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
As he takes thus a daily View of all the Circle, and an hourly View of
the Parts, he is fully Master of all Transactions, at least such as are
done above Board by all Mankind; and then he dispatches his Emissaries
or _Aid du Camps_ to every Part with his Orders and Instructions: Now
these Emissaries, you are to understand, are not the _Witches_ and
_Diviners_, who I spoke of above, for I call them also Emissaries; but
they are all _Devils_ or (as you know they are call'd) _Devil_'s Angels;
and these may, perhaps, come and converse personally with the
Sub-emissaries I mention'd, to be ready for their Support and Assistance
on all Occasions of Business: These are those _Devils_ which the Witches
are said to raise; for we can hardly suppose the Master _Devil_ comes
himself, at the Summons of every ugly old Woman.
These run about into every Nook and Corner, wherever Satan's Business
calls them, and are never wanting to him; but are the most diligent
_Devils_ imaginable; like the _Turkish Chaiux_, they no sooner receive
their Errand, but they execute it with the utmost Alacrity; and as to
their Speed, it may be truly written as a Motto, upon the Head of every
individual _Devil_,
_Non indiget calcaribus._
These are those, who they tell us our Witches, Sorcerers, Wizards, and
such Sorts of Folks converse freely with, and are therefore call'd their
_Familiars_; and as they tell us, come to them in human Shapes, talk to
them with articulate plain Voices, as if Men, and that yet the said
Witches, _&c._ know them to be _Devils_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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