I won't say, but the _Devil_, to draw these People we call _Cunning-Men_, into a Snare, and to push on his farther Designs, may encourage them privately, and in a manner that they themselves know nothing of, to make use of his Name, and abuse the World about him, till at last they may really believe they do deal with the _Devil_, when indeed 'tis only he deals with them, and they know nothing of the Matter. In other Cases he may encourage them in these little Frauds and Cheats, and give them leave, as above, to make use of his Name to bring them afterwards, and by Degrees to have a real Acquaintance with him; so bringing the Jest of their Trade into Earnest, till at length prompting them to commit some great Villany, he secures them to be his own, by their very Fear of his leaving them to be exposed to the World; thus he puts a _Jonathan Wild_ upon them, and makes them be the very Wretches they only pretended to be before: So old _Parsons_ of _Clithroe_, as Fame tells, was twenty five Years a _Cunning-man_, and twenty two Years a Witch; that is to say, for five and twenty Years, he was only pretending to deal with the _Devil_, when Satan and he had no manner of Acquaintance, and he only put his _Leger-de-main_ upon the People in the _Devil_'s Name, without his leave; but at length the _Devil_'s Patience being tir'd quite out, he told the old Counterfeit, that in short, he had been his stalking Horse long enough, and that now, if he thought fit to enter himself, and take a Commission, well and good; and he should have a Lease to carry on his Trade for so many Years more, to his Heart's content; but if not, he would expose his Knavery to the World, for that he should take away his Peoples Trade no longer; but that he (Satan) would set up another in his Room, that should make a meer Fool of him, and carry away all his Customers. Upon this, the old Man consider'd of it, took the _Devil_'s Counsel, and listed in his Pay; so he, that had plaid his Pranks twenty five Years as a Conjurer, when he was no Conjurer, was then forc'd really to deal with the DEVIL, for fear the People should know he did not: Till now he had _ambo dexter_, cheated the Devil on one Hand, and the People on the other; but the _Devil_ gain'd his Point at last, and so he was a real Wizard ever after.