affairs of the 
world now1 than he had in former ages2  
and this will depend upon comparing1 as 
we go along1 his methods and way of     
working in past times1 and the modern   
politicks by which he acts in our days2 
with the differing reception which he   

has met with among the men of such      
distant ages4  ,but there is so much to 
enquire of about the ,devil1 before we  
can bring his story down to our modern  
times1 that we must for the present let 
them drop1 and look a little back to the
 remoter parts of this history2 drawing 
his picture that people may know him    
when they meet him1 and see who and what
 he is1 and what he has been doing ever 
since he got leave to act in the high   
station he now appears in4  ,in the mean
 time1 if ,i might obtain leave to      
present an humble petition to ,satan1 it
 should be1 that he would according to  
modern usage oblige us all1 with writing
 the history of his own times2 'twould1 
as well as one that is gone before it1  
be a ,devilish good one2 for as to the  
sincerity of the performance1 the       
authority of the particulars1 the       
justice of the characters1 c4 if they   
were no better vouch'd1 no more         
consistent with themselves1 with        
charity1 with truth1 and with the honour

 of an historian1 than the last of that 
kind which came abroad among us1 it must
 be a reproach to the ,devil himself to 
be the author of it4  ,were ,satan to be
 brought under the least obligation to  
write truth1 and that the matters of    
fact1 which he should write1 might be   
depended upon1 he is certainly qualified
 by his knowledge of things to be a     
compleat historian2 nor could the       
,bishop himself1 who1 by the way1 has   
given us already the ,devil of a        
history1 come up to him3 ,milton's      
,pandemonium1 tho' an excellent         
dramatick performance1 would appear a   
meer trifling sing-song business1       
beneath the dignity of ,chevy-chase3    
,the ,devil could give us a true account
 of all the civil wars in ,heaven2 how  
and by whom1 and in what manner he lost 
the day there1 and was oblig'd to quit  
the field3 ,the fiction of his refusing 
to acknowledge and submit to the        
,messiah1 upon his being declar'd       
,generalissimo of the ,heavenly forces1 

which ,satan expected himself1 as the   
eldest officer2 and his not being able  
to brook another to be put in over his  
head2 ,i say1 that fine-spun thought of 
,mr4 ,milton would appear to be strain'd
 too far1 and only serve to convince us 
that he 7,milton7 knew nothing of the   
matter4 ,satan knows very well1 that the
 ,messiah was not declared to be the    
,son of ,god with power till by and     
after the resurrection from the dead1   
and that all power was then given him in
 ,heaven and earth1 and not before2 so  
that ,satan's rebellion must derive from
 other causes1 and upon other occasions1
 as he himself can doubtless give us an 
account1 if he thinks fit1 and of which 
we shall speak further in this work4    
,what a fine ,history might this old    
,gentleman write of the ,antediluvian   
world1 and of all the weighty affairs1  
as well of state as of religion1 which  
happen'd during the fifteen hundred     
years of the patriarchal administration6
  ,who1 like him1 could give a full and 

compleat account of the ,deluge1 whether
 it was a meer vindictive1 a blast from 
,heaven1 wrought by a supernatural power
 in the way of miracle8 or whether1     
according to ,mr4 ,burnet's ,theory1 it 
was a consequence following antecedent  
causes by the meer necessity of nature2 
seen in constitution1 natural position1 
and unavoidable working of things1 as by
 the ,theory publish'd by that learn'd  
enthusiast it seems to be8  ,satan could
 easily account for all the difficulties
 of the ,theory1 and tell us whether1 as
 there was a natural necessity of the   
,deluge1 there is not the like necessity
 and natural tendency to a              
,conflagration at last4  ,would the     
,devil exert himself as an ,historian1  
for our improvement and diversion1 how  
glorious an account could he give us of 
,noah's ,voyage round the world1 in the 
famous ,ark6 he could resolve all the   
difficulties about the building it1 the 
furnishing it1 and the laying up        
provision in it for all the collection  

of kinds that he had made2 ,he could    
tell us whether all the creatures came  
voluntier to him to go into the ark1 or 
whether he went a hunting for several   
years before1 in order to bring them    
together4  ,he could give us a true     
relation how he wheedled the people of  
the next world into the absurd          
ridiculous undertaking of building a    
,babel2 how far that stupendous         
stair-case1 which was in imagination to 
reach up to ,heaven1 was carried1 before
 it was interrupted and the builders    
confounded2 how their speech was        
alter'd1 how many ,tongues it was       
divided into1 or whether they were      
divided at all2 and how many            
subdivisions or dialects have been made 
since that1 by which means very few of  
,god's creatures1 except the ,brutes1   
understand one another1 or care one     
farthing whether they do or no4  ,in all
 these things ,satan1 who1 no doubt1    
would make a very good chronologist1    
could settle every ,epocha1 correct     

every ,calendar1 and bring all our      
accounts of time to a general agreement2
 as well the ,grecian ,olympiads1 the   
,turkish ,heghira1 the ,chinese         
fictitious account of the world's       
duration1 as our blind ,julian and      
,gregorian accounts1 which have put the 
world1 to this day1 into such confusion1
 that we neither agree in our holy-days 
or working days1 fasts or feasts1 nor   
keep the same sabbaths in any part of   
the same globe4  ,this great ,antiquary 
could bring us to a certainty in all the
 difficulties of ancient story1 and tell
 us whether the tale of the siege of    
,troy1 and the rape of ,helen was a     
fable of ,homer or a history2 whether   
the fictions of the ,poets are form'd   
from their own brain1 or founded in     
facts2 and whether letters were invented
 by ,cadmus the ,phoenician1 or dictated
 immediately from ,heaven at mount      
,sinai4  ,nay1 he could tell us how and 
in what manner he wheedled ,eve1 deluded
 ,adam1 put ,cain into a passion1 till  

he made him murther his own brother2 and
 made ,noah1 who was above #ejj years a 
preacher of righteousness1 turn ,sot in 
his old age1 dishonour all his ministry1
 debauch himself with wine1 and by      
getting drunk and exposing himself1     
become the jest and laughing-stock of   
his children1 and of all his posterity  
to this day4  ,and would ,satan1        
according to the modern practice of the 
late right reverend ,historian1 enter   
into the characters of the great men of 
his age1 how should we be diverted with 
the just history of ,adam1 in paradise  
and out of it2 his character1 and how he
 behaved at and after his expulsion2 how
 ,cain wandered in the land of ,nod1    
what the mark was which ,god set upon   
him1 whose daughter his wife was1 and   
how big the city was he built there1    
according to a certain ,poet of noble   
extraction1    ,how ,cain in the land of
 ,nod     ,when the rascal was alone    
,like an owl in an ivy tod     ,built a 
city as big as ,roan4    ,roch4   ,he   

could have certainly drawn ,eve's       
picture1 told us every feature in her   
face1 and every inch in her shape1      
whether she was a perfect beauty or no1 
and whether with the fall she did grow  
crooked1 ugly1 ill-natur'd and a scold2 
as the learned ,valdemar suggests to be 
the effects of the curse4  ,descending  
to the character of the ,patriarchs in  
that age1 he might1 no doubt1 give us in
 particular the characters of ,belus1   
worship'd under the name of ,baal2 with 
,satan1 and ,jupiter1 his successors2   
who they were here1 and how they        
behaved2 with all the ,pharaohs of      
,egypt1 the ,abimilechs of ,canaan1 and 
the great monarchs of ,assyria and      
,babylon4  ,hence also he is able to    
write the lives of all the ,heroes of   
the world1 from ,alexander of ,macedon  
to ,lewis the ,,xiv4 and from ,augustus 
to the great ,king ,george2 nor could   
the ,bishop himself go beyond him for   
flattery1 any more than the ,devil      
himself could go beyond the ,bishop for 

falshood4  ,i could enlarge with a      
particular satisfaction upon the many   
fine things which ,satan1 rummaging his 
inexhaustible storehouse of slander1    
could set down to blacken the characters
 of good men1 and load the best ,princes
 of the world with infamy and reproach4 
,but we shall never prevail with him1 ,i
 doubt1 to do mankind so much service1  
as resolving all those difficulties     
would be2 for he has an indelible grudge
 against us2 as he believes1 and perhaps
 is assur'd that men were at first      
created by his sovereign1 to the intent 
that after a certain state of ,probation
 in life1 such of them as shall be      
approved1 are appointed to fill up those
 vacancies in the ,heavenly ,host1 which
 were made by the abdication and        
expulsion of him 7the ,devil7 and his   
,angels2 so that man is appointed to    
come in ,satan's stead1 to make good the
 breach1 and enjoy all those ineffable  
,joys and ,beatitudes which ,satan      
enjoy'd before his fall2 no wonder then1

 that the ,devil swells with envy and   
rage at mankind in general1 and at the  
best of them in particular2 nay1 the    
granting this point is giving an        
unanswerable reason1 why the ,devil     
practises with such unwearied and       
indefatigable application upon the best 
men1 if possible1 to disappoint ,,god   
,almighty's decree1 and that he should  
not find enough among the whole ,race1  
to be proper subjects of his clemency1  
and qualified to succeed the ,devil and 
his host1 or fill up the places vacant  
by the ,fall4 ,it is true indeed1 the   
,devil1 who we have reason to say is no 
fool1 ought to know better than to      
suppose that if he should seduce the    
whole race of mankind1 and make them as 
bad as himself1 he could1 by that       
success of his wickedness1 thwart or    
disappoint the determined purposes of   
,heaven2 but that those which are       
appointed to inherit the ,thrones1 which
 he and his followers abdicated1 and    
were deposed from1 shall certainly be   

preserv'd in spite of his ,devices for  
that inheritance1 and shall have the    
possession secur'd to them1             
notwithstanding all that the ,devil and 
all the ,host of ,hell can do to prevent
 it4  ,but1 however he knows the        
certainty of this1 and that when he     
endeavours the seducing the chosen      
servants of the most ,high1 he fights   
against ,,god himself1 struggles with   
irresistible grace1 and makes war with  
infinite power2 undermining the church  
of ,god1 and that faith in him which is 
fortified with the eternal promises of  
,jesus ,christ1 that the gates of ,hell1
 that is to say1 the ,devil and all his 
power1 shall not prevail against them2  
,i say1 however he knows the            
impossibility there is that he should   
obtain his ends1 yet so blind is his    
rage1 so infatuate his wisdom1 that he  
cannot refrain breaking himself to      
pieces against this mountain1 and       
splitting against the rock4 qui ,jupiter
 vult perdere hos dementat4  ,but to    

leave this serious part1 which is a     
little too solemn1 for the account of   
this rebel2 seeing we are not to expect 
he will write his own ,history for our  
information and diversion1 ,i shall see 
if ,i cannot write it for him3 ,in order
 to this1 ,i shall extract the substance
 of his whole story1 from the beginning 
to our own times1 which ,i shall collect
 out of what is come to hand1 whether by
 revelation or inspiration1 that's      
nothing to him2 ,i shall take care so to
 improve my intelligence1 as may make my
 account of him authentick1 and1 in a   
word1 such as the ,devil himself shall  
not be able to contradict4  ,in writing 
this uncouth story ,i shall be freed    
from the censures of the ,criticks1 in a
 more than ordinary manner1 upon one    
account especially2 7viz47 that my story
 shall be so just and so well grounded1 
and1 after all the good things ,i shall 
say of ,satan1 will be so little to his 
satisfaction1 that the ,devil himself   
will not be able to say1 ,i dealt with  

the ,devil in writing it3 ,i might1     
perhaps1 give you some account where ,i 
had my intelligence1 and how all the    
,arcana of his management have come to  
my hands2 but pardon me1 ,gentlemen1    
this would be to betray conversation1   
and to discover my agents1 and you know 
statesmen are very careful to preserve  
the correspondences they keep in the    
enemy's country1 lest they expose their 
friends to the resentment of the ,power 
whose councils they betray4  ,besides1  
the learned tell us1 that ministers of  
state make an excellent plea of their   
not betraying their intelligence1       
against all party inquiries into the    
great sums of money pretended to be paid
 for secret service2 and whether the    
secret service was to bribe people to   
betray things abroad or at home2 whether
 the money was paid to some body or to  
no body1 employ'd to establish          
correspondences abroad1 or to establish 
families and amass treasure at home2 in 
a word1 whether it was to serve their   

country or serve themselves1 it has been
 the same thing1 and the same plea has  
been their protection3 ,likewise in the 
important affair which ,i am upon1 'tis 
hoped you will not desire me to betray  
my ,correspondents2 for you know ,satan 
is naturally cruel and malicious1 and   
who knows what he might do to shew his  
resentment8 at least it might endanger a
 stop of our intelligence for the       
future4  ,and yet1 before ,i have done1 
,i shall make it very plain1 that       
however my information may be secret and
 difficult1 that yet ,i came very       
honestly by it1 and shall make a very   
good use of it2 for 'tis a great mistake
 in those who think that an acquaintance
 with the affairs of the ,devil may not 
be made very useful to us all3 ,they    
that know no evil can know no good2 and1
 as the learned tell us1 that a stone   
taken out of the head of a ,toad is a   
good antidote against poison2 so a      
competent knowledge of the ,devil1 and  
all his ways1 may be the best help to   

make us defie the ,devil and all his    
works4     ,,chap4 ,,ii4  ,of the word  
,,devil1 as it is a proper name to the  
,devil1 and any or all      his host1   
,angels1 c4   ,it is a question1 not yet
 determined by the learned1 whether the 
word ,devil be a singular1 that is to   
say1 the name of a person standing by   
himself1 or a noun of multitude2 if it  
be a singular1 and so must be used      
personally only as a proper name1 it    
consequently implies one imperial       
,devil1 ,monarch or ,king of the whole  
clan of ,hell2 justly distinguish'd by  
the term ,,the ,,devil1 or as the ,scots
 call him1 the muckle horn'd ,dee'l1 or 
as others in a wilder dialect1 the      
,devil of ,hell1 that is to say1 the    
,devil of a ,devil2 or 7better still7 as
 the ,scripture expresses it1 by way of 
emphasis1 the great red ,dragon1 the    
,devil and ,satan4  ,but if we take this
 word to be1 as above1 a noun of        
multitude1 and so to be used            
ambo-dexter1 as occasion presents1      

singular or plural2 then the ,devil     
signifies ,satan by himself1 or ,satan  
with all his ,legions at his heels1 as  
you please1 more or less2 and this way  
of understanding the word1 as it may be 
very convenient for my purpose1 in the  
account ,i am now to give of the        
infernal ,powers1 so it is not          
altogether improper in the nature of the
 thing3 ,it is thus express'd in        
,scripture1 where the person possess'd  
,matt4 iv4 #bd4 is first said to be     
possess'd of the ,devil 7singular7 and  
our ,saviour asks him1 as speaking to a 
single person1 what is thy name8 and is 
answer'd in the plural and singular     
together1 my name is ,,legion1 for we   
are many4  ,nor will it be any wrong to 
the ,devil1 supposing him a single      
person1 seeing entitling him to the     
conduct of all his inferior ,agents1 is 
what he will take rather for an addition
 to his infernal glory1 than a          
diminution or lessening of him in the   
extent of his ,fame4  ,having thus      

articl'd with the ,devil for liberty of 
speech1 ,i shall talk of him sometimes  
in the singular1 as a person1 and       
sometimes in the plural1 as an host of  
,devils or of infernal ,spirits1 just as
 occasion requires1 and as the history  
of his affairs makes necessary4  ,but   
before ,i enter upon any part of his    
history1 the nature of the thing calls  
me back1 and my ,lord ,b---- of ---- in 
his late famous orations in defence of  
liberty1 summons me to prove that there 
is such a thing or such a person as the 
,devil2 and in short1 unless ,i can give
 some evidence of his existence1 as my  
,lord ---- said very well1 ,i am talking
 of nobody4  ,d--m me1 ,sir1 says a     
graceless comrade of his to a great man1
 your ,grace will go to the ,devil4     
,d--m ye1 ,sir1 says the ,d----1 then ,i
 shall go no where2 ,i wonder where you 
intend to go8  ,nay1 to the ,d----l too 
,i doubt1 says ,graceless1 for ,i am    
almost as wicked as my ,lord ,duke4  ,d4
 ,thou ar't a silly empty ,dog1 says the

 ,d--1 and if there is such a place as a
 ,hell1 tho' ,i believe nothing of it1  
'tis a place for fools1 such as thou    
art4  ,gr4 ,i wonder then1 what ,heaven 
the great wits go to1 such as my ,lord  
,duke2 ,i don't care to go there1 let it
 be where it will2 they are a tiresome  
kind of people1 there's no bearing them1
 they'll make a ,hell wherever they     
come4  ,d4 ,prithee hold thy fool's     
tongue1 ,i tell thee1 if there is any   
such place as we call ,,no ,,where2     
that's all the ,heaven or ,hell that ,i 
know of1 or believe any thing about4    
,gr4 ,very good1 my ,lord--2 so that    
,heaven is no where1 and ,hell is no    
where1 and the ,devil is nobody1        
according to my ,lord ,duke6  ,d4 ,yes  
,sir1 and what then8  ,gr4 ,and you are 
to go no where when you die1 are you8   
,d4 ,yes1 you ,dog1 don't you know what 
that incomparable noble genius my ,lord 
,rochester sings upon the subject1 ,i   
believe it unfeignedly1    ,after death 
nothing is1     ,and nothing death4     

,gr4 ,you believe it1 my ,lord1 you     
mean1 you would fain believe it if you  
could2 but since you put that great     
genius my ,lord ,rochester upon me1 let 
me play him back upon your ,grace2 ,i am
 sure you have read his fine poem upon  
nothing1 in one of the stanzas of which 
is this beautiful thought1    ,and to be
 part of #b thee     ,the wicked wisely 
pray4  ,d4 ,you are a foolish ,dog4     
,gr4 ,and my ,lord ,duke is a wise      
,infidel4  ,d4 ,why8 is it not wiser to 
believe no ,devil1 than to be always    
terrify'd at him8  ,gr4 ,but shall ,i   
toss another ,poet upon you1 my ,lord8  
,if it should so fall out1 as who can   
tell   ,but there may be a ,,god1 a     
,heaven and ,hell8   ,mankind had best  
consider well1 for fear   ',t should be 
too late when their mistakes appear4    
,d4 ,d--m your foolish ,poet1 that's not
 my ,lord ,rochester4  ,gr4 ,but how    
must ,i be damn'd1 if there's no ,devil8
 ,is not your ,grace a little           
inconsistent there8 ,my ,lord ,rochester

 would not have said that1 and't please 
your ,grace4  ,d4 ,no1 you ,dog1 ,i am  
not inconsistent at all1 and if ,i had  
the ordering of you1 ,i'd make you      
sensible of it2 ,i'd make you think your
 self damn'd for want of a ,devil4  ,gr4
 ,that's like one of your ,grace's      
paradoxes1 such as when you swore by    
,god that you did not believe there was 
any such thing as a ,god1 or ,devil2 so 
you swear by nothing1 and damn me to no 
where4  ,d4 ,you are a critical ,dog1   
who taught you to believe these solemn  
trifles8 who taught you to say there is 
a ,,god8  ,gr4 ,nay1 ,i had a better    
school-master than my ,lord ,duke4  ,d4 
,why1 who was your school-master pray8  
,gr4 ,the ,devil1 and't please your     
,grace4  ,d4 ,the ,devil6 the ,devil he 
did8 what you're going to quote         
,scripture1 are you8 ,prithee don't tell
 me of ,scripture1 ,i know what you     
mean1 the ,devils believe and tremble2  
why then ,i have the whip-hand of the   
,devil1 for ,i hate trembling2 and ,i am

 deliver'd from it effectually1 for ,i  
never believed any thing of it1 and     
therefore ,i don't tremble4  ,gr4 ,and  
there1 indeed1 ,i am a wickeder creature
 than the ,devil1 or even than my ,lord 
,duke1 for ,i believe1 and yet don't    
tremble neither4  ,d4 ,nay1 if you are  
come to your penitentials ,i have done  
with you4  ,gr4 ,and ,i think ,i must   
have done with my ,lord ,duke1 for the  
same reason4  ,d4 ,ay1 ay1 pray do1     
,i'll go and enjoy my self2 ,i won't    
throw away the pleasure of my life1 ,i  
know the consequence of it4  ,gr4 ,and  
,i'll go and reform my self1 else ,i    
know the consequence too4  ,this short  
,dialogue happen'd between two men of   
quality1 and both men of wit too2 and   
the effect was1 that the ,lord brought  
the reality of the ,devil into the      
question1 and the debate brought the    
profligate to be a penitent2 so in      
short1 the ,devil was made a preacher of
 repentance4  ,the ,truth is1 ,god and  
the ,devil1 however opposite in their   

nature1 and remote from one another in  
their place of abiding1 seem to stand   
pretty much upon a level in our faith3  
,for as to our believing the reality of 
their existence1 he that denies one1    
generally denies both2 and he that      
believes one1 necessarily believes both4
  ,very few1 if any of those who believe
 there is a ,,god1 and acknowledge the  
debt of homage which mankind owes to the
 supreme ,governor of the ,world1 doubt 
the existence of the ,devil1 except here
 and there one1 whom we call practical  
,atheists2 and 'tis the character of an 
,atheist1 if there is such a creature on
 ,earth1 that like my ,lord ,duke1 he   
believes neither ,,god or ,devil4  ,as  
the belief of both these stands upon a  
level1 and that ,,god and the ,devil    
seem to have an equal share in our      
faith1 so the evidence of their         
existence seems to stand upon a level   
too1 in many things2 and as they are    
known by their ,works in the same       
particular cases1 so they are discover'd

 after the same manner of demonstration4
  ,nay1 in some respects 'tis equally   
criminal to deny the reality of them    
both1 only with this difference1 that to
 believe the existence of a ,,god is a  
debt to nature1 and to believe the      
existence of the ,devil is a like debt  
to reason2 one is a demonstration from  
the reality of visible causes1 and the  
other a deduction from the like reality 
of their effects4  ,one demonstration of
 the existence of ,,god1 is from the    
universal well-guided consent of all    
nations to worship and adore a supreme  
,power2 ,one demonstration of the       
existence of the ,devil1 is from the    
avow'd ill-guided consent of some       
nations1 who knowing no other ,,god1    
make a ,,god of the ,devil1 for want of 
a better4  ,it may be true1 that those  
nations have no other ,ideas of the     
,devil than as of a superior ,power2 if 
they thought him a supreme ,power it    
would have other effects on them1 and   
they would submit to and worship him    

with a different kind of fear4  ,but    
'tis plain they have right notions of   
him as a ,devil or evil ,spirit1 because
 the best reason1 and in some places the
 only reason they give for worshiping   
him is1 that he may do them no hurt2    
having no notions at all of his having  
any power1 much less any inclination to 
do them good2 so that indeed they make a
 meer ,devil of him1 at the same time   
that they bow to him as to a ,,god4     
,all the ages of ,paganism in the ,world
 have had this notion of the ,devil3    
indeed in some parts of the ,world they 
had also some ,deities which they       
honour'd above him1 as being supposed to
 be beneficent1 kind and inclined1 as   
well as capable to give them good       
things2 for this reason the more polite 
,heathens1 such as the ,grecians and the
 ,romans1 had their ,lares or houshold  
,gods1 whom they paid a particular      
respect to2 as being their ,protectors  
from ,hobgoblins1 ,ghosts of the ,dead1 
evil ,spirits1 frightful ,appearances1  

evil ,genius's and other noxious ,beings
 from the invisible ,world2 or to put it
 into the language of the day we live   
in1 from the ,devil1 in whatever shape  
or appearance he might come to them1 and
 from whatever might hurt them3 and what
 was all this but setting up ,devils    
against ,devils1 supplicating one ,devil
 under the notion of a good ,spirit1 to 
drive out and protect them from another1
 whom they call'd a bad ,spirit1 the    
white ,devil against the black ,devil8  
,this proceeds from the natural notions 
mankind necessarily entertain of things 
to come2 superior or inferior1 ,,god and
 the ,devil1 fill up all futurity in our
 thoughts2 and 'tis impossible for us to
 form any images in our minds of an     
immortality and an invisible ,world1 but
 under the notions of perfect felicity1 
or extreme misery4  ,now as these two   
respect the ,eternal state of man after 
life1 they are respectively the object  
of our reverence and affection1 or of   
our horror and aversion2 but            

notwithstanding they are plac'd thus in 
a diametrical opposition in our         
affections and passions1 they are on an 
evident level as to the certainty of    
their existence1 and1 as ,i said above1 
bear an equal share in our faith4  ,it  
being then as certain that there is a   
,devil1 as that there is a ,god1 ,i must
 from this time forward admit no more   
doubt of his existence1 nor take any    
more pains to convince you of it2 but   
speaking of him as a reality in ,being1 
proceed to enquire who he is1 and from  
whence1 in order to enter directly into 
the detail of his ,history4  ,now not to
 enter into all the metaphysical        
trumpery of his ,schools1 nor wholly to 
confine my self to the language of the  
,pulpit2 where we are told1 that to     
think of ,,god and of the ,devil1 we    
must endeavour first to form ,ideas of  
those things which illustrate the       
description of rewards and punishments2 
in the one the eternal presence of the  
highest good1 and1 as a necessary       

attendant1 the most perfect1 consummate1
 durable bliss and felicity1 springing  
from the presence of that ,being in whom
 all possible ,beatitude is             
inexpressibly present1 and that in the  
highest perfection3 ,on the contrary1 to
 conceive of a sublime fallen           
,arch-angel1 attended with an           
innumerable host of degenerate1 rebel   
,seraphs or ,angels cast out of ,heaven 
together2 all guilty of inexpressible   
rebellion1 and all suffering from that  
time1 and to suffer for ever the eternal
 vengeance of the ,almighty1 in an      
inconceivable manner2 that his presence1
 tho' blessed in it self1 is to them the
 most compleat article of terror2 ,that 
they are in themselves perfectly        
miserable2 and to be with whom for ever1
 adds an inexpressible misery to any    
state as well as place2 and fills the   
minds of those who are to be1 or expect 
to be banish'd to them with             
inconceivable horror and amazement4     
,but when you have gone over all this1  

and a great deal more of the like1 tho' 
less intelligible language1 which the   
passions of men collect to amuse one    
another with2 you have said nothing if  
you omit the main article1 namely1 the  
personality of the ,devil2 and till you 
add to all the rest some description of 
the company with whom all this is to be 
suffer'd1 viz4 the ,devil and his       
,angels4  ,now who this ,devil and his  
,angels are1 what share they have either
 actively or passively in the eternal   
miseries of a future state1 how far they
 are ,agents in or ,partners with the   
sufferings of the place1 is a difficulty
 yet not fully discover'd by the most   
learned2 nor do ,i believe 'tis made    
less a difficulty by their medling with 
it4  ,but to come to the person and     
original of the ,devil1 or1 as ,i said  
before1 of ,devils2 ,i allow him to come
 of an ancient family1 for he is from   
,heaven1 and more truly than the ,romans
 could say of their idoliz'd ,numa1 he  
is of the race of the ,gods4  ,that     

,satan is a fallen ,angel1 a rebel      
,seraph1 cast out for his ,rebellion1 is
 the general opinion1 and 'tis not my   
business to dispute things universally  
receiv'd2 as he was try'd1 condemn'd1   
and the sentence of expulsion executed  
on him in ,heaven1 he is in this ,world 
like a transported ,felon never to      
return2 ,his crime1 whatever particular 
aggravations it might have1 'tis        
certain1 amounted to ,high-treason      
against his ,lord and ,governor1 who was
 also his ,maker2 against whom he rose  
in rebellion1 took up arms1 and in a    
word1 rais'd a horrid and unnatural war 
in his dominions2 but being overcome in 
battle1 and made prisoner1 he and all   
his ,host1 whose numbers were infinite1 
all glorious ,angels like himself1 lost 
at once their beauty and glory with     
their ,innocence1 and commenc'd ,devils1
 being transform'd by crime into        
monsters and frightful objects2 such as 
to describe1 human fancy is obliged to  
draw pictures and descriptions in such  

forms as are most hateful and frightful 
to the imagination4  ,these notions1 ,i 
doubt not1 gave birth to all the        
beauteous ,images and sublime           
expressions in ,mr4 ,milton's majestick 
,poem2 where1 tho' he has play'd the    
,poet in a most luxuriant manner1 he has
 sinn'd against ,satan most egregiously1
 and done the ,devil a manifest injury  
in a great many particulars1 as ,i shall
 shew in its place4 ,and as ,i shall be 
oblig'd to do ,satan justice when ,i    
come to that part of his ,history1 ,mr4 
,milton's admirers must pardon me1 if ,i
 let them see1 that tho' ,i admire ,mr4 
,milton as a ,poet1 yet that he was     
greatly out in matters of ,history1 and 
especially the ,history of the ,devil2  
in short1 ,that he has charged ,satan   
falsly in several particulars2 and so he
 has ,adam and ,eve too3 ,but that ,i   
shall leave till ,i come to the ,history
 of the ,royal ,family of ,eden2 which  
,i resolve to present you with when the 
,devil and ,i have done with one        

another4  ,but not to run down ,mr4     
,milton neither1 whose poetry1 or his   
judgment1 cannot be reproached without  
injury to our own2 all those bright     
,ideas of his1 which make his poem so   
justly valued1 whether they are capable 
of proof as to the fact1 are            
notwithstanding1 confirmations of my    
hypothesis2 and are taken from a        
supposition of the ,personality of the  
,devil1 placing him at the head of the  
infernal host1 as a sovereign elevated  
,spirit and ,monarch of ,hell2 and as   
such it is that ,i undertake to write   
his history4  ,by the word ,hell ,i do  
not suppose1 or at least not determine1 
that his residence1 or that of the whole
 army of ,devils1 is yet in the same    
local ,,hell1 to which the ,divines tell
 us he shall be at last chain'd down2 or
 at least that he is yet confin'd to it1
 for we shall find he is at present a   
prisoner at large3 of both which        
circumstances of ,satan ,i shall take   
occasion to speak in its course4  ,but  

when ,i call the ,devil the ,monarch of 
,hell1 ,i am to be understood as suits  
to the present purpose2 that he is the  
,sovereign of all the race of ,hell1    
that is to say of all the ,devils or    
,spirits of the infernal ,clan1 let     
their numbers1 quality and powers be    
what they will4  ,upon this supposed    
personality and superiority of ,satan1  
or1 as ,i call it1 the sovereignty and  
government of one ,devil above all the  
rest2 ,i say1 upon this notion are      
form'd all the systems of the dark side 
of futurity1 that we can form in our    
minds3 ,and so general is the opinion of
 it1 that it will hardly bear to be     
oppos'd by any other argument1 at least 
that will bear to be reason'd upon3 ,all
 the notions of a parity of ,devils1 or 
making a common-wealth among the black  
,divan1 seem to be enthusiastick and    
visionary1 but with no consistency or   
certainty1 and is so generally exploded1
 that we must not venture so much as to 
debate the point4  ,taking it then as   

the generality of mankind do1 that there
 is a ,grand ,devil1 a superior of the  
whole black race2 that they all fell1   
together with their ,general1 ,satan1 at
 the head of them2 that tho' he1 ,satan1
 could not maintain his high station in 
,heaven1 yet that he did continue his   
dignity among the rest1 who are call'd  
his servants1 in ,scripture his ,angels2
 that he has a kind of dominion or      
authority over the rest1 and that they  
were all1 how many millions soever in   
number1 at his command2 employ'd by him 
in all his hellish designs1 and in all  
his wicked contrivances for the         
destruction of man1 and for the setting 
up his own kingdom in the world4        
,supposing then that there is such a    
superior ,master-,devil over all the    
rest1 it remains that we enquire into   
his character1 and something of his     
,history2 in which1 tho' we cannot      
perhaps produce such authentick         
documents as in the story of other great
 ,monarchs1 ,tyrants1 and ,furies of the

 ,world2 yet ,i shall endeavour to speak
 some things which the experience of    
mankind may be apt to confirm1 and which
 the ,devil himself will hardly be able 
to contradict4  ,it being then granted  
that there is such a thing or person1   
call him which we will1 as a            
,master-,devil2 that he is thus superior
 to all the rest in power and in        
authority1 and that all the other evil  
,spirits are his ,angels1 or ,ministers1
 or ,officers to execute his commands1  
and are employ'd in his business2 it    
remains to enquire1 whence he came8 how 
he got hither1 into this ,world8 what   
that business is which he is employ'd   
about8 what his present state is1 and   
where and to what part of the creation  
of ,god he is limited and restrained8   
what the liberties are he takes or is   
allow'd to take8 in what manner he      
works1 and how his instruments are      
likewise allow'd to work8 what he has   
done ever since he commenc'd ,devil1    
what he is now doing1 and what he may   

yet do before his last and closer       
confinement8 as also what he cannot do1 
and how far we may or may not be said to
 be exposed to him1 or have or have not 
reason to be afraid of him8 ,these1 and 
whatever else occurs in the ,history and
 conduct of this ,arch-devil and his    
,agents1 that may be useful for         
information1 caution1 or diversion1 you 
may expect in the process of this work4 
,i know it has been question'd by some1 
with more face than fear1 how it        
consists with a compleat victory of the 
,devil1 which they say was at first     
obtained by the ,heavenly ,powers over  
,satan and his apostate army in ,heaven1
 that when he was cast out of his holy  
place1 and dash'd down into the abyss of
 eternal darkness1 as into a place of   
punishment1 a condemn'd hold1 or place  
of confinement1 to be reserved there to 
the judgment of the great ,day2 ,i say1 
how it consists with that entire        
victory1 to let him loose again1 and    
give him liberty1 like a thief that has 

broken prison1 to range about ,god's    
creation1 and there to continue his     
rebellion1 commit new ravages1 and acts 
of hostility against ,god1 make new     
efforts at dethroning the almighty      
,creator2 and in particular to fall upon
 the weakest of his creatures1 ,,man8   
how ,satan being so entirely vanquish'd1
 he should be permitted to recover any  
of his wicked powers1 and find room to  
do mischief to mankind4  ,nay they go   
farther1 and suggest bold things against
 the wisdom of ,heaven1 in exposing     
mankind1 weak in comparison of the      
immense extent of the ,devil's power1 to
 so manifest an overthrow1 to so unequal
 a fight1 in which he is sure1 if alone 
in the conflict1 to be worsted2 to leave
 him such a dreadful enemy to engage    
with1 and so ill furnish'd with weapons 
to assist him4  ,these objections ,i    
shall give as good an answer to as the  
case will admit in this course1 but must
 adjourn them for the present4  ,that   
the ,devil is not yet a close prisoner1 

we have evidence enough to confirm2 ,i  
will not suggest1 that like our ,newgate
 ,thieves1 7to bring little ,devils and 
great ,devils together7 he is let out by
 connivance1 and has some little        
latitudes and advantages for mischief1  
by that means2 returning at certain     
seasons to his confinement again4 ,this 
might hold1 were it not1 that the       
comparison must suggest1 that the power 
which has cast him down could be        
deluded1 and the under-keepers or       
jaylors1 under whose charge he was in   
custody1 could wink at his excursions1  
and the ,lord of the place know nothing 
of the matter4 ,but this wants farther  
explanation4     ,,chap4 ,,iii4  ,of the
 original of the ,,devil1 who he is1 and
 what he was before his      expulsion  
out of ,heaven1 and in what state he was
 from that time      to the creation of 
,man4   ,to come to a regular enquiry   
into ,satan's affairs1 'tis needful we  
should go back to his original1 as far  
as history and the opinion of the       

learned ,world will give us leave4  ,it 
is agreed by all ,writers1 as well      
sacred as prophane1 that this creature  
we now call a ,devil1 was originally an 
,angel of light1 a glorious ,seraph2    
perhaps the choicest of all the glorious
 ,seraphs4 ,see how ,milton describes   
his original glory3    ,satan1 so call  
him now1 his former name   ,is heard no 
more in ,heaven3 ,he of the first1   ,if
 not the first ,archangel2 great in     
power1   ,in favour and preeminence4    
lib4 v4 fol4 #adj4  ,and again the same 
author1 and upon the same subject3      
------,brighter once amidst the host    
,of ,angels1 than that star the stars   
among4    lib4 vii4 fol4 #ahi4   ,the   
glorious figure which ,satan is supposed
 to make among the ,thrones and         
,dominions in ,heaven is such1 as we    
might suppose the highest ,angel in that
 exalted train could make2 and some     
think1 as above1 that he was the chief  
of the ,arch-angels4  ,hence that       
notion1 7and not ill founded7 namely1   

that the first cause of his disgrace1   
and on which ensued his rebellion1 was  
occasioned upon ,god's proclaiming his  
,,son ,generalissimo1 and with himself  
supreme ruler in heaven2 giving the     
dominion of all his works of creation1  
as well already finish'd1 as not then   
begun1 to him2 which post of honour 7say
 they7 ,satan expected to be conferr'd  
on himself1 as next in honour1 majesty  
and power to ,god the ,supreme4  ,this  
opinion is follow'd by ,mr4 ,milton too1
 as appears in the following lines1     
where he makes all the ,angels attending
 all a general summons1 and ,god the    
,father making the following declaration
 to them4      ,here1 all ye ,angels1   
prodigy of light1   ,thrones1 dominions1
 princedoms1 virtues1 pow'rs6   ,hear my
 decree1 which unrevok'd shall stand4   
,this day ,i have begot whom ,i declare 
,my only ,,son1 and on this hill   ,him 
have anointed1 whom you now behold   ,at
 my right hand2 your ,head ,i ,him      
appoint3   ,and my self have sworn to   

him shall bow   ,all knees in ,heav'n1  
and shall confess him ,lord1   ,under   
his great vice-gerent reign abide       
,united1 as one individual soul1   ,for 
ever happy3 ,him who disobeys1   ,me    
disobeys1 breaks union1 and that day    
,cast out from ,,god1 and blessed       
vision1 falls   ,into utter darkness1   
deep ingulph'd1 his place   ,ordain'd   
without redemption1 without end4        
,satan1 affronted at the appearance of a
 new ,essence or ,being in ,heaven1     
call'd the ,son of ,god2 for ,god1 says 
,mr4 ,milton1 7tho' erroneously7        
declared himself at that time1 saying1  
,this day have ,i begotten him1 and that
 he should be set up1 above all the     
former ,powers of ,heaven1 of whom      
,satan 7as above7 was the ,chief and    
expecting1 if any higher post could be  
granted1 it might be his due2 ,i say1   
affronted at this he resolv'd    ,with  
all his ,legions to dislodge1 and leave 
,unworship'd1 unobey'd1 the throne      
supreme   ,contemptuous4 ------    ,par4

 lost1 lib4 v4 fo4 #adj4   ,but ,mr4    
,milton is grosly erroneous in ascribing
 those words1 ,this day have ,i begotten
 thee1 to that declaration of the       
,father before ,satan fell1 and         
consequently to a time before the       
creation2 whereas1 it is by             
,interpreters agreed to be understood of
 the ,incarnation of the ,son of ,god1  
or at least of the ,resurrection3 #c see
 ,pool upon ,acts xiii4 #cc4  ,in a     
word1 ,satan withdrew with all his      
followers malecontent and chagrine1     
resolv'd to disobey this new command1   
and not yield obedience to the ,son4    
,but ,mr4 ,milton agrees in that        
opinion1 that the number of ,angels     
which rebel'd with ,satan was infinite1 
and suggests in one place1 that they    
were the greatest half of all the       
angelick ,body or seraphick ,host4      
,but ,satan with his ,power1            
,an host   ,innumerable as the stars of 
night1   ,or stars of morning1 dew      
drops1 which the ,sun   ,impearls on    

ev'ry leaf and ev'ry flower4    ib4 lib4
 v4 fo4 #adb4   ,be their number as it  
is1 numberless millions and legions of  
millions1 that is no part of my present 
enquiry2 ,satan the leader1 guide and   
superior1 as he was author of the       
celestial rebellion1 is still the great 
,head and ,master-,devil as before2     
under his authority they still act1 not 
obeying but carrying on the same        
insurrection against ,god1 which they   
begun in ,heaven2 making war still      
against ,heaven1 in the person of his   
,image and ,creature man2 and tho'      
vanquish'd by the thunder of the ,son of
 ,god1 and cast down headlong from      
,heaven1 they have yet reassumed1 or    
rather not lost either the will or the  
power of doing evil4  ,this fall of the 
,angels1 with the war in ,heaven which  
preceded it1 is finely describ'd by     
,ovid1 in his war of the ,titans against
 ,jupiter2 casting mountain upon        
mountain1 and hill upon hill 7,pelion   
upon ,ossa7 in order to scale the       

,adamantine walls1 and break open the   
gates of ,heaven2 till ,jupiter struck  
them with his thunder-bolts and         
overwhelm'd them in the abyss3 ,vide    
,ovid ,metam4 new translation1 lib4 i4  
p4 #ai4    ,nor were the ,gods          
themselves secure on high1   ,for now   
the ,gyants strove to storm the sky1    
,the lawless brood with bold attempt    
invade   ,,the ,,gods1 and mountains    
upon mountains laid4     ,but now the   
bolt1 enrag'd the ,father took1         
,olympus from her deep foundations      
shook1   ,their structure nodded at the 
mighty stroke1   ,and ,ossa's shatter'd 
top o'er ,pelion broke1   ,they're in   
their own ungodly ruines slain4--       
,then again speaking of ,jupiter1       
resolving in council to destroy mankind 
by a deluge1 and giving the reasons of  
it to the heavenly ,host1 say thus1     
speaking of the demy-,gods alluding to  
good men below4    ,think you that they 
in safety can remain1   ,when ,i my self
 who o'er ,immortals reign1   ,who send 

the lightning1 and ,heaven's empire     
sway1   ,the stern #d ,lycaon practis'd 
to betray4    ib4 p4 #aj4   ,since then 
so much poetic liberty is taken with the
 ,devil1 relating to his most early     
state1 and the time before his fall1    
give me leave to make an excursion of   
the like kind1 relating to his ,history 
immediately after the fall1 and till the
 creation of man2 an interval which ,i  
think much of the ,devil's story is to  
be seen in1 and which ,mr4 ,milton has  
taken little notice of1 at least it does
 not seem compleatly fill'd up2 after   
which ,i shall return to honest ,prose  
again1 and persue the duty of an        
,historian4      ,satan1 with hideous   
ruin thus supprest   ,expell'd the seat 
of blessedness and rest1   ,look'd back 
and saw the high eternal mound1   ,where
 all his rebel host their outlet found  
,restor'd impregnable3 ,the breach made 
up1   ,and garrisons of ,angels rang'd a
 top2   ,in front a hundred thousand    
thunders roll1   ,and lightnings        

temper'd to transfix a soul1   ,terror  
of ,devils4 ,satan and his host1   ,now 
to themselves as well as station lost1  
,unable to support the hated sight1     
,expand seraphic wings1 and swift as    
light            ,seek for new safety in
 eternal ,night4                   ,in  
the remotest gulphs of dark they land1  
,here vengeance gives them leave to make
 their stand1   ,not that to steps and  
measures they pretend1   ,councils and  
schemes their station to defend2   ,but 
broken1 disconcerted and dismay'd1   ,by
 guilt and fright to guilt and fright   
betray'd2   ,rage and confusion ev'ry   
,spirit possess'd1   ,and shame and     
horror swell'd in ev'ry breast2         
,transforming envy to their essentials  
burns1   ,and the bright ,angel to a    
frightful ,devil turns4     ,thus ,hell 
began2 the fire of conscious rage   ,no 
years can quench1 no length of time     
asswage4   ,material ,fire1 with its    
intensest flame1   ,compar'd with this  
can scarce deserve a ,name2   ,how      

should it up to immaterials rise1       
,when we're all flame1 we shall all fire
 despise4     ,this fire outrageous and 
its heat intense   ,turns all the pain  
of loss to pain of sense4   ,the folding
 flames concave and inward roll1   ,act 
upon spirit and penetrate the soul3     
,not force of ,devils can its new powers
 repel1   ,where'er it burns it finds or
 makes a ,,hell2   ,for ,satan flaming  
with unquench'd desire   ,forms his own 
,hell1 and kindles his own fire1        
,vanquish'd1 not humbl'd1 not in will   
brought low1   ,but as his powers       
decline his passions grow3   ,the       
malice1 ,viper like1 takes vent within1 
,gnaws its own bowels1 and bursts in its
 own sin3   ,impatient of the change he 
scorns to bow1   ,and never impotent in 
power till now2   ,ardent with hate1 and
 with revenge distract1   ,a will to new
 attempts1 but none to act2   ,yet all  
seraphick1 and in just degree1   ,suited
 to ,spirits high sense of misery1      
,deriv'd from loss which nothing can    

repair1   ,and room for nothing left but
 meer despair4   ,here's finish'd ,hell6
 what fiercer fire can burn8   ,enough  
ten thousand ,worlds to over-turn4      
,,hell's but the frenzy of defeated     
pride1   ,seraphick ,treason's strong   
impetuous tide1   ,where vile ambition  
disappointed first1   ,to its own rage  
and boundless hatred curst2   ,the      
hate's fan'd up to fury1 that to flame1 
,for fire and fury are in kind the same2
   ,these burn unquenchable in every    
face1   ,and the word ,,endless         
constitutes the place4      ,o state of 
,being6 where being's the only grief1   
,and the chief torture's to be damn'd to
 life2   ,o life6 the only thing they   
have to hate2   ,the finish'd torment of
 a future state1   ,compleat in all the 
parts of endless misery1   ,and worse   
ten thousand times than not to ,,be6    
,could but the ,damn'd the immortal law 
repeal1   ,and ,devils dye1 there'd be  
an end of ,hell2   ,could they that     
thing call'd ,being annihilate1         

,there'd be no sorrows in a future      
state2   ,the ,wretch1 whose crimes had 
shut him out on high1   ,could be       
reveng'd on ,god himself and die2       
,job's ,wife was in the right1 and      
always we   ,might end by death all     
human misery1                 ,might    
have it in our choice1 to be or not to  
be4       ,,chap4 ,,iv4  ,of the name of
 the ,devil1 his original1 and the      
nature of his      circumstances since  
he has been called by that name4   ,the 
,scripture is the first writing on earth
 where we find the ,devil called by his 
own proper distinguishing denomination1 
,,devil1 or the #e ,destroyer2 nor      
indeed is there any other author of     
antiquity or of sufficient authority    
which says any thing of that kind about 
him4  ,here he makes his first          
appearance in the world1 and on that    
occasion he is called the ,serpent2 but 
the ,serpent however since made to      
signify the ,devil1 when spoken of in   
general terms1 was but the ,devil's     

representative1 or the ,devil in quo vis
 vehiculo1 for that time1 clothed in a  
bodily shape1 acting under cover and in 
disguise1 or if you will the ,devil in  
masquerade3 ,nay1 if we believe ,mr4    
,milton1 the ,angel ,gabriel's spear had
 such a secret powerful influence1 as to
 make him strip of a sudden1 and with a 
touch to unmask1 and stand upright in   
his naked original shape1 meer ,devil1  
without any disguises whatsoever4  ,now 
as we go to the ,scripture for much of  
his history1 so we must go there also   
for some of his names2 and he has a     
great variety of names indeed1 as his   
several mischievous doings guide us to  
conceive of him4 ,the truth is1 all the 
ancient names given him1 of which the   
,scripture is full1 seems to be         
originals derived from and adapted to   
the several steps he has taken1 and the 
several shapes he has appeared in to do 
mischief in the world4    ,here he is   
called the ,serpent1 ,gen4 iii4 #a4     
,the old ,serpent1 ,rev4 xii4 #i4       

,the great red ,dragon1 ,rev4 xii4 #c4  
,the ,accuser of the ,brethren1 ,rev4   
xii4 #aj4             ,the ,enemy1      
,matt4 xxiii4 #bi4             ,satan1  
,job i4 ,zech4 iii4 #a1 #b4             
,belial1 #b ,cor4 vi4 #ae4              
,beelzebub1 ,matt4 xii4 #bd4            
,mammon1 ,matt4 vi4 #bd4                
,the ,angel of light1 #b ,cor4 xi4 #ad4 
,the ,angel of the bottomless pit1 ,rev4
 ix4 #aa4             ,the ,prince of   
the power of the air1 ,eph4 ii4 #b4     
,lucifer1 ,isa4 xiv4 #ab4               
,abbaddon or ,apollion1 ,rev4 ix4 #aa4  
,legion1 ,mark v4 #i4             ,the  
,god of this world1 #b ,cor4 iv4 #d4    
,the ,foul ,spirit1 ,mark ix4 #e4       
,the ,unclean ,spirit1 ,mark i4 #bg4    
,the ,lying ,spirit1 #b ,chron4 xxx4    
,the ,tempter1 ,matt4 iv4 #c4           
,the ,son of the morning1 ,isa4 xiv4    
#ab4   ,but to sum them all up in one1  
he is called in the new ,testament plain
 ,,devil2 all his other names are varied
 according to the custom of speech1 and 

the dialects of the several nations     
where he is spoken of2 ,but in a word1  
,devil is the common name of the ,devil 
in all the known languages of the earth4
 ,nay1 all the mischiefs he is empowered
 to do1 are in ,scripture placed to his 
account1 under the particular title of  
the ,devil1 not of ,devils in the plural
 number1 though they are sometimes      
mentioned too2 but in the singular it is
 the identical individual ,devil1 in and
 under whom all the little ,devils1 and 
all the great ,devils1 if such there be1
 are supposed to act2 nay1 they are     
supposed to be govern'd and directed by 
him4 ,thus we are told in ,scripture of 
the works of the ,devil1 #a ,john iii4  
#h4 of casting out the ,devil1 ,mark i4 
#cd4 of resisting the ,devil1 ,james iv4
 #e4 of our ,saviour being tempted of   
the ,devil1 ,mat4 iv4 #a4 of ,simon     
,magus1 a child of the ,devil1 ,acts    
xiii4 #aj4 ,the ,devil came down in a   
great wrath1 ,rev4 xii4 #ab4 and the    
like4 ,according to this usage in speech

 we go on to this day1 and all the      
infernal things we converse with in the 
world1 are fathered upon the ,devil1 as 
one undivided simple essence1 by how    
many agents soever working3 ,every thing
 evil1 frightful in appearance1 wicked  
in its actings1 horrible in its manner1 
monstrous in its effects1 is called the 
,devil2 in a word1 ,devil is the common 
name for all ,devils2 that is to say1   
for all evil ,spirits1 all evil ,powers1
 all evil ,works1 and even all evil     
things3 ,yet 'tis remarkable the ,devil 
is no old ,testament word1 and we never 
find it used in all that part of the    
,bible but four times1 and then not once
 in the singular number1 and not once to
 signify ,satan as 'tis now understood4 
,it is true1 the ,learned give a great  
many differing interpretations of the   
word ,devil2 the ,english ,commentators 
tell us1 it means a destroyer1 others   
that it signifies a deceiver1 and the   
,greeks derive it from a ,calumniator or
 false witness2 for we find that        

,calumny was a ,goddess1 to whom the    
,athenians built altars and offer'd     
,sacrifices upon some solemn occasions1 
and they call her ,diabol from whence   
came the masculine ,diabolos which we   
translate ,devil4  ,thus we take the    
name of ,devil to signify not persons   
only1 but actions and habits2 making    
imaginary ,devils1 and transforming that
 substantial creature call'd ,,devil    
into every thing noxious and offensive3 
,thus ,st4 ,francis being tempted by the
 ,devil in the shape of a bag of money  
lying in the highway1 the ,saint having 
discover'd the fraud1 whether seeing his
 ,cloven-foot hang out of the purse1 or 
whether he distinguish'd him by his     
smell of sulphur1 or how otherwise1     
authors are not agreed2 but1 ,i say1 the
 ,saint having discover'd the cheat1 and
 out-witted the ,devil1 took occasion to
 preach that eminent sermon to his      
disciples1 where his ,text was1 ,money  
is ,,the ,,devil4  ,nor1 upon the whole1
 is any wrong done to the ,devil by this

 kind of treatment1 it only gives him   
the sovereignty of the whole army of    
,hell1 and making all the numberless    
legions of the bottomless pit servants2 
or1 as the ,scripture calls them1       
,angels to ,satan the grand ,devil2 all 
their actions1 performances and         
atchievements are justly attributed to  
him1 not as the prince of ,devils only1 
but the ,emperor of ,devils2 the prince 
of all the princes of ,devils4  ,under  
this denomination then of ,,devil1 all  
the ,powers of ,hell1 all the ,princes  
of the air1 all the black armies of     
,satan are comprehended1 and in such    
manner they are to be understood in this
 whole work2 mutatis mutandis1 according
 to the several circumstances of which  
we are to speak of them4  ,this being   
premis'd1 and my authority being so     
good1 ,satan must not take it ill1 if ,i
 treat him after the manner of men1 and 
give him those titles which he is best  
known by among us2 for indeed having so 
many1 'tis not very easy to call him out

 of his name4  ,however1 as ,i am       
oblig'd by the duty of an ,historian to 
decency as well as impartiality1 so ,i  
thought it necessary1 before ,i used too
 much freedom with ,satan1 to produce   
authentick ,documents1 and bring        
antiquity upon the stage1 to justify the
 manner of my writing1 and let you see  
,i shall describe him in no colours1 nor
 call him by any name1 but what he has  
been known by for many ages before me4  
,and now1 though writing to the common  
understanding of my ,readers1 ,i am     
oblig'd to treat ,satan very coarsly1   
and to speak of him in the common       
acceptation1 calling him plain ,devil1 a
 word which in this mannerly age is not 
so sonorous as others might be1 and     
which by the error of the ,times is apt 
to prejudice us against his ,person2 yet
 it must be acknowledg'd he has a great 
many other names and sirnames which he  
might be known by1 of a less obnoxious  
import than that of ,devil1 or          
,destroyer1 c4  ,mr4 ,milton1 indeed1   

wanting titles of honour to give to the 
,leaders of ,satan's ,host1 is oblig'd  
to borrow several of his ,scripture     
names1 and bestow them upon his infernal
 ,heroes1 whom he makes the ,generals   
and ,leaders of the armies of ,hell2 and
 so he makes ,beelzebub1 ,lucifer1      
,belial1 ,mammon1 and some others1 to be
 the names of particular ,devils1       
members of ,satan's upper house or      
,pandemonium2 whereas indeed1 these are 
all names proper and peculiar to ,satan 
himself4  ,the ,scripture also has some 
names of a coarser kind1 by which the   
,devil is understood1 as particularly1  
which is noted already1 in the          
,apocalypse he is call'd the ,great ,red
 ,dragon1 the ,beast1 the ,old ,serpent1
 and the like3 ,but take it in the      
,scripture1 or where you will in        
,history sacred or prophane1 you will   
find that in general the ,devil is1 as  
,i have said above1 his ordinary name in
 all languages and in all nations2 the  
name by which he and his works are      

principally distinguish'd3 ,also the    
,scripture1 besides that it often gives 
him this name1 speaks of the works of   
the ,devil1 of the subtilty of the      
,devil1 of casting out ,devils1 of being
 tempted of the ,devil1 of being        
possess'd with a ,devil1 and so many    
other expressions of that kind1 as ,i   
have said already1 are made use of for  
us to understand the evil ,spirit by1   
that in a word1 ,devil is the common    
name of all wicked ,spirits3 ,for ,satan
 is no more the ,devil1 as if he alone  
was so1 and all the rest were a         
diminutive species who did not go by    
that name2 ,but1 ,i say1 even in        
,scripture1 every ,spirit1 whether under
 his ,dominion or out of his ,dominion1 
is called the ,devil1 and is as much a  
real ,devil1 that is to say1 a condemn'd
 ,spirit1 and employ'd in the same      
wicked work as ,satan himself4  ,his    
,name then being thus ascertain'd1 and  
his ,existence acknowledg'd1 it should  
be a little enquir'd what he is2 we     

believe there is such a thing1 such a   
creature as the ,devil1 and that he has 
been1 and may still with propriety of   
speech1 and without injustice to his    
,character be call'd by his antient name
 ,devil4  ,but who is he8 what is his   
original8 whence came he8 and what is   
his present station and condition8 for  
these things and these enquiries are    
very necessary to his ,history1 nor     
indeed can any part of his ,history be  
compleat without them4  ,that he is of  
an antient and noble original must be   
acknowledged1 for he is ,heaven-born1   
and of ,angelic ,race1 as has been      
touch'd already3 ,if ,scripture-evidence
 may be of any weight in the question1  
there is no room to doubt the genealogy 
of the ,devil2 he is not only spoken of 
as an ,angel1 but as a fallen ,angel1   
one that had been in ,heaven1 had beheld
 the face of ,,god in his full          
effulgence of glory1 and had surrounded 
the ,throne of the most ,high2 from     
whence1 commencing rebel and being      

expell'd1 he was cast down1 down1 down1 
,,god and the ,devil himself only knows 
where2 for indeed we cannot say that any
 man on ,earth knows it2 and wherever it
 is1 he has ever since man's creation   
been a plague to him1 been a tempter1 a 
deluder1 a calumniator1 an enemy and the
 object of man's horror and aversion4   
,as his original is ,heaven-born1 and   
his ,race ,angelic1 so the ,angelic     
nature is evidently plac'd in a class   
superior to the human1 and this the     
,scripture is express in also2 when     
speaking of man1 it says1 he made him a 
little lower than the ,angels4  ,thus   
the ,devil1 as mean thoughts as you may 
have of him1 is of a better family than 
any of you1 nay than the best ,gentleman
 of you all2 what he may be fallen to1  
is one thing1 but what he is fallen     
from1 is another2 and therefore ,i must 
tell my learned and reverend friend ,j4 
,w4 ,,ll4 ,d4 when he spoke so rudely of
 the ,devil lately1 ,that in my opinion 
he abus'd his ,betters4  ,nor is the    

,scripture more a help to us in the     
search after the ,devil's ,original1    
than it is in our search after his      
,nature3 it is true1 ,authors are not   
agreed about his age1 what time he was  
created1 how many years he enjoy'd his  
state of blessedness before he fell2 or 
how many years he continued with his    
whole army in a state of darkness1 and  
before the creation of man4 ',tis       
supposed it might be a considerable     
space1 and that it was a part of his    
punishment too1 being all the while     
unactive1 unemploy'd1 having no         
business1 nothing to do but gnawing his 
own ,bowels1 and rolling in the agony of
 his own self-approaches1 being a ,hell 
to himself in reflecting on the glorious
 state from whence he was fallen4  ,how 
long he remain'd thus1 'tis true1 we    
have no light into from ,history1 and   
but little from ,tradition2 ,rabbi      
,judah says1 the ,jews were of the      
opinion1 that he remain'd twenty        
thousand years in that condition1 and   

that the ,world shall continue twenty   
thousand more1 in which he shall find   
work enough to satisfy his mischievous  
desires2 but he shews no authority for  
his opinion4  ,indeed let the ,devil    
have been as idle as they think he was  
before1 it must be acknowledg'd that now
 he is the most busy1 vigilant and      
diligent1 of all ,,god's creatures1 and 
very full of employment too1 such as it 
is4  ,scripture indeed1 gives us light  
into the enmity there is between the two
 natures1 the ,diabolical and the       
,human2 the reason of it1 and how and by
 what means the power of the ,devil is  
restrain'd by the ,messias2 and to those
 who are willing to trust to            
,gospel-light1 and believe what the     
,scripture says of the ,devil1 there may
 much of his ,history be discover'd1 and
 therefore those that list may go there 
for a fuller account of the matter4     
,but to reserve all ,scripture-evidence 
of these things1 as a ,magazine in store
 for the use of those with whom         

,scripture-testimony is of force1 ,i    
must for the present turn to other      
enquiries1 being now directing my story 
to an age1 wherein to be driven to      
,revelation and ,scripture-assertions is
 esteem'd giving up the dispute2 people 
now-a-days must have demonstration2 and 
in a word1 nothing will satisfy the age1
 but such evidence as perhaps the nature
 of the question will not admit4  ,it is
 hard1 indeed1 to bring demonstrations  
in such a case as this3 ,no man has seen
 ,,god at any time1 says the scripture1 
#a ,john iv4 #ab4 ,so the ,devil being a
 spirit incorporeal1 an ,angel of light1
 and consequently not visible in his own
 substance1 nature and form1 it may in  
some sense be said1 no man has seen the 
,devil at any time2 all those pretences 
of phrenziful and fanciful people1 who  
tell us1 they have seen the ,devil1 ,i  
shall examine1 and perhaps expose by    
themselves4  ,it might take up a great  
deal of our time here1 to enquire       
whether the ,devil has any particular   

shape or personality of substance1 which
 can be visible to us1 felt1 heard1 or  
understood2 and which he cannot alter1  
and then1 what shapes or appearances the
 ,devil has at any time taken upon him2 
and whether he can really appear in a   
body which might be handled and seen1   
and yet so as to know it to have been   
the ,devil at the time of his appearing2
 but this also ,i defer as not of weight
 in the present enquiry4  ,we have      
divers accounts of ,witches conversing  
with the ,devil2 the ,devil in a real   
body1 with all the appearance of a body 
of a man or woman appearing to them2    
also of having a ,familiar1 as they call
 it1 an ,incubus or little ,devil1 which
 sucks their bodies1 runs away with them
 into the air1 and the like3 ,much of   
this is said1 but much more than it is  
easy to prove1 and we ought to give but 
a just proportion of credit to those    
things4  ,as to his borrow'd shapes and 
his subtle transformings1 that we have  
such open testimony of1 that there is no

 room for any question about it2 and    
when ,i come to that part1 ,i shall be  
oblig'd rather to give a history of the 
fact1 than enter into any dissertation  
upon the nature and reason of it4  ,i do
 not find in any author1 whom we can    
call creditable1 that even in those     
countries where the dominion of ,satan  
is more particularly establish'd1 and   
where they may be said to worship him in
 a more particular manner1 as a ,devil2 
which some tell us the ,indians in      
,america did1 who worship'd the ,devil  
that he might not hurt them2 yet1 ,i    
say1 ,i do not find that even there the 
,devil appear'd to them in any          
particular constant shape or personality
 peculiar to himself4  ,scripture and   
,history therefore1 giving us no light  
into that part of the question1 ,i      
conclude and lay it down1 not as my     
opinion only1 but as what all ages seem 
to concur in1 that the ,devil has no    
particular body2 that he is a spirit1   
and that tho' he may1 ,proteus like1    

assume the appearance of either man or  
beast1 yet it must be some borrow'd     
shape1 some assum'd figure1 pro hac     
vice1 and that he has no visible body of
 his own4  ,i thought it needful to     
discuss this as a preliminary1 and that 
the next discourse might go upon a      
certainty in this grand point2 namely1  
that the ,devil1 however1 he may for his
 particular occasions put himself into a
 great many shapes1 and clothe himself1 
perhaps1 with what appearances he       
pleases1 yet that he is himself still a 
meer ,spirit1 that he retains the       
seraphic ,nature1 is not visible by our 
eyes1 which are human and ,organic1     
neither can he act with the ordinary    
,powers1 or in the ordinary manner as   
bodies do2 and therefore1 when he has   
thought fit to descend to the meannesses
 of disturbing and frightning children  
and old women1 by noises and knockings1 
dislocating the chairs and stools1      
breaking windows1 and such like little  
ambulatory things1 which would seem to  

be below the dignity of his character1  
and which in particular1 is ordinarily  
performed by organic ,powers2 yet even  
then he has thought fit not to be seen1 
and rather to make the poor people      
believe he had a real shape and body1   
with hands to act1 mouth to speak1 and  
the like1 than to give proof of it in   
common to the whole ,world1 by shewing  
himself1 and acting visibly and openly1 
as a body usually and ordinarily does4  
,nor is it any disadvantage to the      
,devil1 that his ,seraphic nature is not
 confin'd or imprison'd in a body or    
shape1 suppose that shape to be what    
monstrous thing we would2 for this      
would1 indeed1 confine his actings      
within the narrow sphere of the organ or
 body to which he was limited2 and tho' 
you were to suppose the body to have    
wings for a velocity of ,motion equal to
 spirit1 yet if it had not a power of   
invisibility too1 and a capacity of     
conveying it self1 undiscover'd1 into   
all the secret recesses of mankind1 and 

the same secret art or capacity of      
insinuation1 suggestion1 accusation1 c4 
by which his wicked designs are now     
propagated1 and all his other devices   
assisted1 by which he deludes and       
betrays mankind2 ,i say1 he would be no 
more a ,devil1 that is a ,destroyer1 no 
more a ,deceiver1 and1 no more a ,satan1
 that is1 a dangerous ,arch enemy to the
 souls of men2 nor would it be any      
difficulty to mankind to shun and avoid 
him1 as ,i shall make plain in the other
 part of his ,history4  ,had the ,devil 
from the beginning been embodied1 as he 
could not have been invisible to us1    
whose souls equally seraphic are only   
prescrib'd by being embody'd and encas'd
 in flesh and blood as we are2 so he    
would have been no more a ,devil to any 
body but himself3 ,the imprisonment in a
 body1 had the powers of that body been 
all that we can conceive to make him    
formidable to us1 would yet have been a 
,hell to him2 consider him as a         
conquer'd exasperated ,rebel1 retaining 

all that fury and swelling ambition1    
that hatred of ,god1 and envy at his    
creatures which dwells now in his       
enrag'd spirit as a ,devil3 yet suppose 
him to have been condemn'd to organic   
,powers1 confin'd to corporeal motion1  
and restrain'd as a ,body must be       
supposed to restrain a ,spirit2 it must1
 at the same time1 suppose him to be    
effectually disabled from all the       
methods he is now allow'd to make use   
of1 for exerting his rage and enmity    
against ,god1 any farther than as he    
might suppose it to affect his ,maker at
 second hand1 by wounding his ,glory    
thro' the sides of his weakest creature1
 ,,man4  ,he must1 certainly1 be thus   
confin'd1 because ,body can only act    
upon ,body1 not upon ,spirit2 no species
 being empower'd to act out of the      
compass of its own sphere3 ,he might    
have been empower'd1 indeed1 to have    
acted terrible and even destructive     
things upon mankind1 especially if this 
body had any powers given it which      

mankind had not1 by which man would be  
overmatch'd and not be in a condition of
 self-defence2 for example1 suppose him 
to have had wings to have flown in the  
air2 ,or to be invulnerable1 and that no
 human invention1 art1 or engine could  
hurt1 ensnare1 captivate1 or restrain   
him4  ,but this is to suppose the       
righteous and wise ,creator to have made
 a creature and not be able to defend   
and preserve him2 or to have left him   
defenceless to the mercy of another of  
his own creatures1 whom he had given    
power to destroy him2 ,this indeed1     
might have occasion'd a general         
idolatry1 and made mankind1 as the      
,americans do to this day1 worship the  
,devil1 that he might not hurt them2 but
 it could not have prevented the        
destruction of mankind1 supposing the   
,devil to have had malice equal to his  
power3 and he must put on a new nature1 
be compassionate1 generous1 beneficent1 
and steadily good in sparing the rival  
enemy he was able to destroy1 or he must

 have ruin'd mankind3 ,in short1 he must
 have ceas'd to have been a ,devil1 and 
must have re-assum'd his original1      
,angelic1 heavenly nature2 been fill'd  
with the principles of love to1 and     
delight in the ,works of his ,creator1  
and bent to propagate his ,glory and    
,interest2 or he must have put an end to
 the race of man1 whom it would be in   
his ,power to destroy1 and oblige his   
,maker to create a new species1 or      
fortify the old with some kind of       
defence1 which must be invulnerable1 and
 which his fiery darts could not        
penetrate4  ,on this occasion suffer me 
to make an excursion from the usual     
stile of this ,work1 and with some      
solemnity to express my ,thoughts thus3 
,how glorious is the wisdom and goodness
 of the great ,creator of the ,world6 in
 thus restraining these seraphic        
,,outcasts from the power of assuming   
human or organic bodies6 which could    
they do1 envigorating them with the     
supernatural ,powers1 which1 as ,seraphs

 and ,angels1 they now possess and might
 exert1 they would be able even to      
fright mankind from the face of the     
,earth1 and to destroy and confound     
,god's ,creation2 nay1 even as they are1
 were not their power limited1 they     
might destroy the ,creation it self1    
reverse and over-turn nature1 and put   
the ,world into a general conflagration3
 ,but were those immortal ,spirits      
embodied1 tho' they were not permitted  
to confound nature1 they would be able  
to harrass poor weak and defenceless man
 out of his wits1 and render him        
perfectly useless1 either to his ,maker 
or himself4  ,but the ,dragon is        
chain'd1 the ,devil's ,power is limited2
 he has indeed a vastly extended        
,empire1 being ,prince of the ,air1     
having1 at least1 the whole ,atmosphere 
to range in1 and how far that           
,atmosphere is extended1 is not yet     
ascertain'd by the nicest observations2 
,i say at least1 because we do not yet  
know how far he may be allow'd to make  

excursions beyond the ,atmosphere of    
this ,globe into the planetary ,worlds1 
and what power he may exercise in all   
the habitable parts of the solar system2
 nay1 of all the other solar systems1   
which1 for ought we know1 may exist in  
the mighty extent of created space1 and 
of which you may hear farther in its    
order4  ,but let his power be what it   
will there1 we are sure 'tis limited    
here1 and that in two particulars2      
first1 he is limited as above1 from     
assuming body or bodily shapes with     
substance2 and secondly1 from exerting  
seraphic ,powers1 and acting with that  
supernatural force1 which1 as an ,angel1
 he was certainly vested with before the
 fall1 and which we are not certain is  
yet taken from him2 or at most1 we do   
not know how much it may or may not be  
diminish'd by his degeneracy1 and by the
 blow given him at his expulsion3 this  
we are certain1 that be his ,power      
greater or less1 he is restrain'd from  
the exercise of it in this ,world2 and  

he1 who was one equal to the ,angel who 
kill'd #ahjjjj men in one night1 is not 
able now1 without a new commission1 to  
take away the life of one ,job1 nor to  
touch any thing he had4  ,but let us    
consider him then limited and restrained
 as he is1 yet he remains a mighty1 a   
terrible1 an immortal ,being2 infinitely
 superior to man1 as well in the dignity
 of his nature1 as in the dreadful      
powers he retains still about him2 it is
 true the brain-sick heads of our       
,enthusiasticks paint him blacker than  
he is1 and1 as ,i have said1 wickedly   
represent him clothed with terrors that 
do not really belong to him2 as if the  
power of good and evil was wholly vested
 in him1 and that he was placed in the  
,throne of his ,maker1 to distribute    
both punishments and rewards2 ,in this  
they are much wrong1 terrifying and     
deluding fanciful people about him1 till
 they turn their heads1 and fright them 
into a belief that the ,devil will let  
them alone1 if they do such and such    

good things2 or carry them away with him
 they know not whither1 if they do not2 
as if the ,devil1 whose proper business 
is mischief1 seducing and deluding      
mankind1 and drawing them in to be      
rebels like himself1 should threaten to 
seize upon them1 carry them away1 and in
 a word1 fall upon them to hurt them1 if
 they did evil1 and on the contrary1 be 
favourable and civil to them1 if they   
did well4  ,thus a poor deluded country 
fellow in our ,town1 that had liv'd a   
wicked1 abominable1 debauch'd life1 was 
frighted with an ,apparition1 as he     
call'd it1 of the ,devil2 ,he fancy'd   
that he spoke to him1 and telling his   
tale to a good honest christian         
,gentleman his neighbour1 that had a    
little more sense than himself2 the     
,gentleman ask'd him if he was sure he  
really saw the ,devil8 yes1 yes1 ,sir1  
says he1 ,i saw him very plain1 and so  
they began the following discourse4     
,gent4 ,see him6 ,see the ,devil6 art   
thou sure of it1 ,thomas8  ,tho4 ,yes1  

yes1 ,i am sure enough of it1 ,master2  
to be sure 'twas the ,devil4  ,gent4    
,and how do you know 'twas the ,devil1  
,thomas8 had you ever seen the ,devil   
before8  ,tho4 ,no1 no1 ,i had never    
seen him before1 to be sure2 but1 for   
all that1 ,i know 'twas the ,devil4     
,gent4 ,well1 if you're sure1 ,thomas1  
there's no contradicting you2 pray what 
clothes had he on8  ,tho4 ,nay1 ,sir1   
don't jest with me1 he had no clothes   
on1 he was clothed with fire and        
brimstone4  ,gent4 ,was it dark or day  
light when you saw him8  ,tho4 ,o6 it   
was very dark1 for it was midnight4     
,gent4 ,how could you see him then8 did 
you see by the light of the fire you    
speak of8  ,tho4 ,no1 no1 he gave no    
light himself2 but ,i saw him1 for all  
that4  ,gent4 ,but was it within doors1 
or out in the street8  ,tho4 ,it was    
within1 it was in my own ,chamber1 when 
,i was just going into bed1 that ,i saw 
him4  ,gent4 ,well then1 you had a      
candle1 hadn't you8  ,tho4 ,yes1 ,i had 

a candle1 but it burnt as blue6 and as  
dim6  ,gent4 ,well1 but if the ,devil   
was clothed with fire and brimstone1 he 
must give you some light1 there can't be
 such a fire as you speak of1 but it    
must give a light with it4  ,tho4 ,no1  
no1 ,he gave no light1 but ,i smelt his 
fire and brimstone2 he left a smell of  
it behind him1 when he was gone4  ,gent4
 ,well1 so you say he had fire1 but gave
 no light1 it was a devilish fire       
indeed2 did it feel warm8 was the room  
hot while he was in it8  ,tho4 ,no1 no1 
but ,i was hot enough without it1 for it
 put me into a great sweat with the     
fright4  ,gent4 ,very well1 he was all  
in fire1 you say1 but without light or  
heat1 only1 it seems1 he stunk of       
brimstone2 pray what shapes was he in1  
what was he like2 for you say you saw   
him8  ,tho4 ,o6 ,sir1 ,i saw two great  
staring saucer eyes1 enough to fright   
any body out of their wits4  ,gent4 ,and
 was that all you saw8  ,tho4 ,no1 ,i   
saw his cloven-foot very plain1 'twas as

 big as one of our bullocks that goes to
 plow4  ,gent4 ,so you saw none of his  
body1 but his eyes and his feet8 a fine 
vision indeed6  ,tho4 ,sir1 that was    
enough to send me going4  ,gent4 ,going6
 what did you run away from him8  ,tho4 
,no1 but ,i fled into bed at one jump1  
and sunk down and pull'd the bed-clothes
 quite over me4  ,gent4 ,and what did   
you do that for8  ,tho4 ,to hide my self
 from such a frightful creature4  ,gent4
 ,why1 if it had really been the ,devil1
 do you think the bed-clothes would have
 secur'd you from him8  ,tho4 ,nay1 ,i  
don't know1 but in a fright it was all  
,i could do4  ,gent4 ,nay1 'twas as wise
 as all the rest2 but come1 ,thomas1 to 
be a little serious1 pray did he speak  
to you8  ,tho4 ,yes1 yes1 ,i heard a    
voice1 but who it was the ,lord knows4  
,gent4 ,what kind of voice was it1 was  
it like a man's voice8  ,tho4 ,no1 it   
was a hoarse ugly noise1 like the       
croaking of a ,frog1 and it call'd me by
 my name twice1 ,thomas ,dawson1 ,thomas

 ,dawson4  ,gent4 ,well1 did you answer8
  ,tho4 ,no1 not ,i1 ,i could not have  
spoke a word for my life2 why1 ,i was   
frighted to death4  ,gent4 ,did it say  
any thing else8  ,tho4 ,yes1 when it saw
 that ,i did not speak1 it said1 ,thomas
 ,dawson1 ,thomas ,dawson1 you are a    
wicked wretch1 you lay with ,jenny      
,s---- last night2 if you don't repent1 
,i will take you away alive and carry   
you to ,hell1 and you shall be damned1  
you wretch4  ,gent4 ,and was it true1   
,thomas1 did you lye with ,jenny ,s---- 
the night before8  ,tho4 ,indeed        
,master1 why yes it was true1 but ,i was
 very sorry afterwards4  ,gent4 ,but how
 should the ,devil know it1 ,thomas8    
,tho4 ,nay1 he knows it to be sure2 why1
 they say he knows every thing4  ,gent4 
,well1 but why should he be angry at    
that8 he would rather did you lye with  
her again1 and encourage you to lye with
 forty whores1 than hinder you3 ,this   
can't be the ,devil1 ,thomas4  ,tho4    
,yes1 yes4 ,sir1 'twas the ,devil to be 

sure4  ,gent4 ,but he bid you repent    
too1 you say8  ,tho4 ,yes1 he threatn'd 
me if ,i did not4  ,gent4 ,why1 ,thomas1
 do you think the ,devil would have you 
repent8  ,tho4 ,why no1 that's true too1
 ,i don't know what to say to that2 but 
what could it be8 'twas the ,devil to be
 sure1 it could be nobody else8  ,gent4 
,no1 no1 'twas neither the ,devil1      
,thomas1 nor any body else1 but your own
 frighted imagination2 you had lain with
 that wench1 and being a young sinner of
 that kind1 your ,conscience terrified  
you1 told you the ,devil would fetch you
 away1 and you would be damn'd2 and you 
were so persuaded it would be so1 that  
you at last imagin'd he was come for you
 indeed2 that you saw him and heard him2
 whereas1 you may depend upon it1 if    
,jenny ,s---- will let you lye with her 
every night1 the ,devil will hold the   
candle1 or do any thing to forward it1  
but will never disturb you2 he's too    
much a friend to your wickedness1 it    
could never be the ,devil1 ,thomas2     

'twas only your own guilt frighted you1 
and that was ,devil enough too1 if you  
knew the worst of it1 you need no other 
enemy4  ,tho4 ,why that's true1 ,master1
 one would think the ,devil should not  
bid me repent1 that's true2 but         
certainly 'twas the ,devil for all that4
  ,now ,thomas was not the only man that
 having committed a flagitious crime had
 been deluded by his own imagination1   
and the power of fancy1 to think the    
,devil was come for him2 whereas the    
,devil1 to give him his due1 is too     
honest to pretend to such things2 'tis  
his business to persuade men to offend1 
not to repent2 and he professes no      
other2 he may press men to this or that 
action1 by telling them 'tis no sin1 no 
offence1 no breach of ,god's ,law1 and  
the like1 when really 'tis both2 but to 
press them to repent1 when they have    
offended1 that's quite out of his way2  
'tis none of his business1 nor does he  
pretend to it2 therefore1 let no man    
charge the ,devil with what he is not   

concern'd in4  ,but to return to his    
,person1 he is1 as ,i have said1        
notwithstanding his lost glory1 a       
mighty1 a terrible and an immortal      
,spirit2 he is himself call'd a ,prince1
 the ,prince of the ,power of the ,air2 
the ,prince of ,darkness1 the ,prince of
 ,devils1 and the like1 and his         
attending ,spirits are call'd his       
,angels3 so that however ,satan has lost
 the glory and rectitude of his ,nature1
 by his apostate state1 yet he retains a
 greatness and magnificence1 which      
places him above our rank1 and indeed   
above our conception2 for we know not   
what he is1 any more than we know what  
the blessed ,angels are2 of whom we can 
say no more than that they are          
ministring ,spirits1 c4 as the          
,scripture has describ'd them4  ,two    
things1 however1 may give us some       
insight into the nature of the ,devil1  
in the present state he is in2 and these
 we have a clear discovery of in the    
whole series of his ,conduct from the   

,beginning4       #a4 ,that he is the   
vanquish'd but implacable enemy of ,god 
his      ,creator1 who has conquer'd    
him1 and expell'd him from the          
habitations of bliss2 on which account  
he is fill'd with envy1      rage1      
malice1 and all uncharitableness2 would 
dethrone ,god and      overturn the     
thrones of ,heaven1 if it was in his    
power4       #b4 ,that he is man's      
irreconcilable ,enemy2 not as he is a   
man1 nor      on his own account simply1
 nor for any advantage he 7the ,devil7  
can      make by the ruin and           
destruction of man2 but in meer envy at 
the      felicity he is supposed to     
enjoy as ,satan's rival2 and as he is   
appointed to succeed ,satan and his     
,angels in the possession of      those 
glories from which they are fallen4     
,and here ,i must take upon me to say1  
,mr4 ,milton makes a wrong judgment of  
the reason of ,satan's resolution to    
disturb the felicity of man2 ,he tells  
us it was meerly to affront ,god his    

,maker1 rob him of the glory design'd in
 his new work of creations and to       
disappoint him in his main design1      
namely1 the creating a new species of   
creatures in a perfect rectitude of     
soul1 and after his own image1 from whom
 he might expect a new ,fund of glory   
should be rais'd1 and who was to appear 
as the triumph of the ,messiah's victory
 over the ,devil4 ,in all which ,satan  
could not be fool enough not to know    
that he should be disappointed by the   
same ,power which had so eminently      
counter-acted his rage before4  ,but1 ,i
 believe1 the ,devil went upon a much   
more probable design2 and tho' he may be
 said to act upon a meaner principle    
than that of pointing his rage at the   
personal glory of his ,creator2 yet ,i  
own1 that in my opinion1 it was by much 
the more rational undertaking1 and more 
likely to succeed2 and that was1 that   
whereas he perceived this new species of
 creatures had a sublime as well as a   
human part1 and were made capable of    

possessing the mansions of eternal      
,beatitude1 from whence1 he 7,satan7 and
 his ,angels were expell'd and          
irretrievably banish'd2 envy at such a  
rival mov'd him by all possible         
artifice1 for he saw him deprived of    
capacity to do it by force1 to render   
him unworthy like himself2 that bringing
 him to fall into rebellion and         
disobedience1 he might see his ,rival   
damn'd with him2 and those who were     
intended to fill up the empty spaces in 
,heaven1 made so by the absence of so   
many millions of fallen ,angels1 be cast
 out into the same darkness with them4  
,how he came to know that this new      
species of creatures were liable to such
 imperfection1 is best explain'd by the 
,devil's prying1 vigilant disposition1  
judging or leading him to judge by      
himself2 7for he was as near being      
infallible as any of ,god's creatures   
had been7 and then inclining him to try 
whether it was so or no4  ,modern       
,naturalists1 especially some who have  

not so large a charity for the fair sex1
 as ,i have1 tell us1 that as soon as   
ever ,satan saw the woman1 and look'd in
 her face1 he saw evidently that she was
 the best form'd creature to make a     
,tool of1 and the best to make a        
hypocrite of1 that could be made1 and   
therefore the most fitted for his       
purpose4  #a4 ,he saw by some thwart    
lines in her face1 7legible1 perhaps1 to
 himself only7 that there was a throne  
ready prepar'd for the sin of pride to  
sit in state upon1 especially if it took
 an early possession3 ,,eve you may     
suppose was a perfect ,beauty1 if ever  
such a thing may be supposed in the     
human frame2 her figure being so        
extraordinary1 was the groundwork of his
 project2 there needed no more than to  
bring her to be vain of it1 and to      
conceit that it either was so1 or was   
infinitely more sublime and beautiful   
than it really was2 and having thus     
tickl'd her vanity1 to introduce ,pride 
gradually1 till at last he might        

persuade her1 that she was really       
,angelic1 or of heavenly ,race1 and     
wanted nothing but to eat the forbidden 
fruit1 and that would make her something
 more excellent still4  #b4 ,looking    
farther into her ,frame1 and with a     
nearer view to her imperfections1 he saw
 room to conclude that she was of a     
constitution easy to be seduc'd1 and    
especially by flattering her2 raising a 
commotion in her ,soul1 and a           
disturbance among her passions2 and     
accordingly he set himself to work1 to  
disturb her repose1 and put dreams of   
great things into her head2 together    
with something of a nameless ,kind1     
which 7however1 some have been          
ill-natur'd enough to suggest7 ,i shall 
not injure the ,devil so much as to     
mention1 without better evidence4  #c4  
,but1 besides this1 he found1 upon the  
very first survey of her outside1       
something so very charming in her mein  
and behaviour1 so engaging as well as   
agreeable in the whole texture of her   

person1 and withal such a sprightly wit1
 such a vivacity of parts1 such a       
fluency of tongue1 and above all1 such a
 winning prevailing whine in her smiles1
 or at least in her tears1 that he made 
no doubt if he could but once delude    
her1 she would easily be brought to     
delude ,adam1 whom he found set not only
 a great value upon her person1 but was 
perfectly captivated by her charms2 in a
 word1 he saw plainly1 that if he could 
but ruin her1 he should easily make a   
,devil of her1 to ruin her husband1 and 
draw him into any gulph of mischief1    
were it ever so black and dreadful1 that
 she should first fall into herself2 how
 far some may be wicked enough1 from    
hence1 to suggest of the fair sex1 that 
they have been ,devils to their husbands
 ever since1 ,i cannot say2 ,i hope they
 will not be so unmerciful to discover  
truths of such fatal consequence1 tho'  
they should come to their knowledge4    
,thus subtle and penetrating has ,satan 
been from the beginning2 and who can    

wonder that upon these discoveries made 
into the woman's inside1 he went        
immediately to work with her1 rather    
than with ,adam8 not but that one would 
think1 if ,adam was fool enough to be   
deluded by his wife1 the ,devil might   
have seen so much of it in his          
countenance1 as to have encourag'd him  
to make his attack directly upon him1   
and not go round about1 beating the     
bush1 and ploughing with the ,heifer2   
setting upon the woman first1 and then  
setting her upon her husband1 who might 
as easily have been imposed upon as she4
  ,other ,commentators upon this        
critical ,text suggest to us1 that ,eve 
was not so pleased with the hopes of    
being made a ,goddess2 ,that the pride  
of a ,seraphic ,knowledge did not so    
much work upon her imagination to bring 
her to consent1 as a certain secret     
,notion infus'd into her head by the    
same wicked instrument1 that she should 
be wiser than ,adam1 and should by the  
superiority of her understanding1       

necessarily have the government over    
him2 which1 at present1 she was sensible
 she had not1 he being master of a      
particular air of gravity and majesty1  
as well as of strength1 infinitely      
superior to her4  ,this is an           
ill-natur'd suggestion2 but it must be  
confess'd the impatient desire of       
government1 which 7since that7 appears  
in the general ,behaviour of the sex1   
and particularly of governing husbands1 
leaves too much room to legitimate the  
supposition4  ,the ,expositors1 who are 
of this opinion1 add to it1 that this   
being her original crime1 or the        
particular temptation to that crime2    
,heaven thought fit to shew his justice1
 in making her more entire subjection to
 her husband be a part of the ,curse1   
that she might read her sin in the      
punishment1 7viz47 he shall rule over   
thee4  ,i only give the general hint of 
these things as they appear recorded in 
the annals of ,satan's first ,tyranny1  
and at the beginning of his government  

in the ,world2 those that would be more 
particularly inform'd1 may enquire of   
him and know farther4  ,i cannot        
however1 but observe here with some     
regret1 how it appears by the           
consequence1 that the ,devil was not    
mistaken when he made an early judgment 
of ,mrs4 ,eve2 and how ,satan really    
went the right way to work1 to judge of 
her2 'tis certain the ,devil had nothing
 to do but to look in her face1 and upon
 a near steady view he might easily see 
there1 an instrument for his ,turn2 nor 
has he fail'd to make her a ,tool ever  
since1 by the very methods which he at  
first proposed2 to which1 perhaps1 he   
has made some additions in the          
corrupting her composition1 as well as  
her understanding2 qualifying her to be 
a compleat snare to the poor weaker     
vessel ,,man2 to wheedle him with her   
,syren's voice1 abuse him with her      
smiles1 delude him with her crocodile   
tears1 and sometimes cock her crown at  
him1 and terrify him with the thunder of

 her ,,treble2 making the effeminated   
,male ,apple-eater tremble at the noise 
of that very ,tongue1 which at first    
commanded him to ,sin4 ,for it is yet a 
debate which the ,learned have not      
decided1 whether she persuaded and      
entreated him1 or like a true           
she-tyrant1 exercised her authority and 
oblig'd him to eat the forbidden fruit4 
,and therefore a certain author1 whose  
name1 for fear of the ,sex's resentment 
,i conceal1 brings her in1 calling to   
,adam at a great distance1 in an        
imperious haughty manner1 beckoning to  
him with her hand1 thus2 ,here1 says    
she1 you cowardly faint-hearted wretch1 
take this branch of heavenly fruit1 eat 
and be a stupid fool no longer2 eat and 
be wise2 eat and be a ,god2 and know1 to
 your eternal shame1 that your wife has 
been made an enlightn'd ,goddess before 
you4  ,he tells you ,adam hung back a   
little at first1 and trembl'd1 afraid to
 trespass3 ,what ails the ,,sot1 says   
the new ,termagant8 what are you afraid 

of8 did ,god forbid you6 yes1 and why8  
that we might not be knowing and wise   
like himself6 ,what reason can there be 
that we1 who have capacious souls1 able 
to receive knowledge1 should have it    
withheld8 take it1 you ,fool1 and eat2  
don't you see how ,i am exalted in soul 
by it1 and am quite another ,creature8  
,take it1 ,i say1 or1 if you don't1     
,i'll go and cut down the ,tree1 and you
 shall never eat any of it at all1 and  
you shall be still a fool1 and be       
governed by your wife for ever4  ,thus1 
if this interpretation of the thing be  
just1 she ,scolded him into it2 ,rated  
him1 and brought him to it by the terror
 of her voice2 a thing that has retained
 a dreadful influence over him ever     
since2 nor have the greatest of ,adam's 
,successors1 how light soever some      
husbands make of it in this age1 been   
ever able1 since that1 to conceal their 
terror1 at the very ,sound2 nay1 if we  
may believe history1 it prevailed even  
among the ,gods2 not all the noise of   

,vulcan's hammers could silence the     
clamours of that outrageous whore his   
,goddess2 nay1 even ,jupiter himself led
 such a life with a termagant wife1 that
 once1 they say1 ,juno out-scolded the  
noise of all his ,thunders1 and was     
within an ace of brawling him out of    
,heaven4 ,but to return to the ,devil4  
,with these views he resolv'd1 it seems1
 to attack the woman2 and if you        
consider him as a ,devil1 and what he   
aim'd at1 and consider the fair prospect
 he had of success1 ,i must confess1 ,i 
do not see who can blame him1 or at     
least1 how any thing less could be      
expected from him2 ,but we shall meet   
with it again by and by4     ,,chap4 ,v4
  ,of the station ,satan had in ,heaven 
before he fell2 the nature and          
original of his crime1 and some of ,mr4 
,milton's mistakes about      it4       
,thus far ,i have gone upon general     
observation1 in this great affair of    
,satan and his ,empire in the ,world2 ,i
 now come to my ,title1 and shall enter 

upon the historical part1 as the main   
work before me4  ,besides what has been 
said ,poetically1 relating to the fall  
and wandering condition of the ,devil   
and his ,host1 which poetical part ,i   
offer only as an excursion1 and desire  
it should be taken so2 ,i shall give you
 what ,i think is deduc'd from good     
originals on the part of ,satan's story 
in a few words4  ,he was one of the     
created ,angels1 form'd by the same     
omnipotent hand and glorious power1 who 
created the ,heavens and the ,earth1 and
 all that is therein3 ,this innumerable 
heavenly host1 as we have reason to     
believe1 contain'd ,angels of higher and
 lower stations1 of greater and of      
lesser degree1 express'd in the         
,scripture by ,thrones1 ,dominions1 and 
,principalities3 ,this1 ,i think1 we    
have as much reason to believe1 as we   
have1 that there are ,stars in the      
,firmament 7or starry ,heavens7 of      
greater and of lesser magnitude4  ,what 
particular station among the immortal   

,choir of ,angels1 this ,arch-seraph1   
this ,prince of ,devils1 call'd ,satan1 
was plac'd in before his expulsion1 that
 indeed1 we cannot come at the knowledge
 of1 at least1 not with such an         
,authority as may be depended upon2 but 
as from ,scripture authority1 he is     
plac'd at the head of all the ,apostate 
armies1 after he was fallen1 we cannot  
think it in the least assuming to say1  
that he might be supposed to be one of  
the principal ,agents in the ,rebellion 
which happen'd in ,heaven1 and          
consequently that he might be one of the
 highest in dignity there1 before that  
,rebellion4  ,the higher his station1   
the lower1 and with the greater         
precipitation1 was his overthrow2 and   
therefore1 those words1 tho' taken in   
another sense1 may very well be apply'd 
to him3 ,how art thou fallen1 ,o        
,lucifer6 ,son of the ,morning6  ,having
 granted the dignity of his ,person1 and
 the high station in which he was placed
 among the heavenly ,host2 it would come

 then necessarily to inquire into the   
nature of his fall1 and above all1 a    
little into the reason of it2 certain it
 is1 he did fall1 was guilty of         
,rebellion and ,disobedience1 the just  
effect of ,pride2 sins1 which1 in that  
holy place1 might well be call'd        
wonderful4  ,but what to me is more     
wonderful1 and which1 ,i think1 will be 
very ill accounted for1 is1 how came    
seeds of crime to rise in the ,angelic  
,nature8 created in a state of perfect1 
unspotted holiness8 how was it first    
found in a place where no unclean thing 
can enter8 how came ambition1 pride1 or 
envy to generate there8 could there be  
offence where there was no crime8 could 
untainted purity breed corruption8 could
 that nature contaminate and infect1    
which was always ,drinking in principles
 of perfection8  ,happy 'tis to me1 that
 writing the ,history1 not solving the  
,difficulties of ,satan's ,affairs1 is  
my province in this ,work2 that ,i am to
 relate the ,fact1 not give reasons for 

it1 or sign causes2 if it was otherwise1
 ,i should break off at this difficulty1
 for ,i acknowledge ,i do not see thro' 
it2 neither do ,i think that the great  
,milton1 after all his fine ,images and 
lofty ,excursions upon the ,subject1 has
 left it one jot clearer than he found  
it3 ,some are of opinion1 and among them
 the great ,dr4 ,b----s1 that crime     
broke in upon them at some interval1    
when they omitted but one moment fixing 
their eyes and thoughts on the glories  
of the divine face1 to admire and adore1
 which is the full employment of        
,angels2 but even this1 tho' it goes as 
high as imagination can carry us1 does  
not reach it1 nor1 to me1 make it one   
jot more comprehensible than it was     
before2 all ,i can say to it here1 is1  
that so it was1 the fact was upon       
,record1 and the rejected ,troop are in 
being1 whose circumstances confess the  
,guilt1 and still groan under the       
,punishment4  ,if you will bear with a  
poetic excursion upon the subject1 not  

to solve but to illustrate the          
difficulty2 take it in a few lines1     
thus1    ,thou sin of ,witchcraft6      
firstborn child of ,crime6     ,produc'd
 before the bloom of ,time2             
,ambition's maiden ,sin1 in ,heaven     
conceiv'd1     ,and who could have      
believ'd   ,defilement could in purity  
begin1   ,and bright eternal ,day be    
soil'd with ,sin8     ,tell us1 sly     
penetrating ,crime1   ,how cam'st thou  
there1 thou fault sublime8   ,how didst 
thou pass the ,adamantine ,gate2        
,and into ,spirit thy self insinuate8   
,from what dark state8 from what deep   
place8     ,from what strange uncreated 
race8   ,where was thy ancient          
habitation found   ,before void ,chaos  
heard the forming sound8     ,wast thou 
a ,substance1 or an airy ,ghost1     ,a 
,vapour flying in the fluid waste       
,of unconcocted air8     ,and how at    
first didst thou come there8   ,sure    
there was once a time when thou wert    
not1   ,by whom wast thou created8 and  

for what8   ,art thou a steam from some 
contagious damp exhal'd8     ,how should
 contagion be intail'd1     ,on bright  
seraphic ,spirits1 and in a place       
,where all's supreme1 and ,glory fills  
the ,space8     ,no noxious vapour there
 could rise1   ,for there no noxious    
matter lies2     ,nothing that's evil   
could appear1   ,sin never could        
,seraphic ,glory bear2   ,the brightness
 of the eternal ,face1   ,which fills as
 well as constitutes the place1   ,would
 be a fire too hot for crime to bear1   
',twould calcine ,sin1 or melt it into  
air4     ,how then did first defilement 
enter in8   ,ambition1 thou first vital 
seed of ,sin6   ,thou ,life of ,death1  
how cam'st thou there8     ,in what     
bright form didst thou appear8     ,in  
what ,seraphic ,orb didst thou arise8   
,surely that place admits of no         
disguise1     ,eternal ,sight must know 
thee there1     ,and being known1 thou  
soon must disappear4     ,but since the 
fatal ,truth we know1     ,without the  

matter whence or manner how3   ,thou    
high superlative of ,sin1     ,tell us  
thy nature1 where thou didst begin8     
,the first degree of thy increase1      
,debauch'd the ,regions of eternal      
,peace1   ,and fill'd the breasts of    
loyal ,angels there   ,with the first   
,treason and infernal ,war4      ,thou  
art the high extreme of pride1   ,and   
dost o'er lesser crimes preside2   ,not 
for the mean attempt of ,vice design'd1 
,but to embroil the ,world1 and damn    
,mankind4   ,transforming mischief1 now 
hast thou procur'd     ,that loss that  
ne'er to be restor'd1   ,and made the   
bright ,seraphic ,morning-star     ,in  
horrid monstrous shapes appear8         
,satan1 that while he dwelt in glorious 
light1   ,was always then as pure as he 
was bright1   ,that in effulgent rays of
 glory shone1   ,excell'd by eternal    
,light1 by him alone1   ,distorted now1 
and stript of ,innocence1   ,and        
banish'd with thee from the high        
,pre-eminence1   ,how has the splendid  

,seraph chang'd his face1   ,transform'd
 by thee1 and like thy monstrous race8  
,ugly as is the crime1 for which he     
fell1                  ,fitted by thee  
to make a local ,hell1                  
,for such must be the place where either
 of you dwell4     ,thus1 as ,i told    
you1 ,i only moralize upon the subject1 
but as to the difficulty1 ,i must leave 
it as ,i find it1 unless1 as ,i hinted  
at first1 ,i could prevail with ,satan  
to set pen to paper1 and write this part
 of his own ,history3 ,no question1 but 
he could let us into the secret2 but to 
be plain1 ,i doubt ,i shall tell so many
 plain truths of the ,devil1 in this    
,history1 and discover so many of his   
secrets1 which it is not for his        
interest to have discover'd1 that before
 ,i have done1 the ,devil and ,i may not
 be so good friends as you may suppose  
we are2 at least1 not friends enough to 
obtain such a favour of him1 tho' it be 
for public good2 so we must be content  
till we come ont' other side the        

,blue-,blanket1 and then we shall know  
the whole ,story4  ,but now1 tho' as ,i 
said1 ,i will not attempt to solve the  
difficulty1 ,i may1 ,i hope1 venture to 
tell you1 that there is not so much     
difficulty in it1 as at first sight     
appears3 and especially not so much as  
some people would make us believe2 let  
us see how others are mistaken in it1   
perhaps1 that may help us a little in   
the enquiry2 for to know what it is not1
 is one help towards knowing what it is4
  ,mr4 ,milton has indeed told us a     
great many merry things of the ,devil1  
in a most formal1 solemn manner2 till in
 short he has made a good ,,play of     
,heaven and ,hell2 and no doubt if he   
had liv'd in our times1 he might have   
had it acted with our ,pluto and        
,proserpine4 ,he has made fine ,speeches
 both for ,god and the ,devil1 and a    
little addition might have turn'd it a  
la modern into a ,harlequin ,dieu       
,diable4  ,i confess ,i don't well know 
how far the dominion of ,poetry extends 

itself2 it seems the ,buts and ,bounds  
of ,parnassus are not yet ascertain'd2  
so that for ought ,i know1 by vertue of 
their antient privileges call'd         
,licentia ,poetarum1 there can be no    
,blasphemy in ,verse2 as some of our    
,divines say there can be no ,treason in
 the ,pulpit4 ,but they that will       
venture to write that way1 ought to be  
better satisfy'd about that ,point than 
,i am4  ,upon this foot ,mr4 ,milton1 to
 grace his ,poem1 and give room for his 
,towring ,fancy1 has gone a length      
beyond all that ever went before him1   
since ,ovid in his ,metamorphosis4 ,he  
has indeed complimented ,,god ,almighty 
with a flux of lofty words1 and great   
sounds2 and has made a very fine ,story 
of the ,devil1 but he has made a meer je
 ne scay ,quoi of ,jesus ,christ4 ,in   
one line he has him riding on a ,cherub1
 and in another sitting on a ,throne1   
both in the very same moment of action4 
,in another place he has brought him in 
making a ,speech to his ,saints1 when   

'tis evident he had none there2 for we  
all know ,man was not created till a    
long while after2 and no body can be so 
dull as to say the ,angels may be called
 ,saints1 without the greatest absurdity
 in nature4 ,besides1 he makes ,,christ 
himself distinguish them1 as in two     
several ,bands1 and of differing        
,persons and ,species1 as to be sure    
they are4    ,stand still in bright     
array1 ye ,saints------   ---- ------   
-------- -------- ,here stand1   ,ye    
,angels4 ------    ,par4 ,lost4 lib4 vi4
 fo4 #agd4  ,so that ,,christ here is   
brought in drawing up his ,army before  
the last ,battle1 and making a ,speech  
to them1 to tell them they shall only   
stand by in warlike order1 but that they
 shall have no occasion to fight1 for he
 alone will engage the ,rebels4 ,then in
 embattling his ,legions1 he places the 
,saints here1 and the ,angels there1 as 
if one were the main ,battle of         
,infantry1 and the other the ,wings of  
,cavalry4 ,but who are those ,saints8   

they are indeed all of ,milton's own    
making2 'tis certain there were no      
,saints at all in ,heaven or ,earth at  
that time2 ,,god and his ,angels fill'd 
up the place2 and till some of the      
,angels fell1 and ,men were created1 had
 liv'd1 and were dead1 there could have 
been no ,saints there4 ,saint ,abel was 
certainly the ,proto-,saint of all that 
ever were seen in ,heaven1 as well as   
the ,proto-martyr of all that have been 
upon ,earth4  ,just such another        
,mistake1 not to call it a ,blunder1 he 
makes about ,hell2 which he not only    
makes ,,local1 but gives it a being     
before the ,fall of the ,angels2 and    
brings it in opening its mouth to       
receive them4 ,this is so contrary to   
the nature of the thing1 and so great an
 absurdity1 that no ,poetic ,license can
 account for it2 for tho' ,poesie may   
form ,stories1 as ,idea and ,fancy may  
furnish ,materials1 yet ,poesy must not 
break in upon ,chronology1 and make     
things which in time were to exist1 act 

before they existed4  ,thus a ,painter  
may make a fine piece of ,work1 the     
fancy may be good1 the strokes masterly1
 and the beauty of the ,workmanship     
inimitably curious and fine1 and yet    
have some unpardonable improprieties    
which marr the whole ,work4 ,so the     
famous ,painter of ,toledo painted the  
story of the three ,wisemen of the ,east
 coming to worship1 and bring their     
presents to our ,lord upon his birth at 
,bethlehem1 where he represents them as 
three ,arabian or ,indian ,kings2 two of
 them are white1 and one black2 ,but    
unhappily when he drew the latter part  
of them kneeling1 which to be sure was  
done after their faces2 their legs being
 necessarily a little intermix'd1 he    
made three black feet for the ,negroe   
,king1 and but three white feet for the 
two white ,kings1 and yet never         
discover'd the mistake till the piece   
was presented to the ,king1 and hung up 
in the great ,church4 ,as this is an    
unpardonable error in ,sculpture or     

,limning1 it must be much more so in    
,poetry1 where the ,images must have no 
improprieties1 much less                
inconsistencies4  ,in a word1 ,mr4      
,milton has indeed made a fine ,poem1   
but it is the ,devil of a ,history4 ,i  
can easily allow ,mr4 ,milton to make   
,hills and ,dales1 flowry ,meadows and  
,plains 7and the like7 in ,heaven2 and  
places of ,retreat and ,contemplation in
 ,hell2 tho' ,i must add1 that it can be
 allowed to no ,poet on ,earth but ,mr4 
,milton4 ,nay1 ,i will allow ,mr4       
,milton1 if you please1 to set the      
,angels a dancing in ,heaven1 lib4 v4   
fo4 #ach4 and the ,devils a singing in  
,hell1 lib4 i4 fo4 #dd4 tho' they are in
 short1 especially the last1 most horrid
 ,absurdities4 ,but ,i cannot allow him 
to make their ,musick in ,hell to be    
harmonious and charming as he does2 such
 ,images being incongruous1 and indeed  
shocking to ,nature4 ,neither can ,i    
think we should allow things to be      
plac'd out of time in ,poetry1 any more 

than in ,history2 'tis a confusion of   
,images which is allow'd to be          
disallow'd by all the ,criticks of what 
tribe or species soever in the world1   
and is indeed unpardonable4 ,but we     
shall find so many more of these things 
in ,mr4 ,milton1 that really taking     
notice of them all1 would carry me quite
 out of my way1 ,i being at this time   
not writing the ,history of ,mr4        
,milton1 but of the ,devil3 besides1    
,mr4 ,milton is such a celebrated ,man1 
that who but he that can write the      
,history of the ,devil dare meddle with 
him8  ,but to come back to the business4
 ,as ,i had caution'd you against       
running to ,scripture for shelter in    
cases of difficulty1 ,scripture weighing
 very little among the people ,i am     
directing my ,speech to2 so indeed      
,scripture gives but very little light  
into any thing of the ,devil's ,story   
before his ,fall1 and but to very little
 of it for some time after4  ,nor has   
,mr4 ,milton said one word to solve the 

main difficulty 7viz47 ,how the ,devil  
came to fall1 and how ,sin came into    
,heaven2 how the spotless ,seraphic     
,nature could receive infection1 whence 
the contagion proceeded1 what noxious   
matter could emit corruption there1 how 
and whence any vapour to poison the     
,angelick ,frame could rise up1 or how  
it increas'd and grew up to crime4 ,but 
all this he passes over1 and hurrying up
 that part in two or three words1 only  
tells us1                   ------ his  
,pride1   ,had cast him out of ,heaven  
with all his ,host   ,of rebel ,angels1 
by whose aid aspiring   ,he trusted to  
have equal'd the most ,high4    lib4 i4 
fo4 #c4  ,his pride6 but how came ,satan
 while an ,arch-angel to be proud8 ,how 
did it consist1 that ,pride and perfect 
,holiness should meet in the same       
,person8 ,here we must bid ,mr4 ,milton 
good night2 for1 in plain terms1 he is  
in the dark about it1 and so we are all2
 and the most that can be said1 is1 that
 we know the fact is so1 but nothing of 

the nature or reason of it4  ,but to    
come to the ,history3 ,the ,angels fell1
 they sinn'd 7wonderful67 in ,heaven1   
and ,god cast them out2 what their sin  
was is not explicit1 but in general 'tis
 call'd a ,rebellion against ,,god2 all 
sin must be so4  ,mr4 ,milton here takes
 upon him to give the ,history of it1 as
 particularly as if he had been born    
there1 and came down hither on purpose  
to give us an account of it2 7,i hope he
 is better inform'd by this time27 but  
this he does in such a manner1 as       
jostles with ,religion1 and shocks our  
,faith in so many points necessary to be
 believ'd1 that we must forbear to give 
up to ,mr4 ,milton1 or must set aside   
part of the sacred ,text1 in such a     
manner1 as will assist some people to   
set it all aside4  ,i mean by this1 his 
invented ,scheme of the ,son's being    
declared in ,heaven to be begotten then1
 and then to be declar'd ,generalissimo 
of all the ,armies of ,heaven2 and of   
the ,father's ,summoning all the ,angels

 of the heavenly ,host to submit to him1
 and pay him homage4 ,the words are     
quoted already1 page #cb4  ,i must own  
the ,invention1 indeed1 is very fine2   
the ,images exceeding magnificent1 the  
,thought rich and bright1 and1 in some  
respect1 truly sublime3 ,but the        
,authorities fail most wretchedly1 and  
the miss-timing of it1 is unsufferably  
gross1 as is noted in the ,introduction 
to this ,work2 for ,christ is not       
declar'd the ,son of ,god but on ,earth2
 'tis true1 'tis spoken from ,heaven1   
but then 'tis spoken as perfected on    
,earth2 if it was at all to be assign'd 
to ,heaven1 it was from ,eternity1 and  
there1 indeed1 his eternal ,generation  
is allow'd2 but to take upon us to say1 
that ,on a day1 a certain day1 for so   
our ,poet assumes1 lib4 v4 fol4 #acg4   
------ ',when on a day1           ------
 ',on such a day   ',as ,heaven's great 
,year brings forth1 the empyreal ,host  
',of ,angels by imperial ,summons       
call'd1   ',forthwith from all the ends 

of ,heaven appear'd4   ,this is1 indeed1
 too gross2 at this meeting he makes    
,god declare the ,son to be that day    
begotten1 as before2 had he made him not
 begotten that day1 but declared        
,general that day1 it would be          
reconcileable with ,scripture and with  
sense2 for either the begetting is meant
 of ordaining to an office1 or else the 
eternal ,generation falls to the ground2
 and if it was to the office 7,mediator7
 then ,mr4 ,milton is out in ascribing  
another fix'd day to the ,work2 see lib4
 x4 fo4 #aid4 ,but then the declaring   
him that day1 is wrong chronology too1  
for ,christ is declar'd the ,son of ,god
 with power1 only by the ,resurrection  
of the dead1 and this is both a         
,declaration in ,heaven and in ,earth4  
,rom4 i4 #d4 ,and ,milton can have no   
authority to tell us1 there was any     
,declaration of it in ,heaven before    
this1 except it be that dull authority  
call'd poetic ,license1 which will not  
pass in so solemn an affair as that4    

,but the thing was necessary to ,milton1
 who wanted to assign some cause or     
original of the ,devil's ,rebellion2 and
 so1 as ,i said above1 the design is    
well laid1 it only wants two ,trifles   
call'd ,truth and ,history2 so ,i leave 
it to struggle for itself4  ,this       
,ground-plot being laid1 he has a fair  
field for the ,devil to play the ,rebel 
in1 for he immediately brings him in1   
not satisfy'd with the ,exaltation of   
the ,son of ,god4 ,the case must be     
thus2 ,satan being an eminent           
,arch-angel1 and perhaps1 the highest of
 all the ,angelic ,train1 hearing this  
,sovereign ,declaration1 that the ,son  
of ,god was declar'd to be ,head or     
,generalissimo of all the heavenly      
,host1 took it ill to see another put   
into the high station over his head1 as 
the ,soldiers call it2 he1 perhaps1     
thinking himself the senior ,officer1   
and disdaining to submit to any but to  
his former immediate ,sovereign2 in     
short1 he threw up his ,commission1 and1

 in order not to be compel'd to obey1   
revolted and broke out in open          
,rebellion4  ,all this part is a        
,decoration noble and great1 nor is     
there any objection to be made against  
the invention1 because a deduction of   
probable ,events2 but the ,plot is wrong
 laid1 as is observ'd above1 because    
contradicted by the ,scripture account1 
according to which ,christ was declared 
in ,heaven1 not then1 but from          
,eternity1 and not declared with power1 
but on ,earth1 7viz47 in his victory    
over ,sin and ,death1 by the            
,resurrection from the dead3 so that    
,mr4 ,milton is not orthodox in this    
part1 but lays an avow'd foundation for 
the corrupt ,doctrine of ,arius1 which  
says1 there was a time when ,christ was 
not the ,son of ,,god4  ,but to leave   
,mr4 ,milton to his flights1 ,i agree   
with him in this part1 viz4 that the    
wicked or sinning ,angels1 with the     
great ,arch-angel at the head of them1  
revolted from their obedience1 even in  

,heaven it self2 that ,satan began the  
wicked defection1 and being a ,chief    
among the heavenly ,host1 consequently  
carry'd over a great party with him1 who
 all together rebel'd against ,god2 that
 upon this ,rebellion they were         
sentenc'd1 by the righteous judgment of 
,,god1 to be expel'd the holy           
,habitation2 this1 besides the authority
 of ,scripture1 we have visible         
testimonies of1 from the ,devils        
themselves2 their influences and        
operations among us every day1 of which 
,mankind are witnesses2 in all the merry
 things they do in his name1 and under  
his protection1 in almost every scene of
 life they pass thro'1 whether we talk  
of things done openly or in ,masquerade1
 things done in--or out of it1 things   
done in earnest or in jest4  ,but then1 
what comes of the long and bloody ,war  
that ,mr4 ,milton gives such a full and 
particular account of1 and the terrible 
,battles in ,heaven between ,michael    
with the royal ,army of ,angels on one  

hand1 and ,satan with his rebel ,host on
 the other2 in which he supposes the    
numbers and strength to be pretty near  
equal8 but at length brings in the      
,devil's ,army1 upon doubling their rage
 and bringing new engines of war into   
the field1 putting ,michael and all the 
faithful ,army to the worst2 and1 in a  
word1 defeats them8 ,for tho' they were 
not put to a plain flight1 in which case
 he must1 at least1 have given an       
account of two or three thousand        
millions of ,angels cut in pieces and   
wounded1 yet he allows them to give over
 the fight1 and make a kind of retreat2 
so making way for the compleat victory  
of the ,son of ,,god3 ,now this is all  
invention1 or at least1 a borrow'd      
thought from the old ,poets1 and the    
,fight of the ,giants against ,jupiter1 
so nobly design'd by ,ovid1 almost two  
thousand years ago2 and there 'twas well
 enough2 but whether ,poetic ,fancy     
should be allow'd to fable upon ,heaven1
 or no1 and upon the ,king of ,heaven   

too1 that ,i leave to the ,sages4  ,by  
this expulsion of the ,devils1 it is    
allow'd by most ,authors1 they are1 ipso
 facto1 stript of the ,rectitude and    
,holiness of their ,nature1 which was   
their ,beauty and ,perfection2 and being
 ingulph'd in the abyss of irrecoverable
 ruin1 'tis no matter where1 from that  
very time they lost their ,angelic      
beautiful ,form1 commenc'd ugly         
frightful ,monsters and ,devils1 and    
became evil doers1 as well as evil      
,spirits2 fill'd with a horrid malignity
 and enmity against their ,maker1 and   
arm'd with a hellish resolution to shew 
and exert it on all occasions2 retaining
 however their exalted spirituous       
,nature1 and having a vast extensive    
power of ,action1 all which they can    
exert in nothing else but doing evil1   
for they are entirely divested of either
 ,power or will to do good2 and even in 
doing evil1 they are under restraints   
and limitations of a superior ,power1   
which it is their ,torment1 and1        

perhaps1 a great part of their ,hell    
that they cannot break thro'4           
,,chap4 ,,vi4  ,what became of the      
,devil and his ,host of fallen ,spirits 
after their      being expell'd from    
,heaven1 and his wandring condition till
 the      ,creation2 with some more of  
,mr4 ,milton's absurdities on that      
subject4   ,having thus brought the     
,devil and his innumerable ,legions to  
the edge of the ,bottomless-pit1 it     
remains1 before ,i bring them to action1
 that some enquiry should be made into  
the posture of their affairs immediately
 after their precipitate ,fall1 and into
 the place of their immediate           
,residence2 for this will appear to be  
very necessary to ,satan's ,history1 and
 indeed1 so as that without it1 all the 
farther account we have to give of him1 
will be inconsistent and imperfect4     
,and first1 ,i take upon me to lay down 
some ,fundamentals1 which ,i believe ,i 
shall be able to make out ,historically1
 tho'1 perhaps1 not so ,geographically  

as some have pretended to do4       #a4 
,that ,satan was not immediately1 nor is
 yet lock'd down into      the ,abyss of
 a local ,hell1 such as is supposed by  
some1 and such      as he shall be at   
last2 or that1       #b4 ,if he was1 he 
has certain liberties allowed him for   
excursions      into the ,regions of    
this ,air1 and certain spheres of       
action1 in      which he can1 and does  
move1 to do1 like a very ,devil as he   
is1      all the mischief he can1 and of
 which we see so many examples both     
about us and in us2 in the inquiry after
 which1 ,i shall take      occasion to  
examine whether the ,devil is not in    
most of us1      sometimes1 if not in   
all of us one time or other4       #c4  
,that ,satan has no particular residence
 in this ,globe or ,earth      where we 
live2 that he rambles about among us1   
and marches over and      over our whole
 country1 he and his ,devils in ,camps  
volant2 but      that he pitches his    
grand ,army or chief ,encampment in our 

,adjacencies or ,frontiers1 which the   
,philosophers call ,atmosphere2      and
 whence he is call'd the ,prince of the 
,power of that ,element or      part of 
the ,world we call ,air2 from whence he 
sends out his      ,spies1 his ,agents  
and ,emissaries1 to get intelligence1   
and to carry      his ,commissions to   
his trusty and well beloved ,cousins and
      ,counsellors on ,earth1 by which  
his business is done1 and his           
affairs carried on in the ,world4       
,here1 again1 ,i meet ,mr4 ,milton full 
in my face1 who will have it1 that the  
,devil1 immediately at his expulsion1   
roll'd down directly into a ,hell proper
 and local2 nay1 he measures the very   
distance1 at least gives the length of  
the journey by the time they were       
passing or falling1 which1 he says1 was 
nine days2 a good ,poetical flight1 but 
neither founded on ,scripture or        
,philosophy2 he might every jot as well 
have brought ,hell up to the ,walls of  
,heaven1 advanc'd to receive them1 or he

 ought to have consider'd the space     
which is to be allow'd to any locality1 
let him take what part of infinite      
distance between ,heaven and a created  
,hell he pleases4  ,but let that be as  
,mr4 ,milton's extraordinary genius     
pleases to place it2 the passage1 it    
seems1 is just nine days betwixt ,heaven
 and ,hell2 well might ,dives then see  
father ,abraham1 and talk to him too2   
but then the great ,gulph which ,abraham
 tells him was fix'd between them1 does 
not seem to be so large1 as according to
 ,sir ,isaac ,newton1 ,dr4 ,halley1 ,mr4
 ,whiston1 and the rest of our ,men of  
,science1 we take it to be4  ,but       
suppose the passage to be nine ,days1   
according to ,mr4 ,milton1 what         
follow'd8 why ,hell gap'd wide1 open'd  
its frightful mouth1 and received them  
all at once2 millions and thousands of  
millions as they were1 it received them 
all at a gulp1 as we call it1 they had  
no difficulty to go in1 no1 none at all4
      ,facilis desensus averni1 sed     

revocare gradum   ,hoc opus hic labor   
est4----          ,virg4   ,all this1 as
 ,poetical1 we may receive1 but not at  
all as ,historical2 for then come       
difficulties insuperable in our way1    
some of which may be as follow3 7#a47   
,hell is here supposed to be a place2   
nay a place created for the punishment  
of ,angels and ,men1 and likewise       
created long before those had fallen1 or
 these had ,being2 this makes me say1   
,mr4 ,milton was a good ,poet1 but a bad
 ,historian3 ,tophet was prepar'd of    
old1 indeed1 but it was for the ,king1  
that is to say1 it was prepar'd for     
those whose lot it should be to come    
there2 but this does not at all suppose 
it was prepar'd before it was resolv'd  
whether there should be subjects for it1
 or no2 else we must suppose both ,men  
and ,angels were made by the glorious   
and upright ,maker of all things1 on    
purpose for destruction1 which would be 
incongruous and absurd4  ,but there is  
worse yet to come2 in the next place he 

adds1 that ,hell having receiv'd them1  
clos'd upon them2 that is to say1 took  
them in1 clos'd or shut its ,mouth2 and 
in a word1 they were lock'd in1 as it   
was said in another place1 they were    
lock'd in1 and the ,key is carry'd up to
 ,heaven and kept there2 for we know the
 ,angel came down from ,heaven1 having  
the ,key of the ,bottomless-pit2 but    
first1 see ,mr4 ,milton4    ',nine days 
they fell1 confounded chaos roar'd      
',and felt ten-fold confusion in their  
fall3                       '----,hell  
at last   ',yawning receiv'd them all1  
and on them clos'd2   ',down from the   
verge of ,heaven1 eternal wrath         
',burnt after them----   ',unquenchable4
   ,this ,scheme is certainly deficient1
 if not absurd1 and ,i think is more so 
than any other he has laid2 'tis        
evident1 neither ,satan or his ,host of 
,devils are1 no not any of them1 yet1   
even now1 confin'd in the eternal       
,prison1 where the ,scripture says1 he  
shall be reserved in chains of darkness4

 ,they must have mean thoughts of ,hell1
 as a ,prison1 a local ,confinement1    
that can suppose the ,devil able to     
break ,goal1 knock off his ,fetters1 and
 come abroad1 if he had been once lock'd
 in there1 as ,mr4 ,milton says he was3 
,now we know that he is abroad again1 he
 presented himself before ,god1 among   
his neighbours1 when ,job's case came to
 be discours'd of2 and more than that1  
it's plain he was a prisoner at large1  
by his answer to ,god's question1 which 
was1 whence comest thou8 to which he    
answer'd1 from going to and fro thro'   
the ,earth1 c4 this1 ,i say1 is plain1  
and if it be as certain that ,hell      
closed upon them1 ,i demand then1 how   
got he out8 and why was there not a     
,proclamation for apprehending him1 as  
there usually is1 after such ,rogues as 
break prison8  ,in short1 the true      
,account of the ,devil's ,circumstances1
 since his ,fall from ,heaven1 is much  
more likely to be thus3 ,that he is more
 of a ,vagrant than a ,prisoner1 that he

 is a ,wanderer in the wild unbounded   
,wast1 where he and his ,legions1 like  
the ,hoords of ,tartary1 who1 in the    
wild ,countries of ,karakathay1 the     
,desarts of ,barkan1 ,kassan1 and       
,astracan1 live up and down where they  
find proper2 so ,satan and his          
innumerable ,legions rove about hic     
ubique1 pitching their ,camps 7being    
,beasts of prey7 where they find the    
most ,spoil2 watching over this ,world1 
7and all the other ,worlds for ought we 
know1 and if there are any such17 ,i say
 watching1 and seeking who they may     
devour1 that is1 who they may deceive   
and delude1 and so destroy1 for devour  
they cannot4  ,satan being thus confin'd
 to a vagabond1 wandring1 unsettl'd     
,condition1 is without any certain      
,abode2 ,for tho' he has1 in consequence
 of his ,angelic ,nature1 a kind of     
,empire in the liquid ,wast or ,air2    
yet1 this is certainly part of his      
punishment1 that he is continually      
hovering over this inhabited ,globe of  

,earth2 swelling with the ,rage of      
,envy1 at the ,felicity of his ,rival1  
,man2 and studying all the means        
possible to injure and ruin him2 but    
extremely limited in ,power1 to his     
unspeakable ,mortification3 ,this is his
 present ,state1 without any fix'd      
,abode1 ,place1 or ,space1 allow'd him  
to rest the ,sole of his ,foot upon4    
,from his ,expulsion1 ,i take his first 
,view of ,horror to be that1 of looking 
back towards the ,heaven which he had   
lost2 there to see the ,chasm or        
,opening made up1 out at which1 as at a 
,breach in the ,wall of the holy ,place1
 he was thrust ,head-long by the ,power 
which expel'd him2 ,i say1 to see the   
,breach repair'd1 the ,mounds built up1 
the ,walls garison'd with millions of   
,angels1 and arm'd with ,thunders2 and1 
above all1 made terrible by that ,glory 
from whose ,presence they were expel'd1 
as is ,poetically hinted at before4     
,upon this sight1 'tis no wonder 7if    
there was such a ,place7 that they fled 

till the ,darkness might cover them1 and
 that they might be out of the ,view of 
so hated a ,sight4  ,wherever they found
 it1 you may be sure they pitch'd their 
first ,camp1 and began1 after many a    
sour ,reflection upon what was pass'd1  
to consider and think a little1 upon    
what was to come4  ,if ,i had as much   
personal ,acquaintance with the ,devil1 
as would admit it1 and could depend upon
 the ,truth of what ,answer he would    
give me1 the first ,question ,i would   
ask him1 should be1 what ,measures they 
resolv'd on at their first ,assembly8   
and the next should be1 how they were   
employ'd in all that space of ,time1    
between their so flying the ,face of    
their almighty ,conqueror1 and the      
,creation of ,man8 as for the ,length of
 the ,time1 which1 according to the     
,learn'd1 was twenty thousand ,years1   
and according to the more ,learned1 not 
half a ,quarter so much1 ,i would not   
concern my ,curiosity much about it2    
'tis most certain1 there was a          

considerable time between1 but of that  
immediately2 first let me enquire what  
they were doing all that time4  ,the    
,devil and his ,host1 being thus1 ,i    
say1 cast out of ,heaven1 and not yet   
confin'd strictly to ,hell1 'tis plain  
they must be some where4 ,satan and all 
his ,legions did not lose their         
,existence1 no1 nor the ,existence of   
,devils neither2 ,,god was so far from  
annihilating him1 that he still         
preserv'd his ,being2 and this not ,mr4 
,milton only1 but ,,god himself has made
 known to us1 having left his ,history  
so far upon record2 several expressions 
in ,scripture also make it evident1 as  
particularly the story of ,job1         
mentioned before2 the like in our       
,saviour's time1 and several others4    
,if ,hell did not immediately ingulph   
them1 as ,milton suggests1 'tis certain1
 ,i say1 that they fled ,somewhere1 from
 the anger of ,heaven1 from the face of 
the ,avenger2 and his absence1 and their
 own guilt1 wonder not at it1 would make

 ,hell enough for them wherever they    
went4  ,nor need we fly to the ,dreams  
of our ,astronomers1 who take a great   
deal of pains to fill up the vast       
,spaces of the starry ,heavens with     
innumerable habitable ,worlds2 allowing 
as many solar ,systems as there are     
fix'd ,stars1 and that not only in the  
known ,constellations1 but even in      
,gallaxie it self2 who1 to every such   
,system allow a certain number of       
,planets1 and to every one of those     
,planets so many ,satellites or ,moons1 
and all these ,planets and ,moons to be 
,worlds2 solid1 dark1 opaque ,bodies1   
habitable1 and 7as they would have us   
believe7 inhabited by the like ,animals 
and rational ,creatures as on this      
,earth2 so that they may1 at this rate1 
find room enough for the ,devil and all 
his ,angels1 without making a ,hell on  
purpose2 nay they may1 for ought ,i     
know1 find a ,world for every ,devil in 
all the ,devil's ,host1 and so every one
 may be a ,monarch or ,master-,devil1   

separately in his own ,sphere or ,world1
 and play the ,devil there by himself4  
,and even if this were so1 it cannot be 
denied but that one ,devil in a place   
would be enough for a whole systemary   
,world1 and be able1 if not restrained1 
to do mischief enough there too1 and    
even to ruin and overthrow the whole    
body of ,people contain'd in it4  ,but1 
,i say1 we need not fly to these shifts1
 or consult the ,astronomers in the     
decision of this point2 for wherever    
,satan and his defeated ,host went1 at  
their expulsion from ,heaven1 we think  
we are certain1 none of all these       
,beautiful ,worlds1 or be they ,worlds  
or no1 ,i mean the fix'd ,stars1        
,planets1 c4 had then any existence2 for
 the ,beginning1 as the ,scripture calls
 it1 was not yet ,begun4  ,but to speak 
a little by the rules of ,philosophy1   
that is to say1 so as to be understood  
by others1 even when we speak of things 
we cannot fully understand ourselves3   
,tho' in the ,beginning of ,time all    

this glorious ,creation was form'd1 the 
,earth1 the starry ,heavens1 and all the
 ,furniture thereof1 and there was a    
,time when they were not2 yet we cannot 
say so of the ,void1 or that nameless   
no-where1 as ,i call'd it before1 which 
now appears to be a some-where1 in which
 these glorious ,bodies are plac'd4     
,that immense ,space which those take   
up1 and which they move in at this      
,time1 must be supposed1 before they had
 ,being1 to be plac'd there3 ,as ,god   
himself was1 and existed before all     
,being1 ,time1 or ,place1 so the ,heaven
 of ,heavens1 or the ,place1 where the  
,thrones and ,dominions of his ,kingdom 
then existed1 inconceivable and         
ineffable1 had an existence before the  
glorious ,seraphs1 the innumerable      
company of ,angels which attended about 
the ,throne of ,god existed2 these all  
had a ,being long before1 as the        
,eternal ,creator of them all had before
 them4  ,into this void or abyss of     
,nothing1 however unmeasurable1         

infinite1 and even to those ,spirits1   
themselves ,inconceivable1 they         
certainly launch'd from the bright      
,precipice which they fell from1 and    
here they shifted as well as they could4
  ,here expanding those ,wings which    
,fear1 and ,horror at their ,defeat     
furnish'd them1 as ,i hinted before1    
they hurried away to the utmost         
,distance possible1 from the ,face of   
,,god their ,conqueror1 and then most   
dreaded ,enemy2 formerly their ,joy and 
,glory4  ,be this utmost remov'd        
,distance where it will1 ,here1         
certainly1 ,satan and all his ,gang of  
,devils1 his numberless1 tho' routed    
,armies retired4 ,here ,milton might1   
with some good ,ground1 have form'd his 
,pandemonium1 and have brought them in1 
consulting what was next to be done1 and
 whether there was any room left to     
renew the ,war1 or to carry on the      
,rebellion2 but had they been cast      
immediately into ,hell1 closed up there1
 the ,bottomless pit lock'd upon them1  

and the ,key carried up to ,heaven to be
 kept there1 as ,mr4 ,milton himself in 
part confesses1 and the ,scripture      
affirms2 ,i say1 had this been so1 the  
,devil himself could not have been so   
ignorant as to think of any future      
,steps to be taken1 to retrieve his     
,affairs1 and therefore a ,pandemonium  
or ,divan in ,hell1 to consult of it1   
was ridiculous4  ,all ,mr4 ,milton's    
,scheme of ,satan's future ,conduct1 and
 all the ,scripture ,expressions about  
the ,devil and his numerous ,attendants1
 and of his actings since that time1    
make it not reasonable to suggest that  
the ,devils were confin'd to their      
eternal ,prison1 at their ,expulsion out
 of ,heaven2 ,but that they were in a   
,state of ,liberty to act1 tho' limited 
in acting1 of which ,i shall also speak 
in its place4     ,,chap4 ,,vii4  ,of   
the ,number of ,satan's ,host2 how they 
came first to know of the new           
created ,worlds1 now in being1 and their
 ,measures with ,mankind upon      the  

,discovery4   ,several things have been 
suggested to set us a calculating the   
number of this frightful throng of      
,devils1 who with ,satan1 the           
,master-,devil1 was thus cast out of    
,heaven2 ,i cannot say1 ,i am so much   
,master of ,political ,arithmetick as to
 cast up the ,number of the ,beast1 no1 
nor the ,number of the ,beasts or       
,devils1 who make up this ,throng4 ,st4 
,francis1 they tell us1 or some other   
,saint1 they do not say who1 ask'd the  
,devil once1 how strong he was8 for ,st4
 ,francis1 you must know1 was very      
familiar with him2 ,the ,devil1 it      
seems1 did not tell him1 but presently  
raised a great ,cloud of ,dust1 by the  
help1 ,i suppose1 of a ,gust of ,wind1  
and bid that ,saint count it2 ,he was1  
,i suppose1 a ,calculator1 that would be
 call'd grave1 who dividing ,satan's    
,troops into three ,lines1 cast up the  
,number of the ,devils of all sorts in  
each ,battalia1 at ten hundred times a  
hundred thousand millions of the first  

,line1 fifty millions of times as many  
in the second ,line1 and three hundred  
thousand times as many as both in the   
third ,line4  ,the ,impertinence of this
 account would hardly have given it a   
place here1 only to hint that it has    
always been the ,opinion1 that ,satan's 
,name may well be call'd a ,noun of     
,multitude1 and that the ,devil and his 
,angels are certainly no inconsiderable 
,number3 ,it was a smart ,repartee that 
a ,venetian ,nobleman made to a ,priest 
who rallied him upon his refusing to    
give something to the ,church1 which the
 ,priest demanded for the delivering him
 from ,purgatory2 when the ,priest      
asking him1 if he knew what an          
innumerable ,number of ,devils there    
were to take him8 he answer'd1 yes1 he  
knew how many ,devils there were in all3
 ,how many8 says the ,priest1 his       
curiosity1 ,i suppose1 being rais'd by  
the novelty of the answer4 ,why ten     
millions five hundred and eleven        
thousand1 six hundred and seventy five  

,devils and a half1 says the ,nobleman3 
,a half6 says the ,priest1 pray what    
kind of a ,devil is that8 your self1    
says the ,nobleman1 for you are half a  
,devil already 7and will be a whole one 
when you come there7 for you are for    
deluding all you deal with1 and bringing
 us ,soul and ,body into your ,hands1   
that you may be paid for letting us go  
again4 ,so much for their ,number4      
,here also it would come in very aptly1 
to consider the state of that long      
interval between the ,time of their     
,expulsion from ,heaven1 and the        
,creation of the ,world2 and what the   
,posture of the ,devil's ,affairs might 
be1 during that ,time4 ,the horror of   
their ,condition can only be conceiv'd  
of at a ,distance1 and especially by us1
 who being embodied ,creatures1 cannot  
fully judge of what is1 or is not a     
,punishment to ,seraphs and ,spirits2   
,but 'tis just to suppose they suffer'd 
all that ,spirits of a ,seraphic ,nature
 were capable to sustain1 consistent    

with their ,existence2 notwithstanding  
which they retain'd still the           
,hellishness of their rebellious        
,principles2 namely1 their ,hatred and  
,rage against ,god1 and their ,envy at  
the ,felicity of his ,creatures4  ,as to
 how long their time might be1 ,i shall 
leave that ,search2 no lights being     
given me that are either probable or    
rational1 and we have so little room to 
make a ,judgment of it1 that we may as  
well believe ,father ,m----1 who        
supposes it to be a hundred thousand    
,years1 as those who judge it one       
thousand ,years2 'tis enough that we are
 sure1 it was before the ,creation1 how 
long before is not material to the      
,devil's ,history1 unless we had some   
,records of what happen'd to him1 or was
 done by him in the ,interval4  ,during 
the wandring ,condition the ,devil was  
in at that ,time1 we may suppose1 he and
 his whole ,clan to be employ'd in      
exerting their ,hatred and ,rage at the 
,almighty1 and at the ,happiness of the 

remaining faithful ,angels1 by all the  
ways they had power to shew it4  ,from  
this determin'd stated ,enmity of ,satan
 and his ,host against ,god1 and at     
every thing that brought ,glory to his  
,name1 ,mr4 ,milton brings in ,satan1   
7when first he saw ,adam in ,paradise1  
and the ,felicity of his ,station there7
 swelling with ,rage and ,envy1 and     
taking up a dreadful ,resolution to ruin
 ,adam and all his ,posterity1 meerly to
 disappoint his ,maker of the ,glory of 
his ,creation2 ,i shall come to speak of
 that in its ,place4  ,how ,satan1 in   
his remote ,situation1 got ,intelligence
 of the ,place where to find ,adam out1 
or that any such thing as a ,man was    
created1 is ,matter of just             
,speculation1 and there might be many   
rational ,schemes laid for it3 ,mr4     
,milton does not undertake to tell us   
the ,particulars1 nor indeed could he   
find room for it2 perhaps1 the ,devil   
having1 as ,i have said1 a ,liberty to  
range over the whole ,void or ,abyss1   

which we want as well a ,name for1 as   
indeed ,powers to conceive of2 might    
have discovered that the ,almighty      
,creator had form'd a new and glorious  
,work1 with infinite ,beauty and        
,variety1 filling up the immense ,wast  
of ,space1 in which he1 7the ,devil7 and
 his ,angels1 had rov'd for so long a   
time1 without finding any thing to work 
on1 or to exert their ,apostate ,rage in
 against their ,maker4  ,that at length 
they found the infinite untrodden       
,space1 on a sudden spread full with    
glorious ,bodies1 shining in            
self-existing ,beauty1 with a new1 and  
to them unknown ,lustre1 call'd ,light3 
,they found these luminous ,bodies1 tho'
 immense in ,bulk1 and infinite in      
,number1 yet fixt in their wondrous     
,stations1 regular and exact in their   
,motions1 confin'd in their proper      
,orbits1 tending to their particular    
,centers1 and enjoying every one their  
peculiar ,systems1 within which was     
contain'd innumerable ,planets with     

their ,satellites or ,moons1 in which   
7again7 a reciprocal ,influence1 ,motion
 and ,revolution conspired to ,form the 
most admirable ,uniformity of the whole4
  ,surprized1 to be sure1 with this     
sudden and yet glorious ,work of the    
,almighty2 for the ,creation was enough1
 with its ,lustre1 even to surprize the 
,devils2 they might reasonably be       
supposed to start out of their dark     
,retreat1 and with a ,curiosity not     
below the ,seraphic ,dignity2 for these 
are some of the things which the ,angels
 desire to look into1 to take a flight  
thro' all the amazing ,systems of the   
fix'd ,suns or ,stars1 which we see now 
but at a ,distance1 and only make       
,astronomical ,guesses at4  ,here the   
,devil found not subject of ,wonder     
only1 but matter to swell his revolted  
,spirit with more ,rage1 and to revive  
the ,malignity of his ,mind against his 
,maker1 and especially against this new 
encrease of ,glory1 which to his        
infinite ,regret was extended over the  

whole ,wast1 and which he look'd upon1  
as we say in human ,affairs1 as a ,pays 
conquis1 or1 if you will have it in the 
,language of the ,devil1 as an invasion 
upon his ,kingdom4  ,here it naturally  
occur'd to them1 in their ,state of     
,envy and ,rebellion1 that tho' they    
could not assault the impregnable ,walls
 of ,heaven1 and could no more pretend  
to raise ,war in the ,place of          
,blessedness and ,peace2 yet that       
perhaps they might find ,room in this   
new1 and however glorious1 yet inferior 
,kingdom or ,creation1 to work some     
despite to their great ,creator1 or to  
affront his ,majesty in the ,person of  
some of his new made ,creatures2 and    
upon this they may be justly supposed to
 double their ,vigilance1 in the survey 
they resolve to take of these new       
,worlds1 however great1 numberless and  
wonderful4  ,what ,discoveries they may 
have made in the other and greater      
,worlds1 than this ,earth1 we have not  
yet had an account2 possibly they are   

conversant with other ,parts of ,god's  
,creation1 besides this little little   
,globe1 which is but as a ,point in     
comparison of the ,rest2 and with other 
of ,god's ,creatures besides ,man1 who  
may1 according to the ,opinion of our   
,philosophers1 inhabit those ,worlds2   
but as no body knows that ,part but the 
,devil1 we shall not trouble our selves 
with the ,enquiry4  ,but 'tis very      
reasonable1 and indeed probable1 that   
the ,devils were more than ordinarily   
surpriz'd at the ,nature and ,reason of 
all this glorious ,creation1 after they 
had1 with the utmost ,curiosity1 view'd 
all the parts of it2 ,the ,glories of   
the several ,systems2 the immense spaces
 in which those glorious ,bodies that   
were created and made part of it1 were  
allow'd respectively to move2 the       
innumerable fix'd ,stars1 as so many    
,suns in the ,center of so many distant 
,solar ,systems2 the 7likewise          
innumerable7 dark opaque ,bodies        
receiving light1 and depending upon     

those ,suns respectively for such light1
 and then reflecting that light again   
upon and for the ,use of one another2   
,to see the ,beauty and ,splendor of    
their ,forms1 the ,regularity of their  
,position1 the ,order and ,exactness1   
and yet inconceivable ,velocity of their
 ,motions1 the certainty of their       
,revolutions1 and the ,variety and      
,virtue of their ,influences2 and then1 
which was even to the ,devils themselves
 most astonishing1 ,that after all the  
rest of their ,observations they should 
find this whole immense ,work was       
adapted for1 and made subservient to the
 ,use1 ,delight and ,blessing only of   
one poor ,species1 in itself small1 and 
in ,appearance contemptible2 the meanest
 of all the ,kinds supposed to inhabit  
so many glorious ,worlds1 as appeared   
now to be form'd2 ,i mean1 that ,moon   
call'd the ,earth1 and the ,creature    
call'd ,man2 that all was made for him1 
upheld by the wise ,creator1 on his     
account only1 and would necessarily end 

and cease whenever that ,species should 
end and be determin'd4  ,that this      
,creature was to be found no where but  
7as above7 in one little individual     
,moon2 a ,spot less than almost any of  
the ,moons1 which were in such great    
,numbers to be found attendant upon1 and
 prescrib'd with in every ,system of the
 whole created ,heavens2 ,this was      
astonishing even to the ,devil himself1 
nay the whole ,clan of ,devils could    
scarce entertain any just ,ideas of the 
thing2 ,till at last ,satan1            
indefatigable in his ,search or ,enquiry
 into the ,nature and ,reason of this   
new ,work1 and particularly searching   
into the ,species of ,man1 whom he found
 ,god had thus plac'd in the little     
,globe1 call'd ,earth2 he soon came to  
an ,eclairicissement1 or a clear        
,understanding of the whole4 ,for       
,example1       ,first1 ,he found this  
,creature1 call'd ,man1 was however mean
 and      small in his ,appearance1 a   
kind of a ,seraphic ,species2 that he   

was      made in the very ,image of     
,god1 endowed with reasonable ,faculties
 to      know ,good and ,evil1 and      
possess'd of a certain thing till then  
unknown and unheard of even in ,hell it 
self2 that is1 in the      ,habitation  
of ,devils1 let that be where it would1 
7viz47       #b4 ,that ,,god had made   
him indeed of the lowest and coarsest   
,materials1 but that he had breath'd    
into him the ,breath of ,life1      and 
that he became a living thing call'd    
,,soul1 being a kind of an              
extraordinary heavenly and divine       
,emanation2 and consequently that       
,man1 however mean and ,terrestrial his 
,body might be1 was yet1                
,heaven-born1 in his spirituous ,part   
compleatly ,seraphic2 and after      a  
,space of ,life here1 7determin'd to be 
a state of probation7 he      should be 
translated thro' the ,regions of ,death 
into a ,life purely      and truly      
,heavenly1 and which should remain so   
for ever2 being      capable of knowing 

and enjoying ,god his ,maker1 and       
standing in his      ,presence1 as the  
glorified ,angels do4       #c4 ,that he
 had the most sublime ,faculties infused
 into him2 was      capable not only of 
knowing and contemplating ,god1 and     
which was      still more1 of enjoying  
him1 as above2 but 7which the ,devil now
      was not7 capable of honouring and 
glorifying his ,maker2 who also      had
 condescended to accept of ,honour from 
him4       #d4 ,and which was still     
more1 that being of an ,angelic ,nature1
 tho'      mix'd with1 and confined for 
the present in a ,case of mortal ,flesh2
      he was intended to be remov'd from
 this ,earth after a certain time       
of ,life here1 to inhabit that ,heaven1 
and enjoy that very ,glory and          
,felicity1 from which ,satan and his    
,angels had been expell'd4   ,when he   
found all this1 it presently occur'd to 
him1 that ,god had done it all as an act
 of ,triumph over him 7,satan17 and that
 these ,creatures were only created to  

people ,heaven1 depopulated or stript of
 its inhabitants by his ,expulsion1 and 
that these were all to be made ,angels  
in the ,devil's stead4  ,if this thought
 encreas'd his ,fury and ,envy1 as far  
as ,rage of ,devils can be capable of   
being made greater2 it doubtless set him
 on work to give a ,vent to that ,rage  
and ,envy1 by searching into the ,nature
 and ,constitution of this ,creature1   
call'd ,man2 and to find out whether he 
was invulnerable1 and could by no means 
be hurt by the ,power of ,hell1 or      
deluded by his ,subtilty2 or whether he 
might be beguil'd and deluded1 and so1  
instead of being preserv'd in ,holiness 
and ,purity1 wherein he was certainly   
created1 be brought to fall and rebell  
as he 7,satan7 had done before him2 by  
which1 instead of being transplanted    
into a glorious ,state1 after this ,life
 in ,heaven1 as his ,maker had design'd 
him to be1 to fill up the ,angelic      
,choir1 and supply the ,place from      
whence he 7,satan7 had fallen1 he might 

be made to fall also like him1 and in a 
,word1 be made a ,devil like himself4   
,this convinces us that the ,devil has  
not lost his natural ,powers by his     
,fall2 and our learned ,commentator ,mr4
 ,pool is of the same ,opinion2 tho' he 
grants that the ,devil has lost his     
moral ,power1 or his ,power of doing    
,good1 which he can never recover4 ,vide
 ,mr4 ,pool upon ,acts xix4 #ag4 where  
we may particularly observe1 when the   
,man possess'd with an evil ,spirit flew
 upon the seven ,sons of ,scva the ,jew1
 who would have ,exorcis'd them in the  
,name of ,jesus1 without the ,authority 
of ,jesus1 or without ,faith in him2 ,he
 flew on them and master'd them1 so that
 they fled out of the ,house from the   
,devil conquered1 naked and wounded3    
,but of this ,power of the ,devil ,i    
shall speak by it self4  ,in a ,word1   
and to sum up all the ,devil's ,story   
from his first ,expulsion1 it stands    
thus3 ,for so many ,years as were       
between his ,fall and the ,creation of  

,man1 tho' we have no ,memoirs of his   
particular ,affairs1 we have ,reason to 
believe he was without any ,manner of   
,employment2 but a certain tormenting   
,endeavour to be always expressing his  
,rage and ,enmity against ,heaven2 ,i   
call it tormenting1 ,because ever       
disappointed2 every thought about it    
proving empty2 every attempt towards it 
abortive2 ,leaving him only ,light      
enough to see still more and more       
,reason to despair of ,success2 and that
 this made his ,condition still more and
 more a ,hell than it was before4       
,after a ,space of ,duration in this    
,misery1 which we have no light given us
 to measure or judge of1 ,he at length  
discovered the new ,creation of ,man1 as
 above1 upon which he soon found ,matter
 to set himself to work upon1 and has   
been busily employ'd ever since4  ,and  
now indeed there may be room to suggest 
a ,local ,hell1 and the ,confinement of 
,souls 7made corrupt and degenerate by  
him7 to it1 as a ,place2 tho' he        

himself1 as is still apparent by his    
,actings1 is not yet confin'd to it2 of 
this ,hell1 its ,locality1 ,extent1     
,dimensions1 ,continuance and ,nature1  
as it does not belong to ,satan's       
,history1 ,i have a good excuse for     
saying nothing1 and so put off my       
meddling with that1 which if ,i would   
meddle with1 ,i could say nothing of to 
the ,purpose4     ,,chap4 ,,viii4  ,of  
the ,power of the ,devil at the ,time of
 the ,creation of this ,world2          
whether it has not been farther         
straitn'd and limited since that        
,time1 and what ,shifts and ,stratagems 
he is obliged to make use of to         
compass his ,designs upon ,mankind4     
,cunning ,men have fabled1 and tho' it  
be without either ,religion1 ,authority 
or physical ,foundation1 it may be we   
may like it ne'er the worse for that2   
that when ,god made the ,stars and all  
the ,heavenly ,luminaries1 the ,devil1  
to mimick his ,maker and insult his new 
,creation1 made ,comets1 in ,imitation  

of the fix'd ,stars2 but that the       
,composition of them being combustible1 
when they came to wander in the ,abyss1 
rolling by an irregular ill-grounded    
,motion1 they took ,fire1 in their      
,approach to some of those great ,bodies
 of ,flame1 the fix'd ,stars2 and being 
thus kindled 7like a ,fire-work         
unskilfully let off7 they then took wild
 and excentrick1 as also different      
,motions of their own1 out of ,satan's  
,direction1 and beyond his ,power to    
regulate ever after4  ,let this ,thought
 stand by it self1 it matters not to our
 purpose whether we believe any thing of
 it1 or no2 'tis enough to our ,case1   
that if ,satan had any such ,power then1
 he has no such ,power now1 and that    
leads me to enquire into his more recent
 ,limitations4  ,i am to suppose1 he and
 all his ,accomplices being confounded  
at the ,discovery of the new ,creation1 
and racking their ,wits to find out the 
meaning of it1 had at last 7no matter   
how7 discover'd the whole ,system1 and  

concluded1 as ,i have said1 that the    
,creature1 call'd ,man1 was to be their 
,successor in the ,heavenly ,mansions2  
upon which ,i suggest that the first    
,motion of ,hell was to destroy this new
 ,work1 and1 if possible1 to overwhelm  
it4  ,but when they came to make the    
,attempt1 they found their ,chains were 
not long enough1 and that they could not
 reach to the ,extremes of the ,system3 
,they had no ,power either to break the 
,order1 or stop the ,motion1 dislocate  
the ,parts1 or confound the ,situation  
of ,things2 they traversed1 no doubt1   
the whole ,work1 visited every ,star1   
landed upon every ,solid1 and sail'd    
upon every ,fluid in the whole ,scheme1 
to see what ,mischief they could do4    
,upon a long and full ,survey1 they came
 to this ,point in their ,enquiry1 that 
in short they could do nothing by       
,force2 that they could not displace any
 ,part1 annihilate any ,atom1 or destroy
 any ,life in the whole ,creation2 but  
that as ,omnipotence had created it1 so 

the same ,omnipotence had arm'd it at   
all ,points against the utmost ,power of
 ,hell1 had made the smallest ,creature 
in it invulnerable1 as to ,satan2 so    
that without the ,permission of the same
 ,power which had made ,heaven1 and     
conquer'd the ,devil1 he could do       
nothing at all1 as to destroying any    
thing that ,god had made1 no1 not the   
little diminutive thing call'd ,man1 who
 ,satan saw so much reason to hate1 as  
being created to succeed him in         
,happiness in ,heaven4  ,satan found him
 placed out of his ,power to hurt1 or   
out of his ,reach to touch2 and here1 by
 the way1 appears the second ,conquest  
of ,heaven over the ,devil2 that having 
plac'd his ,rival1 as it were1 just     
before his ,face1 and shew'd the hateful
 sight to him1 he saw written upon his  
,image1 ,touch him if you dare4  ,it    
cannot be doubted1 but1 had it not been 
thus1 ,man is so far from being a ,match
 for the ,devil1 that one of ,satan's   
least ,imps or ,angels could destroy all

 the ,race of them in the ,world1 ay    
,world and all in a moment2  ,as he is  
,prince of the ,power of the ,air1      
taking the ,air for the ,elementary     
,world1 how easily could he1 at one     
,blast1 sweep all the ,surface of the   
,earth into the ,sea1 or drive weighty  
immense ,surges of the ,ocean over the  
whole ,plane of the ,earth1 and deluge  
the ,globe at once with a ,storm8 ,or   
how easily could he1 who1 by the        
,situation of the ,empire1 must be      
supposed able to manage the ,clouds1    
draw them up1 in such ,position as      
should naturally produce ,thunders and  
,lightnings1 cause those ,lightnings to 
blast the ,earth1 dash in ,pieces all   
the ,buildings1 burn all the populous   
,towns and ,cities1 and lay wast the    
,world2  ,at the same time he might     
command suited ,quantities of sublimated
 ,air to burst out of the ,bowels of the
 ,earth1 and overwhelm and swallow up1  
in the opening ,chasms1 all the         
,inhabitants of the ,globe8  ,in a      

,word1 ,satan left to himself as a      
,devil1 and to the ,power1 which by     
virtue of his ,seraphic ,original he    
must be vested with1 was able to have   
made ,devilish ,work in the ,world1 if  
by a superior ,power he was not         
restrain'd4  ,but there is no doubt1 at 
least to me1 but that with his fall from
 ,heaven1 as he lost the ,rectitude and 
,glory of his ,angelic ,nature1 ,i mean 
his ,innocence1 so he lost the ,power   
too that he had before2 and that when he
 first commenc'd ,devil1 he received the
 ,chains of ,restraint too1 as the      
,badge of his ,apostacy1 viz4 a general 
,prohibition1 to do any thing to the    
,prejudice of this ,creation1 or to act 
any thing by ,force or ,violence without
 special ,permission4  ,this            
,prohibition was not sent him by a      
,messenger1 or by an ,order in ,writing1
 or proclaimed from ,heaven by a ,law2  
but ,satan1 by a strange1 invisible and 
unaccountable ,impression felt the      
,restraint within him2 and at the same  

time that his moral ,capacity was not   
taken away1 yet his ,power of exerting  
that ,capacity felt the ,restraint1 and 
left him unable to do1 even what he was 
able to do at the same time4  ,i make no
 question1 but the ,devil is sensible of
 this ,restraint1 that is to say1 not as
 it is a restraint only1 or as an effect
 of his ,expulsion from ,heaven2 ,but as
 it prevents his ,capital ,design       
against ,man1 who1 for the ,reason ,i   
have given already1 he entertains a     
mortal ,hatred of1 and would destroy    
with all his ,heart1 if he might2 and   
therefore1 like a chain'd ,mastiff1 we  
find him oftentimes making a horrid     
hellish ,clamour and ,noise1 barking and
 howling1 and frighting the ,people1    
letting them know1 that if he was loose 
he would tear them in pieces2 but at the
 same time his very ,fury shakes his    
,chain1 which lets them know1 to their  
,satisfaction1 he can only ,bark1 but   
cannot ,bite4  ,some are of ,opinion    
that the ,devil is not restrain'd so    

much by the superior ,power of his      
,sovereign and ,maker2 but that all his 
milder ,measures with ,man are the      
effect of a political ,scheme1 and done 
upon mature ,deliberation2 that it was  
resolved to act thus1 in the great      
,council or ,p----t of ,devils1 call'd  
upon this very ,occasion1 when they     
first were inform'd of the ,creation of 
,man2 and especially when they          
considered what kind of ,creature he    
was1 and what might probably be the     
,reason of making him1 7viz47 to fill up
 the ,vacancies in ,heaven2 ,i say1 that
 then the ,devils resolv'd1 that it was 
not for their ,interest to fall upon him
 with ,fury and ,rage1 and so destroy   
the ,species1 for that this would be no 
,benefit at all to them1 and would only 
cause another original ,man to be       
created2 for that they knew ,,god could1
 by the same ,omnipotence1 form as many 
new ,species of ,creatures as he        
pleased2 and1 if he thought fit1 create 
them in ,heaven too1 out of the ,reach  

of ,devils or evil ,spirits1 and that   
therefore1 to destroy ,man would no way 
answer their ,end4  ,on the other hand1 
examining strictly the ,mould of this   
new made ,creature1 and of what         
,materials he was form'd2 how mixt up of
 a ,nature convertible and pervertible1 
capable indeed of infinite ,excellence1 
and consequently of eternal ,felicity2  
but subject likewise to ,corruption and 
,degeneracy1 and consequently to eternal
 ,misery2 ,that instead of being fit to 
supply the ,places of ,satan and his    
rejected ,tribe 7the expell'd ,angels7  
in ,heaven1 and filling up the ,thrones 
or ,stalls in the ,celestial ,choir1    
they might1 if they could but be brought
 into ,crime1 become a ,race of ,rebels 
and ,traytors like the rest2 and so come
 at last to keep them ,company1 as well 
in the ,place of eternal ,misery1 as in 
the ,merit of it1 and in a ,word1 become
 ,devils instead of ,angels4  ,upon this
 ,discovery1 ,i say1 they found it      
infinitely more for the ,interest of    

,satan's infernal ,kingdom1 to go       
another way to work with ,mankind1 and  
see if it were possible1 by the strength
 of all their infernal ,wit and         
,counsels1 to lay some ,snare for him1  
and by some ,stratagem to bring him to  
eternal ,ruin and ,misery4  ,this being 
then approv'd as their only ,method1    
7and the ,devil shew'd he was no ,fool  
in the ,choice7 he next resolv'd that   
there was no time to be lost2 that it   
was to be set about immediately1 before 
the ,race was ,multiplied1 and by that  
means the ,work be not made greater     
only1 but perhaps the more difficult    
too2 accordingly the diligent ,devil    
went instantly about it1 agreeably to   
all the ,story of ,eve and the serpent1 
as before2 the belief of which1 whether 
historically or allegorically1 is not at
 all obstructed by this ,hypothesis4  ,i
 do not affirm that this was the ,case  
at first1 because being not present in  
that black ,divan1 at least not that ,i 
know of1 for who knows where he was or  

was not in his pre-existent ,state8 ,i  
cannot be positive in the ,resolve that 
past there2 but except for some very    
little ,contradiction1 which we find in 
the sacred ,writings1 ,i should1 ,i     
confess1 incline to believe it          
,historically2 and ,i shall speak of    
those things which ,i call              
,contradictions to it more largely      
hereafter4  ,in the mean time1 be it one
 way or other1 that is to say1 either   
that ,satan had no ,power to have       
proceeded with ,man by ,violence1 and to
 have destroy'd him as soon as he was   
made2 or that he had the ,power1 but    
chose rather to proceed by other        
,methods to deceive and debauch him2 ,i 
say1 be it which you please1 ,i am still
 of the ,opinion that it really was not 
the ,devil's ,business to destroy the   
,species2 that it would have been       
nothing to the purpose1 and no          
,advantage at all to him1 if he had done
 it2 for that1 as above1 ,god could     
immediately have created another        

,species to the same end1 whom he either
 could have made invulnerable1 and not  
subject to the ,devil's ,power1 or      
remov'd him out of ,satan's ,reach1     
plac'd him out of the ,devil's ,ken1 in 
,heaven or some other ,place1 where the 
,devil could not come to hurt him2 and  
that therefore it is infinitely more his
 ,advantage1 and more suited to his real
 ,design of defeating the ,end of ,man's
 ,creation1 to debauch him and make a   
,devil of him1 that he may be rejected  
like himself1 and increase the infernal 
,kingdom and ,company in the ,lake of   
,misery in ternum4  ,it may be true1 for
 ought ,i know1 that ,satan has not the 
,power of ,destruction put into his     
,hand1 and that he cannot take away the 
,life of a ,man3 and it seems probable  
to be so1 from the ,story of ,satan and 
,job1 when ,satan appear'd among the    
,sons of ,,god1 as the ,text says1 ,job 
i4 #f4 ,now when ,god gave such a       
,character of ,job to him1 and ask'd him
 if he had consider'd his ,servant ,job1

 ver4 #h4 why did not the ,devil go     
immediately and exert his ,malice       
against the good ,man at once1 to let   
his ,maker see what would become of his 
,servant ,job in his ,distress8 ,on the 
contrary1 we see he only answers by     
shewing the ,reason of ,job's good      
,behaviour2 that it was but common      
,gratitude for the ,blessing and        
,protection he enjoy'd1 ver4 #aj4 and   
pleading that if his ,estate was taken  
away1 and he was expos'd as he 7,satan7 
was1 to be a beggar and a ,vagabond1    
going to and fro in the ,earth1 and     
walking up and down therein1 he should  
be a very ,devil too1 like himself1 and 
curse ,god to his ,face4  ,upon this1   
the ,text says1 that ,god answered ver4 
#aa4 ,behold all that he hath is in thy 
,power2 now 'tis plain here1 that ,god  
gave up ,job's ,wealth and ,estate1 nay 
his ,family1 and the ,lives of his      
,children and ,servants into the        
,devil's ,power2 and accordingly1 like a
 true merciless ,devil1 as he is1 he    

destroy'd them all2 he mov'd the        
,sabeans to fall upon the ,oxen and the 
,asses1 and carry them off2 he mov'd the
 ,chaldeans to fall upon the ,camels and
 the ,servants1 to carry off the first1 
and murther the last2 he made ,lightning
 flash upon the poor ,sheep1 and kill   
them all2 and he blow'd his ,house down 
upon his poor ,children1 and buried them
 all in the ,ruins4  ,now here is 7#a47 
a ,specimen of ,satan's good ,will to   
,mankind1 and what ,havock the ,devil   
would make in the ,world1 if he might2  
and here is a ,testimony too1 that he   
could not do this without leave2 so that
 ,i cannot but be of the ,opinion he has
 some ,limitations1 some ,bounds set to 
his natural ,fury2 a certain ,number of 
,links in his ,chain1 which he cannot   
exceed1 or1 in a ,word1 that he cannot  
go a ,foot beyond his ,tether4  ,the    
same kind of ,evidence we have in the   
,gospel1 ,matth4 viii4 #ca4 where ,satan
 could not so much as possess the       
filthiest and meanest of all ,creatures1

 the ,swine1 till he had ask'd leave2   
and that still1 to shew his good ,will1 
as soon as he had gotten leave1 he      
hurried them all into the ,sea and      
choak'd them2 these1 ,i say1 are some of
 the ,reasons why ,i am not willing to  
say1 the ,devil is not restrain'd in    
,power2 but on the other side1 we are   
told of so many mischievous things the  
,devil has done in the ,world1 by virtue
 of his ,dominion over the ,elements1   
and by other ,testimonies of his ,power1
 that ,i don't know what to think of it2
 tho'1 upon the whole1 the first is the 
safest ,opinion2 for if we should       
believe the last1 we might1 for ought ,i
 know1 be brought1 like the ,american   
,indians1 to worship him at last1 that  
he may do us no ,harm4  ,and now ,i have
 nam'd those ,people in ,america1 ,i    
confess it would go a great way in      
favour of ,satan's ,generosity1 as well 
as in ,testimony of his ,power1 if we   
might believe all the ,accounts1 which  
indeed ,authors are pretty well agreed  

in the ,truth of1 namely1 of the        
,mischiefs the ,devil does in those     
,countries1 where his ,dominion seems to
 be establish'd2 how he uses them when  
they deny him the ,homage he claims of  
them as his ,due2 what ,havock and      
,combustion he makes among them2 and how
 ,beneficent he is 7or at least negative
 in his ,mischiefs7 when they ,appease  
him by their hellish ,sacrifices4       
,likewise we see a ,test of his wicked  
,subtilty in his ,management of those   
dark ,nations1 when he was more         
immediately worship'd by them2 namely1  
the making them believe that all their  
good ,weather1 ,rains1 ,dews1 and kind  
,influences upon the ,earth1 to make it 
fruitful1 was from ,him2 whereas they   
really were the common ,blessings of a  
higher ,hand1 and came not from him1 the
 ,devil1 but from him that made the     
,devil1 and made him a ,devil or fallen 
,angel by his ,curse4  ,but to go back  
to the ,method the ,devil took with the 
first of ,mankind2 'tis plain the       

,policy of ,hell was right1 tho' the    
,execution of the ,resolves they took   
did not fully answer their ,end neither2
 ,for ,satan fastening upon poor1 proud1
 ridiculous ,mother ,eve1 as ,i have    
said before1 made presently a true      
,judgment of her ,capacities1 and of her
 ,temper2 took her by the right ,handle1
 and soothing her ,vanity 7which is to  
this ,day the softest ,place in the     
,head of all the ,sex7 wheedl'd her out 
of her ,senses1 by praising her ,beauty1
 and promising to make her a ,goddess4  
,the foolish ,woman yielded presently1  
and that we are told is the ,reason why 
the same ,method so strangely takes with
 all her ,posterity 7viz47 that you are 
sure to prevail with them1 if you can   
but once persuade them that you believe 
they are ,witty and ,handsome2 for the  
,devil1 you may observe1 never quits any
 ,hold he gets1 and having once found a 
way into the ,heart1 always takes care  
to keep the ,door open1 that any of his 
,agents may enter after him without any 

more ,difficulty3 ,hence the same       
,argument1 especially the last1 has so  
bewitching an ,influence on the ,sex1   
that they rarely deny you any thing1    
after they are but weak enough and vain 
enough to accept of the ,praises you    
offer them on that ,head2 on the other  
hand you are sure they never forgive you
 the unpardonable ,crime of saying they 
are ,ugly or ,disagreeable3 ,it is      
suggested that the first ,method the    
,devil took to insinuate all those fine 
things into ,eve's giddy ,head1 was by  
creeping close to her one ,night1 when  
she was asleep1 and laying his ,mouth to
 her ,ear1 whispering all the fine      
things to her1 which he knew would set  
her ,fancy a ,tip-toe1 and so made her  
receive them involuntarily into her     
,mind2 knowing well enough that when she
 had form'd such ,ideas in her ,soul1   
however they came there1 she would never
 be quiet till she had work'd them up to
 some extraordinary thing or other4  ,it
 was evident what the ,devil aim'd at1  

namely1 that she should break in upon   
the ,command of ,,god1 and so having    
corrupted her self1 bring the ,curse    
upon her self and all her ,race1 as     
,,god had threatn'd2 but why the ,pride 
of ,eve should be so easily tickled by  
the ,motion of her exquisite ,beauty1   
when there then was no prospect of the  
use or want of those ,charms8 that      
indeed makes a kind of ,difficulty here1
 which the learn'd have not determined4 
,for1       #a4 ,if she had been as     
,ugly as the ,devil1 she had no body to 
rival      her1 so that she need not    
fear ,adam should leave her and get     
another ,mistress4       #b4 ,if she had
 been ,bright and ,beautiful as an      
,angel1 she had no      other ,admirer  
but poor ,adam1 and he could have no    
room to be      jealous of her1 or      
afraid she should cuckold him2 so that  
in short1      ,eve had no such         
,occasion for her ,beauty1 nor could she
 make any      use of it either to a bad
 purpose or to a good1 and therefore ,i 

believe the ,devil1 who is too cunning  
to do any thing that      signifies     
,nothing1 rather tempted her by the     
,hope of encreasing her      ,wit1 than 
her ,beauty4   ,but to come back to the 
,method of ,satan's tempting her1 viz4  
by whispering to her in her sleep2 'twas
 a cunning ,trick1 that's the ,truth of 
it1 and by that means he certainly set  
her ,head a madding after ,deism1 and to
 be made a ,goddess1 and then back'd it 
by the subtle talk he had with her      
afterward4  ,i am the more particular   
upon this ,part1 because1 however the   
,devil may have been the first that ever
 practised it1 yet ,i can assure him the
 ,experiment has been tried upon many a 
,woman since1 to the wheedling her out  
of her ,modesty1 as well as her         
,simplicity2 and the ,cunning ,men tell 
us still1 that if you can come at a     
,woman when she is in a deep sleep1 and 
,whisper to her close to her ,ear1 she  
will certainly ,dream of the ,thing you 
say to her1 and so will a ,man too4     

,well1 be this so to her ,race or not1  
it was it seems so to her2 for she wak'd
 with her ,head fill'd with pleasing    
,ideas1 and as some will have it1       
unlawful ,desires2 such1 as to be sure  
she never had entertain'd before2 ,these
 are supposed to be fatally infused in  
her ,dream1 and suggested to her waking 
,soul1 when the ,organ ,ear which       
convey'd them was doz'd and insensible2 
strange ,fate of sleeping in ,paradise6 
that whereas we have ,notice but of two 
,sleeps there1 that in one a ,woman     
should go out of him1 and in the other1 
the ,devil should come into her4        
,certainly1 when ,satan first made the  
,attempt upon ,eve1 he did not think he 
should have so easily conquered her1 or 
have brought his ,business about so     
soon2 the ,devil himself could not have 
imagined she should have been so soon   
brought to forget the ,command given1 or
 at least who gave it1 and have ventur'd
 to transgress against him1 and made her
 forget that ,,god had told her1 it     

should be ,death to her to touch it2 and
 above all1 that she should aspire to be
 as wise as him1 who was so ignorant    
before1 as to believe it was for fear of
 her being like himself1 that he had    
forbid it her4  ,well might she be said 
to be the weaker ,vessel1 tho' ,adam    
himself had little enough to say for his
 being the stronger of the two1 when he 
was over-persuaded 7if it were done by  
,persuasion7 by his ,wife to do the same
 thing4  ,and mark how wise they were   
after they had ,eaten1 and what ,fools  
they both acted like1 even to one       
another2 nay1 even all the ,knowledge   
they attain'd to by it was1 for ought ,i
 see1 only to know that they were       
,fools1 and to be sensible both of ,sin 
and ,shame2 and see how simply they     
acted1 ,i say1 upon their having        
committed the ,crime1 and being detected
 in it4      ',view them to ,day        
conversing with their ,god1   ',his     
,image both enjoy'd and understood1     
',to ,morrow skulking with a sordid     

,flight1                  ',among the   
,bushes from the ,infinite1             
',as if that ,power was blind1 which    
gave them ,sight2      ',with senseless 
,labour ,tagging ,fig-,leaf ,vests1     
',to hide their ,bodies from the sight  
of ,beasts4     ',hark6 how the ,fool   
pleads faint1 for forfeit ,life1        
',first he reproaches ,heaven1 and then 
his ,wife2   ',the ,woman which thou    
gav'st as if the ,gift   ',could rob him
 of the little ,reason left1   ',a weak 
,pretence to shift his early ,crime1    
',as if accusing her would excuse him2  
',but thus encroaching ,crime dethrones 
the ,sense1   ',and intercepts the      
,heavenly ,influence1   ',debauches     
,reason1 makes the ,man a ,fool1   ',and
 turns his active ,light to ,ridicule4  
,it must be confess'd that it was       
unaccountable ,degeneracy1 even of their
 common ,reasoning1 which ,adam and ,eve
 both fell into upon the first          
committing the ,offence of taking the   
forbidden ,fruit3 ,if that was their    

being made as ,gods1 it made but a poor 
,appearance in its first coming1 to hide
 their ,nakedness when there was no body
 to see them1 and cover themselves among
 the ,bushes from their ,maker2 but thus
 it was1 and this the ,devil had brought
 them to1 and well might he1 and all the
 ,clan of ,hell1 as ,mr4 ,milton brings 
them in1 laugh and triumph over the ,man
 after the ,blow was given1 as having so
 egregiously abused and deluded them    
both4  ,but here1 to be sure1 began the 
,devil's new ,kingdom2 as he had now    
seduc'd the two first ,creatures1 he was
 pretty sure of ,success upon all the   
,race1 and therefore prepar'd to attack 
them also1 as soon as they came on2 nor 
was their encreasing ,multitude any     
,discouragement to his ,attempt1 but    
just the contrary2 for he had ,agents   
enough to employ1 if every ,man and     
,woman that should be born was to want a
 ,devil to wait upon them1 separately   
and singly to seduce them2 whereas some 
whole ,nations have been such willing   

subjects to him1 that one of his        
,seraphic ,imps may1 for ought we know1 
have been enough to guide a whole       
,country2 the ,people being entirely    
subjected to his ,government for many   
,ages2 as in ,america1 for example1     
where some will have it1 that he        
convey'd the first ,inhabitants1 at     
least if he did not1 we don't well know 
who did1 or how they got thither4  ,and 
how came all the ,communication to be so
 entirely cut off between the ,nations  
of ,europe and ,africa1 from whence     
,america must certainly have been       
peopl'd1 or else the ,devil must have   
done it indeed8 ,i say1 how came the    
,communication to be so entirely cut off
 between them1 that except the time1    
whenever it was1 that ,people did at    
first reach from one to the other1 none 
ever came back to give their ,friends   
any account of their ,success1 or invite
 them to follow8 ,nor did they hear of  
one another afterwards1 as we have      
,reason to think3 ,did ,satan           

politically keep them thus asunder1 lest
 ,news from ,heaven should reach them1  
and so they should be recover'd out of  
his ,government8 ,we cannot tell how to 
give any other rational ,account of it1 
that a ,nation1 nay a ,quarter of the   
,world1 or as some will have it be1 half
 the ,globe1 should be peopled from     
,europe or ,africa1 or both1 and no body
 ever go after them1 or come back from  
them in above three thousand years      
after4  ,nay1 that those ,countries     
should be peopled when there was no     
,navigation in use in these ,parts of   
the ,world1 no ,ships made that could   
carry ,provisions enough to support the 
,people that fail'd in them1 but that   
they must have been starved to death    
before they could reach the ,shore of   
,america2 the ,ferry from ,europe or    
,africa1 in any ,part 7which we have    
known ,navigation to be practised in7   
being at least #ajjj ,miles1 and in most
 ,places much more4  ,but as to the     
,americans1 let the ,devil and they     

alone to account for their coming       
,thither1 this we are certain of1 that  
we knew nothing of them for many hundred
 ,years2 and when we did1 when the      
,discovery was made1 they that went from
 ,hence found ,satan in a full and quiet
 ,possession of them1 ruling them with  
an arbitrary ,government1 particular to 
himself2 ,he had led them into a blind  
,subjection to himself1 nay1 ,i might   
call it ,devotion1 for it was all of    
,religion that was to be found among    
them7 worshipping horrible ,idols in his
 ,name1 to whom he directed human       
,sacrifices continually to be made1 till
 he deluged the ,country with ,blood1   
and ripen'd them up for the ,destruction
 that follow'd1 from the ,invasion of   
the ,spaniards1 who he knew would hurry 
them all out of the ,world as fast as he
 7the ,devil7 himself could desire of   
them4  ,but to go back a little to the  
,original of ,things1 ,it is evident    
that ,satan has made a much better      
,market of ,mankind1 by thus subtilly   

attacking them1 and bringing them to    
break with their ,maker as he had done  
before them1 than he could have done by 
fulminating upon them at first1 and     
sending them all out of the ,world at   
once2 for now he has peopled his own    
,dominions with them1 and tho' a        
,remnant are snatch'd as it were out of 
his ,clutches1 by the ,agency of        
,invincible ,grace1 of which ,i am not  
to discourse in this ,place2 yet this   
may be said of the ,devil1 without      
,offence1 that he has in some ,sense    
carried his ,point1 and as it were      
forc'd his ,maker to be satisfied with a
 ,part of ,mankind1 and the least ,part 
too1 instead of the great ,glory he     
would have brought to himself by keeping
 them all in his ,service4  ,mr4        
,milton1 as ,i have noted above1 brings 
in the ,devil and all ,hell with him1   
making a ,feu de ,joye for the ,victory 
,satan obtain'd over one silly ,woman2  
indeed it was a ,piece of ,success      
greater in its ,consequence than in the 

immediate ,appearance2 nor was the      
,conquest so compleat as ,satan himself 
imagin'd to make1 since the ,promise of 
a ,redemption out of his ,hands1 which  
was immediately made to the ,man1 in    
behalf of himself and his believing     
,posterity1 was a great ,disappointment 
to ,satan1 and as it were snatch'd the  
best ,part of his ,victory out of his   
,hands4  ,it is certain the ,devils knew
 what the meaning of that ,promise was1 
and who was to be the ,seed of the      
,woman1 namely1 the incarnate ,son of   
,god1 and that it was a second ,blow to 
the whole infernal ,body2 but as if they
 had resolved to let that alone1 ,satan 
went on with his ,business2 and as he   
had introduc'd ,crime into the common   
,parent of ,mankind1 and thereby secured
 the ,contamination of ,blood1 and the  
,descent or ,propagation of the corrupt 
,seed1 he had nothing to do but to      
assist ,nature in time to come1 to carry
 on its own ,rebellion1 and act it self 
in the ,breasts of ,eve's tainted       

,posterity2 and that indeed has been the
 ,devil's ,business ever since his first
 ,victory upon the ,kind1 to this ,day4 
,his ,success in this ,part has been    
such1 that we see upon innumerable      
,occasions a general ,defection has     
follow'd2 a kind of a ,taint upon       
,nature1 call it what you will1 a ,blast
 upon the ,race of ,mankind2 and were it
 not for one thing1 he had ruined the   
whole ,family2 ,i say1 were it not for  
one thing1 namely1 a selected ,company  
or ,number1 which his ,maker has        
resolv'd he shall not be able to        
corrupt1 or if he does1 the sending the 
promis'd ,seed shall recover back again 
from him1 by the ,power of irresistible 
,grace2 which ,number thus selected or  
elected1 call it which we will1 are     
still to supply the ,vacancies in       
,heaven1 which ,satan's ,defection left 
open2 and what was before fill'd up with
 created ,seraphs1 is now to be restor'd
 by recover'd ,saints1 by whom infinite 
,glory is to accrue to the ,kingdom of  

the ,redeemer4  ,this glorious          
,establishment has robb'd ,satan of all 
the ,joy of his ,victory1 and left him  
just where he was1 defeated and         
disappointed2 nor does the ,possession  
of all the ,myriads of the ,sons of     
,perdition1 who yet some are of the     
,opinion will be snatch'd from him too  
at last2 ,i say1 the ,possession of all 
these makes no amends to him1 for he is 
such a ,devil in his ,nature1 that the  
,envy at those he cannot seduce1 eats   
out all the ,satisfaction of the        
,mischief he has done in seducing all   
the rest2 but ,i must not preach1 so ,i 
return to things as much needful to     
know1 tho' less solemn4     ,,chap4     
,,ix4  ,of the ,progress of ,satan in   
carrying on his ,conquest over ,mankind1
 from      the ,fall of ,eve to the     
,deluge4   ,i doubt if the ,devil was   
ask'd the ,question plainly1 he would   
confess1 that after he had conquer'd    
,eve by his own wicked ,contrivance1 and
 then by her ,assistance had brought    

,adam too 7like a ,fool as he was7 into 
the same ,gulph of ,misery1 he thought  
he had done his ,work1 compassed the    
whole ,race1 that they were now his own1
 and that he had put an ,end to the     
grand ,design of their ,creation2       
namely1 of ,peopling ,heaven with a new 
,angelic ,race of ,souls1 who when      
glorify'd1 should make up the ,defection
 of the ,host of ,hell1 that had been   
expung'd by their ,crime2 in a ,word1   
that he had gotten a better ,conquest   
than if he had destroy'd them all4  ,but
 in the midst of his ,conquest1 he found
 a ,check put to the ,advantages he     
expected to reap from his ,victory1 by  
the immediate ,promise of ,grace to a   
,part of the ,posterity of ,adam1 who1  
notwithstanding the ,fall1 were to be   
purchased by the ,messiah1 and snatch'd 
out of his 7,satan's7 ,hands1 and over  
whom he could make no final ,conquest2  
so that his ,power met with a new       
,limitation1 and that such1 as indeed   
fully disappointed him in the main thing

 he aim'd at1 7viz47 preventing the     
,beatitudes of ,mankind1 which were thus
 secur'd2 7,and what if the ,numbers of 
,mankind were upon this account         
encreased in such a manner1 that the    
selected ,number should1 by ,length of  
,time1 amount to just as many as the    
whole ,race1 had they not fallen1 would 
have amounted to in all87 ,and thus1    
indeed1 the ,world may be said to be    
upheld and continued for the ,sake of   
those few1 since till their ,number can 
be compleated1 the ,creation cannot     
fall1 any more than1 that without them1 
or but for them it would not have stood4
  ,but leaving this ,speculation1 and   
not having enquir'd of ,satan what he   
has to say on that ,subject1 let us go  
back to the ,antediluvian ,world3 ,the  
,devil to be sure1 gain'd his ,point    
upon ,eve1 and in her upon all her      
,race3 ,he drew her into ,sin2 got her  
turn'd out of ,paradise1 and the ,man   
with her3 ,the next ,thing was to go to 
work with her ,posterity1 and           

particularly with her two ,sons ,cain   
and ,abel4  ,adam having1               
notwithstanding his ,fall1 repented very
 sincerely of his ,sin2 receiv'd the    
,promise of ,redemption and ,pardon1    
with an humble but believing ,heart2    
,charity bids us suppose that he led a  
very religious and sober ,life ever     
after2 and especially in the first ,part
 of his ,time1 ,that he brought up his  
,children very soberly1 and gave them   
all the necessary ,advantages of a      
,religious ,education1 and a good       
,introduction into the ,world1 that he  
was capable of2 and that ,eve likewise  
assisted to both in her ,place and      
,degree4  ,their two eldest ,sons ,cain 
and ,abel2 ,the one ,heir apparent to   
the ,patriarchal ,empire1 and the other 
,heir presumptive1 ,i suppose also1     
lived very sober and religious ,lives2  
and as the ,principles of natural       
,religion dictated a ,homage and        
,subjection due to the ,almighty ,maker1
 as an ,acknowledgment of his ,mercies1 

and a ,recognition of their ,obedience2 
so the receiv'd ,usage of ,religion     
dictating at that ,time that this       
,homage was to be paid by a ,sacrifice1 
they either of them brought a           
,free-will-offering to be dedicated to  
,god respectively for themselves and    
,families4  ,how it was1 and for what   
,reason that ,god had respect to the    
,offering of ,abel1 which the ,learn'd  
say1 was a ,lamb of the ,firstlings of  
the ,flock1 and did not give any        
,testimony of the like ,respect to ,cain
 and his ,offering1 which was of the    
first ,fruits of the ,earth1 the        
,offerings being equally suited to the  
respective ,employment of the ,men1 that
 is not my present ,business2 but this  
we find made ,heart-burnings1 and raised
 ,envy and ,jealousy in the ,mind of    
,cain2 and at that ,door the ,devil     
immediately entred2 for he1 who from the
 ,beginning1 was very diligent in his   
way1 never slip'd any ,opportunity1 or  
miss'd any ,advantages that the         

,circumstances of ,mankind offered him  
to do ,mischief4  ,what ,shape or       
,appearance the ,devil took up to enter 
into a ,conversation with ,cain upon the
 ,subject1 that ,authors do not take    
upon them to determine2 but 'tis        
generally supposed he personated some of
 ,cain's ,sons or ,grandsons to begin   
the ,discourse1 who attack'd their      
,father1 or perhaps ,grandfather1 upon  
this ,occasion1 in the following manner1
 or to that ,purpose4         99        
99       99       99       99  ,d4 ,sir1
 ,i perceive your ,majesty 7for the     
first ,race were certainly all ,monarchs
 as great as ,kings1 to their immediate 
,posterity7 to be greatly disturb'd of  
late1 your ,countenance is chang'd1 your
 noble ,chearfulness 7the ,glories of   
your ,face7 are strangely sunk and gone1
 and you are not the ,man you used to   
be2 please your ,majesty to communicate 
your ,griefs to us your ,children1 you  
may be sure1 that if it be possible1 we 
would procure you ,relief1 and restore  

your ,delights1 the ,loss of which1 if  
thus you go on to subject yourself to   
too much ,melancholy1 will be very      
hurtful to you1 and in the ,end destroy 
you4  ,cain4 ,it is very kind1 my dear  
,children1 to shew your ,respect thus to
 your true ,progenitor1 and to offer    
your ,assistance3 ,i confess1 as you    
say1 my ,mind is oppress'd and          
displeased2 but tho' 'tis very heavy1   
yet ,i know not which way to look for   
,relief1 for the ,distemper is above our
 ,reach1 no ,cure can be found for it on
 ,earth4  ,d4 ,do not say so1 ,sir2     
there can be no ,disease sure on ,earth 
but may be cur'd on ,earth2 if it be a  
mental ,evil1 we have heard that your   
great ,ancestor1 the first ,father of us
 all1 who lives still on the great      
western ,plains towards the ,sea1 is the
 ,oracle to which all his ,children fly 
for ,direction in such ,cases as are out
 of the ,reach of the ordinary          
understanding of ,mankind2 please you to
 give leave1 we will take a ,journey to 

him1 and representing your ,case to him1
 we will hear his ,advice1 and bring it 
to you with all ,speed1 for the ,ease of
 your ,mind4  ,cain4 ,i know not whether
 he can reach my ,case or no4  ,d4      
,doubtless he may1 and if not1 the      
,labour of our ,journey is nothing when 
plac'd in ,competition with the ,ease of
 your ,mind2 'tis but a few ,days travel
 lost1 and you will not be the worse if 
we fail of the desired ,success4  ,cain4
 ,the offer is filial1 and ,i accept    
your affectionate ,concern for me1 with 
a just ,sense of an oblig'd ,parent2 go 
then1 and my ,blessing be upon you2 but 
alas6 why do ,i bless8 can he bless whom
 ,god has not bless'd6  ,d4 ,o6 ,sir1 do
 not say so1 has not ,god bless'd you8  
are you not the second ,sovereign of the
 ,earth8 and does he not converse with  
you ,face to ,face8 are not you the     
,oracle to all your growing ,posterity1 
and next after his ,sovereign ,imperial 
,majesty ,lord ,adam1 ,patriarch of the 
,world8  ,cain4 ,but has not ,god       

rejected me1 and refused to converse any
 more with me1 while he daily ,favours  
and ,countenances my younger ,brother   
,abel1 as if he resolv'd to set him up  
to rule over me8  ,d4 ,no1 ,sir1 that   
cannot be1 you cannot be disturb'd at   
such a thing2 is not the ,right of      
,sovereignty yours by ,primogeniture8   
can ,god himself take that away1 when   
'tis once given8 are not you ,lord      
,adam's eldest ,son8 are you not the    
firstborn ,glory of the ,creation8 and  
does not the ,government descend to you 
by the divine ,right of ,birth and      
,blood8  ,cain4 ,but what does all that 
signify to me1 while ,god appears to    
favour and caress my younger ,brother1  
and to shine upon him1 while a black    
,dejection and token of ,displeasure    
surrounds me every ,day1 and he does not
 appear to me as he used to do8  ,d4    
,and what need your ,majesty be         
concern'd at that1 if it be so8 if he   
does not appear pleased1 you have the   
whole ,world to enjoy your self in1 and 

all your numerous and rising ,posterity 
,adore and ,honour you2 what need those 
remote ,things be any disturbance to    
you8  ,cain4 ,how6 my ,children1 not the
 ,favour of ,god be valued6 yes1 yes1 in
 his favour is ,life2 what can all the  
,world avail without the ,smiles and    
,countenance of him that made it8  ,d4  
,doubtless1 ,sir1 he that made the      
,world and plac'd you at the ,head of it
 all1 to govern and direct it1 has made 
it agreeable1 and it is able to give you
 a full ,satisfaction and ,enjoyment1 if
 you please to consider it well1 tho'   
you were never to converse with him all 
the while you live in't4  ,cain4 ,you   
are quite wrong there1 my ,children1    
quite wrong4  ,d4 ,but do you not1 great
 ,sir1 see all your ,children as well as
 us rejoicing in the ,plenty of all     
,things1 and are they not compleatly    
happy1 and yet they know little of this 
great ,,god8 ,he seldom converses among 
us1 we hear of him indeed by your sage  
,advices1 and we bring our ,offerings to

 you for him1 as you direct1 and when   
that's done1 we enjoy whatever our      
,hearts desire2 and so doubtless may you
 in an abundant manner1 if you please4  
,cain4 ,but your ,felicity is wrong     
plac'd then1 or you suppose that ,god is
 pleased and satisfied in that your     
,offerings are brought to me2 but what  
would you say1 if you knew that ,god is 
displeased8 that he does not accept your
 ,offerings8 that when ,i sacrific'd to 
him in behalf of you all1 he rejected my
 ,offerings1 tho' ,i brought a princely 
,gift1 being of the finest of the       
,wheat1 the choicest and earliest       
,fruits1 and the sweetest of the ,oil1  
an ,offering suited to the ,giver of    
them all8  ,d4 ,but if you offered them1
 ,sir1 how are you sure they were not   
accepted8  ,cain4 ,yes1 yes1 ,i am sure2
 did not my ,brother ,abel offer at the 
same ,time a ,lamb of his ,flock1 for   
he1 you know1 delights in ,cattle1 and  
covers the ,mountains with his ,herds8  
over him1 all the while he was          

sacrificing1 a bright ,emanation shone  
chearing and enlivening2 a ,pledge of   
,favour1 and light ambient ,flames      
play'd hovering in the lower ,air1 as if
 attending his ,sacrifice2 and when     
ready prepar'd1 immediately descended   
and burnt up the ,flesh1 a ,sweet       
odoriferous ,savour ascending to him1   
who thus testified his ,acceptance2     
whereas1 over my ,head a black ,cloud1  
misty1 and distilling ,vapour1 hung     
dripping upon the humble ,altar ,i had  
raised1 and wetting the finest and      
choicest ,things ,i had prepar'd1       
spoil'd and defac'd them2 the ,wood     
unapt to burn by the ,moisture which    
fell1 scarce receiv'd the ,fire ,i      
brought to kindle it1 and even then1    
rather smother'd and choaked1 than      
kindled into a ,flame2 in a ,word1 it   
went quite out1 without consuming what  
was brought to be offer'd up4  ,d4 ,let 
not our truly reverenc'd ,lord and      
,father be disquieted at all this2 if he
 accepts not what you bring1 you are    

discharg'd of the ,debt1 and need bring 
no more2 nor have the ,trouble of such  
labour'd ,collections of ,rarities any  
more2 when he thinks fit to require it  
again1 you will have ,notice1 no        
,question1 and then it being call'd for1
 will be accepted or else why should it 
be requir'd8  ,cain4 ,that may indeed be
 the ,case1 nor do ,i think of          
attempting any more to bring an         
,offering1 for ,i rather take it1 that  
,i am forbidden for the present2 but    
then1 what is it that my younger        
,brother ,triumphs in8 and how am ,i    
insulted1 in that he and his ,house are 
all ,joy and ,triumph1 as if they had   
some great ,advantage over me1 in that  
their ,offering was accepted when mine  
was not8  ,d4 ,does he ,triumph over    
your ,majesty1 our ,lord and ,sovereign8
 give us but your ,order1 and we will go
 and pull him and all his ,generation in
 pieces2 for to triumph over you who are
 his elder ,brother1 is a horrid        
,rebellion and ,treason1 and he ought to

 be expell'd the ,society of ,mankind4  
,cain4 ,i think so too1 indeed2 however1
 my dear ,children and faithful         
,subjects1 tho' ,i accept your ,offer of
 ,duty and ,service1 yet ,i will        
consider very well1 before ,i take up   
,arms against my ,brother2 besides1 our 
,sovereign ,father and patriarchal      
,lord1 ,adam1 being yet alive1 it is not
 in my ,right to act offensively without
 his ,command4  ,d4 ,we are ready       
therefore to carry your ,petition to    
him1 and doubt not to obtain his        
,licence and ,commission too1 to empower
 you to do your self ,justice upon your 
younger ,brother2 who being your        
,vassal1 or at least inferior1 as he is 
junior in ,birth1 insults you upon the  
fancied ,opinion of having a larger     
,share in the ,divine ,favour1 and      
receiving a ,blessing on his            
,sacrifices1 on ,pretence of the same   
,favour being denied you4  ,cain4 ,i am 
content1 go then1 and give a just       
,account of the ,state of our ,affairs4 

,d4 ,we shall soon return with the      
agreeable answer2 let not our ,lord and 
,father continue sad and dejected1 but  
depend upon a speedy ,relief1 by the    
,assistance of thy numerous ,issue1 all 
devoted to thy ,interest and ,felicity4 
,cain4 ,my ,blessing be with you in your
 ,way1 and give you a favourable        
,reception at the venerable ,tent of our
 universal ,lord and ,father4         99
       99       99       99       99    
,note1 ,here the cursed ,race being     
fully given up to the ,direction of the 
,evil-,spirit1 which so early possess'd 
them1 and swelling with ,rage at the    
innocent ,abel and his whole ,family1   
they resolved upon forming a most wicked
 and detestable lie1 to bring about the 
,advice which they had already given    
their ,father ,cain a touch of2 and to  
pretend that ,adam being justly provok'd
 at the undutiful ,behaviour of ,abel1  
had given ,cain a ,commission to        
chastise him1 and by ,force to cut him  
off and all his ,family1 as guilty of   

,rebellion and ,pride4  ,fill'd with    
this mischievous and bloody ,resolution1
 they came back to their ,father ,cain1 
after staying a few ,days1 such as were 
,sufficient to make ,cain believe they  
had been at the spacious ,plains1 where 
,adam dwelt2 the same which are now     
call'd the blessed ,valleys1 or the     
,plains of ,mecca in ,arabia ,flix1 near
 the ,banks of the ,red-,sea4  ,note    
here also1 that ,cain having received a 
wicked ,hint from these ,men1 his       
,children and ,subjects1 as before1     
intimating that ,abel had broken the    
,laws of ,primogeniture in his          
,behaviour towards him1 7,cain7 and that
 he might be justly punish'd for it2    
,satan1 that cunning ,manager of all our
 wayward ,passions1 fan'd the ,fire of  
,envy and ,jealousy with his utmost     
,skill all the while his other ,agents  
were absent2 and by the ,time they came 
back had blown it up into such a ,heat  
of ,fury and ,rage1 that it wanted      
nothing but ,air to make it burn out1 as

 it soon afterwards did in a furious    
,flame of ,wrath and ,revenge1 even to  
,blood and ,destruction4  ,just in the  
very critical ,moment1 while ,things    
stood thus with ,cain1 ,satan brings in 
his wicked ,instruments1 as if just     
arriv'd with the ,return of his ,message
 from ,adam1 at whose ,court they had   
been for ,orders2 and thus they1 that is
 the ,devil assuming to speak by them1  
approach their ,father with an ,air of  
solemn but chearful ,satisfaction at the
 ,success of their ,embassy4         99 
99       99       99       99  ,d4 ,hail
 ,sovereign1 ,reverend1 ,patriarchal    
,lord6 we come with ,joy to render thee 
an ,account of the ,success of our      
,message4  ,cain4 ,have you then seen   
the venerable ,tents where dwell the    
,heaven-born1 the ,angelic ,pair1 to    
whom all human ,reverence highly due1 is
 and ought always to be humbly paid8    
,d4 ,we have4  ,cain4 ,did you1 together
 with my grand ,request1 a just1 a      
humble ,homage for me pay1 to the great 

,sire and ,mother of ,mankind8  ,d4 ,we 
did4  ,cain4 ,did you in humble         
,language represent the ,griefs and     
,anguish which oppress my ,soul8  ,d4   
,we did1 and back their ,blessing to    
thee bring4  ,cain4 ,i hope with        
humblest ,signs of filial ,duty you took
 it for me on your bending ,knees8  ,d4 
,we did1 and had our ,share2 the        
,patriarch lifting his ,hands to ,heaven
 express'd his ,joy to see his spreading
 ,race1 and bless'd us all4  ,cain4 ,did
 you my solemn ,message too deliver1 my 
,injuries impartially lay down1 and due 
,assistance and ,direction crave8  ,d4  
,we did4  ,cain4 ,what spoke the        
,oracle8 he's ,god to me2 what just     
,command d'ye bring1 what's to be done8 
am ,i to bear the insulting ,junior's   
,rage8 and meekly suffer what unjustly  
he1 affronting ,primogeniture and ,laws 
of ,god and ,man1 imposes by his ,pride 
unsufferable6 ,am ,i to be crush'd1 and 
be no more the firstborn ,son on ,earth1
 but bow and kneel to him8  ,d4 ,forbid 

it ,heaven6 as ,adam too forbids1 who   
with a justice ,god-like and peculiar to
 injur'd ,parents1 ,abel's ,pride       
resents1 and gives his high ,command to 
thee to punish4  ,cain4 ,to punish8 say 
you1 did he use the ,word1 the very     
,word8 am ,i commission'd then to punish
 ,abel8  ,d4 ,not ,abel only1 but his   
rebel ,race1 as they alike in ,crime    
alike are join'd in ,punishment4  ,cain4
 ,the ,race indeed have shar'd the      
,merit with him2 how did they all       
insult1 and with a ,shout of ,triumph   
mock my ,sorrow1 when they saw me from  
my ,sacrifice dejected come1 as if my   
,disappointment was their ,joy8  ,d4    
,this too the venerable ,prince resents1
 and to preserve the ,race in ,bounds of
 ,laws subordinate and limited to ,duty1
 ,commands that this first ,breach be   
not pass'd by1 lest the ,precedent upon 
,record stand to future ,times to       
encourage like ,rebellion4  ,cain4 ,and 
is it then my ,sovereign ,parent's      
,will8  ,d4 ,it is his ,will1 that thou 

his eldest ,son1 his ,image1 his        
belov'd1 should be maintain'd in all the
 ,rights of ,sovereignty deriv'd to thee
 from him2 and not be left expos'd to   
injury and ,power usurped1 but should do
 thy self ,justice on the rebel ,race4  
,cain4 ,and so ,i will2 ,abel shall     
quickly know what 'tis to trample on his
 elder ,brother2 shall know that he's   
thus sentenc'd by his ,father1 and ,i'm 
commission'd but to execute his high    
,command1 his ,sentence1 which is       
,god's1 and that he falls by the ,hand  
of ,heavenly ,justice4         99       
99       99       99       99  ,so now  
,satan had done his ,work1 he had       
deluded the ,mother to a ,breach against
 the first and only ,command1 he had    
drawn ,adam to the same ,snare1 and now 
he brings in ,cain prompted by his own  
,rage1 and deluded by his1 7,satan's17  
,craft1 to commit ,murder1 nay a        
,fratricide1 an aggravated ,murther4    
,upon this he sends out ,cain1 while the
 bloody ,rage was in its ,ferment1 and  

wickedly at the same ,time bringing     
,abel1 innocent and fearing no ill1 just
 in his ,way1 he suggests to his        
,thoughts such ,words as these4  ,look  
you ,cain1 see how ,divine ,justice     
concurs with your ,father's righteous   
,sentence1 see there's thy ,brother     
,abel directed by ,heaven to fall into  
thy ,hands unarm'd1 unguarded1 that thou
 may'st do thy self ,justice upon him   
without ,fear2 see thou may'st kill him1
 and if thou hast a ,mind to conceal it1
 no ,eyes can see1 or will the ,world   
ever know it1 so that no ,resentment or 
,revenge upon thee1 or thy ,posterity1  
can be apprehended1 but it may be said  
some wild ,beast had rent him2 nor will 
any one suggest that thou1 his ,brother1
 and ,superior1 could possibly be the   
,person4  ,cain prepar'd for the ,fact1 
by his former avow'd ,rage and          
,resolution of ,revenge1 was so much the
 less prepar'd to avoid the ,snare thus 
artfully contriv'd by the ,master of all
 ,subtilty1 the ,devil2 so he           

immediately runs upon his ,brother      
,abel1 and after a little unarm'd       
,resistance1 the innocent poor ,man     
expecting no such ,mischief1 was        
conquer'd and murther'd2 after which1 as
 is to be supposed1 the exasperated     
,crew of ,cain's outrageous ,race1      
over-run all his ,family and ,houshold1 
killing ,man1 ,woman and ,child4  ,it is
 objected here that we have no          
,authority in ,scripture to prove this  
,part of the ,story2 but ,i answer1 'tis
 not likely but that ,abel1 as well as  
,cain1 being at ,man's ,estate long     
before this1 had several ,children by   
their own ,sisters1 for they were the   
only ,men in the ,world who were allow'd
 the ,marrying their own ,sisters1 there
 being no other ,women then in the      
,world2 and as we never read of any of  
,abel's ,posterity1 'tis likewise as    
probable they were all murther'd1 as    
that they should kill ,abel only1 whose 
,sons might immediately fall upon ,cain 
for the ,blood of their ,father1 and so 

the ,world have been involv'd in a      
,civil ,war as soon as there were two   
,families in it4  ,but be it so or not1 
'tis not doubted the ,devil wrought with
 ,cain in the horrid ,murther1 or he had
 never done it2 whether it was directly 
or by ,agents is not material1 nor is   
the ,latter unlikely2 and if the        
,latter1 then there is no ,improbability
 in the ,story1 for why might not he    
that made ,use of the ,serpent to tempt 
,eve1 be as well supposed to make a     
,tool of some of ,cain's ,sons or       
,grandsons to prompt him in the wicked  
,attempt of murthering his ,brother8 and
 why must we be oblig'd to bring in a   
,miracle or an ,apparition into the     
,story1 to make it probable that the    
,devil had any ,hand in it1 when 'twas  
so natural to a degenerate ,race to act 
in such a ,manner8  ,however it was1 and
 by whatever ,tool the ,devil wrought1  
'tis certain that this was the          
,consequence1 poor ,abel was butcher'd1 
and thus the ,devil made a second       

,conquest in ,god's ,creation2 for ,adam
 was now1 as may be said1 really        
,childless1 for his two ,sons were thus 
far lost1 ,abel was killed1 and ,cain   
was curst and driven out from the       
,presence of the ,lord1 and his ,race   
blasted with him4  ,it would be a useful
 enquiry here1 and worthy our giving an 
,account of1 could we come to a         
,certainty in it1 namely1 what was the  
,mark that ,god set upon ,cain1 by which
 he was kept from being fallen upon by  
,abel's ,friends or ,relations8 but as  
this does not belong to the ,devil's    
,history1 and it was ,god's ,mark1 not  
the ,devil's1 ,i have nothing to do with
 it here4  ,the ,devil had now gain'd   
his ,point1 the ,kingdom of ,grace1 so  
newly erected1 had been as it were      
extinct without a new ,creation1 had not
 ,adam and ,eve been alive1 and had not 
,eve1 tho' now #acj ,years of ,age1 been
 a breeding young ,lady1 for we must    
suppose the ,woman1 in that ,state of   
,longevity1 bare ,children till they    

were seven or eight hundred ,year old3  
,this ,teeming of ,eve peopled not the  
,world so much as it restored the       
blessed ,race2 for tho' ,abel was kill'd
 ,cain had a numerous ,offspring        
presently1 which had ,seth1 7,adam's    
third ,son7 never been born1 would soon 
have replenish'd the ,world with        
,people1 such as they were2 the ,seed of
 a ,murtherer1 cursed of ,god1 branded  
with a ,mark of ,infamy1 and who        
afterwards fell all together in the     
universal ,ruine of the ,race by the    
,deluge4  ,but after the ,murther of    
,abel1 ,adam had another ,son born1     
namely1 ,seth1 the ,father of ,enos1 and
 indeed the ,father of the holy ,race2  
for during his ,time and his ,son ,enos1
 the ,text says that ,men began to call 
on the ,name of the ,lord2 that is to   
say1 they began to look back upon ,cain 
and his wicked ,race1 and being         
convinc'd of the ,wickedness they had   
committed1 and led their whole          
,posterity into1 they began to sue to   

,heaven for ,pardon of what was past1   
and to lead a new sort of ,life4  ,but  
the ,devil had met with too much        
,success in his first ,attempts1 not to 
go on with his general ,resolution of   
debauching the ,minds of ,men1 and      
bringing them off from ,god2 and        
therefore as he kept his ,hold upon     
,cain's cursed ,race1 embroil'd already 
in ,blood and ,murther2 so he proceeded 
with his degenerate ,offspring1 till in 
a ,word he brought both the holy ,seed  
and the degenerate ,race to joyn in one 
universal ,consent of ,crime1 and to go 
on in it with such aggravating          
,circumstances1 as that it repented the 
,lord that he had made ,man1 and he     
resolv'd to overwhelm them again with a 
general ,destruction1 and clear the     
,world of them4  ,the ,succession of    
,blood in the royal original ,line of   
,adam1 is preserv'd in the sacred       
,histories and brought down as low as   
,noah and his three ,sons1 for a        
continu'd series of #adej ,years1 say   

some1 #afdj say others2 in which ,time  
,sin spread it self so generally thro'  
the whole ,race1 and the ,sons of ,god1 
so the ,scripture calls the ,men of the 
righteous ,seed1 the ,progeny of ,seth1 
came in unto the ,daughters of ,men1    
that is1 join'd themselves to the curs'd
 ,race of ,cain1 and married            
promiscuously with them1 according to   
their ,fancies1 the ,women it seems     
being beautiful and tempting2 and tho'  
the ,devil could not make the ,women    
handsome or ugly in one or other        
,families1 yet he might work up the     
,gust of wicked ,inclination on either  
,side1 so as to make both the ,men and  
,women tempting and agreeable to one    
another1 where they ought not to have   
been so2 and perhaps1 as it is often    
seen to this ,day1 the more tempting for
 being under legal ,restraint4  ,it is  
objected here1 that we do not find in   
the ,scripture that the ,men and ,women 
of either ,race were at that ,time      
forbidden intermarrying with one        

another2 and it is true1 that literally 
it is not forbid2 but if we did not     
search rather to make doubts than to    
explain them1 we might suppose it was   
forbidden by some particular ,command at
 that ,time2 seeing we may reasonably   
allow every ,thing to be forbidden1     
which they are tax'd with a ,crime in   
committing2 and as the ,sons of ,god    
taking them ,wives as they thought fit  
to choose1 tho' from among the          
,daughters of the cursed ,race1 is there
 charg'd upon them as a general         
,depravation1 and a great ,crime2 and   
for which1 'tis said1 ,,god even        
repented that he had made them1 we need 
go no farther to satisfy our selves that
 it was certainly forbidden4  ,satan no 
doubt too had a ,hand in this           
,wickedness2 for as it was his ,business
 to prompt ,men to do every ,thing which
 ,god had prohibited1 so the ,reason    
given why the ,men of those ,days did   
this ,thing was1 they saw the ,daughters
 of ,men1 that is of the wicked ,race or

 forbidden ,sort1 were fair1 he tempted 
them by the ,lust of the ,eye2 in a     
word1 the ,ladies were beautiful and    
agreeable1 and the ,devil knew how to   
make use of the ,allurement2 the ,men   
liked and took them by the meer         
,direction of their ,fancy and          
,appetite1 without regarding the supreme
 ,prohibition2 ,they took them ,wives of
 all which they chose1 or such as they  
lik'd to choose4  ,but the ,text adds1  
that this promiscuous ,generation went  
farther than the meer outward ,crime of 
it1 for it shew'd that the ,wickedness  
of the ,heart of ,man was great before  
,god1 and that he resented it2 ,in      
short1 ,god perceived a ,degeneracy or  
,defect of ,virtue had seiz'd upon the  
whole ,race1 that there was a general   
,corruption of ,manners1 a ,depravity of
 ,nature upon them1 that even the holy  
,seed was tainted with it1 that the     
,devil had broken in upon them1 and     
prevail'd to a great ,degree2 that not  
only the ,practice of the ,age was      

corrupt1 for that ,god could easily have
 restrain'd1 but that the very ,heart of
 ,man was debauch'd1 his ,desires wholly
 vitiated1 and his ,senses engag'd in   
it2 so that in a ,word1 it became       
necessary to shew the divine            
,displeasure1 not in the ordinary       
,manner1 by ,judgment and ,reproofs of  
such kind as usually reclaim ,men1 but  
by a general ,destruction to sweep them 
away1 clear the ,earth of them1 and put 
an ,end to the ,wickedness at once1     
removing the ,offence and the ,offenders
 all together2 this is signify'd at     
large1 ,gen4 vi4 #e4 ,god saw that the  
,wickedness of ,man was great in the    
,earth1 and that every ,imagination of  
the ,thoughts of his ,heart was only    
evil continually4 ,and again ver4 #aa1  
#ab4 ,the ,earth also was corrupt before
 ,god2 and the ,earth was fill'd with   
,violence4 ,and ,god look'd upon the    
,earth and behold it was corrupt2 for   
all ,flesh had corrupted his ,way upon  
the ,earth4  ,it must be confess'd it   

was a strange ,conquest the ,devil had  
made in the ,antediluvian ,world1 that  
he had1 as ,i may say1 brought the whole
 ,race of ,mankind into a general       
,revolt from ,god2 ,noah was indeed a   
,preacher of ,righteousness1 and he had 
preach'd about #ejj ,years to as little 
,purpose as most of the good ,ministers 
ever did2 for we do not read there was  
one ,man converted by him1 or at least  
not one of them left1 for that at the   
,deluge there was either none of them   
alive1 or none spar'd but ,noah and his 
three ,sons1 and their ,wives2 and even 
they are 7'tis evident7 recorded1 not so
 much to be sav'd for their own         
,goodness1 but because they were his    
,sons2 ,nay1 without ,breach of ,charity
 we may conclude1 that at least one went
 to the ,devil even of those three1     
namely1 ,ham or ,cham for triumphing in 
a brutal ,manner over his ,father's     
,drunkenness2 for we find the ,special  
,curse reach'd to him and his ,posterity
 for many ,ages2 and whether it went no 

farther than the present ,state of ,life
 with them1 we cannot tell4  ,we will   
suppose now that thro' this whole #aejj 
,years the ,devil having so effectually 
debauch'd ,mankind1 had advanc'd his    
infernal ,kingdom to a prodigious       
,height2 for the ,text says1 the whole  
,earth was fill'd with violence2 in a   
,word1 ,blood1 ,murder1 ,rape1 ,robbery1
 ,oppression and ,injustice prevail'd   
every where1 and ,man1 like the wild    
,bear in the ,forest1 liv'd by ,prey1   
biting and devouring one another4  ,at  
this ,time ,noah begins to preach a new 
,doctrine to them1 for as he had before 
been a ,preacher of ,righteousness1 now 
he becomes a ,preacher of ,vengeance2   
first he tells them they shall be all   
overwhelm'd with a ,deluge1 that for    
their ,sins ,god repented they were     
made1 and that he would destroy them    
all1 adding1 that to prevent the ,ruin  
of himself and ,family1 he resolv'd to  
build him a ,ship to have recourse to   
when the ,water should come over the    

,rest of the ,world4  ,what ,jesting1   
what ,scorn1 what ,contempt did this    
,work expose the good old ,man to for   
above a #ajj ,years8 for so long the    
,work was building1 as antient ,authors 
say2 let us represent to our selves in  
the most lively ,manner how the witty   
,world at that ,time behav'd to poor old
 ,noah2 how they took their ,evening    
,walks to see what he was doing1 and    
passed their ,judgment upon it1 and upon
 the ,progress of it2 ,i say1 to        
represent this to our selves1 we need go
 no farther than to our own ,witicisms  
upon ,religion1 and upon the most solemn
 ,mysteries of ,divine ,worship2 how we 
damn the ,serious for ,enthusiasts1     
think the ,grave mad1 and the ,sober    
melancholy2 call ,religion it self      
,flatus and ,hyppo2 make the ,devout    
ignorant1 the ,divine mercenary1 and the
 whole ,scheme of ,divinity a ,frame of 
,priestcraft2 and thus no doubt the     
building an ,ark or ,boat1 or whatever  
they call'd it1 to float over the       

,mountains1 and dance over the ,plains1 
what could it be but a religious        
,frenzy1 and the ,man that so busied    
himself1 a ,lunatick8 and all this in an
 ,age when divine ,things came by       
immediate ,revelation into the ,minds of
 ,men6 the ,devil must therefore have   
made a strange ,conquest upon ,mankind  
to obliterate all the ,reverence1 which 
but a little before was so strangely    
impress'd upon them concerning their    
,maker4  ,this was certainly the ,height
 of the ,devil's ,kingdom1 and we shall 
never find him arrive to such a ,pitch  
again2 he was then truly and literally  
the universal ,monarch1 nay the ,god of 
this ,world2 and as all ,tyrants do1 he 
governs them with an arbitrary absolute 
sway2 and had not ,god thought fit to   
give him a ,writ of ,ejectment1 and     
afterwards drown him out of ,possession 
,i know not what would have been the    
,case1 he might have kept his ,hold for 
ought ,i know till the ,seed of the     
,woman came to bruise his ,head1 that is

 to say1 cripple his ,government1       
,dethrone him and ,depose his ,power1 as
 has been fulfill'd in the ,messiah4    
,but as he was1 ,i say1 drown'd out of  
the ,world1 his ,kingdom for the present
 was at an ,end2 at least1 if he had a  
,dominion he had no ,subjects1 and as   
the ,creation was in a ,manner renewed1 
so the ,devil had all his ,work to do   
over again3 ,unhappy ,man6 how has he1  
by his weak ,resistance1 made the       
,devil1 recovering his ,hold too easy to
 him1 and given him all the ,advantages1
 except as before excepted1 which he had
 before8 ,now whether he retired in the 
mean ,time1 and how he got footing again
 after ,noah and his ,family were landed
 upon the ,new ,surface1 that we come   
next to enquire4     ,,chap4 ,x4  ,of   
the ,devil's second ,kingdom1 and how he
 got footing in the renew'd      ,world 
by his ,victory over ,noah and his      
,race4   ,the ,story of ,noah1 his      
building the ,ark1 his embarking himself
 and all ,nature's ,stock for a new     

,world on board it2 the long ,voyage    
they took1 and the bad ,weather they met
 with1 tho' it would embellish this     
,work very well1 and come in very much  
to the ,purpose in this ,place1 yet as  
it does not belong to the ,devil's      
,story1 for ,i cannot prove what some   
suggest 7viz47 that he was in the ,ark  
among the ,rest1 ,i say1 for that       
,reason ,i must omit it4  ,and now      
having mention'd ,satan's being in the  
,ark2 as ,i say1 ,i cannot prove it1 so 
there are1 ,i think1 some good ,reasons 
to believe he was not there3 ,first1 ,i 
know no ,business he had there2         
secondly1 we read of no ,mischief done  
there1 and these joyn'd together make me
 conclude he was absent2 the last ,i    
chiefly insist upon1 that we read of no 
,mischief done there1 which if he had   
been in the ,ark1 would certainly have  
happen'd2 and therefore ,i suppose      
rather1 that when he saw his ,kingdom   
dissolv'd1 his ,subjects all ingulph'd  
in an inevitable ,ruin and ,desolation1 

a ,sight suitable enough to him1 except 
as it might unking him for a ,time2 ,i  
say1 when he saw this1 he took care to  
speed himself away as well as he could1 
and make his ,retreat to a ,place of    
,safety1 where that was1 is no more     
difficult to us1 than it was to him4    
,it is suggested that as he is ,prince  
of the ,power of the ,air1 he retired   
only into that ,region4 ,it is most     
rational to suppose he went no further  
on many ,accounts1 of which ,i shall    
speak by and by3 ,here he stay'd        
hovering in the ,earth's ,atmosphere1 as
 he has often done since1 and perhaps   
now does2 or if the ,atmosphere of this 
,globe was affected by the ,indraft of  
the ,absorption1 as some think1 then he 
kept himself upon the ,watch1 to see    
what the ,event of the new ,phnomenon   
would be1 and this ,watch1 wherever it  
was1 ,i doubt not1 was as near the      
,earth as he could place himself1       
perhaps in the ,atmosphere of the ,moon1
 or in a ,word1 the next ,place of      

,retreat he could find4  ,from hence ,i 
took upon me to insist1 that ,satan has 
not a more certain ,knowledge of ,events
 than we2 ,i say1 he has not a more     
certain ,knowledge2 that he may be able 
to make stronger ,conjectures and more  
rational ,conclusions from that he sees1
 ,i will not deny2 and that which he    
most outdoes us in is1 that he sees more
 to conclude from than we can1 but ,i am
 satisfied he knows nothing of ,futurity
 more than we can see by ,observation   
and ,inference2 nor1 for ,example1 did  
he know whether ,god would repeople the 
,world any more or no4  ,i must         
therefore allow that he only waited to  
see what would be the ,event of this    
strange ,eruption of ,water1 and what   
,god propos'd to do with the ,ark1 and  
all that was in it4  ,some ,philosophers
 tell us1 besides what ,i hinted above1 
that the ,devil could have no ,retreat  
in the ,earth's ,atmosphere1 for that   
the ,air being wholly condens'd into    
,water1 and having continually pour'd   

down its ,streams to deluge the ,earth1 
that ,body was become so small1 and had 
suffer'd such ,convulsions1 that there  
was but just enough ,air left to        
surround the ,water1 or as might serve  
by its ,pressure to preserve the natural
 ,position of ,things1 and supply the   
,creatures in the ,ark with a ,part to  
breath in4  ,the ,atmosphere indeed     
might suffer some strange and unnatural 
,motions at that ,time1 but not 7,i     
believe7 to that ,degree1 however1 ,i   
will not affirm that there could be room
 in it1 or is now for the ,devil1 much  
less for all the numberless ,legions of 
,satan's ,host2 but there was1 and now  
certainly is1 sufficient ,space to      
receive him1 and a sufficient ,body of  
his ,troops for the ,business he had for
 them at that time1 and that's enough to
 the ,purpose2 or if the ,earth's       
,atmosphere did suffer any particular   
,convulsion on that ,occasion1 he might 
make his ,retreat to the ,atmosphere of 
the ,moon1 or of ,mars1 or of ,venus1 or

 of any of the other ,planets2 or to any
 other ,place1 for he that is ,prince of
 the ,air could not want ,retreats in   
such a ,case1 from whence he might watch
 for the issue of ,things2 certainly he 
did not go far1 because his ,business   
lay here1 and he never goes out of his  
,way of doing ,mischief4  ,in           
particular1 his more than ordinary      
,concern was1 to see what would become  
of the ,ark2 he was wise enough         
doubtless to see1 that ,,god1 who had   
directed its making1 nay even the very  
,structure of it1 would certainly take  
,care of it1 preserve it upon the       
,water1 and bring it to some ,place of  
,safety or other2 tho' where it should  
be1 the ,devil with all his ,cunning    
could not resolve1 whether on the same  
,surface the ,waters drawing off1 or in 
any other created or to be created      
,place2 and this ,state of ,uncertainty 
being evidently his ,case1 and which    
proves his ,ignorance of ,futurity1 it  
was his ,business1 ,i say1 to watch with

 the utmost vigilance for the ,event4   
,if the ,ark was 7as ,mr4 ,burnet       
thinks7 guided by two ,angels1 they not 
only held it from foundering or being   
swallow'd up in the ,water1 but         
certainly kept the ,waters calm about   
it1 especially when the ,lord brought a 
strong ,wind to blow over the whole     
,globe1 which by the ,way was the first1
 and1 ,i suppose1 the only universal    
,storm that ever blew1 for to be sure it
 blew over the whole ,surface at once2  
,i say1 if it was thus guided1 to be    
sure the ,devil saw it1 and that with   
,envy and ,regret that he could do it no
 ,injury1 for doubtless had it been in  
the ,devil's ,power1 as ,god had drown'd
 the whole ,race of ,man1 except what   
was in the ,ark1 he would have taken    
care to have dispatch'd them too1 and so
 made an ,end of the ,creation at once2 
but either he was not empower'd to go to
 the ,ark1 or it was so well guarded by 
,angels1 that when he came near it he   
could do it no harm3 ,so it rested at   

length1 the ,waters abating on the      
,mountains of ,arrarat in ,armenia1 or  
some where else that ,way1 and where    
they say a ,piece of the ,keel is       
remaining to this ,day2 of which1       
however with ,dr4 ------ ,i say1 ,i     
believe not one ,word4  ,the ,ark being 
safe landed1 'tis reasonable to believe 
,noah prepared to go on ,shore1 as the  
,seamen call it1 as soon as the dry     
,land began to appear2 and here you must
 allow me to suppose ,satan1 tho'       
himself cloth'd with a ,cloud1 so as not
 to be seen1 came immediately1 and      
pearching on the ,roof1 saw all the     
,heaven-kept ,houshold safely landed1   
and all the ,host of living ,creatures  
dispersing themselves down the ,sides of
 the ,mountain1 as the ,search of their 
,food or other proper ,occasions        
directed them4  ,this ,sight was enough2
 ,satan was at no ,loss to conclude from
 hence that the ,design of ,god was to  
repeople the ,world by the ,way of      
ordinary ,generation1 from the          

,posterity of these eight ,persons1     
without creating any new ,species4      
,very well1 says the ,devil1 then my    
,advantage over them1 by the ,snare ,i  
laid for poor ,eve1 is good still2 and  
,i am now just where ,i was after       
,adam's ,expulsion from the ,garden1 and
 when ,i had ,cain and his ,race to go  
to work with2 for here is the old       
expung'd ,corrupted ,race still1 as     
,cain was the ,object then1 so ,noah is 
my ,man now1 and if ,i do not master him
 one way or another1 ,i am mistaken in  
my ,mark4 ,pardon me for making a       
,speech for the ,devil4  ,noah big with 
a ,sense of his late ,condition1 and    
while the ,wonders of the ,deluge were  
fresh in his ,mind1 spent his first     
,days in the ,extasies of his ,soul1    
giving ,thanks1 and praising the ,power 
that had been his ,protection1 in and   
thro' the ,flood of ,waters1 and which  
had in so miraculous a ,manner1 safely  
landed him on the ,surface of the newly 
discover'd ,land2 and the ,text tells   

us1 as one of the first ,things he was  
employ'd in1 ,he built an ,altar unto   
the ,lord1 and offered ,burnt-,offerings
 upon the ,altar4 ,gen4 viii4 #bj4      
,while ,noah was thus employ'd he was   
safe1 the ,devil himself could no where 
break in upon him2 and we may suppose   
very reasonably1 as he found the old    
,father invulnerable1 he left him for   
some ,years1 watching notwithstanding   
all possible ,advantages against his    
,sons and their ,children2 for now the  
,family began to encrease1 and ,noah's  
,sons had several ,children2 whether    
himself had any more ,children after the
 ,flood or not1 that we are not arriv'd 
to any ,certainty about4  ,among his    
,sons the ,devil found ,japhet and      
,shem1 good1 pious1 religious1 and very 
devout ,persons2 serving ,god daily1    
after the ,example of their good old    
,father ,noah1 and he could make nothing
 of them or of any of their ,posterity2 
but ,ham the second1 or according to    
some1 the younger ,son of ,noah1 had a  

,son who was nam'd ,canaan1 a loose     
young profligate ,fellow1 his ,education
 was probably but cursory and           
superficial1 his ,father ,ham not being 
near so religious and serious a ,man as 
his ,brothers ,shem and ,japhet were2   
and as ,canaan's ,education was         
defective1 so he prov'd1 as untaught    
,youth generally do1 a wild1 and in     
short a very wicked ,fellow1 and        
consequently a fit ,tool for the ,devil 
to go to work with4  ,noah1 a diligent  
industrious ,man1 being with all his    
,family thus planted in the rich        
fruitful ,plains of ,armenia1 or        
wherever you please1 let it be near the 
,mountains of ,caucasus or ,arrarat2    
went immediately to work1 cultivating   
and improving the ,soil1 encreasing his 
,cattle and ,pastures1 sowing ,corn1 and
 among other ,things planting ,trees for
 ,food1 and among the ,fruit ,trees he  
planted ,vines1 of the ,grapes thereof  
he made no doubt1 as they still in the  
same ,country do make1 most excellent   

,wine1 rich1 luscious1 strong1 and      
pleasant4  ,i cannot come into the      
,notion of our ,criticks1 who to excuse 
,noah from the guilt of what followed1  
or at least from the ,censure1 tell us1 
he knew not the ,strength or the ,nature
 of ,wine1 but that gathering the heavy 
,clusters of the ,grapes1 and their own 
weight crushing out their balmy ,juices 
into his ,hand1 he tasted the tempting  
,liquor1 and that the ,devil assisting  
he was charm'd with the delicious       
,fragrance1 and tasted again and again1 
pressing it out into a ,bowl or ,dish1  
that he might take a larger ,quantity2  
till at length the heady ,froth ascended
 and seizing his ,brain1 he became      
intoxicate and drunk1 not in the least  
imagining there was any such ,strength  
in the ,juice of that excellent ,fruit4 
,but to make out this ,story1 which is  
indeed very favourable for ,noah1 but in
 it self extremely ridiculous1 you must 
necessarily fall into some ,absurdities1
 and beg the ,question most egregiously 

in some particular ,cases1 which way of 
arguing will by no means suppose what is
 suggested2 at first you must support   
there was no such ,thing as ,wine made  
before the ,deluge1 and that no ,body   
had been ever made drunk with the ,juice
 of the ,grape before ,noah1 which1 ,i  
say1 is begging the ,question in the    
grossest ,manner4  ,if the ,contrary is 
true1 as ,i see no ,reason to question1 
if1 ,i say1 it was true that there was  
,wine drank1 and that ,men were or had  
been drunk with it before1 they cannot  
then but suppose that ,noah1 who was a  
wise1 a great and a good ,man1 and a    
,preacher of ,righteousness1 both knew  
of it1 and without doubt had in his     
preaching against their ,crimes1        
preach'd against this among the rest1   
upbraided them with it1 reprov'd them   
for it1 and exhorted them against it4   
,again1 'tis highly probable they had   
,grapes growing1 and consequently ,wines
 made from them1 in the ,antediluvian   
,world1 how else did ,noah come by the  

,vines which he planted8 ,for we are to 
suppose1 he could plant no ,trees or    
,shrubs1 but such as he found the ,roots
 of in the ,earth1 and which no doubt   
had been there before in their highest  
,perfection1 and had consequently grown 
up and brought forth the same luscious  
,fruit before4  ,besides1 as he found   
the ,roots of the ,vines1 so he         
understood what they were1 and what     
,fruit they bore1 or else it may be     
supposed also he would not have planted 
them2 for he planted them for their     
,fruit1 as he did it in the ,provision  
he was making for his ,subsistence1 and 
the ,subsistence of his ,family3 and if 
he did not know what they were1 he would
 not have set them1 for he was not      
planting for ,diversion but for ,profit4
  ,upon the whole it seems plain to me  
he knew what he did1 as well when he    
planted the ,vines as when he pressed   
out the ,grapes2 and also when he drank 
the ,juice that he knew it was ,wine1   
was strong and would make him drunk if  

he took enough of it3 ,he knew that     
other ,men had been drunk with such     
,liquor before the ,flood1 and that he  
had reprehended them for it2 and        
therefore it was not his ,ignorance1 but
 the ,devil took him at some ,advantage1
 when his ,appetite was eager1 or he    
thirsty1 and the ,liquor cooling and    
pleasant2 and in short1 as ,eve said1   
the ,serpent beguilded her1 and she     
,,did ,,eat1 so the ,devil beguiled     
,noah1 and he ,,did ,,drink2 the        
,temptation was too strong for ,noah1   
not the ,wine2 he knew well enough what 
he did1 but as the ,drunkards say to    
this ,day1 it was so good he could not  
forbear it1 and so he got drunk before  
he was aware2 or as our ordinary ,speech
 expresses it1 he was overtaken with    
drink2 and ,mr4 ,pool and other         
,expositors are partly of the same      
,mind4  ,no sooner was the poor old ,man
 conquer'd1 and the ,wine had lighten'd 
his ,head1 but it may be supposed he    
falls off from the ,chair or ,bench     

where he sate1 and tumbling backward his
 ,clothes1 which in those hot ,countries
 were only loose open ,robes1 like the  
,vests which the ,armenians wear to this
 ,day1 flying abroad1 or the ,devil so  
assisting on purpose to expose him1 he  
lay there in a naked indecent ,posture  
not fit to be seen4  ,in this juncture  
who should come by but young ,canaan1   
say some2 or as others think1 this young
 ,fellow first attack'd him by way of   
,kindness and pretended ,affection2     
prompted his ,grandfather to drink1 on  
,pretence of the ,wine being good for   
him1 and proper for the ,support of his 
old ,age1 and subtilly set upon him1    
drinking also with him1 and so 7his     
,head being too strong for the old      
,man's7 drank him down1 and then1 ,devil
 like1 triumph'd over him2 boasted of   
his ,conquest1 insulted the ,body as it 
were dead1 uncovered him on purpose to  
expose him1 and leaving him in that     
indecent ,posture1 went and made ,sport 
with it to his ,father ,ham1 who in that

 ,part1 wicked like himself1 did the    
same to his ,brethren ,japhet and ,shem2
 but they like modest and good ,men1 far
 from carrying on the wicked ,insult on 
their ,parent1 went and cover'd him1 as 
the ,scripture expresses it1 and as may 
be supposed inform'd him how he had been
 abus'd1 and by whom4  ,why else should 
,noah1 when he came to himself1 shew his
 ,resentment so much against ,canaan his
 ,grandson1 rather than against ,ham his
 ,father1 and who 'tis supposed in the  
,story the guilt chiefly lay upon8 we   
see the ,curse is 7as it were7 laid     
wholly upon ,canaan the ,grandson1 and  
not a ,word of the ,father is mention'd1
 ,gen4 ix4 #be1 #bf1 #bg1 ,cursed be    
,canaan1 a ,servant of ,servants shall  
he be1 c4  ,that ,ham was ,guilty1      
that's certain from the ,history of     
,fact1 but ,i cannot but suppose his    
,grandson was the ,occasion of it2 and  
in this ,case the ,devil seems to have  
made ,canaan the ,instrument or ,tool to
 delude ,noah1 and draw him in to       

,drunkenness1 as he made the ,serpent   
the ,tool to beguile ,eve1 and draw her 
into ,disobedience4  ,possibly ,canaan  
might do it without ,design at first1   
but might be brought in to ridicule and 
make a ,jest of the old ,patriarch      
afterward1 as is too frequent since in  
the ,practice of our ,days2 but ,i      
rather believe he did it really with a  
wicked ,design1 and on ,purpose to      
expose and insult his ,reverend old     
,parent2 and this seems more likely too1
 because of the great ,bitterness with  
which ,noah resented it1 after he came  
to be inform'd of it4  ,but be that as  
it will1 the ,devil certainly made a    
great ,conquest here1 and as to outward 
,appearance no less than that which he  
gain'd before over ,adam2 nor did the   
,devil's ,victory consist barely in his 
having drawn in the only righteous ,man 
of the whole ,antediluvian ,world1 and  
so beginning or initiating the new young
 ,progeny with a ,crime2 but here was   
the great ,oracle silenc'd at once2 the 

,preacher of ,righteousness1 for such no
 doubt he would have been to the new    
,world1 as he was to the old1 ,i say1   
the ,preacher was turn'd out of ,office1
 or his ,mouth stopt1 which was worse2  
nay1 it was a stopping of his ,mouth in 
the worst kind1 far worse than stopping 
his ,breath1 for had he died1 the       
,office had descended to his sons ,shem 
and ,japhet1 but he was dead to the     
,office of an ,instructor1 tho' alive as
 to his ,being2 ,for of what ,force     
could his ,preachings be1 who had thus  
fallen himself into the most shameful   
and beastly ,excess8  ,besides some are 
of the ,opinion1 tho' ,i hope without   
,ground1 that ,noah was not only        
overtaken once in his ,drink1 but that  
being fallen into that ,sin it became   
habitual1 and he continued in it a great
 while1 and that it was this which is   
the meaning of his being uncovered in   
his ,tent1 and that his ,son saw his    
,nakedness2 that is1 he continually     
exposed himself for a long ,time1 a     

hundred ,years1 say they1 and that his  
,son ,ham1 and his ,grandson ,canaan    
having drawn him into it1 kept him in   
it1 encourag'd and prompted it1 and all 
the while ,satan still prompting them1  
join'd their ,scoffs and contempt of    
him1 with their wicked ,endeavours to   
promote the ,wickedness2 and both with  
as much ,success as the ,devil himself  
could wish for4  ,then as for his two   
,sons modestly and decently covering    
their ,father1 they tell us1 that       
,represents ,shem and ,japhet applying  
themselves in an humble and dutiful     
,manner to their ,father1 to entreat and
 beseech him to consider his ancient    
,glory1 his own pious ,exhortations to  
the late drowned ,world1 and to consider
 the ,offence which he gave by his evil 
,courses to ,god1 and the ,scandal to   
his whole ,family1 and also that they   
are brought in effectually prevailing   
upon him2 and that then ,noah cursed the
 ,wickedness of ,ham's degenerate ,race1
 in ,testimony of his sincere           

,repentance after the ,fact4  ,the      
,story is not so very unlikely as it is 
certain that it is not to be proved1 and
 therefore we had better take it as we  
find it 7viz47 for one single ,act2 but 
suppose it was so1 'tis still certain   
that ,noah's ,preaching was sadly       
interrupted1 the ,energy of his ,words  
flatter'd1 and the ,force of his        
,persuasions enervated and abated1 by   
this shameful ,fall2 that he was        
effectually silenc'd for an ,instructor 
ever after1 and this was as much as the 
,devil had ,occasion for2 and therefore 
indeed we read little more of him1      
except that he lived three hundred and  
fifty ,years after the ,flood2 nay1 we  
do not so much as read that he had any  
more ,children1 but the contrary1 nor   
indeed could ,noah have any more        
,children1 except by his old and perhaps
 super-annuated ,wife1 who it was very  
likely he had had four or five hundred  
,year1 unless you will suppose he was   
allow'd to marry some of his own        

,progeny1 ,daughters or ,grandaughters1 
which we do not suppose was allow'd1 no 
not to ,adam himself4  ,this was        
certainly a ,master-piece of the        
,devil's ,policy1 and a fatal ,instance 
of his unhappy ,diligence1 7viz47 that  
the ,door of the ,ark was no sooner     
open1 and the ,face of the ,world hardly
 dry from the universal ,destruction of 
,mankind1 but he was at work among them2
 and that not only to form a general    
,defection among the ,race1 upon the    
,foot of the original ,taint of ,nature1
 but like a bold ,devil he strikes at   
the very ,root1 and flies at the next   
general ,representative of ,mankind1    
attacks the ,head of the ,family1 that  
in his ,miscarriage the ,rise and       
,progress of a ,reformation of the new  
,world should receive an early ,check1  
and should be at once prevented2 ,i say1
 like a bold ,devil1 he strikes at the  
,root1 and alas6 poor unhappy ,noah1 he 
proved too weak for him1 ,satan         
prevail'd in his very first ,attempt1   

and got the ,victory over him at once4  
,noah thus overcome1 and ,satan's       
,conquest carried on to the utmost of   
his own ,wishes1 the ,devil had little  
more to do in the ,world for some ,ages1
 than to carry on an universal          
,degeneracy among ,mankind1 and to      
finish it by a like diligent            
,application1 in deluding the           
,generality of the ,race1 and them as   
they came on gradually into ,life2 this 
he found the less difficult1 because of 
the first ,defection which spread like a
 ,contagion upon the ,earth immediately 
after4  ,the first ,evidence we have of 
his ,success in this mischievous ,design
 was in the ,building that great        
stupendious ,stair-case1 for such it    
seems it was intended1 call'd ,babel1   
which if the whole ,world had not been  
drunk1 or otherwise infatuated1 they    
would never have undertaken2 even ,satan
 himself could never have prevail'd with
 them to undertake such a preposterous  
,piece of ,work1 for it had neither ,end

 or ,means1 ,possibility or ,probability
 in it4  ,i must confess ,i am sometimes
 apt to vindicate our old ,ancestors1 in
 my ,thoughts1 from the ,charge it self1
 as we generally understand it1 namely1 
that they really design'd to build a    
,tower which should reach up to ,heaven1
 or that it should secure them in case  
of another ,flood2 and ,father ,casaubon
 is of my ,opinion1 whether ,i am of his
 or no1 is a ,question by it self2 his  
opinion is that the ,confusion was      
nothing but a ,breach among the         
,undertakers and ,directors of the      
,work1 and that the ,building was       
design'd chiefly for a ,store-house for 
,provisions1 in ,case of a second       
,deluge2 as to their ,notion of its     
reaching up to ,heaven1 he takes the    
,expression to be allegorical rather    
than little1 and only to mean that it   
should be exceeding high2 perhaps they  
might not be ,astronomers enough to     
measure the ,distance of ,space between 
the ,earth and ,heaven1 as we pretend to

 do now2 but as ,noah was then alive1   
and as we believe all his three ,sons   
were so too1 they were able to have     
inform'd them how absurd it was to      
suppose either the one or the other     
7viz47 7#a47 that they could build up to
 ,heaven1 or 7#b47 that they could build
 firm enough to resist1 or high enough  
to overtop the ,waters1 supposing such  
another ,flood should happen2 ,i would  
rather think it was only that they      
intended to build a most glorious and   
magnificent ,city1 where they might all 
inhabit together2 and that this ,tower  
was to be built for ,ornament and also  
for ,strength1 or as above1 and for a   
,store-house to lay up vast ,magazines  
of ,provisions1 in ,case of             
extraordinary ,floods or other ,events1 
the ,city being built in a great ,plain1
 namely1 the ,plains of ,shimar near the
 ,river ,euphrates4  ,but the ,story1 as
 it is recorded1 suits better with      
,satan's ,measures at that ,time2 and as
 he was from the ,beginning prompting   

them to every ,thing that was contrary  
to the ,happiness of ,man1 so the more  
preposterous it was1 and the more       
inconsistent with common ,sense1 the    
more to his ,purpose2 and it shew'd the 
more what a compleat ,conquest he had   
gain'd over the ,reason as well as the  
,religion of ,mankind at that ,time4    
,again1 'tis evident in this ,case1 they
 were not only acting contrary to the   
,nature of ,things1 but contrary to the 
,design and to the ,command of ,heaven2 
for ,god's ,command was that they should
 replenish the ,earth1 that is1 that    
they should spread their ,habitations   
over it1 and ,people the whole ,globe2  
whereas they were pitching in one       
,place1 as if they were not to multiply 
sufficient to take up any more4  ,but   
what car'd the ,devil for that1 or to   
put it a little handsomer1 that was what
 ,satan aimed at2 for it was enough to  
him1 to bring ,mankind to act just      
contrary to what ,heaven had directed or
 commanded them in any thing1 and if    

possible in every ,thing4  ,but ,god    
himself put a stop to this foolish      
,piece of ,work1 and it was time indeed 
to do so1 for a madder thing the ,devil 
himself never proposed to them2 ,i say1 
,god himself put a stop to this new     
,undertaking1 and disappointed the      
,devil2 and how was it done8 not in     
,judgment and ,anger1 as perhaps the    
,devil expected and hop'd for1 but as   
pitying the ,simplicity of that dreaming
 ,creature ,man1 he confused their      
,speech1 or as some say1 divided and    
confused their ,councils1 so that they  
could not agree with one another1 which 
would be the same ,thing as not to      
understand one another2 or he put a new 
,shibboleth upon their ,tongues1 thereby
 separating them into ,tribes or        
,families1 for by this every ,family    
found themselves under a ,necessity of  
keeping together1 and this naturally    
encreased that ,differing ,jargons of   
,language1 for at first it might be no  
more4  ,what a ,confusion this was to   

them we all know1 by their being oblig'd
 to leave off their building1 and       
immediately separating one from another2
 but what a ,surprize it was to the old 
,serpent1 that remains to be considered 
of1 for indeed it belongs to his        
,history4  ,satan had never met with any
 ,disappointment in all his wicked      
,attempts till now2 for first1 he       
succeeded even to triumph upon ,eve1 he 
did the like upon ,cain1 and in short   
upon the whole ,world1 one ,man 7,noah7 
excepted2 when he blended the ,sons of  
,god1 and the ,daughters of ,hell1 for  
so the ,word is understood1 together1 in
 promiscuous voluptuous ,living as well 
as ,generation4  ,as to the ,deluge1    
,authors are not agreed whether it was a
 ,disappointment to the ,devil or no1 it
 might be indeed a ,surprize to him1 for
 tho' ,noah had preach'd of it for a    
hundred ,year together1 yet as he       
7,satan7 daily prompted the ,people not 
to heed or believe what that old ,fellow
 ,noah said to them1 and to ridicule his

 whimsical ,building a monstrous ,tub to
 swim or float in1 when the said ,deluge
 should come2 so ,i am of the ,opinion  
he did not believe it himself1 and am   
positive he could not foresee it1 by any
 insight into ,futurity that he was     
,master of4  ',tis true the ,astronomers
 tell us1 there was a very terrible     
,comet seen in the ,air1 that it        
appeared for #ahj ,days before the      
,flood continually2 and that as it      
approach'd nearer and nearer every ,day 
all the while1 so that at last it burst 
and fell down in a continual ,spout or  
,stream of ,water1 being of a watry     
,substance1 and the ,quantity so great1 
that it was forty ,days a falling2 so   
that this ,comet not only foretold the  
,deluge or drowning of the ,earth1 but  
actually perform'd it1 and drown'd it   
from it self4  ,but to leave this ,tale 
to them that told it1 let us consider   
the ,devil1 surpris'd1 and a little     
amaz'd at the ,absorption or            
,inundation1 or whatever we are to call 

it1 of the ,earth in the ,deluge1 not1  
,i say1 that he was much concern'd at   
it1 perhaps just the ,contrary2 and if  
,god would drown it again1 and as often 
as he thought fit1 ,i do not see by any 
thing ,i meet with in ,satan's ,history1
 or in the ,nature of him1 that he would
 be at all disturb'd at it2 all that ,i 
can see in it1 that could give ,satan   
any ,concern1 would be that all his     
,favourites were gone1 and he had his   
,work to do over again1 to lay a        
,foundation for a new ,conquest in the  
,generation that was to come2 ,but in   
this his ,prospect was fair enough1 for 
why should he be discouraged1 when he   
had now eight ,people to work upon1 who 
met with such ,success when he had but  
two8 and why should he question breaking
 in now where ,nature was already       
vitiated and corrupted1 when he had     
before conquer'd the same ,nature1 when 
in its primitive ,rectitude and ,purity1
 just come out of the ,hands of its     
,maker1 and fortify'd with the ,awe of  

his high and solemn ,command just given 
them1 and the threatning of ,death also 
annext to it1 if broken8  ,but ,i go    
back to the ,affair of ,babel3 ,this    
,confusion of ,language or of ,councils1
 take it which way you will1 as the     
first ,disappointment that ,i find the  
,devil met with1 in all his ,attempts   
and ,practices upon ,mankind1 or upon   
the new ,creature1 which ,i mentioned   
above2 for now he foresaw what would    
follow2 namely1 that the ,people would  
separate and spread themselves over the 
whole ,surface of the ,earth1 and a     
thousand new ,scenes of ,actions would  
appear1 in which he therefore prepares  
himself to behave as he should see      
,occasion4  ,how the ,devil learn'd to  
speak all the ,languages that were now  
to be used1 and how many languages they 
were1 the several ancient ,writers of   
the ,devil's ,story have not yet        
determined2 some tell us they were      
divided only into fifteen1 some into    
seventy two1 others into one hundred and

 eighty1 and others again into several  
,thousands4  ,it also remains a doubt   
with me1 and1 ,i suppose1 will be so    
with others also1 whether ,satan has yet
 found out a ,method to converse with   
,mankind1 without the ,help of ,language
 and ,words1 or not3 ,seeing ,man has no
 other ,medium of ,conversing1 no not   
with himself3 ,this ,i have not time to 
enter upon here2 however1 this seems    
plain to me 7viz47 that the ,devil soon 
learn'd to make ,mankind understand him1
 whatever ,language he spoke1 and no    
doubt but he found ,ways and ,means to  
understand them1 whatever ,language they
 spoke4  ,after the ,confusion of       
,languages1 the ,people necessarily     
sorted themselves into ,families and    
,tribes1 every ,family understanding    
their own particular ,speech1 and that  
only2 and these ,families multiplying   
grew into ,nations1 and those ,nations  
wanting ,room1 and seeking out          
,habitations wandred some this ,way1    
some that1 till they found out          

,countries respectively proper for their
 settling1 and there they became a      
,kingdom1 spreading and possessing still
 more and more ,land as their ,people   
encreased1 till at last the whole ,earth
 was scarce big enough for them3 ,this  
presented ,satan with an ,opportunity to
 break in upon their ,morals at another 
,door1 7viz47 their ,pride2 for ,men    
being naturally ,proud and ,envious1    
,nations and ,tribes began to jostle    
with one another for ,room2 either one  
,nation enjoy'd better ,accommodations1 
or had a better ,soil or a more         
favourable ,climate than another2 and   
these being numerous and strong thrust  
the other out1 and encroach'd upon their
 ,land2 the other liking their          
,situation1 prepare for their ,defence1 
and so began ,oppression1 ,invasion1    
,war1 ,battle and ,blood1 ,satan all the
 while beating the ,drums1 and his      
,attendants clapping their ,hands1 as   
,men do when they set ,dogs on upon one 
another4  ,the bringing ,mankind thus to

 ,war and ,confusion1 as it was the     
first ,game the ,devil play'd after the 
confounding of ,languages and ,divisions
 at ,babel so it was a ,conquest upon   
,mankind1 purely devilish1 born from    
,hell1 and so exactly tinctured with    
,satan's original ,sin ,ambition1 that  
it really transform'd ,men into meer    
,devils2 for when is ,man transform'd   
into the very ,image of ,satan himself1 
when is he turn'd into a meer ,devil1 if
 it is not when he is fighting with his 
fellow ,creatures and dipping his ,hands
 in the ,blood of his own ,kind8 ,let   
his ,picture be consider'd1 the ,fire of
 ,hell flames or sparkles in his ,eyes1 
a voracious ,grin sits upon his         
,countenance2 ,rage and ,fury distort   
the ,muscles of his ,face2 his ,passions
 agitate his whole ,body1 and he is     
metamorphos'd from a comely ,beauteous  
angelic ,creature into a ,fury1 a       
,satyr1 a terrible and frightful        
,monster1 nay1 into a ,devil2 for ,satan
 himself is describ'd by the same ,word 

which on his very ,account is chang'd   
into a ,substantive1 and the ,devils are
 call'd ,furies4  ,this sowing the      
,seeds of ,strife in the ,world1 and    
bringing ,nations to fight and make ,war
 upon one another1 would take up a great
 ,part of the ,devil's ,history1 and    
abundance of extraordinary ,things would
 occur in relating the particulars2 for 
there have been very great              
,conflagrations kindled in the ,world1  
by the ,artifice of ,hell1 under this   
,head1 7viz47 of making ,war2 in which  
it has been the ,devil's ,master-piece1 
and he has indeed shewn himself a       
,workman in it1 that he has wheedled    
,mankind into strange unnatural ,notions
 of things1 in order to propagate and   
support the fighting ,principle in the  
,world2 such as ,laws of ,war1 fair     
,fighting1 behaving like ,men of        
,honour1 fighting at the last ,drop1 and
 the like1 by which killing and         
murdering is understood to be           
justifiable4 ,virtue and a true         

,greatness in ,spirit is rated now by   
,rules which ,god never appointed1 and  
the ,standard of ,honour is quite       
different from that of ,reason and of   
,nature3 ,bravery is denominated not    
from a fearless undaunted ,spirit in the
 just ,defence of ,life and ,liberty1   
but from a daring ,defiance of ,god and 
,man1 fighting1 killing and treading    
under ,foot his fellow ,creatures1 at   
the ordinary ,command of the ,officer1  
whether it be right or wrong1 and       
whether it be in a just ,defence of     
,life1 and our ,country's ,life1 that is
 ,liberty1 or whether it be for the     
,support of ,injury and ,oppression4  ,a
 prudent avoiding causeless ,quarrels is
 call'd ,cowardice1 and to take an      
affront ,baseness1 and ,meanness of     
,spirit2 to refuse fighting1 and putting
 ,life at a ,cast on the ,point of a    
,sword1 a ,practice forbid by the ,laws 
of ,god and of all good ,government1 is 
yet call'd ,cowardice2 and a ,man is    
bound to die duelling1 or live and be   

laugh'd at4  ,this trumping up these    
imaginary ,things call'd ,bravery and   
,gallantry1 naming them ,virtue and     
,honour1 is all from the ,devil's new   
,management1 and his subtil influencing 
the ,minds of ,men to fly in the ,face  
of ,god and ,nature1 and to act against 
his ,senses2 nor but for his ,artifice  
in the ,management1 could it be possible
 that such ,inconsistencies could go    
down with ,mankind1 or they could pass  
such absurd ,things among them for      
reasoning2 for ,example1 ,a is found in 
,bed with ,b's ,wife1 ,b is the ,person 
injur'd1 and therefore offended1 and    
coming into the ,chamber with his ,sword
 in his ,hand1 ,a exclaims loudly1 ,why 
,sir1 you won't murder me1 will you8 as 
you are a ,man of ,honour let me rise   
and take my ,sword4  ,a very good ,story
 indeed6 fit for no body but the ,devil 
to put into any ,man's ,head2 ,but so it
 is1 ,b being put in mind1 forsooth1    
that he is a ,man of ,honour1 starts    
back and must act the honourable ,part2 

so he lets ,a get up1 put on his        
,clothes and take his ,sword2 then they 
fight1 and ,b is kill'd for his ,honour2
 whereas had the ,laws of ,god1 of      
,nature and of ,reason taken ,place1 the
 ,adulterer and the ,adulteress should  
have been taken ,prisoners and carried  
before the ,judge1 and being taken in   
the ,fact1 should have been immediately 
sentenc'd1 he to the ,block and she to  
the ,stake1 and the innocent abus'd     
,husband had no ,reason to have run any 
,risque of his ,life for being made a   
,cuckold4  ,but thus has ,satan abus'd  
the ,reason of ,man2 and if a ,man does 
me the greatest ,injury in the ,world1  
,i must do my self ,justice upon him1 by
 venturing my life upon an even ,lay    
with him1 and must fight him upon equal 
,hazard1 in which the injur'd ,person is
 as often kill'd as the ,person offering
 the ,injury3 ,suppose now it be in the 
same ,case as above1 a ,man abuses my   
,wife1 and then to give me              
,satisfaction1 tells me1 he will fight  

me1 which the ,french call doing me     
,reason2 ,no ,sir1 say ,i1 let me lie   
with your ,wife too1 and then if you    
desire it1 ,i may fight you2 then ,i am 
upon even ,terms with you2 but this     
indeed is the ,reasoning which the      
,devil has brought ,mankind too at this 
,day3 ,but to go back to the ,subject1  
viz4 the ,devil bringing the ,nations to
 fall out1 and to quarrel for ,room in  
the ,world1 and so to fight in order to 
dispossess one another of their         
,settlements3 ,this began at a ,time    
when certainly there were ,places enough
 in the ,world for every one to choose  
in1 and therefore the ,devil1 not the   
want of ,elbow-room1 must be the        
,occasion of it2 and 'tis carried on    
ever since1 as apparently from the same 
,interest1 and by the same original4    
,but we shall meet with this ,part again
 very often in the ,devil's ,story1 and 
as we bring him farther on in the       
,management of ,mankind1 ,i therefore   
lay it by for the ,present1 and come to 

the next ,steps the ,devil took with    
,mankind after the ,confusion of        
,languages1 and this was in the ,affair 
of ,worship2 ,it does not appear yet    
that ever the ,devil was so bold1 as    
either1  #a4 ,to set himself up to be   
worship'd as a ,god1 or which was still 
worse1  #b4 ,to persuade ,man to believe
 there was no ,god at all to worship4   
,both these are introduc'd since the    
,deluge1 one indeed by the ,devil1 who  
soon found ,means to set himself up for 
a ,god in many ,parts of the ,world1 and
 holds it to this ,day2 but the last is 
brought in by the ,invention of ,man1 in
 which it must be confess'd ,man has    
out-sin'd the ,devil2 for to do ,satan  
justice1 he never thought it could ever 
pass upon ,mankind1 or that any ,thing  
so gross would go down with them2 so    
that1 in short1 these modern ,casuists1 
in the ,reach of our ,days1 have1 ,i    
say1 out-sin'd the ,devil4  ,as then    
both these are modern ,inventions1      
,satan went on gradually1 and being to  

work upon human ,nature by ,stratagem1  
not by ,force1 it would have been too   
gross to have set himself up as an      
,object of ,worship at first1 it was to 
be done ,step by ,step2 for ,example4   
#a4 ,it was sufficient to bring ,mankind
 to a ,neglect of ,god1 to      worship 
him by halves1 and give little or no    
,regard to his ,laws1      and so grow  
loose and immoral1 in direct            
,contradiction to his      ,commands2   
this would not go down with them at     
first1 so the ,devil      went on       
gradually4       #b4 ,from a ,negligence
 in worshiping the true ,,god1 he by    
,degrees      introduc'd the worship of 
false ,g,o,ds2 and to introduce this he 
began with the ,sun1 ,moon1 and ,stars1 
call'd in the holy ,text      the ,host 
of ,heaven2 these had greater ,majesty  
upon them1 and seem'd      fitter to    
command the ,homage of ,mankind2 so it  
was not the hardest      ,thing in the  
,world1 to bring ,men1 when they had    
once forgotten the      true ,god1 to   

embrace the ,worship of such ,gods as   
those4       #c4 ,having thus debauch'd 
their ,principles in ,worship1 and led  
them      from the true and only ,object
 of ,worship to a false1 it was the     
easier to carry them on2 so in a few    
,gradations more he brought      them to
 downright ,idolatry1 and even in that  
,idolatry he proceeded      gradually   
too2 for he began with awful ,names1    
such as were      venerable in the      
,thoughts of ,men1 as ,,baal or ,,bell1 
which1 in      ,chaldaick and ,hebrew1  
signifies ,lord or ,sovereign1 or       
,mighty      and ,magnificent1 and this 
was therefore a ,name ascrib'd at first 
to      the true ,god2 but afterwards   
they descended to make ,images and      
,figures to represent him1 and then they
 were call'd by the same      ,name1 as 
,baal1 ,baalim1 and afterwards ,bell2   
from which1 by a      hellish           
,degeneracy1 ,saturn brought ,mankind to
 adore every ,block of      their own   
hewing1 and to worshipping ,stocks1     

,stones1 ,monsters1      ,hobgoblins1   
and every sordid frightful ,thing1 and  
at last the      ,devil himself4   ,what
 ,notions some ,people may entertain of 
the ,forwardness of the first ,ages of  
the ,world1 to run into ,idolatry1 ,i do
 not enquire here2 ,i know they tell us 
strange ,things1 of its being the       
,product of meer ,nature1 one remove    
from its primitive ,state2 but ,i1 who  
pretend to have so critically enquir'd  
into ,satan's ,history1 can assure you1 
and that from very good ,authority1 that
 the ,devil did not find it so easy a   
task to obliterate the ,knowledge of the
 true ,god1 in the ,minds and           
,consciences of ,men1 as those ,people  
suggest4  ,it is true he carried ,things
 a great ,length under the ,patriarchal 
,government of the first ,ages1 but     
still he was sixteen hundred ,years     
bringing it to pass2 and tho' we have   
,reason to believe the old ,world1      
before the ,flood was arrived to a very 
great ,height of ,wickedness1 and ,ovid 

very nobly describes it by the ,war of  
the ,titans against ,jupiter1 yet we do 
not read that ever ,satan was come to   
such a ,length as to bring them to      
,idolatry2 indeed we do read of ,wars   
carried on among them1 whether it was   
one ,nation against another1 or only    
,personal1 we cannot tell2 ,but the     
,world seem'd to be swallow'd up in a   
,life of ,wickedness1 that is to say1 of
 ,luxury and ,lewdness1 ,rapine and     
,violence1 and there were ,giants among 
them1 and ,men of ,renown1 that is to   
say1 ,men fam'd for their mighty        
,valour1 great ,actions of ,war we may  
suppose1 and their ,strength1 who       
personally oppos'd others4 ,we read of  
no considerable ,wars indeed1 but 'tis  
not to be doubted but there was such    
,wars1 or else it is to be understood   
that they liv'd 7in common7 a ,life     
somewhat like the ,brutes1 the ,strong  
devouring the ,weak2 for the ,text says1
 the whole ,earth was filled with       
,violence1 hunting and tearing one      

another in ,pieces1 either for ,dominion
 or for ,wealth1 either for ,ambition or
 for ,avarice1 we know not well which4  
,thus far the old ,antediluvian ,world  
went1 and very wicked they were1 there  
is no doubt of that2 but we have ,reason
 to believe that was no ,idolatry1 the  
,devil had not brought them to that     
,length yet3 perhaps it would soon have 
follow'd1 but the ,deluge interven'd4   
,after the ,deluge1 as ,i have said1 he 
had all his ,work to do over again1 and 
he went on by the same ,steps2 first he 
brought them to ,violence and ,war1 then
 to ,oppression and ,tyranny1 then to   
neglect of true ,worship1 then to false 
worship1 and then ,idolatry by the meer 
natural ,consequence of the ,thing2 who 
were the first ,nation or ,people that  
fell from the ,worship of the true ,god1
 is something hard to determine2 the    
,devil1 who certainly of all ,god's     
,creatures is best able to inform us1   
having left us nothing upon ,record upon
 that ,subject1 but we have ,reason to  

believe it was thus introduc'd4  ,nimrod
 was the ,grandson of ,ham1 ,noah's     
second ,son1 the same who was cursed by 
his ,father for exposing him in his     
,drunkenness3 ,this ,nimrod was the     
first who it seems ,satan pick'd out for
 a ,hero3 ,here he inspir'd him with    
ambitious ,thoughts1 dreams of ,empire1 
and having the ,government of all the   
,rest1 that is to say1 universal        
,monarchy2 the very same ,bait with     
which he has plaid upon the ,frailty of 
,princes1 and ensnar'd the greatest of  
them ever since1 even from his most     
,august ,imperial ,majesty ,king ,nimrod
 the first1 to his most ,christian      
,majesty ,louis the ,,xiv4 and many a   
mighty ,monarch between4  ,when these   
mighty ,monarchs and ,men of ,fame went 
off the ,stage1 the ,world had their    
,memories in esteem many ,ages after2   
and as their great ,actions were no     
otherwise recorded than by oral         
,tradition1 and the ,tongues and        
,memories of fallible ,men1 ,time and   

the ,custom of magnifying the past      
,actions of ,kings1 ,men soon fabl'd up 
their ,histories1 ,satan assisting1 into
 ,miracle and ,wonder3 ,hence their     
,names were had in ,veneration more and 
more2 ,statues and ,bustoes representing
 their ,persons and great ,actions were 
set up in public ,places1 till from     
,heroes and ,champions they made ,gods  
of them1 and thus 7,satan prompting7 the
 ,world was quickly fill'd with ,idols4 
,this ,nimrod is he1 who according to   
the received ,opinion1 tho' ,i do not   
find ,satan's ,history exactly          
concurring with it1 was first call'd    
,belus1 then ,baal1 and worship'd in    
most of the eastern ,countries under    
those ,names2 sometimes with ,additions 
of ,sir-names1 according to the several 
countries1 or ,people1 or ,towns where  
he was particularly set up1 as ,baal    
,peor1 ,baal ,zephon1 ,baal ,phegor1 and
 in other ,places plain ,baal1 as       
,jupiter in after ,times had the like   
,additions2 as ,jupiter ,ammon1 ,jupiter

 ,capitolinus1 ,jupiter ,pistor1        
,jupiter ,feretrius1 and about ten or   
twelve ,jupiters more4  ,i must         
acknowledge1 that ,i think it was a     
,master-piece of ,hell to bring the     
,world to ,idolatry so soon after they  
had had such an eminent ,example of the 
infinite ,power of the true ,god1 as was
 seen in the ,deluge1 and particularly  
in the ,escape of ,noah in the ,ark1 to 
bring them 7even before ,noah or his    
,sons were dead7 to forget whose ,hand  
it was1 and give the ,homage of the     
,world to a ,name1 and that a ,name of a
 mortal ,man dead and rotten1 who was   
famous for nothing when he was alive but
 ,blood and ,war2 ,i say1 to bring the  
,world to set up this ,nothing1 this    
meer ,name1 nay the very ,image and     
,picture of him for a ,god1 it was first
 a ,mark of most prodigious ,stupidity  
in the whole ,race of ,men1 a monstrous 
,degeneracy from ,nature1 and even from 
common ,sense2 and in the next ,place   
'twas a token of an inexpressible ,craft

 and ,subtilty in the ,devil1 who had   
now gotten the ,people into so full and 
compleat a ,management1 that in short1  
he could have brought them1 by the same 
,rule1 to have worship'd any thing2 and 
in a little while more1 did bring many  
of them to worship himself1 plain ,devil
 as he was1 and knowing him to be such4 
,as to the ,antiquity of this horrible  
,defection of ,mankind1 tho' we do not  
find the beginning of it particularly   
recorded1 yet we are certain it was not 
long after the ,confusion of ,babel2 for
 ,nimrod1 as is said1 was no more than  
,noah's great ,grandson and ,noah       
himself1 ,i suppose1 might be alive some
 ,years after ,nimrod was born2 and as  
,nimrod was not long dead1 before they  
forgot that he was a ,tyrant and a      
,murtherer1 and made a ,baal1 that is a 
,lord or ,idol of him1 ,i say1 he was   
not long dead1 for ,nimrod was born in  
the ,year of the ,world #ahdg1 and built
 ,babylon the ,year #ahgi2 and we find  
,terah the ,father of ,abraham1 who     

liv'd from the ,year #ahgi was an       
,idolater1 as was doubtless ,bethuel1   
who was ,terah's ,grandson2 for we find 
,laban1 who was ,bethuel's ,son1 was so1
 and all this was during the ,life of   
the first ,post-,diluvian ,family1 for  
,terah was born within one hundred      
ninety three ,years after the ,flood1   
and one hundred fifty seven ,years      
before ,noah was dead2 and even ,abram  
himself was eight and fifty ,years old  
before ,noah died1 and yet ,idolatry had
 been then1 in all probability1 above an
 hundred ,years practised in the ,world4
       ,n4 ,b4 ,it is worth ,remark     
here1 what a terrible ,advantage the    
,devil         gain'd by the debauching 
poor ,noah1 and drawing him into the    
,sin         of ,drunkenness2 for by    
this1 as ,i said1 he silenc'd and stop'd
 the         ,mouth of the great        
,preacher of ,righteousness1 that       
,father and         ,patriarch of the   
whole ,world1 who not being able for the
 ,shame of         his own foul         

,miscarriage1 to pretend to instruct or 
reprove the         ,world any more1 the
 ,devil took hold of them immediately1  
and for         want of a ,prophet to   
warn and admonish1 ran that little of   
,religion         which there might be  
left in ,shem and ,japhet1 quite out of 
the         ,world1 and delug'd them all
 in ,,idolatry4  ,how long the whole    
,world may be said to be thus           
overwhelm'd in ,ignorance and ,idolatry1
 we may make some tolerable guess at by 
the ,history of ,abraham2 for it was not
 till ,god call'd him from his ,father's
 ,house1 that any such ,thing as a      
,church was establish'd in the ,world2  
nor even then1 except in his own ,family
 and ,successors for almost four hundred
 ,years after that ,call2 and till ,god 
brought the ,israelites back out of     
,egypt1 the whole ,world may be said to 
be involv'd in ,idolatry and ,devil     
worship4  ,so absolute a ,conquest had  
the ,devil made over ,mankind           
immediately after the ,flood1 and all   

taking its ,rise and ,beginning at the  
fatal ,defeat of ,noah1 who had he liv'd
 untainted and invulnerable1 as he had  
done for six hundred ,years before1     
would have gone a great way to have     
stem'd the ,torrent of ,wickedness which
 broke in upon ,mankind2 and therefore  
the ,devil1 ,i say1 was very cunning and
 very much in the ,right of it1 take him
 as he is a meer ,devil1 to attack ,noah
 personally1 and give him a ,blow so    
soon4  ,it is true1 the ,devil did not  
immediately raze out the ,notion of     
,religion and of a ,,god from the ,minds
 of ,men1 nor could he easily suppress  
the ,principle of ,worship and ,homage  
to be paid to a ,sovereign ,being1 the  
,author of ,nature and ,guide of the    
,world2 the ,devil saw this clearly in  
the first ,ages of the new ,world1 and  
therefore1 as ,i have said1 he proceeded
 politically and by ,degrees3 ,that it  
was so1 is evident from the ,story of   
,job and his three ,friends1 who1 if we 
may take it for a ,history1 not a       

,fable1 and may judge of the ,time of it
 by the ,length of ,job's ,life1 and by 
the ,family of ,eliphaz the ,temanite1  
who it is manifest was at least         
,grandson or ,great ,grandson to ,esau  
,isaac's eldest ,son1 and by the        
,language of ,abimilech ,king of ,gerar 
to ,abraham1 and of ,laban to ,jacob1   
both the ,latter being at the same ,time
 ,idolaters2 ,i say1 if we may judge of 
it by all these1 there were still very  
sound ,notions of ,religion in the      
,minds of ,men2 nor could ,satan with   
all his ,cunning and ,policy deface     
those ,ideas1 and root them out of the  
,minds of the ,people4  ,and this put   
him upon taking new ,measures to keep up
 his ,interest and preserve the ,hold he
 got upon ,mankind2 and his ,method was 
like himself1 subtle and politick to the
 last ,degree1 as his whole ,history    
makes appear2 for seeing he found they  
could not but believe the ,being of a   
,god1 and that they would needs worship 
something1 it is evident1 he had no     

,game left him to play but this1 namely1
 to set up wrong ,notions of ,worship1  
and bring them to a false ,worship      
instead of a ,true1 supposing the       
,object worship'd to be still the same4 
,to finish this ,stratagem1 he first    
insinuates that the true ,god was a     
terrible1 a dreadful1 unapproachable    
,being2 that to see him was so          
frightful1 that it would be present     
,death2 that to worship him immediately1
 was a ,presumption which would provoke 
his ,wrath2 and that as he was a        
consuming ,fire in himself1 so he would 
burn up those in his ,anger that dar'd  
to offer up any ,sacrifice to him1 but  
by the ,interposition of some ,medium   
which might receive their ,adorations in
 his ,name4  ,hence it occur'd          
presently1 that subordinate ,gods were  
to be found out and set up1 to whom the 
,people might pay the ,homage due to the
 supreme ,god1 and who they might       
worship in his ,name2 this ,i take from 
the most ancient ,account of ,idolatry  

in the ,world2 nor indeed could the     
,devil himself find out any other       
,reason why ,men should ,cannonise or   
rather ,deify their ,princes and ,men of
 ,fame1 and worship them after they were
 dead1 as if they could save them from  
,death and ,calamity1 who were not able 
to save themselves when they were alive2
 much less could ,satan bring ,men to   
swallow so gross1 so absurd a ,thing as 
the bowing the ,knee to a ,stock or a   
,stone1 a ,calf1 an ,ox1 a ,lion1 nay   
the ,image or ,figure of a ,calf1 such  
as the ,israelites made at ,mount       
,sinai1 and say1 ,these be thy ,gods1 ,o
 ,israel1 who brought thee out of the   
,land of ,egypt4  ,having thus1 ,i say1 
brought them to satisfy themselves that 
they worship'd the true ,god and no     
other1 under the ,figures and           
,appearances which they made to         
represent him1 it was easy after that to
 worship any thing for the true ,god2   
and thus in a few ,ages they worship'd  
nothing but ,idols1 even throughout the 

whole ,world2 nor has the ,devil lost   
this hold in some ,parts of the ,world1 
nay not in most ,parts of the ,world to 
this ,day2 ,he holds still all the      
,eastern ,parts of ,asia1 and the       
,southern ,parts of ,africa1 and the    
,northern ,parts of ,europe1 and in them
 the vast ,countries of ,china and      
,tartary1 ,persia and ,india1 ,guinea1  
,ethiopia1 ,zanquebar1 ,congo1 ,angola1 
,monomotapa1 c4 in all which1 except    
,ethiopia1 we find no ,vestiges of any  
other worship but that of ,idols1       
,monsters1 and even the ,devil himself2 
till after the very coming of our       
,saviour1 and even then1 if it be true  
that the ,gospel was preach'd in the    
,indies and ,china by ,st4 ,thomas1 and 
in other remote ,countries by other of  
the ,apostles2 we see that whatever     
,ground ,satan lost1 he seems to have   
recovered it again2 and all ,asia and   
,africa is at present overrun with      
,paganism or ,mahometanism1 which ,i    
think of the two is rather the worst2   

,besides all ,america1 a ,part of the   
,world1 as some say1 equal in ,bigness  
to all the other1 in which the ,devil's 
,kingdom was never interrupted from its 
first being inhabited1 whenever it was1 
to the first ,discovery of it by the    
,european ,nations in the sixteenth     
,century4  ,in a ,word1 the ,devil got  
what we may call an entire ,victory over
 ,mankind1 and drove the ,worship of the
 true ,god1 in a ,manner quite out of   
the ,world1 forcing1 as it were1 his    
,maker in a new kind of ,creation1 the  
old one proving thus ineffectual to     
recover a certain ,number by ,force and 
meer ,omnipotence to return to their    
,duty1 serve him and worship him2 ,but  
of that hereafter4     ,,chap4 ,,xi4    
,of ,god's calling a ,church out of the 
midst of a degenerate ,world1 and of    
,satan's new ,measures upon that        
,incident3 ,how he attack'd them        
immediately1 and his ,success in those  
,attacks4   ,satan having1 as ,i have   
said in the preceding ,chapter1 made1 as

 it were1 a full ,conquest of ,mankind1 
debauch'd them all to ,idolatry1 and    
brought them at least to worshiping the 
true ,god by the wretched ,medium of    
corrupt and idolatrous ,representations2
 ,god seem'd to have no true ,servants  
or ,worshippers left in the ,world1 but 
if ,i may be allow'd to speak so1 was   
oblig'd1 in order to restore the ,world 
to their ,senses again1 to call a select
 ,number out from among the rest1 who he
 himself undertook should own his       
,godhead or supreme ,authority1 and     
worship him as he requir'd to be        
worship'd2 this1 ,i say1 ,god was       
oblig'd to do1 because 'tis evident it  
has not been done so much by the ,choice
 and ,council of ,men1 for ,satan would 
have over-rul'd that ,part1 as by the   
,power and ,energy of some irresistible 
and invincible ,operation1 and this our 
,divines give high ,names to2 but be it 
what they will1 it is the second ,defeat
 or ,disappointment that the ,devil he  
met with in his ,progress in the ,world2

 the first ,i have spoken of already4   
,it is true1 ,satan very well understood
 what was threatn'd to him in the       
original ,promise to the ,woman1        
immediately after the ,fall1 namely1    
thou shalt bruise his ,head1 c4 but he  
did not expect it so suddenly1 but      
thought himself sure of ,mankind1 till  
the ,fullness of ,time when the ,messiah
 should come2 and therefore it was a    
great ,surprize to him1 to see that     
,abraham being call'd was so immediately
 receiv'd and establish'd1 tho' he did  
not so immediately follow the ,voice    
that directed him1 yet in him1 in his   
,loins was all ,god's ,church at that   
time contain'd4  ,in the calling        
,abraham1 it is easy to see that there  
was no other way for ,god to form a     
,church1 that is to say1 to single out a
 ,people to himself1 as the ,world was  
then stated1 but by immediate           
,revelation and a ,voice from ,heaven3  
,all ,mankind were gone over to the     
,enemy1 overwhelmed in ,idolatry1 in a  

,word1 were engag'd to the ,devil2 ,god 
,almighty1 or as the ,scripture         
distinguishes him1 the ,lord1 the true  
,,god1 was out of the ,question2        
,mankind knew little or nothing of him1 
much less did they know any thing of his
 ,worship1 or that there was such a     
,being in the ,world4  ,well might it be
 said the ,lord appeared to ,abraham1   
,gen4 xii4 #g4 for if ,god had not      
appear'd himself1 he must have sent a   
,messenger from ,heaven1 and perhaps it 
was so too1 for he had not one true     
,servant or ,worshiper that we know of  
then on ,earth1 to send on that ,errand2
 no ,prophet1 no ,preacher of           
,righteousness1 ,noah was dead1 and had 
been so above seventeen ,year2 and if he
 had not1 his preaching1 as ,i observed 
after his great ,miscarriage1 had but   
little ,effect2 we are indeed told1 that
 ,noah left behind him certain ,rules   
and ,orders for the true ,worship of    
,god1 which were call'd the ,precepts of
 ,noah1 and remain'd in the ,world for a

 long ,time2 tho' how written1 when     
neither any ,letters1 much less ,writing
 were known in the ,world1 is a         
,difficulty which ,remains to be solv'd2
 and this makes me look upon those ,laws
 call'd the ,precepts of ,noah to be a  
modern ,invention1 as ,i do also the    
,alphabetum ,noachi1 which ,bochart     
pretends to give an ,account of4  ,but  
to leave that ,fiction1 and come back to
 ,abraham2 ,god call'd him1 whether at  
first by ,voice without any ,vision1    
whether in a ,dream or ,night ,vision1  
which was very ,significant in those    
,days1 or whether by some awful         
,appearance1 we know not2 the second    
,time1 'tis indeed said expressly ,,god 
appeared to him2 ,be it which ,way it   
will1 ,,god himself call'd him1 shew'd  
him the ,land of ,canaan1 gave him the  
,promise of it for his ,posterity1 and  
withal gave him such a ,faith1 that the 
,devil soon found there was no room for 
him to meddle with ,abraham4 ,this is   
certain1 we do not read that the ,devil 

ever so much as attempted ,abraham at   
all2 some will suggest that the ,command
 to ,abraham to go and offer up his ,son
 ,isaac1 was a ,temptation of the       
,devil1 if possible to defeat the       
glorious ,work of ,,god's calling a holy
 ,seed into the ,world2 for the first1  
if ,abraham had disobey'd that ,call1   
the new ,favourite had been overcome and
 made a ,rebel of1 or secondly1 if he   
had obey'd1 then the promis'd ,seed had 
been cut off1 and ,abraham defeated2 but
 as the ,text is express that ,,god     
himself proposed it to ,abraham1 ,i     
shall not start the ,suggestions of the 
,criticks1 in ,bar of the sacred        
,oracle4  ,be it one way or other1      
,abraham shew'd a ,hero-like ,faith and 
,courage1 and if the ,devil had been the
 ,author of it1 he had seen himself     
disappointed in both his ,views2 7#a47  
by ,abraham's ready and bold            
,compliance1 as believing it to be      
,,god's ,command2 and 7#b47 by the      
divine ,countermand of the ,execution1  

just as the fatal ,knife was lifted up4 
,but if the ,devil left ,abraham1 and   
made no attack upon him1 seeing him     
invulnerable1 he made himself amends    
upon the other ,branch of his ,family1  
his poor ,nephew ,,lot2 who1            
notwithstanding he was so immediately   
under the particular ,care of ,heaven1  
as that the ,angel who was sent to      
destroy ,sodom1 could do nothing till he
 was out of it2 and who1 tho' after he  
had left ,zoar1 and was retir'd into a  
,cave to dwell1 yet the subtle ,devil   
found him out1 deluded his two          
,daughters1 took an ,advantage of the   
,fright they had been in about ,sodom   
and ,gomorrah1 made them believe the    
whole ,world was burnt too1 as well as  
those ,cities1 and that in short1 they  
could never have any ,husbands1 c4 and  
so in their abundant ,concern to        
repeople the ,world1 and that the ,race 
of ,mankind might not be destroyed1 they
 go and lie with their own ,father2 the 
,devil telling them doubtless how to do 

it1 by intoxicating his ,head with      
,wine2 in all which ,story1 whether they
 were not as drunk as their ,father1    
seems to be a ,question1 or else they   
could not have supposed all the ,men in 
the ,earth were consum'd1 when they knew
 that the little ,city ,zoar had been   
preserv'd for their ,sakes4  ,this now  
was the third ,conquest ,satan obtain'd 
by the ,gust of humane ,appetite2 that  
is to say1 once by ,eating and twice by 
,drinking1 or ,drunkenness1 and still   
the last was the worst and most         
shameful2 for ,lot1 however his         
,daughters manag'd him1 could not       
pretend he did not understand what the  
,strength of ,wine was2 and one would   
have thought after so terrible a        
,judgment as that of ,sodom was1 which  
was1 as we may say1 executed before his 
,face1 his ,thoughts should have been   
too solemnly engag'd in praising ,god   
for sparing his ,life1 to be made drunk1
 and that two ,nights together4  ,but   
the ,devil play'd his ,game sure1 he set

 his two ,daughters to work1 and as the 
,devil's ,instruments seldom fail1 so he
 secur'd his by that hellish ,stratagem 
of deluding the ,daughters1 to think all
 the ,world was consum'd but they two   
and their ,father3 ,to be sure the old  
,man could not suspect that his         
,daughters ,design was so wicked as     
indeed it was1 or that they intended to 
debauch him with ,wine1 and make him    
drink till he knew not what he did4     
,now the ,devil having carried his ,game
 here1 gain'd a great ,point2 for as    
there were but two religious ,families  
in the ,world before1 from whence a     
twofold ,generation might be supposed to
 rise religious and righteous like their
 ,parents1 7viz47 that of ,abraham and  
this of ,lot2 this ,crime ruin'd the    
,hopes of one of them2 it could no more 
be said that just ,lot was in ,being1   
who vex'd his righteous ,soul from ,day 
to ,day with the wicked ,behaviour of   
the ,people of ,sodom2 righteous ,lot   
was degenerated into drunken incestuous 

,lot1 ,,lot fallen from what he was1 to 
be a wicked and unrighteous ,man2 no    
pattern of ,virtue1 no ,reprover of the 
,age1 but a poor fallen ,degenerate     
,patriarch1 who could now no more       
reprove or exhort1 but look down and be 
asham'd1 and nothing to do but to       
repent2 and see the poor mean ,excuses  
of all the three4       ,eve says1 ,the 
,serpent beguil'd me1 and ,i did eat4   
,noah says1 ---- ,my ,grandson beguil'd 
me1 or the ,wine beguil'd me1      and  
,i did drink4       ,lot says1 ,my      
,daughters beguil'd me1 and ,i also did 
drink4   ,it is observable1 that as ,i  
said above1 ,noah was silenc'd1 and his 
,preaching at an ,end1 after that one   
,action1 so the like may be said of     
,lot2 and in short1 you never hear one  
,word more of either of them after it2  
as for ,mankind1 both were useless to   
them1 and as to themselves1 we never    
read of any of their ,repentance1 nor   
have we much ,reason to believe they did
 repent4  ,from this ,attack of the     

,devil upon ,lot1 we hear no more of the
 ,devil being so busily employ'd as he  
had been before in the ,world2 he had   
indeed but little to do1 for all the    
rest of the ,world was his own1 lull'd  
asleep under the ,witchcraft of         
,idolatry1 and are so still4  ,but it   
could not be long that the ,devil lay   
idle2 as soon as ,god call'd himself a  
,people1 the ,devil could not be at     
,rest2 till he attack'd them4           
',wherever ,god sets up a ,house of     
,prayer1   ',the ,devil always builds a 
,chapel there4   ,abraham indeed went   
off the ,stage free1 and so did ,isaac  
too1 they were a ,kind of first ,rate   
,saints2 we do not so much as read of   
any failing they had1 or of any ,thing  
the ,devil had ever the ,face to offer  
to them2 no1 or with ,jacob either1 if  
you will excuse him for beguiling his   
,brother ,esau1 of both his ,birthright 
and his ,blessing1 but he was busy      
enough with all his ,children2 for      
,example1         99       99       99  

99       99    ,he sent ,judah to his   
,sheep-shearing1 and placed a ,whore    
7,tamar7      in his ,way1 in the       
,posture of ,temptation1 so made him    
commit      ,incest and ,whoredom both  
together4    ,he sent incestuous ,reuben
 to lie with his ,father's ,concubine   
,billah4    ,he sent ,dinah to the      
,ball1 to dance with the ,sichemite     
,ladies1      and play the ,whore with  
their ,master4    ,he enrag'd ,simeon   
and ,levi1 at the supposed ,injury1 and 
then      prompted them to ,revenge1 for
 which their ,father heartily cursed    
them4    ,he set them all together to   
fall upon poor ,joseph1 first to        
murther him intentionally1 and then     
actually sell him to the                
,midianites4    ,he made them shew the  
,party-colour'd ,coat1 and tell a lie to
 their      ,father1 to make the poor   
old ,man believe ,joseph was kill'd by a
      ,lion1 c4    ,he sent ,potiphar's 
,wife to attack ,joseph's ,chastity1 and
 fill'd      her with ,rage at the      

,disappointment4    ,he taught ,joseph  
to swear by the ,life of ,pharoah4      
99       99       99       99       99  
,in a ,word1 he debauch'd the whole     
,race1 except ,benjamin1 and never ,man 
had such a ,set of ,sons1 so wicked and 
so notorious1 after so good an          
,introduction into the ,world as they   
all of them had1 to be sure2 for ,jacob1
 no doubt1 gave them as good            
,instruction as the ,circumstances of   
his wandring ,condition would allow him 
to do4  ,we must now consider the ,devil
 and his ,affairs in a quite differing  
,situation3 ,when the ,world first      
appeared peopled by the creating ,power 
of ,god1 he had only ,adam and ,eve to  
take care of1 and ,i think he ply'd his 
,time with them to purpose enough3      
,after the ,deluge he had ,noah only to 
pitch upon1 and he quickly conquer'd him
 by the ,instigation of his ,grandson4  
,at the ,building of ,babel he guided   
them by their acting all in a ,body as  
one ,man2 so that in short he manag'd   

them with ease1 taking them as a ,body  
politic2 and we find they came into his 
,snare as one ,man2 but ,now1 the       
,children of ,israel multiplying in the 
,land of their ,bondage1 and ,god       
seeming to shew a particular ,concern   
for them1 the ,devil was oblig'd to new 
,measures1 stand at a ,distance1 and    
look on for some ,time4  ,the ,egyptians
 were plagued even without his ,help1   
nor tho' the cunning ,artist1 as ,i     
said1 stood and looked on1 yet he durst 
not meddle2 nor could he make a few     
,lice1 the least and meanest of the     
,armies of ,insects raised to afflict   
the ,egyptians4  ,however1 when he      
perceiv'd that ,god resolved to bring   
the ,israelites out1 he prepar'd to     
attend them1 to watch them1 and be at   
,hand upon all the wicked ,occasions    
that might offer1 as if he had been     
fully satisfied such ,occasions would   
offer1 and that he should not fail to   
have an ,opportunity to draw them into  
some ,snare or another1 and that        

therefore it was his ,business not to be
 out of the ,way1 but to be ready 7as we
 say7 to make his ,market of them in the
 best ,manner he could3 ,how many ,ways 
he attempted them1 nay1 how many ,times 
he conquer'd them in their ,journey1 we 
shall see presently4  ,first he put them
 in a fright at ,baal-,zephon1 where he 
thought he had drawn them into a ,noose1
 and where he sent ,pharoah and his     
,army to block them up between the      
,mountains of ,piahiroth and the ,red   
,sea2 but there indeed ,satan was       
outwitted by ,moses1 so far as it       
appeared to be a humane ,action1 for he 
little thought of their going dry footed
 thro' the ,sea1 but depended upon      
having them all cut in ,pieces the next 
,morning by the ,egyptians2 an eminent  
,proof1 by the ,way1 that the ,devil has
 no ,knowledge of ,events1 or any       
,insight into ,futurity2 nay that he has
 not so much as a second ,sight1 or     
knows to ,day what his ,maker intends to
 do to ,morrow2 for had ,satan known    

that ,god intended to ,ford them over   
the ,sea1 if he had not been able to    
have prevented the ,miracle1 he would   
certainly have prevented the ,escape1 by
 sending out ,pharoah and his ,army time
 enough to have taken the ,strand before
 them1 and so have driven them to the   
,necessity of travelling on ,foot round 
the ,north ,point of that ,sea1 by the  
,wilderness of ,etan1 where he would    
have pursu'd and harrass'd them with his
 ,cavalry1 and in all ,probability have 
destroy'd them3 ,but the blind          
short-sighted ,devil1 perfectly in the  
,dark1 and unacquainted with ,futurity1 
knew nothing of the ,matter1 was as much
 deceiv'd as ,pharoah himself1 stood    
still flattering himself with the ,hopes
 of his ,booty1 and the ,revenge he     
should take upon them the next ,morning2
 till he saw the frighted ,waves in an  
,uproar1 and to his utter ,astonishment 
and ,confusion saw the ,passage laid    
open1 and ,moses leading his vast ,army 
in full ,march over the dry ,space2 nay 

even then 'tis very propable ,satan did 
not know that if the ,egyptians follow'd
 them1 the ,sea would return upon and   
overwhelm them2 for ,i can hardly think 
so hard of the ,devil himself1 that if  
he had1 he would have suffer'd1 much    
less prompted ,pharoah to follow the    
,chase at such an ,expence2 so that     
either he must be an ignorant           
unforeseeing ,devil1 or a very          
ungrateful false ,devil to his ,friends 
the ,egyptians4  ,i am enclin'd also to 
the more charitable ,opinion of ,satan  
too1 because the ,escape of the         
,israelites was really a ,triumph over  
himself2 for the ,war was certainly his1
 or at least he was auxiliary to        
,pharoah1 it was a ,victory over ,hell  
and ,egypt together1 and he would never 
have suffer'd the ,disgrace1 if he had  
known it beforehand2 that is to say1    
tho' he could not have prevented the    
,escape of ,israel1 or the dividing the 
,water1 yet he might have warn'd the    
,egyptians1 and cautioned them not to   

venture in after them4  ,but we shall   
see a great many weak ,steps taken by   
the ,devil in the ,affair of this very  
,people and their forty ,years ,wandring
 in the ,wilderness2 and tho' he was in 
some things successful1 and wheedled    
them into many foolish and miserable    
,murmurings and ,wranglings against     
,god1 and ,mutinies against poor ,moses1
 yet the ,devil was oftentimes baulk'd  
and disappointed2 and 'tis for this     
,reason that ,i choose to finish the    
first ,part of his ,history with the    
particular ,relation of his ,behaviour  
among the ,jews1 because also1 we do not
 find any extraordinary ,things         
happening any where else in the ,world  
for above one thousand five hundred     
,years1 no ,variety1 no ,revolutions2   
all the ,rest of ,mankind lay still     
under his ,yoke1 quietly submitted to   
his ,government1 did just as he bad     
them1 worship'd every ,idol he set up1  
and in a ,word1 he had no ,difficulty   
with any ,body but the ,jews1 and for   

this ,reason1 ,i say1 this ,part of his 
,story will be the more useful and      
instructing4  ,to return therefore to   
,moses and his dividing the ,red ,sea2  
that the ,people went over or thro' it1 
that we have the sacred ,history for2   
but how the ,devil behav'd1 that you    
must come to me for1 or ,i know not     
where you will find a true ,account of  
it1 at least not in ,print4  #a4 ,it was
 in the ,night they march'd thro'1      
whether the ,devil saw it in the ,dark  
or no1 that's not my ,business4  ,but   
when he had ,day-,light for it1 and     
view'd the next ,day's ,work1 ,i make no
 ,question but all ,hell felt the       
,surprise1 the ,prey being thus snatch'd
 out of their ,hands unexpectedly4 ',tis
 true the ,egyptians ,host was sent to  
him in their ,room1 but that was not    
what he aim'd at2 for he was sure enough
 of them his own ,way1 and if it was not
 just at that ,time1 yet he knew what   
and who they were2 but as he had        
devour'd the whole ,israelitish ,host in

 his ,imagination1 to the ,tune of at   
least a ,million and a half of ,souls2  
,men1 ,women and ,children2 it was1 no  
doubt1 a great ,disappointment to the   
,devil to miss of his ,prey1 and to see 
them all triumphing on the other ,side  
in ,safety4  ,it is true1 ,satan's      
,annals do not mention this ,defeat1 for
 ,historians are generally backward to  
register their own ,misfortunes2 but as 
we have an ,account of the ,fact from   
other ,hands1 so as we cannot question  
the ,truth of it2 the ,nature of the    
,thing will tell us it was a            
,disappointment to the ,devil1 and a    
very great one too4  ,i cannot but      
observe here1 that ,i think this ,part  
of the ,devil's ,story very             
entertaining1 because of the great      
,variety of ,incidents which appear in  
every ,part of it2 sometimes he is like 
a hunted ,fox1 curvetting and           
counter-running to avoid his being      
pursued and found out1 while at the same
 time he is carrying on his secret      

,designs to draw the ,people he pretends
 to manage1 into some ,snare or other to
 their ,hurt2 at another time1 tho' the 
,comparison is a little too low for his 
,dignity1 like a ,monkey that has done  
,mischief1 and who making his own       
,escape sits and chatters at a          
,distance1 as if he had triump'd in what
 he had done2 so ,satan1 when he had    
drawn them in to worship a ,calf1 to    
offer strange ,fire1 to set up a        
,schism1 and the like2 and so to bring  
the ,divine ,vengeance upon themselves1 
leaving them in their ,distress1 kept at
 a ,distance1 as if he look'd on with   
,satisfaction to see them ,burnt1       
swallow'd up1 swept away1 and the like2 
as the several ,stories relate4  ,his   
indefatigable ,vigilance is1 on the     
other hand1 a useful ,caveat1 as well as
 an improving ,view to us2 no sooner is 
he routed and expos'd1 defeated and     
disappointed in one ,enterprize1 but he 
begins another1 and1 like a cunning     
,gladiator1 warily defends himself1 and 

boldly attacks his ,enemy at the same   
time4 ,thus we see him1 up and down1    
conquering and conquered1 thro' this    
whole ,part of his ,story1 till at last 
he receives a total ,defeat2 of which   
you shall hear in its place3 ,in the    
mean time1 let us take up his ,story    
again at the ,red ,sea1 where he        
receiv'd a great ,blow1 instead of which
 he expected a compleat ,victory2 for   
doubtless the ,devil and the ,king of   
gypt too1 thought of nothing but        
,conquest at ,piahiroth4  ,however1 tho'
 the ,triumph of the ,israelites over   
the ,egyptians must needs be a great    
,mortification to the ,devil1 and       
exasperated him very much1 yet the      
,consequence was only this1 viz4 that   
,satan1 like an ,enemy who is baulk'd   
and defeated1 but not overcome1         
redoubles his ,rage1 and reinforces his 
,army1 and what the ,egyptians could not
 do for him1 he resolves to do for      
himself2 in order then to take his      
,opportunity for what ,mischief might   

offer1 being defeated1 and provok'd1 ,i 
say1 at the ,slur that was put upon him1
 he resolves to follow them into the    
,wilderness1 and many a vile ,prank he  
plaid them there2 as first1 he straitens
 them for ,water1 and makes them murmur 
against ,,god1 and against ,moses1      
within a very few ,days1 nay1 ,hours1 of
 their great ,deliverance of all4  ,nor 
was this all1 but in less than one ,year
 more we find them1 7at his ,instigation
 too7 setting up a golden ,calf1 and    
making all the ,people dance about it at
 ,mount ,sinai2 even when ,god himself  
had but just before appear'd to them in 
the ,terrors of a burning ,fire upon the
 ,top of the ,mountain2 and what was the
 ,pretence8 ,truly1 nothing but that    
they had lost ,moses1 who used to be    
their ,guide1 and he had hid himself in 
the ,mount1 and had not been seen in    
forty ,days1 so that they could not tell
 what was become of him4 ,this put them 
all into ,confusion2 a poor ,pretence   
indeed1 to turn them all back to        

,idolatry6 but the watchful ,devil took 
the ,hint1 push'd the ,advantage1 and   
insinuated that they should never see   
,moses again1 that he was certainly     
devour'd by venturing too near the      
,flashes of ,fire in the ,mount1 and    
presuming upon the ,liberty he had taken
 before2 in a word1 that ,god had       
destroyed ,moses1 or he was starved to  
,death for want of ,food1 having been   
forty ,days and forty ,nights absent4   
,all these were1 it's true1 in          
themselves most foolish ,suggestions1   
considering ,moses was admitted to the  
,vision of ,god1 and that ,god had been 
pleased to appear to him in the most    
intimate manner2 that as they might     
depend ,god would not destroy his       
faithful ,servant1 so they might have   
concluded he was able to support his    
,being without ,food as long as he      
thought fit2 but to a ,people so easy to
 believe any thing1 what could be too   
gross for the ,devil to persuade them   
to8  ,a ,people who could dance round a 

,calf1 and call it their ,god1 might do 
any thing2 that could say to one        
another1 that this was the ,great       
,,jehovah1 that brought them out of the 
,land of ,egypt2 and that within so few 
,days after ,god's miraculous           
,appearance to them1 and for them2 ,i   
say1 such a ,people were really fitted  
to be imposed upon1 nothing could be too
 gross for them4  ,this was indeed his  
first considerable ,experiment upon them
 as a ,people1 or as a ,body2 and the   
,truth is1 his ,affairs requir'd it1 for
 ,satan1 who had been a ,successful     
,devil in most of his ,attempts upon    
,mankind1 could hardly doubt of ,success
 in any thing after he had carried his  
,point at ,mount ,sinai3 ,to bring them 
to ,idolatry in the very ,face of their 
,deliverer1 and just after their        
,deliverance6 ,it was more astonishing  
in the main than even their passing the 
,red ,sea3 ,in a ,word1 the ,devil's    
whole ,history does not furnish us with 
a ,story equally surprising4  ,and how  

was poor ,aaron bewilder'd in it too8   
,he that was ,moses's ,partner in all   
the great ,things that ,moses did in    
,pharaoh's ,sight1 and that was         
appointed to be his ,assistant and      
,oracle1 or ,orator rather1 upon all    
public ,occasions2 that he1 above all   
the rest1 should come into this absurd  
and ridiculous ,proposal1 he that was   
singled out for the sacred ,priesthood1 
for him to defile his holy ,hands with a
 polluted abominable ,sacrifice1 and    
with making the ,idol for them too1 7for
 'tis plain that he made it17 how       
monstrous it was6  ,and see what an     
,answer he gives to his ,brother ,moses1
 how weak6 how simple6 ,i did so and so1
 indeed1 ,i bad them bring the          
,ear-rings1 c4 and ,i cast the ,gold    
into the ,fire1 and it came out this    
,calf4 ,ridiculous6 as if the ,calf came
 out by meer fortuitous ,adventure1     
without a ,mould to cast it in2 which   
could not be supposed3 ,and if it had   
not come out so without a ,mould1 ,moses

 would certainly have known of it2 had  
,aaron been innocent1 he would have     
answered after quite another manner1 and
 told ,moses honestly that the whole    
,body of the ,people came to him in a   
,fright1 that they forced him to make   
them an ,idol2 which he did1 by making  
first a proper ,mould to cast it in1 and
 then taking the proper ,metal to cast  
it from3 ,that indeed he had sinn'd in  
so doing1 but that he was mobb'd into   
it1 and the ,people terrified him1      
perhaps they threatned to kill him2 and 
if he had added1 that the ,devil        
prompting his ,fear beguil'd him1 he had
 said nothing but what was certainly    
true2 for if it was in ,satan's ,power  
to make the ,people insolent and        
outrageous enough to threaten and bully 
the old venerable ,prophet 7for he was  
not yet a ,priest7 who was the ,brother 
of their ,oracle ,moses1 and had been   
,partner with him in so many of his     
,commissions2 ,i say1 if he cou'd bring 
up the ,passions of the ,people to a    

,height to be rude and unmannerly to him
 7,aaron7 and perhaps to threaten and   
insult him1 he may be easily suppos'd to
 be able to intimidate ,aaron1 and      
terrify him into a ,compliance4  ,see   
this cunning ,agent1 when he has ,man's 
,destruction in his ,view1 how securely 
he acts6 he never wants a handle2 the   
best of ,men have one weak place or     
other1 and he always finds it out1 takes
 the ,advantage of it1 and conquers them
 by one ,artifice or another2 only take 
it with you as you go1 'tis always by   
,stratagem1 never by ,force2 a ,proof   
that he is not empower'd to use         
,violence3 ,he may tempt1 and he does   
prevail2 but 'tis all ,legerdemain1 'tis
 all ,craft and ,artifice1 he is still  
,diabol1 the ,calumniator and ,deceiver1
 that is1 the ,misrepresenter2 he       
misrepresents ,man to ,,god1 and        
misrepresents ,,god to ,man1 also he    
misrepresents ,things2 he puts false    
,colours1 and then manages the ,eye to  
see them with an imperfect ,view1       

raising ,clouds and ,fogs to intercept  
our ,sight2 in short1 he deceives all   
our ,senses1 and imposes upon us in     
,things which otherwise would be the    
easiest to discern and judge of4  ,this 
indeed is in part the ,benefit of the   
,devil's ,history1 to let us see that he
 has used the same ,method all along2   
and that ever since he has had any thing
 to do with ,mankind1 he has practis'd  
upon them with ,stratagem and ,cunning2 
also 'tis observable that he has carried
 his ,point better that way than he     
would have done by ,fury and ,violence1 
if he had been allowed to make use of   
it2 for by his ,power indeed he might   
have laid the ,world desolate1 and made 
a ,heap of ,rubbish of it long ago2 but1
 as ,i have observed before1 that would 
not have answered his ,ends half so     
well1 for by destroying ,men he would   
have made ,martyrs1 and sent abundance  
of good ,men to ,heaven1 who would much 
rather have died1 than yielded to serve 
him1 and1 as he aimed to have it1 to    

fall down and worship him2 ,i say1 he   
would have made ,martyrs1 and that not a
 few3 ,but this was none of ,satan's    
,business2 his ,design lies quite       
another ,way2 his ,business is to make  
,men sin1 not to make them suffer2 to   
make ,devils of them1 not ,saints2 to   
delude them1 and draw them away from    
their ,maker1 not send them away to him2
 and therefore he works by ,stratagem1  
not by ,force4  ,we are now come to his 
,story1 as it relates to the ,jewish    
,church in the ,wilderness1 and to the  
,children of ,israel in their travelling
 ,circumstances2 and this was the first 
,scene of publick ,management that the  
,devil had upon his ,hands in the       
,world2 for1 as ,i have said1 till now1 
he dealt with ,mankind either in their  
separate ,condition1 one by one1 or else
 carried all before him1 engrossing     
whole ,nations in his ,systems of       
,idolatry1 and overwhelming them in an  
ignorant ,destruction4  ,but having now 
a whole ,people as it were snatch'd away

 from him1 taken out of his ,government1
 and1 which was still worse1 having a   
,view of a ,kingdom being set up        
independent of him1 and superior to his 
,authority1 it is not to be wondred at  
if he endeavour'd to overthrow them in  
the ,infancy of their ,constitution1 and
 tried all possible ,arts to bring them 
back into his own ,hands again4  ,he    
found them not only carried away from   
the ,country where they were even in his
 ,clutches1 surrounded with ,idols1 and 
where we have ,reason to believe the    
greatest part of them were polluted with
 the ,idolatry of the ,egyptians2 for we
 do not read of any stated ,worship     
which they had of their own1 or if they 
did worship the true ,god1 we scarce    
know in what manner they did it2 they   
had no ,law given them1 nothing but the 
,covenant of ,circumcision1 and even    
,moses himself had not strictly observ'd
 that1 till he was frighted into it2 we 
read of no ,sacrifices among them1 no   
,feasts were ordain'd1 no solemn        

,worship appointed1 and how1 or in what 
manner they perform'd their ,homage1 we 
know not2 the ,passover was not ordain'd
 till just at their coming away2 so that
 there was not much ,religion among     
them1 at least that we have any ,account
 of2 and we may suppose the ,devil was  
pretty easy with them all the while they
 were in the ,house of their ,bondage4  
,but now1 to have a ,million of ,people 
fetch'd out of his ,hands1 as it were   
all at once1 and to have the immediate  
,power of ,heaven engaged in it1 and    
that ,satan saw evidently ,god had      
singled them out in a miraculous manner 
to favour them1 and call them his own2  
this allarm'd him at once1 and therefore
 he resolves to follow them1 lay close  
,siege to them1 and take all the        
,measures possible to bring them to     
rebel against1 and disobey ,,god1 that  
he might be provok'd to destroy them2   
and how near he went to bring it to     
pass1 we shall see presently4  ,this    
making a ,calf1 and paying an idolatrous

 ,worship to it 7for they acted the     
,heathens and ,idolaters1 not in the    
setting up the ,calf only1 but in the   
manner of their ,worshiping1 viz4       
,dancing and ,musick1 ,things they had  
not been acquainted with in the ,worship
 of the true ,god7 ,i mention here1 to  
observe how the ,devil not only imposed 
upon their ,principles1 but upon their  
,senses too2 as if the awful ,majesty of
 ,heaven1 whose ,glory they had seen in 
,mount ,sinai1 where they stood1 and    
whose ,pillar of ,cloud and ,fire was   
their ,guide and ,protection1 would be  
worship'd by dancing round a ,calf6 and 
that not a living ,creature1 or a real  
,calf1 but the mere ,image of a ,calf   
cast in ,gold1 or1 as some think1 in    
,brass gilded over4  ,but this was the  
,devil's ,way with ,mankind1 namely1 to 
impose upon their ,senses1 and bring    
them into the grossest ,follies and     
,absurdities2 and then1 having first    
made them ,fools1 it was much the easier
 to make them ,offenders4  ,in this very

 manner he acted with them thro' all the
 ,course of their ,wilderness ,travels2 
for as they were led by the ,hand like  
,children1 defended by ,omnipotence1 fed
 by ,miracles1 instructed immediately   
from ,heaven1 and in all things had     
,moses for their ,guide2 they had no    
room to miscarry1 but by acting the     
greatest ,absurdities1 and committing   
the greatest ,follies in ,nature2 and   
even these1 the ,devil brought them to  
be guilty of1 in a surprising manner3   
#a4 ,as ,,god himself reliev'd them in  
every ,exigence1 and supply'd them in   
every ,want1 one would think 'twas      
impossible they should be ever brought  
to question either his ,willingness or  
his ,ability1 and yet they really       
objected against both2 which was indeed 
very provoking1 and ,i doubt not1 that  
when the ,devil had brought them to act 
in such a preposterous ,manner1 he      
really hoped and believed ,god would be 
provok'd effectually3 ,the ,testimonies 
of his ,care of them1 and ,ability to   

supply them1 were miraculous and        
undeniable2 he gave them ,water from the
 ,rock1 ,bread from the ,air1 sent the  
,fowls to feed them with ,flesh1 and    
supported them all the ,way by          
,miracles2 their ,health was preserv'd1 
none were sick among them1 their clothes
 did not wear out1 nor their ,shoes grow
 old upon their ,feet2 could any thing  
be more absurd1 than to doubt whether he
 could provide for them who had never   
let them want for so many ,years8  ,but 
the ,devil managed them in spight of    
,miracles2 nor did he ever give them    
over till he had brought six hundred    
thousand of them to provoke ,god so     
highly that he would not suffer above   
two of them to go into the ,land of     
,promise2 so that in short1 ,satan      
gained his ,point as to that            
,generation1 for all their ,carcasses   
fell in the ,wilderness4 ,let us take   
but a short ,view to what a ,height he  
brought 'em1 and in what a rude1 absurd 
,manner they acted2 how he set them upon

 murmuring upon every ,occasion1 now for
 ,water1 then for ,bread2 nay1 they     
murmured at their ,bread when they had  
it2 ,our ,soul loaths this light ,bread4
  ,he sow'd the ,seeds of               
,church-,rebellion in the ,sons of      
,aaron1 and made ,nadab and ,abihu offer
 strange ,fire till they were strangely 
consumed by ,fire for the doing it4  ,he
 set them a complaining at ,taberah1 and
 a lusting for ,flesh at the first three
 ,days ,journey from ,mount ,sinai4  ,he
 planted ,envy in the ,hearts of ,miriam
 and ,aaron1 against the ,authority of  
,moses1 to pretend ,,god had spoke by   
them as well as by him1 till he humbled 
the ,father1 and made a ,leper of the   
,daughter4  ,he debauch'd ten of the    
,spies1 frighted them with sham         
,appearances of ,things1 when they went 
out to search the ,land2 and made them  
fright the whole ,people out of their   
,understanding as well as ,duty1 for    
which six hundred thousand of their     
,carcasses fell in the ,wilderness4  ,he

 rais'd the ,rebellion of ,korah1 and   
the two hundred and fifty ,princes1 till
 he brought them to be swallowed up     
alive4  ,he put ,moses into a ,passion  
at ,meribah1 and ruffled the ,temper of 
the meekest ,man upon ,earth1 by which  
he made both him and ,aaron forfeit     
their ,share of the ,promise1 and be    
shut out from the ,holy ,land4  ,he     
rais'd a ,mutiny among them when they   
travelled from ,mount ,hor1 till they   
brought fiery ,serpents among them to   
destroy them4  ,he tried to make ,baalim
 the ,prophet curse them1 but there the 
,devil was disappointed3 ,however1 he   
brought the ,midianites to debauch them 
with ,women1 as in the ,case of ,zimri  
and ,cosbi4  ,he tempted ,achan with the
 ,wedge of ,gold1 and the ,babylonish   
,garment1 that he might take of the     
accursed thing1 and be destroy'd4  ,he  
tempted the whole ,people1 not          
effectually to drive out the cursed     
,inhabitants of the ,land of ,promise1  
that they might remain1 and be ,goads in

 their ,sides1 till at last they often  
oppress'd them for their ,idolatry2 and1
 which was worse1 debauched them to     
,idolatry4  ,he prompted the ,benjamites
 to refuse ,satisfaction to the ,people1
 in the ,case of the ,wickedness of the 
,men of ,gibeah1 to the ,destruction of 
the whole ,tribe1 four hundred ,men     
excepted in the ,rock ,rimmon4  ,at last
 he tempted them to reject the          
,theocracy of their ,maker1 and call    
upon ,samuel to make them a ,king2 and  
most of those ,kings he made ,plagues   
and ,sorrows to them in their time1 as  
you shall hear in their ,order4  ,thus  
he plagued the whole ,body of the       
,people continually1 making them sin    
against ,god1 and bring ,judgments upon 
themselves1 to the consuming some       
,millions of them1 first and last1 by   
the ,vengeance of their ,maker4  ,as he 
did with the whole ,congregation1 so he 
did with their ,rulers1 and several of  
the ,judges1 who were made ,instruments 
to deliver the ,people1 yet were drawn  

into snares by this subtil ,serpent1 to 
ruin themselves or the ,people they had 
delivered4  ,he tempted ,gideon to make 
an ,ephod1 contrary to the ,law of the  
,tabernacle1 and made the ,children of  
,israel go a whoring 7that is1 a        
worshiping7 after it4  ,he tempted      
,sampson to debauch himself with a      
,harlot1 and betray his own happy       
,secret to a ,whore1 at the ,expence of 
both his ,eyes1 and at last of his      
,life4  ,he tempted ,eli's ,sons to lie 
with the ,women1 in the very ,doors of  
the ,tabernacle1 when they came to bring
 their ,offerings to the ,priest2 and he
 tempted poor ,eli to connive at them1  
or not sufficiently reprove them4  ,he  
tempted the ,people to carry the ,ark of
 ,god into the ,camp1 that it might fall
 into the ,hands of the ,philistines4   
,and  ,he tempted ,uzzi to reach out his
 ,hand to hold it up2 as if he that had 
preserved it in the ,house of ,dagon the
 ,idol of the ,philistines1 could not   
keep it from falling out of the ,cart4  

,when the ,people had gotten a ,king1 he
 immediately set to work in diverse     
,ways to bring that ,king to load them  
with ,plagues and ,calamities not a few4
  ,he tempted ,saul to spare the ,king  
of ,amaliek1 contrary to ,god's express 
,command4  ,he not tempted ,saul only1  
but possessed him with an evil ,spirit1 
by which he was left to wayward         
,dispositions1 and was forced to have it
 fiddl'd out of him with a ,minstrel4   
,he tempted ,saul with a ,spirit of     
,discontent1 and with a ,spirit of ,envy
 at poor ,david1 to hunt him like a     
,partridge upon the ,mountains4  ,he    
tempted ,saul with a ,spirit of         
,divination1 and sent him to a ,witch to
 enquire of ,samuel for him2 as if ,god 
would help him when he was dead1 that   
had forsaken him when he was alive4     
,after that1 he tempted him to kill     
himself1 on a ,pretence that he might   
not fall into the ,hands of the         
,uncircumcised2 as if ,self-,murther was
 not half so bad1 either for ,sin       

against ,god1 or ,disgrace among ,men1  
as being taken ,prisoner by a           
,philistine6 ,a ,piece of ,madness none 
but the ,devil could have brought       
,mankind to submit to1 tho' some ,ages  
after that1 he made it a ,fashion among 
the ,romans4  ,after ,saul was dead1 and
 ,david came to the ,throne1 by how much
 he was a ,man chosen and particularly  
savoured by ,heaven1 the ,devil fell    
upon him with the more ,vigour1 attack'd
 him so many ,ways1 and conquer'd him so
 very often1 that as no ,man was so good
 a ,king1 so hardly any good ,king was  
ever a worse ,man2 in many ,cases one   
would have almost thought the ,devil had
 made ,sport with ,david1 to shew how   
easily he could overthrow the best ,man 
,god could choose of the whole          
,congregation4  ,he made him distrust   
his ,benefactor so much as to feign     
himself mad before the ,king of ,gath1  
when he had fled to him for ,shelter4   
,he made him march with his four hundred
 ,cut-throats1 to cut off poor ,nabal1  

and all his ,houshold1 only because he  
would not send him the good ,chear he   
had provided for his honest             
,sheep-shearers4  ,he made him1 for his 
,word's sake1 give ,ziba half his       
,master's ,estate for his ,treachery1   
after he knew he had been the ,traitor1 
and betray'd poor ,mephibosheth for the 
sake of it2 in which    ',the good old  
,king1 it seems1 was very loth   ',to   
break his ,word1 and therefore broke his
 ,oath4   ,then he tempted him to the   
ridiculous ,project of numbring the     
,people1 tho' against ,god's express    
,command2 a ,thing ,joab himself was not
 wicked enough to do1 till ,david and   
the ,devil forc'd him to it4  ,and to   
make him compleatly wicked1 he carried  
him to the ,top of his ,house1 and      
shew'd him a naked ,lady bathing her    
self in her ,garden1 in which it        
appear'd that the ,devil knew ,david too
 well1 and what was the particular ,sin 
of his ,inclination2 and so took him by 
the ,right ,handle2 drawing him at once 

into the ,sins of ,murther and          
,adultery4  ,then1 that he might not    
quite give him over1 7tho' ,david's     
,repentance for the last ,sin kept the  
,devil off for a while7 when he could   
attack him no farther personally he fell
 upon him in his ,family1 and made him  
as miserable as he could desire him to  
be1 in his ,children1 three of whom he  
brought to ,destruction before his      
,face1 and another after his ,death4    
,first1 he tempted ,ammon to ravish his 
,sister ,tamar2 so1 there was an ,end of
 her 7poor ,girl67 as to this ,world1   
for we never hear any more of her4      
,then he tempted ,absalom to murther his
 ,brother ,amnon1 in ,revenge for       
,tamar's ,maidenhead4  ,then he made    
,joab run ,absalom thro' the ,body1     
contrary to ,david's ,command4  ,and    
after ,david's ,death he brought        
,adonija 7weak ,man67 to the ,block1 for
 usurping ,king ,solomon's ,throne4  ,as
 to ,absalom1 he tempted him to         
,rebellion1 and raising ,war against his

 ,father1 to the turning him shamefully 
out of ,jerusalem1 and almost out of the
 ,kingdom4  ,he tempted him1 for        
,david's farther ,mortification1 to lie 
with his ,father's ,wives1 in the ,face 
of the whole ,city2 and had             
,achitophel's honest ,council been      
follow'd1 he had certainly sent him to  
,sleep with his ,fathers1 long before   
his time--,but there ,satan and         
,achitophel were both out-witted        
together4  ,thro' all the ,reigns of the
 several ,successors of ,david1 the     
,devil took care to carry on his own    
,game1 to the continual insulting the   
,measures which ,god himself had taken  
for the establishing his ,people in the 
,world1 and especially as a ,church2    
till at last he so effectually debauch'd
 them to ,idolatry2 that ,crime which of
 all others was most provoking to ,,god1
 as it was carrying the ,people away    
from their ,allegiance1 and transposing 
the ,homage they ow'd ,god their ,maker1
 to a contemptible ,block of ,wood1 or  

an ,image of a brute ,beast2 and this   
how sordid and brutish soever it was in 
it self1 yet so did his ,artifice       
prevail among them1 that1 first or last1
 he brought them all into it1 the ten   
,tribes as well as the two ,tribes2 till
 at last ,god himself was provoked to   
unchurch them1 gave them up to their    
,enemies1 and the few that were left of 
them1 after incredible ,slaughters and  
,desolation1 were hurried away1 some    
into ,tartary1 and others into ,babylon1
 from whence very few1 of that few that 
were carried away1 ever found their ,way
 ,home again2 and some1 when they might 
have come1 would not accept of it1 but  
continued there to the very coming of   
the ,messiah4 ,see ,epistles of ,st4    
,james and of ,st4 ,peter1 at the       
,beginning4  ,but to look a little back 
upon this ,part 7for it cannot be       
omitted1 it makes so considerable a     
,part of the ,devil's ,history7 ,i mean 
his drawing ,god's ,people1 ,kings and  
all1 into all the ,sins and ,mischiefs  

which gradually contributed to their    
,destruction4  ,first1 7for he began    
immediately with the very best and      
wisest of the ,race7 he drew in ,king   
,solomon1 in the midst of all his ,zeal 
for the building ,god's ,house1 and for 
the making the most glorious and        
magnificent ,appearance for ,god's      
,worship that ever the ,world saw2 ,i   
say1 in the middle of all this1 he drew 
him into such immoderate and insatiable 
an ,appetite for ,women1 as to set up   
the first1 and perhaps the greatest     
,seraglio of ,whores that ever any      
,prince in the ,world had1 or pretended 
to before2 nay1 and to bring whoring so 
much into ,reputation1 that1 as the     
,text says1 seven hundred of them were  
,princesses2 that is to say1 ,ladies of 
,quality3 ,not as the ,grand ,seigniors1
 and ,great ,moguls1 7other ,princes of 
the ,eastern ,world7 have since         
practised1 namely1 to pick up their most
 beautiful ,slaves2 but these1 it seems1
 were ,women of ,rank1 ,king's          

,daughters1 as ,pharaoh's ,daughter1 and
 the ,daughters of the ,princes and     
prime ,men among the ,moabites1         
,ammonites1 ,zidonians1 ,hittites1 c4 #a
 ,kings xi4 #a4  ,nor was this all2 but 
as he drew him into the ,love of these  
forbidden ,women 7for such they were1 as
 to their ,nation1 as well as ,number7  
so he ensnar'd him by those ,women to a 
,familiarity with their ,worship2 and by
 degrees brought that famous ,prince    
7famous for his ,wisdom7 to be the      
greatest and most-impos'd-upon old ,fool
 in the ,world2 ,bowing down to those   
,idols by the ,inticing of his ,whores1 
whom he had abhorr'd and detested in his
 ,youth1 as dishonouring that ,god for  
whom1 and for whose ,worship he had     
finish'd and dedicated the most         
magnificent ,building and ,temple in the
 ,world3 ,nothing but the invincible    
,subtlety of this ,arch ,devil could    
ever have brought such a ,man as        
,solomon to such a ,degeneracy of       
,manners1 and to such ,meannesses2 no1  

not the ,devil himself1 without the     
,assistance of his ,whores1 nor the     
,whores themselves1 without the ,devil  
to help them4  ,as to ,solomon1 ,satan  
had made ,conquest enough there1 we need
 hear no more of him2 the next ,advance 
he made1 was in the ,person of his ,son 
,rehoboam2 had not the ,devil prompted  
his ,pride and tyrannical ,humour1 he   
would never have given the ,people such 
an ,answer as he did2 and when he saw a 
,fellow at the ,head of them too whom he
 knew wanted and waited for an ,occasion
 to raise a ,rebellion1 and had ripened 
up the ,people's ,humour to the         
,occasion3 ,well might the ,text call it
 listening to the ,council of the young 
,heads2 that it was indeed with a       
,vengeance6 but those young ,heads too  
were acted by an old ,devil1 who for his
 ,craft is called1 as ,i have observ'd1 
the ,old ,serpent4  ,having thus pav'd  
the ,way1 ,jeroboam revolts4 ,so far    
,god had directed him2 for the ,text    
says expressly1 speaking in the first   

,person of ,,god himself1 ,this ,thing  
is of ,me4  ,but tho' ,god might appoint
 ,jeroboam to be ,king1 7that is to say1
 of ten ,tribes17 yet ,,god did not     
appoint him to set up the two ,calves in
 the two extreme ,parts of the ,land1   
viz4 in ,dan1 and in ,bethel2 that was  
,jeroboam's own doing1 and done on      
purpose to keep the ,people from falling
 back to ,rehoboam1 by being obliged to 
go to ,jerusalem to the publick         
,worship3 ,and the ,text adds1 ,jeroboam
 made ,israel to sin4 ,this was indeed a
 ,master-piece of the ,devil's ,policy1 
and it was effectual to answer the ,end1
 nothing could have been more to the    
,purpose2 what ,reason he had to expect 
the ,people would so universally come   
into it1 and be so well satisfied with a
 couple of ,calves1 instead of the true 
,worship of ,,god at ,jerusalem2 or what
 ,arts and ,management he 7,satan7 made 
use of afterwards1 to bring the ,people 
in1 to join with such a ,delusion1 that 
we find but little of in all the ,annals

 of ,satan2 not is it much to the ,case3
 ',tis certain the ,devil found a       
strange kind of ,propensity to          
worshiping ,idols rooted in the ,temper 
of that whole ,people1 even from their  
first breaking away from the ,egyptian  
,bondage2 so that he had nothing to do  
but to work upon the old ,stock1 and    
propagate the ,crime that he found was  
so natural to them4 ,and this is        
,satan's general ,way of working1 not   
with them only1 but with us also1 and   
with all the ,world1 even then1 and ever
 since4  ,when he had thus secur'd      
,jeroboam's ,revolt1 we need not trace  
him among his ,successors2 for the same 
,reason of ,state that held for the     
setting up the ,calves at ,bethel and   
,dan1 held good for the keeping them up1
 to all ,jeroboam's ,posterity2 nor had 
they one good ,king ever after2 even    
,jehu1 who call'd his ,friends to come  
and see his ,zeal for the ,lord1 and who
 fulfill'd the ,threatnings of ,god upon
 ,ahab and his ,family1 and upon ,queen 

,jezabel and her ,offspring1 and knew   
all the while that he was executing the 
,judgment of the true ,god upon an      
idolatrous ,race2 yet he would not part 
with his ,calves1 but would have thought
 it to have been parting with his       
,kingdom1 and that as the ,people would 
have gone up to ,jerusalem to worship1  
so they would at the same ,time have    
transfer'd their civil ,obedience to the
 ,king of ,judah1 7whose ,right it      
really was1 as far as they could claim  
by ,birth and right ,line72 so that by  
the way1 ,satan any more than other     
,politicians1 is not for the jus divinum
 of lineal ,succession1 or what we call 
hereditary ,right1 any farther than     
serves for his ,purpose4  ,thus ,satan  
ridded his ,hands of ten of the twelve  
,tribes2 let us now see how he went on  
with the rest1 for his ,work was now    
brought into a narrower ,compass2 the   
,church of ,god was now reduc'd to two  
,tribes1 except a few religious ,people1
 who separated from the ,schism of      

,jeroboam1 and came and planted         
themselves among the ,tribes of ,judah  
and ,benjamin3 ,the first thing the     
,devil did after this1 was to foment a  
,war between the two ,kings1 while      
,judah was governed by a ,boy or ,youth1
 ,abija by ,name1 and he none of the    
best neither2 but ,god's ,time was not  
come1 and the ,devil receiv'd a great   
,disappointment2 when ,jeroboam was so  
entirely overthrown2 that if the        
,records of those ,ages do not mistake1 
no less than #ejjjjj ,men of ,israel    
were kill'd1 such a ,slaughter1 that one
 would think the ,army of ,judah1 had   
they known how to improve as well as    
gain a ,victory1 might have brought all 
the rest back again1 and have intirely  
reduc'd the ,house of ,jeroboam and the 
ten ,tribes that follow'd him to their  
,obedience2 nay they did take a great   
deal of the ,country from them1 and     
among the rest ,bethel it self2 and yet 
so cunningly did ,satan manage1 that the
 ,king of ,judah1 who was himself a     

wicked ,king1 and perhaps an ,idolater  
in his ,heart1 did not take down the    
golden ,calf that ,jeroboam had there1  
no nor destroy the ,idolatry it self1 so
 that in short1 his ,victory signified  
nothing4  ,from hence to the ,captivity1
 we find the ,devil busy with the ,kings
 of ,judah1 especially the best of them2
 as for such as ,manasseth1 and those   
who transgress'd by the general ,tenor  
of their ,lives1 those he had no great  
trouble with4  ,but such as ,asa1       
,jehoshaphat1 ,hezekiah1 and ,josiah1 he
 hung about them and their ,courts1 till
 he brought every one of them into some 
,mischief or another4  ,as first1 good  
,king ,asa1 of whom the ,scripture says1
 his ,heart was perfect all his ,days1  
yet this subtle ,spirit1 that could     
break in upon him no where else1 tempted
 him when the ,king of ,israel came out 
against him1 to send to hire ,benhadad  
the ,king of ,syria to help him2 as if  
,,god who had before enabled him to     
conquer the ,ethiopians1 with an ,army  

of ten hundred thousand ,men1 could not 
have saved him from the ,king of the ten
 ,tribes4  ,in the same manner he       
tempted ,jehoshaphat to join with that  
wicked ,king ,ahab against the ,king of 
,syria1 and also to marry his ,son to   
,ahab's ,daughter1 which was fatal to   
,jehoshaphat1 and to his ,posterity4    
,again1 ,he tempted ,hezekiah to shew   
all his ,riches to the ,king of         
,babylon's ,messengers2 and who can     
doubt1 but that he 7,satan7 is to be    
understood by the wicked ,spirit which  
stood before the ,lord1 #b ,chron4      
xviii4 #bj4 and offered his ,service to 
entice ,ahab the ,king of ,israel to    
come out to ,battle to his ,ruin1 by    
being a lying ,spirit in the ,mouths of 
all his ,prophets2 and who for that     
,time had a special ,commission1 as he  
had another ,time in the ,case of ,job8 
and indeed it was a ,commission fit for 
no body but the ,devil3 ,thou shalt     
entice him1 and thou shalt also prevail3
 ,go out and do even so1 ver4 #ba4      

,even good ,josiah himself1 of whom it  
is recorded1 that like him there was no 
,king before him1 neither after him     
arose there any like him1 #b ,kings     
xxiii4 #bf4 yet the ,devil never left   
him with his ,machinations1 till finding
 he could not tempt him to any ,thing   
wicked in his ,government1 he tempted or
 mov'd him to a needless ,war with the  
,king of ,egypt1 in which he lost his   
,life4  ,from the ,death of this good   
,king1 the ,devil prevail'd so with the 
whole ,nation of the ,jews1 and brought 
them to such an incorrigible ,pitch of  
,wickedness1 that ,god gave them up1    
forsook his ,habitation of ,glory1 the  
,temple1 which he suffer'd to be spoil'd
 first1 then burnt and demolish'd2      
destroying the whole ,nation of the     
,jews1 except a small ,number that were 
left1 and those the ,enemy carried away 
into ,captivity4  ,nor was he satisfied 
with this general ,destruction of the   
whole ,people of ,israel1 for the ten   
,tribes were gone before2 but he        

follow'd them even into their           
,captivity2 those that fled away to     
,egypt1 which they tell us were seventy 
thousand1 he first corrupted1 and then  
they were destroyed there upon the      
,overthrow of ,egypt1 by the same ,king 
of ,babylon4  ,also he went very near to
 have them rooted out1 young and old1   
,man1 ,woman and ,child1 who were in    
,captivity in ,babylon1 by the ,ministry
 of that true ,agent of ,hell1 ,haman   
the ,agagite2 but there ,satan met with 
a ,disappointment too1 as in the ,story 
of ,hester1 which was but the fourth    
that he had met with1 in all his        
,management since the ,creation2 ,i say1
 there he was disappointed1 and his     
prime ,minister ,haman was exalted1 as  
he deserv'd4  ,having thus far traced   
the ,government and ,dominion of the    
,devil1 from the ,creation of ,man to   
the ,captivity2 ,i think ,i may call    
upon him to set up his ,standard of     
universal ,empire1 at that ,period2 it  
seem'd just then as if ,god had really  

forsaken the ,earth1 and given the      
entire ,dominion of ,mankind up to his  
outrageous ,enemy the ,devil2 for       
excepting the few ,israelites which were
 left in the ,territories of the ,king  
of ,babylon1 and they were but a few2 ,i
 say1 except among them1 there was not  
one ,corner of the ,world left where the
 true ,god was call'd upon1 or his      
,dominion so much as acknowledg'd2 all  
the ,world was buried in ,idolatry1 and 
that of so many horrid ,kinds1 that one 
would think1 the ,light of ,reason      
should have convinc'd ,mankind1 that he 
who exacted such bloody ,sacrifices as  
that of ,moloch1 and such a bloody      
cutting themselves with ,knives1 as the 
,priests of ,baal did1 could not be a   
,,god1 a good and beneficent ,being1 but
 must be a cruel1 voracious and         
devouring ,devil1 whose ,end was not the
 ,good1 but the ,destruction of his     
,creatures3 ,but to such a ,height was  
the blind demented ,world arriv'd to at 
that ,time1 that in these sordid and    

corrupt ,ways1 they went on worshiping  
dumb ,idols1 and offering human         
,sacrifices to them1 and in a ,word1    
committing all the most horrid and      
absurd ,abominations that they were     
capable of1 or that the ,devil could    
prompt them to1 till ,heaven was again  
put1 as it were1 to the ,necessity of   
bringing about a ,revolution1 in favour 
of his own forsaken ,people1 by ,miracle
 and ,surprize1 as he had done before4  
,we come therefore to the ,restoration  
or ,return of the ,captivity3 ,had      
,satan been able to have acted any thing
 by ,force1 as ,i have observ'd before1 
all the ,princes and ,powers of the     
,world1 having been1 as they really     
were1 at his ,devotion1 he might easily 
have made use of them1 arm'd all the    
,world against the ,jews1 and prevented 
the ,rebuilding the ,temple1 and even   
the ,return of the ,captivity4  ,but now
 the ,devil's ,power manifestly received
 a ,check1 and the ,hand of ,god        
appear'd in it1 and that he was resolv'd

 to reestablish his ,people the ,jews1  
and to have a second ,temple built3 the 
,devil1 who knew the ,extent of his own 
,power too well1 and what ,limitations  
were laid upon him1 stood still as it   
were looking on1 and not daring to      
oppose the ,return of the ,captivity1   
which he very well knew had been        
prophesied1 and would come to pass4  ,he
 did indeed make some little ,opposition
 to the ,building1 and to the fortifying
 the ,city1 but as it was to no         
,purpose1 so he was soon oblig'd to give
 it over2 and thus the ,captivity being 
return'd1 and the ,temple rebuilt1 the  
,people of the ,jews encreased and      
multiplied to an infinite ,number and   
,strength2 and from this ,time we may   
say1 the ,power of the ,devil rather    
declin'd and decreas'd1 than went on    
with ,success1 as it had done before2   
,it is true the ,jews fell into ,sects  
and ,errors1 and ,divisions of many     
,kinds1 after the ,return from the      
,captivity1 and no doubt the ,devil had 

a great ,hand in those ,divisions2 but  
he could never bring them back to       
,idolatry1 and his not being able to do 
that1 made him turn his ,hand so many   
,ways to plague and oppress them2 as    
particularly by ,antiochus the ,great1  
who brought the ,abomination of         
,desolation into the holy ,place2 and   
there the ,devil triumph'd over them for
 some ,time2 but they were deliver'd    
many ,ways1 till at last they came      
peaceably under the ,protection rather  
than the ,dominion of the ,roman        
,empire3 ,when ,herod the ,great        
govern'd them as a ,king1 and reedified1
 nay almost rebuilt their ,temple1 with 
so great an ,expence and ,magnificence1 
that he made it1 as some say1 greater   
and more glorious than that of          
,solomon's1 tho' that ,i take to be a   
great ---- ,fable1 to say no worse of   
it4  ,in this ,condition the ,jewish    
,church stood1 when the ,fullness of    
,time1 as 'tis call'd in ,scripture1 was
 come2 and the ,devil was kept at ,bay1 

tho' he had made some ,encroachments    
upon them as above2 for there was a     
glorious ,remnant of ,saints among them1
 such as old ,zacharias the ,father of  
,john the ,baptist1 and old ,simeon1 who
 waited for the ,salvation of ,israel2  
,i say1 in this ,condition the ,jewish  
,church stood when the ,messiah came    
into the ,world1 which was such another 
mortal ,stab to the ,thrones and        
,principalities infernal1 as that of    
which ,i have spoken already in ,chap4  
,,iii4 at the ,creation of ,man2 and    
therefore with this ,i break off the    
,antiquities of the ,devil's ,history1  
or the antient ,part of his ,kingdom2   
for from hence downward we shall find   
his ,empire has declin'd gradually2 and 
tho' by his wonderful ,address1 his     
prodigious ,application1 and the        
,vigilance and ,fidelity of his         
,instruments1 as well human as infernal 
and diabolical1 and of the ,human as    
well the ,ecclesiastick as the ,secular2
 he has many ,times retriev'd what he   

has lost1 and sometimes bid fair for    
recovering the universal ,empire he once
 possess'd over ,mankind2 yet he has    
been still defeated again1 repulst and  
beaten back1 and his ,kingdom has       
greatly declin'd in many ,parts of the  
,world2 and especially in the ,northern 
,parts1 except ,great ,britain2 and how 
he has politically maintain'd his       
,interest and encreased his ,dominion   
among the wise and righteous ,generation
 that we cohabit with and among1 will be
 the ,subject of the modern ,part of    
,satan's ,history1 and of which we are  
next to give an ,account4       ,,part  
,,ii4   ,,of ,,the   ,,modern ,,history 
,,of ,,the   ,,devil4   ,,chap4 ,i4   ,i
 have examined the ,antiquities of      
,satan's ,history in the former ,part of
 this ,work1 and brought his ,affairs   
down from the ,creation1 as far as to   
our blessed ,christian ,times2          
especially to the ,coming of the        
,messiah1 when one would think the      
,devil could have nothing to do among   

us4 ,i have indeed but touch'd at some  
,things which might have admitted of a  
farther ,description of ,satan's        
,affairs1 and the ,particulars of which 
we may all come to a farther ,knowledge 
of hereafter2 yet ,i think ,i have      
spoken to the material ,part of his     
,conduct1 as it relates to his ,empire  
in this ,world3 ,what has happen'd to   
his more sublimated ,government1 and his
 ,angelic ,capacities1 ,i shall have an 
,occasion to touch at in several solid  
,particulars as we go along4  ,the      
,messiah was now born1 the ,fulness of  
,time was come1 that the old ,serpent   
was to have his ,head broken1 that is to
 say1 his ,empire or ,dominion over     
,man1 which he gain'd by the ,fall of   
our first ,father and ,mother in        
,paradise1 receiv'd a ,downfal or       
,overthrow4  ,it is worth observing1 in 
order to confirm what ,i have already   
mention'd of the ,limitation of ,satan's
 ,power1 that not only his ,angelic     
,strength seems to have received a      

farther ,blow upon the ,coming of the   
,son of ,god into the ,world1 but he    
seems to have had a ,blow upon his      
,intellects2 his ,serpentine ,craft and 
,devil-like ,subtilty seems to have been
 circumscrib'd and cut short2 and       
instead of his being so cunning a       
,fellow as before1 when1 as ,i said1    
'tis evident he outwitted all ,mankind1 
not only ,eve1 ,cain1 ,noah1 ,lot1 and  
all the ,patriarchs1 but even ,nations  
of ,men1 and that in their publick      
,capacity2 and thereby led them into    
absurd and ridiculous ,things1 such as  
the ,building of ,babel1 and deifying   
and worshiping their ,kings1 when dead  
and rotten2 idolizing ,beasts1 ,stocks1 
,stones1 any ,thing1 and even ,nothing2 
and in a ,word1 when he manag'd ,mankind
 just as he pleased4  ,now and from this
 ,time forward he appeared a weak1      
foolish1 ignorant ,devil1 compar'd to   
what he was before2 ,he was upon almost 
every ,occasion resisted1 disappointed1 
baulk'd and defeated1 especially in all 

his ,attempts to thwart or cross the    
,mission and ,ministry of the ,messiah1 
while he was upon ,earth1 and sometimes 
upon other and very mean ,occasions too4
  ,and first1 how foolish a ,project was
 it1 and how below ,satan's celebrated  
,artifice in like ,cases1 to put ,herod 
upon sending to kill the poor innocent  
,children in ,bethlehem1 in hopes to    
destroy the ,infant8 for ,i take it for 
granted1 it was the ,devil put into     
,herod's ,thoughts that ,execution1 how 
simple and foolish soever2 now we must  
allow him to be very ignorant of the    
,nativity himself1 or else he might     
easily have guided his ,friend ,herod to
 the ,place where the ,infant was4      
,this shews that either the ,devil is in
 general ignorant as we are1 of what is 
to come in the ,world1 before it is     
really come to pass2 and consequently   
can foretel nothing1 no not so much as  
our famous old ,merlin or ,mother       
,shipton did1 or else that great ,event 
was hid from him by an immediate ,power 

superior to his1 which ,i cannot think  
neither1 considering how much he was    
concern'd in it1 and how certainly he   
knew that it was once to come to pass4  
,but be that as it will1 'tis certain   
the ,devil knew nothing where ,christ   
was born1 or when2 nor was he able to   
direct ,herod to find him out1 and      
therefore put him upon that foolish1 as 
well as cruel ,order1 to kill all the   
,children1 that he might be sure to     
destroy the ,messiah among the rest4    
,the next simple ,step that the ,devil  
took1 and indeed the most foolish one   
that he could ever be charg'd with1     
unworthy the very ,dignity of a ,devil1 
and below the ,understanding that he    
always was allow'd to act with1 was that
 of coming to tempt the ,messiah in the 
,wilderness2 it is certain1 and he own'd
 it himself afterwards1 upon many       
,occasions1 that the ,devil knew our    
,saviour to be the ,son of ,god2 and    
'tis as certain that he knew1 that as   
such he could have no ,power or         

,advantage over him2 how foolish then   
was it in him to attack him in that     
,manner1 if thou beest the ,son of      
,,god8 why he knew him to be the ,son of
 ,,god well enough2 he said so          
afterwards1 ,i know thee who thou art1  
the holy ,one of ,,god2 how then could  
he be so weak a ,devil as to say1 if    
thou art1 then do so and so8  ,the ,case
 is plain1 the ,devil1 tho' he knew him 
to be the ,son of ,,god1 did not fully  
know the ,mystery of the ,incarnation2  
nor did he know how far the ,inanition  
of ,christ extended1 and whether1 as    
,man1 he was not subject to fall as     
,adam was1 tho' his reserv'd ,godhead   
might be still immaculate and pure2 and 
upon this ,foot1 as he would leave no   
,method untried1 he attempts him three  
,times1 one immediately after another2  
but then1 finding himself disappointed  
he fled4  ,this evidently proves that   
the ,devil was ignorant of the great    
,mystery of ,godliness1 as the ,text    
calls it1 ,god manifest in the ,flesh1  

and therefore made that foolish ,attempt
 upon ,christ1 thinking to have         
conquer'd his human ,nature as capable  
of ,sin1 which it was not2 and at this  
,repulse ,hell groan'd1 the whole ,army 
of regimented ,devils receiv'd a ,wound1
 and felt the ,shock of it2 'twas a     
second ,overthrow to them1 they had had 
a long ,chain of ,success1 carried a    
devilish ,conquest over the greatest    
,part of the ,creation of ,,god2 but now
 they were cut short1 the ,seed of the  
,woman was now come to break the        
,serpent's ,head1 that is1 to cut short 
his ,power1 to contract the ,limits of  
his ,kingdom1 and in a ,word1 to        
dethrone him in the ,world3 ,no doubt   
the ,devil receiv'd a ,shock1 for you   
find him always afterward1 crying out in
 a horrible ,manner1 whenever ,christ   
met with him1 or else very humble and   
submissive1 as when he begg'd leave to  
go into the ,herd of ,swine1 a ,thing he
 has often done since4  ,defeated here1 
the first ,stratagem ,i find him        

concern'd in after it1 was his entring  
into ,judas1 and putting him upon       
betraying ,christ to the ,chief ,priest2
 but here again he was entirely         
mistaken1 for he did not see1 as much a 
,devil as he was1 what the ,event would 
be2 but when he came to know1 that if   
,christ was put to ,death1 he would     
become a ,propitiatory and be the great 
,sacrifice of ,mankind1 so to rescue the
 fallen ,race from that ,death they had 
incurr'd the ,penalty of1 by the ,fall1 
that this was the fulfilling of all     
,scripture ,prophesy1 and that thus it  
was that ,christ was to be the ,end of  
the ,law1 ,i say1 as soon as he         
perceiv'd this1 he strove all he could  
to prevent it1 and disturb'd ,pilate's  
,wife in her ,sleep1 in order to set her
 upon her ,husband to hinder his        
delivering him up to the ,jews2 for     
then1 and not till then1 he knew how    
,christ was to vanquish ,hell by the    
,power of his ,cross4  ,thus the ,devil 
was disappointed and exposed in every   

,step he took1 and as he now plainly saw
 his ,kingdom declining1 and even the   
temporal ,kingdom of ,christ1 rising up 
upon the ,ruins of his 7,satan's7       
,power2 he seem'd to retreat into his   
own ,region the ,air1 and to consult    
there with his fellow ,devils1 what     
,measures he should take next to        
preserve his ,dominion among ,men2 ,here
 it was that he resolv'd upon that truly
 hellish ,thing call'd ,persecution1 by 
which1 tho' he prov'd a foolish ,devil  
in that too1 he flatter'd himself he    
should be able to destroy ,god's        
,church1 and root out its ,professors   
from the ,earth1 even almost as soon as 
it was establish'd2 whereas on the      
contrary1 ,heaven counter-acted him     
there too1 and tho' he arm'd the whole  
,roman ,empire against the ,christians1 
that is say1 the whole ,world1 and they 
were fallen upon every where1 with all  
the ,fury and ,rage of some of the most 
flaming ,tyrants that the ,world ever   
saw1 of whom ,nero was the first2 yet in

 spight of ,hell1 ,,god made all the    
,blood1 which the ,devil caus'd to be   
spilt1 to be semen ,ecclesi1 and the    
,,devil had the ,mortification to see1  
that the ,number of ,christians         
encreased even under the very ,means he 
made use of to root them out and destroy
 them3 ,this was the ,case thro' the    
,reign of all the ,roman ,emperors1 for 
the first three hundred ,years after    
,christ4  ,having thus tried all the    
,methods that best suited his           
,inclination1 ,i mean those of ,blood   
and ,death1 complicated with ,tortures  
and all ,kinds of ,cruelty1 and that for
 so long a ,stage of ,time as above2 the
 ,devil all on a suddain1 as if glutted 
with ,blood1 and satiated with          
,destruction1 sits still and becomes a  
peaceable ,spectator for a good while2  
as if he either found himself unable1 or
 had no ,disposition to hinder the      
,progress of ,christianity in the first 
,ages of its ,settlement in the ,world3 
,in this interval the ,christian ,church

 was establish'd under ,constantine1    
,religion flourished in ,peace1 and     
under the most perfect ,tranquillity3   
,the ,devil seem'd to be at a ,loss what
 he should do next1 and ,things began to
 look as if ,satan's ,kingdom was at an 
,end2 but he soon let them see that he  
was the same indefatigable ,devil that  
ever he was1 and the ,prosperity of the 
,church gave him a large ,field of      
,action2 for knowing the ,disposition of
 ,mankind to ,quarrel and ,dispute1 the 
universal ,passion rooted in ,nature1   
especially among the ,church-,men for   
,precedency and ,dominion1 he fell to   
work with them immediately2 so that     
turning the ,tables1 and reassuming the 
,subtilty and ,craft1 which1 ,i say1 he 
seem'd to have lost in the former four  
hundred ,years1 he gain'd more ,ground  
in the next ,ages of the ,church1 and   
went farther towards restoring his      
,power and ,empire in the ,world1 and   
towards overthrowing that very ,church  
which was so lately establish'd1 than   

all he had done by ,fire and ,blood     
before4  ,his ,policy now seem'd to be  
edg'd with ,resentment for the ,mistakes
 he had made2 as if the ,devil looking  
back with ,anger at himself1 to see what
 a ,fool he had been to expect to crush 
,religion by ,persecution1 rejoyc'd for 
having discover'd that ,liberty and     
,dominion was the only way to ruin the  
,church1 not ,fire and ,faggot2 and that
 he had nothing to do but to give the   
zealous ,people their utmost ,liberty in
 ,religion1 only sowing ,error and      
,variety of ,opinion among them1 and    
they would bring ,fire and ,faggot in   
fast enough among themselves4  ,it must 
be confess'd these were devilish        
,politicks2 and so sure was the ,aim1   
and so certain was the ,devil to hit his
 ,mark by them1 that we find he not only
 did not fail then1 but the same hellish
 ,methods have prevail'd still1 and will
 do so to the ,end of the ,world4 ,nor  
had the ,devil ever a better ,game to   
play than this1 for the ,ruin of        

,religion1 as we shall have room to show
 in many ,examples1 besides that of the 
,dissenters in ,england1 who are        
evidently weaken'd by the late          
,toleration3 ,whether the ,devil had any
 hand in baiting his ,hook with an ,a---
 of ,parliament or no1 ,history is      
silent1 but 'tis too evident he has     
catch'd the ,fish by it2 and if the     
honest ,church of ,england does not in  
,pity and ,christian ,charity to the    
,dissenters1 straighten her ,hand a     
little1 ,i cannot but fear the ,devil   
will gain his ,point1 and the ,dissenter
 will be undone by it4  ,upon this new  
foot of ,politicks the ,devil began with
 the ,emperors themselves3 ,arius1 the  
,father of the ,hereticks of that ,age1 
having broach'd his ,opinions1 and      
,athanasius the orthodox ,bishop of the 
,east opposing him1 the ,devil no sooner
 saw the ,door open to ,strife and      
,imposition1 but he thrust himself in1  
and raising the ,quarrel up to a suited 
,degree of ,rage and ,spleen1 he        

involv'd the good ,emperor himself in it
 first and ,athanasius was banish'd and 
recall'd1 and banish'd and recall'd     
again1 several times1 as ,error ran     
high1 and as the ,devil either got or   
lost ,ground3 ,after ,constantine1 the  
next ,emperor was a ,child of his own1  
7,arian7 and then the ,court came all   
into the ,quarrel1 as ,courts often do1 
and then the ,arians and the ,orthodox  
persecuted one another as furiously as  
the ,pagans persecuted them all before4 
,to such a ,height the ,devil brought   
his ,conquest in the very ,infancy of   
the ,question1 and so much did he       
prevail over the true ,christianity of  
the ,primitive ,church1 even before they
 had enjoy'd the ,liberty of the pure   
,worship twenty ,years4  ,flush'd with  
this ,success1 the ,devil made one ,push
 for the restoring ,paganism1 and       
bringing on the old ,worship of the     
,heathen ,idols and ,temples2 but like  
our ,king ,james ,,ii4 he drove too     
hard1 and ,julian had so provok'd the   

whole ,roman ,empire1 which was         
generally at that time become           
,christian1 that had the ,apostate      
liv'd1 he would not have been able to   
have held the ,throne2 and as he was cut
 off in his ,beginning1 ,paganism       
expir'd with him1 and the ,devil himself
 might have cry'd out1 as ,julian did1  
and with much more ,propriety1 ,vicisti 
,galileane4  ,jovian1 the next ,emperor1
 being a glorious ,christian1 and a very
 good and great ,man1 the ,devil        
abdicated for a while1 and left the     
,christian ,armies to re-establish the  
,orthodox ,faith2 nor could he bring the
 ,christians to a ,breach again among   
themselves a great while after4         
,however1 ,time and a diligent ,devil   
did the ,work at last1 and when the     
,emperors concerning themselves one way 
or other1 did not appear sufficient to  
answer his ,end1 he chang'd ,hands      
again1 and went to work with the        
,clergy3 ,to set the ,doctors           
effectually together by the ,ears1 he   

threw in the new ,notion of ,primacy    
among them1 for a ,bone of ,contention2 
the ,bait took1 the ,priests swallow'd  
it eagerly down1 and the ,devil1 a      
cunninger ,fisherman than ever ,st4     
,peter was1 struck them 7as the ,anglers
 call it7 with a quick ,hand1 and hung  
them fast upon the ,hook4  ,having them 
thus in his ,clutches1 and they being   
now1 as we may say1 his own1 they took  
their ,measures afterwards from him1 and
 most obediently follow'd his           
,directions2 nay1 ,i will not say but he
 may have had pretty much the           
,management of the whole ,society ever  
since1 of what ,profession or ,party    
soever they may have been1 with         
,exception only to the ,reverend and    
,right ,reverend among our selves4  ,the
 ,sacred1 as above1 being thus hook'd   
in1 and the ,,devil being at the ,head  
of their ,affairs1 ,matters went on most
 gloriously his own way2 first1 the     
,bishops fell to bandying and           
,party-making for the ,superiority1 as  

heartily as ever ,temporal ,tyrants did 
for ,dominion1 and took as black and    
devilish ,methods to carry it on1 as the
 worst of those ,tyrants ever had done  
before them4  ,at last ,satan declar'd  
for the ,roman ,pontiff1 and that upon  
excellent ,conditions1 in the ,reign of 
the ,emperor ,mauritius2 for ,boniface1 
who had long contended for the ,title of
 ,supreme1 fell into a ,treaty with     
,phocas1 ,captain of the ,emperor's     
,guards2 whether the ,bargain was from  
,hell or not1 let any one judge1 the    
,conditions absolutely entitle the      
,devil to the ,honour of making the     
,contract1 viz4 ,that ,phocas first     
murthering his ,master 7the ,emperor7   
and his ,sons1 ,boniface should         
countenance the ,treason1 and declare   
him ,emperor2 and in ,return1 ,phocas   
should acknowledge the ,primacy of the  
,church of ,rome1 and declare ,boniface 
universal ,bishop4 ,a blessed ,compact6 
which at once set the ,devil at the     
,head of ,affairs in the ,christian     

,world1 as well ,spiritual as ,temporal1
 ,ecclesiastick and ,civil4 ,since the  
,conquest over ,eve in ,paradise1 by    
which ,death and the ,,devil1 ,hand in  
,hand1 establish'd their first ,empire  
upon ,earth1 the ,devil never gain'd a  
more important ,point than he gain'd at 
this time4  ,he had indeed prospered in 
his ,affairs tolerably well for some    
time before this1 and his ,interest     
among the ,clergy had got ,ground for   
some ,ages2 but that was indeed a secret
 ,management1 was carried on privately1 
and with ,difficulty2 as in sowing      
,discord and ,faction among the ,people1
 perplexing the ,councils of their      
,princes1 and secretly wheedling in with
 the dignified ,clergy4  ,also he had   
raised abundance of little              
,church-,rebellions1 by setting up      
,hereticks of several ,kinds1 and       
raising them ,favourers among the       
,clergy1 such as ,ebion1 ,cerinthius1   
,pelagius1 and others4  ,he had drawn in
 the ,bishops of ,rome to set up the    

ridiculous ,pageantry of the ,,key2 and 
while he1 the ,,devil1 set open the     
,gates of ,hell to them all1 set them   
upon locking up the ,gates of ,heaven1  
and giving the ,bishop the ,key2 a      
,cheat which1 as gross as it was1 the   
,,devil so gilded over1 or so blinded   
the ,age to receive it1 that like       
,gideon's ,ephod1 all the ,catholick    
,world went a whoring after the ,idol2  
and the ,bishop of ,rome sent more      
,fools to the ,devil by it than ever he 
pretended to let into ,heaven1 though he
 open'd the ,door as wide as his ,key   
was able to do4  ,the ,story of this    
,key being given to the ,bishop of ,rome
 by ,st4 ,peter1 7who1 by the way1 never
 had it himself17 and of its being lost 
by ,somebody or other1 7the ,devil it   
seems did not tell them who7 and its    
being found again by a ,lombard ,soldier
 in the ,army of ,king ,antharis1 who   
attempting to cut it with his ,knife1   
was miraculously forced to direct the   
,wound to himself1 and cut his own      

,throat2 that ,king ,antharis and his   
,nobles happened to see the ,fellow do  
it1 and were converted to ,christianity 
by it1 and that the ,king sent the ,key1
 with another made like it1 to ,pope    
,pelagius1 then ,bishop of ,rome1 who   
thereupon assum'd the ,power of opening 
and shutting ,heaven's ,gates2 and he   
afterwards setting a ,price or ,toll    
upon the ,entrance1 as we do here at    
passing a ,turn-pike2 these fine things1
 ,i say1 were successfully managed for  
some ,years before this ,i am now       
speaking of1 and the ,devil got a great 
deal of ,ground by it too2 but now he   
triumph'd openly1 and having set up a   
,murtherer upon the temporal ,throne1   
and a ,church ,emperor upon the         
,ecclesiastic ,throne1 and both of his  
own choosing1 the ,devil may be said to 
begin his new ,kingdom from this        
,epocha1 and call it the ,restoration4  
,since this time indeed the ,devil's    
,affairs went very merrily on1 and the  
,clergy brought so many ,gewgaws into   

their ,worship1 and such devilish       
,principles were mixt with that which we
 call'd the ,christian ,faith1 that in a
 ,word1 from this ,time the ,bishop of  
,rome commenc'd ,whore of ,babylon1 in  
all the most express ,terms that could  
be imagin'd3 ,tyranny of the worst sort 
crept into the ,pontificate1 ,errors of 
all sorts into the ,profession1 and they
 proceeded from one thing to another1   
till the very ,popes1 for so the ,bishop
 of ,rome was now called1 by way of     
,distinction2 ,i say1 the ,popes        
themselves1 their spiritual ,guides1    
profess'd openly to confederate with the
 ,devil1 and to carry on a personal and 
private ,correspondence with him at the 
same time1 taking upon them the ,title  
of ,christ's ,vicar1 and the infallible 
,guide of the ,consciences of           
,christians4  ,this we have sundry      
,instances of in some merry ,popes1 who1
 if ,fame lies not1 were ,sorcerers1    
,magicians1 had familiar ,spirits1 and  
immediate ,conversation with the ,devil1

 as well visibly as invisibly1 and by   
this means became what we call ,devils  
incarnate3 ,upon this account it is that
 ,i have left the ,conversation that    
passes between ,devils and ,men to this 
,place1 as well because ,i believe it   
differs much now in his modern ,state1  
from what it was in his ancient ,state1 
and therefore that which most concerns  
us belongs rather to this part of his   
,history2 as also because1 as ,i am now 
writing to the present ,age1 ,i choose  
to bring the most significant ,parts of 
his ,history1 especially as they relate 
to our selves1 into that ,part of ,time 
that we are most concern'd in4  ,the    
,devil had once1 as ,i observ'd before1 
the universal ,monarchy or ,government  
of ,mankind in himself1 and ,i doubt not
 but in that flourishing ,state of his  
,affairs1 he governed them like what he 
is 7viz47 an absolute ,tyrant2 during   
this ,theocracy of his1 for ,satan is   
call'd the ,god of this ,world1 he did  
not familiarize himself to ,mankind so  

much1 as he finds ,occasion to do now1  
there was not then so much need of it2  
he governed then with an absolute ,sway2
 he had his ,oracles1 where he gave     
,audience to his ,votaries like a       
,deity1 and he had his ,sub-,gods1 who  
under his several ,dispositions receiv'd
 the ,homage of ,mankind in their       
,names2 such were all the ,rabble of the
 ,heathen ,deities1 from ,jupiter the   
,supreme1 to the ,lares or ,houshold    
,gods of every ,family2 these1 ,i say1  
like ,residents1 received the           
,prostrations1 but the ,homage was all  
,satan's2 the ,devil had the ,substance 
of it all1 which was the ,idolatry4     
,during this ,administration of ,hell1  
there was less ,witchcraft1 less true   
literal ,magick than there has been     
since2 there was indeed no need of it1  
the ,,devil did not stoop to the        
,mechanism of his more modern           
,operations1 but rul'd as a ,deity1 and 
receiv'd the ,vows and the ,bows of his 
,subjects in more ,state1 and with more 

,solemnity2 whereas since that1 he is   
content to employ more ,agents and take 
more ,pains himself too2 now he runs up 
and down ,hackney in the ,world1 more   
like a ,drudge than a ,prince1 and much 
more than he did then4  ,hence all those
 ,things we call ,apparitions and       
,visions of ,ghosts1 ,familiar-,spirits 
and ,dealings with the ,devil1 of which 
there is so great a ,variety in the     
,world at this ,time1 were not so much  
known among the ,people1 in those first 
,ages of the ,devil's ,kingdom2 in a    
,word1 the ,devil seems to be put to his
 ,shifts1 and to fly to ,art and        
,stratagem for the carrying on his      
,affairs1 much more now than he did     
then4  ,one ,reason for this may be1    
that he has been more discover'd and    
expos'd in these ,ages1 than he was     
before2 then he could appear in the     
,world in his own proper ,shapes1 and   
yet not be known2 when the ,sons of     
,,god appear'd at the divine ,summons1  
,satan came along with them2 but now he 

has plaid so many scurvy ,tricks upon   
,men1 and they know him so well1 that he
 is oblig'd to play quite out of sight  
and act in disguise2 ,mankind will allow
 nothing of his doing1 and hear nothing 
of his saying1 in his own ,name2 and if 
you propose any ,thing to be done1 and  
it be but said the ,devil is to help in 
the doing it1 or if you say of any ,man 
he deals with the ,devil1 or the ,devil 
has a ,hand in it1 every ,body flies him
 and shuns him1 as the most frightful   
,thing in the ,world4  ,nay1 if any     
,thing strange and improbable be done or
 related to be done1 we presently say   
the ,devil was at the doing it3 ,thus   
the great ,ditch at ,newmarket ,heath1  
is call'd the ,devil's ,ditch2 so the   
,devil built ,crowland ,abby1 and the   
,whispering-,place in ,gloucester       
,cathedral2 nay1 the ,cave at           
,castleton1 only because there's no     
getting to the farther ,end of it1 is   
call'd the ,devil's ,a---- and the like3
 ,the poor ,people of ,wiltshire1 when  

you ask them how the great ,stones at   
,stonehenge were brought thither8       
they'll all tell you the ,devil brought 
them3 ,if any ,mischief extraordinary   
befalls us1 we presently say the ,devil 
was in it1 and the ,devil would have it 
so2 in a ,word1 the ,devil has got an   
ill ,name among us1 and so he is fain to
 act more in ,tenebris1 more incog4 than
 he used to do1 play out of sight       
himself1 and work by the ,sap1 as the   
,engineers call it1 and not openly and  
avowedly in his own ,name and ,person1  
as formerly1 tho' perhaps not with less 
,success than he did before2 and this   
leads me to enquire more narrowly into  
the manner of the ,devil's ,management  
of his ,affairs since the ,christian    
,religion began to spread in the ,world1
 which manifestly differs from his      
,conduct in more antient ,times2 in     
which if we discover some of the most   
consummate ,fool's ,policy1 the most    
profound simple ,craft1 and the most    
subtle shallow ,management of ,things   

that can by our weak ,understandings be 
conceiv'd1 we must only resolve it into 
this1 that in short it is the ,,devil4  
,,chap4 ,,ii4  ,of ,hell as it is       
represented to us1 and how the ,devil is
 to be      understood1 as being        
personally in ,hell1 when at the same   
,time we      find him at ,liberty      
ranging over the ,world4   ,it is true1 
as that learn'd and pleasant ,author1   
the inimitable ,dr4 ,brown says1 the    
,devil is his own ,hell2 one of the most
 constituting ,parts of his ,infelicity 
is1 that he cannot act upon ,mankind    
brevi ,manu1 by his own inherent ,power1
 as well as ,rage2 that he cannot       
unhinge this ,creation1 which1 as ,i    
have observ'd in its ,place1 he had the 
utmost ,aversion to from its ,beginning1
 as it was a stated ,design in the      
,creator to supply his ,place in ,heaven
 with a new ,species of ,beings call'd  
,man1 and fill the ,vacancies occasion'd
 by his ,degeneracy and ,rebellion4     
,this fill'd him with ,rage             

inexpressible1 and horrible ,resolutions
 of ,revenge1 and the ,impossibility of 
executing those ,resolutions torments   
him with ,despair2 this added to what he
 was before1 makes him a compleat       
,devil1 with a ,hell in his own ,breast1
 and a ,fire unquenchable burning about 
his ,heart4  ,i might enlarge here1 and 
very much to the ,purpose1 in describing
 spherically and mathematically that    
exquisite ,quality call'd a devilish    
,spirit1 in which it would naturally    
occur to give you a whole ,chapter upon 
the glorious ,articles of ,malice and   
,envy1 and especially upon that         
luscious1 delightful1 triumphant        
,passion call'd ,,revenge2 how natural  
to ,man1 nay even to both ,sexes2 how   
pleasant in the very ,contemplation1    
tho' there be not just at that ,time a  
,power of ,execution2 how palatable it  
is in it self1 and how well it relishes 
when dish'd up with its proper ,sauces1 
such as ,plot1 ,contrivance1 ,scheme1   
and ,confederacy1 all leading on to     

,execution3 ,how it possesses a human   
,soul in all the most sensible ,parts2  
how it empowers ,mankind to sin in      
,imagination1 as effectually to all     
future ,intents and ,purposes           
7,damnation7 as if he had sinned        
actually3 ,how safe a ,practice it is   
too1 as to ,punishment in this ,life1   
namely1 that it empowers us to cut      
,throats clear of the ,gallows1 to      
slander ,virtue1 reproach ,innocence1   
wound ,honour and stab ,reputation2 and 
in a ,word1 to do all the wicked ,things
 in the ,world1 out of the ,reach of the
 ,law4  ,it would also require some few 
,words to describe the secret           
,operations of those nice ,qualities    
when they reach the human ,soul2 how    
effectually they form a ,hell within us1
 and how imperceptibly they assimilate  
and transform us into ,devils1 meer     
human ,devils1 as really ,devils as     
,satan himself1 or any of his ,angels2  
and that therefore 'tis not so much out 
of the ,way1 as some imagine1 to say1   

such a ,man is an incarnate ,devil2 for 
as ,crime made ,satan a ,devil1 who was 
before a bright immortal ,seraph1 or    
,angel of ,light2 how much more easily  
may the same ,crime make the same       
,,devil1 tho' every ,way meaner and more
 contemptible1 of a ,man or a ,woman    
either8 ,but this is too grave a        
,subject for me at this ,time4  ,the    
,devil being thus1 ,i say1 fir'd with   
,rage and ,envy1 in consequence of his  
,jealousy upon the ,creation of ,man1   
his ,torment is encreased to the highest
 by the ,limitation of his ,power1 and  
his being forbid to act against ,mankind
 by ,force of ,arms2 this is1 ,i say1   
part of his ,hell1 which1 as above1 is  
within him1 and which he carries with   
him wherever he goes2 nor is it so      
difficult to conceive of ,hell1 or of   
the ,devil1 either under this just      
,description1 as it is by all the usual 
,notions that we are taught to entertain
 of them1 by 7the old ,women7 our       
,instructors2 for every ,man may1 by    

taking but a common ,view of himself1   
and making a just ,scrutiny into his own
 ,passions1 on some of their particular 
,excursions1 see a ,hell within himself1
 and himself a meer ,devil as long as   
the ,inflammation lasts2 and that as    
really1 and to all ,intents and         
,purposes1 as if he had the ,angel      
7,satan7 before his ,face1 in his       
,locality and ,personality2 that is to  
say1 all ,devil and ,monster in his     
,person1 and an immaterial but intense  
,fire flaming about and from within him1
 at all the ,pores of his ,body4  ,the  
,notions we receive of the ,devil1 as a 
,person being in ,hell as a ,place1 are 
infinitely absurd and ridiculous2 the   
first we are certain is not true in     
,fact1 because he has a certain         
,liberty1 7however limited that is not  
to the ,purpose7 is daily visible1 and  
to be trac'd in his several ,attacks    
upon ,mankind1 and has been so ever     
since his first ,appearance in          
,paradise2 as to his corporal           

,visibility that is not the present     
,question neither2 'tis enough that we  
can hunt him by the ,foot1 that we can  
follow him as ,hounds do a ,fox upon a  
hot ,scent3 ,we can see him as plainly  
by the ,effect1 by the ,mischief he     
does1 and more by the ,mischief he puts 
us upon doing1 ,i say1 as plainly1 as if
 we saw him by the ,eye4  ,it is not to 
be doubted but the ,devil can see us    
when and where we cannot see him3 and as
 he has a ,personality1 tho' it be      
spirituous1 he and his ,angels too may  
be reasonably supposed to inhabit the   
,world of ,spirits1 and to have free    
,access from thence to the ,regions of  
,life1 and to pass and repass in the    
,air1 as really1 tho' not perceptible to
 us1 as the ,spirits of ,men do after   
their release from the ,body1 pass to   
the ,place 7wherever that is7 which is  
appointed for them4  ,if the ,devil was 
confin'd to a ,place 7,hell7 as a       
,prison1 he could then have no ,business
 here2 and if we pretend to describe    

,hell1 as not a ,prison1 but that the   
,devil has ,liberty to be there1 or not 
be there as he pleased1 then he would   
certainly never be there1 or ,hell is   
not such a ,place as we are taught to   
understand it to be4  ,indeed according 
to some1 ,hell should be a ,place of    
,fire and ,torment to the ,souls that   
are cast into it1 but not to the ,devils
 themselves2 who we make little more or 
less than keepers and ,turnkeys to      
,hell1 as a ,goal2 that they are sent   
about to bring ,souls thither1 lock them
 in when they come1 and then away upon  
the ,scent to fetch more3 ,that one     
,sort of ,devils are made to live in the
 ,world among ,men1 and to be busy      
continually debauching and deluding     
,mankind bringing them as it were to the
 ,gates of ,hell2 and then another ,sort
 are ,porters and ,carriers to fetch    
them in4  ,this is1 in short1 little    
more or less than the old ,story of     
,pluto1 of ,cerberus1 and of ,charon2   
only that our ,tale is not half so well 

told1 nor the ,parts of the ,fable so   
well laid together4  ,in all these      
,notions of ,hell and ,devil1 the       
,torments of the first1 and the ,agency 
of the last ,tormenting1 we meet with   
not one ,word of the main and perhaps   
only ,accent of ,horror1 which belongs  
to us to judge of about ,hell1 ,i mean  
the ,absence of ,heaven2 ,expulsion1 and
 ,exclusion from the ,presence and ,face
 of the chief ,ultimate1 the only       
eternal and sufficient ,good2 and this  
loss sustain'd by a sordid ,neglect of  
our ,concern in that excellent ,part1 in
 exchange for the most contemptible and 
justly condemn'd ,trifles1 and all this 
eternal and irrecoverable3 ,these       
,people tell us nothing of the eternal  
,reproaches of ,conscience1 the ,horror 
of ,desperation1 and the ,anguish of a  
,mind hopeless of ever seeing the       
,glory1 which alone constitutes ,heaven1
 and which makes all other ,places      
dreadful1 and even ,darkness it self4   
,and this brings me directly to the     

,point in ,hand1 7viz47 the ,state of   
that ,hell which we ought to have in    
view when we speak of the ,devil as in  
,hell3 ,this is the very ,hell1 which is
 the ,torment of the ,devil2 in short1  
the ,devil is in ,,hell1 and ,,hell is  
in the ,devil2 he is fill'd with this   
unquenchable ,fire1 he is expel'd the   
,place of ,glory1 banish'd from the     
,regions of ,light1 ,absence from the   
,life of all ,beatitude is his ,curse1  
,despair is the reigning ,passion in his
 ,mind1 and all the little ,constituent 
,parts of his ,torment1 such as ,rage1  
,envy1 ,malice1 and ,jealousy are       
consolidated in this1 to make his       
,misery compleat1 7viz47 the ,duration  
of it all1 the ,eternity of his         
,condition2 that he is without ,hope1   
without ,redemption1 without ,recovery4 
,if any thing can inflame this ,hell and
 make it hotter1 'tis this only1 and    
this does add an inexpressible ,horror  
to the ,devil himself2 namely1 the      
seeing ,man 7the only ,creature he      

hates7 placed in a ,state of ,recovery1 
a glorious ,establishment of ,redemption
 form'd for him in ,heaven1 and the     
,scheme of it perfected on ,earth2 by   
which this ,man1 tho' even the ,devil by
 his ,art may have deluded him1 and     
drawn him into ,crime1 is yet in a      
,state of ,recovery1 which the ,devil is
 not2 and that it is not in his         
7,satan's7 ,power to prevent it3 ,now   
take the ,devil as he is in his own     
,nature ,angelic1 a bright immortal     
,seraph1 ,heaven-born1 and having tasted
 the eternal ,beatitude1 which these are
 appointed to enjoy2 the ,loss of that  
,state to himself1 the ,possession of it
 granted to his ,rival tho' wicked like 
and as himself2 ,i say1 take the ,devil 
as he is1 having a quick ,sense of his  
own ,perdition1 and a stinging ,sight of
 his ,rival's ,felicity1 'tis ,hell     
enough1 and more than enough1 even for  
an ,angel to support2 nothing we can    
conceive can be worse4  ,as to any other
 ,fire than this1 such and so           

immaterially intense as to ,torment a   
,spirit1 which is it self ,fire also2 ,i
 will not say it cannot be1 because to  
,infinite every ,thing is possible1 but 
,i must say1 ,i cannot conceive rightly 
of it4  ,i will not enter here into the 
,wisdom or ,reasonableness of           
representing the ,torments of ,hell to  
be ,fire1 and that ,fire to be a        
,commixture of ,flame and ,sulphur2 it  
has pleased ,god to let the ,horror of  
those eternal ,agonies about a lost     
,heaven1 be laid before us by those     
,similitudes or ,allegories1 which are  
most moving to our ,senses and to our   
,understandings2 nor will ,i dispute the
 ,possibility2 much less will ,i doubt  
but that there is to be a ,consummation 
of ,misery to all the ,objects of       
,misery when the ,devil's ,kingdom in   
this ,world ending with the ,world it   
self1 that ,liberty he has now may be   
farther abridg'd2 when he may be        
return'd to the same ,state he was in   
between the ,time of his ,fall and the  

,creation of the ,world2 with perhaps   
some additional ,vengeance on him1 such 
as at present we cannot describe1 for   
all that ,treason and those high ,crimes
 and ,misdemeanours which he has been   
guilty of here1 in his ,conversation    
with ,mankind4  ,as his ,infelicity will
 be then consummated and compleated1 so 
the ,infelicity of that ,part of        
,mankind1 who are condemn'd with him1   
may receive a considerable ,addition    
from those ,words in their ,sentence1 to
 be tormented with the ,devil and his   
,angels2 for as the ,absence of the     
,supreme ,good is a compleat ,hell1 so  
the hated ,company of the ,deceiver1 who
 was the great ,cause of his ,ruine1    
must be a ,subject of additional        
,horror1 and he will be always saying1  
as a ,scots ,gentleman1 who died of his 
,excesses1 said to the famous ,dr4      
,p----1 who came to see him on his      
,death-bed1 but had been too much his   
,companion in his ,life1    ,o tu       
fundamenta jecisti------   ,i would not 

treat the very ,subject it self with any
 ,indecency1 nor do ,i think my ,opinion
 of that ,hell1 which ,i say consists in
 the ,absence of him1 in whom is        
,heaven1 one ,jot less ,solemn than     
theirs who believe it all ,fire and     
,brimstone2 but ,i must own1 that to me 
nothing can be more ridiculous than the 
,notions that we entertain and fill our 
,heads with about ,hell1 and about the  
,devil's being there tormenting of      
,souls1 broiling them upon ,gridirons1  
hanging them up upon ,hooks1 carrying   
them upon their ,backs1 and the like1   
with the several ,pictures of ,hell1    
represented by a great ,mouth with      
horrible ,teeth1 gaping like a ,cave on 
the ,sides of a ,mountain2 suppose that 
appropriated to ,satan in the ,peak1    
which indeed is not much unlike it1 with
 a ,stream of ,fire coming out of it1 as
 there is of ,water1 and smaller ,devils
 going and coming continually in and    
out1 to fetch and carry ,souls the ,lord
 knows whither1 and for the ,lord knows 

what4  ,these ,things1 however intended 
for ,terror1 are indeed so ridiculous1  
that the ,devil himself1 to be sure1    
mocks at them1 and a ,man of ,sense can 
hardly refrain doing the like1 only ,i  
avoid it1 because ,i would not give     
offence to weaker ,heads4  ,however1 ,i 
must not ,compliment the ,brains of     
other ,men1 at the ,expence of my own1  
or talk ,nonsense because they can      
understand no other2 ,i think all these 
,notions and ,representations of ,hell  
and of the ,devil1 to be as prophane as 
they are ridiculous1 and ,i ought no    
more to talk prophanely than merrily of 
them4  ,let us learn to talk of these   
,things then1 as we should do2 and as we
 really cannot describe them to our     
,reason and ,understanding1 why should  
we describe them to our ,senses2 we had1
 ,i think1 much better not describe them
 at all1 that is to say1 not attempt it3
 ,the blessed ,apostle ,st4 ,paul was1  
as he said himself1 carried up1 or      
caught up into the third ,heaven1 yet   

when he came down again1 he could       
neither tell what he heard or describe  
what he saw2 all he could say of it was1
 that what he heard was inutterable1 and
 what he saw was inconceivable4  ,it is 
the same thing as to the ,state of the  
,devil in those ,regions which he now   
possesses1 and where he now more        
particularly inhabits2 my present       
,business then is not to enter into     
those grave ,things so as to make them  
ridiculous1 as ,i think most ,people do 
that talk of them2 but as the ,devil1   
let his ,residence be where it will1 has
 evidently free ,leave to come and go1  
not into this ,world only2 7,i mean1 the
 ,region of our ,atmosphere17 but for   
ought we know1 to all the other         
inhabited ,worlds which ,god has made1  
where-ever they are1 and by whatsoever  
,names they are or may be known or      
distinguished2 for if he is not confined
 in one ,place1 we have no ,reason to   
believe he is excluded from any ,place1 
,heaven only excepted1 from whence he   

was expell'd for his ,treason and       
,rebellion4  ,his ,liberty then being   
thus ascertain'd1 three ,things seem to 
be material for us to give an ,account  
of1 in order to form this ,part of his  
,history4       #a4 ,what his ,business 
is on this ,globe of ,earth which we    
vulgarly      call the ,world1 how he   
acts among us1 what ,affairs ,mankind   
and he      have together1 and how far  
his ,conduct here relates to ,us1 and   
,ours      is1 or may be influenc'd by  
him4       #b4 ,where his ,principal    
,residence is1 and whether he has not a 
particular ,empire of his own1 to which 
he retreats upon proper      ,occasions2
 where he entertains his ,friends when  
they come under his      particular     
,administration2 and where1 when he gets
 any ,victory over      his ,enemies1 he
 carries his ,prisoners of ,war4        
#c4 ,what may probably be the great     
,business this black ,emperor has       
at present upon his ,hands1 either in   
this ,world or out of it1 and      by   

what ,agents he works4   ,as these      
,things may perhaps run promiscuously   
thro' the ,course of this whole ,work1  
and frequently be touch'd at under other
 ,branches of the ,devil's ,history1 so 
,i do not propose them as ,heads of     
,chapters or ,particular ,sections1 for 
the ,order of ,discourse to be handled  
apart2 for 7by the way7 as ,satan's     
,actings have not been the most regular 
,things in the ,world1 so in our        
,discourse about him1 it must not be    
expected that we can always tie our     
selves down to ,order and ,regularity1  
either as to ,time1 or ,place1 or       
,persons2 for ,satan being hic  ubique1 
a loose ungovern'd ,fellow1 we must be  
content to trace him where we can find  
him4  ,it is true1 in the foregoing     
,chapter1 ,i shew'd you the ,,devil     
entred into the ,herd ,ecclesiastick1   
and gave you some ,account of the first 
successful ,step he took with ,mankind  
since the ,christian ,epocha2 how having
 secretly managed both ,temporal and    

,spiritual ,power apart1 and by         
themselves1 he now united them in ,point
 of ,management1 and brought the ,church
 ,usurpation and the ,army's ,usurpation
 together2 the ,pope to bless the       
,general in deposing and murthering his 
,master the ,emperor2 and the ,general  
to recognise the ,pope in dethroning his
 ,master ,christ ,jesus4  ,from this    
time forward you are to allow the ,devil
 a mystical ,empire in this ,world2 not 
an ,action of ,moment done without him1 
not a ,treason but he has a ,hand in it1
 not a ,tyrant but he prompts him1 not a
 ,government but he has a ---- in it2   
not a ,fool but he tickles him1 not a   
,knave but he guides him2 he has a      
,finger in every ,fraud1 a ,key to every
 ,cabinet1 from the ,divan at           
,constantinople1 to the ,mississipi in  
,france1 and to the ,south-,sea ,cheats 
at ------2 from the first ,attack upon  
the ,christian ,world1 in the ,person of
 the ,romish ,antichrist1 down to the   
,bull ,unigenitus2 and from the ,mixture

 of ,st4 ,peter and ,confucius in       
,china1 to the ,holy ,office in ,spain2 
and down to the ,emlins and ,dodwells of
 the current ,age4  ,how he has managed1
 and does manage1 and how in all        
,probability he will manage till his    
,kingdom shall come to a ,period1 and   
how at last he will probably be managed 
himself1 ,enquire within1 and you shall 
know farther4     ,,chap4 ,,iii4  ,of   
the ,manner of ,satan's acting and      
carrying on his ,affairs in this        
,world1 and particularly of his ordinary
 ,workings in the dark1 by              
,possession and ,agitation4   ,the      
,devil being thus reduc'd to act upon   
,mankind by ,stratagem only1 it remains 
to enquire how he performs1 and which   
way he directs his ,attacks2 the        
,faculties of ,man are a kind of a      
,garrison in a strong ,castle1 which as 
they defend it on the one hand under the
 ,command of the reasoning ,power of    
,man's ,soul1 so they are prescribed on 
the other hand1 and can't sally out     

without ,leave2 for the ,governor of a  
,fort does not permit his ,soldiers to  
hold any ,correspondence with the       
,enemy1 without special ,order and      
,direction4 ,now the great ,enquiry     
before us is1 ,how comes the ,,devil to 
a ,parley with us8 how does he converse 
with our ,senses1 and with the          
,understanding8 ,how does he reach us1  
which way does he come at the           
,affections1 and which way does he move 
the ,passions8 ',tis a little difficult 
to discover this treasonable            
,correspondence1 and that ,difficulty is
 indeed the ,devil's ,advantage1 and1   
for ought ,i see1 the chief ,advantage  
he has over ,mankind4  ,it is also a    
great ,enquiry here1 whether the ,devil 
knows our ,thoughts or no8 ,if ,i may   
give my ,opinion1 ,i am with the        
negative2 ,i deny that he knows any     
thing of our ,thoughts1 except of those 
,thoughts which he puts us upon         
thinking1 for ,i will not doubt but he  
has the ,art to inject ,thoughts1 and to

 revive dormant ,thoughts in us3 ,it is 
not so wild a ,scheme as some take it to
 be1 that ,mr4 ,milton lays down1 to    
represent the ,devil injecting corrupt  
,desires and wandring ,thoughts into the
 ,head of ,eve1 by ,dreams1 and that he 
brought her to ,dream whatever he put   
into her ,thoughts1 by whispering to her
 vocally when she was asleep2 and to    
this ,end1 he imagines the ,,devil      
laying himself close to her ,ear1 in the
 ,shape of a ,toad1 when she was fall   
asleep2 ,i say1 this is not so wild a   
,scheme1 seeing even now1 if you can    
whisper any thing close to the ,ear of a
 ,person in a deep ,sleep1 so as to     
speak distinctly to the ,person1 and yet
 not awaken him1 as has been frequently 
tried1 the ,person sleeping shall dream 
distinctly of what you say to him2 nay1 
shall dream the very ,words you say4    
,we have then no more to ask1 but how   
the ,,devil can convey himself to the   
,ear of a sleeping ,person1 and it is   
granted then that he may have ,power to 

make us dream what he pleases3 ,but this
 is not all1 for if he can so forcibly1 
by his invisible ,application1 cause us 
to dream1 what he pleases1 why can he   
not with the same ,facility prompt our  
,thoughts1 whether sleeping or waking8  
,to dream1 is nothing else but to think 
sleeping2 and we have abundance of      
deep-headed ,gentlemen among us1 who    
give us ample ,testimony that they dream
 waking4  ,but if the ,,devil can prompt
 us to dream1 that is to say1 to think1 
yet if he does not know our ,thoughts1  
how then can he tell whether the        
,whisper had its ,effect8 ,the answer is
 plain1 the ,,devil1 like the ,angler1  
baits the ,hook1 if the ,fish bite he   
lies ready to take the ,advantage1 he   
whispers to the ,imagination1 and then  
waits to see how it works2 as ,naomi    
said to ,ruth1 ,chap4 iii4 #e1 #ah4 ,sit
 still1 my ,daughter1 until thou know   
how the ,matter will fall1 for the ,man 
will not be at rest until he have       
finished the thing4 ,thus when the      

,,devil had whisper'd to ,eve in her    
,sleep1 according to ,milton1 and       
suggested ,mischief to her ,imagination1
 he only sat still to see how the       
,matter would work1 for he knew if it   
took with her1 he should hear more of   
it2 and then by finding her alone the   
next ,day1 without her ordinary ,guard  
her ,husband1 he presently concluded she
 had swallowed the ,bait1 and so        
attack'd her afresh4  ,a small deal of  
,craft1 and less by far than we have    
reason to believe the ,devil is ,master 
of1 will serve to discover whether such 
and such ,thoughts as he knows he has   
suggested1 have taken ,place or no2 the 
,action of the ,person presently        
discovers it1 at least to him that lies 
always upon the ,watch1 and has every   
,word1 every ,gesture1 every ,step we   
take subsequent to his ,operation1 open 
to him2 it may therefore1 for ought we  
know1 be a great ,mistake1 and what most
 of us are guilty of1 to tell our       
,dreams to one another in the ,morning1 

after we have been disturb'd with them  
in the ,night2 for if the ,devil        
converses with us so insensibly as some 
are of the ,opinion he does1 that is to 
say1 if he can hear as far as we can    
see1 we may be telling our ,story to him
 indeed1 when we think we are only      
talking to one another4  ,this brings me
 most naturally to the important        
,enquiry1 whether the ,devil can walk   
about the ,world invisibly or no8 ,the  
,truth is1 this is no question to me2   
for as ,i have taken away his           
,visibility already1 and have denied him
 all ,prescience of ,futurity too1 and  
have prov'd he cannot know our          
,thoughts1 nor put any ,force upon      
,persons or ,actions1 if we should take 
away his ,invisibility too1 we should   
undevil him quite1 to all ,intents and  
,purposes1 as to any ,mischief he could 
do2 nay1 it would banish him the ,world1
 and he might e'en go and seek his      
,fortune some where else2 for if he     
could neither be visible or invisible1  

neither act in publick or in private1 he
 could neither have ,business or ,being 
in this ,sphere1 nor could we be any way
 concern'd with him4  ,the ,devil       
therefore most certainly has a ,power   
and ,liberty of moving about in this    
,world1 after some manner or another2   
this is verify'd as well by way of      
,allegory1 as by way of ,history1 in the
 ,scripture it self2 and as the first   
strongly suggests and supposes it to be 
so1 the last positively asserts it2 and1
 not to croud this ,work with           
,quotations from a ,book which we have  
not much to do with in the ,devil's     
,story1 at least not much to his        
,satisfaction1 ,i only hint his personal
 ,appearance to our ,saviour in the     
,wilderness1 where it is said1 the      
,devil taketh him up to an exceeding    
high ,mountain2 and in another ,place1  
the ,devil departed from him4 ,what     
,shape or ,figure he appear'd in1 we do 
not find mentioned1 but ,i cannot doubt 
his appearing to him there1 any more    

than ,i can his talking to our ,saviour 
in the ,mouths1 and with the ,voices of 
the several ,persons who were under the 
terrible ,affliction of an actual       
,possession4  ,these ,things leave us no
 room to doubt of what is advanced      
above1 namely1 that he1 7the ,devil7 has
 a certain ,residence1 or ,liberty of   
residing in1 and moving about upon the  
,surface of this ,earth1 as well as in  
the ,compass of the ,atmosphere1        
vulgarly call'd the ,air1 in some manner
 or other3 ,that is the general4  ,it   
remains to enquire into the manner1     
which ,i resolve into two ,kinds2       
#a4 ,ordinary1 which ,i suppose to be   
his invisible ,motions as a             
,spirit2 under which ,consideration ,i  
suppose him to have an      unconfin'd1 
unlimited1 unrestrain'd ,liberty1 as to 
the manner of      acting2 and this     
either in ,persons1 by ,possession2 or  
in ,things1 by      ,agitation4         
#b4 ,extraordinary2 which ,i understand 
to be his ,appearances in      borrowed 

,shapes and ,bodies1 or ,shadows rather 
of ,bodies2 assuming      ,speech1      
,figure1 ,posture1 and ,several ,powers1
 of which we can give      little or no 
,account2 in which extraordinary manner 
of ,appearances1      he is either      
limited by a ,superior ,power1 or limits
 himself      politically1 as being not 
the ,way most for his ,interest or      
,purpose1      to act in his ,business1 
which is more effectually done in his   
,state      of ,obscurity4   ,hence we  
must suppose the ,devil has it very much
 in his own ,choice1 whether to act in  
one ,capacity1 or in the other1 or in   
both2 that is to say1 of appearing1 and 
not appearing1 as he finds for his      
,purpose3 ,in this ,state of            
,invisibility1 and under the ,operation 
of these ,powers and ,liberties1 he     
performs all his ,functions and         
,offices1 as ,devil1 as ,prince of      
,darkness1 as ,god of this ,world1 as   
,tempter1 ,accuser1 ,deceiver1 and all  
whatsoever other ,names of ,office1 or  

,titles of ,honour he is known by4  ,now
 taking him in this large unlimited1 or 
little limited ,state of ,action1 he is 
well call'd1 the ,god of this ,world1   
for he has very much of the ,attribute  
of ,omnipresence1 and may be said1      
either by himself or his ,agents1 to be 
every where1 and see every thing2 that  
is to say1 every thing that is visible2 
for ,i cannot allow him any ,share of   
,omniscience at all4  ,that he ranges   
about every where1 is with us1 and      
sometimes in us1 sees when he is not    
seen1 hears when he is not heard1 comes 
in without ,leave1 and goes out without 
,noise1 is neither to be shut in or shut
 out1 that when he runs from us we can't
 catch him1 and when he runs after us we
 can't escape him1 is seen when he is   
not known1 and is known when he is not  
seen2 all these things1 and more1 we    
have ,knowledge enough about to convince
 us of the ,truth of them2 so that1 as  
,i have said above1 he is certainly     
walking to and fro thro' the ,earth1 c4 

after some manner or other1 and in some 
,figure or other1 visible or invisible1 
as he finds ,occasion4 ,now in order to 
make our ,history of him complete1 the  
next ,question before us is1 how1 and in
 what manner he acts with ,mankind8 how 
his ,kingdom is carried on1 and by what 
,methods he does his ,business1 for he  
certainly has a great deal of ,business 
to do2 he is not an idle ,spectator1 nor
 is he walking about incognito1 and     
cloth'd in ,mist and ,darkness1 purely  
in ,kindness to us1 that we should not  
be frighted at him2 but 'tis in ,policy1
 that he may act undiscover'd1 that he  
may see and not be seen1 may play his   
,game in the dark1 and not be detected  
in his ,roguery2 that he may prompt     
,mischief1 raise ,tempests1 blow up     
,coals1 kindle ,strife1 embroil         
,nations1 use ,instruments1 and not be  
known to have his ,hand in any thing1   
when at the same time he really has a   
,hand in every thing4  ,some are of     
,opinion1 and ,i among the rest1 that if

 the ,devil was personally and visibly  
present among us1 and we conversed with 
him ,face to ,face1 we should be so     
familiar with him in a little time1 that
 his ugly ,figure would not affect us at
 all1 that his ,terrors would not fright
 us1 or that we should any more trouble 
our selves about him1 than we did with  
the last great ,comet in #afgh1 which   
appear'd so long and so constantly      
without any particular known ,event1    
that at last we took no more ,notice of 
it than of the other ordinary ,stars    
which had appear'd before we or our     
,ancestors were born4  ,nor indeed      
should we have much ,reason to be       
frighted at him1 or at least none of    
those silly ,things could be said of him
 which we now amuse our selves about1   
and by which we set him up like a       
,scare-,crow to fright ,children and old
 ,women1 to fill up old ,stories1 make  
,songs and ,ballads1 and in a ,word1    
carry on the low priz'd ,buffoonery of  
the common ,people2 we should either see

 him in his ,angelic ,form1 as he was   
from the ,original1 or if he has any    
,deformities entail'd upon him by the   
supreme ,sentence1 and in ,justice to   
the ,deformity of his ,crime1 they would
 be of a superior ,nature1 and fitted   
more for our ,contempt as well as       
,horror1 than those weak fancied        
,trifles contrived by our antient       
,devil-raisers and ,devil-makers1 to    
feed the wayward ,fancies of old        
,witches and ,sorcerers1 who cheated the
 ignorant ,world with a ,devil of their 
own making1 set forth1 in terrorem1 with
 ,bat's ,wings1 ,horns1 cloven ,foot1   
long ,tail1 fork'd ,tongue1 and the     
like4  ,in the next ,place1 be his      
frightful ,figure what it would1 and his
 ,legions as numerous as the ,host of   
,heaven1 we should see him still1 as the
 ,prince of ,devils1 tho' monstrous as a
 ,dragon1 flaming as a ,comet1 tall as a
 ,mountain1 yet dragging his ,chain     
after him equal to the utmost of his    
supposed ,strength2 always in ,custody  

of his ,jailors the ,angels1 his ,power 
over-power'd1 his ,rage cow'd and       
abated1 or at least aw'd and under      
,correction1 limited and restrain'd2 in 
a ,word1 we should see him a vanquish'd 
,slave1 his ,spirit broken1 his ,malice1
 tho' not abated1 yet ,hand-cuff'd and  
overpower'd1 and he not able to work any
 ,thing against us by ,force2 so that he
 would be to us but like the ,lions in  
the ,tower1 encag'd and lock'd up1      
unable to do the ,hurt he wishes to do1 
and that we fear1 or indeed any hurt at 
all4  ,from hence 'tis evident1 that    
'tis not his ,business to be public1 or 
to walk up and down in the ,world       
visibly1 and in his own ,shape2 his     
,affairs require a quite different      
,management1 as might be made apparent  
from the ,nature of ,things1 and the    
,manner of our ,actings1 as ,men1 either
 with our selves or to one another4     
,nor could he be serviceable in his     
,generation1 as a public ,person as now 
he is1 or answer the ,end of his ,party 

who employ him1 and who1 if he was to do
 their ,business in public1 as he does  
in private1 would not be able to employ 
him at all4  ,as in our modern ,meetings
 for the ,propagation of ,impudence and 
other ,virtues1 there would be no       
,entertainment and no ,improvement for  
the ,good of the ,age1 if the ,people   
did not all appear in ,masque1 and      
conceal'd from the common ,observation2 
so neither could ,satan 7from whose     
,management those more happy ,assemblies
 are taken as ,copies of a glorious     
,original7 perform the usual and        
necessary ,business of his ,profession1 
if he did not appear wholly in ,covert  
and under needful ,disguises2 how1 but  
for the ,convenience of his ,habit1     
could he call himself into so many      
,shapes1 act on so many different       
,scenes1 and turn so many ,wheels of    
,state in the ,world1 as he has done8 as
 a meer profess'd ,devil he could do    
nothing4  ,had he been oblig'd always to
 act the meer ,devil in his own         

,clothes1 and with his own ,shape1      
appearing uppermost in all ,cafes and   
,places1 he could never have preach'd in
 so many ,pulpits1 presided in so many  
,councils1 voted in so many ,committees1
 sat in so many ,courts1 and influenc'd 
so many ,parties and ,factions in       
,church and ,state1 as we have ,reason  
to believe he has done in our ,nation1  
and in our ,memories too1 as well as in 
other ,nations and in more antient      
,times4 ,the ,share ,satan has had in   
all the weighty ,confusions of the      
,times1 ever since the first ,ages of   
,christianity in the ,world1 has been   
carried on with so much ,secresy1 and so
 much with an ,air of ,cabal and        
,intrigue1 that nothing can have been   
manag'd more subtilly and closely1 and  
in the same ,manner has he acted in our 
,times1 in order to conceal his         
,interest1 and conceal the ,influence he
 has had in the ,councils of the ,world4
  ,had it been possible for him to have 
raised the ,flames of ,rebellion and    

,war so often in this ,nation1 as he    
certainly has done8 ,could he have      
agitated the ,parties on both ,sides1   
and inflam'd the ,spirits of three      
,nations1 if he had appears in his own  
,dress1 a meer naked ,,devil8 ,it is not
 the ,devil as a ,devil that does the   
,mischief1 but the ,devil in            
,masquerade1 ,satan in full ,disguise1  
and acting at the ,head of civil        
,confusion and ,distraction4  ,if       
,history may be credited1 the ,french   
,court at the ,time of our old          
,confusions was made the ,scene of      
,satan's ,politicks1 and prompted both  
,parties in ,england and in ,scotland   
also to quarrel1 and how was it done8   
,will any ,man offer to scandalize the  
,devil so much as to say1 or so much as 
to suggest that ,satan had no ,hand in  
it all8 ,did not the ,devil1 by the     
,agency of ,cardinal ,richlieu1 send    
#djjjjj ,crowns at one ,time1 and       
#fjjjjj at another1 to the ,scots1 to   
raise an ,army and march boldly into    

,england8 and did not the same ,devil at
 the same time1 by other ,agents1 remit 
#hjjjjj ,crowns to the other ,party1 in 
order to raise an ,army to fall upon the
 ,scots8 nay1 did not the ,devil with   
the same ,subtilty send down the        
,archbishop's ,order to impose the      
,service-,book upon the ,people in      
,scotland1 and at the same ,time raise a
 ,mob against it1 in the great ,church  
7at ,st4 ,giles's78 ,nay1 did not he    
actually1 in the ,person of an old      
,woman 7his favourite ,instrument7 throw
 the three-leg'd ,stool at the          
,service-,book1 and animate the zealous 
,people to take up ,arms for ,religion1 
and turn ,rebels for ,god ,sake8  ,all  
these happy and successful              
,undertakings1 tho' 'tis no more to be  
doubted they were done by the ,agency of
 ,satan1 and in a very surprizing       
,manner too1 yet were all done in       
secret1 by what ,i call ,possession and 
,injection1 and by the ,agency and      
,contrivance of such ,instruments1 or by

 the ,devil in the ,disguise of such    
,servants as he found out fitted to be  
employ'd in his ,work1 and who he took a
 more effectual ,care in concealing of4 
,but we shall have ,occasion to touch   
all this ,part over again1 when we come 
to discourse of the particular ,habits  
and ,disguises which the ,devil has made
 use of1 all along in the ,world1 the   
better to cover his ,actions1 and to    
conceal his being concern'd in them4    
,in the mean ,time the ,cunning or      
,artifice the ,devil makes use of in all
 these ,things is in it self very       
considerable2 'tis an old ,practice of  
his using1 and he has gone on in diverse
 ,measures1 for the better concealing   
himself in it2 which ,measures1 tho' he 
varies sometimes1 as his extraordinary  
,affairs require1 yet they are in all   
,ages much the same1 and have the same  
,tendency2 namely1 that he may get all  
his ,business carried on by the         
,instrumentality of ,fools2 that he may 
make ,mankind ,agents in their own      

,destruction1 and that he may have all  
his ,work done in such a ,manner as that
 he may seem to have no ,hand in it2 nay
 he contrives so well1 that the very    
,name ,devil is put upon his opposite   
,party1 and the ,scandal of the black   
,agent lies all upon them4  ,in order   
then to look a little into his ,conduct1
 let us enquire into the common         
,mistakes about him1 see what ,use is   
made of them to his ,advantage1 and how 
far ,mankind is imposed upon in those   
,particulars1 and to what ,purpose4     
,,chap4 ,,iv4  ,of ,satan's ,agents or  
,missionaries1 and their ,actings upon  
and in the      ,minds of ,men in his   
,name4   ,infinite ,advantages attend   
the ,devil in his retired ,government1  
as they respect the ,management of his  
,interests1 and the carrying on his     
absolute ,monarchy in the ,world2       
particularly as it gives him room to act
 by the ,agency of his inferior         
,ministers and ,messengers1 call'd on   
many ,occasions his ,angels1 of whom he 

has an innumerable ,multitude1 at his   
,command1 enough1 for ought we know1 to 
spare one to attend every ,man and      
,woman now alive in the ,world2 and of  
whom1 if we may believe our second sight
 ,christians1 the ,air is always as     
full1 as a ,beam of the ,evening ,sun is
 of ,insects1 where they are ever ready 
for ,business1 and to go and come as    
their great ,governor issues out ,orders
 for their ,directions4  ,these1 as they
 are all of the same spirituous ,quality
 with himself1 and consequently         
invisible like him1 except as above1 are
 ready upon all ,occasions to be sent to
 and into any such ,person1 and for such
 ,purposes1 superior ,limitations only  
excepted1 as the grand ,director of     
,devils1 7,the ,devil properly so call'd
 guides them27 and be the ,subject or   
the ,object what it will1 that is to    
say1 be the ,person they are sent to1 or
 into1 as above1 who it will1 and the   
,business the ,messenger is to do what  
it will1 they are sufficiently          

qualified2 for this is a ,particular to 
,satan's ,messengers or ,agents1 that   
they are not like us humane ,devils here
 in the ,world1 some bred up one ,way1  
some another1 some of one ,trade1 some  
of another1 and consequently some fit   
for some ,business1 some for another1   
some good for something1 and some good  
for nothing1 but his ,people are every  
one fit for every ,thing1 can find their
 ,way every where1 and are a ,match for 
every ,body they are sent to2 in a      
,word1 there are no foolish ,devils1    
they are all fully qualified for their  
,employment1 fit for any thing he sets  
them about1 and very seldom mistake     
their ,errand or fail in the ,business  
they are sent to do4  ,nor is it strange
 at all1 that the ,devil should have    
such a numberless ,train of ,deputy     
,devils to act under him2 for it must be
 acknowledged he has a great deal of    
,business upon his ,hands1 a vast deal  
of ,work to do1 abundance of public     
,affairs under his ,direction1 and an   

infinite ,variety of particular ,cases  
always before him2 for ,example4  ,how  
many ,governments in the ,world are     
wholly in his ,administration8 how many 
,divans and great ,councils under his   
,direction8 nay1 ,i believe1 'twould be 
hard to prove that there is or has been 
one ,council of ,state in the ,world for
 many hundred ,years past1 down to the  
,year #agac1 7we don't pretend to come  
nearer home7 where the ,devil by        
himself1 or his ,agents in one ,shape or
 another1 has not sat as a ,member1 if  
not taken the ,chair4  ,and tho' some   
learn'd ,authors may dispute this ,point
 with me1 by giving some ,examples where
 the ,councils of ,princes have been    
acted by a better ,hand1 and where      
,things have been carried against       
,satan's ,interest1 and even to his     
great ,mortification1 it amounts to no  
more than this2 namely1 that in such    
,cases the ,devil has been out-voted2   
but it does not argue but he might have 
been present there1 and have push'd his 

,interest as far as he could1 only that 
he had not the ,success he expected2 for
 ,i don't pretend to say that he has    
never been disappointed2 but those      
,examples are so rare1 and of so small  
,signification1 that when ,i come to the
 ,particulars1 as ,i shall do in the    
,sequel of this ,history1 you will find 
them hardly worth naming2 and that1 take
 it one ,time with another1 the ,devil  
has met with such a ,series of ,success 
in all his ,affairs1 and has so seldom  
been baulk'd2 and where he has met with 
a little ,check in his ,politicks1 has  
notwithstanding1 so soon and so easily  
recover'd himself1 regain'd his lost    
,ground1 or replac'd himself in another 
,country when he has been supplanted in 
one1 that his ,empire is far from being 
lessen'd in the ,world1 for the last    
thousand ,years of the ,christian       
,establishment4  ,suppose we take an    
,observation from the ,beginning of     
,luther1 or from the ,year #adbj1 and   
call the ,reformation a ,blow to the    

,devil's ,kingdom1 which before that was
 come to such a ,height in ,christendom1
 that 'tis a ,question not yet thorowly 
decided1 whether that ,medley of        
,superstition and horrible ,heresies1   
that ,mass of ,enthusiam and ,idols     
call'd the ,catholick ,hierarchy1 was a 
,church of ,god or a ,church of the     
,devil2 whether it was an ,assembly of  
,saints or a ,synagogue of ,satan3 ,i   
say1 take that ,time to be the ,epocha  
of ,satan's ,declension and of          
,lucifer's falling from ,heaven1 that   
is1 from the ,top of his terrestrial    
,glory1 yet whether he did not gain in  
the ,defection of the ,greek ,church    
about that ,time and since1 as much as  
he lost in the ,reformation of the      
,roman1 is what ,authors are not yet    
agreed about1 not reckoning what he has 
regain'd since of the ,ground which he  
had lost even by the ,reformation1      
7viz47 the ,countries of the ,duke of   
,savoy's ,dominion1 where the           
,reformation is almost eaten out by     

,persecution2 the whole ,valtoline and  
some adjacent ,countries2 the whole     
,kingdom of ,poland and almost all      
,hungary2 for since the last ,war the   
,reformation1 as it were1 lies gasping  
for ,breath1 and expiring in that       
,country1 also several large ,provinces 
in ,germany1 as ,austria1 ,carinthia1   
and the whole ,kingdom of ,bohemia1     
where the ,reformation once powerfully  
planted1 receiv'd its ,death's ,wound at
 the ,battle of ,prague1 ,ann4 #afbg1   
and languish'd but a very little while1 
died and was buried1 and good ,king     
,,popery reign'd in its stead4  ,to     
these ,countries thus regain'd to       
,satan's infernal ,empire1 let us add   
his modern ,conquests and the           
,encroachments he has made upon the     
,reformation in the present ,age1 which 
are1 however light we make of them1 very
 considerable 7viz47 the ,electorate of 
the ,rhine and the ,palatinate1 the one 
fallen to the ,house of ,bavaria1 and   
the other to that of ,neuburgh1 both    

,popish2 the ,dutchy of ,deux ,ponts    
fallen just now to a popish ,branch1 the
 whole ,electorate of ,saxony fallen    
under the ,power of popish ,government  
by the ,apostacy of their ,princes1 and 
more likely to follow the ,fate of      
,bohemia1 whenever the diligent ,devil  
can bring his new ,project in ,poland to
 bear1 as 'tis more than probable he    
will do so some time or other1 by the   
growing ,zeal as well as ,power of 7that
 ,house of ,bigots7 the ,house of       
,a----4  ,but to sum up the dull ,story2
 we must add in the ,roll of the        
,devil's ,conquests1 the whole ,kingdom 
of ,france1 where we have in one ,year  
seen1 to the immortal ,glory of the     
,devil's ,politicks1 that his ,measures 
have prevailed to the total ,extirpation
 of the ,protestant ,churches without a 
,war2 and that ,interest which for #bjj 
,years had supported it self in spight  
of ,persecutions1 ,massacres1 five civil
 ,wars and innumerable ,battles and     
,slaughters1 at last receiv'd its mortal

 ,wound from its own ,champion ,henry   
,,iv4 and sunk into utter ,oblivion1 by 
,satan's most exquisite ,management     
under the ,agency of his two prime      
,ministers ,cardinal ,richlieu and      
,lewis the ,,xiv1 whom he entirely      
possess'd4  ,thus far we have a         
melancholy ,view of the ,devil's new    
,conquests1 and the ,ground he has      
regain'd upon the ,reformation1 in which
 his secret ,management has been so     
exquisite1 and his ,politicks so good1  
that could he bring but one ,thing to   
pass1 which by his own former ,mistake1 
7for the ,devil is not infallible7 he   
has rendred impossible1 he would bring  
the ,protestant ,interest so near its   
,ruin1 that ,heaven would be1 as it     
were1 put to the ,necessity of working  
by ,miracle to prevent it2 the ,case is 
thus4  ,antient ,historians tell us1 and
 from good ,authority1 that the ,,devil 
finding it for his ,interest to bring   
his favourite ,mahomet upon the ,stage1 
and spread the victorious ,half-,moon   

upon the ,ruin of the ,cross1 having    
with great ,success1 rais'd first the   
,saracen ,empire1 and then the ,turkish 
to such a ,height1 as that the ,name of 
,christian seemed to be extirpated in   
those two ,quarters of the ,world1 which
 were then not the greatest only1 but by
 far the most powerful1 ,i mean ,asia   
and ,africa2 having totally laid wast   
all those antient and flourishing       
,churches of ,africa1 the ,labours of   
,st4 ,cyprian1 ,tertullian1 ,st4        
,augustine1 and #fgj ,christian ,bishops
 and ,fathers1 who govern'd there at    
once1 also all the ,churches of ,smyrna1
 ,philadelphia1 ,ephesus1 ,sardis1      
,antioch1 ,laodicea1 and innumerable    
others in ,pontus1 ,bithynia1 and the   
,provinces of the lesser ,asia4  ,the   
,devil having1 ,i say1 finish'd these   
,conquests so much to his ,satisfaction1
 began to turn his ,eyes ,northward1 and
 tho' he had a considerable ,interest in
 the ,whore of ,babylon1 and had brought
 his ,power by the ,subjection of the   

,roman ,hierarchy to a great ,height1   
yet finding the ,interest of ,mahomet   
most suitable to his devilish ,purposes1
 as most adapted to the ,destruction of 
,mankind1 and laying waste the ,world1  
he resolv'd to espouse the growing      
,power of the ,turk1 and bring him in   
upon ,europe like a ,deluge4  ,in order 
to this1 and to make ,way for an easy   
,conquest1 like a true ,devil he work'd 
under ,ground1 and sap'd the ,foundation
 of the ,christian ,power1 by sowing    
,discord among the reigning ,princes of 
,europe2 that so envying one another    
they might be content to stand still and
 look on while the ,turk devoured them  
one by one1 and at last might swallow   
them up all4  ,this devilish ,policy    
took to his ,heart's ,content2 the      
,christian ,princes stood still1 stupid1
 dozing1 and unconcern'd1 till the ,turk
 conquered ,thrace1 over-run ,servia1   
,macedonia1 ,bulgaria1 and all the      
,remains of the ,grecian ,empire1 and at
 last the ,imperial ,city of            

,constantinople it self4  ,finding this 
politic ,method so well answer his      
,ends1 the ,devil1 who always improves  
upon the ,success of his own            
,experiments1 resolv'd from that time to
 lay a ,foundation for the making those 
,divisions and ,jealousies of the       
,christian ,princes immortal2 whereas   
they were at first only personal1 and   
founded in private ,quarrels between the
 ,princes respectively2 such as         
,emulation of one another's ,glory1     
,envy at the extraordinary ,valour1 or  
other ,merit of this or that ,leader1 or
 ,revenge of some little ,affront2 for  
which notwithstanding1 so great was the 
,piety of ,christian ,princes in those  
,days1 that they made no ,scruple to    
sacrifice whole ,armies1 yea1 ,nations1 
to their ,piques and private ,quarrels1 
a certain ,sign whose ,management they  
were under4  ,these being the ,causes by
 which the ,,devil first sow'd the      
,seeds of ,mischief among them1 and the 
,success so well answering his ,design1 

he could not but wish to have the same  
,advantage always ready at his ,hand2   
and therefore he resolv'd to order it   
so1 that these ,divisions1 which1       
however useful to him1 were only        
personal1 and consequently temporary1   
like an ,annual in the ,garden1 which   
must be rais'd anew every ,season1 might
 for the future be national1 and        
consequently durable and immortal4  ,to 
this end it was necessary to lay the    
,foundation of eternal ,feud1 not in the
 ,humours and ,passions of ,men only1   
but in the ,interests of ,nations3 ,the 
,way to do this was to form and state   
the ,dominion of those ,princes1 by such
 a ,plan drawn in ,hell1 and laid out   
from a ,scheme truly political1 of which
 the ,devil was chief ,engineer2 that   
the ,divisions should always remain1    
being made a natural ,consequence of the
 ,situation of the ,country1 the ,temper
 of their ,people1 the ,nature of their 
,commerce1 the ,climate1 the ,manner of 
living1 or something which should for   

ever render it impossible for them to   
unite4  ,this1 ,i say1 was a ,scheme    
truly infernal1 in which the ,devil was 
as certainly the principal ,operator1 to
 illustrate great ,things by small1 as  
ever ,john of ,leyden was of the ,high  
,dutch ,rebellion1 or ,sir ,john        
,b------t of the late ,project1 called  
the ,south-,sea ,stock4 ,nor did this   
,contrivance of the ,devil at all       
dishonour his ,author1 or the ,success  
appear unworthy of the ,undertaker2 for 
we see it not only answer the ,end1 and 
made the ,turk victorious at the same   
,time1 and formidable to ,europe ever   
after1 but it works to this ,day1 the   
,foundation of the ,divisions remains in
 all the several ,nations1 and that to  
such a ,degree that it is impossible    
they should unite4  ,this is what ,i    
hinted before1 in which the ,devil was  
mistaken1 and is another instance that  
he knows nothing of what is to come2 for
 this very ,foundation of immortal      
,jealousy and ,discord between the      

several ,nations of ,spain1 ,france1    
,germany1 and others1 which the ,devil  
himself with so much ,policy contriv'd1 
and which serv'd his ,interests so long1
 is now the only ,obstruction to his    
,designs1 and prevents the entire ,ruin 
of the ,reformation2 for tho' the       
reform'd ,countries are very ,powerful1 
and some of them1 as ,great ,britain and
 ,prussia is particularly1 more powerful
 than ever2 yet it cannot be said that  
the ,protestant ,interests in general   
are stronger than formerly1 or so strong
 as they were in #afbc under the        
victorious ,arms of the ,swede2 ,on the 
other ,hand1 were it possible that the  
,popish ,powers1 to wit1 of ,france1    
,spain1 ,germany1 ,italy and ,poland1   
which are intirely ,popish1 could       
heartily unite their ,interests1 and    
should join their ,powers to attack the 
,protestants1 the latter would find it  
very difficult1 if not impossible1 to   
defend themselves4  ,but as fatal as    
such a ,union of the ,popish ,powers    

would be1 and as useful as it would be  
to the ,devil's ,cause at this time1 not
 the ,devil with all his ,angels are    
able to bring it to pass2 no1 not with  
all his ,craft and ,cunning2 he divided 
them1 but he can't unite them2 so that  
even just as 'tis with ,men1 so 'tis    
with ,devils1 they may do in an ,hour   
what they can't undo in an ,age4  ,this 
may comfort those faint-hearted         
,christians among us1 who cry out of the
 ,danger of a religious ,war in ,europe1
 and what terrible ,things will happen  
when ,france1 and ,spain1 and ,germany1 
and ,italy1 and ,poland shall all unite2
 let this ,answer satisfy them1 ,the    
,devil himself can never make ,france   
and ,spain1 or ,france and the ,emperor 
unite2 jarring ,humours may be          
reconcil'd1 but jarring ,interests never
 can3 ,they may unite so as to make     
,peace1 tho' that can hardly be long1   
but never so as to make ,conquests      
together2 they are too much afraid of   
one another1 for one to bear1 that any  

,addition of ,strength should come to   
the other4 ,but this is a ,digression4  
,we shall find the ,devil mistaken and  
disappointed too on several other       
,occasions1 as we go along4  ,i return  
to ,satan's ,interest in the several    
,governments and ,nations1 by vertue of 
his ,invisibility1 and which he carries 
on by ,possession2 'tis by this         
,invisibility that he presides in all   
the ,councils of foreign ,powers1 7for  
we never mean our own1 that we always   
premise27 and what tho' it is alledged  
by the ,criticks1 that he does not      
preside1 because there is always a      
,president2 ,i say1 if he is not in the 
,president's ,chair1 yet if he be in the
 ,president himself1 the ,difference is 
not much2 and if he does not vote as a  
,counsellor1 if he votes in the         
,counsellor1 'tis much the same2 and    
here1 as it was in the ,story of ,ahab  
the ,king of ,israel1 as he was a lying 
,spirit in the ,mouths of all his       
,prophets1 so we find him a ,spirit of  

some particular evil ,quality or other1 
in all the ,transactions and            
,transactors on that ,stage of ,life we 
call the ,state4  ,thus he was a        
dissembling ,spirit in ,char4 ,,ix4 a   
turbulent ,spirit in ,char4 ,v4         
,emperors2 a bigotted ,spirit of ,fire  
and ,faggot in our ,queen ,mary2 an     
apostate ,spirit in ,hen4 ,,iv42 a cruel
 ,spirit in ,peter of ,castile2 a       
revengeful ,spirit in ,ferdinand ,,ii42 
a ,phaeton in ,lewis ,,xiv42 a          
,sardanapalus in ,c------ ,,ii4  ,in the
 ,great ,men of the ,world1 take them a 
degree lower than the ,class of ,crown'd
 ,heads1 he has the same secret         
,influence2 and hence it comes to pass1 
that the greatest ,heroes1 and ,men of  
the highest ,character for              
,atchievements of ,glory1 either by     
their ,virtue or ,valour1 however they  
have been crowned with ,victories1 and  
elevated by human ,tongues1 whatever the
 most consummate ,virtues or good       
,qualities they have been known by1 yet 

they have always had some ,devil or     
other in them to preserve ,satan's      
,claim to them uninterrupted1 and       
prevent their ,escape out of his ,hands2
 thus we have seen a bloody ,devil in a 
,d',alva2 a profligate ,devil in a      
,buckingham2 a lying1 artful1 or        
politick ,devil in a ,richlieu2 a       
treacherous ,devil in a ,mazarin2 a     
cruel1 merciless ,devil in a ,cortez2 a 
debauch'd ,devil in an ,eugene2 a       
conjuring ,devil in a ,luxemburg2 and a 
covetous ,devil in a ,m---------h3 ,in a
 word1 tell me the ,man1 ,i tell you the
 ,spirit that reign'd in him4  ,nor does
 he thus carry on his secret ,management
 by ,possession in ,men of the first    
,magnitude only1 but have you not had   
,evidences of it among our selves8 how  
has he been a lying ,spirit in the      
,mouths of our ,prophets1 a factious    
,spirit in the ,heads of our            
,politicians1 a profuse ,devil in a     
,b-----s1 a corrupt ,devil in ,m-----1 a
 proud ,spirit in my ,lord ,plausible1 a

 bullying ,spirit in my ,lord ,bugbear1 
a talkative ,spirit in his ,grace the   
,d---- of ,rattle-hall1 a scribling     
,spirit in my ,lord ,h------1 a run-away
 ,spirit in my ,lord ,frightful2 and so 
thro' a long ,roll of ,heroes1 whose    
exceeding1 and particular               
,qualifications proclaim loudly what    
,handle the ,devil took them by1 and how
 fast he held them2 for these were all  
,men of ancient ,fame1 ,i hope you know 
that4  ,from ,men of ,figure1 we descend
 to the ,mob1 and 'tis there the same   
thing2 ,possession1 like the ,plague1 is
 ,morbus ,plebi2 not a ,family but he is
 a ,spirit of ,strife and ,contention   
among them2 not a ,man but he has a     
,part in him2 he is a drunken ,devil in 
one1 a whoring ,devil in another1 a     
thieving ,devil in a third1 a lying     
,devil in the fourth1 and so on1 to a   
thousand1 and a hundred thousand1 ad    
infinitum4  ,nay1 even the ,ladies have 
their ,share in the ,possession2 and if 
they have not the ,devil in their       

,heads1 or in their ,tails1 in their    
,faces or their ,tongues1 it must be    
some poor despicable ,she-devil that    
,satan did not think it worth his while 
to meddle with2 and the ,number of those
 that are below his ,operation1 ,i doubt
 is very small4 ,but that ,part ,i have 
much more to say to in its ,place4      
,from ,degrees of ,persons1 to          
,professions and ,employments1 'tis the 
same2 we find the ,devil is a true      
,posture-master1 he assumes any ,dress1 
appears in any ,shape1 counterfeits     
every ,voice1 acts upon every ,stage2   
here he wears a ,gown1 there a long     
,robe2 here he wears the ,jack-,boots1  
there the ,small-,sword2 is here an     
,enthusiast1 there a ,buffoon2 on this  
,side he acts the ,mountebank1 on that  
,side the ,merry-,andrew2 nothing comes 
amiss to him1 from the ,great ,mogul1 to
 the ,scaramouch2 the ,devil is in them1
 more or less1 and plays his ,game so   
well that he makes sure ,work with 'em  
all3 ,he knows where the ,common ,foible

 lies1 which is ,,universal ,,passion1  
what ,handle to take hold of every ,man 
by1 and how to cultivate his ,interest  
so1 as not to fail of his ,end1 or      
mistake the ,means4  ,how then can it be
 deny'd but that his acting thus in     
tenebris1 and keeping out of the sight  
of the ,world1 is abundantly his        
,interest1 and that he could do nothing1
 comparatively speaking1 by any other   
,method8  ,what would this publick      
,appearance have signified8 ,who would  
have entertain'd him in his own proper  
,shape and ,person8 ,even ,b---- ,b---- 
himself1 tho' all the ,world knows him  
to have a foolish ,devil in him1 would  
not have been ,fool enough to have taken
 him into his ,service1 if he had known 
him3 ,and my ,lord ,simpleton also1 who 
,satan has set up for a cunning ,fool1  
seems to have it sit much better upon   
him now he passes for a ,fool of ,art1  
than it should have done if the naked   
,,devil had come and challenged him for 
a ,fool in ,nature4  ,infinite ,variety 

illustrate the ,devil's ,reign among the
 ,sons of ,men2 all which he manages    
with admirable ,dexterity1 and a ,slight
 particular to himself1 by the mere     
,advantage of his present conceal'd     
,situation1 and which1 had he been      
obliged to have appear'd in ,publick1   
had been all lost1 and he capable of    
just nothing at all1 or at least of     
nothing more than the other ordinary    
,politicians of ,wickedness could have  
done without him4  ,now1 ,authors are   
much divided as to the manner how the   
,devil manages his proper ,instruments  
for ,mischief2 for ,satan has a great   
many ,agents in the ,dark1 who neither  
have the ,,devil in them1 nor are they  
much acquainted with him1 and yet he    
serves himself of them1 whether of their
 ,folly1 or of that other ,frailty      
call'd ,wit1 'tis all one1 he makes them
 do his ,work1 when they think they are 
doing their own2 nay1 so cunning is he  
in his guiding the weak ,part of the    
,world1 that even when they think they  

are serving ,god1 they are doing nothing
 less or more than serving the ,devil2  
nay1 'tis some of the nicest ,part of   
his ,operation1 to make them believe    
they are serving ,god1 when they do his 
,work4 ,thus those who the ,scripture   
foretold should persecute ,christ's     
,church in the latter ,days1 were to    
think they do ,god good ,service3 ,thus 
the ,inquisition1 7for ,example17 it may
 be1 at this time1 in all the acts of   
,christian ,cruelty which they are so   
famous for 7if any of them are ignorant 
enough not to know that they are ,devils
 incarnate7 they may1 for ought we know1
 go on for ,god's sake2 torture1        
murther1 starve to ,death1 mangle and   
macerate1 and all for ,god1 and ,god's  
,catholic ,church2 and 'tis certainly   
the ,devil's ,master-piece to bring     
,mankind to such a ,perfection of       
,devilism as that of the ,inquisition   
is2 for if the ,devil had not been in   
them1 could they christen such a        
,hell-fire ,judicature as the           

,inquisition is1 by the ,name of the    
,holy ,office8 ,and so in ,paganism1 how
 could so many ,nations among the poor  
,indians offer human ,sacrifices to     
their ,idols1 and murther thousands of  
,men1 ,women and ,children1 to appease  
this ,god of the ,air1 when he is angry1
 if the ,devil did not act in them under
 the ,vizor of ,devotion8  ,but we need 
not go to ,america1 or to the           
,inquisition1 not to ,paganism or to    
,popery either1 to look for ,people that
 are sacrificing to the ,devil1 or that 
give their ,peace-offerings to him1     
while they are offer'd upon ,god's      
,altar2 are not our ,churches 7ay1 and  
,meeting-houses too1 as much as they    
pretend to be more sanctified than their
 ,neighbours7 full of ,devil            
,worshipers8 ,where do his ,devotees    
gratulate one another1 and congratulate 
him1 more than at ,church8 where1 while 
they hold up their ,hands1 and turn up  
their ,eyes towards ,heaven1 they make  
all their ,vows to ,satan1 or at least  

to the fair ,devils his                 
,representatives1 which ,i shall speak  
of in their ,place4  ,do not the ,sons  
of ,god make ,assignations with the     
,daughters of ,men in the very ,house of
 ,worship8 ,do they not talk to them in 
the ,language of the ,eyes8 ,and what is
 at the ,bottom of it1 while one ,eye is
 upon the ,prayer-book1 and the other   
adjusting their ,dress8 ,are they not   
sacrificing to ,venus and ,mercury1 nay1
 and the very ,devil they dress at8     
,let any ,man impartially survey the    
,church-,gestures1 the ,air1 the        
,postures and the ,behaviour2 let him   
keep an exact ,roll1 and if ,i do not   
shew him two ,devil ,worshipers for one 
true ,saint1 then the ,word ,saint must 
have another ,signification than ,i ever
 yet understood it by4  ,the ,church 7as
 a ,place7 is the ,receptacle of the    
,dead1 as well as the ,assembly of the  
,living2 what relates to those below1 ,i
 doubt ,satan1 if he would be so kind1  
could give a better ,account of than ,i 

can2 but as to the ,superficies1 ,i     
pretend to so much ,penetration as to   
tell you1 that there are more ,spectres1
 more ,apparitions always there1 than   
you that know nothing of the matter may 
be aware of4  ,i happen'd to be at an   
eminent ,place of ,god's most devout    
,worship the other ,day1 with a         
,gentleman of my ,acquaintance1 who1 ,i 
observed1 minded very little the        
,business he ought to come about2 first 
,i saw him always busy staring about him
 and bowing this ,way and that ,way1    
nay1 he made two or three bows and      
,scrapes when he was repeating the      
,responses to the ,ten ,commandments1   
and assure you he made it correspond    
strangely1 so that the ,harmony was not 
so broken in upon as you would expect it
 should2 thus2 ,lord1 and a ,bow to a   
fine ,lady just come up to her ,seat1   
have ,mercy upon us2 ---- three ,bows to
 a ,throng of ,ladies that came into the
 next ,pew altogether1 and incline ---- 
then stop'd to make a great ,scrape to  

my ,lord ----1 our ,hearts1 just then   
the ,hearts of all the ,church were gone
 off from the ,subject1 for the         
,response was over1 so he huddled up the
 rest in ,whispers1 for ,god a ,mighty  
could hear him well enough1 he said1    
nay1 as well as if he had spoken as loud
 as his ,neighbours did4  ,after we were
 come home1 ,i ask'd him what he meant  
by all this1 and what he thought of it8 
,how could ,i help it1 said he1 ,i must 
not be rude4  ,what1 says ,i1 rude to   
who8  ,why1 says he1 there came in so   
many she ,devils ,i could not help it4  
,what1 said ,i1 could not you help      
bowing when you were saying your        
,prayers8  ,o ,sir6 says he1 the ,ladies
 would have thought ,i had slighted     
them1 ,i could not avoid it4  ,ladies6  
said ,i1 ,i thought you call'd them     
,devils just now4  ,ay1 ay1 ,devils1    
said he1 little charming ,devils1 but ,i
 must not be rude to them however4      
,very well1 said ,i1 then you would be  
rude to ,god a ,mighty1 because you     

could not be rude to the ,devil8  ,why  
that's true1 said he1 but what can we   
do8 there's no going to ,church as the  
,case stands now1 if we must not worship
 the ,devil a little between whiles4    
,this is the ,case indeed1 and ,satan   
carries his ,point on every ,hand2 for  
if the fair speaking ,world1 and the    
fair looking ,world are generally       
,devils1 that is to say1 are in his     
,management1 we are sure the foul       
speaking and the foul doing ,world are  
all on his ,side1 and you have then only
 the fair-doing ,part of the ,world that
 are out of his ,class1 and when we     
speak of them1 ,o how few6  ,but ,i     
return to the ,devil's managing our     
wicked ,part1 for this he does with most
 exquisite ,subtilty2 and this is one   
,part of it1 7viz47 he thrusts our      
,vices into our ,virtues1 by which he   
mixes the ,clean and the ,unclean1 and  
thus by the ,corruption of the one1     
poisons and debauches the other1 so that
 the ,slave he governs cannot account   

for his own common ,actions1 and is fain
 to be oblig'd to his ,maker to accept  
of the ,heart without the ,hands and    
,feet2 to take1 as we vulgarly express  
it1 the ,will for the ,deed1 and if     
,heaven was not so good to come into    
that half in half ,service1 ,i don't see
 but the ,devil would carry away all his
 ,servants3 ,here indeed ,i should enter
 into a long ,detail of involuntary     
,wickedness1 which in short1 is neither 
more or less than the ,devil in every   
,body1 ay1 in every one of you1 7our    
,governors excepted7 take it as you     
please4  ,what is our ,language when we 
look back with ,reflection and ,reproach
 on past ,follies8 ,i think ,i was      
bewitch'd1 ,i was posses'd1 certainly   
the ,devil was in me1 or else ,i had    
never been such a ,sot3 ,devil in you1  
,sir6 ,ay1 who doubts it2 you may be    
sure the ,devil was in you1 and there he
 is still1 and next ,time he can catch  
you in the same ,snare1 you'll be just  
the same ,,sot that you say you were    

before4  ,in short1 the ,devil is too   
cunning for us1 and manages us his own  
,way2 he governs the ,vices of ,men by  
his own ,methods2 tho' every ,crime will
 not make a ,man a ,devil1 yet it must  
be owned that every ,crime puts the     
,criminal in some ,measure into the     
,devil's ,power1 gives him a ,title to  
the ,man1 and he treats him             
magisterially ever after4  ,some tell us
 every single ,man1 every individual has
 a ,devil attending him1 to execute the 
,orders of the 7,grand ,signior7 ,devil 
of the whole ,clan2 that this attending 
evil ,angel1 for so he is call'd1 sees  
every ,step you take1 is with you in    
every ,action1 prompts you to every     
,mischief1 and leaves you to do every   
,thing that is pernicious to your self2 
they also alledge that there is a good  
,spirit which attends him too1 which    
latter is always accessary to every     
,thing that we do that is good1 and     
reluctant to evil2 ,if this is true1 how
 comes it to pass that those two        

opposite ,spirits do not quarrel about  
it when they are pressing us to contrary
 ,actions1 one good and the other evil8 
and why does the evil tempting ,spirit  
so often prevail8 ,instead of answering 
this difficult ,question1 ,i shall only 
tell you1 as to this ,story of good and 
evil ,angels attending every particular 
,person1 'tis a good ,allegory indeed to
 represent the ,struggle in the ,mind of
 ,man between good and evil             
,inclinations2 but as to the rest1 the  
best ,thing ,i can say of it is1 that ,i
 think 'tis a ,fib4  ,but to take       
,things as they are1 and only talk by   
way of natural ,consequence1 for to     
argue from ,nature is certainly the best
 ,way to find out the ,devil's ,story2  
if there are good and evil ,spirits     
attending us1 that is to say1 a good    
,angel and a ,devil1 then 'tis no unjust
 ,reproach upon any ,body to say1 when  
they follow the ,dictates of the latter1
 the ,devil is in them2 or they are     
,devils2 nay1 ,i must carry it farther  

still1 namely1 that as the ,generality  
and greatest ,number of ,people do      
follow and obey the evil ,spirit and not
 the good1 and that the predominate     
,power is allowed to be the nominating  
,power2 you must then allow1 that in    
short1 the greater ,part of ,mankind has
 the ,devil in them1 and so ,i come to  
my ,text4  ,to this ,purpose give me    
leave to borrow a few ,lines of a       
,friend on this very ,part of the       
,devil's ,management4    ,to ,places and
 ,persons he suits his ,disguises1      
,and dresses up all his ,banditti1      
,who as ,pickpockets flock to a ,country
 ,assizes1     ,croud up to the ,court  
and the ,city4    ,they're at every     
,elbow and every ,ear1     ,and ready at
 every call1 ,sir2   ,the vigilant      
,scout plants his ,agents about1        
,and has something to do with us all1   
,sir4    ,in some he has ,part1 and in  
some he's the ,whole1     ,and of some  
7like the ,vicar of ,baddow7   ,it can  
neither be said they have ,body or      

,soul1     ,but only are ,devils in     
,shadow4    ,the ,pretty and ,witty1 are
 ,devils in ,masque1     ,the ,beauties 
are meer ,apparitions2   ,the homely    
alone by their ,faces are known1        
,and the ,good by their ugly            
,conditions4    ,the ,beaus walk about  
like the ,shadows of ,men4     ,and     
wherever he leads 'em they follow1      
,but tak'em and shak'em1 there's not one
 in ten     ,but's as light as a        
,feather and hollow4    ,thus all his   
,affairs he drives on in ,disguise1     
,and he tickles ,mankind with a         
,feather3   ,creeps in at our ,ears1 and
 looks out at our ,eyes1     ,and       
jumbles our ,senses together4    ,he    
raises the ,vapours1 and prompts the    
,desires1     ,and to ev'ry dark ,deed  
holds the ,candle2   ,the ,passions     
enflames and the ,appetite fires1       
,and takes ev'ry ,thing by the ,handle4 
,thus he walks up and down in compleat  
,masquerade1     ,and with every        
,company mixes1   ,sells in every ,shop1

 works at every ,trade1     ,and ev'ry  
,thing doubtful perplexes4   ,how ,satan
 comes by this governing ,influence in  
the ,minds and upon the ,actions of     
,men1 is a ,question ,i am not yet come 
to1 nor indeed does it so particularly  
belong to the ,devil's ,history1 it     
seems rather a ,polemick1 so it may pass
 at ,school among the ,metaphysicks1 and
 puzzle the ,heads of our ,masters2     
wherefore ,i think to write to the      
learned ,dr4 ,b---- about it1 imploring 
his most sublime ,haughtiness1 that when
 his other more momentous ,avocations of
 ,pedantry and ,pedagogism will give him
 an ,interval from ,wrath and           
,contention1 he will set apart a ,moment
 to consider human ,nature ,deviliz'd1  
and give us a ,mathematical ,anatomical 
,description of it2 with a ,map of      
,satan's ,kingdom in the ,microcosm of  
,mankind1 and such other ,illuminations 
as to him and his ,contemporaries ----  
and1 ---- c4 in their great ,wisdom     
shall seem meet4     ,,chap4 ,v4  ,of   

the ,devil's ,management in the ,pagan  
,hierarchy by ,omens1 ,entrails1        
,augurs1 ,oracles1 and such like        
,pageantry of ,hell2 and how they went  
off the ,stage at last by the           
,introduction of true ,religion4   ,i   
have adjourn'd1 not finished1 my        
,account of the ,devil's secret         
,management by ,possession1 and shall   
reassume it1 in its ,place2 but ,i must 
take leave to mention some other ,parts 
of his retir'd ,scheme1 by which he has 
hitherto manag'd ,mankind1 and the first
 of these is by that ,fraud of all      
,frauds call'd ,oracle4  ,here his      
,trumpet yielded an uncertain ,sound for
 some ,ages1 and like what he was1 and  
according to what he practised from the 
,beginning1 he deliver'd out ,falshood  
and ,delusion by ,retale3 ,the ,priests 
of ,apollo acted this ,farce for him to 
a great ,nicety at ,delphos2 there were 
divers others at the same ,time1 and    
some1 which to give the ,devil his due1 
he had very little ,hand in1 as we shall

 see presently4  ,there were also some  
smaller1 some greater1 some more1 some  
less famous ,places where those ,oracles
 were seated1 and ,audience given to the
 ,enquirers1 in all which the ,devil1 or
 some ,body for him1 ,permissu          
,superiorum1 for either vindictive or   
other hidden ,ends and ,purposes1 was   
allow'd to make at least a ,pretension  
to the ,knowledge of ,things to come2   
but1 as publick ,cheats generally do1   
they acted in ,masquerade1 and gave such
 uncertain and inconsistent ,responses1 
that they were oblig'd to use the utmost
 ,art to reconcile ,events to the       
,prediction1 even after things were come
 to pass4  ,here the ,devil was a lying 
,spirit1 in a particular and            
extraordinary manner1 in the ,mouths of 
all the ,prophets2 and yet he had the   
,cunning to express himself so1 that    
whatever happen'd1 the ,oracle was      
suppos'd to have meant as it fell out2  
and so all their ,augurs1 ,omens and    
,voices1 by which the ,devil amus'd the 

,world1 not at that ,time only1 but     
since1 have been likewise interpreted4  
,julian the ,apostate dealt mightily in 
these ,amusements1 but the ,devil1 who  
neither wish'd his ,fall1 or presag'd it
 to him1 evidenc'd that he knew nothing 
of ,julian's ,fate2 for that1 as he sent
 almost to all the ,oracles of the      
,east1 and summon'd all the ,priests    
together to inform him of the ,success  
of his ,persian ,expedition1 they all1  
like ,ahab's ,prophets1 having a lying  
,spirit in them1 encourag'd him and     
promis'd him ,success4  ,nay1 all the   
ill ,omens which disturb'd him1 they    
presag'd good from2 for ,example1 he was
 at a prodigious ,expence when he was at
 ,antioch to buy up white ,beasts1 and  
white ,fowls1 for ,sacrifices1 and for  
predicting from the ,entrails2 from     
whence the ,antiochians1 in contempt1   
call'd him ,victimarius2 but whenever   
the ,entrails foreboded ,evil1 the      
cunning ,devil made the ,priests put a  
different ,construction upon them1 and  

promise him ,good3 ,when he entred into 
the ,temple of the ,genij to offer      
,sacrifice1 one of the ,priests dropt   
down dead2 this1 had it had any         
,signification more than a ,man falling 
dead of an ,apoplectic1 would have      
signified something fatal to ,julian1   
who made himself a ,brother ,sacrist or 
,priest2 whereas the ,priests turn'd it 
presently to signify the ,death of his  
,colleague1 the ,consul ,sallust which  
happen'd just at the same ,time1 tho'   
eight hundred ,miles off2 so in another 
,case1 ,julian thought it ominous that  
he1 who was ,augustus should be nam'd   
with two other ,names of ,persons1 both 
already dead2 the ,case was thus1 the   
,stile of the ,emperor was ,julianus    
,foelix ,augustus1 and two of his       
principal ,officers were ,julianus and  
,foelix2 now both ,julianus and ,foelix 
died within a few ,days of one another1 
which disturb'd ,him much1 who was the  
third of the three ,names2 but his      
flattering ,devil told him it all       

imported ,good to him 7viz47 that tho'  
,julianus and ,foelix should die1       
,augustus should be immortal4  ,thus    
whatever happen'd1 and whatever was     
foretold1 and how much soever they      
differ'd from one another1 the lying    
,spirit was sure to reconcile the       
,prediction and the ,event1 and make    
them at least seem to correspond in     
,favour of the ,person enquiring4  ,now 
we are told ,oracles are ceased1 and the
 ,devil is farther limited for the ,good
 of ,mankind1 not being allow'd to vent 
his ,delusions by the ,mouths of the    
,priests and ,augurs1 as formerly3 ,i   
will not take upon me to say how far    
they are really ceas'd1 more than they  
were before2 ,i think 'tis much more    
reasonable to believe there was never   
any ,reality in them at all1 or that any
 ,oracle ever gave out any ,answers but 
what were the ,invention of the ,priests
 and the ,delusions of the ,,devil2 ,i  
have a great many antient ,authors on my
 ,side in this ,opinion1 as ,eusebius1  

,tertullian1 ,aristotle1 and others1 who
 as they liv'd so near the ,pagan       
,times1 and when even some of those     
,rites were yet in ,use1 they had much  
more ,reason to know1 and could probably
 pass a better ,judgment upon them2 nay 
,cicero himself ridicules them in the   
openest manner2 again1 other ,authors   
descend to ,particular and shew how the 
,cheat was manag'd by the ,heathen      
,sacrists and ,priests1 and in what     
enthusiastic manner they spoke2 namely1 
by going into the hollow ,images1 such  
as the brazen ,bull and the ,image of   
,apollo1 and how subtilly they gave out 
dubious and ambiguous ,answers2 that    
when the ,people did not find their     
,expectations answer'd by the ,event1   
they might be imposed upon by the       
,priests1 and confidently told they did 
not rightly understand the ,oracle's    
,meaning3 ,however1 ,i cannot say but   
that indeed there are some ,authors of  
good ,credit too1 who will have it that 
there was a real prophetic ,spirit in   

the ,voice or ,answers given by the     
,oracles1 and that oftentimes they were 
miraculously exact in those ,answers2   
and they give that of the ,delphic      
,oracle answering the ,question which   
was given about ,croesus for an         
,example1 viz4 what ,croesus was doing  
at that time8 to wit1 that he was       
boiling a ,lamb and the ,flesh of a     
,tortoise together1 in a brass ,vessel1 
or ,boiler1 with a ,cover of the same   
,metal2 that is to say1 in a ,kettle    
with a brass ,cover4  ,to affirm        
therefore1 that they were all ,cheats1 a
 ,man must encounter with ,antiquity1   
and set his private ,judgment up against
 an establish'd ,opinion2 but 'tis no   
matter for that2 if ,i do not see any   
thing in that receiv'd ,opinion capable 
of ,evidence1 much less of              
,demonstration1 ,i must be allow'd still
 to think as ,i do2 others may believe  
as they list2 ,i see nothing hard or    
difficult in the ,thing2 the ,priests1  
who were always historically inform'd of

 the ,circumstances of the ,enquirer1 or
 at least something about them1 might   
easily find some ambiguous ,speech to   
make1 and put some double ,entendre upon
 them1 which upon the ,event solv'd the 
,credit of the ,oracle1 were it one way 
or other2 and this they certainly did1  
or we have room to think the ,,devil    
knows less of ,things now than he did in
 former ,days4  ,it is true that by     
these ,delusions the ,priests got       
infinite ,sums of ,money1 and this makes
 it still probable that they would      
labour hard1 and use the utmost of their
 ,skill to uphold the ,credit of their  
,oracles2 and 'tis a full ,discovery1 as
 well of the ,subtlety of the ,sacrists1
 as of the ,ignorance and ,stupidity of 
the ,people1 in those early ,days of    
,satan's ,witchcraft2 to see what merry 
,work the ,devil made with the ,world1  
and what gross ,things he put upon      
,mankind3 ,such was the ,story of the   
,dordonian ,oracle in ,epirus1 viz4     
,that two ,pigeons flew out of ,thebes  

7,n4 ,b4 it was the ,egyptian ,thebes7  
from the ,temple of ,belus1 erected     
there by the antient ,sacrists1 and that
 one of these fled ,eastward into       
,lybia1 and the ,desarts of ,africk1 and
 the other into ,greece1 namely1 to     
,dordona1 and these communicated the    
divine ,mysteries to one another1 and   
afterwards gave mystical ,solutions to  
the devout ,enquirers2 first the        
,dordonian ,pigeon perching upon an ,oak
 spoke audibly to the ,people there1    
that the ,gods commanded them to build  
an ,oracle1 or ,temple1 to ,jupiter1 in 
that ,place2 which was accordingly done3
 ,the other ,pigeon did the like on the 
,hill in ,africa1 where it commanded    
them to build another to ,jupiter       
,ammon1 or ,hammon4  ,wise ,cicero      
contemned all this1 and1 as ,authors    
tell us1 ridiculed the ,answer1 which1  
as ,i have hinted above1 the ,oracle    
gave to ,croesus proving that the       
,oracle it self was a ,liar1 that it    
could not come from ,apollo1 for that   

,apollo never spoke ,latin3 ,in a ,word1
 ,cicero rejected them all1 and         
,demosthenes also mentions the ,cheats  
of the ,oracles2 when speaking of the   
,oracle of ,apollo1 he said1 ,pithia    
,philippiz'd2 that is1 that when the    
,priests were brib'd with ,money1 they  
always gave their ,answers in favour of 
,philip of ,macedon4  ,but that which is
 most strange to me is1 that in this    
,dispute about the ,reality of ,oracles1
 the ,heathen who made use of them are  
the ,people who expose them1 and who    
insist most positively upon their being 
,cheats and ,impostors1 as in particular
 those mentioned above2 while the       
,christians who reject them1 yet believe
 they did really foretel ,things1 answer
 ,questions1 c4 only with this          
,difference1 that the ,heathen ,authors 
who oppose them1 insist that 'tis all   
,delusion and ,cheat1 and charge it upon
 the ,priests2 and the ,christian       
,opposers insist that it was real1 but  
that the ,devil1 not the ,gods1 gave the

 ,answers2 and that he was permitted to 
do it by a superior ,power1 to magnify  
that ,power in the total silencing them 
at last4  ,but1 as ,i said before1 ,i am
 with the ,heathen here1 against the    
,christian ,writers1 for ,i take it all 
to be a ,cheat and ,delusion3 ,i must   
give my ,reason for it1 or ,i do        
nothing2 my ,reason is this1 ,i insist  
,satan is as blind in ,matters of       
,futurity1 as we are1 and can tell      
nothing of what is to come2 these       
,oracles often pretending to predict1   
could be nothing else therefore but a   
,cheat form'd by the ,money-getting     
,priests to amuse the ,world1 and bring 
,grist to their ,mill3 ,if ,i meet with 
any thing in my ,way to open my ,eyes to
 a better ,opinion of them1 ,i shall    
tell it you as ,i go on4  ,on the other 
hand1 whether the ,devil really spake in
 those ,oracles1 or set the cunning     
,priests to speak for him2 whether they 
predicted1 or only made the ,people     
believe they predicted2 whether they    

gave ,answers which came to pass1 or    
prevail'd upon the ,people to believe   
that what was said did come to pass1 it 
was much at one1 and fully answer'd the 
,devil's ,end2 namely1 to amuse and     
delude the ,world2 and as to do1 or to  
cause to be done1 is the same ,part of  
,speech1 so whoever did it1 the ,devil's
 ,interest was carried on by it1 his    
,government preserv'd1 and all the      
,mischief he could desire was           
effectually brought to pass1 so that    
every way they were the ,devil's        
,oracles1 that's out of the ,question4  
,indeed ,i have wonder'd sometimes why1 
since by this ,sorcery the ,devil       
perform'd such ,wonders1 that is1 play'd
 so many ,tricks in the ,world1 and had 
such universal ,success1 he should set  
up no more of them2 but there might be a
 great many ,reasons given for that1 too
 long to tire you with at present3 ',tis
 true1 there were not many of them1 and 
yet considering what a great deal of    
,business they dispatch'd1 it was       

enough1 for six or eight ,oracles were  
more than sufficient to amuse all the   
,world3 ,the chief ,oracles we meet with
 in ,history are among the ,greeks and  
the ,romans1 viz4       ,that of        
,jupiter ,ammon1 in ,lybia1 as above4   
,the ,dordonian1 in ,epirus4            
,apollo ,delphicus1 in the ,country of  
,phocis in ,greece4       ,apollo       
,clavius1 in ,asia ,minor4              
,serapis1 in ,alexandria in ,egypt4     
,trophomis1 in ,botia4       ,sybilla   
,cuma1 in ,italy4       ,diana1 at      
,ephesus4       ,apollo ,daphneus1 at   
,antioch4       ,besides many of lesser 
,note1 in several other ,places1 as ,i  
have      hinted before4   ,i have      
nothing to do here with the ,story      
mentioned by ,plutarch1 of a ,voice     
being heard at ,sea1 from some of the   
,islands call'd the ,echinades1 and     
calling upon one ,thamuz1 an ,egyptian1 
who was on board a ,ship1 bidding him1  
when he came to the ,palodes1 other     
,islands in the ,ionian ,seas1 tell them

 there that the great ,god ,,pan was    
dead2 and when ,thamuz perform'd it1    
great ,groanings1 and ,howlings1 and    
,lamentation were heard from the ,shore4
  ,this ,tale tells but indifferently1  
tho' indeed it looks more like a        
,christian ,fable1 than a ,pagan2       
because it seems as if made to honour   
the ,christian ,worship1 and blast all  
the ,pagan ,idolatry2 and for that      
,reason ,i reject it1 the ,christian    
,profession needing no such fabulous    
,stuff to confirm it4  ,nor is it true  
in fact1 that the ,oracles did cease    
immediately upon the ,death of ,christ2 
but1 as ,i noted before1 the ,sum of the
 ,matter is this2 the ,christian        
,religion spreading it self universally1
 as well as miraculously1 and that too  
by the ,foolishness of ,preaching1 into 
all ,parts of the ,world1 the ,oracles  
ceas'd2 that is to say1 their ,trade    
ceas'd1 their ,rogueries were daily     
detected1 the deluded ,people being     
better taught1 came no more after them1 

and being asham'd1 as well as           
discourag'd1 they sneak'd out of the    
,world as well as they could2 in short  
the ,customers fell off1 and the        
,priests1 who were the ,shopkeepers1    
having no ,business to do1 shut up their
 ,shops1 broke1 and went away2 the      
,trade and the ,tradesmen were hiss'd   
off the ,stage together2 so that the    
,devil1 who1 it must be confess'd1 got  
infinitely by the ,cheat1 became        
bankrupt1 and was oblig'd to set other  
,engines at work1 as other ,cheats and  
,deceivers do1 who when one ,trick grows
 stale1 and will serve no longer1 are   
forc'd to try another4  ,nor was the    
,devil to seek in new ,measures2 for    
tho' he could not give out his delusive 
,trash as he did before1 in ,pomp and   
,state1 with the ,solemnity of a ,temple
 and a ,set of ,enthusiasts call'd      
,priests1 who plaid a thousand ,tricks  
to amuse the ,world1 he then had        
,recourse to his old ,egyptian ,method1 
which indeed was more antient than that 

of ,oracles2 and that was by ,magic1    
,sorcery1 ,familiars1 ,witchcraft1 and  
the like4  ,of this we find the people  
of the ,south1 that is1 of ,arabia and  
,chaldea were the first1 from whence we 
are told of the ,wise ,men1 that is to  
say1 ,magicians1 were call'd ,chaldeans 
and ,southsayers4 ,hence also we find   
,ahaziah the ,king of ,israel sent to   
,baalzebub the ,god of ,ekron1 to       
enquire whether he should live or die8  
,this some think was a kind of an       
,oracle1 tho' others think it was only  
some over-grown ,magician1 who          
counterfeited himself to be a ,devil1   
and obtain'd upon that ,idol-hunting    
,age to make a ,cunning ,man of him2 and
 for that ,purpose he got himself made a
 ,priest of ,baalzebub1 the ,god of     
,ekron1 and gave out ,answers in his    
,name4 ,thus those merry ,fellows in    
,egypt1 ,jannes and ,jambres1 are said  
to mimick ,moses and ,aaron1 when they  
work'd the miraculous ,plagues upon the 
,egyptians2 and we have some ,instances 

in ,scripture that support this1 such as
 the ,witch of ,endor1 the ,king        
,manasses1 who dealt with the ,devil    
openly1 and had a ,familiar2 the ,woman 
mentioned ,acts xvi4 who had a ,spirit  
of ,divination1 and who got ,money by   
playing the ,oracle2 that is1 answering 
doubtful ,questions1 c4 which ,spirit1  
or ,devil1 the ,apostles cast out4  ,now
 tho' it is true that the old ,women in 
the ,world have fill'd us with ,tales1  
some improbable1 others impossible2 some
 weak1 some ridiculous1 and that this   
puts a general ,discredit upon all the  
graver ,matrons1 who entertain us with  
,stories better put together1 yet 'tis  
certain1 and ,i must be allow'd to      
affirm1 that the ,devil does not disdain
 to take into his ,service many ,troops 
of good ,old ,women1 and ,old           
,women-,men too1 who he finds 'tis for  
his ,service to keep in constant ,pay2  
to these he is found frequently to      
communicate his ,mind1 and oftentimes we
 find them such ,proficients1 that they 

know much more than the ,devil can teach
 them4  ,how far our antient ,friend    
,merlin1 or the grave ,matron his       
7,satan's7 most trusty and well-beloved 
,cousin and ,counsellor1 ,mother        
,shipton1 were commissioned by him to   
give out their prophetic ,oracles1 and  
what degree of ,possession he may have  
arrived to in them upon their ,midnight 
,excursions1 ,i will not undertake to   
prove2 but that he might be acquainted  
with them both1 as well as with several 
of our modern ,gentlemen1 ,i will not   
deny neither4  ,i confess it is not very
 incongruous with the ,devil's ,temper1 
or with the ,nature of his ,business1 to
 shift hands2 possibly he found that he 
had tried the ,world with ,oracular     
,cheats2 that ,men began to be forfeited
 with them1 and grew sick of the ,frauds
 which were so frequently detected2 that
 it was time to take new ,measures1 and 
contrive some new ,trick to ,bite the   
,world1 that he might not be expos'd to 
,contempt2 or perhaps he saw the        

,approach of new ,light1 which the      
,christian ,doctrine bringing with it   
began to spread in the ,minds of ,men2  
that it would out-shine the dim burning 
ignis fatuus1 with which he had so long 
cheated ,mankind1 and was afraid to     
stand it1 lest he should be mobb'd off  
the ,stage by his own ,people1 when     
their ,eyes should begin to open3 ,that 
upon this foot he might in ,policy      
withdraw from those old ,retreats the   
,oracles1 and restrain those ,responses 
before they lost all their ,credit2 for 
we find the ,people seem'd to be at a   
mighty ,loss for some time1 for want of 
them1 so that it made them run up and   
down to ,conjurers1 and ,man-,gossips1  
to brazen ,heads1 speaking ,calves1 and 
innumerable simple ,things1 so gross    
that they are scarce fit to be named1 to
 satisfy the ,itch of having their      
,fortunes told them1 as we call it4     
,now as the ,,devil is very seldom blind
 to his own ,interest1 and therefore    
thought fit to quit his old way of      

imposing upon the ,world by his         
,oracles1 only because he found the     
,world began to be too wise to be       
imposed upon that way2 so on the other  
hand1 finding there was still a         
,possibility to delude the ,world1 tho' 
by other ,instruments1 he no sooner laid
 down his ,oracles1 and the solemn      
,pageantry1 magnificent ,appearances1   
and other ,frauds of his ,priests and   
,votaries1 in their ,temples and        
,shrines2 but he set up a new ,trade1   
and having1 as ,i have said1 ,agents and
 ,instruments sufficient for any        
,business that he could have to employ  
them in1 he begins in ,corners1 as the  
learned and merry ,dr4 ,brown says1 and 
exercises his minor ,trumperies by way  
of his own contriving1 lifting a great  
,number of new-found ,operators1 such as
 ,witches1 ,magicians1 ,diviners1       
,figure-casters1 ,astrologers1 and such 
inferior ,seducers4  ,now it is true1 as
 that ,doctor says1 this was running    
into ,corners1 as if he had been        

expell'd his more triumphant way of     
giving ,audience in ,form1 which for so 
many ,ages had been allow'd him2 yet ,i 
must add1 that as it seem'd to be the   
,,devil's own doing1 from a right       
,judgment of his ,affairs1 which had    
taken a new ,turn in the ,world1 upon   
the shining of new ,lights from the     
,christian ,doctrine1 so it must be     
acknowledged the ,devil made himself    
amends upon ,mankind1 by the various    
,methods he took1 and the ,multitude of 
,instruments he employ'd1 and perhaps   
deluded ,mankind in a more fatal and    
sensible manner than he did before1 tho'
 not so universally4  ,he had indeed    
before more ,pomp and ,figure put upon  
it1 and he cheated ,mankind then in a   
,way of ,magnificence and ,splendor2 but
 this was not in above eight or ten     
principal ,places1 and not fifty ,places
 in all1 public or private2 whereas now 
fifty thousand of his ,angels and       
,instruments1 visible and invisible1    
hardly may be said to suffice for one   

,town or ,city2 but in short1 as his    
invisible ,agents fill the ,air1 and are
 at hand for ,mischief on every         
,emergence1 so his visible ,fools swarm 
in every ,village1 and you have scarce a
 ,hamlet or a ,town but his ,emissaries 
are at ,hand for ,business2 and which is
 still worse1 in all ,places he finds   
,business2 nay even where ,religion is  
planted and seems to flourish2 yet he   
keeps his ,ground and pushes his        
,interest according to what has been    
said elsewhere upon the same ,subject1  
that wherever ,religion plants1 the     
,devil plants close by it4  ,nor1 as ,i 
say1 does he fail of ,success1 ,delusion
 spreads like a ,plague1 and the ,devil 
is sure of ,votaries2 like a true       
,mountebank1 he can always bring a      
,croud about his ,stage1 and that some  
,times faster than other ,people4  ,what
 ,i observe upon this ,subject is this1 
that the ,world is at a strange ,loss   
for want of the ,devil2 if it was not   
so1 what's the ,reason1 that upon the   

silencing the ,oracles1 and ,religion   
telling them that ,miracles are ceas'd1 
and that ,god has done speaking by      
,prophets1 they never enquire whether   
,heaven has established any other or new
 ,way of ,revelation1 but away they ran 
with their ,doubts and ,difficulties to 
these ,dreamers of ,dreams1 ,tellers of 
,fortunes1 and personal ,oracles to be  
resolv'd2 as if when they acknowledge   
the ,devil is dumb1 these could speak2  
and as if the wicked ,spirit could do   
more than the ,good1 the ,diabolical    
more than the ,divine1 or that ,heaven  
having taken away the ,,devil's ,voice1 
had furnish'd him with an ,equivalent1  
by allowing ,scolds1 ,termagants1 and   
old weak and superannuated ,wretches to 
speak for him2 for these are the ,people
 we go to now in our ,doubts and        
,emergencies4  ,while this ,blindness   
continues among us1 'tis ,nonsense to   
say that ,oracles are silenced1 or the  
,devil is dumb1 for the ,devil gives    
,audience still by his ,deputies2 only  

as ,jeroboam made ,priests of the       
meanest of the ,people1 so he is grown a
 little humble1 and makes use of meaner 
,instruments than he did before2 for    
whereas the ,priests of ,apollo1 and of 
,jupiter1 were splendid in their        
,appearance1 of grave and venerable     
,aspect1 and sometimes of no mean       
,quality2 now he makes use of           
,scoundrels and ,rabble1 ,beggars and   
,vagabonds1 old ,hags1 superannuated    
miserable ,hermits1 ,gypsies and        
,strollers1 the ,pictures of ,envy and  
ill ,luck4  ,either the ,devil is grown 
an ill ,master1 and gives but mean      
,wages1 that he can get no better       
,servants2 or else ,common ,sense is    
grown very low priz'd and contemptible2 
that such as these are fit ,tools to    
continue the ,succession of ,fraud1 and 
carry on the ,devil's ,interest in the  
,world2 for were not the ,passions and  
,temper of ,mankind deeply pre-engaged  
in favour of this dark ,prince1 we could
 never suffer our selves to accept of   

his ,favours by the ,hands of such      
contemptible ,agents as these6 ,how do  
we receive his ,oracles from an old     
,witch of particular ,eminence1 and who 
we believe to be more than ordinarily   
inspir'd from ,hell2 ,i say1 we receive 
the ,oracle with ,reverence2 that is to 
say1 with a kind of ,horror1 with regard
 to the ,black ,prince it comes from1   
and at the same time turn our ,faces    
away from the ,wretch that mumbles out  
the ,answers1 lest she should cast an   
,evil ,eye1 as we call it1 upon us1 and 
put a ,devil into us when she plays the 
,devil before us8 ,how do we listen to  
the ,cant of those worst of ,vagabonds  
the ,gypsies1 when at the same time we  
watch our ,hedges and ,hen-roosts for   
fear of their thieving8  ,either the    
,,devil uses us more like ,fools than he
 did our ,ancestors1 or we really are   
worse ,fools than those ,ages produced1 
for they were never deluded by such     
low-priz'd ,devils as we are2 by such   
despicable ,bridewell ,,devils1 that are

 fitter for a ,whipping-post than an    
,altar1 and instead of being receiv'd as
 the ,voice of an ,oracle1 should be    
sent to the ,house of ,correction for   
,pick-pockets4  ,nor is this accidental1
 and here and there one of these        
,wretches to be seen1 but in short1 if  
it has been in other ,nations as it is  
with us1 ,i do not see that the ,,devil 
was able to get any better ,people into 
his ,pay1 or at least very rarely3      
,where have we seen any thing above a   
,tinker turn ,wizard8 and where have we 
had a ,witch of ,quality among us1      
,mother ,je------gs excepted8 and if she
 had not been more of something else    
than a ,witch1 'twas thought she had    
never got so much ,money by her         
,profession4  ,magicians1 ,southsayers1 
,devil-raisers1 and such ,people1 we    
have heard much of1 but seldom above the
 ,degree of the meanest of the mean     
,people1 the lowest of the lowest ,rank3
 ,indeed the ,word ,wise ,men1 which the
 ,devil wou'd fain have had his ,agents 

honour'd with1 was used a while in      
,egypt1 and in ,persia1 among the       
,chaldeans1 but it continued but a      
little while1 and never reach'd so far  
,northward as our ,country2 nor1 however
 the ,devil has managed it1 have many of
 our great ,men1 who have been most     
acquainted with him1 ever been able to  
acquire the ,title of ,wise ,men4  ,i   
have heard that in older ,times1 ,i     
suppose in good ,queen ,bess's ,days1 or
 beyond1 7for little is to be said here 
for any thing on this ,side of her time7
 there were some ,counsellors and       
,statesmen who merited the ,character of
 wise1 in the best ,sense2 that is to   
say1 good1 and wise1 as they stand in   
,conjunction2 but as to what has        
happen'd since that1 or1 as we may call 
it1 from that ,queen's ,funeral to the  
late ,revolution1 ,i have little to say2
 but ,i'll tell you what honest ,andrew 
,marvel said of those ,times1 and by    
that you may1 if you please1 make your  
,calculation or let it alone1 'tis all  

one4    ,to see a white ,staff-maker1 a 
,beggar1 a ,lord1   ,and scarce a wise  
,man at a long ,council-,board4   ,but  
,i may be told this relates to wise ,men
 in another ,constitution1 or wise ,men 
as they are opposed to ,fools2 whereas  
we are talking of them now under another
 ,class1 namely1 as ,wisemen or         
,magicians1 ,south-sayers1 c4 such as   
were in former ,times call'd by that    
,name4  ,but to this ,i answer1 that    
take them in which ,sense you please1 it
 may be the same2 for if ,i were to ask 
the ,devil the ,character of the best   
,states-man he had employ'd among us for
 many ,years past1 ,i am apt to think   
that tho' ,oracles are ceased1 he would 
honestly1 according to the old ambiguous
 ,way1 when ,i ask'd if they were       
,christians1 answer they were 7his7     
,privy-,counsellors4  ,it is but a      
little while ago1 that ,i happen'd 7in  
,conversation7 to meet with a long ,list
 of the ,magistrates of that ,age1 in a 
neighbouring ,country1 that is to say1  

the ,men of ,fame among them2 and it was
 a very diverting ,thing to see the     
,judgment which was pass'd upon them    
among a great deal of good ,company2 it 
is not for me to tell you how many white
 ,staves1 ,golden ,keys1 ,mareshals     
,batoons1 ,cordons ,blue1 ,gordon ,rouge
 and ,gordon ,blanc1 there were among   
them1 or by what ,titles1 as ,dukes1    
,counts1 ,marquis1 ,abbot1 ,bishop1 or  
,justice they were to be distinguish'd2 
but the marginal ,notes ,i found upon   
most of them were 7being mark'd with an 
,asterism7 as follows4  ,such a ,duke1  
such eminent ,offices added to his      
,titles 799 in the ,margin7 ------ ,no  
,saint4  ,such an ,arch---- with the    
,title of ,noble added1 ------ ,no      
,archangel4  ,such an eminent ,statesman
 and prime ,minister1 ------ ,no ,witch4
  ,such a ,ribbon with a ,set of great  
,letters added1 ------ ,no ,conjurer4   
,it presently occurr'd to me that tho'  
,oracles were ceased1 and we had now no 
more double ,entendre in such a ,degree 

as before1 yet that ambiguous ,answers  
were not at an ,end2 and that whether   
those ,negatives were meant so by the   
,writers1 or not1 'twas certain ,custom 
led the ,readers to conclude them to be 
,satyrs1 that they were to be rung      
backwards like the ,bells when the      
,town's on fire2 tho' in short1 ,i durst
 not read them backward any where1 but  
as speaking of foreign ,people1 for fear
 of raising the ,devil ,i am talking of4
  ,but to return to the ,subject2 to    
such mean ,things is the ,,devil now    
reduc'd in his ordinary ,way of carrying
 on his ,business in the ,world1 that   
his ,oracles are deliver'd now by the   
,bellmen and the ,chimney-,sweepers1 by 
the meanest of those that speak in the  
,dark1 and if he operates by them1 you  
may expect it accordingly2 his ,agents  
seem to me as if the ,,devil had singl'd
 them out by their ,deformity1 or that  
there was something particular requir'd 
in their ,aspect to qualify them for    
their ,employment2 whence it is become  

proverbial1 when our ,looks are very    
dismal and frightful1 to say1 ,i look   
like a ,witch1 or in other ,cases to    
say1 as ugly as a ,witch2 in another    
,case to look as envious as a ,witch2   
now whether there is any ,thing         
particularly requir'd in the ,looks of  
the ,,devil's modern ,agents1 which is  
assisting in the ,discharge of their    
,offices1 and which make their ,answers 
appear more solemn1 this the ,devil has 
not yet reveal'd1 at least not to me2   
and therefore why it is that he singles 
out such ,creatures as are fit only to  
fright the ,people that come to them    
with their ,enquiries1 ,i do not take   
upon me to determine4  ,perhaps it is   
necessary they should be thus           
extraordinary in their ,aspect1 that    
they might strike an ,awe into the      
,minds of their ,votaries1 as if they   
were ,satan's true and real             
,representatives2 and that the said     
,votaries may think when they speak to  
the ,witches they are really talking to 

the ,devil2 or perhaps 'tis necessary to
 the ,witches themselves1 that they     
should be so exquisitely ugly1 that they
 might not be surpriz'd at whatever     
,figure the ,devil makes when he first  
appears to them1 being certain they can 
see nothing uglier than themselves4     
,some are of the ,opinion that the      
,communication with the ,devil1 or      
between the ,devil and those ,creatures 
his ,agents1 has something assimulating 
in it1 and that if they were tolerable  
before1 they are1 ipso facto1 turn'd    
into ,,devils by talking with him2 ,i   
will not say but that a ,tremor in the  
,limbs1 a ,horror in the ,aspect1 and a 
surprizing ,stare in the ,eyes may seize
 upon some of them when they really see 
the ,,devil1 and that the frequent      
,repetition may make those ,distortions1
 which we so constantly see in their    
,faces becomes natural to them2 by which
 if it does not continue always upon the
 ,countenance1 they can at least1 like  
the ,posture-,masters1 cast themselves  

into such ,figures and frightful        
,dislocations of the ,lines and         
,features in their ,faces1 and so assume
 a ,devil's ,face suitable to the       
,occasion1 or as may serve the turn for 
which they take it up1 and as often as  
they have any use for it4  ,but be it   
which of these the ,enquirer pleases1   
'tis all one to the ,case in ,hand2 this
 is certain1 that such deform'd         
,devil-like ,creatures1 most of those we
 call ,hags and ,witches1 are in their  
,shapes and ,aspects1 and that they give
 out their ,sentences and frightful     
,messages with an ,air of ,revenge for  
some ,injury receiv'd2 for ,witches are 
fam'd chiefly for doing ,mischief4  ,it 
seems the ,devil has always pick'd out  
the most ugly and frightful old ,women  
to do his ,business2 ,mother ,shipton1  
our famous ,english ,witch or           
,prophetess1 is very much wrong'd in her
 ,picture1 if she was not of the most   
terrible ,aspect imaginable2 and if it  
be true that ,merlin1 the famous ,welch 

,fortune-,teller1 was a frightful       
,figure1 it will seem the more rational 
to believe1 if we credit another ,story1
 7viz47 that he was begotten by the     
,devil himself1 of which ,i shall speak 
by it self3 ,but to go back to the      
,devil's ,instruments being so ugly2 it 
may be observed1 ,i say1 that the ,devil
 has always dealt in such sort of       
,cattle2 the ,sybils1 of whom so many   
strange prophetic ,things are recorded1 
whether true or no is not to the        
,question1 are 7if the ,italian         
,painters may have any ,credit given    
them7 all represented as very old       
,women2 and as if ,ugliness were a      
,beauty to old ,age1 they seem to paint 
them out as ugly and frightful as 7not  
they1 the ,painters7 but even as the    
,devil himself could make them2 not that
 ,i believe there are any original      
,pictures of them really extant2 but it 
is not unlikely that the ,italians might
 have some traditional ,knowledge of    
them1 or some remaining ,notions of     

them1 or particularly that antient      
,sybil named ,anus1 who sold the fatal  
,book to ,tarquin2 'tis said of her that
 ,tarquin supposed she doated with ,age4
  ,i had ,thoughts indeed here to have  
entred into a learned ,disquisition of  
the ,excellency of old ,women in all    
diabolical ,operations1 and particularly
 of the ,necessity of having recourse to
 them for ,satan's more exquisite       
,administration1 which also may serve to
 solve the great ,difficulty in the     
natural ,philosophy of ,hell2 namely1   
why it comes to pass that the ,devil is 
oblig'd for want of old ,women1 properly
 so call'd1 to turn so many antient     
,fathers1 grave ,counsellors both of    
,law and ,state1 and especially         
,civilians or ,doctors of the ,law into 
old ,women1 and how the extraordinary   
,operation is perform'd2 but this1 as a 
,thing of great ,consequence in ,satan's
 ,management of humane ,affairs1 and    
particularly as it may lead us into the 
necessary ,history1 as well as          

,characters of some of the most eminent 
of these ,sects among us1 ,i have       
purposely reserv'd for a ,work by it    
self1 to be published1 if ,satan hinders
 not1 in fifteen ,volumes in ,folio1    
wherein ,i shall in the first ,place    
define in the most exact ,manner        
possible1 what is to be understood by a 
,male old ,woman1 of what heterogeneous 
,kind they are produced1 give you the   
monstrous ,anatomy of the ,parts1 and   
especially those of the ,head1 which    
being fill'd with innumerable ,globules 
of a sublime ,nature1 and which being of
 a fine ,contexture without1 but        
particularly hollow in the ,cavity1     
defines most philosophically that       
antient paradoxical ,saying1 7viz47     
being full of ,emptiness1 and makes it  
very consistent with ,nature and common 
,sense4  ,i shall likewise spend some   
,time1 and it must be ,labour too1 ,i   
assure you1 when 'tis done1 in          
determining whether this new ,species of
 ,wonderfuls are not deriv'd from that  

famous old ,woman ,merlin1 which ,i     
prove to be very reasonable for us to   
suppose1 because of the many several    
judicious ,authors1 who affirm the said 
,merlin1 as ,i hinted before1 to have   
been begotten by the ,devil4  ,as to the
 deriving his ,gift of ,prophesy from   
the ,devil1 by that pretended           
,generation1 ,i shall omit that ,part1  
because1 as ,i have all along insisted  
upon it1 that ,satan himself has no     
prophetic or predicting ,powers of his  
own1 it is not very clear to me that he 
could convey it to his ,posterity1 nil  
dat quod not habet4  ,however1 in       
deriving this so much magnified ,prophet
 in a right ,line from the ,devil1 much 
may be said in favour of his ugly ,face1
 in which it was said he was very       
remarkable1 for it is no new ,thing for 
a ,child to be like the ,father2 but all
 these weighty ,things ,i adjourn for   
the present1 and proceed to the ,affair 
in ,hand1 namely1 the several ,branches 
of the ,devil's ,management since his   

quitting his ,temples and ,oracles4     
,,chap4 ,,vi4  ,of the extraordinary    
,appearance of the ,devil1 and          
particularly of the      ,cloven-,foot4 
,some ,people would fain have us treat  
this ,tale of the ,devil's appearing    
with a ,cloven-,foot with more          
,solemnity than ,i believe the ,devil   
himself does2 for ,satan1 who knows how 
much of a ,cheat it is1 must certainly  
ridicule it1 in his own ,thoughts1 to   
the last ,degree2 but as he is glad of  
any ,way to hoodwink the                
,understandings1 and bubble the weak    
,part of the ,world2 so if he sees ,men 
willing to take every ,scarecrow for a  
,devil1 it is not his ,business to      
undeceive them2 on the other ,hand1 he  
finds it his ,interest to foster the    
,cheat1 and serve himself of the        
,consequence3 ,nor could ,i doubt but   
the ,devil1 if any ,mirth be allow'd    
him1 often laughs at the many frightful 
,shapes and ,figures we dress him up in1
 and especially to see how willing we   

are first to paint him as black1 and    
make him appear as ugly as we can1 and  
then stare and start at the ,spectrum of
 our own making4  ,the ,truth is1 that  
among all the ,horribles that we dress  
up ,satan in1 ,i cannot but think we    
shew the least of ,invention in this of 
a ,goat1 or a ,thing with a ,goat's     
,foot1 of all the rest2 for tho' a ,goat
 is a ,creature made use of by our      
,saviour in the ,allegory of the ,day of
 ,judgment1 and is said there to        
represent the wicked rejected ,party1   
yet it seems to be only on ,account of  
their ,similitude to the ,sheep1 and so 
to represent the just ,fate of          
,hypocrisy and ,hypocrites1 and in      
particular to form the necessary        
,antithesis in the ,story2 for else1 our
 whimsical ,fancies excepted1 a ,sheep  
or a ,lamb has a ,cloven-,foot as well  
as a ,goat2 nay1 if the ,scripture be of
 any ,value in the ,case1 'tis to the   
,devil's ,advantage1 for the dividing   
the ,hoof was the distinguishing        

,character or ,mark of a clean ,beast1  
and how the ,devil can be brought into  
that ,number is pretty hard to say4     
,one would have thought if we had       
intended to have given a just ,figure of
 the ,devil1 it would have been more    
apposite to have rank'd him among the   
,cat-kind1 and given him a ,foot 7if he 
is to be known by his ,foot7 like a     
,lion1 or like a red ,dragon1 being the 
same ,creatures which he is represented 
by in the ,text1 and so his ,claws would
 have had some ,terror in them as well  
as his ,teeth4  ,but neither is the     
,goat a true ,representative of the     
,devil at all1 for we do not rank the   
,goats among the ,subtle or cunning     
,part of the ,brutes2 he is counted a   
fierce ,creature indeed of his ,kind1   
tho' nothing like those other           
abovemention'd2 and he is emblematically
 used to represent a lustful ,temper1   
but even that ,part does not fully serve
 to describe the ,devil1 whose          
,operation lies principally another     

,way4  ,besides it is not the ,goat     
himself that is made use of1 'tis the   
,cloven-,hoof only1 and that so         
particularly1 that the ,cloven ,foot of 
a ,ram or a ,swine1 or any other        
,creature1 may serve as well as that of 
a ,goat1 only that ,history gives us    
some ,cause to call it the ,goat's      
,foot4  ,in the next ,place 'tis        
understood by us not as a bare ,token to
 know ,satan by1 but as if it were a    
,brand upon him1 and that like the ,mark
 ,god put upon ,cain1 it was given him  
for a ,punishment1 so that he cannot get
 leave to appear without it1 nay cannot 
conceal it whatever other ,dress or     
,disguise he may put on2 and as if it   
was to make him as ridiculous as        
possible1 they will have it be1 that    
whenever ,satan has ,occasion to dress  
himself in any humane ,shape1 be it of  
what ,degree soever1 from the ,king to  
the ,beggar1 be it of a fine ,lady or of
 an old ,woman1 7the ,latter it seems he
 oftenest assumes7 yet still he not only

 must have this ,cloven-,foot about him1
 but he is oblig'd to shew it too2 nay1 
they will not allow him any ,dress1     
whether it be a ,prince's ,robes1 a     
,lord ,cha---r's ,gown1 or a ,lady's    
,hoop and long ,petticoats1 but the     
,cloven-,foot must be shew'd from under 
them2 they will not so much as allow him
 an artificial ,shoe or a ,jack-,boot1  
as we often see contriv'd to conceal a  
,club-,foot or a ,wooden-,leg2 but that 
the ,devil may be known wherever he     
goes1 he is bound to shew his ,foot2    
they might as well oblige him to set a  
,bill upon his ,cap1 as ,folks do upon a
 ,house to be let1 and have it written  
in capital ,letters1 ,i am the ,,devil4 
,it must be confess'd this is very      
particular1 and would be very hard upon 
the ,devil1 if it had not another       
,article in it1 which is some ,advantage
 to him1 and that is1 that the ,fact is 
not true2 but the ,belief of this is so 
universal1 that all the ,world runs away
 with it2 by which ,mistake the good    

,people miss the ,devil many times where
 they look for him1 and meet him as     
often where they did not expect him1 and
 when for want of this ,cloven-,foot    
they do not know him4  ,upon this very  
,account ,i have sometimes thought1 not 
that this has been put upon him by meer 
,fancy1 and the ,cheat of a heavy       
,imagination1 propagated by ,fable and  
,chymny-,corner ,divinity1 but that it  
has been a ,contrivance of his own2 and 
that1 in short1 the ,devil rais'd this  
,scandal upon himself1 that he might    
keep his ,disguise the better1 and might
 go a ,visiting among his ,friends      
without being known2 for were it really 
so1 that he could go no where without   
this particular ,brand of ,infamy1 he   
could not come into ,company1 could not 
dine with my ,lord ,mayor1 nor drink    
,tea with the ,ladies1 could not go to  
the ,drawing-,r---- at ------1 could not
 have gone to ,fountainbleau to the     
,king of ,france's ,wedding1 or to the  
,diet of ,poland1 to prevent the        

,grandees there coming to an ,agreement2
 nay1 which would be still worse than   
all1 he could not go to the ,masquerade1
 nor to any of our ,balls2 the ,reason  
is plain1 he would be always discover'd1
 expos'd and forc'd to leave the good   
,company1 or which would be as bad1 the 
,company would all cry out the ,devil   
and run out of the ,room as if they were
 frighted2 nor could all the ,help of   
,invention do him any ,service1 no      
,dress he could put on would cover him2 
not all our ,friends at ,tavistock      
,corner could furnish him with a ,habit 
that would disguise or conceal him1 this
 unhappy ,foot would spoil it all3 ,now 
this would be a great a ,loss to him1   
that ,i question whether he could carry 
on any of his most important ,affairs in
 the ,world without it2 for tho' he has 
access to ,mankind in his compleat      
,disguise1 ,i mean that of his          
,invisibility1 yet the ,learned very    
much agree in this1 that his corporal   
,presence in the ,world is absolutely   

necessary upon many ,occasions1 to      
support his ,interest and keep up his   
,correspondences1 and particularly to   
encourage his ,friends when ,numbers are
 requisite to carry on his ,affairs2 but
 this ,part ,i shall have ,occasion to  
speak of again1 when ,i come to consider
 him as a ,gentleman of ,business in his
 ,locality1 and under the ,head of      
visible ,apparition2 but ,i return to   
the ,foot4  ,as ,i have thus suggested  
that the ,devil himself has politically 
spread about this ,notion concerning his
 appearing with a ,cloven-,foot1 so ,i  
doubt not that he has thought it for his
 ,purpose to paint this ,cloven-,foot so
 lively in the ,imaginations of many of 
our ,people1 and especially of those    
clear sighted ,folks who see the ,devil 
when he is not to be seen1 that they    
would make no ,scruple to say1 nay and  
to make ,affidavit too1 even before     
,satan himself1 whenever he sat upon the
 ,bench1 that they had seen his         
,worship's ,foot at such and such a     

,time2 this ,i advance the rather       
because 'tis very much for his ,interest
 to do this1 for if we had not many     
,witnesses1 viva voce1 to testify it1 we
 should have had some obstinate ,fellows
 always among us1 who would have denied 
the ,fact1 or at least have spoken      
doubtfully of it1 and so have rais'd    
,disputes and ,objections against it1 as
 impossible1 or at least as improbable2 
buzzing one ridiculous ,notion or other 
into our ,ears1 as if the ,devil was not
 so black as he was painted1 that he had
 no more a ,cloven-,foot than a ,pope1  
whose ,apostolical ,toes have so often  
been reverentially kiss'd by ,kings and 
,emperors3 but now alas this ,part is   
out of the ,question1 not the ,man in   
the ,moon1 not the ,groaning-,board1 not
 the speaking of ,fryar ,bacon's        
,brazen-,head1 not the ,inspiration of  
,mother ,shipton1 or the ,miracles of   
,dr4 ,faustus1 ,things as certain as    
,death and ,taxes1 can be more firmly   
believ'd3 ,the ,devil not have a        

,cloven-,foot6 ,i doubt not but ,i      
could1 in a short ,time1 bring you a    
thousand old ,women together1 that would
 as soon believe there was no ,devil at 
all2 nay1 they will tell you1 he could  
not be a ,devil without it1 any more    
than he could come into the ,room1 and  
the ,candles not burn blue1 or go out   
and not leave a smell of ,brimstone     
behind him4  ,since then the ,certainty 
of the ,thing is so well establish'd1   
and there are so many good and          
substantial ,witnesses ready to testify 
that he has a ,cloven-,foot1 and that   
they have seen it too2 nay1 and that we 
have ,antiquity on our ,side1 for we    
have this ,truth confirm'd by the       
,testimony of many ,ages2 why should we 
doubt it any longer8 we can prove that  
many of our ,ancestors have been of this
 ,opinion1 and divers learn'd ,authors  
have left it upon ,record1 as           
particularly that learned ,familiarist  
,mother ,hazel1 whose ,writings are to  
be found in ,,ms4 in the famous ,library

 at ,pye-,corner2 also the admir'd ,joan
 of ,amesbury1 the ,history of the      
,lancashire ,witches1 and the ,reverend 
,exorcist of the ,devil's of ,london1   
whose ,history is extant among us to    
this ,day2 all these and many more may  
be quoted1 and their ,writings referr'd 
to for the ,confirmation of the         
,antiquity of this ,truth2 but there    
seems to be no ,occasion for farther    
,evidence1 'tis enough1 ,satan himself1 
if he did not raise the ,report1 yet    
tacitly owns the ,fact1 at least he     
appears willing to have it believ'd1 and
 be receiv'd as a general ,truth for the
 ,reasons above4  ,but besides all this1
 and as much a ,jest as some unbelieving
 ,people would have this ,story pass    
for1 who knows but that if ,satan is    
empower'd to assume any ,shape or ,body1
 and to appear to us visibly1 as if     
really so shap'd2 ,i say1 who knows but 
he may1 by the same ,authority1 be      
allow'd to assume the ,addition of the  
,cloven-,foot1 or two or four           

,cloven-,feet1 if he pleased8 and why   
not a ,cloven-,foot as well as any other
 ,foot1 if he thinks fit8 ,for if the   
,devil can assume a ,shape1 and can     
appear to ,mankind in a visible ,form1  
it may1 ,i doubt not1 with as good      
,authority be advanc'd that he is left  
at ,liberty to assume what ,shape he    
pleases1 and to choose what ,case of    
,flesh and ,blood he'll please to wear1 
whether real or imaginary2 and if this  
,liberty be allow'd him1 it is an       
admirable ,disguise for him to come     
generally with his ,cloven-,foot1 that  
when he finds it for his ,purpose1 on   
special ,occasions to come without it1  
as ,i said above1 he may not be         
suspected2 but take this with you as you
 go1 that all this is upon a            
,supposition that the ,devil can assume 
a visible ,shape1 and make a real       
,appearance1 which however ,i do not yet
 think fit to grant or deny4  ,certain  
it is1 the first ,people who bestow'd a 
,cloven-,foot upon the ,devil1 were not 

so despicable as you may imagine1 but   
were real ,favourites of ,heaven2 for   
did not ,aaron set up the ,devil of a   
,calf in the ,congregation1 and set the 
,people a dancing about it for a ,god8  
,upon which ,occasion1 ,expositors tell 
us1 that particular ,command was given1 
,levit4 xvii4 #g4 ,they shall no more   
offer their ,sacrifices unto ,devils1   
after whom they have gone a ,whoring2   
likewise ,king ,jeroboam set up the two 
,calves1 one at ,dan and the other at   
,bethel1 and we find them charg'd       
afterwards with setting up the ,worship 
of ,devils instead of the ,worship of   
,god4  ,after this we find some ,nations
 actually sacrificed to the ,devil in   
the ,form of a ,ram1 and others of a    
,goat2 from which1 and that above of the
 ,calves at ,horeb1 ,i doubt not the    
,story of the ,cloven-,foot first       
derived2 and it is plain that the       
,worship of that ,calf at ,horeb is     
meant in the ,scripture quoted above1   
,levit4 xvii4 #g4 ,thou shalt no more   

offer ,sacrifices unto ,devils3 ,the    
,original is ,seghnirim2 that is1 rough 
and hairy ,goats or ,calves2 and some   
think also in this ,shape the ,devil    
most ordinarily appeared to the         
,egyptians and ,arabians1 from whence it
 was derived4  ,also in the old         
,writings of the ,egyptians1 ,i mean    
their hieroglyphick ,writing1 before the
 ,use of ,letters was known1 we are told
 this was the ,mark that he was known   
by2 and the ,figure of a ,goat was the  
,hieroglyphick of the ,devil2 some will 
affirm that the ,devil was particularly 
pleased to be so represented2 how they  
came by their ,information1 and whether 
they had it from his own ,mouth or not1 
,authors have not yet determined4  ,but 
be this as it will1 ,i do not see that  
,satan could have been at a ,loss for   
some extraordinary ,figure to have      
banter'd ,mankind with1 tho' this had   
not been thought of2 but thinking of the
 ,cloven-,foot first1 and the ,matter   
being indifferent1 this took place1 and 

easily rooted it self in the bewildred  
,fancy of the ,people1 and now 'tis     
riveted too fast for the ,devil himself 
to remove it if he was disposed to try2 
but as ,i said above1 'tis none of his  
,business to solve ,doubts or remove    
,difficulties out of our ,heads1 but to 
perplex us with more1 as much as he can4
  ,some ,people carry this ,matter a    
great deal higher still1 and will have  
the ,cloven-,foot be like the great     
,stone which the ,brasilian ,conjurers  
used to solve all difficult ,questions  
upon1 after having used a great many    
monstrous and barbarous ,gestures and   
,distortions of their ,bodies1 and cut  
certain ,marks or magical ,figures upon 
the ,stone2 so1 ,i say1 they will have  
this ,cloven-,foot be a kind of a       
,conjuring-,stone1 and tell us1 that in 
former ,times1 when ,satan drove a      
greater ,trade with ,mankind in publick1
 than he has done of late1 he gave this 
,cloven-,foot as a ,token to his        
particular ,favourites to work ,wonders 

with1 and to conjure by1 and that       
,witches1 ,fairies1 ,hobgoblins1 and    
such ,things1 of which the ,antients had
 several ,kinds1 at least in their      
,imagination1 had all a ,goat's ,leg    
with a ,cloven-,foot to put on upon     
extraordinary ,occasions2 it seems this 
,method is of late grown out of         
,practice1 and so like the melting of   
,marble and the painting of ,glass1 'tis
 laid aside among the various useful    
,arts which ,history tells us are lost  
to the ,world2 what may be practised in 
the ,fairy ,world1 if such a ,place     
there be1 we can give no particular     
,account at present4  ,but neither is   
this all1 for other wou'd-be-wise       
,people take upon them to make farther  
and more considerable ,improvements upon
 this ,doctrine of the ,cloven-,foot1   
and treat it as a most significant      
,instrument of ,satan's private         
,operation1 and that as ,joseph is said 
to ,divine1 that is to say1 to conjure  
by his ,golden ,cup which was put into  

,benjamin's ,sack1 so the ,devil has    
managed several of his secret           
,operations1 and ,possessions1 and other
 hellish ,mechanisms upon the ,spirits  
as well as ,bodies of ,men1 by the      
,medium or ,instrumentality of the      
,cloven-,foot2 accordingly it had a     
,kind of an hellish ,inspiration in it1 
and a separate and magical ,power by    
which he wrought his infernal ,miracles2
 that the ,cloven-,foot had a superior  
,signification1 and was not only        
emblematic and significative of the     
,conduct of ,men1 but really guided     
their ,conduct in the most important    
,affairs of ,life2 and that the ,agents 
the ,devil employ'd to influence        
,mankind1 and to delude them and draw   
them into all the ,snares and ,traps    
that he lays continually for their      
,destruction1 were equipp'd with this   
,foot in ,aid of their other ,powers for
 ,mischief4  ,here they read us learn'd 
,lectures upon the sovereign ,operations
 which the ,devil is at present ,master 

of1 in the ,government of human         
,affairs2 and how the ,cloven-,foot is  
an ,emblem of the true double ,entendre 
or divided ,aspect1 which the great ,men
 of the ,world generally act with1 and  
by which all their ,affairs are         
directed2 from whence it comes to pass  
that there is no such ,thing as a single
 hearted ,integrity1 or an upright      
,meaning to be found in the ,world2 that
 ,mankind1 worse than the ravenous      
,brutes1 preys upon his own ,kind1 and  
devours them by all the laudable        
,methods of ,flattery1 ,whyne1 ,cheat   
and ,treachery2 ,crocodile like1 weeping
 over those it will devour1 destroying  
those it smiles upon1 and1 in a ,word1  
devours its own ,kind1 which the very   
,beasts refuse1 and that by all the     
,ways of ,fraud and ,allurement that    
,hell can invent2 holding out a cloven  
divided ,hoof1 or ,hand1 pretending to  
save1 when the very ,pretence is made   
use of to ensnare and destroy4  ,thus   
the divided ,hoof is the ,representative

 of a divided double ,tongue1 and       
,heart1 an ,emblem of the most exquisite
 ,hypocrisy1 the most fawning and       
fatally deceiving ,flattery2 and here   
they give us very diverting ,histories1 
tho' tragical in themselves1 of the     
manner which some of the ,devil's       
inspired ,agents have manag'd themselves
 under the especial ,influence of the   
,cloven-,foot2 how they have made ,war  
under the ,pretence of ,peace1 murther'd
 ,garrisons under the most sacred       
,capitulations1 massacred innocent      
,multitudes after ,surrenders to ,mercy4
  ,again1 they tell us the ,cloven-,foot
 has been made use of in all ,treasons1 
,plots1 ,assassinations1 and secret as  
well as open ,murthers and ,rebellions4 
,thus ,joab under the ,treason of an    
,embrace1 shew'd how dexterously he     
could manage the ,cloven-,foot1 and     
struck ,abner under the fifth ,rib3     
,thus ,david play'd the ,cloven-,foot   
upon poor ,uriah1 when he had a ,mind to
 lie with his ,wife3 ,thus ,brutus      

play'd it upon ,csar2 and to come nearer
 home1 we have had a great many         
retrograde ,motions in this ,country by 
this magical ,implement the ,foot2 ,such
 as that of the ,earl of ,essex's ,fate1
 beheading the ,queen of ,scots1 and    
diverse others in ,queen ,elizabeth's   
,time3 ,that of the ,earl of ,shrewsbury
 and ,sir ,thomas ,overbury1 ,gondamor  
and ,sir ,walter ,raleigh1 and many     
others in ,king ,james the ,i4's ,time2 
in all which1 if the ,cloven-,foot had  
not been dexterously manag'd1 those     
,murthers had not been so dexterously   
manag'd1 or the ,murtherers have so well
 been skreen'd from ,justice2 for which 
and the imprecated ,justice of ,heaven  
unappeased1 some have thought the       
innocent ,branches of the ,royal ,house 
of ,stuart did not fare the better in   
the ,ages which follow'd4  ,it must be  
confess'd1 the ,cloven-,foot was in its 
full ,exercise in the next ,reign1 and  
the ,generation that rose up immediately
 after them1 arrived to the most        

exquisite ,skill for ,management of it2 
here they fasted and pray'd1 there they 
plunder'd and murther'd2 here they      
rais'd ,war for the ,king1 and there    
they fought against him1 cutting        
,throats for ,god's ,sake1 and deposing 
both ,king and kingly ,government       
according to ,law4  ,nor was the        
,cloven-,foot unemployed on all ,sides1 
for 'tis the main ,excellency of this   
,instrument of ,hell1 that it acts on   
every ,side1 it is its denominating     
,quality1 and is for that ,reason call'd
 a cloven or divided ,hoof4  ,this      
mutilated ,apparition has been so       
publick in other ,countries too1 that it
 seems to convince us the ,devil is not 
confin'd to ,england only1 but that as  
his ,empire extended to all the         
sublunary ,world1 so he gives them all  
,room to see he is qualified to manage  
them his own ,way4  ,what abundant ,use 
did that ,prince of ,dissemblers1       
,charles ,v4 make of this ,foot8 'twas  
by the ,help of this ,apparition of the 

,foot that he baited his ,hook with the 
,city of ,milan1 and tickled ,francis   
,i4 of ,france so well with it1 that    
when he pass'd thro' ,france1 and was in
 that ,king's ,power1 he let him go1 and
 never get the ,bait off of the ,hook   
neither2 it ,seems the ,foot was not on 
,king ,francis's ,side at that ,time4   
,how cruelly did ,philip ,,ii4 of ,spain
 manage this ,foot in the ,murther of   
the ,nobility of the ,spanish           
,netherlands1 the ,assassination of the 
,prince of ,orange1 and at last3 in that
 of his own ,son ,don ,carlos ,infant of
 ,spain8 and yet such was the ,devil's  
,craft1 and so nicely did he bestir his 
,cloven-,hoof1 that this ,monarch died  
consolated 7tho' impenitent7 in the     
,arms of the ,church1 and with the      
,benediction of the ,clergy too1 those  
second best ,managers of the said ,hoof 
in the ,world4  ,i must acknowledge1 ,i 
agree with this ,opinion thus far2      
namely1 that the ,devil acting by this  
,cloven-,foot1 as a ,machine1 has done  

great ,things in the ,world for the     
propagating his dark ,empire among us2  
and ,history is full of ,examples1      
besides the little low priz'd ,things   
done among us2 for we are come to such a
 ,kind of ,degeneracy in ,folly1 that we
 have even dishonour'd the ,devil1 and  
put this glorious ,engine the           
,cloven-,foot to such mean ,uses1 that  
the ,devil himself seems to be asham'd  
of us4  ,but to return a little to      
foreign ,history1 besides what has been 
mention'd above1 we find flaming        
,examples of most glorious ,mischief    
done by this ,weapon1 when put into the 
,hands of ,kings and ,men of ,fame in   
the ,world3 ,how many ,games have the   
,kings of ,france play'd with this      
,cloven-,foot1 and that within a few    
,years of one another8 ,first1 ,charles 
,,ix4 play'd the ,cloven-,foot upon     
,gaspar ,coligni ,admiral of ,france1   
when he caress'd him1 complimented him1 
invited him to ,paris1 to the ,wedding  
of the ,king of ,navarre1 call'd him    

,father1 kiss'd him1 and when he was    
wounded sent his own ,surgeons to take  
,care of him1 and yet three ,days after 
order'd him to be assassinated and      
murther'd1 used with a thousand         
,indignities1 and at last thrown out of 
the ,window into the ,street to be      
insulted by the ,rabble8  ,did not      
,henry ,,iii4 in the same ,country1 play
 the ,cloven-,foot upon the ,duke of    
,guise1 when he call'd him to his       
,council1 and caus'd him to be murther'd
 as he went in at the ,door8 ,the       
,guises again plaid the same ,game back 
upon the ,king1 when they sent out a    
,jacobin ,friar to assassinate him in   
his ,tent as he lay at the ,siege of    
,paris4  ,in a ,word1 this ,opera of the
 ,cloven-,foot has been acted all over  
the ,christian ,world1 ever since ,judas
 betray'd the ,son of ,god with a ,kiss2
 nay1 our ,saviour says expresly of him1
 ,one of you is a ,devil2 and the sacred
 ,text says in another ,place1 ,the     
,devil enter'd into ,judas4  ,it would  

take up a great deal of ,time and ,paper
 too1 to give you a full ,account of the
 ,travels of this ,cloven-,foot2 its    
,progress into all the ,courts of       
,europe1 and with what most accurate    
,hypocrisy ,satan has made use of it    
upon many ,occasions1 and with what     
,success2 but as in the elaborate ,work 
of which ,i just now gave you a         
,specimen ,i design one whole ,volume   
upon this ,subject1 and which ,i shall  
call1 ,the compleat ,history of the     
,cloven-,foot2 ,i say1 for that ,reason1
 and diverse others1 ,i shall say but   
very little more to it in this ,place4  
,it remains to tell you1 that this merry
 ,story of the ,cloven-,foot is very    
essential to the ,history which ,i am   
now writing1 as it has been all along   
the great ,emblem of the ,devil's       
,government in the ,world1 and by which 
all his most considerable ,engagements  
have been answer'd and executed2 for as 
he is said not to be able to conceal    
this ,foot1 but that he carries it      

always with him1 it imports most        
plainly1 that the ,devil would be no    
,devil if he was not a ,dissembler1 a   
,deceiver1 and carried a double         
,entendre in all he does or says2 that  
he cannot but say one ,thing and mean   
another1 promise one ,thing and do      
another1 engage and not perform1 declare
 and not intend1 and act like a true    
,devil as he is1 with a ,countenance    
that is no ,index of his ,heart4  ,i    
might indeed go back to ,originals1 and 
derive this ,cloven-,foot from ,satan's 
primitive ,state as a ,cherubim or a    
celestial ,being1 which ,cherubims1 as  
,moses is said to have seen them about  
the ,throne of ,god in ,mount ,sinai1   
and as the same ,moses1 from the        
,original represented them afterwards   
covering the ,ark1 had the ,head and    
,face of a ,man1 ,wings of an ,eagle1   
,body of a ,lion1 and ,legs and ,feet of
 a ,calf2 but this is not so much to our
 present ,purpose1 for as we are to     
allow that whatever ,satan had of       

heavenly ,beauty before the ,fall1 he   
lost it all when he commenc'd ,devil1 so
 to fetch his ,original so far up would 
be only to say1 that he retain'd nothing
 but the ,cloven-,foot1 and that all the
 rest of him was alter'd and deform'd1  
become frightful and horrible as the    
,,devil2 but his ,cloven-,foot1 as we   
now understand it1 is rather mystical   
and emblematick1 and describes him only 
as the ,fountain of ,mischief and       
,treason1 and the ,prince of            
,hypocrites1 and as such we are now to  
speak of him4  ',tis from this ,original
 all the hypocritic ,world copy1 he     
wears the ,foot on their ,account1 and  
from this ,model they act3 ,this made   
our blessed ,lord tell them1 the ,works 
of your ,father ye will do1 meaning the 
,devil1 as he had express'd it just     
before4  ,nor does he deny the ,use of  
the ,foot to the meaner ,class of his   
,disciples in the ,world1 but decently  
equips them all upon every ,occasion    
with a needful ,proportion of ,hypocrisy

 and ,deceit2 that they may hand on the 
,power of promiscuous ,fraud thro' all  
his temporal ,dominions1 and wear the   
,foot always about them as a ,badge of  
their profess'd ,share in whatever is   
done by that ,means4  ,thus every       
,dissembler1 every false ,friend1 every 
secret ,cheat1 every ,bearskin-,jobber  
has a ,cloven-,foot1 and so far hands on
 the ,devil's ,interest by the same     
powerful ,agency of ,art1 as the ,devil 
himself uses to act when he appears in  
,person1 or would act if he was just now
 upon the ,spot2 for this ,foot is a    
,machine which is to be wound up and    
wound down1 as the ,cause it appears for
 requires2 and there are ,agents and    
,engineers to act in it by ,directions  
of ,satan 7the grand ,engineer7 who lies
 still in his ,retirement1 only issuing 
out his ,orders as he sees convenient4  
,again1 every ,class1 every ,trade1     
every ,shopkeeper1 every ,pedlar1 nay1  
that meanest of ,tradesmen1 that ,church
 ,pedlar the ,pope1 has a ,cloven-,foot1

 with which he ,paw wa's upon the       
,world1 wishes them all well1 and at the
 same time cheats them2 wishes them all 
fed1 and at the same time starves them2 
wishes them all in ,heaven1 and at the  
same time marches before them directly  
to the ,devil1 alamode de ,cloven-,foot4
  ,nay1 the very ,bench1 the everliving 
,foundation of ,justice in the ,world2  
how often has it been made the ,tool of 
,violence1 the ,refuge of ,oppression1  
the ,seat of ,bribery and ,corruption1  
by this ,monster in ,masquerade1 and    
that every where 7our own ,country      
always excepted78 ,they had much better 
wipe out the ,picture of justice        
blinded1 and having the ,sword and      
,scales in her ,hand1 which in foreign  
,countries is generally painted over the
 ,seat of those who sit to do ,justice1 
and place instead thereof a naked       
unarm'd ,cloven-,hoof1 a proper ,emblem 
of that ,spirit that ,influences the    
,world1 and of the ,justice we often see
 administred among them2 human          

,imagination cannot form an ,idea more  
suitable1 nor the ,devil propose an     
,engine more or better qualified for an 
,operation of ,justice1 by the          
,influence of ,bribery and ,corruption2 
it is this magnipotent ,instrument in   
the ,hands of the ,devil1 which under   
the closest ,disguise agitates every    
,passion1 bribes every ,affection1      
blackens every ,virtue1 gives a double  
,face to ,words and ,actions1 and to all
 ,persons who have any ,concern in them1
 and in a ,word1 makes us all ,devils to
 one another4  ,indeed the ,devil has   
taken but a dark ,emblem to be          
distinguish'd by1 for this of a ,goat   
was said to be a ,creature hated by     
,mankind from the beginning1 and that   
there is a natural ,antipathy in        
,mankind against them3 ,hence the ,scape
 ,goat was to bear the ,sins of the     
,people1 and to go into the ,wilderness 
with all that ,burthen upon him4  ,but  
we have a ,saying among us1 in ,defence 
of which we must enquire into the proper

 ,sphere of ,action which may be        
assigned to this ,cloven-,foot1 as      
hitherto described3 ,the ,proverb is    
this2 ,every ,devil has not a           
,cloven-,foot4 ,this ,proverb1 instead  
of giving us some more favourable       
,thoughts of the ,devil1 confirms what  
,i have said already1 that the ,devil   
rais'd this ,scandal upon himself2 ,i   
mean1 the ,report that he cannot conceal
 or disguise his ,devil's ,foot1 or     
,hoof1 but that it must appear1 under   
whatever ,habit he shews himself2 and   
the ,reason ,i gave holds good still1   
namely1 that he may be more effectually 
conceal'd when he goes abroad without   
it3 ,for if the ,people were fully      
persuaded that the ,devil could not     
appear without this ,badge of his       
,honour1 or ,mark of his ,infamy1 take  
it as you will2 and that he was bound   
also to shew it upon all ,occasions1 it 
would be natural to conclude1 that      
whatever frightful ,appearances might be
 seen in the ,world1 if the             

,cloven-,foot did not also appear1 we   
had no ,occasion to look for the ,devil1
 or so much as to think of him1 much    
less to apprehend he was near us2 and as
 this might be a ,mistake1 and that the 
,devil might be there while we thought  
our selves so secure1 it might on many  
,occasions be a ,mistake of very ill    
,consequence1 and in particular1 as it  
would give the ,devil room to act in the
 ,dark1 and not be discover'd1 where it 
might be most needful to know him4      
,from this short ,hint1 thus repeated1  
,i draw a new ,thesis1 namely1 ,that    
,devil is most dangerous that has no    
,cloven-,foot2 or1 if you will have it  
in ,words more to the common            
,understanding1 the ,devil seems to be  
most dangerous when he goes without his 
,cloven-,foot4  ,and here a learned     
,speculation offers it self to our      
,debate1 and which indeed ,i ought to   
call a ,council of ,casuists1 and ,men  
learned in the ,devil's ,politicks1 to  
determine3  ,whether is most hurtful to 

the ,world1 the ,devil walking about    
without his ,cloven-,foot1 or the       
,cloven-,foot walking about without the 
,devil8  ,it is indeed a nice and       
difficult ,question1 and merits to be   
well enquir'd into2 for which ,reason1  
and diverse others1 ,i have referr'd it 
to be treated with some ,decency1 and as
 a ,dispute of ,dignity sufficient to   
take up a ,chapter by itself4           
,,chap4 ,,vii4  ,whether is most hurtful
 to the ,world1 the ,devil walking about
 without      his ,cloven-,foot1 or the 
,cloven-,foot walking about without the 
,devil8   ,in discussing this most      
critical ,distinction of ,satan's       
private ,motions1 ,i must1 as the       
,pulpit ,gentlemen direct us1 explain   
the ,text1 and let you know what ,i mean
 by several dark ,expressions in it1    
that ,i may not be understood to talk   
7as the ,devil walks7 in the dark4      
#a4 ,as to the ,devil's walking about4  
#b4 ,his walking without his            
,cloven-,foot4       #c4 ,the           

,cloven-,foot walking about without the 
,devil4   ,now as ,i study ,brevity1 and
 yet would be understood too1 you may   
please to understand me as ,i understand
 my self1 thus4       #a4 ,that ,i must 
be allow'd to suppose the ,devil really 
has a full      ,intercourse in1 and    
through1 and about this ,globe1 with    
,egress and      ,regress1 for the      
carrying on his special ,affairs1 when1 
how1 and      where1 to his ,majesty1 in
 his great ,wisdom1 it shall seem meet2 
that sometimes he appears and becomes   
visible1 and that1 like a      ,mastiff 
without his ,clog1 he does not always   
carry his ,cloven-,foot      with him4  
,this will necessarily bring me to some 
,debate upon the      most important    
,question of ,apparitions1 ,hauntings1  
,walkings1 c4      whether of ,satan in 
human ,shape1 or of human ,creatures in 
the      ,devil's ,shape1 or in any     
other manner whatsoever4       #b4 ,i   
must also be allow'd to tell you that   
,satan has a great deal      of ,wrong  

done him by the general embracing vulgar
 ,errors1 and that      there is a      
,cloven-,foot oftentimes without a      
,devil2 or1 in short1      that ,satan  
is not guilty of all the simple ,things1
 no1 or of all      the wicked ,things  
we charge him with4   ,these two ,heads 
well settled will fully explain the     
,title of this ,chapter1 answer the     
,query mentioned in it1 and at the same 
time correspond very well with1 and give
 us a farther ,prospect into the main   
and original ,design of this ,work1     
namely1 ,the ,history of the ,devil4 ,we
 are so fond of1 and pleased with the   
general ,notion of seeing the ,devil1   
that ,i am loth to disoblige my ,readers
 so much as calling in question his     
,visibility would do4 ,nor is it my     
,business1 any more than it is his1 to  
undeceive them1 where the ,belief is so 
agreeable to them2 especially since upon
 the whole 'tis not one ,farthing       
matter1 either on one ,side or on the   
other1 whether it be so or no1 or       

whether the ,truth of ,fact be ever     
discovered or not4  ,certain it is1     
whether we see him or no1 here he is1   
and ,i make no doubt but he is looking  
on while ,i am writing this ,part of his
 ,story1 whether behind me1 or at my    
,elbow1 or over my ,shoulder1 is not    
material to me1 nor have ,i once turned 
my ,head about to see whether he is     
there or no2 for if he be not in the    
,inside1 ,i have so mean an ,opinion of 
all his extravasated ,powers1 that it   
seems of very little ,consequence to me 
what ,shape he takes up1 or in what     
,posture he appears2 nor indeed can ,i  
find in all my ,enquiry that ever the   
,devil appear'd 7,qua ,devil7 in any of 
the most dangerous or important of his  
,designs in the ,world2 the most of his 
,projects1 especially of the significant
 ,part of them1 having been carried on  
another way4  ,however1 as ,i am        
satisfied no ,body will be pleas'd if ,i
 should dispute the ,reality of his     
,appearance1 and the ,world runs away   

with it as a receiv'd ,point1 and that  
admits no ,dispute1 ,i shall most       
readily grant the ,general1 and give you
 some ,account of the ,particulars4     
,history is fruitful of ,particulars1   
whether ,invention has supply'd them or 
not1 ,i will not say1 where the ,devil  
is brought upon the ,stage in plain and 
undeniable ,apparition3 ,the ,story of  
,samuel being rais'd by the ,witch of   
,endor1 ,i shall leave quite out of my  
,list1 because there are so many        
,scruples and ,objections against that  
,story2 and as ,i shall not dispute with
 the ,scripture1 so on the other hand1  
,i have so much ,deference for the      
,dignity of the ,devil1 as not to       
determine rashly how far it may be in   
the ,power of every old 7,witch7 ,woman1
 to call him up whenever she pleases1   
and that he must come1 whatever the     
,pretence is1 or whatever ,business of  
,consequence he may be engaged in1 as   
often as 'tis needful for her to ,pa wa 
for half a ,crown1 or perhaps less than 

half the ,money4  ,nor will ,i undertake
 to tell you1 till ,i have talk'd       
farther with him about it1 how far the  
,devil is concern'd to discover ,frauds1
 detect ,murthers1 reveal ,secrets1 and 
especially to tell where any ,money is  
hid1 and shew ,folks where to find it2  
'tis an odd thing that ,satan should    
think it of ,consequence to come and    
tell us where such a ,miser hid a       
,strong ,box1 or where such an old      
,woman buried her ,chamber ,pot full of 
,money1 the ,value of all which is      
perhaps but a ,trifle1 when at the same 
time he lets so many ,veins of ,gold1 so
 many unexhausted ,mines1 nay1          
,mountains of ,silver1 as1 we may depend
 upon it1 are hid in the ,bowels of the 
,earth1 and which it would be so much to
 the ,good of whole ,nations to         
discover1 lie still there1 and never say
 one ,word of them to any ,body4        
,besides1 how does the ,devil's doing   
,things so foreign to himself1 and so   
out of his way1 agree with the rest of  

his ,character2 namely1 shewing a kind  
of a friendly ,disposition to ,mankind1 
or doing beneficent ,things8 ,this is so
 beneath ,satan's ,quality1 and looks so
 little1 that ,i scarce know what to say
 to it2 but that which is still more    
pungent in the ,case is1 these ,things  
are so out of his ,road1 and so foreign 
to his ,calling1 that it shocks our     
,faith in them1 and seems to clash with 
all the just ,notions we have of him1   
and of his ,business in the ,world4 ,the
 like is to be said of those little     
merry ,turns we bring him in acting with
 us1 and upon us1 upon trifling and     
simple ,occasions1 such as tumbling     
,chairs and ,stools about ,house1       
setting ,pots and ,vessels ,bottom      
upward1 tossing the ,glass and ,crokery 
,ware about without breaking2 and such  
like mean foolish ,things1 beneath the  
,dignity of the ,devil1 who1 in my      
,opinion1 is rather employ'd in setting 
the ,world with the ,bottom upward1     
tumbling ,kings and ,crowns about1 and  

dashing the ,nations one against        
another2 raising ,tempests and ,storms1 
whether at ,sea1 or on ,shore2 and1 in a
 word1 doing capital ,mischiefs suitable
 to his ,nature1 and agreeable to his   
,name1 ,devil2 and suited to that       
,circumstance of his ,condition1 which  
,i have fully represented in the        
primitive ,part of his exil'd ,state4   
,but to bring in the ,devil playing at  
,push-pin with the ,world1 or like      
,domitian catching ,flies1 that is to   
say1 doing nothing to the purpose2 this 
is not only deluding our selves1 but    
putting a ,slur upon the ,devil himself2
 and1 ,i say1 ,i shall not dishonour    
,satan so much as to suppose any thing  
in it3 ,however1 as ,i must have a care 
too how ,i take away the proper         
,materials of ,winter ,evening          
,frippery1 and leave the good ,wives    
nothing of the ,devil to fright the     
,children with1 ,i shall carry the      
weighty ,point no farther4 ,no doubt the
 ,devil and ,dr4 ,faustus were very     

intimate2 ,i should rob you of a very   
significant #f ,proverb1 if ,i should so
 much as doubt it2 no doubt the ,devil  
shew'd himself in the ,glass to that    
fair ,lady who look'd in it to see where
 to place her ,patches2 but then it     
should follow too that the ,devil is an 
,enemy to the ,ladies wearing ,patches1 
and that has some ,difficulties in it   
which we cannot so easily reconcile2 but
 we must tell the ,story1 and leave out 
the ,consequences4  ,but to come to more
 remarkable ,things1 and in which the   
,devil has thought fit to act in a      
,figure more suitable to his ,dignity1  
and on ,occasions consistent with       
himself2 take the ,story of the         
,appearance of ,julius ,csar1 or the    
,devil assuming that murthered ,emperor1
 to the great ,marcus ,brutus1 who      
notwithstanding all the good ,things    
said to justify it1 was no less than a  
,king-killer and an ,assassinator1 which
 we in our ,language call by a very good
 ,name1 and peculiar to the ,english    

,tongue1 a ,ruffian4  ,the ,spectre had 
certainly the ,appearance of ,csar1 with
 his ,wounds bleeding fresh1 as if he   
had just receiv'd the fatal ,blow2 he   
had reproach'd him with his             
,ingratitude1 with a ,tu ,brute6 tu     
quoque1 mi fili3 ,what ,thou ,brutus6   
,thou1 my adopted ,son6 ,now ,history   
seems to agree universally1 not only in 
the ,story itself1 but in the           
,circumstances of it2 we have only to   
observe that the ,devil had certainly   
,power to assume1 not a human ,shape    
only1 but the ,shape of ,julius ,csar in
 particular4  ,had ,brutus been a       
timorous ,conscience-harry'd1           
weak-headed ,wretch1 had he been under  
the ,horror of the ,guilt1 and terrify'd
 with the ,dangers that were before him 
at that time1 we might suggest that he  
was over-run with the ,vapours1 that the
 ,terrors which were upon his ,mind     
disorder'd him1 that his ,head was      
delirious and prepossess'd1 and that his
 ,fancy only plac'd ,csar so continually

 in his ,eye1 that it realiz'd him to   
his ,imagination1 and he believ'd he saw
 him2 with many other suggested         
,difficulties to invalidate the ,story1 
and render the ,reality of it doubtful4 
,but the contrary1 to an ,extreme1 was  
the ,case of ,brutus2 his known         
,character plac'd him above the ,power  
of all ,hypocondriacks1 or fanciful     
,delusions2 ,brutus was of a true ,roman
 ,spirit1 a bold ,hero1 of an intrepid  
,courage2 one that scorn'd to fear even 
the ,devil1 as the ,story allows3       
,besides1 he glory'd in the ,action2    
there cou'd be no ,terror of ,mind upon 
him2 he valued himself upon it1 as done 
in the ,service of ,liberty1 and the    
,cause of his ,country2 and was so far  
from being frighted at the ,devil in the
 worst ,shape1 that he spoke first to   
him1 and ask'd him1 ,what art thou8 and 
when he was cited to see him again at   
,philippi1 answer'd1 with a ,gallantry  
that knew no ,fear1 well ,i will see    
thee there4 ,whatever the ,devil's      

,business was with ,brutus1 this is     
certain1 according to all the           
,historians who give us the ,account of 
it1 that ,brutus discover'd no ,fear2 he
 did not1 like ,saul at ,endor1 fall to 
the ,ground in a ,swoon1 #a ,sam4       
xxviii4 #bj4 ,then ,saul fell all along 
upon the ,earth1 and there was no       
,strength in him1 and was sore afraid4  
,in a word1 ,i see no room to charge    
,brutus with being over-run with the    
,hyppo1 or with ,vapours1 or with       
,fright and ,terror of ,mind2 but he saw
 the ,devil1 that's certain1 and with   
,eyes open1 his ,courage not at all     
daunted1 his ,mind resolute1 and with   
the utmost ,composure spoke to him1     
reply'd to his ,answer1 and defy'd his  
,summons to ,death1 which indeed he     
fear'd not1 as appear'd afterward4  ,i  
come next to an ,instance as eminent in 
,history as the other2 this was in      
,char4 ,,vi4 of ,france1 sirnamed1 ,the 
,beloved2 who riding over the ,forest   
near ,mans1 a ghastly frightful ,fellow 

7that is to say1 the ,devil so clothed  
in human ,vizor7 came up to his ,horse1 
and taking hold of his ,bridle1 stop'd  
him1 with the ,addition of these ,words1
 ,stop ,king1 whither go you8 ,you are  
betray'd6 and immediately disappear'd4  
,it is true1 the ,king had been         
distemper'd in his ,head before1 and so 
he might have been deceived1 and we     
might have charg'd it to the ,account of
 a whimsical ,brain1 or the ,power of   
his ,imagination2 but this was in the   
,face of his ,attendants1 several of his
 great ,officers1 ,courtiers1 and       
,princes of the ,blood being with him1  
who all saw the ,man1 heard the ,words1 
and immediately1 to their ,astonishment1
 lost ,sight of the ,spectre1 who       
vanish'd from them all4  ,two ,witnesses
 will convict a ,murtherer1 why not a   
,traitor8 ,this must be the ,old        
,gentleman1 emblematically so called1 or
 who must it be8 nay1 who else could it 
be8 ,his ,ugliness is not the ,case1    
tho' ugly as the ,devil1 is a ,proverb  

in his ,favour2 but vanishing out of    
sight is an ,essential to a ,spirit1 and
 to an evil ,spirit in our ,times       
especially4  ,these are some of the     
,devil's ,extraordinaries1 and it must  
be confess'd they are not the most      
agreeable to ,mankind1 for sometimes he 
takes upon him to disorder his ,friends 
very much on these ,occasions1 as in the
 above ,case of ,cha4 ,,vi4 of ,france2 
the ,king1 they say1 was really demented
 ever after2 that is1 as we vulgarly1   
but not always improperly1 express it1  
he was really frighted out of his ,wits4
 ,whether the malicious ,devil intended 
it so1 or not1 is not certain1 tho' it  
was not so foreign to his particular    
,disposition if he did4  ,but where he  
is more intimate1 we are told he appears
 in a manner less disagreeable1 and     
there he is more properly a familiar    
,spirit2 that is1 in short1 a ,devil of 
their ,acquaintance3 ,it is true1 the   
,antients understand the ,word1 a       
familiar ,spirit1 to be one of the kinds

 of ,possession2 but if it serves our   
turn as well under the ,denomination of 
an intimate ,devil1 or a ,devil         
visitant1 it must be acknowledg'd to be 
as near in the literal ,sense and       
,acceptation of the ,word1 as the other2
 nay1 it must be allow'd 'tis a very    
great ,piece of ,familiarity in the     
,devil to make ,visits1 and shew none of
 his ,disagreeables1 not appear         
formidable1 or in the ,shape of what he 
is1 respectfully withholding his dismal 
,part1 in ,compassion to the            
,infirmities of his ,friends4  ,it is   
true1 ,satan may be oblig'd to make     
different ,appearances1 as the several  
,circumstances of ,things call for it2  
in some ,cases he makes his publick     
,entry1 and then he must shew himself in
 his ,habit of ,ceremony2 in other      
,cases he comes upon private ,business1 
and then he appears in ,disguise2 in    
some publick ,cases he may thing fit to 
be incog4 and then he appears dress'd a 
la ,masque2 so they say he appear'd at  

the famous ,st4 ,bartholomew ,wedding at
 ,paris1 where1 he came in dress'd up   
like a ,trumpeter1 danc'd in his ,habit1
 sounded a ,levet1 and then went out and
 rung the ,alarm-,bell 7which was the   
,signal to begin the ,massacre7 half an 
,hour before the ,time appointed1 lest  
the ,king's ,mind should alter1 and his 
,heart fail him4  ,if the ,story be not 
made upon him1 7for we should not       
slander the ,devil7 it should seem1 he  
was not thoroughly satisfied in ,king   
,charles ,,ix4's ,steadiness in his     
,cause2 for the ,king1 it seems1 had    
relax'd a little once before1 and ,satan
 might be afraid he would fall off      
again1 and so prevent the ,execution3   
,others say1 the ,king did relent       
immediately after the ringing the       
,alarm-,bell1 but that then it was too  
late1 the ,work was begun1 and the ,rage
 of ,blood having been let loose among  
the ,people1 there was no recalling the 
,order4 ,if the ,devil was thus brought 
to the ,necessity of a secret           

,management1 it must be owned he did it 
dexterously2 but ,i have not ,authority 
enough for the ,story1 to charge him    
with the ,particulars1 so ,i leave it au
 croc4  ,i have much better ,vouchers   
for the ,story following1 which ,i had  
so solemnly confirm'd by one that liv'd 
in the ,family1 that ,i never doubted   
the ,truth of it4 ,there liv'd1 in the  
,parish of ,st4 ,bennet ,fynk1 near the 
,royal ,exchange1 an honest poor ,widow 
,woman1 who1 her ,husband being lately  
dead1 took ,lodgers into her ,house2    
that is1 she let out some of her ,rooms 
in order to lessen her own ,charge of   
,rent2 among the rest1 she let her      
,garrets to a working ,watchwheel-maker1
 or one some way concern'd in making the
 ,movements of ,watches1 and who work'd 
to those ,shop-keepers who sell         
,watches2 as is usual4  ,it happened    
that a ,man and ,woman went up1 to speak
 with this ,movement-maker upon some    
,business which related to his ,trade1  
and when they were near the ,top of the 

,stairs1 the ,garret-,door where he     
usually worked being wide open1 they saw
 the poor ,man 7the ,watch-maker1 or    
,wheel-maker7 had hang'd himself upon a 
,beam which was left open in the ,room a
 little lower than the ,plaister1 or    
,ceiling3 ,surpriz'd at the ,sight1 the 
,woman stop'd1 and cried out to the ,man
 who was behind her on the ,stairs that 
he should run up1 and cut the poor      
,creature down4  ,at that very ,moment  
comes a ,man hastily from another ,part 
of the ,room which they upon the ,stairs
 could not see1 bringing a ,joint-,stool
 in his ,hand1 as if in great ,haste1   
and sets it down just by the ,wretch    
that was hang'd1 and getting up as      
hastily upon it pulls a ,knife out of   
his ,pocket1 and taking hold of the     
,rope with one of his ,hands1 beckon'd  
to the ,woman and the ,man behind her   
with his ,head1 as if to stop and not   
come up1 shewing them the ,knife in his 
other ,hand1 as if he was just going to 
cut the poor ,man down4  ,upon this1 the

 ,woman stopp'd a while1 but the ,man   
who stood on the ,joint-,stool continued
 with his ,hand and ,knife as if        
fumbling at the ,knot1 but did not yet  
cut the ,man down2 at which the ,woman  
cried out again1 and the ,man behind her
 call'd to her4 ,go up1 says he1 and    
help the ,man upon the ,stool6 supposing
 something hindred4 ,but the ,man upon  
the ,stool made ,signs to them again to 
be quiet1 and not come on1 as if saying1
 ,i shall do it immediately2 then he    
made two ,strokes with his ,knife1 as if
 cutting the ,rope1 and then stopp'd    
again2 and still the poor ,man was      
hanging1 and consequently dying3 ,upon  
this1 the ,woman on the ,stairs cried   
out to him4 ,what ails you8 ,why don't  
you cut the poor ,man down8 ,and the    
,man behind her1 having no more         
,patience1 thrusts her by1 and said to  
her4 ,let me come1 ,i'll warrant you    
,i'll do it2 and with that runs up and  
forward into the ,room to the ,man2 but 
when he came there1 behold1 the poor    

,man was there hanging2 but no ,man with
 a ,knife1 or ,joint-,stool1 or any such
 thing to be seen1 all that was ,spectre
 and ,delusion1 in order1 no doubt1 to  
let the poor ,creature that had hang'd  
himself perish and expire4  ,the ,man   
was so frighted and surpriz'd1 that with
 all the ,courage he had before1 he     
drop'd on the ,floor as one dead1 and   
the ,woman at last was fain to cut the  
poor ,man down with a ,pair of          
,scissars1 and had much to do to effect 
it4  ,as ,i have no room to doubt the   
,truth of this ,story1 which ,i had from
 ,persons on whose ,honesty ,i could    
depend4 ,so ,i think it needs very      
little ,trouble to convince us who the  
,man upon the ,stool must be1 and that  
it was the ,devil who plac'd himself    
there in order to finish the ,murther of
 the ,man who he had1 ,devil-like1      
tempted before1 and prevail'd with to be
 his own ,executioner4 ,besides1 it     
corresponds so well with the ,devil's   
,nature1 and with his ,business1 viz4   

that of a ,murtherer1 that ,i never     
question'd it2 nor can ,i think we wrong
 the ,devil at all to charge him with   
it4       ,n4 ,b4 ,i cannot be positive 
in the remaining ,part of this ,story1  
viz4 whether the ,man was cut down soon 
enough to be recover'd1         or      
whether the ,devil carry'd his ,point1  
and kept off the ,man and         ,woman
 till it was too late2 but be it which  
it will1 'tis plain he         did his  
,devilish ,endeavour1 and stay'd till he
 was forc'd to         abscond again4   
,we have many solid ,tales well         
attested1 as well in ,history as in the 
,reports of honest ,people1 who could   
not be deceived1 intimating the ,devil's
 personal ,appearance1 some in one      
,place1 some in another2 as also        
sometimes in one ,habit or ,dress1 and  
sometimes in another2 and it is to be   
observed1 that in none of those which   
are most like to be real1 and in which  
there is least of ,fancy and ,vapour1   
you have any ,mention of the ,cloven    

,foot1 which rather seems to be a mere  
,invention of ,men 7and perhaps chiefly 
of those who had a ,cloven              
,understanding7 ,i mean a shallow kind  
of ,craft1 the ,effect of an empty and  
simple ,head1 thinking by such a        
well-meant1 tho' weak ,fraud1 to        
represent the ,devil to the old ,women  
and ,children of the ,age1 with some    
,addition suitable to the ,weakness of  
their ,intellects1 and suited to making 
them afraid of him4  ,i have another    
,account of a ,person who travell'd     
upwards of four ,years with the ,devil  
in his ,company1 and convers'd most     
intimately with him all the while2 nay1 
if ,i may believe the ,story1 he knew   
most part of the ,time that he was the  
,devil1 and yet convers'd with him1 and 
that very profitably1 for he perform'd  
many very useful ,services for him1 and 
constantly preserv'd him from the       
,danger of ,wolves and wild ,beasts1    
which the ,country he travell'd thro'   
was intolerably full of4 ,where1 by the 

way1 you are to understand1 that the    
,wolves and ,bears in those ,countries  
knew the ,devil1 whatever ,disguise he  
went in2 or that the ,devil has some    
,way to fright ,bears and such          
,creatures1 more than we know of4 ,nor  
could this ,devil ever be prevail'd upon
 to hurt him or any of his ,company4    
,this ,account has an innumerable       
,number of diverting ,incidents         
attending it2 but they are equal to all 
the rest in ,bulk1 and therefore too    
long for this ,book4  ,i find too upon  
some more ordinary ,occasions the ,devil
 has appear'd to several ,people at     
their ,call3 ,this indeed shews         
abundance of good ,humour in him1       
considering him as a ,devil1 and that he
 was mighty complaisant3 ,nay some1 they
 tell us1 have a ,power to raise the    
,devil whenever they think fit2 this ,i 
cannot bring the ,devil to a ,level     
with1 unless ,i should allow him to be  
,servus ,servorum1 as another ,devil in 
,disguise calls himself2 subjected to   

ever old ,wizard's ,call2 or that he is 
under a ,necessity of appearing on such 
or such particular ,occasions1 whoever  
it is that calls him2 which would bring 
the ,devil's ,circumstances to a pitch  
of ,slavery which ,i see no ,reason to  
believe of them4  ,here also ,i must    
take ,notice again1 that tho' ,i say the
 ,devil1 when ,i speak of all these     
,apparitions1 whether of a greater or   
lesser ,kind1 yet ,i am not oblig'd to  
suppose ,satan himself in ,person is    
concern'd to shew himself1 but that some
 of his ,agents1 ,deputies and          
,servants1 are sent to that ,purpose1   
and directed what ,disguise of ,flesh   
and ,blood to put on1 as may be suitable
 to the ,occasion4  ,this seems to be   
the only ,way to reconcile all those    
simple and ridiculous ,appearances which
 not ,satan1 but his ,emissaries1 7which
 we old ,women call ,imps7 sometimes    
make1 and the mean and sorry ,employment
 they are put to3 ,thus ,fame tells us  
of a certain ,witch of ,quality1 who    

call'd the ,devil once to carry her over
 a ,brook where the ,water was swell'd  
with a hasty ,rain1 and lash'd him      
soundly with her ,whip for letting her  
,ladyship fall into the ,water before   
she was quite over4 ,thus also1 as ,fame
 tells us1 she set the ,devil to work1  
and made him build ,crowland ,abbey1    
where there was no ,foundation to be    
found1 only for disturbing the ,workmen 
a little who were first set about it4   
,so it seems another laborious ,devil   
was oblig'd to dig the great ,ditch     
cross the ,country from the ,fenn       
,country to the ,edge of ,suffolk and   
,essex2 which who ever he has preserv'd 
the ,reputation of1 and where it crosses
 ,new-,market ,heath1 'tis call'd       
,devil's ,ditch to this ,day4  ,another 
,piece of ,punishment no doubt it was1  
when the ,devil was oblig'd to bring the
 ,stones out of ,wales into ,wiltshire1 
to build ,stone-heng3 ,how this was     
ordered in those ,days1 when it seems   
they kept ,satan to hard ,labour1 ,i    

know not2 ,i believe it must be         
registred among the antient ,pieces of  
,art which are lost in the ,world1 such 
as melting of ,stone1 painting of       
,glass1 c4 ,certainly they had the      
,devil under ,correction in those ,days2
 that is to say1 those lesser ,sorts of 
,devils2 but ,i cannot think that the   
muckle ,thief ,devil1 as they call him  
in the ,north1 the ,grand ,seignior     
,devil of all1 was ever reduced to      
,discipline4 ,what ,devil it was that   
,dunstan took by the ,nose with his red 
hot ,tongs1 ,i have not yet examin'd    
,antiquity enough to be certain of1 any 
more than ,i can what ,devil it was that
 ,st4 ,francis play'd so many warm      
,tricks with1 and made him run away from
 him so often3 ,however1 this ,i take   
upon me to say1 in the ,devil's ,behalf1
 that it cou'd not be our ,satan1 the   
,arch ,devil of all ,devils1 of whom ,i 
have been talking so long4  ,now is it  
unworthy the ,occasion1 to take notice  
that we really wrong the ,devil1 and    

speak of him very much to his           
,disadvantage1 when we say of such a    
,great ,lord1 or of such a ,lady of     
,quality1 ,i think the ,devil is in your
 ,grace3 ,no1 no1 ,satan has other      
,business1 he very rarely possesses     
,f--ls3 ,besides1 some are so far from  
having the ,devil in them1 that they are
 really transmigrated into the very     
,essence of the ,devil themselves2 and  
others again not transmigrated1 or      
assimilated1 but ,indeed and in ,truth  
shew us that they are to have mere      
native ,devils in every ,part and       
,parcel of them1 and that the rest is   
only ,masque and ,disguise4 ,thus if    
,rage1 ,envy1 ,pride and ,revenge can   
constitute the ,parts of a ,devil1 why  
should not a ,lady of such ,quality1 in 
whom all those ,extraordinaries abound1 
have a ,right to the ,title of being a  
,devil really and substantially1 and to 
all ,intents and ,purposes1 in the most 
perfect and absolute ,sense1 according  
to the most exquisite ,descriptions of  

,devils already given by me or any ,body
 else2 and even just as ,joan of ,arc1  
or ,joan ,queen of ,naples were1 who    
were both sent home to their native     
,country1 as soon as it was discovered  
that they were real ,devils1 and that   
,satan acknowledg'd them in that        
,quality4  ,nor does my ,lady ,d----ss's
 wearing sometimes a ,case of ,humanity 
about her1 call'd ,flesh and ,blood1 at 
all alter the ,case2 for so 'tis        
,evident1 according to our present      
,hypothesis1 ,satan has been always     
allow'd to do1 upon urgent ,occasions2  
ay1 and to make his ,personal           
,appearance as such1 among even the     
,sons and ,daughters of ,god too1 as    
well as among the ,children of ,men2 and
 therefore her ,grace may have appeared 
in the ,shape of a fine ,lady1 as long  
as she has been suppos'd to do1 without 
any ,impeachment of her just ,claim to  
the ,title of ,devil2 which being her   
true and natural ,original1 she ought   
not1 nor indeed shall not1 by me1 be    

denied her ,shapes of ,honour1 whenever 
she pleases to declare for a            
,re-assumption4  ,and farther1 to give  
every ,truth its due ,illustration1 this
 need not be thought so strange2 and is 
far from being unjust2 her ,grace 7as   
she1 it may be1 is now stiled7 has not  
acted1 at least that ,i never heard of1 
so unworthy her great and illustrious   
,original1 that we should think she has 
lost any thing by walking about the     
,world so many ,years in ,apparition3   
,but to give her the due ,homage of her 
,quality1 she has acted as consonant to 
the ,essence and ,nature of ,devil1     
which she has such a ,claim to1 as was  
consistent with the needful ,reserve of 
her present ,disguise4  ,nor shall we   
lead the ,reader into any ,mistake      
concerning this part of our ,work1 as if
 this was or is meant to be a particular
 ,satyr upon the ,d-----ss of           
-----------1 and upon her only1 as if we
 had no ,,devils among us in the        
,phenomena of fair ,ladies1 but this    

one3 ,if ,satan would be so honest to us
 as he might be 7and 'twou'd be very    
ingenuous in him1 that must be          
acknowledg'd1 to give us a little of his
 ,illumination in this ,case7 we should 
soon be able to unmasque a great many   
notable ,figures among us1 to our real  
,surprize4  ,indeed 'tis a ,point worth 
our further ,enquiry1 and would be a    
,discovery many ways to our ,advantage1 
were we bless'd with it1 to see how many
 real ,devils we have walking up and    
down the ,world in ,masque1 and how many
 ,hoop-,petticoats compleat the entire  
,masque that disguises the ,devil in the
 ,shape of that ,thing call'd ,woman4   
,as for the ,men1 ,nature has satisfied 
her self in letting them be their own   
,disguise1 and in suffering them to act 
the old ,women1 as old ,women are       
vulgarly understood1 in ,matters of     
,council and ,politicks2 but if at any  
time they have ,occasion for the ,devil 
in ,person1 they are oblig'd to call him
 to their ,aid in such ,shape as he     

pleases to make use of pro hac vice2 and
 of all those ,shapes1 the most         
agreeable to him seems to be that of a  
,female of ,quality1 in which he has    
infinite ,opportunity to act to         
,perfection1 what ,part soever he is    
call'd in for4  ,how happy are those    
,people who they say have the particular
 ,quality1 or acquir'd ,habit1 call'd   
the ,second ,sight2 one ,sort of whom   
they tell us are able to distinguish the
 ,devil1 in whatever ,case or ,outside  
of ,flesh and ,blood he is pleas'd to   
put on1 and consequently could know the 
,devil wherever they met him8 ,were ,i  
blest with this excellent and useful    
,accomplishment1 how pleasant would it  
be1 and how would it particularly       
gratify my ,spleen1 and all that which  
,i1 in common with my fellow ,creatures 
carry about me1 call'd ,ill-,nature1 to 
stand in the ,mall1 or at the ,entrance 
to any of our ,assemblies of ,beauties1 
and point them out as they pass by1 with
 this particular ,mark1 ,that's a       

,devil2 that fine young ,toast is a     
,devil2 ,there's a ,devil drest in a new
 ,habit for the ,ball2 ,there's a ,devil
 in a ,coach and ,six1 cum aliis4 ,in   
short1 it would make a merry ,world     
among us if we cou'd but enter upon some
 proper ,method of such                 
,discriminations3 but1 ,lawr'd1 what a  
,hurricane would it raise1 if1 like     
-------1 who they say scourg'd the      
,devil so often that he durst not come  
near him in any ,shape whatever1 we     
cou'd find some new ,method out to make 
the ,devil unmask1 like the ,angel      
,uriel1 who1 ,mr4 ,milton says1 had an  
enchanted ,spear1 with which if he did  
but touch the ,devil1 in whatever       
,disguise he had put on1 it oblig'd him 
immediately to start up1 and shew       
himself in his true original ,shape1    
mere ,devil as he was4  ,this would do  
nicely1 and as ,i who am originally a   
,projector1 have spent some ,time upon  
this ,study1 and doubt not in a little  
,time to finish my ,engine1 which ,i am 

contriving1 to screw the ,devil out of  
every ,body1 or any ,body2 ,i question  
not when ,i have brought it to          
,perfection1 but ,i shall make most     
excellent ,discoveries by it2 and       
besides the many extraordinary          
,advantages of it to human ,society1 ,i 
doubt not but it will make good ,sport  
in the ,world too2 wherefore1 when ,i   
publish my ,proposals1 and divide it    
into ,shares1 as other less useful      
,projects have been done1 ,i question   
not1 for all the severe ,act lately     
pass'd against ,bubbles1 but ,i shall   
get ,subscribers enough1 c4  ,in a      
,word1 a secret ,power of discovering   
what ,devils we have among us1 and where
 and what ,business they are doing1     
would be a vast ,advantage to us all2   
that we might know among the ,crowd of  
,devils that walk about ,streets1 who   
are ,apparitions1 and who are not4  ,now
 ,i1 you must know1 at certain          
,intervals when the ,old ,gentleman's   
,illuminations are upon me1 and when ,i 

have something of an ,eclaricissement   
with him1 have some ,degrees of this    
discriminating ,second ,sight1 and      
therefore 'tis no strange thing for me  
to tell a great many of my ,acquaintance
 that they are really ,devils1 when they
 themselves know nothing of the ,matter3
 ,sometimes indeed ,i find it pretty    
hard to convince them of it1 or at least
 they are very unwilling to own it1 but 
it is not the less so for that4  ,i had 
a long ,discourse upon this ,subject one
 day1 with a young beautiful ,lady of my
 ,acquaintance1 who the ,world very much
 admired2 and as the ,world judges no   
farther than they can see1 7and how     
should they1 you would say7 they took   
her to be1 as she really was1 a most    
charming ,creature4  ,to me indeed she  
discover'd her self many ,ways1 besides 
the ,advantage ,i had of my             
extraordinary ,penetration by the magic 
,powers which ,i am vested with3 ,to me1
 ,i say1 she appear'd a ,fury1 a ,satyr1
 a fiery little ,fiend as could possibly

 be dress'd up in ,flesh2 in short1 she 
appear'd to me what really she was1 a   
very ,,devil3 ,it is natural to human   
,creatures to desire to discover any    
extraordinary ,powers they are possess'd
 of superior to others1 and this ,itch  
prevailing in me1 among the rest1 ,i was
 impatient to let this ,lady know that  
,i understood her ,composition perfectly
 well1 nay1 as well as she did her self4
  ,in order to this1 happening to be in 
the ,family once for some ,days1 and    
having the ,honour to be very intimate  
with her and her ,husband too1 ,i took  
an ,opportunity on an extraordinary     
,occasion1 when she was in the ,height  
of good ,humour1 to talk with her2 ,you 
must note1 that as ,i said1 the ,lady   
was in an extraordinary good ,humour1   
and there had been a great deal of      
,mirth in the ,family for some ,days2   
but one ,evening1 ,sir ,e---- her       
,husband1 upon some very sharp ,turn she
 gave to another ,gentleman1 which made 
all the ,company pleasant1 run to her1  

and with a ,passion of good ,humour     
takes her in his ,arms1 and turning to  
me1 says he1 ,jack1 ,this ,wife of mine 
is full of ,wit and good ,humour1 but   
when she has a ,mind to be smart1 she is
 the keenest little ,devil in the       
,world3 ,this was alluding to the quick 
,turn she had given the other           
,gentleman4  ,is that the best ,language
 you can give your ,wife1 says my ,lady8
 ,o ,madam1 says ,i1 such ,devils as    
you1 are all ,angels2 ay1 ay1 says my   
,lady1 ,i know that1 he has only let a  
,truth fly out that he does not         
understand3 ,look ye there now1 says    
,sir ,edward1 could any thing but such a
 dear ,devil as this have said a thing  
so pointed8 ,well1 well1 adds he1 ,devil
 to a ,lady in a ,man's ,arms1 is a     
,word of divers ,interpretations4 ,thus 
they rallied for a good while1 he       
holding her fast all the while in his   
,arms1 and frequently kissing her1 and  
at last it went off1 all in ,sunshine   
and ,mirth4  ,but the next ,day1 for ,i 

had the ,honour to lodge in the ,lady's 
,father's ,house1 where it all happen'd2
 ,i say1 the next ,day my ,lady begins  
with me upon the ,subject1 and that very
 smartly1 so that first ,i did not know 
whether she was in jest or earnest3 ,ay1
 ay1 says she1 you ,men make nothing of 
your ,wives after you have them1        
alluding to the ,discourse with ,sir    
,edward the ,night before4  ,why ,madam1
 says ,i1 we ,men1 as you are pleas'd to
 term it1 if we meet with good ,wives   
worship them1 and make ,idols of them1  
what would you have more of us8  ,no1   
no1 says she1 before you have them they 
are ,angels1 but when you have been in  
,heaven1 adds she and smil'd1 then they 
are ,devils4  ,why ,madam1 says ,i1     
,devils are ,angels1 you know1 and were 
the highest ,sort of ,angels once4      
,yes1 says she1 very smartly1 all       
,devils are ,angels1 but all ,angels are
 not ,devils4  ,but ,madam1 says ,i1 you
 should never take it ill to be call'd  
,devil1 you know4  ,i know1 says she1   

hastily1 what d'ye mean by that8  ,why  
,madam1 says ,i1 and look'd very gravely
 and serious1 ,i thought you had known  
that ,i knew it1 or else ,i would not   
have said so1 for ,i would not offend   
you2 but you may depend ,i shall never  
discover it1 unless you order me to do  
so for your particular ,service4  ,upon 
this she look'd hard and wild1 and bid  
me explain my self4  ,i told her1 ,i was
 ready to explain my self1 if she would 
give me her ,word1 she would not resent 
it1 and would take nothing ill4  ,she   
gave me her word solemnly she would not1
 tho' like a true ,devil she broke her  
,promise with me all at once4  ,well    
however1 being unconcern'd whether she  
kept her ,word or no1 ,i began1 by      
telling her that ,i had not long since  
obtain'd the second sight1 and had some 
years studied ,magic1 by which ,i could 
penetrate into many things1 which to    
ordinary ,perception were invisible1 and
 had some ,glasses1 by the ,help of     
which ,i could see into all visionary or

 imaginary ,appearances in a different  
,manner than other ,people did4  ,very  
well1 says she1 suppose you can1 what's 
that to me8  ,i told her it was nothing 
to her any further than that as she knew
 her self to be originally not the same 
,creature she seem'd to be1 but was of a
 sublime angelic ,original2 so by the   
,help of my recited ,art ,i knew it too1
 and so far it might relate to her4     
,very fine1 says she1 so you would make 
a ,devil of me indeed4  ,i took that    
,occasion to tell her1 ,i would make    
nothing of her but what she was2 that ,i
 suppos'd she knew well enough ,god     
,almighty never thought fit to make any 
human ,creature so perfect and          
compleatly beautiful as she was1 but    
that such were also reserved for        
,figures to be assum'd by ,angels of one
 ,kind or other4  ,she rallied me upon  
that1 and told me that would not bring  
me off1 for ,i had not determined her   
for any thing ,angelic1 but a meer      
,devil2 and how could ,i flatter her    

with being handsome and a ,devil both at
 the same time8  ,i told her1 as ,satan1
 whom we abusively call'd ,devil1 was an
 immortal ,seraph1 and of an original   
angelic ,nature1 so abstracted from any 
thing wicked1 he was a most glorious    
,being2 that when he thought fit to     
encase himself with ,flesh1 and walk    
about in ,disguise1 it was in his ,power
 equally with the other ,angels to make 
the ,form he took upon himself be as he 
thought fit1 beautiful or deform'd4     
,here she disputed the ,possibility of  
that1 and after charging me faintly with
 flattering her ,face1 told me the      
,devil could not be represented by any  
thing handsome1 alledging our constant  
picturing the ,devil in all the         
frightful ,appearances imaginable4  ,i  
told her we wrong'd him very much in    
that1 and quoted ,st4 ,francis1 to whom 
the ,devil frequently appeared in the   
,form of the most incomparably beautiful
 naked ,woman1 to allure him1 and what  
,means he used to turn the ,appearance  

into a ,devil again1 and how he effected
 it4  ,she put by the ,discourse1 and   
returned to that of ,angels1 and        
insisted that ,angels did not always    
assume beautiful ,appearances2 that     
sometimes they appear'd in terrible     
,shapes1 but that when they did not1 it 
was at best only amiable ,faces1 not    
exquisite2 and that therefore it would  
not hold1 that to be handsome1 should   
always render them suspected4  ,i told  
her the ,devil had more ,occasion to    
form ,beauties than other ,angels had1  
his ,business being principally to      
deceive and ensnare ,mankind4 ,and then 
,i gave her some ,examples upon the     
whole4  ,i found by her ,discourse she  
was willing enough to pass for an       
,angel1 but 'twas the hardest thing in  
the ,world to convince her that she was 
a ,,devil1 and she would not come into  
that by any means2 she argued that ,i   
knew her ,father1 and that her ,mother  
was a very good ,woman1 and was         
delivered of her in the ordinary ,way1  

and that there was such and such ,ladies
 who were present in the ,room when she 
was born1 and that had often told her   
so4  ,i told her that was nothing in    
such a ,case as hers2 that when the ,old
 ,gentleman had occasion to transform   
himself into a fine ,lady1 he could     
easily dispose of a ,child1 and place   
himself in the ,cradle instead of it1   
when the ,nurse or ,mother were asleep2 
nay1 or when they were broad awake      
either1 it was the same thing to him2   
and ,i quoted ,luther to her upon that  
,occasion1 who affirms that it had been 
so4 ,however ,i said1 to convince her   
that ,i knew it1 7for ,i would have it  
that she knew it already7 if she pleas'd
 ,i would go to my ,chamber and fetch   
her my ,magick ,looking-glass1 where she
 should see her own ,picture1 not only  
as it was an angelick ,picture for the  
,world to admire1 but a ,devil also     
frightful enough to any ,body but       
herself and me that understood it4  ,no1
 no1 said she1 ,i'll look in none of    

your conjuring ,glasses2 ,i know my self
 well enough1 and ,i desire to look no  
otherwise than ,i am4  ,no1 ,madam1 says
 ,i1 ,i know that very well2 nor do you 
need any better ,shape than that you    
appear in1 'tis most exquisitely fine2  
all the ,world knows you are a compleat 
,beauty1 and that is a clear ,evidence  
what you would be if your present       
appearing ,form was reduced to its      
proper ,personality4  ,appearing ,form6 
says she1 why1 what would you make an   
,apparition of me8  ,an ,apparition6    
,madam1 said ,i1 yes1 to be sure2 why   
you know1 you are nothing else but an   
,apparition2 and what else would you be1
 when it is so infinitely to your       
,advantage8  ,with that1 she turn'd pale
 and angry1 and then rose up hastily1   
and look'd into the ,glass1 7a large    
,peer-glass being in the ,room7 where   
she stood1 surveying her self from ,head
 to ,foot1 with ,vanity not a little4   
,i took that ,time to slip away1 and    
running up into my ,apartment1 ,i       

fetch'd my ,magic ,glass as ,i call'd   
it1 in which ,i had a hollow            
,case so framed behind a ,looking-glass1
 that in the first2 she would           
see her own ,face only2 in the second1  
she would see the ,devil's              
,face1 ugly and frightful enough1 but   
dress'd up with a ,lady's               
,head-,clothes in a ,circle1 the        
,devil's ,face in the ,center1 and as   
it were at a little ,distance behind4   
,i came down again so soon that she did 
not think the ,time long1 especially    
having spent it in surveying her fair   
self2 when ,i return'd1 ,i said1 ,come1 
,madam1 do not trouble your self to look
 there1 that is not a ,glass capable of 
shewing you any thing2 come1 take this  
,glass4  ,it will shew me as much of my 
self1 says she1 a little scornfully1 as 
,i desire to see2 so she continued      
looking in the ,peer-glass2 after some  
time more 7for seeing her a little out  
of ,humour1 ,i waited to see what       
,observations she would make7 ,i ask'd  

her if she had view'd her self to her   
,satisfaction8 ,she said she had1 and   
she had seen nothing of ,devil about    
her4 ,come1 ,madam1 said ,i1 look here2 
and with that ,i open'd the             
,looking-glass1 and she look'd in it1   
but saw nothing but her own ,face2      
,well1 says she1 the ,glasses agree well
 enough1 ,i see no ,difference2 what can
 you make of it8 ,with that ,i took it a
 little away2 ,don't you8 says ,i1 then 
,i shou'd be mistaken very much2 so ,i  
look'd in it my self1 and giving it a   
,turn imperceptible to her1 ,i shew'd it
 her again1 where she saw the ,devil    
indeed1 dress'd up like a fine ,lady1   
but ugly1 and ,devil like as could be   
desired for a ,devil to be4  ,she       
started1 and cry'd out most horribly1   
and told me1 she thought ,i was more of 
a ,devil than she1 for that she knew    
nothing of all those ,tricks1 and ,i did
 it to fright her1 she believ'd ,i had  
rais'd the ,devil4  ,i told her it was  
nothing but her own natural ,picture1   

and that she knew well enough1 and that 
,i did not shew it her to inform her of 
it1 but to let her know that ,i knew it 
too2 that so she might make no          
,pretences of being offended when ,i    
talk'd familiarly to her of a ,thing of 
this ,nature4  ,very well2 so1 says she1
 ,i am a real frightful ,devil1 am ,i8  
,o1 ,madam1 says ,i1 don't say1 ,am ,i8 
why you know what you are1 don't you8 ,a
 ,devil6 ay1 certainly2 as sure as the  
rest of the ,world believes you a ,lady4
  ,i had a great deal of farther        
,discourse with her upon that ,subject1 
tho' she would fain have beat me off of 
it1 and two or three times she put the  
,talk off1 and brought something else   
on2 but ,i always found ,means to revive
 it1 and to attack her upon the ,reality
 of her being a ,devil1 till at last ,i 
made her downright angry1 and then she  
shew'd it4  ,first she cried1 told me ,i
 came to affront her1 that ,i would not 
talk so if ,sir ,ed---- was by2 and that
 she ought not to be used so4 ,i        

endeavour'd to pacify her1 and told her 
,i had not treated her with any         
,indecency1 nor ,i would not2 because   
while she thought fit to walk ,abroad   
incog4 it was none of my ,business to   
discover her2 that if she thought fit to
 tell ,sir ,ed---- any thing of the     
,discourse1 she was very welcome1 or to 
conceal it1 7which ,i thought the wisest
 ,course7 she should do just as she     
pleas'd2 but ,i made no question ,i     
should convince ,sir ,e---- her         
,husband1 that what ,i said was just1   
and that ,i was really so2 whether it   
was for her ,service or no for him to   
know it1 was for her to consider4  ,this
 calm'd her a little1 and she look'd    
hard at me a ,minute without speaking a 
,word1 when on a sudden she broke out   
thus3 ,and you will undertake1 says she1
 to convince ,sir ,ed---- that he has   
married a ,devil1 will ye8 ,a fine      
,story indeed6 and what follows8 why    
then it must follow that the ,child ,i  
go with 7for she was big with ,child7   

will be a ,devil too1 will it8 ,a fine  
,story for ,sir ,ed---- indeed6 isn't   
it8  ,i don't know that1 ,madam1 said   
,i1 that's as you order it2 by the      
,father's ,side1 said ,i1 ,i know it    
will not1 but what it may by the        
,mother's ,side1 that's a ,doubt ,i     
can't resolve till the ,devil and ,i    
talk farther about it4  ,you and the    
,devil talk together6 says she1 and     
looks rufully at me2 why do you talk    
with the ,devil then8  ,ay1 ,madam1 says
 ,i1 as sure as ever you did your self2 
besides1 said ,i1 can you question that8
 ,pray who am ,i talking to now8  ,i    
think you are mad1 says she2 why you    
will make ,devils of all the ,family1 it
 may be1 and particularly ,i must be    
with ,child of a ,devil1 that's certain4
  ,no1 ,madam1 said ,i1 'tis not        
certain1 as ,i said before1 ,i question 
it4  ,why you say ,i am the ,,devil1 the
 ,child1 you know1 has always most of   
the ,mother in it1 then that must be a  
,devil too ,i think1 what else can it   

be1 says she8  ,i can't tell that1      
,madam1 said ,i2 that's as you agree    
among your selves1 this ,kind does not  
go by ,generation2 that's a ,dispute    
foreign to the present ,purpose4  ,then 
,i entred into a ,discourse with her of 
the ,ends and ,purposes for which the   
,devil takes up such beautiful ,forms as
 hers1 and why it always gave me a      
,suspicion when ,i saw a ,lady handsomer
 than ordinary1 and set me upon the     
,search to be satisfied whether she was 
really a ,woman or an ,apparition8 a    
,lady or a ,devil8 allowing all along   
that her being a ,devil was quite out of
 the ,question4  ,upon that very ,foot1 
she took me up again roundly1 and so1   
says she1 you are very civil to me      
through all your ,discourse1 for ,i see 
it ends all in that1 and you take it as 
a thing confest1 that ,i am a ,devil6 ,a
 very pretty piece of good ,usage       
indeed6 says she2 ,i thank you for it4  
,nay1 ,madam1 says ,i1 do not take it   
ill of me1 for ,i only discover to you  

that ,i knew it2 ,i do not tell it you  
as a ,secret1 for you are satisfied of  
that another way4  ,satisfied of what8  
says she1 that ,i am a ,devil8 ,i think 
the ,devil's in you3 ,and so began to be
 hot4  ,a ,devil6 yes1 ,madam1 says ,i1 
without doubt a meer ,,devil2 take it as
 you please1 ,i can't help that3 ,and so
 ,i began to take it ill that she should
 be disgusted at opening such a         
well-known ,truth to her4  ,with that   
she discover'd it all at once1 for she  
turn'd ,fury1 in the very ,letter of it2
 flew out in a ,passion1 rail'd at me1  
curst me most heartily1 and immediately 
disappeared2 which you know is the      
particular ,mark of a ,spirit or        
,apparition4  ,we had a great deal of   
,discourse besides this1 relating to    
several other young ,ladies of her      
,acquaintance1 some of which1 ,i said1  
were mere ,apparitions like her self2   
and told her which were so1 and which   
not2 and the ,reason why they were so1  
and for what ,uses and ,purposes1 some  

to delude the ,world one way1 and some  
another2 and she was pretty well pleased
 to hear that1 but she could not bear to
 hear her own true ,character1 which    
however1 as cunning as she was1 made her
 act the ,devil at last1 as you have    
heard2 and then vanished out of my      
sight4  ,i have seen her in ,miniature  
several ,times since2 but she proves her
 self still to be the ,devil of a ,lady1
 for she bears ,malice1 and will never  
forgive me1 that ,i would not let her be
 an ,angel2 but like a very ,devil as   
she is1 she endeavours to kill me at a  
,distance2 and indeed the ,poison of her
 ,eyes1 7,basilisk-like7 is very strong1
 and she has a strange ,influence upon  
me2 but ,i that know her to be a ,devil1
 strive very hard with my self to drive 
the ,memory of her out of my ,thoughts4 
,i have had two or three ,engagements   
since this1 with other ,apparitions of  
the same ,sex1 and ,i find they are all 
alike1 they are willing enough to be    
thought ,angels1 but the ,word ,devil   

does not go down at all with them3 ,but 
'tis all one1 whenever we see an        
,apparition1 it is so natural to say we 
have seen the ,devil1 that there's no   
prevailing with ,mankind to talk any    
other ,language4 ,a ,gentleman of my    
,acquaintance1 the other ,day1 that had 
courted a ,lady a long time1 had the    
,misfortune to come a little suddenly   
upon her1 when she did not expect him1  
and found her in such a ,rage at some of
 her ,servants1 that it quite disorder'd
 her1 especially a ,footman2 the ,fellow
 had done something that was indeed     
provoking1 but not sufficient to put her
 into such a ,passion1 and so out of her
 self2 nor was she able to restrain her 
self when she saw her ,lover come in1   
but damn'd the ,fellow1 and rag'd like a
 ,fury at him4  ,my ,friend did his best
 to compose her1 and begg'd the         
,fellow's ,pardon of her1 but it would  
not do2 nay1 the poor ,fellow made all  
the ,submissions that could be expected1
 but 'twas the same thing3 ,and so the  

,gentleman1 not caring to engage himself
 farther than became him1 withdrew1 and 
came no more at her for three ,days1 in 
all which time she was hardly cool4     
,the next ,day my ,friend came to me1   
and talking of it in ,confidence to me1 
,i am afraid1 says he1 ,i am going to   
marry a ,she ,devil1 and so told me the 
,story2 ,i took no ,notice to him1 but  
finding out his ,mistress1 and taking   
proper ,measures1 with some of my       
particular ,skill1 ,i soon found out    
that it was really so1 that she was a   
mere ,apparition2 and had it not been   
for that accidental ,disorder of her    
,passions1 which discover'd her ,inside1
 she might indeed have cheated any ,man1
 for she was a lovely ,devil as ever was
 seen2 she talk'd like an ,angel1 sung  
like a ,syren1 did every thing1 and said
 every thing that was taking and        
charming3 ,but what then8 it was all    
,apparition1 for she was a mere ,devil4 
,it is true1 my ,friend marry'd her1 and
 tho' she was a ,devil without doubt1   

yet either she behav'd so well1 or he   
was so good1 ,i never could hear him    
find ,fault with her4  ,these are       
particular ,instances2 but alas6 ,i     
could run you a ,length beyond all those
 ,examples1 and give you such a ,list of
 ,devils among the gay ,things of the   
,town1 that would fright you to think   
of2 and you would presently conclude1   
with me1 that all the perfect ,beauties 
are ,devils1 mere ,apparitions2 but     
,time and ,paper fails1 so we must only 
leave the ,men the ,caution1 let them   
venture at their ,peril4 ,i return to   
the ,subject4  ,we have a great many    
charming ,apparitions of like kind go   
daily about the ,world in compleat      
,masquerade1 and1 tho' we must not say  
so1 they are in themselves mere ,devils1
 wicked dangerous murthering ,devils1   
that kill various ,ways1 some1          
,basilisk-like1 with their ,eyes2 some  
,syren-like1 with their ,tongues2 all   
,murtherers1 even from the ,beginning3  
,it is true1 'tis pity these pretty     

,apparitions should be ,devils1 and be  
so mischievous as they are2 but since it
 is so1 ,i can do no less than to       
advertise you of it1 that you may shun  
the ,devil in whatever ,shape you meet  
with him4  ,again1 there are some half  
,devils1 they say1 like the ,sagittarii1
 half ,man1 half ,horse1 or rather like 
the ,satyr1 who1 they say1 is half      
,devil1 half ,man2 or1 like my ,lord    
,bishop1 who1 they say1 was half-headed2
 whether they mean half-witted or no1 ,i
 do not find ,authors agreed about it3  
,but if they had voted him such1 it had 
been as kind a thing as any they cou'd  
say of him1 because it would have       
clear'd him from the ,scandal of being a
 ,devil1 or half a ,devil1 for we don't 
find the ,devil makes any ,alliance with
 ,f----ls4  ,then as to merry ,devils1  
there's my ,master ,g------1 he may     
indeed have the ,devil in him1 but it   
must be said1 to the ,credit of         
,possession in general1 that ,satan     
would have scorn'd to have entred into a

 ,soul so narrow that there was not room
 to hold him1 or to take up with so     
discording a ,creature1 so abject1 so   
scoundrel1 as never made a ,figure among
 ,mankind greater than that of a ,thief1
 a ,moroder1 moulded up into ,quality1  
and a ,raparee dress'd up a-la-,masque1 
with a ,robe and a ,coronet4  ,some     
little ,dog-kennel ,devil may indeed    
take up his ,quarters in or near him1   
and so run into and out of him as his   
,drum beats a ,call2 but to him that was
 born a ,devil1 ,satan1 that never acts 
to no purpose1 cou'd not think him worth
 being possess'd by any thing better    
than a ,devil of a dirty ,quality2 that 
is to say1 a ,spirit too mean to wear   
the ,name of ,devil1 without some ,badge
 or ,addition of ,infamy and ,meanness  
to distinguish it by4  ,thus what ,devil
 of ,quality would be confin'd to a     
,p--------n1 who inheriting all the     
,pride and ,insolence of his ,ancestors1
 without one of their good ,qualities2  
the ,bully1 the ,billingsgate1 and all  

the hereditary ill ,language of his     
,family1 without an ,ounce of their     
,courage2 that has been rescued five or 
six times from the ,scandal of a        
,coward1 by the ,bravery1 and at the    
,hazard of ,friends1 and never fail'd to
 be ungrateful2 that if ever he         
committed a ,murther1 did it in cold    
,blood1 because no body could prove he  
ever had any hot2 who possess'd with a  
,poltroon ,devil1 was always wickeder in
 the ,dark1 than he durst be by         
,day-light2 and who1 after innumerable  
passive ,sufferings1 has been turned out
 of human ,society1 because he could not
 be kick'd or cuff'd either into good   
,manners or good ,humour4  ,to say this 
was a ,devil1 an ,apparition1 or even a 
half ,devil1 would be unkind to ,satan  
himself1 since tho' he 7the ,devil7 has 
so many ,millions of inferior ,devils   
under his ,command1 not one cou'd be    
found base enough to match him1 nor one 
,devil found but what would think       
himself dishonour'd to be employ'd about

 him4  ,some merry good-for-nothing     
,devils we have indeed1 which we might1 
if we had room1 speak of at large1 and  
divert you too with the ,relation1 such 
as my ,lady ,hatt's ,devil in ,essex1   
who upon laying a ,joiner's ,mallet in  
the ,window of a certain ,chamber1 would
 come very orderly and knock with it all
 ,night upon the ,window1 or against the
 ,wainscot1 and disturb the             
,neighbourhood1 and then go away in the 
,morning1 as well satisfied as may be2  
whereas if the ,mallet was not left1 he 
would think himself affronted1 and be as
 unsufferable and terrifying as         
possible1 breaking the ,windows1        
splitting the ,wainscot1 committing all 
the ,disorders1 and doing all the       
,damage that he was able to the ,house1 
and to the ,goods in it4 ,and again1    
such as the ,druming ,devil in the ,well
 at ,oundle in ,northamptonshire1 and   
such like4  ,a great many antick ,devils
 have been seen also1 who seem'd to have
 little or nothing to do1 but only to   

assure us that they can appear if they  
please1 and that there is a ,reality in 
the thing call'd ,apparition4  ,as to   
,shadows of ,devils1 and imaginary      
,appearances1 such as appear1 and yet   
are invisible at the same time1 ,i had  
thought to have bestow'd a ,chapter upon
 them by themselves1 but it may be as   
much to the ,purpose to let them alone1 
as to meddle with them2 'tis said our   
old ,friend ,luther used to be          
exceedingly troubled with such invisible
 ,apparitions1 and he tells us much of  
them1 in what they call his ,table-talk2
 but with ,master ,luther's leave1 tho' 
the ,devil passes for a very great      
,lyar1 ,i could swallow many things of  
his own proper making1 as soon as some  
of those ,i find in a ,book that goes by
 his ,name1 particularly the ,story of  
the ,devil in a ,basket1 the ,child     
flying out of the ,cradle1 and the like4
  ,in a word1 the walking ,devils that  
we have generally among us1 are of the  
female ,sex2 whether it be that the     

,devil finds less ,difficulty to manage 
them1 or that he lives quieter with     
them1 or that they are fitter for his   
,business than the ,men1 ,i shall not   
now enter into a ,dispute about that2   
perhaps he goes better disguis'd in the 
fair ,sex than otherwise2 ,antiquity    
gives us many ,histories of             
,she-,devils1 such as we can very seldom
 match for ,wickedness among the ,men2  
such now as in the ,text1 ,lot's        
,daughters1 ,joseph's ,mistress1        
,sampson's ,dalilah1 ,herod's ,herodias1
 these were certainly ,devils1 or play'd
 the ,devil sufficiently in their ,turn2
 one ,male ,apparition indeed the       
,scripture furnishes you with1 and that 
is ,judas2 for his ,master says expresly
 of him1 ,one of you is a ,devil2 not   
has the ,devil1 or is possess'd of the  
,,devil2 but really is a ,,devil1 or is 
a real ,,devil4  ,how happy is it1 that 
this great ,secret comes thus to be     
discover'd to mankind8 ,certainly the   
,world has gone on in ,ignorance a long 

time1 and at a strange rate1 that we    
should have so many ,devils continually 
walking about among us in humane ,shape1
 and we know it not4  ,philosophers tell
 us that there is a ,world of ,spirits1 
and many learned ,pieces of ,guess-work 
they make at it1 representing the ,world
 to be so near us1 that the ,air1 as    
they describe it1 must be full of       
,dragons and ,devils1 enough to fright  
our ,imaginations with the very         
,thoughts of them2 and if they say true1
 'tis our great ,felicity that we cannot
 see any farther into it than we do1    
which if we could1 would appear as      
frightful as ,hell itself2 but none of  
those ,sages ever told us1 till now1    
that half the ,people who converse with 
us are ,apparitions1 especially of the  
,women2 and among them especially this  
valuable ,part1 the ,woman of ,figure1  
the fair1 the beautiful1 or patch'd and 
painted4  ,this unusual ,phnomenon has  
been seen but a little while1 and but a 
little way1 and the general ,part of    

,mankind cannot come into the same      
,notions about it2 nay1 perhaps they    
will all think it strange2 but be it as 
strange as it will1 the ,nature of the  
,thing confirms it1 this lower ,sphere  
is full of ,devils2 and some of both    
,sexes have given strange ,testimonies  
of the ,reality of their pre-existent   
,devilism for many ,ages past1 tho' ,i  
think it never came to that ,height as  
it has now4  ,it is true1 in former     
times ,satan dealt much in old ,women1  
and those1 as ,i have observ'd already1 
very ugly1 ,ugly as a ,witch1 ,black as 
a ,witch1 ,i look like a ,witch1 all    
proverbial ,speeches1 and which         
testify'd what ,tools it was ,satan     
generally work'd with2 and these old    
,spectres1 they tell us1 us'd to ride   
thro' the ,air in the ,night1 and upon  
,broomsticks too1 all mighty homely     
,doings2 some say they us'd to go to    
visit their ,grand ,seignior the ,devil1
 in those ,nocturnal ,perambulations3   
,but be that as it will1 'tis certain   

the ,devil has chang'd hands1 and that  
now he walks about the ,world cloth'd in
 ,beauty1 cover'd with the ,charms of   
the ,lovely1 and he fails not to        
disguise himself effectually by it1 for 
who would think a beautiful ,lady could 
be a ,masque to the ,devil8 and that a  
fine ,face1 a divine ,shape1 a heavenly 
,aspect1 should bring the ,devil in her 
,company1 nay1 should be herself an     
,apparition1 a mere ,,devil4  ,the      
,enquiry is indeed worth our while1 and 
therefore ,i hope all the enamour'd     
,beaus and ,boys1 all the               
,beauty-hunters and ,fortune-hunters1   
will take heed1 for ,i suppose if they  
get the ,devil1 they will not complain  
for want of a ,fortune2 and there's     
,danger enough1 ,i assure you1 for the  
,world is full of ,apparitions1 non rosa
 sine spinis2 not a ,beauty without a   
,devil1 the old ,women ,spectres1 and   
the young ,women ,apparitions2 the ugly 
ones ,witches1 and the handsome ones    
,devils2 ,lord ha' ,mercy1 and a        

,illustration3 ,cross may be ,set on the
 ,man's ,door that goes a courting4     
,,chap4 ,,viii4  ,of the ,cloven-,foot  
walking about the ,world without the    
,devil1 7viz47 of      ,witches making  
,bargains for the ,devil1 and           
particularly of selling      the ,soul  
to the ,devil4   ,i have dwelt long upon
 the ,devil in ,masque as he goes about 
the ,world incog4 and especially without
 his ,cloven-,foot1 and have touched    
upon some of his ,disguises in the      
,management of his ,interest in the     
,world2 ,i must say some of his         
,disguises only1 for who can give a full
 account of all his ,tricks and ,arts in
 so narrow a ,compass as ,i am          
prescrib'd to8  ,but as ,i said1 that   
every ,devil has not a ,cloven-,foot1 so
 ,i must add now for the present        
,purpose1 that every ,cloven-,foot is   
not the ,devil4  ,not but that wherever 
,i should meet the ,cloven-,hoof1 ,i    
should expect that the ,devil was not   
far off1 and should be apt to raise the 

,posse against him1 to apprehend him2   
yet it may happen otherwise1 that's     
certain2 every ,coin has its            
,counterfeit1 every ,art its ,pretender1
 every ,whore her ,admirer1 every ,error
 its ,patron1 and every ,day has its    
,,devil4  ,i have had some thought of   
making a full and compleat ,discovery   
here of that great ,doubt which has so  
long puzzl'd the ,world1 namely1 whether
 there is any such ,thing1 as secret    
making ,bargains with the ,devil1 and   
the first positive ,assurance ,i can    
give you in the ,case1 is1 that if there
 is not1 'tis not his ,fault1 'tis not  
for want of his ,endeavour1 'tis plain1 
if you will pardon me for taking so mean
 a ,step1 as that of quoting ,scripture2
 ,i say1 'tis evident he would fain have
 made a ,contract with our ,saviour1 and
 he bid boldly 7give him his due7       
namely1 all the ,kingdoms of the ,world 
for one bend of his ,knee3 ,impudent    
,seraph6 ,to think thy ,lord should pay 
thee ,homage6 ,how many would agree with

 him here for a less ,price6 ,they say1 
,oliver ,cromwell struck a ,bargain with
 him1 and that he gave ,oliver the      
,protectorship1 but would not let him   
call himself ,king1 which stuck so close
 to that ,furioso1 that the             
,mortification ,spread into his ,soul1  
and 'tis said1 he dy'd of a ,gangreen in
 the ,spleen4 ,but take ,notice and do  
,oliver ,justice2 ,i do not vouch the   
,story1 neither does the ,bishop say one
 ,word of it4  ,fame us'd to say1 that  
the old famous ,duke of ,luxemburg made 
a ,magic compact of this ,kind2 nay1 ,i 
have heard many an 7old ,woman7 ,officer
 of the ,troops1 who never car'd to see 
his ,face1 declare that he carry'd the  
,devil at his ,back4 ,i remember a      
certain ,author of a ,news ,paper in    
,london was once taken up1 and they say1
 it cost him #ejl4 for printing in his  
,news1 that ,luxemburg was ,humpback'd4 
,now if ,i have resolv'd the            
,difficulty1 namely1 that he was not    
hump'd1 only carry'd the ,devil at his  

,back2 ,i think the poor ,man should    
have his #ejl4 again1 or ,i should have 
it for the ,discovery4  ,i confess1 ,i  
do not well understand this compacting  
with such a ,fellow as can neither write
 nor read2 nor do ,i know who is the    
,scrivener between them1 or how the     
,indenture can be executed2 but that    
which is worse than all the rest is1    
that in the first ,place1 the ,devil    
never keeps ,articles2 he will contract 
perhaps1 and they say he is mighty      
forward to make ,conditions2 but who    
shall bind him to the ,performance1 and 
where is the ,penalty if he fails8 if we
 agree with him1 he will be apt enough  
to claim his ,bargain and demand        
,payment2 nay1 perhaps before it is due2
 but who shall make him stand to his4   
,besides1 he is a ,knave in his         
,dealing1 for he really promises what he
 cannot perform2 witness his impudent   
,proposal to our ,lord mentioned above4 
,all these ,kingdoms will ,i give thee6 
,lying ,spirit6 ,why they were none of  

thine to give1 no not one of them2 for  
the ,earth is the ,lords and the        
kingdoms thereof1 nor were they in his  
,power any more than in his ,right3 ,so 
7,i have heard that7 some poor dismal   
,creatures have sold themselves to the  
,devil for a ,sum of ,money1 for so much
 ,cash1 and yet even in that ,case1 when
 the ,day of ,payment came1 ,i never    
heard that he brought the ,money or paid
 the ,purchase1 so that he is a         
,scoundrel in his ,treaties1 for you    
shall trust for your ,bargain1 but not  
be able to get your ,money2 and yet for 
your ,part1 he comes for you to an      
,hour3 ,of which by it self4  ,in a     
,word1 let me caution you all1 when you 
trade with the ,devil1 either get the   
,price or quit the ,bargain2 the ,devil 
is a cunning ,shaver1 he will wriggle   
himself out of the ,performance on his  
,side if possible1 and yet expect you   
should be punctual on your ,side4 ,they 
tell you of a poor ,fellow in           
,herefordshire1 that offer'd to sell his

 ,soul to him for a ,cow1 and though the
 ,devil promised1 and as they say1      
sign'd the ,writings1 yet the poor      
,countryman could never get the ,cow of 
him1 but still as he brought a ,cow to  
him1 some body or other came and        
challeng'd it1 proving that it was lost 
or stolen from them2 so that the ,man   
got nothing but the ,name of a          
,cow-stealer1 and was at last carried to
 ,hereford ,goal1 and condemn'd to be   
hang'd for stealing two ,cows1 one after
 the other3 ,the wicked ,fellow was then
 in the greatest ,distress imaginable1  
he summon'd his ,devil to help him out1 
but he failed him1 as the ,devil always 
will2 he really had not stolen the      
,cows1 but they were found in his       
,possession1 and he could give no       
,account how he came by them2 at last he
 was driven to confess the ,truth1 told 
the horrid ,bargain he had made1 and how
 the ,devil often promis'd him a ,cow1  
but never gave him one1 except that     
several ,times in the ,morning early he 

found a ,cow put into his ,yard1 but it 
always prov'd to belong to some of his  
,neighbours3 ,whether the ,man was      
hang'd or no1 the ,story does not       
relate2 but this ,part is to my         
,purpose1 that they that make ,bargains 
with the ,devil1 ought to make him give 
,security for the ,performance of       
,covenants1 and who the ,devil would get
 to be bound for him1 ,i can't tell1    
they must look to that who make the     
,bargain3 ,besides1 if he had not had a 
,mind to cheat or baffle the poor ,man1 
what need he have taken a ,cow so near  
home8 if he had such and such ,powers as
 we talk of1 and as ,fancy and ,fable   
furnish for him1 could not he have      
carried a ,cow in the ,air upon a       
,broom-stick1 as well as an old ,woman8 
,could he not have stole a ,cow for him 
in ,lincolnshire1 and set it down in    
,herefordshire1 and so have performed   
his ,bargain1 saved his ,credit1 and    
kept the poor ,man out of ,trouble8 so  
that if the ,story is ,true1 as ,i      

really believe it is1 either it is not  
the ,devil that makes those ,bargains1  
or the ,devil has not such ,power as we 
bestow on him1 except on ,special       
,occasions he gets a ,permit1 and is bid
 go1 as in the ,case of ,job1 the       
,gadaren ,hogs1 and the like4  ,we have 
another ,example of a ,man's selling    
himself to the ,devil1 that is very     
remarkable1 and that is in the ,bible   
too1 and even in that1 ,i do not find1  
what the ,devil did for him1 in ,payment
 of the ,purchase ,price4 ,the ,person  
selling was ,ahab1 of whom the ,text    
says expresly1 there was none like him1 
who did sell himself to work ,wickedness
 in the ,sight of the ,,lord1 #a ,kings 
xxi4 #bj1 and the #be4 ,i think it might
 have been rendred1 if not translated in
 ,spight of the ,lord1 or in ,defiance  
of ,god2 for certainly that's the       
,meaning of it2 and now allowing me to  
preach a little upon this ,text1 my     
,sermon shall be very short4 ,ahab sold 
himself1 who did he sell himself to8 ,i 

answer that ,question by a ,question2   
who would buy him8 who1 as we say1 would
 give any thing for him8 and the ,answer
 to that is plain also1 you may judge of
 the ,purchaser by the ,work he was to  
do2 he that buys a ,slave in the        
,market1 buys him to work for him1 and  
to do such ,business as he has for him  
to do3 ,ahab was bought to work         
wickedness1 and who would buy him for   
that but the ,devil8  ,i think there's  
no room to doubt but ,ahab sold himself 
to the ,devil2 the ,text is plain that  
he sold himself1 and the ,work he was   
sold to do points out the ,master that  
bought him2 what ,price he agreed with  
the ,devil for1 that indeed the ,text is
 silent in1 so we may let it alone1 nor 
is it much to our ,purpose1 unless it be
 to enquire whether the ,devil stood to 
his ,bargain or not1 and whether he paid
 the ,money according to ,agreement1 or 
cheated him as he did the ,farmer at    
,hereford4  ,this buying and selling    
between the ,devil and us1 is1 ,i must  

confess1 an odd kind of ,stock-jobbing1 
and indeed the ,devil may be said to    
sell the ,bear-skin1 whatever he buys2  
but the strangest ,part is when he comes
 to demand the transfer2 for as ,i      
hinted before1 whether he ,performs or  
no1 he expects his ,bargain to a        
,tittle2 there is indeed some           
,difficulty in resolving how and in what
 ,manner ,payment is made2 the ,stories 
we meet with in our ,chimney-,corner    
,histories1 and which are so many ,ways 
made ,use of to make the ,devil         
frightful to us and our ,heirs for ever1
 are generally so foolish and           
ridiculous1 as1 if true or not true1    
they have nothing ,material in them1 are
 of no ,signification1 or else so       
impossible in their ,nature1 that they  
make no ,impression upon any body above 
twelve ,years old and under seventy2 or 
else are so tragical that ,antiquity has
 fabled them down to our ,taste1 that we
 might be able to hear them and repeat  
them with less ,horror than is due to   

them4  ,this ,variety has taken off our 
,relish of the ,thing in general1 and   
made the ,trade of ,soul-selling1 like  
our late more eminent ,bubbles1 be taken
 to be a ,cheat and to have little in   
it4  ,however1 to speak a little more   
gravely to it1 ,i cannot say but that   
since1 by the two eminent ,instances of 
it above in ,ahab1 and in ,christ       
himself1 the ,fact is evidently         
ascertain'd2 and that the ,devil has    
attempted to make such a ,bargain on    
one1 and actually did make it with the  
other4 ,the ,possibility of it is not to
 be disputed2 but then ,i must explain  
the ,manner of it a little1 and bring it
 down1 nearer to our ,understanding1    
that it may be more intelligible than it
 is2 for as for this selling the ,soul1 
and making a ,bargain to give the ,devil
 ,possession by ,livery and ,seisin on  
the ,day appointed1 that ,i cannot come 
into by any ,means2 no nor into the     
other ,part1 namely1 of the ,devil      
coming to claim his ,bargain1 and to    

demand the ,soul according to           
,agreement1 and upon ,default of a fair 
,delivery1 taking it away by ,violence  
,case and all1 of which we have many    
historical ,relations pretty current    
among us2 some of which1 for ought ,i   
know1 we might have hop'd had been true1
 if we had not been sure they were      
false1 and others we had ,reason to fear
 were false1 because it was impossible  
they should be true4  ,the ,bargains of 
this ,kind1 according to the best       
,accounts we have of them1 used to      
consist of two main ,articles1 according
 to the ordinary ,stipulations in all   
,covenants2 namely1       #a4 ,something
 to be perform'd on the ,devil's ,part1 
buying4       #b4 ,something to be      
performed on the ,man's ,part1 selling4 
#a4 ,the ,devil's ,part3 ,this was      
generally some poor ,trifle1 for the    
,devil generally bought good            
,penny-worths1 and oftentimes like a    
compleat ,sharper1 agreed to give what  
he was not able to procure2 that is to  

say1 would bargain for a ,price he could
 not pay1 as in the ,case of the        
,hereford ,man and the ,cow2 for        
,example1 #a4 ,long ,life3 ,this tho'   
the deluded ,chapman has often had folly
 enough to contract for1 the ,devil     
never had ,power to make good2 and we   
have a famous ,story1 how true ,i know  
not1 of a ,wretch that sold himself to  
the ,,devil on ,condition he1 ,satan1   
should assure him 7#a47 ,that he should 
never want ,victuals2 7#b47 ,that he    
should never be a cold2 7#c47 ,that he  
should always come to him when he call'd
 him2 and 7#d47 ,that he should let him 
live one and twenty ,years1 and then    
,satan was at ,liberty to have him2 that
 is1 ,i suppose1 to take him wherever he
 could find him4  ,it seems1 the        
,fellow's desire to be assur'd of #ba   
,years ,life1 was chiefly1 that during  
that ,time1 he might be as wicked as he 
would1 and should yet be sure not to be 
hang'd1 nay1 to be free from all        
,punishment2 upon this ,foot 'tis said  

he commenc'd ,rogue1 and committed a    
great many ,robberies and other         
villanous ,things2 now it seems the     
,devil was pretty true to his ,bargain  
in several of those things2             
particularly1 that two or three times   
when the ,fellow was taken up for petty 
,crimes1 and call'd for his old ,friend1
 he came and frighted the ,constables   
so1 that they let the ,offender get away
 from them3 ,but at ,length having done 
some capital ,crime1 a ,set of          
,constables1 or such like ,officers1    
seiz'd upon him1 who were not to be     
frighted with the ,devil1 in what ,shape
 soever he appear'd2 so that they       
carry'd him off1 and he was committed to
 ,newgate or some other ,prison as      
effectual4  ,nor could ,satan with all  
his ,skill unlock his ,fetters1 much    
less the ,prison ,doors2 ,but he was    
try'd1 convicted1 and executed4 ,the    
,fellow in his ,extremity1 they say1    
expostulated with the ,devil for his    
,bargain1 the ,term of #ba ,years it    

seems not being expir'd4 ,but the       
,devil1 it is said1 shuffl'd with him1  
told him a good while1 he would get him 
out1 bid him have ,patience and stay a  
little1 and thus led him on1 till he    
came as it were within ,sight of the    
,gallows1 that is to say1 within a ,day 
or two of his ,execution2 when the      
,devil cavill'd upon his ,bargain1 told 
him1 he agreed to let him live #ba      
,years1 and he had not hindred him1 but 
that he did not ,covenant to cause him  
to live that ,time2 that there was a    
great deal of ,difference between doing 
and suffering2 that he was to suffer him
 to live1 and that he did2 but he could 
not make him live when he had brought   
himself to the ,gallows4  ,whether this 
,story were true or not1 for you must   
not expect we ,historians should answer 
for the ,discourse between the ,devil   
and his ,chaps1 because we were not     
privy to the ,bargain3 ,i say1 whether  
it was true or not1 the ,inference is to
 our ,purpose several ,ways4       #a4  

,it confirms what ,i have said of the   
,knavery of the ,devil in      his      
,dealings1 and that when he has         
,stock-jobb'd with us on the best       
,conditions he can get1 he very seldom  
performs his ,bargain4       #b4 ,it    
confirms what ,i have likewise said1    
that the ,devil's ,power      is        
limited2 with this ,addition1 that he   
not only cannot destroy the      ,life  
of ,man1 but that he cannot preserve it2
 in short1 he can      neither prevent  
or bring on our ,destruction4   ,i may  
be allow'd1 ,i hope1 for the ,sake of   
the present ,discourse1 to suppose that 
the ,devil would have been so just to   
this wicked1 tho' foolish ,creature1 as 
to have sav'd him from the ,gallows if  
he could2 but it seems1 he at last      
acknowledg'd that it was not in his     
,power2 nay1 he could not keep him from 
being taken and carry'd to ,prison1     
after he was gotten into the ,hands of a
 bold ,fellow or two1 that were not to  
be fear'd with his ,bluster1 as some    

foolish ,creatures had been before4     
,and how simple1 how weak1 how unlike   
any ,thing of an ,angelick ,nature1 was 
it to attempt to save the poor ,wretch1 
only by little ,noises and sham         
,appearances1 putting out the ,candles1 
rushing and josteling in the ,dark1 and 
the like6 ,if the ,devil was that mighty
 ,seraph1 which we have heard of1 if he 
is a ,god of this ,world1 a ,prince of  
the ,air1 a ,spirit able to destroy     
,cities and make ,havock in the ,world2 
if he can raise ,tempests and ,storms1  
throw ,fire about the ,world1 and do    
wonderful ,things1 as an unchain'd      
,devil no ,doubt could do2 what need all
 this ,frippery8 and what need he try so
 many ridiculous ,ways1 by the          
,emptiness1 nay1 the silly nonsensical  
,manner1 of which1 he shews1 that he is 
able to do no better1 and that his      
,power is extinguish'd8 ,in a ,word1 he 
would certainly act otherwise1 if he    
could4 ,sed caret pedibus1 he wants     
,power4  ,how weak a thing is it then1  

for any ,man to expect ,performance from
 the ,devil8 ,if he has not ,power to do
 ,mischief1 which is his ,element1 his  
very ,nature1 and on many ,accounts1 is 
the very sum of his ,desires2 ,how      
should he have ,power to do ,good8 how  
,power to deliver from ,danger or from  
,death8 which ,deliverance would be in  
itself a ,good1 and we know it is not in
 his ,nature to do ,good to or for any  
,man8  ,in a ,word1 the ,devil is       
strangely impudent1 to think that any   
,man should depend upon him for the     
,performance of an ,agreement of any    
,kind whatever1 when he knows himself1  
that he is not able1 if he was honest   
enough1 to be as good as his ,word4     
,come we next to his expecting our      
,performance to him2 tho' he is not so  
just to us1 yet1 it seems1 he never     
fails to come and demand ,payment of us 
at the very ,day appointed3 ,he was but 
a weak ,trader in ,things of this       
,nature1 who having sold his ,soul to   
the ,devil1 so our old ,women's ,tales  

call the ,thing1 and when the ,devil    
came to demand his ,bargain1 put it off 
as a ,thing of no ,force1 for that it   
was done so long ago1 he thought he 7the
 ,devil7 had forgot it4 ,it was a better
 ,answer1 which they tell us1 a         
,lutheran ,divine gave the ,devil in the
 ,name of a poor ,wretch1 who had sold  
himself to the ,devil1 and who was in a 
terrible ,fright about his coming for   
his ,bargain1 as he might well be       
indeed1 if the ,devil has such a ,power1
 as really to come and take it by       
,force4 ,the ,story 7if you can bear a  
serious one7 is this4  ,the ,man was in 
great ,horror of ,mind1 and the ,family 
fear'd he would destroy himself2 at     
length they sent for a ,lutheran        
,minister to talk with him1 and who     
after some ,labour with him1 got out the
 ,truth 7viz47 that he had sold himself 
to the ,devil1 and that the ,time was   
almost expir'd1 when he expected the    
,devil would come and fetch him away1   
and he was sure he would not fail coming

 to the ,time to a ,minute2 the         
,minister first endeavour'd to convince 
him of the horrid ,crime1 and to bring  
him to a true ,penitence for that ,part2
 and having as he thought made him a    
sincere ,penitent1 he then began to     
encourage him1 and particularly1 desir'd
 of him1 that when the ,time was come1  
that the ,devil should fetch him away1  
he1 the ,minister1 should be in the     
,house with him2 accordingly1 to make   
the ,story short1 the ,time came1 the   
,devil came1 and the ,minister was      
present1 when the ,devil came2 what     
,shape he was in1 the ,story does not   
say2 the ,man said he saw him1 and cry'd
 out2 the ,minister could not see him1  
but the ,man affirming he was in the    
,room1 the ,minister said aloud1 in the 
,name of the living ,god1 ,satan1 what  
comest thou here for8 ,the ,devil       
answer'd1 ,i come for my own2 the       
,minister answer'd1 ,he is not thy own1 
for ,jesus ,christ has redeem'd him1 and
 in his ,name ,i charge thee to avoid   

and touch him not2 at which1 says the   
,story1 the ,devil gave a furious ,stamp
 7with his ,cloven-,foot ,i suppose7 and
 went away1 and was never known to      
molest him afterward4  ,another ,story1 
tho' it be in it self a long one1 ,i    
shall abridge 7for your reading with the
 less ,uneasiness7 as follows4  ,a young
 ,gentleman of ----berg1 in the ,elector
 of ,brandenburgh's 7now the ,king of   
,prussia's7 ,dominions1 being deeply in 
,love with a beautiful ,lady1 but       
something above his ,fortune1 and whom  
he could by no ,means bring to love him 
again1 apply'd himself to an old thing  
call'd a ,witch1 for her ,assistance1   
and promised her great ,things1 if she  
could bring the ,lady to love him1 or   
any how compass her1 so as he might have
 his ,will of her2 nay1 at last he told 
her he would give up his ,soul to her1  
if she would answer his ,desire4  ,the  
old ,hag1 it seems1 having had some of  
his ,money1 had very honestly tried what
 she could do1 but all to no ,purpose1  

the ,lady would not comply2 but when he 
offer'd such a great ,price1 she told   
him1 she would consider farther against 
such a ,time1 and so appointed him the  
next ,evening4  ,at the ,time appointed 
he comes1 and the ,witch made a long    
,speech to him upon the ,nicety of the  
,affair2 ,i suppose to prepare him not  
to be surpriz'd at what was to come2 for
 she suppos'd he was not so very        
desperately bent as he appear'd to be2  
she told him it was a ,thing of very    
great ,difficulty2 but as he had made   
such a great ,offer1 of selling his     
,soul for it1 she had an ,acquaintance  
in the ,house1 who was better skill'd   
7than she was7 in such particular       
,things1 and would treat with him       
farther1 and she doubted not but that   
both together they might answer his     
,end4 ,the ,fellow it seems was still of
 the same ,mind1 and told her1 he car'd 
not what he pawn'd or sold1 if he could 
but obtain the ,lady2 well1 says the old
 ,hag1 sit still a while1 and with that 

she withdraws4  ,by and by she comes in 
again with a ,question in her ,mouth2   
pray1 says she1 do you seek this ,lady  
for a ,wife1 or for a ,mistress1 would  
you marry her1 or would you only lie    
with her8 ,the young ,man told her no1  
no1 he did not expect she would lie with
 him1 therefore he would be satisfied to
 marry her1 but asks her the ,reason of 
the ,question2 why truly1 says the old  
,hag1 my ,reason is very ,weighty2 for  
if you would have her for your ,wife1 ,i
 doubt1 we can do you no ,service2 but  
if you have a ,mind to lie with her1 the
 ,person1 ,i speak of1 will undertake   
it4  ,the ,man was surpriz'd at that1   
only he objected that this was a        
transient or short ,felicity1 and that  
he should perhaps have her no more2 the 
old ,hag bid him not fear1 but that if  
she once yielded to be his ,whore1 he   
might have her as often as he pleased2  
upon this he consents1 for he was stark 
mad for the ,lady2 ,he having consented1
 she told him then1 he should follow    

her1 but told him1 whoever he saw1 he   
must speak to no body but her1 till she 
gave him leave1 and that he should not  
be surpriz'd1 whatever happen'd1 for no 
hurt should befall him2 all which he    
agreed to1 and the old ,woman going out 
he follow'd her4  ,being upon this led  
into another ,room1 where there was but 
very little ,light1 yet enough to let   
him see that there was no body in it but
 himself and the ,woman1 he was desired 
to sit down in a ,chair next to a       
,table1 and the old ,woman clapping the 
,door too after her1 he asked her why   
she shut the ,door1 and where was the   
,person she told him of8 ,at which she  
answer'd there he is1 pointing to a     
,chair at a little ,distance3 ,the young
 ,gentleman turning his ,head1 saw a    
grave ,kind of a ,man sitting in an     
,elbow-,chair1 tho' he said1 he could   
have sworn there was no body in the     
,chair when the old ,woman shut the     
,door2 however1 having promis'd not to  
speak to any body but the old ,woman1 he

 said not a ,word4  ,by and by the      
,woman making abundance of strange      
,gestures and ,motions1 and mumbling    
over several ,things which he could not 
understand1 on a suddain a large        
,wicker-,chair1 which stood by the      
,chimney1 removes to the other ,end of  
the ,table which he sat by1 but there   
was no body in the ,chair2 in about two 
,minutes after that the ,chair remov'd1 
there appear'd a ,person sitting in that
 too1 who1 the ,room being1 as is said1 
almost dark1 could not be so            
distinguish'd by the ,eye1 as to see his
 ,countenance4  ,after some while1 the  
first ,man1 and the ,chair he sat in1   
mov'd1 as if they had been one ,body1 to
 the ,table also2 and the old ,woman and
 the two ,men seem'd to talk together1  
but the young ,man could not understand 
any ,thing they said2 after some ,time  
the old ,witch turn'd to the young      
,gentleman1 told him his ,request was   
granted1 but not for ,marriage1 but the 
,lady should love and receive him4  ,the

 ,witch then gave him a ,stick dipt in  
,tar at both ,ends1 and bid him hold it 
to a ,candle1 which he did1 and instead 
of burning like a ,stick it burnt out   
like a ,torch2 then she bid him break it
 off in the ,middle1 and light the other
 ,end2 he did that too1 and all the     
,room seem'd to be in a light ,flame2   
then she said1 deliver one ,piece here1 
pointing to one only of the ,persons1 so
 he gave the first ,fire-stick to the   
first ,man or ,apparition2 now says she1
 deliver the other here1 so he gave the 
other ,piece to the other ,apparition1  
at which they both rose up and spoke to 
him ,words1 which he said he understood 
not1 and could not repeat1 and          
immediately vanish'd with the           
,fire-sticks and all1 leaving the ,room 
full of ,smoke3 ,i do not remember that 
the ,story says any ,thing of           
,brimstone1 or the ,smell of it1 but it 
says the ,door continu'd fast lock'd1   
and no ,body was left in the ,room but  
the young ,gentleman and the ,witch4    

,now the ,ceremony being over1 he ask'd 
the ,witch if the ,business was done8   
,she said yes4 ,well1 but says he1 have 
,i sold my ,soul to the ,devil8 ,yes1   
says she1 you have1 and you gave him    
,possession1 when you deliver'd the two 
,fire-sticks to him4 ,to him6 says he1  
why1 was that the ,devil8 ,yes1 says the
 old ,hag4 ,at which the young ,man was 
in a terrible ,fright for a while1 but  
it went off again4  ,and what's next1   
says he1 when shall ,i see the ,lady for
 whose sake ,i have done all this8 ,you 
shall know that presently1 said she1 and
 opening the ,door1 in the next ,room   
she presents him with a most beautiful  
,lady1 but had charg'd him not to speak 
a ,word to her3 ,she was exactly dress'd
 like1 and he presently knew her to be  
the ,lady he desir'd2 upon which he flew
 to her and clasped her in his ,arms1   
but that ,moment he had her fast1 as he 
thought1 in his ,arms1 she vanish'd out 
of his sight4  ,finding himself thus    
disappointed1 he upbraids the old ,woman

 with betraying him1 and flew out with  
ill ,language at her1 in a great ,rage2 
the ,devil often deluded him thus1 after
 this1 with ,shews and ,appearances1 but
 still no ,performance2 after a while he
 gets an ,opportunity to speak with the 
,lady her self in ,reality1 but she was 
as positive in her ,denial as ever1 and 
even took away all ,hopes of his ever   
obtaining her1 which put him into       
,despair2 for now he thought he had     
given himself up to the ,devil for      
nothing1 and this brought him to        
himself2 so that he made a penitent     
,confession of his ,crime to some       
,friends1 who took great ,care of him1  
and encourag'd him1 and at last         
furnish'd him with such an ,answer as   
put the ,devil into a ,fright1 when he  
came for the ,bargain4  ,for ,satan1 it 
seems1 as the ,story says1 had the      
,impudence to demand his ,agreement1    
notwithstanding he had fail'd in the    
,performance on his ,part2 what the     
,answer was ,i do not pretend to have   

seen1 but it seems it was something like
 what is mention'd above1 7viz47 that he
 was in better ,hands1 and that he durst
 not touch him4  ,i have heard of       
another ,person that had actually sign'd
 a ,contract with the ,devil2 and upon a
 ,fast kept by some ,protestant or      
,christian ,divines1 while they were    
praying for the poor ,man1 the ,devil   
was oblig'd to come and throw the       
,contract in at the ,window4  ,but ,i   
vouch none of these ,stories1 there may 
be much in them and much ,use made of   
them1 even whether exactly such in      
,fact1 as they are related1 or no2 the  
best ,use ,i can make of them1 is this1 
if any wicked desperate ,wretches have  
made ,bargain and ,sale with ,satan1    
their only ,way is to repent1 if they   
know how1 and that before he comes to   
claim them2 then batter him with his own
 ,guns2 play ,religion against          
,devilism1 and perhaps they may drive   
the ,devil out of their ,reach2 at least
 he will not come at them1 which is as  

well4  ,on the other ,hand1 how many    
,stories have we handed about of the    
,devil's really coming with a terrible  
,appearance at the ,time appointed1 and 
powerfully or by violence carrying away 
those1 that have given themselves thus  
up to him2 nay1 and sometimes a ,piece  
of the ,house along with them1 as in the
 famous ,instance of ,sudbury1 ,anno    
#affb4 ,it seems he comes with ,rage and
 ,fury upon such ,occasions1 pretending 
he only comes to take his own1 or as if 
he had leave given him to come and take 
his ,goods1 as we say1 where he could   
find them1 and would strike a ,terror   
into all that should oppose him4  ,the  
greatest ,part of the ,terror we are    
usually in upon this ,occasion1 is from 
a ,supposition1 that when this          
,hell-,fire ,contract is once made1 ,god
 allows the ,devil to come and take the 
wicked ,creature1 how and in what manner
 he thinks fit1 as being given up to him
 by his own ,act and ,deed2 but in my   
,opinion there's no ,divinity at all in 

that2 for as in our ,law we punish a    
,felo de se1 or ,self-murtherer1        
because1 as the ,law suggests1 he had no
 ,right to dismiss his own ,life2 that  
he being a ,subject of the              
,common-wealth1 the ,government claims  
the ,ward or ,custody of him1 and so    
'twas not ,murther only1 but ,robbery1  
and is a ,felony against the ,state1    
robbing the ,king of his ,liege-,man1 as
 'tis justly call'd2 so neither has any 
,man a ,right to dispose of his ,soul1  
which belongs to his ,maker in ,property
 and in ,right of ,creation3 ,the ,man  
then having no ,right to sell1 ,satan   
has no ,right to buy1 or at best he has 
made a ,purchase without a ,title1 and  
consequently has no just ,claim to the  
,possession4  ,it is therefore a        
,mistake to say1 that when any of us    
have been so mad to make such a         
pretended ,contract with the ,devil1    
that ,god gives him leave to take it as 
his ,due2 'tis no such thing2 the ,devil
 has bought1 what you had no ,right to  

sell1 and therefore1 as an unlawful     
,oath is to be repented of1 and then    
broken2 so your ,business is to repent  
of the ,crime1 and then tell the ,devil1
 you have better consider'd of it1 and  
that you won't stand to your ,bargain1  
for you had no ,power to sell2 and if he
 pretends to ,violence after that1 ,i am
 mistaken2 ,i believe the ,devil knows  
better4  ,it is true1 our old ,mothers  
and ,nurses have told us other ,things1 
but they only told us what their        
,mothers and ,nurses told them1 and so  
the ,tale has been handed down from one 
,generation of old ,women to another2   
but we have no ,vouchers for the ,fact  
other than ,oral ,tradition1 the ,credit
 of which1 ,i confess1 goes but a very  
little ,way with me2 nor do ,i believe  
it one ,jot the more for all the        
frightful ,addenda which they generally 
join to the ,tale1 for it never wants a 
great ,variety of that ,kind4  ,thus    
they tell us the ,devil carried away    
,dr4 ,faustus and took a ,piece of the  

,wall of his ,garden along with them3   
,thus at ,salisbury the ,devil as it is 
said1 and publickly printed1 carried    
away two ,fellows that had given        
themselves up to him1 and carried away  
the ,roof of the ,house with them1 and  
the like2 all which ,i believe my ,share
 of2 besides1 if these ,stories were    
really true1 they are all against the   
,devil's true ,interest1 ,satan must be 
a ,fool1 which is indeed what ,i never  
took him to be in the ,main2 this would 
be the ,way not to encrease the ,number 
of ,desperadoes1 who should thus put    
themselves into his ,hand1 but to make  
himself a ,terror to them2 and this is  
one of the most powerful ,objections ,i 
have against the ,thing1 for the ,devil1
 ,i say1 is no ,fool1 that must be      
acknowledg'd2 he knows his own ,game1   
and generally plays it sure4  ,i might1 
before ,i quit this ,point1 seriously   
reflect here upon our ,beau mond 7viz47 
the gay ,part of ,mankind1 especially   
those of the ,times we live in1 who walk

 about in a ,composure and ,tranquillity
 inexpressible1 and yet as we all know1 
must certainly have all sold themselves 
to the ,devil1 for the ,power of acting 
the foolishest ,things with the greater 
,applause2 it is true1 to be a ,fool is 
the most pleasant ,life in the ,world1  
if the ,fool has but the particular     
,felicity1 which few ,fools want1 7viz47
 to think themselves wise3 ,the learned 
say1 it is the ,dignity and ,perfection 
of ,fools1 that they never fail trusting
 themselves2 they believe themselves    
sufficient and able for every ,thing2   
and hence their want or waste of ,brains
 is no ,grievance to them1 but they hug 
themselves in the ,satiety of their own 
,wit2 but to bring other ,people to have
 the same ,notion of them1 which they   
have of themselves1 and to have their   
apish and ridiculous ,conduct make the  
same ,impression on the ,minds of       
others1 as it does on their own2 this   
requires a general ,infatuation1 and    
must either be a ,judgment from ,heaven1

 or a ,mist of ,hell2 nothing but the   
,devil can make all the ,men of ,brains 
applaud a ,fool1 and can any ,man       
believe1 that the ,devil will do this   
for nothing8 no1 no1 he will be well    
paid for it1 and ,i know no other ,way  
they have to compound with him1 but this
 of ,bargain and ,sale4  ',tis the same 
thing with ,rakes and ,bullies1 as 'tis 
with ,fools and ,beaus2 and this brings 
me to the ,subject of buying and selling
 it self1 and to examine what is        
understood by it in the ,world1 what    
,people mean by such and such a ,man    
selling himself to the ,devil3 ,i know  
the common ,acceptation of it is1 that  
they make some ,capitulation for some   
,indulgence in ,wickedness1 on          
,conditions of ,safety and ,impunity1   
which the ,devil promises them2 tho' as 
,i said above1 he is a ,bite in that    
too1 for he can't perform the           
,conditions2 however1 ,i say1 he        
promises boldly1 and they believe him1  
and for this ,privilege in ,wickedness1 

they consent1 that he shall come and    
fetch them for his own1 at such or such 
a ,time4  ,this is the ,state of the    
,case in the general ,acceptation of it2
 ,i do not say 'tis really so1 nay 'tis 
even an ,inconsistency in it self2 for  
one would think1 they need not          
capitulate with the ,devil to be so1 and
 so1 superlatively wicked1 and give him 
such a ,price for it1 seeing1 unless we 
have a wrong ,notion of him1 he is      
naturally enclin'd1 as well as avow'dly 
willing to have all ,men be as          
superlatively wicked as possibly they   
can1 and must necessarily be always     
ready to issue out his ,licenses gratis1
 as far as his ,authority will go in the
 ,case2 and therefore ,i do not see why 
the ,wretches that deal with him1 should
 article with him for a ,price2 but     
suppose1 for ,argument sake1 that it is 
so1 then the next ,thing is1 some       
capital ,crime follows the ,contract1   
and then the ,wretch is forsaken1 for   
the ,devil cannot protect him1 as he    

promised2 so he is ,trust up1 and like  
,coleman at the ,gallows1 he exclaims   
that there is no ,truth in ,devils4  ,it
 may be true1 however1 that under the   
powerful ,guard and ,protection of the  
,devil1 ,men do sometimes go a great    
,way in ,crime1 and that perhaps farther
 in these our ,days of boasted ,morals  
than was known among our ,fathers2 the  
only ,difference that ,i meet with      
between the ,sons of ,belial in former  
,days1 and those of our ,ages1 seems to 
be in the ,devil's ,management1 not in  
theirs2 the ,sum of which amounts to    
this1 that ,satan seems to act with more
 ,cunning1 and they with less2 for in   
the former ,ages of ,satan's ,dominion1 
he had much ,business upon his ,hands1  
all his ,art and ,engines1 and          
,engineers also1 were kept fully        
employ'd1 to wheedle1 allure1 betray and
 circumvent ,people1 and draw them into 
,crimes1 and they found him1 as we may  
say1 a full ,employment2 ,i doubt not1  
he was call'd the ,tempter on that very 

,account2 but the ,case seems quite     
alter'd now1 the ,tables are turned2    
then the ,devil tempted ,men to sin1    
,but now1 in short1 they tempt the      
,devil2 ,men push into ,crimes before he
 pushes them2 they out shoot him in his 
own ,bow1 out run him on his own        
,ground1 and1 as we say of some hot     
,spurs who ride ,post1 they whip the    
,post-,boy2 in a ,word1 the ,devil seems
 to have no ,business now but to sit    
still and look on4  ,this1 ,i must      
confess1 seems to intimate some secret  
,compact between the ,devil and them2   
but then it looks1 not as is they had   
contracted with the ,devil for leave to 
sin1 but that the ,devil had contracted 
with them1 that they should sin so and  
so1 up to such a ,degree1 and that      
without giving him the ,trouble of daily
 ,solicitation1 private ,management1 and
 artful screwing up their ,passions1    
their ,affections and their most retir'd
 ,faculties1 as he was before oblig'd to
 do4  ,this also appears more agreeable 

to the ,nature of the ,thing2 and as it 
is a most exquisite part of ,satan's    
,cunning1 so 'tis an undoubted          
,testimony of his ,success2 if it was   
not so1 he could never bring his        
,kingdom to such a height of absolute   
,power as he has done2 this also solves 
several ,difficulties in the ,affair of 
the ,world's present ,way of sinning1   
which otherwise it would be very hard to
 understand2 as particularly how some   
eminent ,men of ,quality among us1 whose
 upper ,rooms are not extraordinary well
 furnished in other ,cases1 yet are so  
very witty in their ,wickedness1 that   
they gather ,admirers by hundreds and   
thousands2 who1 however heavy1 lumpish1 
slow and backward1 even by ,nature1 and 
in force of ,constitution in better     
things1 yet in their ,race ,devil-wards 
they are of a sudden grown nimble1 light
 of ,foot1 and outrun all their         
,neighbours2 ,fellows that are as empty 
of ,sense as ,beggars are of ,honesty1  
and as far from ,brains as a ,whore is  

of ,modesty2 on a sudden you shall find 
them dip into ,polemicks1 study ,michael
 ,servetus1 ,socinus1 and the most      
learned of their ,disciples2 they shall 
reason against all ,religion1 as        
strongly as a ,philosopher2 blaspheme   
with such a ,keenness of ,wit1 and      
satyrise ,god and ,eternity1 with such a
 ,brightness of ,fancy1 as if the soul  
of a ,rochester or a ,hobbs was         
transmigrated into them2 in a little    
length of ,time more they banter        
,heaven1 burlesque the ,trinity1 and    
jest with every sacred thing1 and all so
 sharp1 so ready1 and so terribly witty1
 as if they were born ,buffoons1 and    
were singl'd out by ,nature to be       
,champions for the ,devil4  ,whence can 
all this come8 how is the ,change       
wrought8 who but the ,devil can inject  
,wit in ,spight of natural ,dullness1   
create ,brains1 fill empty ,heads1 and  
supply the ,vacuities in the            
,understanding8 and will ,satan do all  
this for nothing8 ,no1 no1 he is too    

wise for that2 ,i can never doubt a     
secret ,compact1 if there is such a     
thing in ,nature2 when ,i see a ,head   
where there was no ,head1 ,sense in     
,posse where there is no ,sense in      
,esse1 ,wit without ,brains1 and ,sight 
without ,eyes1 'tis all ,devil-,work3   
,could ,g---- write ,satyrs1 that could 
neither read ,latin or spell ,english1  
like old ,sir ,william ,read1 who wrote 
a ,book of ,opticks1 which when it was  
printed1 he did not know which was the  
right ,side uppermost1 and which the    
wrong8 ,could this eminent uninform'd   
,beau turn ,atheist1 and make wise      
,speeches against that ,being1 which    
made him a ,fool1 if the ,devil had not 
sold him some ,wit in exchange for that 
,trifle of his1 call'd ,soul8 ,had he   
not barter'd his ,inside with that ,son 
of the ,morning1 to have his ,tongue    
tip'd with ,blasphemy1 he that knew     
nothing of a ,god1 but only to swear by 
him1 could never have set up for a ,wit1
 to burlesque his ,providence and       

ridicule his ,government of the ,world4 
,but the ,devil1 as he is ,god of the   
,world1 has one particular ,advantage1  
and that is1 that when he has ,work to  
do he very seldom wants ,instruments2   
with this ,circumstance also1 that the  
,degeneracy of human ,nature supplies   
him2 as the late ,king of ,france said  
of himself1 when they told him what a   
,calamity was like to befal his ,kingdom
 by the ,famine3 ,well1 says the ,king1 
then ,i shall not want ,soldiers2 and it
 was so1 want of ,bread supplied his    
,army with ,recruits2 so want of ,grace 
supplied the ,devil with ,reprobates for
 his ,work4  ,another ,reason why1 ,i   
think1 the ,devil has made more         
,bargains of that ,kind we speak of1 in 
this ,age1 is1 because he seems to have 
laid by his ,cloven-,foot2 all his old  
,emissaries1 the ,tools of his ,trade1  
the ,engineers which he employ'd in his 
,mines1 such as ,witches1 ,warlocks1    
,magicians1 ,conjurers1 ,astrologers1   
and all the hellish ,train or ,rabble of

 human ,devils1 who did his ,drudgery in
 former ,days1 seem to be out of ,work3 
,i shall give you a fuller ,enumeration 
of them in the next ,chapter4  ,these1  
,i say1 seem to be laid aside2 not that 
his ,work is abated1 or that his        
,business with ,mankind1 for their      
,delusion and ,destruction is not the   
same1 or perhaps more than ever2 but the
 ,devil seems to have chang'd ,hands2   
the ,temper and ,genius of ,mankind is  
alter'd1 and they are not to be taken by
 ,fright and ,horror1 as they were then3
 ,the ,figures of those ,creatures was  
always dismal and horrible1 and that is 
it which ,i mean by the ,cloven-,foot2  
but now ,wit1 ,beauty and gay ,things1  
are the ,sum of his ,craft1 he manages  
by the ,soft and the ,smooth1 the ,fair 
and the ,artful1 the ,kind and the      
,cunning1 not by the ,frightful and     
,terrible1 the ,ugly and the ,odious4   
,when the ,devil for weighty            
,dispatches1     ,wanted ,messengers    
cunning and bold1   ,he pass'd by the   

beautiful ,faces1     ,and pick'd out   
the ,ugly and ,old4    ,of these he made
 ,warlocks and ,witches1     ,to run of 
his ,errands by ,night1   ,till the over
 wrought ,hag-ridden ,wretches1         
,were as fit as the ,devil1 to fright4  
,but whoever has been his ,adviser1     
,as his ,kingdom encreases in ,growth2  
,he now takes his ,measures much wiser1 
,and ,trafficks with ,beauty and ,youth4
    ,disguis'd in the ,wanton and       
,witty1     ,he haunts both the ,church 
and the ,court1   ,and sometimes he     
visits the ,city1     ,where all the    
best ,christians resort4    ,thus       
dress'd up in full ,masquerade1     ,he 
the bolder can range up and down1   ,for
 he better can drive on his ,trade1     
,in any one's ,name than his own4       
,,chap4 ,,ix4  ,of the ,tools the ,devil
 works with1 7viz47 ,witches1 ,wizards  
or      ,warlocks1 ,conjurers1          
,magicians1 ,divines1 ,astrologers1     
,interpreters      of ,dreams1 ,tellers 
of ,fortunes2 and above all the rest1   

his      particular modern              
,privy-,counsellors call'd ,wits and    
,fools4   ,tho'1 as ,i have advanc'd in 
the foregoing ,chapter1 the ,devil has  
very much chang'd ,hands in his modern  
,management of the ,world1 and that     
instead of the ,rabble and long ,train  
of ,implements reckoned up above1 he now
 walks about in ,beaus1 ,beauties1 ,wits
 and ,fools2 yet ,i must not omit to    
tell you that he has not dismiss'd his  
former ,regiments1 but like ,officers in
 ,time of ,peace1 he keeps them all in  
half ,pay1 or like ,extraordinary ,men  
at the ,custom-,house1 they are kept at 
a ,call1 to be ready to fill up         
,vacancies1 or to employ when he is more
 than ordinarily full of ,business2 and 
therefore it may not be amiss to give   
some brief ,account of them1 from       
,satan's own ,memoirs1 their            
,performance being no inconsiderable    
,part of his ,history4  ,nor will it be 
an unprofitable ,digression to go back a
 little to the primitive ,institution of

 all these ,orders1 for they are very   
antient1 and ,i assure you1 it requires 
great ,knowledge of ,antiquity1 to give 
a ,particular of their ,original2 ,i    
shall be very brief in it4  ,in order   
then to this ,enquiry1 you must know    
that it was not for want of ,servants1  
that ,satan took this ,sort of ,people  
into his ,pay2 he had1 as ,i have       
observ'd in its ,place1 ,millions of    
diligent ,devils at his ,call1 whatever 
,business1 and however difficult1 he had
 for them to do2 but as ,i have said    
above1 that our modern ,people are      
forwarder than even the ,devil himself  
can desire them to be2 and that they    
come before they are call'd1 run before 
they are sent1 and crowd themselves into
 his ,service2 so it seems it was in    
those early ,days1 when the ,world was  
one universal ,monarchy under his       
,dominion1 as ,i have at large describ'd
 in its ,place4  ,in those ,days the    
,wickedness of the ,world keeping a just
 ,pace with their ,ignorance1 this      

inferior ,sort of low priz'd            
,instruments did the ,devil's work      
mighty well2 they drudg'd on in his     
,black-,art so laboriously1 and with    
such good ,success1 that he found it was
 better to employ them as ,tools to     
delude and draw in ,mankind1 than to    
send his invisible ,implements about1   
and oblige them to take such ,shapes and
 ,dresses as were necessary upon every  
trifling ,occasion2 which1 perhaps1 was 
more ,cost than ,worship1 more ,pains   
than ,pay4  ,having then a ,set of these
 ,voluntiers in his ,service1 the true  
,devil had nothing to do but to keep an 
exact ,correspondence with them1 and    
communicate some needful ,powers to     
them1 to make them be and do something  
extraordinary1 and give them a          
,reputation in their ,business2 and     
these1 in a ,word1 did a great ,part of1
 nay almost all the ,devil's ,business  
in the ,world4  ,to this ,purpose gave  
he them ,power1 if we may believe old   
,glanville1 ,baxter1 ,hicks1 and other  

learn'd ,consultors of ,oracles1 to walk
 invisible1 to fly in the ,air1 ride    
upon ,broom-sticks1 and other ,wooden   
,gear1 to interpret ,dreams1 answer     
,questions1 betray ,secrets1 to talk    
7,gibberish7 the universal ,language1 to
 raise ,storms1 sell ,winds1 bring up   
,spirits1 disturb the ,dead1 and torment
 the ,living1 with a thousand other     
needful ,tricks to amuse the ,world1    
keep themselves in ,veneration1 and     
carry on the ,devil's ,empire in the    
,world4  ,the first ,nations among whom 
these infernal ,practices were found1   
were the ,chaldeans2 and that ,i may do 
,justice in earnest1 as well as in jest1
 it must be allow'd that the ,chaldeans1
 or those of them so call'd1 were not   
,conjurers or ,magicians1 only          
,philosophers and ,studiers of ,nature1 
wise1 sober and studious ,men at first1 
and we have an extraordinary ,account of
 them2 and if we may believe some of our
 best ,writers of ,fame1 ,abraham was   
himself famous among them for such      

,magick1 as ,sir ,walter ,raleigh       
expresses it1 ,qui ,contemplatione      
,creaturarum ,cognovit ,creatorem4  ,now
 granting this1 it is all to my         
,purpose1 namely1 that the ,devil drew  
these wise ,men in1 to search after more
 ,knowledge than ,nature could instruct 
them in2 and the ,knowledge of the true 
,god being at that ,time sunk very low1 
he debauch'd them all with ,dreams1     
,apparitions1 ,conjurers1 c4 till he    
ruin'd the just ,notions they had1 and  
made ,devils of them all1 like himself4 
,the learned ,senensis1 speaking of this
 ,chaldean ,kind of ,learning1 gives us 
an ,account of five ,sorts of them2 you 
will pardon me for being so grave as to 
go this ,length back4       #a4         
,chascedin or ,chaldeans1 properly so   
call'd1 being      ,astronomers4        
#b4 ,asaphim or ,magicians1 such was    
,zoroastres and ,balaam the      ,son of
 ,beor4       #c4 ,chatumim or          
,interpreters of ,dreams and hard       
,speeches1      ,inchanters1 c4         

#d4 ,mecasphim or ,witches1 call'd at   
first ,prophets1 afterwards             
,malefici or ,venefici1 ,poisoners4     
#e4 ,gazarim or ,auruspices1 and        
,diviners1 such as divin'd by the       
,entrails of ,beasts1 the ,liver in     
particular2 mention'd in ,ezek4      or 
as others1 call'd ,augurs4   ,now1 as to
 all these1 ,i suppose1 ,i may do them  
no wrong1 if ,i say1 however justifiable
 they were in the ,beginning1 the ,devil
 got them all into his ,service at last1
 and that brings me to my ,text again1  
from which the rest was a ,digression4  
#a4 ,the ,chascedin or ,chaldean        
,astronomers turned ,astrologers1       
,fortune-,tellers1 ,calculators of      
,nativities1 and vile ,deluders of      
the ,people1 as if the ,wisdom of the   
holy ,god was in them1 as               
,nebuchadnezzar said of ,daniel on that 
very ,account4       #b4 ,the ,asaphim  
or ,magi1 or ,magicians2 ,sixtus        
,senensis says1      they were such as  
wrought by ,covenants with ,devils1 but 

turn'd to      it from their ,wisdom1   
which was to study the practical ,part  
of      ,natural ,philosophy1 working   
admirable ,effects by the mutual        
,application of ,natural ,causes4       
#c4 ,the ,chartumim from being          
,reasoners or ,disputers upon difficult 
,points in ,philosophy1 became          
,enchanters and ,conjurers4 ,so1        
#d4 ,the ,mecasphim or ,prophets1 they  
turn'd to be ,sorcerers1      ,raisers  
of ,spirits1 such as wounded by an evil 
,eye1 and by bitter      ,curses1 and   
were afterwards fam'd for having        
familiar ,converse with      the ,devil1
 and were called ,witches4       #e4    
,the ,gazarim1 from the bare observing  
of the good and bad      ,omens1 by the 
,entrails of ,beasts1 flying of ,birds1 
c4 were      turn'd to ,sacrists or     
,priests of the ,heathen ,idols and     
,sacrificers4   ,thus1 ,i say1 first or 
last the ,devil engross'd all the       
,wise-,men of the ,east1 for so they are
 call'd2 made them all his own1 and by  

them he work'd ,wonders1 that is1 he    
fill'd the ,world with lying ,wonders1  
as if wrought by these ,men1 when indeed
 it was all his own1 from ,beginning to 
the ,end1 and set on ,foot meerly to    
propagate ,delusion1 impose upon blinded
 and ignorant ,men2 the ,god of this    
,world blinded their ,minds1 and they   
were led away by the ,subtilty of the   
,devil1 to say no worse of it1 till they
 became ,devils themselves1 as to       
,mankind2 for they carried on the       
,devil's ,work upon all ,occasions1 and 
the ,race of them still continue in     
other ,nations1 and some of them among  
our selves1 as we shall see presently4  
,the ,arabians follow'd the ,chaldeans  
in this ,study1 while it was kept within
 its due ,bounds1 and after them the    
,egyptians2 and among the ,latter we    
find that ,jannes and ,jambres were     
famous for their leading ,pharaoh by    
their pretended magic ,performances1 to 
reject the real ,miracles of ,moses2 and
 ,history tells us of strange ,pranks   

the ,wise-,men1 the ,magicians and the  
,southsayers plaid to delude the ,people
 in the most early ,ages of the ,world4 
,but1 as ,i say1 now1 the ,devil has    
improv'd himself1 so he did then2 for   
the ,grecian and ,roman ,heathen ,rites 
coming on1 they outdid all the          
,magicians and ,southsayers1 by         
establishing the ,devil's lying         
,oracles1 which1 as a ,master-,piece of 
,hell1 did the ,devil more ,honour1 and 
brought more ,homage to him1 than ever  
he had before1 or could arrive to since4
  ,again1 as by the setting up the      
,oracles1 all the ,magicians and        
,southsayers grew out of ,credit2 so at 
the ceasing of those ,oracles1 the      
,devil was fain to go back to the old   
,game again1 and take up with the       
,agency of ,witches1 ,divinations1      
,inchantments and ,conjurings1 as ,i    
hinted before1 answerable to the four   
,sorts mention'd in the ,story of       
,nebuchadnezzar1 7viz47 ,magicians1     
,astrologers1 the ,chaldeans and the    

,southsayers3 ,how these began to be out
 of ,request1 ,i have mention'd already2
 but as the ,devil has not quite given  
them over1 only laid them aside a little
 for the present1 we may venture to ask 
what they were1 and what ,use he made of
 them when he did employ them4  ,the    
,truth is1 ,i think1 as it was a very   
mean ,employment for any thing that     
wears a human ,countenance to take up1  
so ,i must acknowledge1 ,i think1 'twas 
a mean low priz'd ,business for ,satan  
to take up with2 below the very ,devil2 
below his ,dignity as an ,angelic1 tho' 
condemn'd ,creature2 below him even as a
 ,devil2 to go to talk to a parcel of   
ugly1 deform'd1 spiteful1 malicious old 
,women2 to give them ,power to do       
,mischief1 who never had a ,will1 after 
they enter'd into the ,state of old     
,woman-,hood1 to do any thing else3 ,why
 the ,devil always chose the ugliest old
 ,women he could find2 whether          
,wizardism made them ugly1 that were not
 so before1 and whether the ,ugliness1  

as it was a ,beauty in ,witchcraft1 did 
not encrease according to the           
meritorious ,performance in the         
,black-,trade8 ,these are all ,questions
 of ,moment to be decided1 7if human    
,learning can arrive to so much         
,perfection7 in ,ages to come4  ,some   
say the evil ,eye and the wicked ,look  
were ,parts of the ,enchantment1 and    
that the ,witches1 when they were in the
 height of their ,business1 had a       
powerful ,influence with both2 that by  
looking upon any ,person they could     
bewitch them1 and make the ,devil1 as   
the ,scots express it1 ride through them
 booted and spurr'd2 and that hence came
 that very significant ,saying1 to look 
like a ,witch4  ,the strange ,work which
 the ,devil has made in the ,world1 by  
this ,sort of his ,agents call'd        
,witches1 is such1 and so extravagantly 
wild1 that except our ,hope that most of
 those ,tales happen not to be true1 ,i 
know not how any one could be easy to   
live near a ,widow after she was five   

and fifty4  ,all the other ,sorts of    
,emissaries which ,satan employs1 come  
short of these ,ghosts2 and ,apparitions
 sometimes come and shew themselves1 on 
particular ,accounts1 and some of those 
,particulars respect doing ,justice1    
repairing ,wrongs1 preventing ,mischief2
 sometimes in ,matters very             
considerable1 and on ,things so         
necessary to publick ,benefit1 that we  
are tempted to believe they proceed from
 some vigilant ,spirit who wishes us    
well2 but on the other ,hand1 these     
,witches are never concern'd in any     
thing but ,mischief2 nay1 if what they  
do portends good to one1 it issues in   
hurt to many2 the whole ,tenour of their
 ,life1 their ,design in general1 is to 
do ,mischief1 and they are only employ'd
 in ,mischief1 and nothing else3 ,how   
far they are furnish'd with ,ability    
suitable to the horrid ,will they are   
vested with1 remains to be describ'd4   
,these ,witches1 'tis said1 are         
furnish'd with ,power suitable to the   

,occasion that is before them1 and      
particularly that which deserves to be  
consider'd1 as ,prediction1 and         
foretelling ,events1 which ,i insist the
 ,author of ,witchcraft is not          
accomplish'd with himself1 nor can he   
communicate it to any other3 ,how then  
,witches come to be able to foretel     
,things to come1 which1 'tis said1 the  
,devil himself cannot know1 and which1  
as ,i have shewn1 'tis evident he does  
not know himself1 is yet to be          
determin'd2 that ,witches do foretel1 is
 certain1 from the ,witch of ,endor1 who
 foretold ,things to ,saul1 which he    
knew not before1 namely1 that he should 
be slain in ,battle the next ,day1 which
 accordingly came to pass4  ,there are1 
however1 and notwithstanding this       
particular ,case1 many ,instances       
wherein the ,devil has not been able to 
foretel approaching ,events1 and that in
 ,things of the utmost ,consequence1 and
 he has given certain foolish or false  
,answers in such ,cases2 the ,,devil's  

,priests1 which were summon'd in by the 
,prophet ,elija1 to decide the ,dispute 
between ,god and ,baal1 had the ,devil  
been able to have inform'd them of it1  
would certainly have receiv'd ,notice   
from him1 of what was intended against  
them by ,elija2 that is to say1 that    
they would be all cut in pieces2 for    
,satan was not such a ,fool as not to   
know that ,baal was a ,non-,entity1 a   
,nothing1 at best a dead ,man1 perish'd 
and rotting in his ,grave2 for ,baal was
 ,bell or ,belus1 an ancient ,king of   
the ,assyrian ,monarchy1 and he could no
 more answer by ,fire to consume the    
,sacrifice1 than he could raise himself 
from the dead4  ,but the ,priests of    
,baal were left of their ,master to     
their just ,fate1 namely1 to be a       
,sacrifice to the ,fury of a deluded    
,people2 hence ,i infer his ,inability1 
for it would have been very unkind and  
ungrateful in him not to have answer'd  
them1 if he had been able4 ,there is    
another ,argument raised here most      

justly against the ,devil1 with         
,relation to his being under ,restraint1
 and that of greater ,eminence than we  
imagine1 and it is drawn from this very 
,passage1 thus2 'tis not to be doubted  
but that ,satan1 who has much of the    
,element put into his ,hands1 as ,prince
 of the ,air1 had a ,power1 or was able 
potentially speaking1 to have answer'd  
,baal's ,priests by ,fire2 ,fire being  
in ,vertue of his airy ,principality a  
,part of his ,dominion2 but he was      
certainly withheld by the ,superior     
,hand1 which gave him that ,dominion1 ,i
 mean withheld for the ,occasion only3  
,so in another ,case1 it was plain that 
,balaam1 who was one of those ,sorts of 
,chaldeans mention'd above1 who dealt in
 ,divinations and ,inchantments1 was    
withheld from cursing ,israel4  ,some   
are of ,opinion that ,balaam was not a  
,witch or a ,dealer with the ,devil     
because 'tis said of him1 or rather he  
says it of himself1 that he saw the     
,visions of ,god1 ,numb4 xxiv4 #af4 ,he 

hath said1 who heard the ,words of      
,,god1 and knew the ,knowledge of the   
most ,high1 which saw the ,visions of   
the ,almighty1 falling into a ,,trance1 
but having his ,eyes open3 ,hence they  
alledge he was one of those ,magi1 which
 ,st4 ,augustin speaks of1 de           
,divinatione1 who by the ,study of      
,nature1 and by the ,contemplation of   
created ,beings came to the ,knowledge  
of the ,creature2 and that ,balaam's    
,fault was1 that being tempted by the   
,rewards and ,honours that the ,king    
promised him1 he intended to have curs'd
 ,israel2 but when his ,eyes were       
open'd1 and that he saw they were ,god's
 own ,people1 he durst not do it2 they  
will have it therefore1 that except1 as 
above1 ,balaam was a good ,man1 or at   
least that he had the ,knowledge of the 
true ,god1 and the ,fear of that ,god   
upon him1 and that he honestly declares 
this1 ,numb4 xxii4 #ah4 ,if ,balak would
 give me his ,house full of ,silver and 
,gold1 ,i cannot go beyond the ,word of 

the ,lord ,,my ,,god3 ,where tho' he is 
call'd a false ,prophet by some1 he     
evidently owns ,god1 and assumes a      
,property in him1 as other ,prophets    
did2 ,,my ,,god1 and ,i cannot go beyond
 his ,orders2 but that which gives me a 
better ,opinion of ,balaam than all this
 is1 his plain ,prophesy of ,christ1    
,chap4 xxiv4 #ag4 where he calls him the
 ,star of ,jacob1 and declares1 ,i shall
 see him1 but not now1 ,i shall behold  
him1 but not nigh2 there shall come a   
,star out of ,jacob1 and a ,scepter     
shall rise out of ,israel1 and shall    
smite the ,corners of ,moab1 and destroy
 all the ,children of ,seth1 all which  
express not a ,knowledge only1 but a    
,faith in ,christ2 but ,i have done     
preaching1 this is all by the by1 ,i    
return to my ,business1 which is the    
,history4  ,there is another ,piece of  
dark ,practice here1 which lies between 
,satan and his particular ,agents1 and  
which they must give us an ,answer to1  
when they can1 which ,i think will not  

be in haste2 and that is about the      
obsequious ,devil submitting to be      
call'd up into ,visibility1 whenever an 
old ,woman has her ,hand cross'd with a 
white ,six-pence1 as they ,call it3 ,one
 would think that instead of these vile 
,things call'd ,witches1 being sold to  
the ,devil1 the ,devil was really sold  
for a ,slave to them2 for how far soever
 ,satan's ,residence is off of this     
,state of ,life1 they have ,power1 it   
seems1 to fetch him from home1 and      
oblige him to come at their ,call4  ,i  
can give little ,account of this1 only  
that indeed so it is2 nor is the ,thing 
so strange in its self1 as the ,methods 
to do it are mean1 foolish1 and         
ridiculous2 as making a ,circle and     
dancing in it1 pronouncing such and such
 ,words1 saying the ,lord's ,prayer     
backward1 and the like2 now is this     
agreeable to the ,dignity of the ,prince
 of the ,air or ,atmosphere1 that he    
should be commanded forth with no more  
,pomp or ,ceremony than that of         

muttering a few ,words1 such as the old 
,witches and he agree about8 or is there
 something else in it1 which none of us 
or themselves understand8  ,perhaps1    
indeed1 he is always with those ,people 
call'd ,witches and ,conjurers1 or at   
least some of his ,camp ,volant are     
always present1 and so upon the least   
call of the ,wizard1 it is but putting  
off the misty ,cloak and showing        
themselves4  ,then we have a ,piece of  
mock ,pageantry in bringing those       
,things call'd witches or ,conjurers to 
,justice1 that is1 first to know if a   
,woman be a ,witch1 throw her into a    
,pond1 and if she be a ,witch1 she will 
swim1 and it is not in her own ,power to
 prevent it2 if she does all she can to 
sink her self1 it will not do1 she will 
swim like a ,cork4 ,then that a ,rope   
will not hang a ,witch1 but you must get
 a ,with1 a green ,osyer2 that if you   
nail a ,horse-,shoe on the ,sill of the 
,door1 she cannot come into the ,house1 
or go out1 if she be in2 these and a    

thousand more1 too simple to be         
believ'd1 are yet so vouch'd1 so taken  
for granted1 and so universally receiv'd
 for ,truth1 that there is no resisting 
them without being thought atheistical4 
,what ,methods to take to know1 who are 
,witches1 ,i really know not2 but on the
 other ,side1 ,i think there are variety
 of ,methods to be used to know who are 
not2 ,w--- ,g---1 ,esq2 is a ,man of    
,fame1 his ,parts are great1 because his
 ,estate is so2 he has threescore and   
eight ,lines of ,virgil by rote1 and    
they take up many of the ,intervals of  
his merry ,discourses2 he has just as   
many witty ,stories to please ,society2 
when they are well told1 once over1 he  
begins again1 and so he lives in a round
 of ,wit and ,learning2 he is a ,man of 
great ,simplicity and ,sincerity2 you   
must be careful not to mistake my       
,meaning1 as to the ,word ,simplicity2  
some take it to mean ,honesty1 and so do
 ,i1 only that it has a ,negative       
attending it1 in his particular ,case2  

in a ,word1 ,w---- ,g---- is an honest  
,man1 and no ,conjurer2 a good          
,character1 ,i think1 and without       
,impeachment to his ,understanding1 he  
may be a ,man of ,worth for all that2   
take the other ,sex1 there is the ,lady 
,h---- is another ,discovery2 bless us6 
what ,charms in that ,face6 ,how bright 
those ,eyes6 ,how flowing white her     
,breasts6 ,how sweet her ,voice8 add to 
all1 how heavenly1 divinely good her    
,temper6 ,how inimitable her ,behaviour6
 ,how spotless her ,virtue6 ,how perfect
 her ,innocence6 and to sum up her      
,character1 we may add1 the ,lady ,h----
 is no ,witch2 sure none of our ,beau   
,critics will be so unkind now as to    
censure me in those honest              
,descriptions1 as if ,i meant that my   
good ,friend ,w---- ,g---- ,esq2 or my  
ador'd ,angel1 the bright1 the charming 
,lady ,h---- were ,fools2 but what will 
not those ,savages1 call'd ,critics1 do1
 whose barbarous ,nature enclines them  
to trample on the brightest ,characters1

 and to cavil on the clearest           
,expressions8  ,it might be expected of 
me1 however1 in justice to my ,friends1 
and to the bright ,characters of        
abundance of ,gentlemen of this ,age1   
who1 by the ,depth of their ,politics1  
and the ,height of their ,elevations    
might be suspected1 and might give us   
,room to charge them with ,subterranean 
,intelligence2 ,i say1 it might be      
expected that ,i should clear up their  
,fame1 and assure the ,world concerning 
them1 even by ,name1 that they are no   
,conjurers1 that they do not deal with  
the ,devil1 at least1 not by the ,way   
,witchcraft and ,divination1 such as    
,sir ,t---k1 ,e--- ,b---1 ,esq2 my ,lord
 ,homily1 ,coll4 ,swagger1 ,jeoffry     
,well with1 ,esq2 ,capt4 ,harry ,go     
,deeper1 ,mr4 ,wellcome ,woollen1       
,citizen and ,merchant ,taylor of       
,london1 ,henry ,cadaver1 ,esq2 the     
,d---- of ,caerfilly1 the ,marquess of  
,sillyhoo1 ,sir ,edward ,thro' and      
,thro' ,bart4 and a ,world of fine      

,gentlemen more1 whose great ,heads and 
,weighty ,understandings have given the 
,world such ,occasion to challenge them 
with being at least descended from the  
,magi1 and perhaps engaged with old     
,satan in his ,politics and             
,experiments2 but ,i1 that have such    
good ,intelligence among ,satan's       
,ministers of ,state1 as is necessary to
 the present ,undertaking1 am thereby   
well able to clear up their ,characters3
 and ,i doubt not1 but they will value  
themselves upon it1 and acknowledge     
their ,obligation to me1 for letting the
 ,world know the ,devil does not pretend
 to have had any ,business with them1 or
 to have enroll'd them in the ,list of  
his ,operators2 in a ,word1 that none of
 them are ,conjurers3 ,upon which       
,testimony of mine1 ,i expect they be no
 longer charg'd with1 or so much as     
suspected of having an unlawful         
,quantity of ,wit1 or having any ,sorts 
of it about them1 that are contraband or
 prohibited1 but that for the future    

they pass unmolested1 and be taken for  
nothing but what they are1 7viz47 very  
honest worthy ,gentlemen4     ,,chap4   
,x4  ,of the various ,methods the ,devil
 takes to converse with ,mankind4       
,having spoken something of ,persons1   
and particularly of such as the ,devil  
thinks fit to employ in his ,affairs in 
the ,world1 it comes next of course to  
say something of the ,manner how he     
communicates his ,mind to them1 and by  
them to the rest of his ,acquaintance in
 the ,world4  ,i take the ,devil to be  
under great ,difficulties in his        
,affairs on his ,part1 especially       
occasion'd by the ,bounds which are set 
him1 or which ,policys oblige him to set
 to himself1 in his ,access to the      
conversing with ,mankind2 'tis evident  
he is not permitted to fall upon them   
with ,force and ,arms1 that is to say1  
to muster up his infernal ,troops1 and  
attack them with ,fire and ,sword2 if he
 was not loose to act in this ,manner as
 he was able1 by his own seraphic ,power

 to have destroy'd the whole ,race1 and 
even the ,earth they dwelt upon1 so he  
would certainly1 and long ago have      
effectually done it2 his particular     
,interests and ,inclinations are well   
enough known4  ,but in the next ,place1 
as he is thus restrain'd from ,violence1
 so ,prudentials restrain him in all his
 other ,actings with ,mankind2 and being
 confin'd to ,stratagem1 and soft still 
,methods1 such as ,persuasion1          
,allurement1 feeding the ,appetite1     
prompting1 and then gratifying corrupt  
,desires1 and the like2 he finds it for 
his ,purpose not to appear in ,person1  
except very rarely1 and then in         
,disguise2 but to act all the rest in   
the ,dark1 under the ,vizor of ,art and 
,craft1 making ,use of ,persons and     
,methods conceal'd1 or at least not     
fully understood or discover'd4  ,as to 
the ,persons whom he employs1 ,i have   
taken some ,pains you see to discover   
some of them2 but the ,methods he uses  
with them1 either to inform and         

instruct1 and give ,orders to them1 or  
to converse with other ,people by them1 
these are very particular1 and deserve  
some ,place in our ,memoirs1            
particularly as they may serve to remove
 some of our ,mistakes1 and to take off 
some of the frightful ,ideas we are apt 
to entertain in ,prejudice of this great
 ,manager2 as if he was no more to be   
match'd in his ,politics1 than he would 
be to be match'd in his ,power1 if it   
was let loose2 which is so much a       
,mistake1 that on the contrary1 we read 
of several ,people that have abused and 
cheated the ,devil1 a ,thing1 which ,i  
cannot say1 is very honest nor just1    
notwithstanding the old ,latin ,proverb1
 ,fallere fallentem non est fraus1      
7which ,men construe1 or rather render1 
by way of ,banter ,upon ,satan7 'tis no 
,sin to cheat the ,devil1 which for all 
that1 upon the whole ,i deny1 and       
alledge1 that let the ,devil act how he 
will by us1 we ought to deal fairly by  
him4  ,but to come to the ,business1    

without ,circumlocutions2 ,i am to      
enquire how ,satan issues out his       
,orders1 gives his ,instructions and    
fully delivers his ,mind to his         
,emissaries1 of whom ,i have mention'd  
some in the ,title to ,chap4 ,,ix4 ,in  
order to this1 you must form an ,idea of
 the ,devil sitting in great ,state1 in 
open ,campaign1 with all his ,legions   
about him1 in the height of the         
,atmosphere2 or if you will1 at a       
certain ,distance from the ,atmosphere1 
and above it1 that the ,plan of his     
,encampment might not be hurried round  
its own ,axis1 with the ,earth's diurnal
 ,motion1 which might be some           
,disturbance to him4  ,by this fix'd    
,situation1 the ,earth performing its   
,rotation1 he has every ,part and       
,parcel of it brought to a direct       
,opposition to him1 and consequently to 
his ,view once in twenty four ,hours3   
,the last time ,i was there1 if ,i      
remember right1 he had this ,quarter of 
the ,world1 which we call ,christendom1 

just under his ,eye2 and as the ,motion 
is not so swift1 but that his piercing  
,opticks can take a strict ,view of it  
en passant2 for the ,circumference of it
 being but twenty one thousand ,miles1  
and its circular ,motion being full     
twenty four ,hours performing1 he has   
something more than an ,hour to view    
every thousand ,miles1 which1 to his    
supernatural ,penetration1 is not worth 
naming4  ,as he takes thus a daily ,view
 of all the ,circle1 and an hourly ,view
 of the ,parts1 he is fully ,master of  
all ,transactions1 at least such as are 
done above ,board by all ,mankind2 and  
then he dispatches his ,emissaries or   
,aid du ,camps to every ,part with his  
,orders and ,instructions3 ,now these   
,emissaries1 you are to understand1 are 
not the ,witches and ,diviners1 who ,i  
spoke of above1 for ,i call them also   
,emissaries2 but they are all ,devils or
 7as you know they are call'd7 ,devil's 
,angels2 and these may1 perhaps1 come   
and converse personally with the        

,sub-emissaries ,i mention'd1 to be     
ready for their ,support and ,assistance
 on all ,occasions of ,business3 ,these 
are those ,devils which the ,witches are
 said to raise2 for we can hardly       
suppose the ,master ,devil comes        
himself1 at the ,summons of every ugly  
old ,woman4  ,these run about into every
 ,nook and ,corner1 wherever ,satan's   
,business calls them1 and are never     
wanting to him2 but are the most        
diligent ,devils imaginable2 like the   
,turkish ,chaiux1 they no sooner receive
 their ,errand1 but they execute it with
 the utmost ,alacrity2 and as to their  
,speed1 it may be truly written as a    
,motto1 upon the ,head of every         
individual ,devil1    ,non indiget      
calcaribus4   ,these are those1 who they
 tell us our ,witches1 ,sorcerers1      
,wizards1 and such ,sorts of ,folks     
converse freely with1 and are therefore 
call'd their ,familiars2 and as they    
tell us1 come to them in human ,shapes1 
talk to them with articulate plain      

,voices1 as if ,men1 and that yet the   
said ,witches1 c4 know them to be       
,devils4  ,history has not yet          
enlighten'd us in this ,part of useful  
,knowledge1 or at least not sufficiently
 for a ,description of the ,persons or  
,habits of these ,sorts of ,appearances2
 as what ,shapes they take up1 what     
,language they speak1 and what          
particular ,works they perform1 so we   
must refer it to farther ,enquiry2 but  
if we may credit ,history1 we are told  
many famous ,stories of these           
,appearances2 for ,example1 the famous  
,mother ,lakland1 who was burnt for a   
,witch at ,ipswich1 ,anno #afdf1        
confessed at the ,time of her           
,execution1 or a little before it1 that 
she had frequent ,conversation with the 
,devil himself2 that she being very     
poor1 and withal of a devilish          
passionate1 cruel and revengeful        
,disposition before1 used to wish she   
had it in her ,power to do such and such
 mischievous ,things to some that she   

hated2 and that the ,devil himself1 who1
 it seems1 knew her ,temper1 came to her
 one ,night as she lay in her ,bed1 and 
was between sleeping and waking1 and    
speaking in a deep hollow ,voice1 told  
her2 if she would serve him in some     
,things he would employ her to do1 she  
should have her ,will of all her        
,enemies1 and should want for nothing3  
,that she was much afraid at first1 but 
that he solliciting her very often1 bad 
her not be afraid of him1 and still     
urg'd her to yield1 and as she says1    
struck his ,claw into her ,hand1 and    
tho' it did not hurt her1 made it bleed1
 and with the ,blood wrote the          
,covenants1 that is to say1 the ,bargain
 between them3 being ask'd what was in  
them1 and whether he requir'd her to    
curse or deny ,god or ,christ8 ,she said
 no4       ,n4 ,b4 ,i do not find she   
told them whether the ,devil wrote it   
with         a ,pen1 or whether on      
,paper or ,parchment1 nor whether she   
sign'd it         or no1 but it seems he

 carry'd it away with him4 ,i suppose1  
if         ,satan's ,register were      
examin'd1 it might be found among the   
,archives of ,hell1 the ,rolls of his   
acta ,publica2 and when his             
,historiographer ,royal publishes them1 
we may look for it among         them4  
,then he furnish'd her with three       
,devils1 to wait upon her 7,i suppose7  
for she confess'd they were to be       
employ'd in her ,service2 they attended 
in the ,shapes of two little ,dogs and a
 ,mole3 ,the first she bewitch'd was her
 own ,husband1 by which he lay a while  
in great ,misery and died2 then she sent
 to one ,captain ,beal and burnt a new  
,ship of his just built1 which had never
 been at ,sea2 these and many other     
horrid ,things she did and confess'd1   
and having been twenty ,years a ,witch1 
at last the ,devil left her1 and she was
 burnt as she deserv'd4  ,that some     
extraordinary ,occasions may bring these
 ,agents of the ,devil1 nay1 sometimes  
the ,devil himself1 to assume human     

,shapes1 and appear to other ,people we 
cannot doubt2 he did thus in the ,case  
of our ,saviour as a ,tempter1 and some 
think he did so to ,manasses as a       
,familiar1 who the ,scripture charges   
with ,sorcery1 and having a ,familiar or
 ,devil2 ,fame tells us that ,st4       
,dunstan frequently converst with him1  
and finally1 took him by the ,nose2 and 
so of others4  ,but in these modern     
,ages of the ,world1 he finds it much   
more to his ,purpose to work under      
,ground as ,i have observ'd1 and to keep
 upon the ,reserve2 so that we have no  
authentick ,accounts of his personal    
,appearance1 but what are very antient  
or very remote from our ,faith1 as well 
as our ,enquiry4  ,it seems to be a     
,question that would bear some debating1
 whether all ,apparitions are not       
,devils or from the ,devil2 but there   
being so many of those ,apparitions     
which we call ,spirits1 which really    
assume ,shapes and make ,appearances in 
the ,world1 upon such ,accounts as we   

know ,satan himself scorns to be        
employ'd in1 that ,i must dismiss the   
,question in favour of the ,devil2      
assuring them1 that as he never         
willingly did any good in his ,life1 so 
he would be far from giving himself the 
,trouble of setting one ,foot into the  
,world1 on such an ,errand2 and for that
 ,reason we maybe assur'd those certain 
,apparitions1 which we are told came to 
detect a ,murther in ,gloucestershire1  
and others who appear'd to prevent the  
ruining an ,orphan for want of finding a
 ,deed1 that was not lost1 was certainly
 some other ,power equally concern'd1   
and not the ,devil4  ,on the other      
,hand1 neither will it follow that      
,satan never appears in human ,shape2   
for tho' every ,apparition may not be   
the ,devil1 yet it does not follow that 
the ,devil never makes an ,apparition3  
,all ,i shall say to it is1 as ,i have  
mention'd before1 that generally        
speaking1 the ,devil finds it more for  
his ,purpose1 to have his ,interest in  

the ,world propagated another ,way2     
namely1 in private1 and his personal    
,appearances are reserv'd for ,things   
only of extraordinary ,consequence1 and1
 as ,i may say1 of evident ,necessity1  
where his ,honour is concern'd1 and     
where his ,interest could be carried on 
no other ,way2 not forgetting to take   
,notice that this is very seldom4  ,it  
remains to enquire1 what then those     
,things are which we make so much stir  
about1 and which are call'd             
,apparitions1 or ,spirits assuming human
 ,shapes1 and shewing themselves to     
,people on particular ,occasions8       
whether they are evil ,spirits or good8 
and tho'1 indeed1 this is out of my ,way
 at this ,time1 and does not relate at  
all to the ,devil's ,history1 yet ,i    
thought it not amiss to mention it2     
7#a47 ,because1 as ,i have said1 ,i do  
not wholly exclude ,satan from all      
,concern in such ,things2 and 7#b47     
,because ,i shall dismiss the ,question 
with so very short an ,answer1 namely1  

that we may determine which are and     
which are not the ,devil's1 by the      
,errand they come upon2 every one to his
 own ,business2 if it comes of a good   
,errand1 you may certainly acquit the   
,devil of it1 conclude him innocent1 and
 that he has no hand in it2 if it comes 
of a wicked and devilish ,errand1 you   
may e'en take him up upon ,suspicion1   
'tis ten to one but you find him at the 
,bottom of it4  ,next to ,apparitions1  
we find ,mankind disturb'd by abundance 
of little odd reserv'd ,ways which the  
,devil is shrewdly suspected of having a
 ,hand in1 such as ,dreams1 ,noises1    
,voices1 c4 smells of ,brimstone1       
,candles burning blue1 and the like4    
,as to ,dreams1 ,i have nothing to say  
in ,satan's ,prejudice at all there2 ,i 
make no ,question but he deals very much
 in that ,kind of ,intelligence1 and why
 should he not8 we know ,heaven it self 
formerly converst very often with the   
greatest of ,men1 by the same ,method1  
and the ,devil is known to mimick the   

,methods1 as well as the ,actions of his
 ,maker2 whether ,heaven has not quite  
left off that ,way of working1 we are   
not certain2 but we pretty well know the
 ,devil has not left it1 and ,i believe 
some ,instances may be given where his  
,worship has been really seen and talk'd
 to in sleep1 as much as if the ,person 
had been awake with his ,eyes open4     
,these are to be distinguish'd too1     
pretty much by the ,goodness or ,badness
 of the ,subject2 how often have ,men   
committed ,murther1 ,robbery and        
,adultery in a ,dream1 and at the same  
time except an extraordinary ,agitation 
of the ,soul1 and express'd by          
extraordinary ,noises in the ,sleep1 by 
violent ,sweating and other such ,ways1 
the ,head has never been remov'd from   
the ,pillow1 or the ,body so much as    
turn'd in the ,bed8  ,whether in such   
,cases1 the ,soul with all the ,passions
 and ,affections being agitated1 and    
giving their full assent to the ,facts1 
of whatever ,kind soever1 the ,man is   

not as guilty as if the ,sins so dream'd
 of his committing1 had been actually   
committed8 tho' it be no ,doubt to me1  
but that it is so1 yet as it is foreign 
to the present ,affair1 and not at all  
relating to the ,devil's ,history1 ,i   
leave it to the ,reverend ,doctors of   
the ,church1 as properly belonging to   
them to decide4  ,i knew a ,person who  
the ,devil so haunted with naked ,women1
 fine beautiful ,ladies in ,bed with    
him1 and ,ladies of his ,acquaintance   
too1 offering their ,favours to him1 and
 all in his ,sleep2 so that he seldom   
slept without some such ,entertainment2 
the ,particulars are too gross for my   
,story1 but he gave me several long     
,accounts of his ,night's ,amours1 and  
being a ,man of a virtuous ,life and    
good ,morals1 it was the greatest       
,surprize to him imaginable2 for you    
cannot doubt but that the cunning ,devil
 made every thing be acted to the ,life 
with him1 and in a manner the most      
wicked2 he own'd with ,grief to me1 that

 the very first ,attack the ,devil made 
upon him1 was with a very beautiful     
,lady of his ,acquaintance1 who he had  
been really something freer than        
ordinary with in their common           
,conversation2 ,this ,lady he brought to
 him in a ,posture for ,wickedness1 and 
wrought up his ,inclination so high in  
his ,sleep1 that he1 as he thought1     
actually went about to debauch her1 she 
not at all resisting2 but that he wak'd 
in the very ,moment1 to his particular  
,satisfaction4  ,he was greatly         
concern'd at this ,part1 namely1 that he
 really gave the ,consent of his ,will  
to the ,fact1 and wanted to know if he  
was not as guilty of ,adultery1 as if he
 had lain with her2 indeed he decided   
the ,question against himself1 so       
forcibly1 that ,i1 who was of the same  
,opinion before1 had nothing to say     
against it2 however1 ,i confirm'd him in
 it1 by asking him these ,questions4    
#a4 ,whether he did not think the ,devil
 had the chief ,hand in such      a     

,dream8 he answer'd1 it could certainly 
be no body else1 it must      be the    
,devil4       #b4 ,i then ask'd him what
 ,reason the ,devil could have for it1  
if      his ,consent to the ,fact in    
,sleep had not been criminal8 ,that's   
true indeed1 says he1 ,i am answer'd3   
,but then he ask'd another              
,question1 which1 ,i confess1 is not so 
easy to answer1 namely1 ,how      he    
should prevent being serv'd so again4   
,nor could all my ,divinity or his own  
keep the ,devil from attacking him      
again2 on the other ,hand1 as ,i have   
said1 he worried him to that ,degree1   
that he injur'd his ,health1 bringing   
naked ,women to him1 sometimes one1     
sometimes another1 sometimes in one     
,posture of ,lewdness1 sometimes in     
another1 sometimes into his very ,arms1 
sometimes with such ,additions as ,i am 
not merry enough1 and sometimes such as 
,i am not wicked enough to put into your
 ,heads2 the ,man1 indeed1 could not    
help it1 and so the ,devil was more     

,faulty than he2 but as ,i hinted to    
him1 he might bring his ,mind to such a 
stated ,habit of ,virtue1 as to prevent 
its assenting to any wicked ,motion1    
even in ,sleep1 and that would be the   
,way to put an ,end to the ,attempt2 and
 this ,advice he relish'd very well1 and
 practised1 ,i believe1 with ,success4  
,by this same ,method1 the same ,devil  
injects powerful ,incentives to other   
,crimes1 provokes ,avarice1 by laying a 
great ,quantity of ,gold in your ,view1 
and no body present1 giving you an      
,opportunity to steal it1 or some of it1
 at the same time1 perhaps1 knowing your
 ,circumstances to be such as that you  
are at that ,time in a great want of the
 ,money4  ,i knew another1 who being a  
,tradesman1 and in great ,distress for  
,money in his ,business1 dream'd that he
 was walking all alone in a great ,wood1
 and that he met a little ,child with a 
,bag of ,gold in its ,hand1 and a fine  
,necklace of ,diamonds on its ,neck1    
upon the ,sight1 his ,wants presently   

dictated to him to rob the ,child2 the  
little innocent ,creature1 7just so he  
dream'd7 not being able to resist2 or to
 tell who it was1 accordingly he        
consented to take the ,money from the   
,child1 and then to take the ,diamond   
,necklace from it too1 and did so4  ,but
 the ,devil1 7a full ,testimony1 as ,i  
told him1 that it was the ,devil1 not   
contented with that1 hinted to him1 that
 perhaps the ,child might some time or  
other know him1 and single him out1 by  
crying or pointing1 or some such ,thing1
 especially if he was suspected and     
shew'd to it1 and therefore it would be 
better for him to kill the ,child1      
prompting him to kill it for his own    
,safety1 and that he need do no more but
 twist the ,neck of it a little1 or     
crush it with his ,knee2 ,he told me he 
stood debating with himself1 whether he 
should do so or not2 but that in that   
,instant his ,heart struck him with the 
,word ,murther1 and he entertain'd a    
,horror of it1 refus'd to do it1 and    

immediately waked4  ,he told me1 that   
when he wak'd1 he found himself in so   
violent a ,sweat as he never had known  
the like2 that his ,pulse beat with that
 ,heat and ,rage1 that it was like a    
,palpitation of the ,heart to him1 and  
that the ,agitation of his ,spirits was 
such1 that he was not fully composed in 
some ,hours2 tho' the ,satisfaction and 
,joy that attended him1 when he found it
 was but a ,dream1 assisted much to     
return his ,spirits to their due        
,temperament4  ,it is neither my        
,business or ,inclination to turn       
,divine here1 nor is the ,age ,i write  
to sufficiently ,grave to relish a      
,sermon1 if ,i was disposed to preach1  
though they must allow the ,subject     
would very well bear it2 but ,i shall   
only ask them1 if they think this is not
 the ,devil1 what they think it is8 ,if 
they believe it is the ,devil1 they will
 act accordingly ,i hope1 or let it     
alone1 as ,satan and they can agree     
about it4  ,i should not oblige the     

,devil over much1 whatever ,i might do  
to those that read it2 if ,i should     
enter here upon a ,debate of ,interests1
 7viz47 to enquire whether the ,devil   
has not a vast ,advantage upon ,mankind 
this ,way1 and whether it is not much   
his ,interest to preserve it2 and if ,i 
prove the ,affirmative1 ,i leave it to  
you to enquire whose ,interest it is to 
disappoint and supplant him4  ,in short1
 ,i take ,dreams to be the second ,best 
of the ,advantages the ,devil has over  
,mankind2 the first1 ,i suppose1 you all
 know 7viz47 the ,treachery of the      
,garrison within2 by ,dreams he may be  
said to get into the ,inside of us      
without ,opposition2 here he opens and  
locks without a ,key1 and like an ,enemy
 laying siege to a fortified ,city1     
,reason and ,nature1 the ,governor of   
the ,city1 keep him out by ,day1 and    
keep the ,garrison true to their ,duty2 
but in the ,dark he gets in and parlees 
with the ,garrison 7the ,affections and 
,passions7 ,debauches their ,loyalty1   

stirring up them to ,disloyalty and     
,rebellion1 so they betray their ,trust1
 ,revolt1 ,mutiny1 and go over to the   
,besieger4  ,thus he manages his        
,interest1 ,i say1 and insinuates       
himself into the ,inside of us1 without 
our ,consent1 nay1 without our          
,knowledge2 for whatever ,speculation   
may do1 'tis evident ,demonstration does
 not assist us to discover which ,way he
 gets ,access to the ,soul1 while the   
,organ tied up1 and dozed with ,sleep   
has lock'd it up from ,action2 that it  
is so is clear1 but how he does it is a 
,secret which ,i do not find the        
,antients or ,moderns have yet made a   
,discovery of4  ,that ,devil of a       
,creature1 ,mother ,lakland1 whose      
,story ,i mention'd above1 acknowledg'd 
that the first ,time the ,devil         
attempted to draw her in to be a ,witch 
was in a ,dream1 and even when she      
consented1 she said1 she was between    
sleeping and waking2 that is1 she did   
not know whether she was awake or       

asleep1 and the cunning ,devil it seems 
was satisfied with her ,assent given so1
 when she was asleep1 or neither asleep 
or awake1 so taking the ,advantage of   
her ,incapacity to act rationally4  ,the
 ,stories of her bewitching several     
,people1 and the manner in which they   
died1 are so formidable and extravagant1
 that ,i care not to put any one's      
,faith to the stretch about them1 tho'  
publish'd by ,authority1 and testified  
by ,abundance of ,witnesses2 but this is
 recorded in particular1 and to my      
,purpose1 whether from her own ,mouth or
 not1 ,i do not say1 namely1 the        
,description of a ,witch1 and the       
,difference between ,witches1 and those 
other of ,satan's ,acquaintance who act 
in his ,name4       #a4 ,they have      
consulted and covenanted with a ,spirit 
or ,devil4       #b4 ,they have a       
,deputy ,devil1 sometimes several to    
serve and      assist them4       #c4   
,these they employ as they please1 call 
them by ,name1 and command      their   

,appearance in whatever ,shape they     
think fit4       #d4 ,they send them    
abroad to or into the ,persons who they 
design to      bewitch1 who they always 
torment1 and often murther them1 as     
,mother      ,lakland did several4   ,as
 to the ,difference between the several 
,devils that appear1 it relates to the  
,office of the ,persons who employ them2
 as ,conjurers1 who seem to command the 
particular ,devil that waits upon them  
with more ,authority1 and raise them and
 lay them at ,pleasure1 drawing         
,circles1 casting ,figures1 and the     
like2 but the ,witch1 in a more familiar
 manner1 whispers with the ,devil1 keeps
 the ,devil in a ,bag or a ,sack1       
sometimes in her ,pocket1 and the like1 
and like ,mr4 ,faux shews ,tricks with  
him4  ,but all these ,kinds deal much in
 ,dreams1 talk with the ,devil in their 
,sleep1 and make other ,people talk with
 him in their ,sleep too2 and 'tis on   
this ,occasion ,i mention it here2 in   
short1 the ,devil may well take this    

,opportunity with ,mankind1 for not half
 the ,world that came into his ,measures
 would comply1 if they were awake2 but  
of that hereafter4  ,and yet his thus   
insinuating himself by ,dream1 does not 
seem sufficient1 in my ,opinion1 to     
answer the ,devil's ,end1 and to carry  
on his ,business2 and therefore we must 
be forc'd to allow him a ,kind of actual
 ,possession1 in particular ,cases1 and 
that in the ,souls of some ,people1 by  
different ,methods from others2 ,luther 
is of the ,opinion that the ,devil gets 
a ,familiarity with some ,souls just at1
 or rather before their being embodied2 
as to the ,manner and ,method how he    
gets in1 that is another ,question1 and 
may be spoken of by it self2 besides1   
why may not he1 that at ,satan's        
,request to enter into the ,herd of     
,swine1 said go1 give the same          
,commission to possess a sort of        
,creatures so many ,degrees below the   
,dignity of the ,gaderenian ,swine1 and 
open the ,door too8 but as for that1    

when our ,lord said go1 the ,devil never
 enquir'd which ,way he should get in4  
,when then ,i see ,nations1 or indeed   
,herds of ,nations set on ,fire of      
,hell1 and as ,i may say1 enflam'd by   
the ,devil2 when ,i see ,towns1         
,parties1 ,factions and ,rabbles of     
,people visibly possess'd2 'tis enough  
to me that the great ,master of the     
,devils has said to him1 ,,go2 there's  
no need to enquire which ,way he finds  
open1 or at what postern ,gate he gets  
in2 as to his appearing1 'tis plain he  
often gets in without appearing1 and    
therefore the ,question about his       
appearing still remains a ,doubt1 and is
 not very easy to be resolv'd4  ,in the 
,scripture we have some ,light into it1 
and that is all the ,help ,i find from  
,antiquity1 and it goes a great ,way to 
solve the ,phnomena of ,satan's         
appearing2 what ,i mean by the          
,scripture giving some ,light to it1 is 
this2 'tis said in several ,places1 and 
of several ,persons1 ,god came to them  

in a ,dream1 ,gen4 xx4 #c4 ,god came to 
,abimelech in a ,dream by ,night1 ,gen4 
xxxi4 #bd4 ,and ,god came to ,laban the 
,syrian in a ,dream1 ,matt4 ii4 #ac4    
,the ,angel of the ,lord appear'd to    
,joseph in a ,dream2 short ,comments are
 sufficient to plain ,texts1 applying   
this to my ,friend when he wanted to be 
satisfied about the ,how1 relating to   
his ,dream 7viz47 how he should come to 
,dream such wicked ,things8 ,i told him1
 in short1 the ,case was plain1 the     
,devil came to him in a ,dream by       
,night3 ,how and in what manner he      
form'd the wicked ,representations1 and 
spread debauch'd ,appearances before his
 ,fancy1 by real ,whispers and ,voice1  
according to ,milton1 or by what other  
,methods1 the ,learned are not arriv'd  
to any ,certainty about it4  ,this leads
 me necessarily to enquire whether the  
,devil or some of his ,agents are not   
always in our ,company1 whether they    
make any visible ,appearances or no8    
,for my ,part ,i make no ,question of   

it1 how else could he come at the       
,knowledge of what we do2 for as ,i can 
allow him no ,prescience at all1 as for 
many ,reasons ,i have observ'd already1 
he must be able to see and know us1 and 
what we are about when we know nothing  
of him1 or else he could know nothing of
 us and our ,affairs1 which yet we find 
otherwise2 and this gives him infinite  
,advantage to ,influence our ,actions1  
to judge of our ,inclinations1 and to   
bring our ,passions to clash with our   
,reason1 as they often do1 and get the  
better of it too4  ,all this he obtains 
by his being able to walk about         
invisible1 and see when he is not seen1 
of which ,i have spoken already2 hence  
that most wise and solid ,suggestion1   
that when the ,candles burn blue the    
,devil is in the ,room1 which great     
,secret in ,nature1 that you may more   
fully be convinc'd of its imaginary     
,reality1 ,i must tell you the following
 ,story which ,i saw in a ,letter       
directed to a particular ,friend1 take  

it ,word for ,word as in the ,letter2   
because ,i do not make my self          
accountable for the ,facts1 but take    
them ad referendum4   ,,sir1  ,we had   
one ,day1 very early in the ,morning1   
and for the most ,part of the ,day a    
great deal of ,rain with a high ,wind1  
and the ,clouds very thick and dark all 
,day4  ,in the ,evening the cloudy thick
 ,weather continued1 tho' not the ,rain1
 when being at a ,friend's ,house in    
---- ,lane ,london1 and several ,ladies 
and some ,gentlemen in the ,room1       
besides two or three ,servants 7for we  
had been eating7 the following          
,interlude happen'd for our             
,entertainment3 ,when the ,cloth was    
taken away1 two large ,candles were     
brought upon the ,table and plac'd there
 with some ,bottles and ,glasses for the
 ,gentlemen1 who1 it seems1 were        
intending to drink and be very merry2   
two large ,wax-,candles were also set on
 another ,table1 the ,ladies being going
 to ,cards1 also there were two large   

,candles in ,sconces over or near the   
,chimney1 and one more in a             
,looking-,glass ,sconce1 on a ,peer by  
the ,window4  ,with all this ,apparatus1
 the ,company separating sat down1 the  
,gentlemen at their ,table1 and the     
,ladies at theirs1 to play as above2    
when after some time the ,gentleman of  
the ,house said hastily to a ,servant1  
what a ,p---- ails the ,candles8 and    
turning to the ,servant raps out an     
,oath or two1 and bids him snuff the    
,candles1 for they burnt as if the      
,devil was in the ,room4  ,the ,fellow  
going to snuff one of the ,candles1     
snuffs it out1 at which his ,master     
being in a ,passion the ,fellow lights  
it again immediately at the other       
,candle1 and then being in a little     
hurry1 going to snuff the other ,candle 
snuffed that out too4  ,the first       
,candle that was relighted 7as is usual 
in such ,cases7 burn'd dim and dull for 
a good while1 and the other being out1  
the ,room was much darker than before1  

and a ,wench that stood by the ,ladies  
,table1 bawls out to her ,mistress1 ,law
 ,madam6 the ,candles burn blue2 an old 
,lady that sat by says1 ay ,betty6 so   
they do2 upon this one of the ,ladies   
starts up1 ,mercy upon us1 says she1    
what is the ,matter6 ,in this unlucky   
,moment another ,servant1 without       
,orders1 went to the great ,peer        
,sconce1 and because1 as he thought1 he 
would be sure to snuff the ,candle well1
 he offers to take it down1 but very    
unhappily1 ,i say1 the ,hook came out   
and down falls the ,sconce ,candle and  
all1 and the ,looking-,glass broke all  
to pieces1 with a horrible ,noise2      
however1 the ,candle falling out of the 
,sconce did not go out1 but lay on the  
,floor burning dully1 and as it is usual
 on such ,cases1 all on one ,side1      
,betty cries out again1 ,law ,madam1    
that ,candle burns blue too2 the very   
,moment she said this1 the ,footman that
 had thrown down the ,sconce1 says to   
his fellow ,servant1 that came to his   

,assistance1 ,i think the ,devil is in  
the ,candles to ,night1 and away he run 
out of the ,room1 for fear of his       
,master4  ,the old ,lady1 who1 upon the 
,maid ,betty's ,notion of the ,candles  
burning blue1 had her ,head just full of
 that old ,chimney-,corner ,story1 the  
,candles burn blue when the ,spirits are
 in the ,room1 heard the ,footman ,say  
the ,word ,devil1 but heard nothing else
 of what he said2 upon this she rises up
 in a terrible ,fright1 and cries out   
that the ,footman said the ,devil was in
 the ,room2 as she was1 indeed1 frighted
 out of her ,wits1 she frighted the     
,ladies most terribly1 and they all     
starting up together1 down goes the     
,card ,table1 and put the ,wax-,candles 
out4  ,mrs4 ,betty1 that had frighted   
them all1 runs to the ,sconce next the  
,chimney1 but that having a long ,snuff1
 she cried out it burnt blue too1 and   
she durst not touch it2 in short1 tho'  
there were three ,candles left still    
burning in the ,room1 yet the ,ladies   

we're all so frighted1 that they and the
 ,maids too run out of the ,parlour     
screaming like mad ,folks4 ,the ,master 
in a ,rage kick'd his first ,man out of 
the ,room1 and the second ,man was run  
out to avoid1 as ,i said before1 the    
like1 so that no ,servant was to be had1
 but all was in ,confusion4  ,the two   
other ,gentlemen1 who were sitting at   
the first ,table1 kept their ,seats     
composed and easy enough1 only concern'd
 to see all the ,house in such a fright2
 it was true1 they said1 the ,candles   
burnt dim and very oddly1 but they could
 not perceive they burnt blue1 except   
one of those over the ,chimney1 and that
 on the ,table1 which was relighted     
after the ,fellow had snufft it out4    
,however1 the ,maid1 the old ,lady and  
the ,footman that pull'd down the       
,sconce1 all insist that the ,candles   
burnt blue1 and all pretend that the    
,devil was certainly in the ,room1 and  
was the ,occasion of it2 and they now   
came to me with the ,story1 to desire my

 ,opinion of it4  ,this put me upon     
,enquiry into the ,notion of ,candles   
burning blue when ,spirits are in a     
,room1 which upon all the ,search into  
,things1 that ,i am able to make1       
amounts to no more than this2 that upon 
any extraordinary ,emission of          
sulphureous or of nitrous ,particles1   
either in a close ,room1 or in any not  
very open ,place1 if the ,quantity be   
great1 a ,candle or ,lamp1 or any such  
little ,blaze of ,fire will seem to be1 
or to burn blue2 and if then they can   
prove that any such ,effluvia attends or
 is emitted from a ,spirit1 then when   
,,satan is at ,hand it may be so4  ,but 
then 'tis begging the ,question grossly1
 because no ,man can assure us that the 
,devil has any sulphureous ,particles   
about him4  ,it is true1 the ,candles   
burn thus in ,mines and ,vaults1 and    
damp ,places2 and 'tis as true that they
 will do so upon ,occasion of very damp1
 stormy and moist ,air1 when an         
extraordinary ,quantity of ,vapours are 

supposed to be dispers'd abroad1 as was 
the ,case when this happen'd2 and if    
there was any ,thing of that in it on   
that ,monday ,night1 the ,candles might1
 perhaps1 burn blue upon that ,occasion2
 but that the ,devil was abroad upon any
 extraordinary ,business that ,night1   
that ,i cannot grant1 unless ,i have    
some better ,testimony than the old     
,lady that heard the ,footman's out-cry 
but by halves1 or than ,mrs4 ,betty1 who
 first fancied the ,candles burnt blue2 
so ,i must suspend my ,judgment till ,i 
hear farther4  ,this ,story however may 
solve a great many of those ,things     
which pass for ,apparitions in the      
,world1 and which are laid to the       
,devil's ,charge1 tho' he really may    
know nothing of the ,matter2 and this   
would bring me to defend ,satan in many 
,things1 wherein he may truly be said to
 suffer wrongfully2 and if ,i thought it
 would oblige him1 ,i might say         
something to his ,advantage this ,way2  
however1 ,i'll venture a ,word or two   

for an injur'd ,devil1 take it as you   
will4  ,first1 it is certain1 that as   
this ,invisibility of the ,devil is very
 much to our ,prejudice1 so the         
,doctrine of his ,visibility is a great 
,prejudice to him1 as we make ,use of   
it4  ,by his ,invisibility he is        
certainly vested with infinite          
,advantages against us2 while he can be 
present with us1 and we know nothing of 
the ,matter1 he informs himself of all  
our ,measures1 and arms himself in the  
best and most suitable manner to injure 
and assault us1 as he can counteract all
 our secret concerted ,designs1         
disappoint all our ,schemes1 and except 
when ,heaven apparently concerns it self
 to over-rule him1 can defeat all our   
,enterprizes1 break all our ,measures1  
and do us ,mischief in almost every     
,part of our ,life1 and all this1       
because we are not privy to all his     
,motions1 as he is to ours4  ,but now   
for his ,visibility and his real        
,appearance in the ,world1 and          

particularly among his ,disciples and   
,emissaries1 such as ,witches and       
,wizards1 ,demonaists1 and the like3    
,here1 ,i think ,satan has a great deal 
of ,loss1 suffers manifest ,injury1 and 
has great ,injustice done him2 and1 that
 therefore ,i ought to clear this       
,matter up a little1 if it be possible1 
to do ,justice to ,satan1 and set       
,matters right in the ,world about him1 
according to that useful old ,maxim of  
setting the ,saddle upon the right      
,horse1 or giving the ,devil his due4   
,first1 as ,i have said1 we are not to  
believe every idle ,head1 who pretends  
even to converse ,face to ,face with the
 ,devil1 and who tells us1 they have    
thus seen him1 and been acquainted with 
him every ,day3 ,many of these          
,pretenders are manifest ,cheats2 and1  
however1 they would have the ,honour of 
a private ,interest in him1 and boast   
how they have him at their ,beck1 can   
call him this ,way1 and send him that1  
as they please1 raise him and lay him   

when and how1 and as often as they find 
for their ,purpose2 ,i say1 whatever    
,boasts they make of this ,kind1 they   
really have nothing of ,truth in them4  
,now the ,injuries and ,injustice done  
to the ,devil1 in these ,cases1 are     
manifest2 namely1 that they entitle the 
,devil to all the ,mischief they are    
pleased to do in the ,world2 and if they
 commit a ,murther or a ,robbery1 fire a
 ,house1 or do any ,act of ,violence in 
the ,world1 they presently are said to  
do it by the ,agency of the ,devil1 and 
the ,devil helps them2 so ,satan bears  
the ,reproach1 and they have all the    
,guilt2 this is1 7#a47 a grand ,cheat   
upon the ,world1 and 7#b47 a notorious  
,slander upon the ,devil2 and it would  
be a public ,benefit to ,mankind1 to    
have such would-be-,devils as these     
turn'd inside out1 that we might know   
when the ,devil was really at work among
 us1 and when not2 what ,mischiefs were 
of his doing1 and which were not2 and   
that these ,fellows might not slip their

 ,necks out of the ,halter1 by          
continually laying the ,blame of their  
,wickedness upon the ,devil4  ,not that 
the ,devil is not very willing to have  
his ,hand in any ,mischief1 or in all   
the ,mischief that is done in the       
,world2 but there are some low priz'd   
,rogueries that are too little for him1 
beneath the ,dignity of his ,operation1 
and which 'tis really a ,scandal to the 
,devil to charge upon him4 ,i remember  
the ,devil had such a ,cheat put upon   
him in ,east-,smithfield once1 where a  
,person pretended to converse with the  
,devil ,face to ,face1 and that in open 
,day too1 and to cause him to tell      
,fortunes1 foretel ,good and ,evil1 c4  
discover stollen ,goods1 tell where they
 were who stole them1 and how to find   
them again1 nay1 and even to find out   
the ,thieves2 but ,satan was really     
sandered in the ,case1 the ,fellow had  
no more to do with the ,devil than other
 ,people1 and perhaps not so much       
neither3 ,this was one of those they    

call'd ,,cunning-,,men1 or at least he  
endeavour'd to pass for such a one1 but 
'twas all a ,cheat4  ,besides1 what had 
the ,devil to do to detect ,thieves1 and
 restore stollen ,goods8 ,thieving and  
,robbing1 ,trick and ,cheat1 are part of
 the ,craft of his ,agency1 and of the  
,employments which it is his ,business  
to encourage2 they greatly mistake him1 
who think he will assist any ,body in   
suppressing and detecting such laudable 
,arts and such diligent ,servants4  ,i  
won't say1 but the ,devil1 to draw these
 ,people we call ,cunning-,men1 into a  
,snare1 and to push on his farther      
,designs1 may encourage them privately1 
and in a manner that they themselves    
know nothing of1 to make use of his     
,name1 and abuse the ,world about him1  
till at last they may really believe    
they do deal with the ,devil1 when      
indeed 'tis only he deals with them1 and
 they know nothing of the ,matter4  ,in 
other ,cases he may encourage them in   
these little ,frauds and ,cheats1 and   

give them leave1 as above1 to make use  
of his ,name to bring them afterwards1  
and by ,degrees to have a real          
,acquaintance with him2 so bringing the 
,jest of their ,trade into ,earnest1    
till at length prompting them to commit 
some great ,villany1 he secures them to 
be his own1 by their very ,fear of his  
leaving them to be exposed to the       
,world2 thus he puts a ,jonathan ,wild  
upon them1 and makes them be the very   
,wretches they only pretended to be     
before3 ,so old ,parsons of ,clithroe1  
as ,fame tells1 was twenty five ,years a
 ,cunning-man1 and twenty two ,years a  
,witch2 that is to say1 for five and    
twenty ,years1 he was only pretending to
 deal with the ,devil1 when ,satan and  
he had no manner of ,acquaintance1 and  
he only put his ,leger-de-main upon the 
,people in the ,devil's ,name1 without  
his leave2 but at length the ,devil's   
,patience being tir'd quite out1 he told
 the old ,counterfeit1 that in short1 he
 had been his stalking ,horse long      

enough1 and that now1 if he thought fit 
to enter himself1 and take a            
,commission1 well and good2 and he      
should have a ,lease to carry on his    
,trade for so many ,years more1 to his  
,heart's content2 but if not1 he would  
expose his ,knavery to the ,world1 for  
that he should take away his ,peoples   
,trade no longer2 but that he 7,satan7  
would set up another in his ,room1 that 
should make a meer ,fool of him1 and    
carry away all his ,customers4  ,upon   
this1 the old ,man consider'd of it1    
took the ,devil's ,counsel1 and listed  
in his ,pay2 so he1 that had plaid his  
,pranks twenty five ,years as a         
,conjurer1 when he was no ,conjurer1 was
 then forc'd really to deal with the    
,,devil1 for fear the ,people should    
know he did not3 ,till now he had ambo  
dexter1 cheated the ,devil on one ,hand1
 and the ,people on the other2 but the  
,devil gain'd his ,point at last1 and so
 he was a real ,wizard ever after4  ,but
 this is not the only way the ,devil is 

injur'd neither1 for we have often found
 ,people pretend upon him in other      
,cases1 and of nearer ,concern to him a 
great deal1 and in ,articles more       
,weighty1 as in particular1 in the great
 ,business of ,possession2 it is true   
this ,point is not thoro'ly understood  
among ,men1 neither has the ,devil      
thought fit to give us those            
,illuminations about it1 as ,i believe  
he might do2 particularly that great and
 important ,article1 is not1 for ought  
,i can see1 rightly explain'd1 namely2  
whether there are not two several ,kinds
 of ,possession1 7viz47 some wherein the
 ,devil possesses us1 and some in which 
we really possess the ,devil2 the       
,nicety of which ,i doubt this ,age1    
with all its ,penetration1 is not       
qualified to explain1 and a             
,dissertation upon it being too long for
 this ,work1 especially so near its     
,conclusion1 ,i am oblig'd to omit1 as  
,i am also all the practical ,discourses
 upon the ,usefulness and ,advantages of

 real ,possession1 whether consider'd   
one ,way or other to ,mankind1 all which
 ,i must leave to hereafter4  ,but to   
come back to the ,point in ,hand1 and to
 consider the ,injustice done to the    
,devil1 in the various ,turns and       
,tricks which ,men put upon him very    
often in this one ,article 7viz47       
pretending to ,possession1 and to have  
the ,devil in them1 when really it is   
not so2 certainly the ,devil must take  
it very ill1 to have all their demented1
 lunatick ,tricks charg'd upon him2 some
 of which1 nay1 most of which are so    
gross1 so simple1 so empty1 and so      
little to the ,purpose1 that the ,devil 
must be asham'd to see such ,things pass
 in his ,name1 or that the ,world should
 think he was concern'd in them4  ,it is
 true1 that ,possession being one of the
 principal ,pieces of the ,devil's      
,artifice in his managing ,mankind1 and 
in which1 with the most exquisite skill 
he plays the ,devil among us1 he has the
 more ,reason to be affronted when he   

finds himself invaded in this ,part1 and
 angry that any ,body should pretend to 
possess1 or be possess'd without his    
leave1 and this may be the ,reason for  
ought we know1 why so many ,blunders    
have been made1 when ,people have       
pretended to it without him1 and he has 
thought fit not to own them in it2 of   
which we have many ,examples in         
,history1 as in ,simon ,magus1 the      
,devil of ,london1 the fair ,maid of    
,kent1 and several others1 whose        
,history it is not worth while to       
enlarge upon4  ,in short1 ,possessions1 
as ,i have said1 are nice ,things1 as it
 is not so easy to mimick the ,devil in 
that ,part1 as it may be in some other2 
designing ,men have attempted it often1 
but their manner has been easily        
distinguish'd1 even without the ,devil's
 ,assistance4  ,thus the ,people of     
,salem in ,new-,england pretended to be 
bewitch'd1 and that a black ,man        
tormented them by the ,instigation of   
such and such1 whom they resolv'd to    

bring to the ,gallows3 ,this black ,man 
they would have be the ,devil1 employ'd 
by the ,person who they accus'd for a   
,witch3 ,thus making the ,devil a ,page 
or a ,footman to the ,wizard1 to go and 
torment whoever the said ,wizard        
commanded1 till the ,devil himself was  
so weary of the foolish ,part1 that he  
left them to go on their own ,way1 and  
at last they over-acted the murthering  
,part so far1 that when they confess'd  
themselves to be ,witches1 and          
possess'd1 and that they had            
,correspondence with the ,devil1 ,satan 
not appearing to vouch for them1 no     
,jury would condemn them upon their own 
,evidence1 and they could not get       
themselves hang'd1 whatever ,pains they 
took to bring it to pass4  ,thus you see
 the ,devil may be wrong'd1 and falsely 
accus'd in many ,particulars1 and often 
has been so2 there are likewise some    
other sorts of counterfeit ,devils in   
the ,world1 such as ,gypsies1           
,fortune-,tellers1 ,foretellers of good 

and bad ,luck1 ,sellers of ,winds1      
,raisers of ,storms1 and many more1 some
 practis'd among us1 some in foreign    
,parts1 too many almost to reckon up2   
nay ,i almost doubt whether the ,devil  
himself knows all the ,sorts of them2   
for 'tis evident he has little or       
nothing to do with them1 ,i mean not in 
the ,way of their ,craft4  ,these ,i    
take to be ,interlopers1 or with the    
,guinea ,merchants leave1 separate      
,traders1 and who act under the ,skreen 
and ,protection of ,satan's ,power1 but 
without his ,license or ,authority2 no  
doubt these carry away a great deal of  
his ,trade1 that is to say1 the ,trade  
which otherwise the ,devil might have   
carried on by ,agents or his own2 ,i    
cannot but say1 that while these ,people
 would fain be thought ,devils1 tho'    
they really are not1 it is but just they
 should be really made as much ,devils  
as they pretended to be1 or that ,satan 
should do himself ,justice upon them1 as
 he threaten'd to do upon old ,parsons  

of ,clithroe abovemention'd1 and let the
 ,world know them4     ,,chap4 ,,xi4    
,of ,divination1 ,sorcery1 the          
,black-,art1 ,pawawing1 and such like   
,pretenders      to ,devilism1 and how  
far the ,devil is or is not concern'd in
 them4   ,tho' ,i am writing the        
,history of the ,devil1 ,i have not     
undertaken to do the like of all the    
,kinds of ,people1 ,male or ,female1 who
 set up for ,devils in the ,world3 ,this
 would be a ,task for the ,devil indeed1
 and fit only for him to undertake1 for 
their ,number is and has been prodigious
 great1 and may1 with his other ,legions
 be rank'd among the ,innumerable4      
,what a ,world do we inhabit6 where     
there is not only with us a great       
,roaring-,lyon-,devil daily seeking whom
 of us he may devour1 and innumerable   
,millions of lesser ,devils hovering in 
the whole ,atmosphere over us1 nay1 and 
for ought we know1 other ,millions      
always invisibly moving about us1 and   
perhaps in us1 or at least in many of   

us2 but that have1 besides all these1 a 
vast many counterfeit ,hocus ,pocus     
,devils2 human ,devils1 who are visible 
among us1 of our own ,species and       
,fraternity1 conversing with us upon all
 ,occasions2 who like ,mountebanks set  
up their ,stages in every ,town1 chat   
with us at every ,tea-,table1 converse  
with us in every ,coffee-,house1 and    
impudently tell us to our ,faces that   
they are ,devils1 boast of it1 and use a
 thousand ,tricks and ,arts to make us  
believe it too1 and that too often with 
,success4  ,it must be confess'd there  
is a strong ,propensity in ,man's       
,nature1 especially the more ignorant   
part of ,mankind1 to resolve every      
strange ,thing1 or whether really       
strange or no1 if it be but strange to  
us1 into ,devilism1 and to say every    
,thing is the ,devil1 that they can give
 no ,account of4  ,thus the famous      
,doctors of the ,faculty at ,paris1 when
 ,john ,faustus brought the first       
printed ,books that had then been seen  

in the ,world1 or at least seen there1  
into the ,city1 and sold them for       
,manuscripts3 ,they were surpriz'd at   
the ,performance1 and question'd        
,faustus about it2 but he affirming they
 were ,manuscripts1 and that he kept a  
great many ,clarks employ'd to write    
them1 they were satisfied for a while4  
,but looking farther into the ,work1    
they observ'd the exact ,agreement of   
every ,book1 one with another1 that     
every ,line stood in the same ,place1   
every ,page a like ,number of ,lines1   
every ,line a like ,number of ,words2 if
 a ,word was mis-spelt in one1 it was   
mis-spelt also in all1 nay1 that if     
there was a ,blot in one1 it was alike  
in all2 they began again to muse1 how   
this should be8 in a ,word1 the learned 
,divines not being able to comprehend   
the ,thing 7and that was always         
sufficient7 concluded it must be the    
,devil1 that it was done by ,magick and 
,witchcraft1 and that in short1 poor    
,faustus 7who was indeed nothing but a  

meer ,printer7 dealt with the ,devil4   
,n4 ,b4 ,john ,faustus was ,servant1 or 
,journeyman1 or ,compositor1 or         
what you please to call it1 to ,koster  
of ,harlem1 the first         inventor  
of ,printing2 and having printed the    
,psalter1 sold them at         ,paris as
 ,manuscripts2 because as such they     
yielded a better         ,price4   ,but 
the learned ,doctors not being able to  
understand how the ,work was perform'd1 
concluded as above1 it was all the      
,devil1 and that the ,man was a ,witch2 
accordingly they took him up for a      
,magician and a ,conjurer1 and one that 
work'd by the ,black ,art1 that is to   
say1 by the help of the ,devil2 and in a
 ,word1 they threaten'd to hang him for 
a ,witch1 and in order to it1 commenc'd 
a ,process against him in their criminal
 ,courts1 which made such a ,noise in   
the ,world as rais'd the ,fame of poor  
,john ,faustus to a frightful ,height1  
till at last he was oblig'd1 for fear of
 the ,gallows1 to discover the whole    

,secret to them4       ,n4 ,b4 ,this is 
the true original of the famous ,dr4    
,faustus or         ,foster1 of whom we 
have believ'd such strange ,things1 as  
that it         is become a ,proverb1 as
 great as the ,devil and ,dr4 ,foster3  
,whereas poor ,faustus was no ,doctor1  
and knew no more of the         ,devil  
than another ,body4   ,thus the         
,magistrates of ,bern and ,switzerland1 
finding a ,gang of ,french ,actors of   
,puppet-shew open'd their ,stage in the 
,town1 upon hearing the surprizing      
,accounts which the ,people gave of     
their wonderful ,puppets1 how they made 
them speak1 answer ,questions1 and      
discourse1 appear and disappear in a    
,moment1 pop up here1 as if they rise   
out of the ,earth1 and down there1 as if
 they vanish'd1 and ,abundance more     
,feats of ,art1 censur'd them as        
,demons2 and if they had not pack'd up  
their ,trinkets1 and disappeared almost 
as dextrously as their ,puppets1 they   
had certainly condemn'd the poor        

,puppets to the ,flames for ,devils1 and
 censur'd1 if not otherwise punished    
their ,masters4 ,see the ,count de      
,rochfort's ,memoirs1 p4 #agi4          
,wonderful ,operations astonish the     
,mind1 especially where the ,head is not
 over-burthen'd with ,brains2 and       
,custom has made it so natural to give  
the ,devil either the ,honour or        
,scandal of every ,thing1 that we cannot
 otherwise ,account for1 that it is not 
possible to put the ,people out of the  
,road of it4  ,the ,magicians were1 in  
the ,chaldean ,monarchy1 call'd the     
,wisemen2 and tho' they are joined with 
the ,sorcerers and ,astrologers in the  
same ,place1 ,dan4 ii4 #d4 yet they were
 generally so understood among those    
,people2 but in our ,language we        
understand them to be ,people that have 
an ,art to reveal ,secrets1 interpret   
,dreams1 foretel ,events1 c4 and that   
use ,enchantments and ,sorceries1 by all
 which we understand the same ,thing2   
which now in a more vulgar ,way we      

express by one general coarse           
,expression1 ,dealing with the ,,devil4 
,the ,scripture speaks of a ,spirit of  
,divination1 ,acts xvi4 #af4 and a      
,wench that was possess'd by this       
,spirit brought her ,master much ,gain  
by ,southsaying1 that is to say1        
according to the ,learned1 by ,oracling 
or answering ,questions2 whence you will
 see in the ,margin1 that this          
southsaying ,devil is there call'd      
,python1 that is1 ,apollo1 who is often 
call'd ,python1 and who at the ,oracle  
of ,delphos gave out such ,answers and  
double ,entendres1 as this ,wench       
possibly did2 and hence all those       
,spirits which were call'd ,spirits of  
,divination1 were in another ,sense     
call'd ,pythons4  ,now when the ,apostle
 ,st4 ,paul came to see this ,creature1 
this ,spirit takes upon it to declare   
that those ,men1 meaning ,st4 ,paul and 
,timotheus1 were the ,servants of the   
most high ,god1 which shew'd unto them  
the ,way of ,salvation2 this was a good 

turn of the ,devil1 to preserve his     
,authority in the possess'd ,girl2 she  
brought them ,gain by ,southsaying1 that
 is to say1 resolving difficult         
,questions1 answering ,doubts1          
interpreting ,dreams1 c4 ,among these   
,doubts1 he makes her give ,testimony to
 ,paul and ,timotheus1 to wheedle in    
with the new ,christians1 and perhaps   
7tho' very ignorantly7 even with ,paul  
and ,timotheus themselves1 so to give a 
,kind of ,credit and ,respect to her for
 speaking4  ,but the ,devil1 who never  
speaks ,truth1 but with some sinister   
,end1 was discover'd here and detected2 
his flattering ,recognition not         
accepted1 and he himself unkennel'd as  
he deserv'd2 there the ,devil was       
over-shot in his own ,bow again4  ,here 
now was a real ,possession1 and the evil
 ,spirits who possess'd her1 did stoop  
to sundry little ,acts of ,servitude1   
that we could give little or no ,reason 
for1 only that the ,girl's ,master might
 get ,money by her2 but perhaps this was

 a particular ,case1 and1 prepar'd to   
honour the ,authority and ,power the    
,apostles had over evil ,spirits4  ,but 
we find these ,things carried a great   
,way farther in many ,cases1 that is to 
say1 where the ,parties are thus really 
possess'd2 namely1 the ,devil makes     
,agents of the possess'd ,parties to do 
many ,things for the propagating his    
,interest and ,kingdom1 and particularly
 for the carrying on his ,dominion in   
the ,world3 ,but ,i am for the present  
not so much upon the real ,possession as
 the pretended1 and particularly we have
 had many that have believed themselves 
possess'd1 when the ,devil never        
believed it of them1 and perhaps knew   
them better2 some of these are really   
poor ,devils to be pitied1 and are what 
,i call ,diables ,imaginaire2 these have
 notwithstanding done the ,devil good   
,service1 and brought their ,masters    
good ,gain by ,southsaying4  ,we find   
,possessions acknowledg'd in ,scripture 
to be really and personally the ,devil1 

or according to the ,text1 ,legions of  
,devils in the ,plural4 ,the ,devil or  
,devils rather1 which possessed the ,man
 among the ,tombs1 is positively        
affirm'd to be the ,devil in the        
,scripture2 all the ,evangelists agree  
in calling him so1 and his very ,works  
shew it2 namely1 the ,mischief he did1  
as well to the poor ,creature among the 
,tombs1 who was made so fierce1 that he 
was the ,terror of all the ,country1 as 
to the ,herd of ,swine and to the       
,country in the ,loss of them4  ,i might
 preach you a ,lecture here of the      
,devil's ,terror upon the ,approach of  
our ,saviour1 the ,dread of his         
,government1 and how he acknowledg'd    
that there was a ,time for his ,torment1
 which was not yet come3 ,art thou come 
to torment us before our ,time8 ,it is  
evident the ,devil apprehended that     
,christ would chain them up before the  
,day of ,judgment2 and therefore some   
think the ,devil here1 being1 as it     
were1 caught out of his due ,bounds1    

possessing the poor ,man in such a      
furious manner1 was afraid1 and         
petition'd ,christ not to chain him up  
for it1 and as the ,text says1 ,they    
besought him to suffer them to go away1 
c4 that is to say1 when they say1 art   
thou come to torment us before the      
,time8 the ,meaning is1 they begg'd he  
would not cast them into ,torment before
 the ,time1 which was already fix'd2 but
 that if he would cast them out of the  
,man1 he would let them go away1 c4     
,the ,evangelist ,st4 ,luke says1 the   
,devil besought him that he would not   
command them to go out into the ,deep3  
,our learned ,annotators think that part
 is not rightly render'd2 adding1 that  
they do not believe the ,devil fears    
drowning2 but with ,submission1 ,i      
believe the meaning is1 that they would 
not be confin'd to the vast ,ocean1     
where no ,inhabitants being to be seen1 
they would be effectually imprison'd and
 tied down from doing ,mischief1 which  
would be a ,hell to them2 as to their   

going into the ,swine1 that might afford
 us some ,allegory2 but ,i am not       
disposed to jest with the ,scripture1 no
 nor with the ,devil neither1 farther   
than needs must4  ,it is evident the    
,devil makes ,use of very mean          
,instruments sometimes1 such as the     
,damsel possess'd with a ,spirit of     
,divination1 and several others4  ,i    
remember a ,story1 how true ,i know not1
 of a weak ,creature next ,door to an   
,ideot1 who was establish'd in the      
,country for an ,oracle1 and would tell 
,people strange ,things that should be1 
long before they came to pass2 when     
,people were sick1 would tell them      
whether they should live or die2 if     
,people were married1 tell how many     
,children they should have2 and a       
hundred such ,things as fill'd the      
,people with ,admiration1 and they were 
the easier brought to believe that the  
,girl was possess'd2 but then they were 
divided about her too1 and that was the 
finest spun ,thread the ,devil could    

work1 for he carried a great ,point in  
it2 some said she had a good ,spirit1   
and some a bad1 some said she was a     
,prophetess1 and some that she was the  
,devil4  ,now had ,i been there to      
decide the ,question1 ,i should         
certainly have given it for the latter2 
if it were only upon this ,account1     
namely1 that the ,devil has often found 
,fools very necessary ,agents for the   
propagating his ,interest and ,kingdom1 
but we never knew the good ,spirits do  
so2 on the other ,hand1 it does not seem
 likely that ,heaven should deprive a   
poor ,creature of its ,senses1 and as it
 were take her ,soul from her1 and then 
make her an ,instrument of ,instruction 
to others1 and an ,oracle to declare his
 ,decrees by2 this does not seem to be  
rational4  ,but as far as this kind of  
,divination is in ,use in our ,days1 yet
 ,i do not find room to charge the      
,devil with making any great ,use of    
,fools1 unless it be such as he has     
particularly qualified for his ,work1   

for as to ,ideots and ,naturals1 they   
are perfectly useless to him2 but a sort
 of ,fools call'd the ,magi1 indeed1 we 
have some ,reason to think he often     
works with4  ,we are not arriv'd to a   
certainty yet1 in the settling this     
great ,point1 namely1 what ,magick is8  
whether a diabolical ,art or a ,branch  
of the ,mathematicks8 ,our most learned 
,lexicon ,technicum is of the latter    
,opinion1 and gives the ,magic ,square  
and the ,magic ,lantern1 two ,terms of  
,art4  ,the ,magic ,square is when      
,numbers in ,arithmetical ,proportion   
are dispos'd into such ,parallels or    
equal ,ranks1 as that the ,sums of each 
,row as well ,diagonally as ,laterally  
shall be all equal2 for ,example1 #b1   
#c1 #d1 #e1 #f1 #g1 #h1 #i1 #aj4 ,place 
these ,nine in a ,square of three1 they 
will directly and diagonally make #ah4  
,thus1    ------------    #e  #aj  #c   
-------------    #d   #f  #h            
-------------    #i   #b  #g            
------------  ,this he calls the ,magic 

,square1 but gives no ,reason for the   
,term1 nor any ,account of what infernal
 ,operations are wrought by this        
,concurrence of the ,numbers2 neither do
 ,i see that there can be any such ,use 
made of it4  ,the ,magic ,lantern is an 
optic ,machine1 by the ,means of which  
are represented1 on a ,wall in the      
,dark1 many ,phantasms and terrible     
,appearances1 but no ,devil in all this1
 only that they are taken for the       
,effects of ,magic1 by those that are   
not acquainted with the ,secret4  ,all  
this is done by the help of several     
little painted ,pieces of ,glass1 only  
so and so situated1 plac'd in certain   
,oppositions to one another1 and painted
 with different ,figures1 the most      
formidable being plac'd foremost1 and   
such as are most capable of terrifying  
the ,spectators2 and by this all the    
,figures may be represented upon the    
opposite ,wall1 in the largest ,size4   
,i cannot but take ,notice1 that this   
very ,piece of optic ,delusion seems too

 much akin to the mock ,possessions and 
infernal ,accomplishments1 which most of
 the ,possessionists of this ,age       
pretend to1 so that they are most of    
them meer ,phantasms and ,appearances1  
and no more2 ,nor is the ,spirit of     
,divination1 the ,magic1 the            
,necromancing1 and other ,arts which    
were call'd ,diabolical1 found to be of 
any ,use in modern ,practice1 at least1 
in these ,parts of the ,world2 but the  
,devil seems to do most of his ,work    
himself1 and by shorter ,methods2 for he
 has so compleat an ,influence among    
those that he now ,lists in his         
,service1 that he brings all the common 
,affairs of ,mankind into a narrower    
,compass in his ,management1 with a     
,dexterity particular to himself1 and by
 which he carries on his ,interest      
silently and surely1 much more to the   
,detriment of ,virtue and good          
,government1 and consequently much more 
to his ,satisfaction1 than ever he did  
before4  ,there is a ,kind of ,magic or 

,sorcery1 or what else you may please to
 call it1 which1 tho' unknown to us1 is 
yet1 it seems1 still very much          
encourag'd by the ,devil2 but this is a 
great ,way off1 and in ,countries where 
the politer ,instruments1 which he finds
 here1 are not to be had2 namely1 among 
the ,indians of ,north-,america2 ,this  
is call'd ,pawawing1 and they have their
 ,divines1 which they call ,pawaws or   
,witches1 who use strange ,gestures1    
,distortions1 horrid ,smokes1 ,burnings1
 and ,scents1 and several such ,things  
which the ,sorcerers and ,witches in    
ancient ,times are said to use in       
casting ,nativities1 in ,philtres1 and  
in determining1 or as they pretended1   
directing the ,fate of ,persons2 by     
burning such and such ,herbs and ,roots1
 such as ,helebore1 ,wormwood1 ,storax1 
,devilwort1 ,mandrake1 ,nightshade1 and 
,abundance more such1 which are call'd  
noxious ,plants1 or the ,product of     
noxious ,plants2 also melting such and  
such ,minerals1 ,gums1 and poisonous    

,things1 and by several hellish         
,mutterings and ,markings over them1 the
 like do these ,pawaws2 and the ,devil  
is pleased1 it seems1 7or is permitted7 
to fall in with these ,things1 and as   
some ,people think1 appears often to    
them for their ,assistance upon those   
,occasions4  ,but be that as it will1 he
 is eas'd of all that ,trouble here2 he 
can ,pawaw here himself1 without their  
aid1 and having laid them all aside1 he 
negotiates much of his ,business without
 ,ambassadors2 he is his own            
,plenipotentiary1 for he finds ,man so  
easy to come at1 and so easy when he is 
come at1 that he stands in no need of   
secret ,emissaries1 or at least not so  
much as he used to do4  ,upon the whole1
 as the ,world1 within the ,compass of a
 few pass'd ,years is advanc'd in all   
,kinds of ,knowledge and ,arts1 and     
every useful ,branch of what they knew  
before improv'd1 and innumerable useful 
,parts of ,knowledge1 which were        
conceal'd before are discover'd2 why    

should we think the ,devil alone should 
stand at a stay1 has taken no ,steps to 
his farther ,accomplishment1 and made no
 useful ,discoveries in his ,way8 ,that 
he alone should stand at a ,stay1 and be
 just the same unimprov'd ,devil that he
 was before8 ,no1 no1 as the ,world is  
improv'd every ,day1 and every ,age is  
grown wiser and wiser than their        
,fathers2 so1 no doubt1 he has bestirr'd
 himself too1 in order to an encrease of
 ,knowledge and ,discovery1 and that he 
finds every ,day a nearer ,way to go to 
work with ,mankind than he had before4  
,besides1 as ,men in general seem to    
have alter'd their manner1 and that they
 move in a higher and more exalted      
,sphere1 especially as to ,vice and     
,virtue2 so the ,devil may have been    
obliged to change his ,measures1 and    
alter his ,way of working2 particularly1
 those ,things which would take in      
former ,times1 and which a stupid ,age  
would come easily into1 won't go down   
with us now3 ,as the taste of ,vice and 

,virtue alters1 the ,devil is forc'd to 
bait his ,hook with new ,compositions2  
the very ,thing call'd ,temptation is   
alter'd in its ,nature1 and that which  
serv'd to delude our ,ancestors1 whose  
gross ,conceptions of ,things caused    
them to be manageable with less ,art1   
will not do now2 the ,case is quite     
alter'd2 in some ,things1 perhaps1 as ,i
 hinted above1 we come into ,crime with 
ease1 and may be led by a ,finger2 but  
when we come to a more refin'd ,way of  
sinning1 which our ,ancestors never     
understood1 other and more refin'd      
,politics must be made ,use of1 and the 
,devil has been put upon many useful    
,projects and ,inventions1 to make many 
new ,discoveries and ,experiments to    
carry on his ,affairs2 and to speak     
impartially1 he is strangely improv'd   
either in ,knowledge or ,experiment1    
within these few ,years2 he has found   
out a great many new ,inventions to     
shorten his own ,labour1 and carry on   
his ,business in the ,world currently1  

which he never was master of before1 or 
at least we never knew he was4  ,no     
wonder then that he has chang'd ,hands  
too1 and that he has left of pawawing in
 these ,parts of the ,world2 that we    
don't find our ,houses disturb'd as they
 used to be1 and the ,stools and ,chairs
 walking about out of one ,room into    
another1 as formerly2 that ,children    
don't vomit crooked ,pins and rusty stub
 ,nails1 as of old1 the ,air is not full
 of ,noises1 nor the ,church-,yard full 
of ,hobgoblins2 ,ghosts don't walk about
 in ,winding-,sheets1 and the good old  
scolding ,wives visit and plague their  
,husbands after they are dead1 as they  
did when they were alive4  ,the ,age is 
grown too wise to be agitated by these  
dull scare-crow ,things which their     
,fore-,fathers were tickled with2 ,satan
 has been obliged to lay by his         
,puppet-shews and his ,tumblers1 those  
things are grown stale2 his             
morrice-dancing ,devils1 his            
mountebanking and quacking won't do now2

 those ,things1 as they may be supposed 
to be very troublesome to him1 7and but 
that he has ,servants enough would be   
chargeable too7 are now of no great ,use
 in the new ,management of his ,affairs4
  ,in a ,word1 ,men are too much ,devils
 themselves1 in the ,sense that ,i have 
call'd them so1 to be frighted with such
 little low priz'd ,appearances as      
these2 they are better acquainted with  
the old ,arch-,angel than so1 and they  
seem to tell him they must be treated   
after another manner1 and that then1 as 
they are good-natur'd and tractable1 he 
may deal with them upon better ,terms4  
,hence the ,devil goes to work with     
,mankind a much shorter ,way2 for       
instead of the ,art of ,wheedling and   
,whining1 together with the laborious   
,part of ,tricking and ,sharping1       
,hurrying and ,driving1 ,frighting and  
,terrifying1 all which the ,devil was   
put to the ,trouble of before2 in short1
 he acts the ,,grand ,,manner as the    
,architects call it 7,i don't know      

whether our ,free-,masons may understand
 the ,word7 and therefore ,i may        
hereafter explain it1 as it is to be    
,diabolically as well as mathematically 
understood4  ,at present my meaning is1 
he acts with them immediately and       
personally by a magnificent             
,transformation1 making them meer       
,devils to themselves1 upon all needful 
,occasions1 and ,devils to one another  
too1 whenever he 7,satan71 has ,need of 
their ,service4  ,this ,way of embarking
 ,mankind in the ,devil's particular    
,engagement1 is really very modern2 and 
tho' the ,devil himself may have been   
long acquainted with the ,method1 and as
 ,i have heard1 began to practise it    
towards the ,close of the ,roman        
,empire1 when ,men began to act upon    
very polite ,principles1 and were       
capable of the most refin'd ,wickedness1
 and afterwards with some ,popes1 who   
likewise were a kind of ,church ,devils1
 such as ,satan himself could hardly    
expect to find in the ,world2 yet ,i do 

not find that he was ever able to bring 
it into ,practice1 at least1 not so     
universally as he does now3 ,but now the
 ,case is alter'd1 and ,men being       
generally more expert in ,wickedness    
than they were formerly2 they suffer the
 smaller ,alteration of the ,species1 in
 being transmigrated2 in a ,word1 they  
turn into ,devils1 with no trouble at   
all hardly1 either to the ,devil or to  
themselves4  ,this ,particular would    
want much the less ,explanation1 could  
,i obtain a ,license from ,sir          
,hellebore ,wormwood1 ,bart4 or from my 
,lord ,thwartover1 ,baron of ,scoundrel 
,hall in the ,kingdom of ,ireland1 to   
write the true ,history of their own    
,conduct2 and how early1 and above all1 
how easily they commenc'd ,devils1      
without the least ,impeachment of their 
,characters1 as wise ,men1 and without  
any ,diminution of that ,part of their  
,denomination which establish'd them for
 ,fools4  ,how many mad ,fellows appear 
among us every ,day in the critical     

,juncture of their ,transmigration1 just
 when they have so much of the ,man left
 as to be known by their ,names1 and    
enough of the ,devil taken up to settle 
their ,characters8 ,this ,easiness of   
the ,devil's access to these ,people1   
and the great ,convenience it is to him 
in his general ,business1 is a ,proof to
 me that he has no more ,occasion of    
,diviners1 ,magicians1 ,sorcerers1 and  
whatever else we please to call those   
,people who were formerly so great with 
him2 for what ,occasion has he to employ
 ,devils and ,wizards to confound       
,mankind1 when he is arriv'd to such a  
,perfection of ,art as to bring ,men1 at
 least in these ,parts of the ,world1 to
 do it all themselves2 upon this        
,account we do not find any of the old  
,sorcerers and ,diviners1 ,magicians or 
,witches appear among us2 not that the  
,devil might not be as well able to     
employ such ,people as formerly1 and    
qualify them for the ,employment too1   
but that really there is no need of them

 hereabout1 the ,devil having a shorter 
,way1 and ,mankind being much more      
easily possess'd2 not the old ,herd of  
,swine were sooner agitated1 tho' there 
was full #bjjj of them together2 ,nature
 has open'd the ,door1 and the ,devil   
has egress and regress at ,pleasure1 so 
that ,witches and ,diviners are quite   
out of the ,question4  ,nor let any ,man
 be alarm'd at this ,alteration1 in the 
,case as it stands between ,mankind and 
the ,devil1 and think the ,devil having 
gain'd so much ,ground1 may in time1 by 
,encroachment1 come to a general        
,possession of the whole ,race1 and so  
we should all come to be ,devils        
incarnate2 ,i say1 let us not be        
alarm'd1 for ,satan does not get these  
,advantages by ,encroachment1 and by his
 infernal ,power or ,art1 no not at all2
 but 'tis the ,man himself does it by   
his ,indolence and ,negligence on one   
,hand1 and his ,complaisance to the     
,devil on the other2 and both ,ways he1 
as it were1 opens the ,door to him1     

beckons him with his very ,hand to come 
in1 and the ,devil has nothing to do but
 enter and take ,possession3 ,now if it 
be so1 and ,man is so frank to him2 you 
know the ,devil is no ,fool not to take 
the ,advantage when 'tis offer'd him1   
and therefore 'tis no wonder if the     
,consequences which ,i have been just   
now naming follow4  ,but let no ,man be 
discourag'd by this1 from reaffirming   
his natural and religious ,powers1 and  
venturing to shut the ,devil out2 for   
the ,case is plain he may be shut out2  
the ,soul is a strong ,castle1 and has a
 good ,garrison plac'd within to defend 
it2 if the ,garrison behave well1 and do
 their ,duty1 it is impregnable1 and the
 cowardly ,devil must raise his ,siege  
and be gone2 nay1 he must fly1 or1 as we
 call it1 make his ,escape1 lest he be  
laid by the ,heels1 that is1 lest his   
,weakness be exposed1 and all his       
,lurking1 lying in ,wait1               
ambuscade-,tricks2 this ,part would bear
 a great ,enlargement1 but ,i have not  

room to be witty upon him1 so you must  
take it in the ,gross1 the ,,devil lies 
at ,blye ,bush1 as our ,country ,people 
call it1 to watch your coming out of    
your ,hold2 and if you happen to go     
abroad unarm'd he seizes upon and       
masters you with ease4  ,unarm'd1 you'll
 say1 what ,arms should ,i take8 what   
,fence against a ,flail8 ,what ,weapons 
can a ,man take to fight the ,devil8 ,i 
could tell you what to fight him with1  
and what you might fright him with1 for 
the ,devil is to be frighted with       
several ,things besides ,holy ,water2   
but 'tis too serious for you1 and you'll
 tell me ,i am a preaching and a        
canting1 and the like2 so ,i must let   
the ,devil manage you rather than       
displease you with talking ,scripture   
and ,religion4  ,well1 but may not the  
,devil be fought with some of his own   
,weapons8 ,is there no dealing with him 
in a ,way of human ,nature8 ,this would 
require a long answer1 and some         
,philosophy might be acted1 or at least 

imitated1 and some ,magic1 perhaps2 for 
they tells us there are ,spells to draw 
away even the ,devil himself2 as in some
 ,places they nail ,horse-,shoes upon   
the ,threshold of the ,door1 to keep him
 out2 in other ,places old pieces of    
,flint1 with so many ,holes and so many 
,corners1 and the like3 ,but ,i must    
answer in the ,negative1 ,i don't know  
what ,satan might be scar'd at in those 
,days1 but he is either grown cunninger 
since or bolder1 for he values none of  
those ,things now2 ,i question much     
whether he would value ,st4 ,dunstan and
 his red hot ,tongs1 if he was to meet  
him now1 or ,st4 ,francis or any of the 
,saints1 no not the ,host itself in full
 ,procession2 and therefore1 tho' you   
don't care ,i should preach1 yet in     
short1 if you are afraid he should      
charge upon you and attack you1 if you  
won't make ,use of those ,scripture     
,weapons ,i should have mention'd1 and  
which you may hear of1 if you enquire at
 ,eph4 vi4 #af4 you must look for better

 where you think you can find them4     
,but to go on with my ,work1 the ,devil1
 ,i say1 is not to be fear'd with       
,maukins1 nor does he employ his old    
,instruments1 but does much of his ,work
 himself without ,instruments4  ,and yet
 ,i must enter a ,caveat here too1      
against being misunderstood in my saying
 the ,devil stands in no need of        
,agents2 for when ,i speak so1 ,i am to 
be taken in a limited ,sense2 ,i don't  
say he needs them no where1 but only    
that he does not need them in those     
polite ,parts of the ,world which ,i    
have been speaking of1 and perhaps not  
much here2 but in many remote ,countries
 'tis otherwise still2 the ,indians of  
,america are particularly said to have  
,witches among them1 as well in those   
,countries where the ,spaniards and the 
,english and other ,nations have planted
 themselves1 as amongst those where the 
,european ,nations seldom come3 for     
,example1 the ,people of ,canada1 that  
is1 of the ,countries under the ,french 

,government of ,quebeck1 the ,equimeaux1
 and other ,northern ,climates1 have    
,magicians1 ,wizards and ,witches1 who  
they call ,pilloatas or ,pillotoas2     
these pretend they speak intimately and 
familiarly with the ,devil1 and receive 
from him the ,knowledge of ,things to   
come2 all which1 by the ,way1 ,i take to
 be little more than this2 that these   
,fellows being a little more cunning    
than the rest1 think1 that by pretending
 to something more than human1 they     
shall make the stronger ,impressions on 
the ignorant ,people2 as ,mahomet amus'd
 the ,world with his ,pigeon1 using it  
to pick ,peas out of his ,ear1 and      
persuaded the ,people it brought him    
superior ,revelations and ,inspirations 
from ,paradise4  ,thus these ,pillotoas 
gaining an ,opinion among the ,people1  
behave like so many ,mountebanks of     
,hell1 pretending to understand dark    
,things1 cure ,diseases1 practise       
,surgery1 ,physick and ,necromancy      
altogether2 ,i will not say1 but ,satan 

may pick out such ,tools to work with1  
and ,i believe does in those ,parts1 but
 ,i think he has found a nearer ,way to 
the ,wood with us1 and that is          
sufficient to my present ,purpose4      
,some would persuade me the ,devil had a
 great ,hand in the late religious      
,breaches in ,france1 among the ,clergy1
 7viz47 about the ,pope's ,constitution 
,unigenitus1 and that he made a fair    
,attempt to set the ,pope and the       
,gallican ,church together by the ,ears1
 for they were all just upon the ,point 
or breaking out into a ,church ,war1    
that for ought we knew might have gone  
farther than the ,devil himself car'd it
 should2 now ,i am of the quite contrary
 ,opinion1 ,i believe the ,devil really 
did not make the ,breach1 but rather    
heal'd it1 for fear it should have gone 
so far among them as to have set them   
all in a ,flame1 and have open'd the    
,door to the ,return of the ,hugonots   
again1 which it was in a fair ,way to   
have done4  ,but be it one ,way or      

t'other1 the historical ,part seems to  
be a little against me2 for 'tis        
certain1 the ,devil both wanted and made
 ,use of ,legions of ,agents1 as well   
human as infernal1 visible and invisible
 in that great and important ,affair1   
and we cannot doubt but he has          
innumerable ,instruments still at work  
about it4  ,like as in ,poland1 ,i make 
no ,question but the ,devil has         
thousands of his ,banditti at work at   
this ,time1 and in another ,country not 
far from it1 perhaps1 preparing ,matters
 for the next ,general ,diet1 taking    
care to prevent giving any ,relaxation  
to the ,protestants1 and to justify the 
moderate ,executions at ,thorn1 to      
excite a ,nation to quarrel with every  
,body who are able to fight with no     
body2 to erect the ,apostate ,race of   
,s----y upon a ,throne which they have  
no ,title to1 and turn an elective      
,throne into an hereditary1 in favour of
 ,popery4  ,i might anticipate all your 
,objections1 by granting the busy ,devil

 at this ,time employing all his ,agents
 and ,instruments 7for ,i never told you
 they were idle and useless7 in striving
 to enflame the ,christian ,world1 and  
bring a new ,war to overspread ,europe2 
,i might1 perhaps1 point out to you some
 of the ,measures he takes1 the         
,provocatives which his ,state          
,physicians administer to the ,courts   
and ,counsellors of ,princes1 to foment 
and ferment the ,spirits1 and ,members  
of ,nations1 ,kingdoms1 ,empires and    
,states in the ,world1 in order to bring
 these glorious ,ends of ,blood and ,war
 to pass2 for you cannot think but he   
that knows so much of the ,devil's      
,affairs1 as to write his ,history1 must
 know something of all these ,matters   
more than those that do not know so much
 as he4  ,but all this is remote to the 
present ,case1 for this is no           
,impeachment of ,satan's new ,methods   
with ,mankind1 in this ,part of the     
,world1 and in his private and separate 
,capacity2 all this only signifies that 

in his more general and national        
,affairs1 the ,devil acts still by his  
old ,methods2 and when he is to seduce  
or embroil ,nations1 he1 like other     
,conquerors1 subdues them by ,armies1   
employs mighty ,squadrons of ,devils1   
and sends out strong ,detachments1 with 
,generals and ,generalissimos to lead   
them1 some to one ,part of the ,world1  
some to another2 some to influence one  
,nation1 some to manage and direct      
another1 according as ,business         
presents1 and his ,occasions require1   
that his ,affairs may be carried on     
currently1 and to his ,satisfaction4    
,if it were not thus1 but that the      
,devil by his new and exquisite         
,management1 of which ,i have said so   
much1 had brought ,mankind in general to
 be the ,agents of their own ,mischiefs1
 and that the ,world were so at his     
,beck1 that he need but command them to 
go and fight1 declare ,war1 raise       
,armies1 destroy ,cities1 ,kingdoms1    
,countries and ,people2 the ,world would

 be a ,field of ,blood indeed1 and all  
,things would run into ,confusion       
presently4  ,but this is not the ,case  
at all1 ,heaven has not let go the      
,government of the ,creation to his     
subdu'd ,enemy1 the ,devil2 that would  
overturn the whole ,system of ,god1 and 
give ,satan more ,power1 than ever he   
was or will be vested with2 when1       
therefore1 ,i speak of a few forward    
,wretches in our ,day1 who are so warm  
in their ,wickedness1 that they         
anticipate the ,devil1 save him the     
,trouble to tempt1 turn ,devils to      
themselves1 and gallop ,hellward faster 
than he drives2 ,i speak of them as     
single ,persons1 and acting in their own
 personal and private ,capacity1 but    
when ,i speak of ,nations and ,kingdoms1
 there the ,devil is oblig'd to go on in
 the old ,road1 and act by ,stratagem1  
by his proper ,machinery1 and to make   
use of all his ,arts1 and all his       
,agents1 just as he has done in all     
,ages1 from the beginning of his politic

 ,government to this ,day4  ,and if it  
was not thus too1 what would become of  
all his numberless ,legions1 of which   
all ,ages have heard so much1 and all   
,parts of the ,world have had so much   
fatal ,experience8 ,they would seem to  
be quite out of ,employment1 and be     
render'd useless in the ,world of       
,spirits1 where it is to be supposed    
they reside2 not the ,devil himself     
could find any ,business for them1 which
 by the ,way1 to busy and mischievous   
,spirits1 as they are1 would be a ,hell 
to them1 even before their ,time2 they  
would be1 as it were1 doom'd to a ,state
 of ,inactivity1 which we may suppose   
was one ,part of their ,expulsion from  
,blessedness and the ,creation of ,man2 
or as they were for the surprising      
,interval between the ,destruction of   
,mankind by the ,deluge and ,noah's     
coming out of the ,ark1 when indeed they
 might be said to have nothing at all to
 do4  ,but this is not ,satan's ,case1  
and therefore let me tell you too1 that 

you may not think ,i treat the ,case    
with more ,levity than ,i really do1 and
 than ,i am sure ,i intend to do2 tho'  
it is too true that our modern and      
modish ,sinners have arrived to more    
exquisite ,ways of being wicked1 than   
their ,fathers1 and really seem1 as ,i  
have said1 to need no ,devil to tempt   
them2 nay1 that they do ,satan's ,work  
for him as to others also1 and make     
themselves ,devils to their ,neighbours1
 tempting others to crime even faster   
than the ,devil desires them1 running   
before they are sent1 and going of the  
,devil's ,errands gratis2 by which      
,means ,satan's ,work is1 as to them1   
done to his ,hand1 and they may be said 
to save him a great deal of ,trouble2   
yet after all1 the ,devil has still a   
great deal of ,business upon his ,hands1
 and as well himself as all his         
,legions1 find themselves a full        
,employment in disturbing the ,world1   
and opposing the ,glory and ,kingdom of 
their great ,superior1 whose ,kingdom it

 is their whole ,business1 however vain 
in its ,end1 to overthrow and destroy1  
if they were able1 or at least to       
endeavour it4  ,this being the ,case1 it
 follows of course that the general     
,mischiefs of ,mankind1 as well national
 and public1 as family ,mischiefs1 and  
even personal1 7except as before        
excepted7 lie all still at the ,devil's 
,door1 as much as ever1 let his         
,advocates bring him off of it if they  
can2 and this brings us back again to   
the manner of the ,devil's ,management1 
and the ,way of his working by human    
,agents1 or if you will1 the ,way of    
human ,devils1 working in ,affairs of   
low ,life1 such as we call ,divination1 
,sorcery1 ,black-,art1 ,necromancy1 and 
the like2 all which ,i take to consist  
of two material ,parts1 and both very   
necessary for us to be rightly inform'd 
of4       #a4 ,the ,part which ,satan by
 himself or his inferior ,devils        
empowers such ,people to do1 as he is in
 ,confederacy with here on      ,earth2 

to whom he may be said1 like the ,master
 of an ,opera or      ,comedy1 to give  
their ,parts to act1 and to qualify them
 to act it2      whether he obliges them
 to a ,rehearsal in his ,presence1 to   
try      their ,talents1 and see that   
they are capable of performing1 that    
indeed ,i have not enquir'd into4       
#b4 ,that ,part which these empower'd   
,people do voluntier or beyond          
their ,commission1 to shew their        
,diligence in the ,service of their     
new ,master1 and either 7#a47 to bring  
,grist to their own ,mill1 and      make
 their ,market of their ,employment in  
the best manner they can2      or 7#b47 
to gain ,applause1 be admir'd1 wonder'd 
at1 and applauded1      as if they were 
ten ,times more ,devils than really they
 are4   ,in a ,word1 the ,matter        
consists of what the ,devil does by the 
,help of these ,people1 and what they do
 in his ,name without him2 the ,devil is
 sometimes cheated in his own ,business2
 there are ,pretenders to ,witchcraft   

and ,black-,art1 who ,satan never made  
any ,bargain with1 but who he connives  
at1 because at least they do his ,cause 
no harm1 tho' their ,business is rather 
to get ,money1 than to render him any   
,service1 of which ,i gave you a        
remarkable ,instance before4  ,but to go
 back to his real ,agents1 of which ,i  
reckon two4       #a4 ,those who act by 
,direction and ,confederacy1 as ,i have 
said      already many do4       #b4    
,those whom he acts in and by1 and they 
7perhaps7 know it not1 of      which    
,sort ,history gives us plenty of       
,examples1 from ,machiavel's      first 
,disciple ---- to the famous ,cardinal  
,alberoni1 and even to      some more   
modern than his ,eminence1 of whom ,i   
can say no more till      farther       
,occasion offers4   #a4 ,those who act  
by immediate ,direction of the ,devil1  
and in ,confederacy with him2 these are 
such as ,i mention'd in the beginning of
 this ,chapter1 whose ,arts are truly   
black1 because really infernal2 it will 

be very hard to decide the ,dispute     
between those who really act thus in    
,confederacy with the ,devil1 and those 
who only pretend to it2 so ,i shall     
leave that ,dispute where ,i find it2   
but that there are1 or at least have    
been1 a ,set of ,people in the ,world1  
who really are of his ,acquaintance1 and
 very intimate with him2 and tho'1 as ,i
 have said1 he has much alter'd his     
,schemes and chang'd ,hands of late2 yet
 that there are such ,people1 perhaps of
 all ,sorts2 and that the ,devil keeps  
up his ,correspondence with them2 ,i    
must not venture to deny that ,part1    
lest ,i bring upon me the whole ,posse  
of the conjuring and bewitching ,crew1  
,male and ,female1 and they should mob  
me for pretending to deny them the      
,honour of dealing with the ,devil1     
which they are so exceeding willing to  
have the ,fame of4  ,not that ,i am     
hereby oblig'd to believe all the       
strange ,things the ,witches and        
,wizards1 who have been allow'd to be   

such1 nay1 who have been hang'd for it1 
have said of themselves2 nay1 that they 
have confess'd of themselves1 even at   
the ,gallows2 and if ,i come to have an 
,occasion to speak freely of the        
,matter1 ,i may perhaps convince you    
that the ,devil's possessing ,power is  
much lessen'd of late1 and that he      
either is limited1 and his ,fetter      
shortened more than it has been1 or that
 he does not find the old ,way 7as ,i   
said before7 so fit for his ,purpose as 
he did formerly1 and therefore takes    
other ,measures1 but ,i must adjourn    
that to a ,time and ,place by itself3   
,but we are told that there are another 
,sort of ,people1 and1 perhaps1 a great 
many of them too1 in whom and by whom   
the ,devil really acts1 and they know it
 not4  ,it would take up a great deal of
 ,time and ,room1 too much for this     
,place1 so near the ,close of this      
,work1 to describe and mark out the     
involuntary ,devils which there are in  
the ,world2 of whom it may be truly     

said1 that really the ,devil is in them1
 and they know it not3 ,now1 tho' the   
,devil is cunning and managing1 and can 
be very silent where he finds it for his
 ,interest not to be known2 yet it is   
very hard for him to conceal himself1   
and to give so little ,disturbance in   
the ,house1 as that the ,family should  
not know who lodged in it2 yet1 ,i say1 
the ,devil is so subtle and so          
mischievous an ,agent1 that he uses all 
manner of ,methods and ,craft to reside 
in such ,people as he finds for his     
,purpose1 whether they will or no1 and  
which is more1 whether they know it or  
no4  ,and let none of my ,readers be    
angry or think themselves ill used1 when
 ,i tell them the ,devil may be in them1
 and may act them1 and by them1 and they
 not know it2 for ,i must add1 it may1  
perhaps1 be one of the greatest ,pieces 
of human ,wisdom in the ,world1 for a   
,man to know when the ,devil is in him1 
and when not2 when he is a ,tool and    
,agent of ,hell1 and when he is not2 in 

a ,word1 when he is doing the ,devil's  
,work1 and under his ,direction1 and    
when not4  ,it is true1 this is a very  
weighty ,point1 and might deserve to be 
handled in a more serious ,way than ,i  
seem to be talking in all this ,book2   
but give me leave to talk of ,things my 
own way1 and withall1 to tell you1 that 
there is no ,part of this ,work so      
seemingly ludicrous1 but a grave and    
well weigh'd ,mind may make a serious   
and solid ,application of it1 if they   
please2 nor is there any ,part of this  
,work1 in which a clear ,sight and a    
good ,sense may not see that the        
,author's ,design is1 that they should  
do so2 and as ,i am now so near the ,end
 of my ,book1 ,i thought it was meet to 
tell you so1 and lead you to it as far  
as ,i can4  ,i say1 'tis a great ,part  
of human ,wisdom to know when the ,devil
 is acting in us and by us1 and when    
not2 the next and still greatest ,part  
would be to prevent him1 put a ,stop to 
his ,progress1 bid him go about his     

,business1 and let him know he should   
carry on his ,designs no farther in that
 manner2 that we will be his ,tools no  
longer2 in short1 to turn him out of    
,doors1 and bring a stronger ,power to  
take ,possession2 but this1 indeed1 is  
too solid a ,subject1 and too great to  
begin with here4  ,but now1 as to the   
bare knowing when he is at work with us1
 ,i say this1 tho' it is considerable1  
may be done1 nor is it so very          
difficult2 for ,example1 you have no    
more to do but look a little into the   
,microcosm of the ,soul1 and see there  
how the ,passions which are the ,blood1 
and the ,affections which are the       
,spirit1 move in their particular       
,vessels2 how they circulate1 and in    
what ,temper the ,pulse beats there1 and
 you may easily see who turns the       
,wheel2 if a perfect ,calm possesses the
 ,soul2 if ,peace and ,temper prevail1  
and the ,mind feels no ,tempests rising2
 if the ,affections are regular and     
exalted to vertuous and sublime         

,objects1 the ,spirits cool1 and the    
,mind sedate1 the ,man is in a general  
,rectitude of ,mind1 he may be truly    
said to be his own ,man2 ,heaven shines 
upon his ,soul with its benign          
,influences1 and he is out of the ,reach
 of the evil ,spirit2 for the divine    
,spirit is an ,influence of ,peace1 all 
calm and bright1 happy and sweet like it
 self1 and tending to every ,thing that 
is good both present and future4  ,but  
on the other ,hand1 if at any ,time the 
,mind is ruffled1 if ,vapours rise1     
,clouds gather1 if ,passions swell the  
,breast1 if ,anger1 ,envy1 ,revenge1    
,hatred1 ,wrath1 ,strife2 if these1 or  
any of these hover over you1 much more  
if you feel them within you2 if the     
,affections are possess'd1 and the ,soul
 hurried down the ,stream to embrace low
 and base ,objects2 if those ,spirits1  
which are the ,life and enlivening      
,powers of the ,soul1 are drawn off to  
,parties1 and to be engag'd in a vicious
 and corrupt manner1 shooting out wild  

and wicked ,desires1 and running the    
,man headlong into ,crime1 the ,case is 
easily resolv'd1 the ,man is possess'd1 
the ,devil is in him2 and having taken  
the ,fort1 or at least the ,counterscarp
 and ,out-,works1 is making his         
,lodgment to cover and secure himself in
 his ,hold1 that he may not be          
dispossess'd4  ,nor can he be easily    
dispossess'd when he has got such hold  
as this2 and 'tis no wonder1 that being 
lodg'd thus upon the ,out-,works of the 
,soul he continues to sap the           
,foundation of the rest1 and by his     
incessant and furious ,assaults1 reduces
 the ,man at last to a ,surrender4  ,if 
the ,allegory be not as just and        
apposite as you would have it be1 you   
may1 however1 see by it in a full ,view1
 the ,state of the ,man1 and how the    
,devil carries on his ,designs2 nothing 
is more common1 and ,i believe there are
 few thinking ,minds but may reflect    
upon it in their own ,compass1 than for 
our ,passions and ,affections to flow   

out of the ordinary ,channel2 the       
,spirits and ,blood of the ,soul to be  
extravasated1 the ,passions grow violent
 and outragious1 the ,affections        
impetuous1 corrupt and violently        
vicious3 ,whence does all this proceed8 
from ,heaven we can't pretend it comes2 
if we must not say 'tis the ,devil1     
whose ,door must it lie at8 ,pride      
swells the ,passions2 ,avarice moves the
 ,affections2 and what is ,pride1 and   
what is ,avarice1 but the ,devil in the 
,inside of the ,man8 ay1 as personally  
and really as ever he was in the ,herd  
of ,swine4  ,let not any ,man then1 who 
is a ,slave to his ,passions1 or who is 
chain'd down to his ,covetousness1      
pretend to take it ill1 when ,i say he  
has the ,devil in him1 or that he is a  
,devil3 ,what else can it be1 and how   
comes it to pass that ,passion and      
,revenge so often dispossess the ,man of
 himself1 as to lead him to commit      
,murther1 to lay ,plots and ,snares for 
the ,life of his ,enemies1 and so to    

thirst for ,blood8 ,how comes this but  
by the ,devil's putting those ,spirits  
of the ,soul into so violent a ,ferment1
 into a ,fever8 that the ,circulation is
 precipitated to that ,degree1 and that 
the ,man too is precipitated into       
,mischief1 and at last into ,ruin2 'tis 
all the ,devil1 tho' the ,man does not  
know it4  ,in like manner ,avarice leads
 him to rob1 plunder and destroy for    
,money1 and to commit sometimes the     
worst of ,violences to obtain the wicked
 ,reward4 ,how many have had their      
,throats cut for their ,money1 have been
 murther'd on the ,highway1 or in their 
,beds1 for the ,desire of what they had8
 ,it is the same ,thing in other        
,articles1 every ,vice is the ,devil in 
a ,man2 ,lust of ,rule is the ,devil of 
great ,men1 and that ,ambition is their 
,devil as much as whoring is ,father    
------'s ,devil1 one has a ,devil of one
 ,class acting him1 one another1 and    
every ,man's reigning ,vice is a ,devil 
to him4  ,thus the ,devil has his       

involuntary ,instruments1 as well as    
those who act in ,confederacy with him2 
he has a very great ,share in many of   
us1 and acts us1 and in us1 unknown to  
our selves tho' we know nothing of it1  
and indeed tho' we may not suspect it of
 our selves2 like ,hazael the ,assyrian1
 who when the ,prophet told him how he  
would act the ,devil upon the poor      
,israelites1 answer'd with ,detestation1
 is thy ,servant a ,dog that he should  
do this ,thing1 and yet he was that     
,dog1 and did all those cruel ,things   
for all that2 the ,devil acting him1 or 
acting in him1 to make him wickeder than
 ever he thought it was possible for him
 to be4     ,the ,,conclusion4  ,of the 
,devil's last ,scene of ,liberty1 and   
what may be supposed to be      his     
,end1 with what we are to understand of 
his being tormented for      ever and   
ever4   ,as the ,devil is a ,prince of  
the ,power of the ,air1 his ,kingdom is 
mortal1 and must have an ,end2 and as he
 is call'd the ,god of this ,world1 that

 is1 the great ,usurper of the ,homage  
and ,reverence which ,mankind ought of  
right to pay to their ,maker1 so his    
,usurpation also1 like the ,world it    
self1 must have an ,end3 ,satan is      
call'd the ,god of the ,world1 as ,men  
too much prostrate and prostitute       
themselves to him1 yet he is not the    
,governor of this ,world2 and therefore 
the ,homage and ,worship he has from the
 ,world is an ,usurpation2 and this will
 have an ,end1 because the ,world it    
self will have an ,end2 and all         
,mankind1 as they had a beginning in    
,time1 so must expire and be remov'd    
before the ,end of ,time4  ,since then  
the ,devil's ,empire is to expire and   
come to an ,end1 and that the ,devil    
himself and all his ,host of ,devils are
 immortal ,seraphs1 ,spirits that are   
not embodied and cannot die1 but are to 
remain in being2 the ,question before us
 next will be1 what is to become of him8
 what is his ,state to be8 whether is he
 to wander1 and in what ,condition is he

 to remain to that ,eternity to which he
 is still to exist8  ,i hope no ,man    
will mistake me so much in what ,i have 
said as to ,spirits1 which are all      
,flame1 not being affected with ,fire1  
as if ,i supposed there was no ,place of
 ,punishment for the ,devil1 nor any    
,kind of ,punishment that could affect  
them2 and so of our ,spirits also when  
transform'd into ,flame4  ,i must be    
allow'd to speak there of that material 
,fire1 by which1 as by an ,allegory1 all
 the ,terrors of an eternal ,state are  
represented to us in ,scripture1 and in 
the ,writings of the learned            
,commentators1 and by which the ,pain of
 ,sense is describ'd2 this1 perhaps1 ,i 
do not understand as they seem to do1   
and therefore have said1  ,when we're   
all ,flame 7that is all ,spirit7 we     
shall all ,fire 7that is1 all such ,fire
 as this7 despise4 ,and thus ,i claim to
 be understood4  ,it does not follow    
from hence1 neither do ,i suggest1 or so
 much as think that infinite ,power     

cannot form a something 7tho'           
inconceivable to us here7 which shall be
 as tormenting1 and as insupportable to 
a ,devil1 an apostate ,seraph1 and to a 
,spirit1 tho' exalted1 unembodied and   
rarified into ,flame1 as ,fire would be 
to other ,bodies2 in which ,i think ,i  
am orthodox1 and do not give the least  
,occasion to an ,enemy to charge me with
 profane ,speaking1 in those ,words1 or 
to plead for thinking prophanely        
himself4  ,it must be ,atheistical to   
the last ,degree to suggest1 that       
whereas the ,devil has been heaping up  
and amassing ,guilt ever since the      
,creation of ,man1 encreasing in hatred 
of ,god and ,rebellion against him1 and 
in all possible endeavour to dethrone   
and depose the ,majesty of ,heaven2 that
 yet ,heaven had not prepar'd1 or could 
not prepare a just ,penalty for him2 and
 that it should not all end in ,god's   
entire ,victory over ,hell1 and in      
,satan's open ,condemnation3 ,heaven    
could not be just to its own ,glory1 if 

he should not avenge himself upon this  
,rebel1 for all his superlative         
,wickedness in his modern as well as    
ancient ,station2 for the ,blood of so  
many millions of his faithful ,subjects 
and ,saints whom he has destroy'd2 and  
if nothing else offer'd it self to prove
 this ,part1 it would appear undoubted  
to me2 but this1 ,i confess1 does not   
belong to ,satan's ,history1 and        
therefore ,i have reserv'd it to this   
,place1 and shall also be the shorter in
 it4  ,that his ,condition is to be a   
,state of ,punishment1 and that by      
,torment1 the ,devil himself has own'd1 
and his calling out to our blessed ,lord
 when he cast him out of the furious    
,man among the ,tombs1 is a ,proof of   
it1 ,what have we to do with thee1 and  
art thou come to torment us before the  
,time8 ,luke viii4 #bh4 where the ,devil
 acknowledges four ,things1 and three of
 them are directly to my present        
,purpose1 and if you won't believe the  
,word of ,god1 ,i hope you will believe 

the ,devil1 especially when 'tis an open
 ,confession against himself4  #a4 ,he  
confess ,christ to be the ,son of ,god  
7that by the ,way7 and no ,thanks to    
him1 for that does not want the ,devil's
 ,evidence4  #b4 ,he acknowledges he may
 be tormented4  #c4 ,he acknowledges    
,christ was able to torment him4  #d4   
,he acknowledges that there is a ,time  
appointed when he shall be tormented4   
,as to how1 in what ,manner1 and by what
 ,means1 this tormenting the ,devil is  
to be performed or executed1 that ,i    
take to be as needless to us as 'tis    
impossible to know1 and being not at    
present inclined to fill your ,heads and
 ,thoughts with weak and imperfect      
,guesses1 ,i leave it where ,i find it4 
,it is enough to us that this ,torment  
of the ,devil is represented to us by   
,fire1 it being impossible for our      
confin'd ,thoughts to conceive of       
,torment by any ,thing in the ,world    
more exquisite2 whence ,i conclude1 that
 ,devils shall at last receive a        

,punishment suitable to their           
,spirituous ,nature1 and as exquisitely 
,tormenting as a burning ,fire would be 
to our ,bodies4  ,having thus settl'd my
 own ,belief of this ,matter1 and stated
 it so1 as ,i think will let you see    
'tis rightly sounded1 the ,matter stands
 thus4  ,satan having been let loose to 
play his ,game in this ,world1 has      
improv'd his ,time to the utmost2 he has
 not fail'd on all ,occasions to exert  
his ,hatred1 ,rage1 and ,malice at his  
,conqueror and ,enemy1 namely1 his      
,maker2 he has nor fail'd1 from         
,principles of meer ,envy and ,pride1 to
 pursue ,mankind with all possible      
,rancour1 in order to deprive him of the
 ,honour and ,felicity which he was     
created for1 namely1 to succeed the     
,devil and his ,angels in the ,state of 
,glory from which they fell4  ,this     
,hatred of ,god and ,envy at ,man1      
having broken out in so many several    
,ways in the whole ,series of ,time from
 the ,creation1 must necessarily have   

greatly encreased his ,guilt2 and as    
,heaven is righteous to judge him1 must 
terminate in an encrease of ,punishment1
 adequate to his ,crime1 and sufficient 
to his ,nature4  ,some have suggested1  
that there is yet a ,time to come1 when 
the ,devil shall exert more ,rage1 and  
do more ,mischief than ever yet he has  
been permitted to do2 whether he shall  
break his ,chain1 or be unchain'd for a 
,time1 they cannot tell1 nor ,i neither2
 and 'tis happy for my ,work1 that even 
this ,part too does not belong to his   
,history2 if ever it shall be given an  
,account of by ,mankind1 it must be     
after it is come to pass1 for my ,part  
is not ,prophesy of foretelling what the
 ,devil shall do1 but ,history of what  
he has done4  ,thus1 good ,people1 ,i   
have brought the ,history of the ,devil 
down to your own ,times2 ,i have1 as it 
were1 rais'd him for you1 and set him in
 your ,view1 that you may know him and  
have a ,care of him4  ,if any cunninger 
,men among you think they are able now  

to lay him again1 and so dispose of him 
out of your ,sight1 that you shall be   
troubled no more with him1 either here  
or hereafter1 let them go to work with  
him their own ,way2 you know ,things    
future do not belong to an ,historian1  
so ,i leave him among you1 wishing you  
may be able to give no worse an ,account
 of him for the ,time to come1 than ,i  
have done for the ,time past4   ,,finis4
     ,footnotes3  #a ,n4 ,b4 ,he never  
refus'd setting his hand to any opinion1
 which he thought it for his interest to
 acknowledge4  #b ,mean't of nothing4   
#c ,mr4 ,pool's words are these3 ,some  
refer the words1 ,this day have ,i      
begotten thee1 to the incarnation of the
 ,son of ,,god1 others to the           
,resurrection3 our ,translators lay the 
stress on the preposition of which the  
verb is compounded1 and by adding again1
 7viz47 rais'd up ,jesus again1 ,acts   
xiii4 #cc4 intend it to be understood of
 the ,resurrection2 and there is ground 
for it1 in the context1 for the         

,resurrection of ,christ1 is that which 
,st4 ,paul had propounded in v4 #cj4 of 
the same ,chapter1 as his theme or      
argument to preach upon4  ,not that     
,christ at his ,resurrection began to be
 the ,son of ,god1 but that he was      
manifested then to be so4  #d ,satan4   
#e ,the meaning of the word ,devil is   
,destroyer4 ,see ,pool upon ,acts xiii4 
#aj4  #f ,as great as the ,devil and    
,doctor ,faustus4 ,vulg4 ,dr4 ,foster4  
,transcriber's ,notes3  ,passages in    
italics are indicated by underscore4    
,additional spacing after some of the   
quotes is intentional to indicate both  
the end of a quotation and the beginning
 of a new paragraph as presented in the 
original text4  ,long s has been        
modernized4  ,the original text includes
 ,greek characters4 ,for this text      
version these letters have been replaced
 with transliterations4  ,the text      
includes two instances of unmatched     
round brackets2 as these require        
interpretation to close1 they have been 

left unmatched4  ,the following         
misprints have been corrected3          
,origiual corrected to ,original 7,table
 of ,contents7   #cd corrected to #ca   
7,table of ,contents7   #bei corrected  
to #aei 7,table of ,contents7           
extraneous a removed 7page #a7          
blinding corrected to binding 7page #i7 
decrib'd corrected to describ'd 7page   
#eg7   ,battels corrected to ,battles   
7page #gf7   inconcievable corrected to 
inconceivable 7page #ia7   ,devils      
corrected to ,devil's 7page #aja7   hut 
corrected to but 7page #abj7   that that
 corrected to that 7page #abg7          
opposs'd corrected to oppos'd 7page     
#aeb7   notwitstanding corrected to     
notwithstanding 7page #afb7   a as ,body
 corrected to as a ,body 7page #agb7    
,peoples corrected to ,people's 7page   
#ahd7   ,asia corrected to ,asa 7page   
#ahg7   was corrected to saw 7page #bac7
   faling corrected to falling 7page    
#bbi7   ,christain corrected to         
,christian 7page #bcj7   what's is      

corrected to what is 7page #bcc7        
disapointed corrected to disappointed   
7page #bcd7   been corrected to seen    
7page #bce7   momentons corrected to    
momentous 7page #bdd7   ,chritians      
corrected to ,christians 7page #bej7    
,egyytian corrected to ,egyptian 7page  
#beb7   ,magnifience corrected to       
,magnificence 7page #bef7   whereever   
corrected to wherever 7page #bfg7       
compliasant corrected to complaisant    
7page #bid7   coul'd corrected to cou'd 
7page #bih7   ,acquiantance corrected to
 ,acquaintance 7page #bii7   ,oportunity
 corrected to ,opportunity 7page #cjj7  
har'd corrected to hard 7page #cja7     
distingush corrected to distinguish     
7page #cab7   whereever corrected to    
wherever 7page #cbb7   the the corrected
 to the 7page #ccj7   ,,chap4 ,,vii     
corrected to ,,chap4 ,,ix 7page #cci7   
,businses corrected to ,business 7page  
#cgj7  ,other than the corrections      
listed above1 printer's inconsistencies 
in spelling1 punctuation1 and           

hyphenation usage have been retained4