The History of the Devil, As Well Ancient as Modern: In Two PartsDefoe, Daniel
Philosophy
The History of the Devil, As Well Ancient as Modern: In Two Parts
Defoe, Daniel
Devil -- Early works to 1800
This would do nicely, and as I who am originally a Projector, have spent
some Time upon this Study, and doubt not in a little Time to finish my
Engine, which I am contriving, to screw the _Devil_ out of every Body,
or any Body; I question not when I have brought it to Perfection, but I
shall make most excellent Discoveries by it; and besides the many
extraordinary Advantages of it to human Society, I doubt not but it will
make good Sport in the World too; wherefore, when I publish my
Proposals, and divide it into Shares, as other less useful Projects have
been done, I question not, for all the severe Act lately pass'd against
Bubbles, but I shall get Subscribers enough, _&c._
In a Word, a secret Power of discovering what Devils we have among us,
and where and what Business they are doing, would be a vast Advantage to
us all; that we might know among the Crowd of _Devils_ that walk about
Streets, who are _Apparitions_, and who are not.
Now I, you must know, at certain Intervals when the Old Gentleman's
Illuminations are upon me, and when I have something of an
_Eclaricissement_ with him, have some Degrees of this discriminating
_Second Sight_, and therefore 'tis no strange thing for me to tell a
great many of my Acquaintance that they are really _Devils_, when they
themselves know nothing of the Matter: Sometimes indeed I find it pretty
hard to convince them of it, or at least they are very unwilling to own
it, but it is not the less so for that.
I had a long Discourse upon this Subject one day, with a young beautiful
Lady of my Acquaintance, who the World very much admired; and as the
World judges no farther than they can see, (and how should they, you
would say) they took her to be, as she really was, a most charming
Creature.
To me indeed she discover'd her self many Ways, besides the Advantage I
had of my extraordinary Penetration by the magic Powers which I am
vested with: To me, _I say_, she appear'd a Fury, a Satyr, a fiery
little Fiend as could possibly be dress'd up in Flesh; in short, she
appear'd to me what really she was, a very DEVIL: It is natural to human
Creatures to desire to discover any extraordinary Powers they are
possess'd of superior to others, and this Itch prevailing in me, among
the rest, I was impatient to let this Lady know that I understood her
Composition perfectly well, nay, as well as she did her self.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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