The Man was so frighted and surpriz'd, that with all the Courage he had before, he drop'd on the Floor as one dead, and the Woman at last was fain to cut the poor Man down with a Pair of Scissars, and had much to do to effect it. As I have no room to doubt the Truth of this Story, which I had from Persons on whose Honesty I could depend. So I think it needs very little Trouble to convince us who the Man upon the Stool must be, and that it was the _Devil_ who plac'd himself there in order to finish the Murther of the Man who he had, _Devil_-like, tempted before, and prevail'd with to be his own Executioner. Besides, it corresponds so well with the _Devil_'s Nature, and with his Business, _viz._ that of a _Murtherer_, that I never question'd it; nor can I think we wrong the _Devil_ at all to charge him with it. _N. B._ I cannot be positive in the remaining Part of this Story, _viz._ whether the Man was cut down soon enough to be recover'd, or whether the _Devil_ carry'd his Point, and kept off the Man and Woman till it was too late; but be it which it will, 'tis plain he did his Devilish Endeavour, and stay'd till he was forc'd to abscond again. We have many solid Tales well attested, as well in History as in the Reports of honest People, who could not be deceived, intimating the _Devil_'s personal Appearance, some in one Place, some in another; as also sometimes in one Habit or Dress, and sometimes in another; and it is to be observed, that in none of those which are most like to be real, and in which there is least of Fancy and Vapour, you have any Mention of the _Cloven Foot_, which rather seems to be a mere Invention of Men (and perhaps chiefly of those who had a Cloven Understanding) I mean a shallow kind of Craft, the Effect of an empty and simple Head, thinking by such a well-meant, tho' weak Fraud, to represent the _Devil_ to the old Women and Children of the Age, with some Addition suitable to the Weakness of their Intellects, and suited to making them afraid of him.