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
Thus the People of _Salem_ in _New-England_ pretended to be bewitch'd,
and that a black Man tormented them by the Instigation of such and such,
whom they resolv'd to bring to the Gallows: This black Man they would
have be the _Devil_, employ'd by the Person who they accus'd for a
Witch: Thus making the _Devil_ a Page or a Footman to the Wizard, to go
and torment whoever the said Wizard commanded, till the _Devil_ himself
was so weary of the foolish Part, that he left them to go on their own
Way, and at last they over-acted the murthering Part so far, that when
they confess'd themselves to be Witches, and possess'd, and that they
had Correspondence with the Devil, _Satan_ not appearing to vouch for
them, no Jury would condemn them upon their own Evidence, and they could
not get themselves hang'd, whatever Pains they took to bring it to pass.
Thus you see the _Devil_ may be wrong'd, and falsely accus'd in many
Particulars, and often has been so; there are likewise some other sorts
of counterfeit _Devils_ in the World, such as _Gypsies_,
_Fortune-Tellers_, Foretellers of good and bad Luck, Sellers of Winds,
Raisers of Storms, and many more, some practis'd among us, some in
foreign Parts, too many almost to reckon up; nay I almost doubt whether
the Devil himself knows all the Sorts of them; for 'tis evident he has
little or nothing to do with them, I mean not in the Way of their Craft.
These I take to be Interlopers, or with the _Guinea_ Merchants leave,
separate Traders, and who act under the Skreen and Protection of Satan's
Power, but without his License or Authority; no doubt these carry away a
great deal of his Trade, that is to say, the Trade which otherwise the
_Devil_ might have carried on by Agents or his own; I cannot but say,
that while these People would fain be thought _Devils_, tho' they really
are not, it is but just they should be really made as much _Devils_ as
they pretended to be, or that _Satan_ should do himself Justice upon
them, as he threaten'd to do upon old _Parsons_ of _Clithroe_
abovemention'd, and let the World know them.
CHAP. XI.
_Of Divination, Sorcery, the Black-Art, Pawawing, and such like Pretenders
to Devilism, and how far the_ Devil _is or is not concern'd in them._
Tho' I am writing the History of the _Devil_, I have not undertaken to
do the like of all the Kinds of People, Male or Female, who set up for
_Devils_ in the World: This would be a Task for the _Devil_ indeed, and
fit only for him to undertake, for their Number is and has been
prodigious great, and may, with his other Legions be rank'd among the
Innumerable.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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