The History of the Devil Part 20

Either the DEVIL uses us more like Fools than he did our Ancestors, or we really are worse Fools than those Ages produced, for they were never deluded by such low-priz'd _Devils_ as we are; by such despicable _Bridewell_ DEVILS, that are fitter for a Whipping-post than an Altar, and instead of being receiv'd as the Voice of an Oracle, should be sent to the House of Correction for Pick-pockets.

Nor is this accidental, and here and there one of these Wretches to be seen, but in short, if it has been in other Nations as it is with us, I do not see that the DEVIL was able to get any better People into his Pay, or at least very rarely: Where have we seen any thing above a Tinker turn Wizard? and where have we had a Witch of Quality among us, Mother _Je------gs_ excepted? and if she had not been more of something else than a Witch, 'twas thought she had never got so much Money by her Profession.

Magicians, Southsayers, Devil-raisers, and such People, we have heard much of, but seldom above the Degree of the meanest of the mean People, the lowest of the lowest Rank: Indeed the Word _Wise Men_, which the _Devil_ wou'd fain have had his Agents honour'd with, was used a while in _Egypt_, and in _Persia_, among the _Chaldeans_, but it continued but a little while, and never reach'd so far Northward as our Country; nor, however the _Devil_ has managed it, have many of our great Men, who have been most acquainted with him, ever been able to acquire the t.i.tle of Wise Men.

I have heard that in older Times, I suppose in good Queen _Bess_'s Days, or beyond, (for little is to be said here for any thing on this Side of her time) there were some Counsellors and Statesmen who merited the Character of _wise_, in the best Sense; that is to say, _good_, and _wise_, as they stand in Conjunction; but as to what has happen'd since that, or, as we may call it, from that Queen's Funeral to the late Revolution, I have little to say; but I'll tell you what honest _Andrew Marvel_ said of those Times, and by that you may, if you please, make your Calculation or let it alone, 'tis all one.

"To see a white Staff-maker, a Beggar, a Lord, "And scarce _a wise Man_ at a long Council-Board.

But I may be told this relates to wise Men in another Const.i.tution, or wise Men as they are opposed to Fools; whereas we are talking of them now under another Cla.s.s, namely, as _Wis.e.m.e.n_ or Magicians, South-sayers, _&c._ such as were in former Times call'd by that Name.

But to this I answer, that take them in which Sense you please, it may be the same; for if I were to ask the _Devil_ the Character of the best States-man he had employ'd among us for many Years past, I am apt to think that tho' Oracles are ceased, he would honestly, according to the old ambiguous Way, when I ask'd if they were Christians, answer they were (his) _Privy-Counsellors_.

It is but a little while ago, that I happen'd (in Conversation) to meet with a long List of the Magistrates of that Age, in a neighbouring Country, that is to say, the Men of Fame among them; and it was a very diverting Thing to see the Judgment which was pa.s.s'd upon them among a great deal of good Company; it is not for me to tell you how many white Staves, Golden Keys, Mareshals Batoons, Cordons Blue, Gordon Rouge and Gordon Blanc, there were among them, or by what t.i.tles, as Dukes, Counts, Marquis, Abbot, Bishop, or Justice they were to be distinguish'd; but the marginal Notes I found upon most of them were (being mark'd with an Asterism) as follows.

Such a Duke, such eminent Offices added to his t.i.tles (* in the Margin) ------ _No Saint_.

Such an Arch---- with the t.i.tle of n.o.ble added, ------ _No Archangel_.

Such an eminent Statesman and prime Minister, ------ _No Witch_.

Such a Ribbon with a Set of great Letters added, ------ _No Conjurer_.

It presently occurr'd to me that tho' Oracles were ceased, and we had now no more double _Entendre_ in such a Degree as before, yet that ambiguous Answers were not at an End; and that whether those Negatives were meant so by the Writers, or not, 'twas certain Custom led the Readers to conclude them to be Satyrs, that they were to be rung backwards like the Bells when the Town's on fire; tho' in short, I durst not read them backward any where, but as speaking of foreign People, for fear of raising the _Devil_ I am talking of.

But to return to the Subject; to such mean Things is the DEVIL now reduc'd in his ordinary Way of carrying on his Business in the World, that his Oracles are deliver'd now by the Bellmen and the Chimney-Sweepers, by the meanest of those that speak in the Dark, and if he operates by them, you may expect it accordingly; his Agents seem to me as if the DEVIL had singl'd them out by their Deformity, or that there was something particular requir'd in their Aspect to qualify them for their Employment; whence it is become proverbial, when our Looks are very dismal and frightful, to say, I look like a Witch, or in other Cases to say, as ugly as a Witch; in another Case to look as envious as a Witch; now whether there is any Thing particularly requir'd in the Looks of the DEVIL's modern Agents, which is a.s.sisting in the Discharge of their Offices, and which make their Answers appear more solemn, this the _Devil_ has not yet reveal'd, at least not to me; 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 Enquiries, I do not take upon me to determine.

Perhaps it is necessary they should be thus extraordinary in their Aspect, that they might strike an Awe into the Minds of their Votaries, as if they were Satan's true and real Representatives; and that the said Votaries may think when they speak to the Witches they are really talking to the _Devil_; or perhaps 'tis necessary to the Witches themselves, that they should be so exquisitely ugly, that they might not be surpriz'd at whatever Figure the Devil makes when he first appears to them, being certain they can see nothing uglier than themselves.

Some are of the Opinion that the Communication with the _Devil_, or between the Devil and those Creatures his Agents, has something a.s.simulating in it, and that if they were tolerable before, they are, _ipso facto_, turn'd into DEVILS by talking with him; I will not say but that a Tremor in the Limbs, a Horror in the Aspect, and a surprizing Stare in the Eyes may seize upon some of them when they really see the DEVIL, and that the frequent Repet.i.tion may make those Distortions, which we so constantly see in their Faces becomes natural to them; by which if it does not continue always upon the Countenance, they can at least, _like the Posture-Masters_, cast themselves into such Figures and frightful Dislocations of the Lines and Features in their Faces, and so a.s.sume a Devil's Face suitable to the Occasion, or as may serve the turn for which they take it up, and as often as they have any use for it.

But be it which of these the Enquirer pleases, 'tis all one to the Case in Hand; this is certain, that such deform'd _Devil-like_ Creatures, most of those we call _Hags_ and _Witches_, are in their Shapes and Aspects, and that they give out their Sentences and frightful Messages with an Air of Revenge for some Injury receiv'd; for Witches are fam'd chiefly for doing Mischief.

It seems the _Devil_ has always pick'd out the most ugly and frightful old Women to do his Business; _Mother s.h.i.+pton_, our famous _English_ Witch or Prophetess, is very much wrong'd in her Picture, if she was not of the most terrible Aspect imaginable; and if it be true that _Merlin_, the famous _Welch_ Fortune-Teller, was a frightful Figure, it will seem the more rational to believe, if we credit another Story, (_viz._) that he was begotten by the Devil himself, of which I shall speak by it self: But to go back to the Devil's Instruments being so ugly; it may be observed, I say, that the Devil has always dealt in such sort of Cattle; the _Sybils_, of whom so many strange prophetic Things are recorded, whether true or no is not to the Question, are (if the _Italian_ Painters may have any Credit given them) all represented as very old Women; and as if Ugliness were a Beauty to old Age, they seem to paint them out as ugly and frightful as (not they, the Painters) but even as the Devil himself could make them; not that I believe there are any original Pictures of them really extant; but it is not unlikely that the _Italians_ might have some traditional Knowledge of them, or some remaining Notions of them, or particularly that antient _Sybil_ named _a.n.u.s_, who sold the fatal Book to _Tarquin_; 'tis said of her that _Tarquin_ supposed she doated with Age.

I had Thoughts indeed here to have entred into a learned Disquisition of the Excellency of old Women in all diabolical Operations, and particularly of the Necessity of having recourse to them for _Satan_'s more exquisite Administration, which also may serve to solve the great Difficulty in the natural Philosophy of h.e.l.l; namely, why it comes to pa.s.s that the Devil is oblig'd for want of old Women, properly so call'd, to turn so many antient Fathers, grave Counsellors both of Law and State, and especially Civilians or Doctors of the Law into old Women, and how the extraordinary Operation is perform'd; but this, as a Thing of great Consequence in Satan's Management of humane Affairs, and particularly as it may lead us into the necessary History, as well as Characters of some of the most eminent of these Sects among us, I have purposely reserv'd for a Work by it self, to be published, if _Satan hinders not_, in fifteen Volumes in Folio, wherein I shall in the first Place define in the most exact Manner possible, what is to be understood by a _Male old Woman_, of what heterogeneous Kind they are produced, give you the monstrous Anatomy of the Parts, and especially those of the Head, which being fill'd with innumerable Globules of a sublime Nature, and which being of a fine Contexture without, but particularly hollow in the Cavity, defines most philosophically that antient paradoxical Saying, (_viz._) _being full of Emptiness_, and makes it very consistent with Nature and common Sense.

I shall likewise spend some Time, _and it must be Labour too, I a.s.sure you, when 'tis done_, in determining whether this new Species of Wonderfuls are not deriv'd from that famous _old Woman Merlin_, which I prove to be very reasonable for us to suppose, because of the many several judicious Authors, who affirm the said _Merlin_, as I hinted before, to have been begotten by the _Devil_.

As to the deriving his Gift of Prophesy from the Devil, by that pretended Generation, I shall omit that Part, because, as I have all along insisted upon it, that Satan himself has no prophetic or predicting Powers of his own, it is not very clear to me that he could convey it to his Posterity, _nil dat quod not habet_.

However, in deriving this so much magnified Prophet in a right Line from the _Devil_, much may be said in favour of his ugly Face, in which it was said he was very remarkable, for it is no new Thing for a Child to be like the Father; but all these weighty Things I adjourn for the present, and proceed to the Affair in Hand, namely, the several Branches of the _Devil_'s Management since his quitting his Temples and Oracles.

CHAP. VI.

_Of the extraordinary Appearance of the_ Devil, _and particularly of the Cloven-Foot._

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 does; for Satan, who knows how much of a Cheat it is, must certainly ridicule it, in his own Thoughts, to the last Degree; but as he is glad of any Way to hoodwink the Understandings, and bubble the weak Part of the World; so if he sees Men willing to take every Scarecrow for a Devil, it is not his Business to undeceive them; on the other Hand, he finds it his Interest to foster the Cheat, and serve himself of the Consequence: Nor could I doubt but the Devil, if any Mirth be allow'd him, often laughs at the many frightful Shapes and Figures we dress him up in, and especially to see how willing we are first to paint him as black, and make him appear as ugly as we can, and then stare and start at the Spectrum of our own making.

The Truth is, that among all the Horribles that we dress up Satan in, I cannot but think we shew the least of Invention in this of a Goat, or a Thing with a Goat's Foot, of all the rest; for tho' a Goat is a Creature made use of by our Saviour in the Allegory of the Day of Judgment, and is said there to represent the wicked rejected Party, yet it seems to be only on Account of their Similitude to the Sheep, and so to represent the just Fate of Hypocrisy and Hypocrites, and in particular to form the necessary Ant.i.thesis in the Story; for else, _our whimsical Fancies excepted_, a Sheep or a Lamb has a Cloven-Foot as well as a Goat; nay, if the Scripture be of any Value in the Case, 'tis to the _Devil_'s Advantage, for the dividing the Hoof was the distinguis.h.i.+ng Character or Mark of a clean Beast, and how the Devil can be brought into that Number is pretty hard to say.

One would have thought if we had intended to have given a just Figure of the _Devil_, it would have been more apposite to have rank'd him among the Cat-kind, and given him a Foot (if he is to be known by his Foot) like a Lion, or like a _red Dragon_, being the same Creatures which he is represented by in the Text, and so his Claws would have had some Terror in them as well as his Teeth.

But neither is the _Goat_ a true Representative of the Devil at all, for we do not rank the Goats among the Subtle or cunning Part of the Brutes; he is counted a fierce Creature indeed of his Kind, tho' nothing like those other abovemention'd; and he is emblematically used to represent a l.u.s.tful Temper, but even that Part does not fully serve to describe the Devil, whose Operation lies princ.i.p.ally another Way.

Besides it is not the _Goat_ himself that is made use of, 'tis the Cloven-Hoof only, and that so particularly, that the _Cloven Foot_ of a Ram or a Swine, or any other Creature, may serve as well as that of a _Goat_, only that History gives us some Cause to call it the _Goat_'s _Foot_.

In the next Place 'tis understood by us not as a bare Token to know _Satan_ by, but as if it were a Brand upon him, and that like the Mark G.o.d put upon _Cain_, it was given him for a Punishment, so that he cannot get leave to appear without it, nay cannot conceal it whatever other Dress or Disguise he may put on; and as if it was to make him as ridiculous as possible, they will have it be, that whenever _Satan_ has Occasion to dress himself in any humane Shape, be it of what Degree soever, from the King to the Beggar, be it of a fine Lady or of an _old Woman_, (the Latter it seems he oftenest a.s.sumes) yet still he not only must have this _Cloven-Foot_ about him, but he is oblig'd to shew it too; nay, they will not allow him any Dress, whether it be a Prince's Robes, a Lord Cha---r's Gown, or a Lady's Hoop and long Petticoats, but the Cloven-Foot must be shew'd from under them; they will not so much as allow him an artificial _Shoe_ or a _Jack-Boot_, as we often see contriv'd to conceal a _Club-Foot_ or a _Wooden-Leg_; but that the _Devil_ may be known wherever he goes, he is bound to shew his Foot; they might as well oblige him to set a Bill upon his Cap, as Folks do upon a House to be let, and have it written in capital Letters, _I am the_ DEVIL.

It must be confess'd this is very particular, and would be very hard upon the _Devil_, if it had not another Article in it, which is some Advantage to him, and that is, that _the Fact is not true_; but the Belief of this is so universal, that all the World runs away with it; by which Mistake the good People miss the _Devil_ many times where they look for him, and meet him as often where they did not expect him, and when for want of this Cloven-Foot they do not know him.

Upon this very Account I have sometimes thought, not that this has been put upon him by meer Fancy, and the Cheat of a heavy Imagination, propagated by Fable and Chymny-Corner Divinity, but that it has been a Contrivance of his own; and that, in short, the Devil rais'd this Scandal upon himself, that he might keep his Disguise the better, and might go a Visiting among his Friends without being known; for were it really so, that he could go no where without this particular Brand of Infamy, he could not come into Company, could not dine with my Lord Mayor, nor drink Tea with the Ladies, could not go to the Drawing-R---- at ------, could not have gone to _Fountainbleau_ to the King of _France_'s Wedding, or to the Diet of _Poland_, to prevent the Grandees there coming to an Agreement; nay, _which would be still worse than all_, he could not go to the Masquerade, nor to any of our b.a.l.l.s; the Reason is plain, he would be always discover'd, expos'd and forc'd to leave the good Company, or which would be as bad, the Company would all cry out the _Devil_ and run out of the Room as if they were frighted; nor could all the Help of Invention do him any Service, no Dress he could put on would cover him; not all our Friends at _Tavistock Corner_ could furnish him with a Habit that would disguise or conceal him, this unhappy Foot would spoil it all: Now this would be a great a Loss to him, that I question whether he could carry on any of his most important Affairs in the World without it; for tho' he has access to Mankind in his compleat Disguise, I mean that of his Invisibility, yet the Learned very much agree in this, that his corporal Presence in the World is absolutely necessary upon many Occasions, to support his Interest and keep up his Correspondences, and particularly to encourage his Friends when Numbers are requisite to carry on his Affairs; but this Part I shall have Occasion to speak of again, when I come to consider him as a Gentleman of Business in his Locality, and under the Head of visible Apparition; but I return to the _Foot_.

As I have thus suggested that the Devil himself has politically spread about this Notion concerning his appearing with _a Cloven-Foot_, 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 People, and especially of those clear sighted Folks who see the _Devil_ when he is not to be seen, that they would make no Scruple to say, nay and to make Affidavit too, even before _Satan_ himself, whenever he sat upon the Bench, that they had seen his Wors.h.i.+p's Foot at such and such a Time; this I advance the rather because 'tis very much for his Interest to do this, for if we had not many Witnesses, _viva voce_, to testify it, we should have had some obstinate Fellows always among us, who would have denied the Fact, or at least have spoken doubtfully of it, and so have rais'd Disputes and Objections against it, as impossible, or at least as improbable; buzzing one ridiculous Notion or other into our Ears, as if the Devil was not so black as he was painted, that he had no more a _Cloven-Foot_ than a Pope, whose Apostolical Toes have so often been reverentially kiss'd by Kings and Emperors: but now alas this Part is out of the Question, not the Man in the Moon, not the Groaning-Board, not the speaking of Fryar _Bacon_'s Brazen-Head, not the Inspiration of _Mother s.h.i.+pton_, or the Miracles of Dr. _Faustus_, Things as certain as Death and Taxes, can be more firmly believ'd: The Devil not have a Cloven-Foot! I doubt not but I could, in a short Time, bring you a thousand old Women together, that would as soon believe there was no Devil at all; nay, they will tell you, he could not be a Devil without it, any more than he could come into the Room, and the Candles not burn blue, or go out and not leave a smell of Brimstone behind him.

Since then the Certainty of the Thing is so well establish'd, and there are so many good and substantial Witnesses ready to testify that he has a Cloven-Foot, and that they have seen it too; nay, and that we have Antiquity on our Side, for we have this Truth confirm'd by the Testimony of many Ages; why should we doubt it any longer? we can prove that many of our Ancestors have been of this Opinion, and divers learn'd Authors have left it upon Record, as particularly that learned Familiarist Mother _Hazel_, whose Writings are to be found in MS. in the famous Library at _Pye-Corner_; also the admir'd _Joan_ of _Amesbury_, the History of the _Lancas.h.i.+re_ Witches, and the Reverend Exorcist of the _Devil_'s of _London_, whose History is extant among us to this Day; all these and many more may be quoted, and their Writings referr'd to for the Confirmation of the Antiquity of this Truth; but there seems to be no Occasion for farther Evidence, 'tis enough, _Satan_ himself, if he did not raise the Report, yet tacitly owns the Fact, at least he appears willing to have it believ'd, and be receiv'd as a general Truth for the Reasons above.

But besides all this, and as much a Jest as some unbelieving People would have this Story pa.s.s for, who knows but that if _Satan_ is empower'd to a.s.sume any Shape or Body, and to appear to us visibly, as if really so shap'd; I say, who knows but he may, by the same Authority, be allow'd to a.s.sume the Addition of the Cloven-Foot, or two or four Cloven-Feet, if he pleased? and why not a _Cloven-Foot_ as well as any other Foot, if he thinks fit? For if the _Devil_ can a.s.sume a Shape, and can appear to Mankind in a visible Form, it may, I doubt not, with as good Authority be advanc'd that he is left at Liberty to a.s.sume what Shape he pleases, and to choose _what Case of Flesh and Blood he'll please to wear_, whether real or imaginary; and if this Liberty be allow'd him, it is an admirable Disguise for him to come generally with his _Cloven-Foot_, that when he finds it for his Purpose, on special Occasions to come without it, as I said above, he may not be suspected; _but take this with you as you go_, that all this is upon a Supposition that the _Devil_ can a.s.sume a visible Shape, and make a real Appearance, which however I do not yet think fit to grant or deny.

Certain it is, the first People who bestow'd a _Cloven-Foot_ upon the Devil, were not so despicable as you may imagine, but were real Favourites of Heaven; for did not _Aaron_ set up the _Devil_ of a Calf in the Congregation, and set the People a dancing about it for a G.o.d?

Upon which Occasion, Expositors tell us, that particular Command was given, _Levit._ xvii. 7. _They shall no more offer their Sacrifices unto_ Devils, _after whom they have gone a Whoring_; likewise King _Jeroboam_ set up the two Calves, one at _Dan_ and the other at _Bethel_, and we find them charg'd afterwards with setting up the Wors.h.i.+p of _Devils_ instead of the Wors.h.i.+p of _G.o.d_.

After this we find some Nations actually sacrificed to the _Devil_ in the Form of a Ram, and others of a Goat; from which, and that above of the Calves at _h.o.r.eb_, I doubt not the Story of the _Cloven-Foot_ first derived; and it is plain that the Wors.h.i.+p of that Calf at _h.o.r.eb_ is meant in the Scripture quoted above, _Levit._ xvii. 7. _Thou shalt no more offer Sacrifices unto Devils_: The Original is _Seghnirim_; that is, rough and hairy _Goats_ or _Calves_; and some think also in this Shape the _Devil_ most ordinarily appeared to the _Egyptians_ and _Arabians_, from whence it was derived.

Also in the old Writings of the _Egyptians_, I mean their hieroglyphick Writing, before the Use of Letters was known, we are told this was the Mark that he was known by; and the Figure of a _Goat_ was the _Hieroglyphick_ of the _Devil_; some will affirm that the _Devil_ was particularly pleased to be so represented; how they came by their Information, and whether they had it from his own Mouth or not, Authors have not yet determined.

But be this as it will, I do not see that _Satan_ could have been at a Loss for some extraordinary Figure to have banter'd Mankind with, tho'

this had not been thought of; but thinking of the _Cloven-Foot_ first, and the Matter being indifferent, this took place, and easily rooted it self in the bewildred Fancy of the People, and now 'tis riveted too fast for the _Devil_ himself to remove it if he was disposed to try; but as I said above, 'tis none of his Business to solve Doubts or remove Difficulties out of our Heads, but to perplex us with more, as much as he can.

Some People carry this Matter a great deal higher still, and will have the _Cloven-Foot_ be like the great Stone which the _Brasilian Conjurers_ used to solve all difficult Questions upon, after having used a great many monstrous and barbarous Gestures and Distortions of their Bodies, and cut certain Marks or magical Figures upon the Stone; so, _I say_, they will have this Cloven-Foot be a kind of a Conjuring-Stone, and tell us, that in former Times, when _Satan_ drove a greater Trade with Mankind in publick, than he has done of late, he gave this _Cloven-Foot_ as a Token to his particular Favourites to work Wonders with, and to conjure by, and that Witches, Fairies, Hobgoblins, and such Things, of which the Antients had several Kinds, at least in their Imagination, had all a _Goat's Leg_ with a _Cloven-Foot_ to put on upon extraordinary Occasions; it seems this Method is of late grown out of Practice, and so like the melting of Marble and the painting of Gla.s.s, 'tis laid aside among the various useful Arts which History tells us are lost to the World; what may be practised in the Fairy World, if such a Place there be, we can give no particular Account at present.

But neither is this all, for other wou'd-be-wise People take upon them to make farther and more considerable Improvements upon this Doctrine of the _Cloven-Foot_, and treat it as a most significant Instrument of Satan's private Operation, and that as _Joseph_ is said to _Divine_, that is to say, to _conjure_ by his Golden Cup which was put into _Benjamin_'s Sack, so the _Devil_ has managed several of his secret Operations, and Possessions, and other h.e.l.lish Mechanisms upon the Spirits as well as Bodies of Men, by the Medium or Instrumentality of the _Cloven-Foot_; accordingly it had a Kind of an h.e.l.lish Inspiration in it, and a separate and magical Power by which he wrought his infernal Miracles; that the Cloven-Foot had a superior Signification, and was not only emblematic and significative of the Conduct of Men, but really guided their Conduct in the most important Affairs of Life; and that the Agents the Devil employ'd to influence Mankind, and to delude them and draw them into all the Snares and Traps that he lays continually for their Destruction, were equipp'd with this Foot in Aid of their other Powers for Mischief.

Here they read us learn'd Lectures upon the sovereign Operations which the Devil is at present Master of, in the Government of human Affairs; and how the Cloven-Foot is an Emblem of the true _double Entendre_ or divided Aspect, which the great Men of the World generally act with, and by which all their Affairs are directed; from whence it comes to pa.s.s that there is no such Thing as a single hearted Integrity, or an upright Meaning to be found in the World; that Mankind, worse than the ravenous Brutes, preys upon his own Kind, and devours them by all the laudable Methods of Flattery, Whyne, Cheat and Treachery; _Crocodile like_, weeping over those it will devour, destroying those it smiles upon, and, in a Word, devours its own Kind, which the very Beasts refuse, and that by all the Ways of Fraud and Allurement that _h.e.l.l_ can invent; holding out a cloven divided Hoof, or Hand, pretending to save, when the very Pretence is made use of to ensnare and destroy.

Thus the divided Hoof is the Representative of a divided double Tongue, and Heart, an Emblem of the most exquisite Hypocrisy, the most fawning and fatally deceiving Flattery; and here they give us very diverting Histories, tho' tragical in themselves, of the manner which some of the _Devil_'s inspired Agents have manag'd themselves under the especial Influence of the _Cloven-Foot_; how they have made War under the Pretence of Peace, murther'd Garrisons under the most sacred Capitulations, ma.s.sacred innocent Mult.i.tudes after Surrenders to Mercy.

Again, they tell us the _Cloven-Foot_ has been made use of in all Treasons, Plots, a.s.sa.s.sinations, and secret as well as open Murthers and Rebellions. Thus _Joab_ under the Treason of an Embrace, shew'd how dexterously he could manage the _Cloven-Foot_, and struck _Abner_ under the fifth Rib: Thus _David_ play'd the Cloven-Foot upon poor _Uriah_, when he had a Mind to lie with his Wife: Thus _Brutus_ play'd it upon _Caesar_; and to come nearer home, we have had a great many retrograde Motions in this Country by this magical Implement the _Foot_; Such as that of the Earl of _Ess.e.x_'s Fate, beheading the Queen of _Scots_, and diverse others in Queen _Elizabeth_'s Time: That of the Earl of _Shrewsbury_ and Sir _Thomas Overbury_, _Gondamor_ and Sir _Walter Raleigh_, and many others in King _James_ the I.'s Time; in all which, if the Cloven-Foot had not been dexterously manag'd, those Murthers had not been so dexterously manag'd, or the Murtherers have so well been skreen'd from Justice; for which and the imprecated Justice of Heaven unappeased, some have thought the innocent Branches of the Royal House of _Stuart_ did not fare the better in the Ages which follow'd.

It must be confess'd, the Cloven-Foot was in its full Exercise in the next Reign, and the Generation that rose up immediately after them, arrived to the most exquisite Skill for Management of it; here they fasted and pray'd, there they plunder'd and murther'd; here they rais'd War for the King, and there they fought against him, cutting Throats for _G.o.d's Sake_, and deposing both King and kingly Government according to Law.

Nor was the _Cloven-Foot_ unemployed on all Sides, for 'tis the main Excellency of this Instrument of h.e.l.l, that it acts on every Side, it is its denominating Quality, and is for that Reason call'd a cloven or divided Hoof.

This mutilated Apparition has been so publick in other Countries too, that it seems to convince us the Devil is not confin'd to _England_ only, but that as his Empire extended to all the sublunary World, so he gives them all Room to see he is qualified to manage them his own Way.