The History of the Devil Part 5

_Gent._ Very well, he was all in fire, you say, but without light or heat, only, it seems, he stunk of brimstone; pray what shapes was he in, what was he like; for you say you saw him?

_Tho._ O! Sir, I saw two great staring saucer eyes, enough to fright any body out of their wits.

_Gent._ And was that all you saw?

_Tho._ No, I saw his _cloven-foot_ very plain, 'twas as big as one of our bullocks that goes to plow.

_Gent._ So you saw none of his body, but his eyes and his feet? a fine vision indeed!

_Tho._ Sir, that was enough to send me going.

_Gent._ Going! what did you run away from him?

_Tho._ No, but I fled into bed at one jump, and sunk down and pull'd the bed-clothes quite over me.

_Gent._ And what did you do that for?

_Tho._ To hide my self from such a frightful creature.

_Gent._ Why, if it had really been the Devil, do you think the bed-clothes would have secur'd you from him?

_Tho._ Nay, I don't know, but in a fright it was all I could do.

_Gent._ Nay, 'twas as wise as all the rest; but come, _Thomas_, to be a little serious, pray did he speak to you?

_Tho._ Yes, yes, I heard a voice, but who it was the Lord knows.

_Gent._ What kind of voice was it, was it like a man's voice?

_Tho._ No, it was a hoa.r.s.e ugly noise, like the croaking of a Frog, and it call'd me by my name twice, _Thomas Dawson, Thomas Dawson_.

_Gent._ Well, did you answer?

_Tho._ No, not I, I could not have spoke a word for my life; why, I was frighted to death.

_Gent._ Did it say any thing else?

_Tho._ _Yes_, when it saw that I did not speak, it said, _Thomas Dawson, Thomas Dawson, you are a wicked wretch, you lay with_ Jenny S---- _last night; if you don't repent, I will take you away alive and carry you to h.e.l.l, and you shall be d.a.m.ned, you wretch_.

_Gent._ And was it true, _Thomas_, did you lye with _Jenny S----_ the night before?

_Tho._ Indeed Master, why yes it was true, but I was very sorry afterwards.

_Gent._ But how should the Devil know it, _Thomas_?

_Tho._ Nay, he knows it to be sure; why, they say he knows every thing.

_Gent._ _Well_, but why should he be angry at that? he would rather did you lye with her again, and encourage you to lye with forty wh.o.r.es, than hinder you: This can't be the Devil, _Thomas_.

_Tho._ Yes, yes. Sir, 'twas the _Devil_ to be sure.

_Gent._ But he bid you repent too, you say?

_Tho._ Yes, he threatn'd me if I did not.

_Gent._ Why, _Thomas_, do you think the Devil would have you repent?

_Tho._ _Why no_, that's true too, I don't know what to say to that; but what could it be? 'twas the Devil to be sure, it could be n.o.body else?

_Gent._ No, no, 'twas neither the Devil, _Thomas_, nor any body else, but your own frighted imagination; you had lain with that wench, and being a young sinner of that kind, your Conscience terrified you, told you the Devil would fetch you away, and you would be d.a.m.n'd; and you were so persuaded it would be so, that you at last imagin'd he was come for you indeed; that you saw him and heard him; whereas, you may depend upon it, if _Jenny S----_ will let you lye with her every night, the Devil will hold the candle, or do any thing to forward it, but will never disturb you; he's too much a friend to your wickedness, it could never be the Devil, _Thomas_; 'twas only your own guilt frighted you, and that was _Devil_ enough too, if you knew the worst of it, you need no other enemy.

_Tho._ Why that's true, Master, one would think the _Devil_ should not bid me repent, that's true; but certainly 'twas the Devil for all that.

Now _Thomas_ was not the only man that having committed a flagitious crime had been deluded by his own imagination, and the power of fancy, to think the Devil was come for him; whereas the Devil, to give him his due, is too honest to pretend to such things; 'tis his business to persuade men to offend, not to repent; and he professes no other; he may press men to this or that action, by telling them 'tis no sin, no offence, no breach of G.o.d's Law, and the like, when really 'tis both; but to press them to repent, when they have offended, that's quite out of his way; 'tis none of his business, nor does he pretend to it; therefore, let no man charge the Devil with what he is not concern'd in.

But to return to his Person, he is, as I have said, notwithstanding his lost glory, a mighty, a terrible and an immortal Spirit; he is himself call'd a Prince, _the Prince of the Power of the Air_; the Prince of Darkness, the Prince of _Devils_, and the like, and his attending Spirits are call'd _his Angels_: so that however _Satan_ has lost the glory and rect.i.tude of his Nature, by his apostate state, yet he retains a greatness and magnificence, which places him above our rank, and indeed above our conception; for we know not what he is, any more than we know what the blessed Angels are; of whom we can say no more than that they are _ministring Spirits_, &c. as the Scripture has describ'd them.

Two things, however, may give us some insight into the nature of the Devil, in the present state he is in; and these we have a clear discovery of in the whole series of his Conduct from the Beginning.

1. That he is the vanquish'd but implacable enemy of G.o.d his Creator, who has conquer'd him, and expell'd him from the habitations of bliss; on which account he is fill'd with envy, rage, malice, and all uncharitableness; would dethrone G.o.d and overturn the thrones of Heaven, if it was in his power.

2. That he is man's irreconcilable Enemy; not as he is a man, nor on his own account simply, nor for any advantage he (the Devil) can make by the ruin and destruction of man; but in meer envy at the felicity he is supposed to enjoy as Satan's rival; and as he is appointed to succeed Satan and his Angels in the possession of those glories from which they are fallen.

And here I must take upon me to say, Mr. _Milton_ makes a wrong judgment of the reason of _Satan_'s resolution to disturb the felicity of man; He tells us it was meerly to affront G.o.d his Maker, rob him of the glory design'd in his new work of creations and to disappoint him in his main design, namely, the creating a new species of creatures in a perfect rect.i.tude of soul, and after his own image, from whom he might expect a new Fund of glory should be rais'd, and who was to appear as the triumph of the Messiah's victory over the Devil. 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 before.

But, I believe, the Devil went upon a much more probable design; and tho' he may be said to act upon a meaner principle than that of pointing his rage at the personal glory of his Creator; yet I own, that in my opinion, it was by much the more rational undertaking, and more likely to succeed; and that was, that whereas he perceived this new species of creatures had a sublime as well as a human part, and were made capable of possessing the mansions of eternal Beat.i.tude, from whence, he (_Satan_) and his Angels were expell'd and irretrievably banish'd; envy at such a rival mov'd him by all possible artifice, _for he saw him deprived of capacity to do it by force_, to render him unworthy like himself; that bringing him to fall into rebellion and disobedience, he might see his Rival d.a.m.n'd with him; and those who were intended to fill up the empty s.p.a.ces in Heaven, made so by the absence of so many millions of fallen Angels, be cast out into the same darkness with them.

How he came to know that this new species of creatures were liable to such imperfection, is best explain'd by the _Devil_'s prying, vigilant disposition, judging or leading him to judge by himself; (for he was as near being infallible as any of G.o.d's creatures had been) and then inclining him to try whether it was so or no.

Modern Naturalists, especially some who have not so large a charity for the fair s.e.x, as I have, tell us, that as soon as ever Satan saw the woman, and look'd in her face, he saw evidently that she was the best form'd creature to make a Tool of, and the best to make a hypocrite of, that could be made, and therefore the most fitted for his purpose.

1. He saw by some thwart lines in her face, (legible, perhaps, to himself only) that there was a throne ready prepar'd for the sin of pride to sit in state upon, especially if it took an early possession: EVE you may suppose was a perfect Beauty, if ever such a thing may be supposed in the human frame; her figure being so extraordinary, was the groundwork of his project; there needed no more than to bring her to be vain of it, and to conceit that it either was so, or was infinitely more sublime and beautiful than it really was; and having thus tickl'd her vanity, to introduce Pride gradually, till at last he might persuade her, that she was really Angelic, or of heavenly Race, and wanted nothing but to eat the forbidden fruit, and that would make her something more excellent still.

2. Looking farther into her Frame, and with a nearer view to her imperfections, he saw room to conclude that she was of a const.i.tution easy to be seduc'd, and especially by flattering her; raising a commotion in her Soul, and a disturbance among her pa.s.sions; and accordingly he set himself to work, to disturb her repose, and put dreams of great things into her head; together with something of a nameless Kind, which (however, some have been ill-natur'd enough to suggest) I shall not injure the Devil so much as to mention, without better evidence.

3. But, besides this, he found, upon the very first survey of her outside, something so very charming in her mein and behaviour, so engaging as well as agreeable in the whole texture of her person, and withal such a sprightly wit, such a vivacity of parts, such a fluency of tongue, and above all, such a winning prevailing whine in her smiles, or at least in her tears, that he made no doubt if he could but once delude her, she would easily be brought to delude _Adam_, whom he found set not only a great value upon her person, but was perfectly captivated by her charms; in a word, he saw plainly, that if he could but ruin her, he should easily make a Devil of her, to ruin her husband, and draw him into any gulph of mischief, were it ever so black and dreadful, that she should first fall into herself; how far some may be wicked enough, from hence, to suggest of the _fair s.e.x_, that they have been Devils to their husbands ever since, I cannot say; I hope they will not be so unmerciful to discover truths of such fatal consequence, tho' they should come to their knowledge.

Thus subtle and penetrating has Satan been from the beginning; and who can wonder that upon these discoveries made into the woman's inside, he went immediately to work with her, rather than with _Adam_? not but that one would think, if _Adam_ was fool enough to be deluded by his wife, the Devil might have seen so much of it in his countenance, as to have encourag'd him to make his attack directly upon him, and not go round about, beating the bush, and ploughing with the Heifer; setting upon the woman first, and then setting her upon her husband, who might as easily have been imposed upon as she.

Other Commentators upon this critical Text suggest to us, that _Eve_ was not so pleased with the hopes of being made a G.o.ddess; That the pride of a Seraphic Knowledge did not so much work upon her imagination to bring her to consent, as a certain secret Notion infus'd into her head by the same wicked instrument, that she should be wiser than _Adam_, and should by the superiority of her understanding, necessarily have the government over him; which, at present, she was sensible she had not, he being master of a particular air of gravity and majesty, as well as of strength, infinitely superior to her.

This is an ill-natur'd suggestion; but it must be confess'd the impatient desire of government, which (since that) appears in the general Behaviour of the s.e.x, and particularly of governing husbands, leaves too much room to legitimate the supposition.

The Expositors, who are of this opinion, add to it, that this being her original crime, or the particular temptation to that crime; Heaven thought fit to shew his justice, in making her more entire subjection to her husband be a part of the Curse, that she might read her sin in the punishment, (_viz._) _he shall rule over thee_.

I only give the general hint of these things as they appear recorded in the annals of _Satan_'s first Tyranny, and at the beginning of his government in the World; those that would be more particularly inform'd, may enquire of him _and know farther_.

I cannot however, but observe here _with some regret_, how it appears by the consequence, that the Devil was not mistaken when he made an early judgment of Mrs. _Eve_; and how _Satan_ really went the right way to work, to judge of her; 'tis certain the Devil had nothing to do but to look in her face, and upon a near steady view he might easily see there, an instrument for his Turn; nor has he fail'd to make her a Tool ever since, by the very methods which he at first proposed; to which, perhaps, he has made some additions in the corrupting her composition, as well as her understanding; qualifying her to be a compleat snare to the poor _weaker vessel_ MAN; to wheedle him with her _Syren_'s voice, abuse him with her smiles, delude him with her crocodile tears, and sometimes c.o.c.k her crown at him, and terrify him with the thunder of her TREBLE; making the effeminated _Male Apple-eater_ tremble at the noise of that very Tongue, which at first commanded him to Sin. For it is yet a debate which the Learned have not decided, whether she persuaded and entreated him, or like a true she-tyrant, exercised her authority and oblig'd him to eat the forbidden fruit.