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
_D._ This too the venerable Prince resents, and to preserve the Race in
Bounds of Laws subordinate and limited to Duty, Commands that this first
Breach be not pass'd by, lest the Precedent upon Record stand to future
Times to encourage like Rebellion.
_Cain._ And is it then my Sovereign Parent's Will?
_D._ It is his Will, that thou his eldest Son, his Image, his belov'd,
should be maintain'd in all the Rights of Sovereignty deriv'd to thee
from him; and not be left expos'd to injury and Power usurped, but
should do thy self Justice on the rebel Race.
_Cain._ And so I will; _Abel_ shall quickly know what 'tis to trample on
his elder Brother; shall know that he's thus sentenc'd by his Father,
and I'm commission'd but to execute his high Command, his Sentence,
which is God's, and that he falls by the Hand of Heavenly Justice.
* * * * *
So now Satan had done his Work, he had deluded the Mother to a Breach
against the first and only Command, he had drawn _Adam_ to the same
Snare, and now he brings in _Cain_ prompted by his own Rage, and deluded
by his, (Satan's,) Craft, to commit Murder, nay a Fratricide, an
aggravated Murther.
Upon this he sends out _Cain_, while the bloody Rage was in its Ferment,
and wickedly at the same Time bringing _Abel_, innocent and fearing no
ill, just in his Way, he suggests to his Thoughts such Words as these.
Look you _Cain_, see how Divine Justice concurs with your Father's
righteous Sentence, see there's thy Brother _Abel_ directed by Heaven to
fall into thy Hands unarm'd, unguarded, that thou may'st do thy self
Justice upon him without Fear; see thou may'st kill him, and if thou
hast a Mind to conceal it, no Eyes can see, or will the World ever know
it, so that no Resentment or Revenge upon thee, or thy Posterity, can be
apprehended, but it may be said some wild Beast had rent him; nor will
any one suggest that thou, his Brother, and Superior, could possibly be
the Person.
_Cain_ prepar'd for the Fact, by his former avow'd Rage and Resolution
of Revenge, was so much the less prepar'd to avoid the Snare thus
artfully contriv'd by the Master of all Subtilty, the _Devil_; so he
immediately runs upon his Brother _Abel_, and after a little unarm'd
Resistance, the innocent poor Man expecting no such Mischief, was
conquer'd and murther'd; after which, as is to be supposed, the
exasperated Crew of _Cain_'s outrageous Race, over-run all his Family
and Houshold, killing Man, Woman and Child.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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