Of theDevil’s Management in the Pagan Hierarchy by Omens, Entrails, Augurs, Oracles, and such like Pageantry of Hell; and how they went off the Stage at last by the Introduction of true Religion.
Of theDevil’s Management in the Pagan Hierarchy by Omens, Entrails, Augurs, Oracles, and such like Pageantry of Hell; and how they went off the Stage at last by the Introduction of true Religion.
Ihave adjourn’d, not finished, my Account of theDevil’s secret Management byPossession, and shall reassume it, in its Place; but I must take leave to mention some other Parts of his retir’d Scheme, by which he has hitherto manag’d Mankind, and the first of these is by that Fraud of all Frauds call’d Oracle.
Here his Trumpet yielded an uncertain Sound for some Ages, and like what he was, and according to what he practised from the Beginning, he deliver’d out Falshood and Delusion by Retale: The Priests ofApolloacted this Farce for him to a great Nicety atDelphos; there were divers others at the same Time, and some, which to give the Devil his due, he had very little Hand in, as we shall see presently.
There were also some smaller, some greater, some more, some less famous Places where those Oracles were seated, and Audience given to the Enquirers, in all which theDevil, or some Body for him,Permissu Superiorum, for either vindictive or other hidden Ends and Purposes, was allow’d to make at least a Pretension to the Knowledge of Things to come; but, as publick Cheats generally do, they acted in Masquerade, and gave such uncertain and inconsistent Responses, that they were oblig’dto use the utmost Art to reconcile Events to the Prediction, even after things were come to pass.
Here the Devil was alying Spirit, in a particular and extraordinary manner, in the Mouths of all the Prophets; and yet he had the Cunning to express himself so, that whatever happen’d, the Oracle was suppos’d to have meant as it fell out; and so all their Augurs, Omens and Voices, by which the Devil amus’d the World, not at that Time only, but since, have been likewise interpreted.
Julianthe Apostate dealt mightily in these Amusements, but the Devil, who neither wish’d his Fall, or presag’d it to him, evidenc’d that he knew nothing ofJulian’s Fate; for that, as he sent almost to all the Oracles of the East, and summon’d all the Priests together to inform him of the Success of hisPersianExpedition, they all, likeAhab’sProphets, having a lying Spirit in them, encourag’d him and promis’d him Success.
Nay, all the ill Omens which disturb’d him, they presag’d good from;for Example, he was at a prodigious Expence when he was atAntiochto buy up white Beasts, and white Fowls, for Sacrifices, and for predicting from the Entrails; from whence theAntiochians, in contempt, call’d himVictimarius; but whenever the Entrails foreboded Evil, the cunning Devil made the Priests put a different Construction upon them, and promise him Good: When he entred into the Temple of theGenijto offer Sacrifice, one of the Priests dropt down dead; this, had it had any Signification more than a Man falling dead of an Apoplectic, would have signified something fatal toJulian, who made himself a Brother Sacrist or Priest; whereas the Priests turn’d it presently to signify the Death of his Colleague, the ConsulSallustwhich happen’d just at the sameTime, tho’ eight hundred Miles off; so in another Case,Julianthought it ominous that he, who wasAugustusshould be nam’d with two other Names of Persons, both already dead; the Case was thus, the Stile of the Emperor wasJulianus Fœlix Augustus, and two of his principal Officers wereJulianusandFœlix; now bothJulianusandFœlixdied within a few Days of one another, which disturb’d Him much, who was the third of the three Names; but his flatteringDeviltold him it all imported Good to him (viz.) that tho’JulianusandFœlixshould die,Augustusshould be immortal.
Thus whatever happen’d, and whatever was foretold, and how much soever they differ’d from one another, the lying Spirit was sure to reconcile thePredictionand theEvent, and make them at least seem to correspond in Favour of the Person enquiring.
Now we are told Oracles are ceased, and theDevilis farther limited for the Good of Mankind, not being allow’d to vent his Delusions by the Mouths of the Priests and Augurs, as formerly: I will not take upon me to say how far they are really ceas’d, more than they were before; I think ’tis much more reasonable to believe there was never any Reality in them at all, or that any Oracle ever gave out any Answers but what were the Invention of the Priests and the Delusions of theDevil; I have a great many antient Authors on my Side in this Opinion, asEusebius,Tertullian,Aristotle, and others, who as they liv’d so near the Pagan Times, and when even some of those Rites were yet in Use, they had much more Reason to know, and could probably pass a better Judgment upon them; nayCicerohimself ridicules them in the openest manner; again, other Authors descend to Particular and shew how the Cheat wasmanag’d by the Heathen Sacrists and Priests, and in what enthusiastic manner they spoke; namely, by going into the hollow Images, such as the brazen Bull and the Image ofApollo, and how subtilly they gave outdubiousandambiguousAnswers; that when the People did not find their Expectations answer’d by the Event, they might be imposed upon by the Priests, and confidently told they did not rightly understand the Oracle’s Meaning: However, I cannot say but that indeed there are some Authors of good Credit too, who will have it that there was a real prophetic Spirit in the Voice or Answers given by the Oracles, and that oftentimes they were miraculously exact in those Answers; and they give that of theDelphicOracle answering the Question which was given aboutCrœsusfor an Example,viz.whatCrœsuswas doing at that time?to wit, that he was boiling a Lamb and the Flesh of a Tortoise together, in a brass Vessel, or Boiler, with a Cover of the same Metal; that is to say, in a Kettle with a brass Cover.
To affirm therefore, that they were all Cheats, a Man must encounter with Antiquity, and set his private Judgment up against an establish’d Opinion; but ’tis no matter for that; if I do not see any thing in that receiv’d Opinion capable of Evidence, much less of Demonstration, I must be allow’d still to think as I do; others may believe as they list; I see nothing hard or difficult in the Thing; the Priests, who were always historically inform’d of the Circumstances of the Enquirer, or at least something about them, might easily find some ambiguous Speech to make, and put some doubleEntendreupon them, which upon the Event solv’d the Credit of the Oracle, were it one way or other; and this they certainly did, or we have room to think theDevilknowsless of Things now than he did in former Days.
It is true that by these Delusions the Priests got infinite Sums of Money, and this makes it still probable that they would labour hard, and use the utmost of their Skill to uphold the Credit of their Oracles; and ’tis a full Discovery, as well of the Subtlety of the Sacrists, as of the Ignorance and Stupidity of the People, in those early Days ofSatan’s Witchcraft; to see what merry Work theDevilmade with the World, and what gross Things he put upon Mankind: Such was the Story of theDordonianOracle inEpirus,viz. That twoPigeonsflew out ofThebes(N. B.it was theEgyptian Thebes) from the Temple ofBelus, erected there by the antient Sacrists, and that one of these fled Eastward intoLybia, and the Desarts ofAfrick, and the other intoGreece, namely, toDordona, and these communicated the divine Mysteries to one another, and afterwards gave mystical Solutions to the devout Enquirers; first theDordonianPigeon perching upon an Oak spoke audibly to the People there, that the Gods commanded them to build an Oracle, or Temple, toJupiter, in that Place; which was accordingly done: The other Pigeon did the like on the Hill inAfrica, where it commanded them to build another toJupiter Ammon, orHammon.
WiseCicerocontemned all this, and, as Authors tell us, ridiculed the Answer, which, as I have hinted above, the Oracle gave toCrœsusproving that the Oracle it self was aLiar, that it could not come fromApollo, for thatApollonever spokeLatin: In a Word,Cicerorejected them all, andDemosthenesalso mentions the Cheats of theOracles; when speaking of the Oracle ofApollo, he said,Pithia Philippiz’d; that is, thatwhen the Priests were brib’d with Money, they always gave their Answers in favour ofPhilipofMacedon.
But that which is most strange to me is, that in this Dispute about the Reality of Oracles, the Heathen who made use of them are the People who expose them, and who insist most positively upon their being Cheats and Impostors, as in particular those mentioned above; while theChristianswho reject them, yet believe they did really foretel Things, answer Questions,&c.only with this Difference, that the Heathen Authors who oppose them, insist that ’tis all Delusion and Cheat, and charge it upon the Priests; and the Christian Opposers insist that it was real, but that theDevil, not the Gods, gave the Answers; and that he was permitted to do it by a superior Power, to magnify that Power in the total silencing them at last.
But, as I said before, I am with the Heathen here, against the Christian Writers, for I take it all to be a Cheat and Delusion: I must give my Reason for it, or I do nothing; my Reason is this, I insist Satan is as blind in Matters of Futurity, as we are, and can tell nothing of what is to come; these Oracles often pretending to predict, could be nothing else therefore but a Cheat form’d by the Money-getting Priests to amuse the World, and bring Grist to their Mill: If I meet with any thing in my Way to open my Eyes to a better Opinion of them, I shall tell it you as I go on.
On the other hand, whether theDevilreally spake in those Oracles, or set the cunning Priests to speak for him; whether they predicted, or only made the People believe they predicted; whether they gave Answers which came to pass, or prevail’d upon the People to believe thatwhat was said did come to pass, it was much at one, and fully answer’d theDevil’s End; namely, to amuse and delude the World; and as to do, or to cause to be done, is the same Part of Speech, so whoever did it, theDevil’s Interest was carried on by it, his Government preserv’d, and all the Mischief he could desire was effectually brought to pass, so that every way they were theDevil’s Oracles, that’s out of the Question.
Indeed I have wonder’d sometimes why, since by this Sorcery theDevilperform’d such Wonders, that is, play’d so many Tricks in the World, and had such universal Success, he should set up no more of them; but there might be a great many Reasons given for that, too long to tire you with at present: ’Tis true, there were not many of them, and yet considering what a great deal of Business they dispatch’d, it was enough, for six or eight Oracles were more than sufficient to amuse all the World: The chief Oracles we meet with in History are among theGreeksand theRomans,viz.
That ofJupiter Ammon, inLybia, as above.TheDordonian, inEpirus.Apollo Delphicus, in the Country ofPhocisinGreece.Apollo Clavius, inAsia Minor.Serapis, inAlexandriainEgypt.Trophomis, inBæotia.Sybilla Cumæa, inItaly.Diana, atEphesus.Apollo Daphneus, atAntioch.Besides many of lesser Note, in several other Places, as I have hinted before.
That ofJupiter Ammon, inLybia, as above.
TheDordonian, inEpirus.
Apollo Delphicus, in the Country ofPhocisinGreece.
Apollo Clavius, inAsia Minor.
Serapis, inAlexandriainEgypt.
Trophomis, inBæotia.
Sybilla Cumæa, inItaly.
Diana, atEphesus.
Apollo Daphneus, atAntioch.
Besides many of lesser Note, in several other Places, as I have hinted before.
I have nothing to do here with the Story mentioned byPlutarch, of a Voice being heard atSea, from some of the Islands call’d theEchinades, and calling upon oneThamuz, anEgyptian, who was on board a Ship, bidding him, when he came to thePalodes, other Islands in theIonianSeas, tell them there that the great GodPanwas dead; and whenThamuzperform’d it, great Groanings, and Howlings, and Lamentation were heard from the Shore.
This Tale tells but indifferently, tho’ indeed it looks more likea Christian Fable, than a Pagan; because it seems as if made to honour the Christian Worship, and blast all the Pagan Idolatry; and for that Reason I reject it, the Christian Profession needing no such fabulous Stuff to confirm it.
Nor is it true in fact, that the Oracles did cease immediately upon the Death of Christ; but, as I noted before, the Sum of the Matter is this; the Christian Religion spreading it self universally, as well as miraculously, and that tooby the Foolishness of Preaching, into all Parts of the World, the Oracles ceas’d; that is to say, their Trade ceas’d, their Rogueries were daily detected, the deluded People being better taught, came no more after them, and being asham’d, as well as discourag’d, they sneak’d out of the World as well as they could; in short the Customers fell off, and the Priests, who were the Shopkeepers, having no Business to do, shut up their Shops, broke, and went away; the Trade and the Tradesmen were hiss’d off the Stage together; so that theDevil, who, it must be confess’d, got infinitely by the Cheat, became bankrupt, and was oblig’d to set other Engines at work, as other Cheats and Deceivers do, who when one Trick grows stale, and will serve no longer, are forc’d to try another.
Nor was theDevilto seek in new Measures; for tho’ he could not give out his delusive Trash as he did before, in Pomp and State, with the Solemnity of a Temple and a Set of Enthusiasts call’d Priests, who plaid a thousand Tricks to amuse the World, he then had Recourse to his oldEgyptianMethod, which indeed was more antient than that of Oracles; and that was by Magic, Sorcery, Familiars, Witchcraft, and the like.
Of this we find the people of theSouth, that is, ofArabiaandChaldeawere the first, from whence we are told of the Wise Men, that is to say, Magicians, were call’dChaldeansandSouthsayers. Hence also we findAhaziahthe King ofIsraelsent toBaalzebubthe God ofEkron, to enquire whether he should live or die? This some think was a kind of an Oracle, tho’ others think it was only some over-grown Magician, who counterfeited himself to be aDevil, and obtain’d upon that Idol-hunting Age to make a Cunning Man of him; and for that Purpose he got himself made a Priest ofBaalzebub, the God ofEkron, and gave out Answers in his Name. Thus those merry Fellows inEgypt,JannesandJambres, are said to mimickMosesandAaron, when they work’d the miraculous Plagues upon theEgyptians; and we have some Instances in Scripture that support this, such as the Witch ofEndor, the KingManasses, who dealt with theDevilopenly, and had a Familiar; the Woman mentionedActsxvi. who had a Spirit ofDivination, and who got Money by playing the Oracle; that is, answering doubtful Questions,&c.which Spirit, orDevil, the Apostles cast out.
Now tho’ it is true that the old Women in the World have fill’d us with Tales, some improbable, others impossible; some weak, some ridiculous, and that this puts a general Discredit upon allthe graver Matrons, who entertain us with Stories better put together, yet ’tis certain, and I must be allow’d to affirm, that theDevildoes not disdain to take into his Service many Troops of goodOld Women, and Old Women-Men too, who he finds ’tis for his Service to keep in constant Pay; to these he is found frequently to communicate his Mind, and oftentimes we find them such Proficients, that they know much more than theDevilcan teach them.
How far our antient FriendMerlin, or the grave Matron his (Satan’s) most trusty and well-beloved Cousin and Counsellor, MotherShipton, were commissioned by him to give out their prophetic Oracles, and what degree of Possession he may have arrived to in them upon their Midnight Excursions, I will not undertake to prove; but that he might be acquainted with them both, as well as with several of our modern Gentlemen, I will not deny neither.
I confess it is not very incongruous with theDevil’s Temper, or with the Nature of his Business, to shift hands; possibly he found that he had tried the World with Oracular Cheats; that Men began to be forfeited with them, and grew sick of the Frauds which were so frequently detected; that it was time to take new Measures, and contrive some new Trick to Bite the World, that he might not be expos’d to Contempt; or perhaps he saw the Approach of new Light, which the Christian Doctrine bringing with it began to spread in the Minds of Men; that it would out-shine the dim burningignis fatuus, with which he had so long cheated Mankind, and was afraid to stand it, lest he should be mobb’d off the Stage by his own People, when their Eyes should begin to open: That upon this foot he might in Policy withdraw from those oldRetreats the Oracles, and restrain those Responses before they lost all their Credit; for we find the People seem’d to be at a mighty Loss for some time, for want of them, so that it made them run up and down to Conjurers, andMan-Gossips, to brazen Heads, speaking Calves, and innumerable simple Things, so gross that they are scarce fit to be named, to satisfy the Itch of having their Fortunes told them, as we call it.
Now as theDevilis very seldom blind to his own Interest, and therefore thought fit to quit his old way of imposing upon the World by his Oracles, only because he found the World began to be too wise to be imposed upon that way; so on the other hand, finding there was still a Possibility to delude the World, tho’ by other Instruments, he no sooner laid down his Oracles, and the solemn Pageantry, magnificent Appearances, and other Frauds of his Priests and Votaries, in their Temples and Shrines; but he set up a new Trade, and having, as I have said, Agents and Instruments sufficient for any Business that he could have to employ them in, he begins in Corners, as the learned and merry Dr.Brownsays, and exercises his minor Trumperies by way of his own contriving, lifting a great Number of new-found Operators, such as Witches, Magicians, Diviners, Figure-casters, Astrologers, and such inferior Seducers.
Now it is true, as that Doctor says, this was running into Corners, as if he had been expell’d his more triumphant way of giving Audience in Form, which for so many Ages had been allow’d him; yet I must add, that as it seem’d to be theDevil’s own doing, from a right Judgment of his Affairs, which had taken a new Turn in the World, upon the shining of new Lights from the Christian Doctrine, so it must beacknowledged theDevilmade himself amends upon Mankind, by the various Methods he took, and the Multitude of Instruments he employ’d, and perhaps deluded Mankind in a more fatal and sensible manner than he did before, tho’ not so universally.
He had indeed before more Pomp and Figure put upon it, and he cheated Mankind then in a Way ofMagnificenceand Splendor; but this was not in above eight or ten principal Places, and not fifty Places in all, public or private; whereas now fifty thousand of his Angels and Instruments, visible and invisible, hardly may be said to suffice for one Town or City; but in short, as his invisible Agents fill the Air, and are at hand for Mischief on every Emergence, so his visible Fools swarm in every Village, and you have scarce a Hamlet or a Town but his Emissaries are at Hand for Business; and which is still worse, in all Places he finds Business; nay even where Religion is planted and seems to flourish; yet he keeps his Ground and pushes his Interest according to what has been said elsewhere upon the same Subject, that wherever Religion plants, the Devil plants close by it.
Nor, as I say, does he fail of Success, Delusion spreads like a Plague, and the Devil is sure of Votaries; like a true Mountebank, he can always bring a Croud about his Stage, and that some Times faster than other People.
What I observe upon this Subject is this, that the World is at a strange Loss for want of the Devil; if it was not so, what’s the Reason, that upon the silencing the Oracles, and Religion telling them that Miracles are ceas’d, and that God has done speaking by Prophets, they never enquire whether Heaven has established any other or new Way of Revelation, but away they ran withtheir Doubts and Difficulties to these Dreamers of Dreams, Tellers of Fortunes, and personal Oracles to be resolv’d; as if when they acknowledge the Devil is dumb, these could speak; and as if the wicked Spirit could do more than the Good, theDiabolicalmore than theDivine, or that Heaven having taken away theDevil’s Voice, had furnish’d him with an Equivalent, by allowing Scolds, Termagants, and old weak and superannuated Wretches to speak for him; for these are the People we go to now in our Doubts and Emergencies.
While this Blindness continues among us, ’tis Nonsense to say that Oracles are silenced, or theDevilis dumb, for theDevilgives Audience still by his Deputies; only asJeroboammade Priests of the meanest of the People, so he is grown a little humble, and makes use of meaner Instruments than he did before; for whereas the Priests ofApollo, and ofJupiter, were splendid in their Appearance, of grave and venerable Aspect, and sometimes of no mean Quality; now he makes use of Scoundrels and Rabble, Beggars and Vagabonds, old Hags, superannuated miserable Hermits, Gypsies and Strollers, the Pictures of Envy and ill Luck.
Either theDevilis grown an ill Master, and gives but mean Wages, that he can get no better Servants; or else Common Sense is grown very low priz’d and contemptible; that such as these are fit Tools to continue the Succession of Fraud, and carry on theDevil’s Interest in the World; for were not the Passions and Temper of Mankind deeply pre-engaged in favour of this dark Prince, we could never suffer our selves to accept of his Favours by the Hands of such contemptible Agents as these! How do we receive his Oracles from an old Witch of particular Eminence,and who we believe to be more than ordinarily inspir’d from Hell; I say, we receive the Oracle with Reverence; that is to say, with a kind of Horror, with regard to the Black Prince it comes from, and at the same time turn our Faces away from the Wretch that mumbles out the Answers, lest she should cast anEvil Eye, as we call it, upon us, and put a Devil into us when she plays theDevilbefore us? How do we listen to the Cant of those worst of Vagabonds theGypsies, when at the same time we watch our Hedges and Hen-roosts for fear of their thieving?
Either theDeviluses us more like Fools than he did our Ancestors, or we really are worse Fools than those Ages produced, for they were never deluded by such low-priz’dDevilsas we are; by such despicableBridewellDevils, that are fitter for a Whipping-post than an Altar, and instead of being receiv’d as the Voice of an Oracle, should be sent to the House of Correction for Pick-pockets.
Nor is this accidental, and here and there one of these Wretches to be seen, but in short, if it has been in other Nations as it is with us, I do not see that theDevilwas able to get any better People into his Pay, or at least very rarely: Where have we seen any thing above a Tinker turn Wizard? and where have we had a Witch of Quality among us, MotherJe———gsexcepted? and if she had not been more of something else than a Witch, ’twas thought she had never got so much Money by her Profession.
Magicians, Southsayers, Devil-raisers, and such People, we have heard much of, but seldom above the Degree of the meanest of the mean People, the lowest of the lowest Rank: Indeed the WordWise Men, which theDevilwou’d fain have had his Agents honour’d with, wasused a while inEgypt, and inPersia, among theChaldeans, but it continued but a little while, and never reach’d so far Northward as our Country; nor, however theDevilhas managed it, have many of our great Men, who have been most acquainted with him, ever been able to acquire the Title of Wise Men.
I have heard that in older Times, I suppose in good QueenBess’s Days, or beyond, (for little is to be said here for any thing on this Side of her time) there were some Counsellors and Statesmen who merited the Character ofwise, in the best Sense; that is to say,good, andwise, as they stand in Conjunction; but as to what has happen’d since that, or, as we may call it, from that Queen’s Funeral to the late Revolution, I have little to say; but I’ll tell you what honestAndrew Marvelsaid of those Times, and by that you may, if you please, make your Calculation or let it alone, ’tis all one.
“To see a white Staff-maker, a Beggar, a Lord,“And scarcea wise Manat a long Council-Board.
But I may be told this relates to wise Men in another Constitution, or wise Men as they are opposed to Fools; whereas we are talking of them now under another Class, namely, asWisemenor Magicians, South-sayers,&c.such as were in former Times call’d by that Name.
But to this I answer, that take them in which Sense you please, it may be the same; for if I were to ask theDevilthe Character of the best States-man he had employ’d among us for many Years past, I am apt to think that tho’ Oracles are ceased, he would honestly, according to the old ambiguous Way, when I ask’d if they were Christians, answer they were (his)Privy-Counsellors.
It is but a little while ago, that I happen’d (in Conversation) to meet with a long List of the Magistrates of that Age, in a neighbouring Country, that is to say, the Men of Fame among them; and it was a very diverting Thing to see the Judgment which was pass’d upon them among a great deal of good Company; it is not for me to tell you how many white Staves, Golden Keys, Mareshals Batoons, Cordons Blue, Gordon Rouge and Gordon Blanc, there were among them, or by what Titles, as Dukes, Counts, Marquis, Abbot, Bishop, or Justice they were to be distinguish’d; but the marginal Notes I found upon most of them were (being mark’d with an Asterism) as follows.
Such a Duke, such eminent Offices added to his Titles (* in the Margin) ———No Saint.
Such an Arch—— with the Title of Noble added, ———No Archangel.
Such an eminent Statesman and prime Minister, ———No Witch.
Such a Ribbon with a Set of great Letters added, ———No Conjurer.
It presently occurr’d to me that tho’ Oracles were ceased, and we had now no more doubleEntendrein such a Degree as before, yet that ambiguous Answers were not at an End; and that whether those Negatives were meant so by the Writers, or not, ’twas certain Custom led the Readers to conclude them to be Satyrs, that they were to be rung backwards like the Bells when the Town’s on fire; tho’ in short, I durst not read them backward any where, but as speaking of foreign People, for fear of raising theDevilI am talking of.
But to return to the Subject; to such mean Things is theDevilnow reduc’d in his ordinary Way of carrying on his Business in the World, that his Oracles are deliver’d now by the Bellmenand the Chimney-Sweepers, by the meanest of those that speak in the Dark, and if he operates by them, you may expect it accordingly; his Agents seem to me as if theDevilhad singl’d them out by their Deformity, or that there was something particular requir’d in their Aspect to qualify them for their Employment; whence it is become proverbial, when our Looks are very dismal and frightful, to say, I look like a Witch, or in other Cases to say, as ugly as a Witch; in another Case to look as envious as a Witch; now whether there is any Thing particularly requir’d in the Looks of theDevil’s modern Agents, which is assisting in the Discharge of their Offices, and which make their Answers appear more solemn, this theDevilhas not yet reveal’d, at least not to me; and therefore why it is that he singles out such Creatures as are fit only to fright the People that come to them with their Enquiries, I do not take upon me to determine.
Perhaps it is necessary they should be thus extraordinary in their Aspect, that they might strike an Awe into the Minds of their Votaries, as if they were Satan’s true and real Representatives; and that the said Votaries may think when they speak to the Witches they are really talking to theDevil; or perhaps ’tis necessary to the Witches themselves, that they should be so exquisitely ugly, that they might not be surpriz’d at whatever Figure the Devil makes when he first appears to them, being certain they can see nothing uglier than themselves.
Some are of the Opinion that the Communication with theDevil, or between the Devil and those Creatures his Agents, has something assimulating in it, and that if they were tolerable before, they are,ipso facto, turn’d intoDevilsby talking with him; I will not say but that aTremor in the Limbs, a Horror in the Aspect, and a surprizing Stare in the Eyes may seize upon some of them when they really see theDevil, and that the frequent Repetition may make those Distortions, which we so constantly see in their Faces becomes natural to them; by which if it does not continue always upon the Countenance, they can at least,like the Posture-Masters, cast themselves into such Figures and frightful Dislocations of the Lines and Features in their Faces, and so assume a Devil’s Face suitable to the Occasion, or as may serve the turn for which they take it up, and as often as they have any use for it.
But be it which of these the Enquirer pleases, ’tis all one to the Case in Hand; this is certain, that such deform’dDevil-likeCreatures, most of those we callHagsandWitches, are in their Shapes and Aspects, and that they give out their Sentences and frightful Messages with an Air of Revenge for some Injury receiv’d; for Witches are fam’d chiefly for doing Mischief.
It seems theDevilhas always pick’d out the most ugly and frightful old Women to do his Business;Mother Shipton, our famousEnglishWitch or Prophetess, is very much wrong’d in her Picture, if she was not of the most terrible Aspect imaginable; and if it be true thatMerlin, the famousWelchFortune-Teller, was a frightful Figure, it will seem the more rational to believe, if we credit another Story, (viz.) that he was begotten by the Devil himself, of which I shall speak by it self: But to go back to the Devil’s Instruments being so ugly; it may be observed, I say, that the Devil has always dealt in such sort of Cattle; theSybils, of whom so many strange prophetic Things are recorded, whether true or no is not to the Question, are (if theItalianPainters may have any Credit given them)all represented as very old Women; and as if Ugliness were a Beauty to old Age, they seem to paint them out as ugly and frightful as (not they, the Painters) but even as the Devil himself could make them; not that I believe there are any original Pictures of them really extant; but it is not unlikely that theItaliansmight have some traditional Knowledge of them, or some remaining Notions of them, or particularly that antientSybilnamedAnus, who sold the fatal Book toTarquin; ’tis said of her thatTarquinsupposed she doated with Age.
I had Thoughts indeed here to have entred into a learned Disquisition of the Excellency of old Women in all diabolical Operations, and particularly of the Necessity of having recourse to them forSatan’s more exquisite Administration, which also may serve to solve the great Difficulty in the natural Philosophy of Hell; namely, why it comes to pass that the Devil is oblig’d for want of old Women, properly so call’d, to turn so many antient Fathers, grave Counsellors both of Law and State, and especially Civilians or Doctors of the Law into old Women, and how the extraordinary Operation is perform’d; but this, as a Thing of great Consequence in Satan’s Management of humane Affairs, and particularly as it may lead us into the necessary History, as well as Characters of some of the most eminent of these Sects among us, I have purposely reserv’d for a Work by it self, to be published, ifSatan hinders not, in fifteen Volumes in Folio, wherein I shall in the first Place define in the most exact Manner possible, what is to be understood by aMale old Woman, of what heterogeneous Kind they are produced, give you the monstrous Anatomy of the Parts, and especially those of the Head, which being fill’d with innumerable Globules of asublime Nature, and which being of a fine Contexture without, but particularly hollow in the Cavity, defines most philosophically that antient paradoxical Saying, (viz.)being full of Emptiness, and makes it very consistent with Nature and common Sense.
I shall likewise spend some Time,and it must be Labour too, I assure you, when ’tis done, in determining whether this new Species of Wonderfuls are not deriv’d from that famousold Woman Merlin, which I prove to be very reasonable for us to suppose, because of the many several judicious Authors, who affirm the saidMerlin, as I hinted before, to have been begotten by theDevil.
As to the deriving his Gift of Prophesy from the Devil, by that pretended Generation, I shall omit that Part, because, as I have all along insisted upon it, that Satan himself has no prophetic or predicting Powers of his own, it is not very clear to me that he could convey it to his Posterity,nil dat quod not habet.
However, in deriving this so much magnified Prophet in a right Line from theDevil, much may be said in favour of his ugly Face, in which it was said he was very remarkable, for it is no new Thing for a Child to be like the Father; but all these weighty Things I adjourn for the present, and proceed to the Affair in Hand, namely, the several Branches of theDevil’s Management since his quitting his Temples and Oracles.
Of the extraordinary Appearance of theDevil,and particularly of the Cloven-Foot.
Of the extraordinary Appearance of theDevil,and particularly of the Cloven-Foot.
SomePeople would fain have us treat this Tale of theDevil’s appearing with a Cloven-Foot with more Solemnity than I believe theDevilhimself does; for Satan, who knows how much of a Cheat it is, must certainly ridicule it, in his own Thoughts, to the last Degree; but as he is glad of any Way to hoodwink the Understandings, and bubble the weak Part of the World; so if he sees Men willing to take every Scarecrow for a Devil, it is not his Business to undeceive them; on the other Hand, he finds it his Interest to foster the Cheat, and serve himself of the Consequence: Nor could I doubt but the Devil, if any Mirth be allow’d him, often laughs at the many frightful Shapes and Figures we dress him up in, and especially to see how willing we are first to paint him as black, and make him appear as ugly as we can, and then stare and start at the Spectrum of our own making.
The Truth is, that among all the Horribles that we dress up Satan in, I cannot but think we shew the least of Invention in this of a Goat, or a Thing with a Goat’s Foot, of all the rest; for tho’ a Goat is a Creature made use of by our Saviour in the Allegory of the Day of Judgment, and is said there to represent the wicked rejected Party, yet it seems to be only on Account of their Similitude to the Sheep, and so to represent the just Fate of Hypocrisy and Hypocrites, and in particular to form the necessary Antithesisin the Story; for else,our whimsical Fancies excepted, a Sheep or a Lamb has a Cloven-Foot as well as a Goat; nay, if the Scripture be of any Value in the Case, ’tis to theDevil’s Advantage, for the dividing the Hoof was the distinguishing Character or Mark of a clean Beast, and how the Devil can be brought into that Number is pretty hard to say.
One would have thought if we had intended to have given a just Figure of theDevil, it would have been more apposite to have rank’d him among the Cat-kind, and given him a Foot (if he is to be known by his Foot) like a Lion, or like ared Dragon, being the same Creatures which he is represented by in the Text, and so his Claws would have had some Terror in them as well as his Teeth.
But neither is theGoata true Representative of the Devil at all, for we do not rank the Goats among the Subtle or cunning Part of the Brutes; he is counted a fierce Creature indeed of his Kind, tho’ nothing like those other abovemention’d; and he is emblematically used to represent a lustful Temper, but even that Part does not fully serve to describe the Devil, whose Operation lies principally another Way.
Besides it is not theGoathimself that is made use of, ’tis the Cloven-Hoof only, and that so particularly, that theCloven Footof a Ram or a Swine, or any other Creature, may serve as well as that of aGoat, only that History gives us some Cause to call it theGoat’sFoot.
In the next Place ’tis understood by us not as a bare Token to knowSatanby, but as if it were a Brand upon him, and that like the Mark God put uponCain, it was given him for a Punishment, so that he cannot get leave to appear without it, nay cannot conceal it whatever other Dress orDisguise he may put on; and as if it was to make him as ridiculous as possible, they will have it be, that wheneverSatanhas Occasion to dress himself in any humane Shape, be it of what Degree soever, from the King to the Beggar, be it of a fine Lady or of anold Woman, (the Latter it seems he oftenest assumes) yet still he not only must have thisCloven-Footabout him, but he is oblig’d to shew it too; nay, they will not allow him any Dress, whether it be a Prince’s Robes, a Lord Cha—r’s Gown, or a Lady’s Hoop and long Petticoats, but the Cloven-Foot must be shew’d from under them; they will not so much as allow him an artificialShoeor aJack-Boot, as we often see contriv’d to conceal aClub-Footor aWooden-Leg; but that theDevilmay be knownwhereverhe goes, he is bound to shew his Foot; they might as well oblige him to set a Bill upon his Cap, as Folks do upon a House to be let, and have it written in capital Letters,I am theDevil.
It must be confess’d this is very particular, and would be very hard upon theDevil, if it had not another Article in it, which is some Advantage to him, and that is, thatthe Fact is not true; but the Belief of this is so universal, that all the World runs away with it; by which Mistake the good People miss theDevilmany times where they look for him, and meet him as often where they did not expect him, and when for want of this Cloven-Foot they do not know him.
Upon this very Account I have sometimes thought, not that this has been put upon him by meer Fancy, and the Cheat of a heavy Imagination, propagated by Fable and Chymny-Corner Divinity, but that it has been a Contrivance of his own; and that, in short, the Devil rais’d this Scandal upon himself, that he might keep his Disguise the better, and might go a Visiting amonghis Friends without being known; for were it really so, that he could go no where without this particular Brand of Infamy, he could not come into Company, could not dine with my Lord Mayor, nor drink Tea with the Ladies, could not go to the Drawing-R—— at ———, could not have gone toFountainbleauto the King ofFrance’s Wedding, or to the Diet ofPoland, to prevent the Grandees there coming to an Agreement; nay,which would be still worse than all, he could not go to the Masquerade, nor to any of our Balls; the Reason is plain, he would be always discover’d, expos’d and forc’d to leave the good Company, or which would be as bad, the Company would all cry out theDeviland run out of the Room as if they were frighted; nor could all the Help of Invention do him any Service, no Dress he could put on would cover him; not all our Friends atTavistock Cornercould furnish him with a Habit that would disguise or conceal him, this unhappy Foot would spoil it all: Now this would be a great a Loss to him, that I question whether he could carry on any of his most important Affairs in the World without it; for tho’ he has access to Mankind in his compleat Disguise, I mean that of his Invisibility, yet the Learned very much agree in this, that his corporal Presence in the World is absolutely necessary upon many Occasions, to support his Interest and keep up his Correspondences, and particularly to encourage his Friends when Numbers are requisite to carry on his Affairs; but this Part I shall have Occasion to speak of again, when I come to consider him as a Gentleman of Business in his Locality, and under the Head of visible Apparition; but I return to theFoot.
As I have thus suggested that the Devil himself has politically spread about this Notionconcerning his appearing witha Cloven-Foot, so I doubt not that he has thought it for his Purpose to paint thisCloven-Footso lively in the Imaginations of many of our People, and especially of those clear sighted Folks who see theDevilwhen he is not to be seen, that they would make no Scruple to say, nay and to make Affidavit too, even beforeSatanhimself, whenever he sat upon the Bench, that they had seen his Worship’s Foot at such and such a Time; this I advance the rather because ’tis very much for his Interest to do this, for if we had not many Witnesses,viva voce, to testify it, we should have had some obstinate Fellows always among us, who would have denied the Fact, or at least have spoken doubtfully of it, and so have rais’d Disputes and Objections against it, as impossible, or at least as improbable; buzzing one ridiculous Notion or other into our Ears, as if the Devil was not so black as he was painted, that he had no more aCloven-Footthan a Pope, whose Apostolical Toes have so often been reverentially kiss’d by Kings and Emperors: but now alas this Part is out of the Question, not the Man in the Moon, not the Groaning-Board, not the speaking of FryarBacon’s Brazen-Head, not the Inspiration ofMother Shipton, or the Miracles of Dr.Faustus, Things as certain as Death and Taxes, can be more firmly believ’d: The Devil not have a Cloven-Foot! I doubt not but I could, in a short Time, bring you a thousand old Women together, that would as soon believe there was no Devil at all; nay, they will tell you, he could not be a Devil without it, any more than he could come into the Room, and the Candles not burn blue, or go out and not leave a smell of Brimstone behind him.
Since then the Certainty of the Thing is so well establish’d, and there are so many good andsubstantial Witnesses ready to testify that he has a Cloven-Foot, and that they have seen it too; nay, and that we have Antiquity on our Side, for we have this Truth confirm’d by the Testimony of many Ages; why should we doubt it any longer? we can prove that many of our Ancestors have been of this Opinion, and divers learn’d Authors have left it upon Record, as particularly that learned Familiarist MotherHazel, whose Writings are to be found in MS. in the famous Library atPye-Corner; also the admir’dJoanofAmesbury, the History of theLancashireWitches, and the Reverend Exorcist of theDevil’s ofLondon, whose History is extant among us to this Day; all these and many more may be quoted, and their Writings referr’d to for the Confirmation of the Antiquity of this Truth; but there seems to be no Occasion for farther Evidence, ’tis enough,Satanhimself, if he did not raise the Report, yet tacitly owns the Fact, at least he appears willing to have it believ’d, and be receiv’d as a general Truth for the Reasons above.
But besides all this, and as much a Jest as some unbelieving People would have this Story pass for, who knows but that ifSatanis empower’d to assume any Shape or Body, and to appear to us visibly, as if really so shap’d; I say, who knows but he may, by the same Authority, be allow’d to assume the Addition of the Cloven-Foot, or two or four Cloven-Feet, if he pleased? and why not aCloven-Footas well as any other Foot, if he thinks fit? For if theDevilcan assume a Shape, and can appear to Mankind in a visible Form, it may, I doubt not, with as good Authority be advanc’d that he is left at Liberty to assume what Shape he pleases, and to choosewhat Case of Flesh and Blood he’ll please to wear, whether real or imaginary; and if this Liberty be allow’d him,it is an admirable Disguise for him to come generally with hisCloven-Foot, that when he finds it for his Purpose, on special Occasions to come without it, as I said above, he may not be suspected;but take this with you as you go, that all this is upon a Supposition that theDevilcan assume a visible Shape, and make a real Appearance, which however I do not yet think fit to grant or deny.
Certain it is, the first People who bestow’d aCloven-Footupon the Devil, were not so despicable as you may imagine, but were real Favourites of Heaven; for did notAaronset up theDevilof a Calf in the Congregation, and set the People a dancing about it for a God? Upon which Occasion, Expositors tell us, that particular Command was given,Levit.xvii. 7.They shall no more offer their Sacrifices untoDevils,after whom they have gone a Whoring; likewise KingJeroboamset up the two Calves, one atDanand the other atBethel, and we find them charg’d afterwards with setting up the Worship ofDevilsinstead of the Worship ofGod.
After this we find some Nations actually sacrificed to theDevilin the Form of a Ram, and others of a Goat; from which, and that above of the Calves atHoreb, I doubt not the Story of theCloven-Footfirst derived; and it is plain that the Worship of that Calf atHorebis meant in the Scripture quoted above,Levit.xvii. 7.Thou shalt no more offer Sacrifices unto Devils: The Original isSeghnirim; that is, rough and hairyGoatsorCalves; and some think also in this Shape theDevilmost ordinarily appeared to theEgyptiansandArabians, from whence it was derived.
Also in the old Writings of theEgyptians, I mean their hieroglyphick Writing, before the Use of Letters was known, we are told this wasthe Mark that he was known by; and the Figure of aGoatwas theHieroglyphickof theDevil; some will affirm that theDevilwas particularly pleased to be so represented; how they came by their Information, and whether they had it from his own Mouth or not, Authors have not yet determined.
But be this as it will, I do not see thatSatancould have been at a Loss for some extraordinary Figure to have banter’d Mankind with, tho’ this had not been thought of; but thinking of theCloven-Footfirst, and the Matter being indifferent, this took place, and easily rooted it self in the bewildred Fancy of the People, and now ’tis riveted too fast for theDevilhimself to remove it if he was disposed to try; but as I said above, ’tis none of his Business to solve Doubts or remove Difficulties out of our Heads, but to perplex us with more, as much as he can.
Some People carry this Matter a great deal higher still, and will have theCloven-Footbe like the great Stone which theBrasilian Conjurersused to solve all difficult Questions upon, after having used a great many monstrous and barbarous Gestures and Distortions of their Bodies, and cut certain Marks or magical Figures upon the Stone; so,I say, they will have this Cloven-Foot be a kind of a Conjuring-Stone, and tell us, that in former Times, whenSatandrove a greater Trade with Mankind in publick, than he has done of late, he gave thisCloven-Footas a Token to his particular Favourites to work Wonders with, and to conjure by, and that Witches, Fairies, Hobgoblins, and such Things, of which the Antients had several Kinds, at least in their Imagination, had all aGoat’s Legwith aCloven-Footto put on upon extraordinary Occasions; it seems this Method is of late grown out of Practice,and so like the melting of Marble and the painting of Glass, ’tis laid aside among the various useful Arts which History tells us are lost to the World; what may be practised in the Fairy World, if such a Place there be, we can give no particular Account at present.
But neither is this all, for other wou’d-be-wise People take upon them to make farther and more considerable Improvements upon this Doctrine of theCloven-Foot, and treat it as a most significant Instrument of Satan’s private Operation, and that asJosephis said toDivine, that is to say, toconjureby his Golden Cup which was put intoBenjamin’s Sack, so theDevilhas managed several of his secret Operations, and Possessions, and other hellish Mechanisms upon the Spirits as well as Bodies of Men, by the Medium or Instrumentality of theCloven-Foot; accordingly it had a Kind of an hellish Inspiration in it, and a separate and magical Power by which he wrought his infernal Miracles; that the Cloven-Foot had a superior Signification, and was not only emblematic and significative of the Conduct of Men, but really guided their Conduct in the most important Affairs of Life; and that the Agents the Devil employ’d to influence Mankind, and to delude them and draw them into all the Snares and Traps that he lays continually for their Destruction, were equipp’d with this Foot in Aid of their other Powers for Mischief.
Here they read us learn’d Lectures upon the sovereign Operations which the Devil is at present Master of, in the Government of human Affairs; and how the Cloven-Foot is an Emblem of the truedouble Entendreor divided Aspect, which the great Men of the World generally act with, and by which all their Affairs are directed; from whence it comes to pass that there isno such Thing as a single hearted Integrity, or an upright Meaning to be found in the World; that Mankind, worse than the ravenous Brutes, preys upon his own Kind, and devours them by all the laudable Methods of Flattery, Whyne, Cheat and Treachery;Crocodile like, weeping over those it will devour, destroying those it smiles upon, and, in a Word, devours its own Kind, which the very Beasts refuse, and that by all the Ways of Fraud and Allurement thatHellcan invent; holding out a cloven divided Hoof, or Hand, pretending to save, when the very Pretence is made use of to ensnare and destroy.
Thus the divided Hoof is the Representative of a divided double Tongue, and Heart, an Emblem of the most exquisite Hypocrisy, the most fawning and fatally deceiving Flattery; and here they give us very diverting Histories, tho’ tragical in themselves, of the manner which some of theDevil’s inspired Agents have manag’d themselves under the especial Influence of theCloven-Foot; how they have made War under the Pretence of Peace, murther’d Garrisons under the most sacred Capitulations, massacred innocent Multitudes after Surrenders to Mercy.
Again, they tell us theCloven-Foothas been made use of in all Treasons, Plots, Assassinations, and secret as well as open Murthers and Rebellions. ThusJoabunder the Treason of an Embrace, shew’d how dexterously he could manage theCloven-Foot, and struckAbnerunder the fifth Rib: ThusDavidplay’d the Cloven-Foot upon poorUriah, when he had a Mind to lie with his Wife: ThusBrutusplay’d it uponCæsar; and to come nearer home, we have had a great many retrograde Motions in this Country by this magical Implement theFoot; Such as that of the Earl ofEssex’s Fate, beheading the Queen ofScots,and diverse others in QueenElizabeth’s Time: That of the Earl ofShrewsburyand SirThomas Overbury,Gondamorand SirWalter Raleigh, and many others in KingJamesthe I.’s Time; in all which, if the Cloven-Foot had not been dexterously manag’d, those Murthers had not been so dexterously manag’d, or the Murtherers have so well been skreen’d from Justice; for which and the imprecated Justice of Heaven unappeased, some have thought the innocent Branches of the Royal House ofStuartdid not fare the better in the Ages which follow’d.
It must be confess’d, the Cloven-Foot was in its full Exercise in the next Reign, and the Generation that rose up immediately after them, arrived to the most exquisite Skill for Management of it; here they fasted and pray’d, there they plunder’d and murther’d; here they rais’d War for the King, and there they fought against him, cutting Throats forGod’s Sake, and deposing both King and kingly Government according to Law.
Nor was theCloven-Footunemployed on all Sides, for ’tis the main Excellency of this Instrument of Hell, that it acts on every Side, it is its denominating Quality, and is for that Reason call’d a cloven or divided Hoof.
This mutilated Apparition has been so publick in other Countries too, that it seems to convince us the Devil is not confin’d toEnglandonly, but that as his Empire extended to all the sublunary World, so he gives them all Room to see he is qualified to manage them his own Way.
What abundant Use did that Prince of Dissemblers,CharlesV. make of this Foot? ’twas by the Help of this Apparition of the Foot that he baited his Hook with the City ofMilan, and tickledFrancisI.ofFranceso well with it, that when he pass’d thro’France, and was in that King’s Power, he let him go, and never get the Bait off of the Hook neither; it Seems theFootwas not on KingFrancis’s Side at that Time.
How cruelly didPhilipII. ofSpainmanage this Foot in the Murther of the Nobility of theSpanish Netherlands, the Assassination of the Prince ofOrange, and at last: in that of his own SonDon CarlosInfant ofSpain? and yet such was theDevil’s Craft, and so nicely did he bestir hisCloven-Hoof, that this Monarch died consolated (tho’ impenitent) in the Arms of the Church, and with the Benediction of the Clergy too,those second best Managers of the said Hoof in the World.
I must acknowledge, I agree with this Opinion thus far; namely, that the Devil acting by this Cloven-Foot, as a Machine, has done great Things in the World for the propagating his dark Empire among us; and History is full of Examples, besides the little low priz’d Things done among us; for we are come to such a Kind of Degeneracy in Folly, that we have even dishonour’d theDevil, and put this glorious Engine the Cloven-Foot to such mean Uses, that theDevilhimself seems to be asham’d of us.
But to return a little to foreign History, besides what has been mention’d above, we find flaming Examples of most glorious Mischief done by this Weapon, when put into the Hands of Kings and Men of Fame in the World: How many Games have the Kings ofFranceplay’d with thisCloven-Foot, and that within a few Years of one another? First,CharlesIX. play’d theCloven-FootuponGaspar ColigniAdmiral ofFrance, when he caress’d him, complimented him, invited him toParis, to the Wedding of the King ofNavarre, call’d him Father, kiss’d him, and when he waswounded sent his own Surgeons to take Care of him, and yet three Days after order’d him to be assassinated and murther’d, used with a thousand Indignities, and at last thrown out of the Window into the Street to be insulted by the Rabble?
Did notHenryIII. in the same Country, play the Cloven-Foot upon the Duke ofGuise, when he call’d him to his Council, and caus’d him to be murther’d as he went in at the Door? TheGuisesagain plaid the same Game back upon the King, when they sent out aJacobinFriar to assassinate him in his Tent as he lay at the Siege ofParis.
In a Word, this Opera of theCloven-Foothas been acted all over the Christian World, ever sinceJudasbetray’d the Son of God with a Kiss; nay, our Saviour says expresly of him,One of you is a Devil; and the sacred Text says in another Place,The Devil enter’d into Judas.
It would take up a great deal of Time and Paper too, to give you a full Account of the Travels of thisCloven-Foot; its Progress into all the Courts ofEurope, and with what most accurate HypocrisySatanhas made use of it upon many Occasions, and with what Success; but as in the elaborate Work of which I just now gave you a Specimen I design one whole Volume upon this Subject, and which I shall call,The compleat Historyof theCloven-Foot; I say, for that Reason, and diverse others, I shall say but very little more to it in this Place.
It remains to tell you, that this merry Story of theCloven-Footis very essential to the History which I am now writing, as it has been all along the great Emblem of theDevil’s Government in the World, and by which all his most considerable Engagements have been answer’d and executed; for as he is said not to be able to conceal this Foot, but that he carries it always with him, itimports most plainly, that theDevilwould be noDevilif he was not a Dissembler, a Deceiver, and carried adouble Entendrein all he does or says; that he cannot but say one Thing and mean another, promise one Thing and do another, engage and not perform, declare and not intend, and act like a trueDevilas he is, with a Countenance that is no Index of his Heart.
I might indeed go back to Originals, and derive thisCloven-Footfrom Satan’s primitive State as a Cherubim or a celestial Being, which Cherubims, asMosesis said to have seen them about the Throne of God in MountSinai, and as the sameMoses, from the Original represented them afterwards covering the Ark, had the Head and Face of a Man, Wings of an Eagle, Body of a Lion, and Legs and Feet of a Calf; but this is not so much to our present Purpose, for as we are to allow that whateverSatanhad of heavenly Beauty before the Fall, he lost it all when he commenc’dDevil, so to fetch his Original so far up would be only to say, that he retain’d nothing but theCloven-Foot, and that all the rest of him was alter’d and deform’d, become frightful and horrible as theDevil; but his Cloven-Foot, as we now understand it, is rather mystical and emblematick, and describes him only as the Fountain of Mischief and Treason, and the Prince of Hypocrites, and as such we are now to speak of him.
’Tis from this Original all the hypocritic World copy, he wears the Foot on their Account, and from this Model they act: This made our blessed Lord tell them,the Works of your Father ye will do, meaning theDevil, as he had express’d it just before.
Nor does he deny the Use of theFootto the meaner Class of his Disciples in the World, butdecently equips them all upon every Occasion with a needful Proportion of Hypocrisy and Deceit; that they may hand on the Power of promiscuous Fraud thro’ all his temporal Dominions, and wearthe Footalways about them as a Badge of their profess’d Share in whatever is done by that Means.
Thus every Dissembler, every false Friend, every secret Cheat, every Bearskin-Jobber has aCloven-Foot, and so far hands on the Devil’s Interest by the same powerful Agency of Art, as theDevilhimself uses to act when he appears in Person, or would act if he was just now upon the Spot; for thisFootis a Machine which is to be wound up and wound down, as the Cause it appears for requires; and there are Agents and Engineers to act in it by Directions ofSatan(the grand Engineer) who lies still in his Retirement, only issuing out his Orders as he sees convenient.
Again, every Class, every Trade, every Shopkeeper, every Pedlar, nay, that meanest of Tradesmen, that Church Pedlar the Pope, has a Cloven-Foot, with which hePaw wa’supon the World, wishes them all well, and at the same time cheats them; wishes them all fed, and at the same time starves them; wishes them all in Heaven, and at the same time marches before them directly to the Devil,alamode de Cloven-Foot.
Nay, the very Bench, the everliving Foundation of Justice in the World; how often has it been made the Tool of Violence, the Refuge of Oppression, the Seat of Bribery and Corruption, by this Monster in Masquerade, and that every where (our own Country always excepted)? They had much better wipe out the Picture of justice blinded, and having the Sword and Scales in her Hand, which in foreign Countries is generally painted over the Seat of those who sit to do Justice, and placeinstead thereof a naked unarm’d Cloven-Hoof, a proper Emblem of that Spirit that Influences the World, and of the Justice we often see administred among them; human Imagination cannot form an Idea more suitable, nor theDevilpropose an Engine more or better qualified for an Operation of Justice, by the Influence of Bribery and Corruption; it is this magnipotent Instrument in the Hands of the Devil, which under the closest Disguise agitates every Passion, bribes every Affection, blackens every Virtue, gives a double Face to Words and Actions, and to all Persons who have any Concern in them, and in a Word, makes us all Devils to one another.
Indeed the Devil has taken but a dark Emblem to be distinguish’d by, for this of a Goat was said to be a Creature hated by Mankind from the beginning, and that there is a natural Antipathy in Mankind against them: Hence the Scape Goat was to bear the Sins of the People, and to go into the Wilderness with all that Burthen upon him.
But we have a Saying among us, in Defence of which we must enquire into the proper Sphere of Action which may be assigned to this Cloven-Foot, as hitherto described: The Proverb is this;EveryDevilhas not a Cloven-Foot. This Proverb, instead of giving us some more favourable Thoughts of theDevil, confirms what I have said already, that theDevilrais’d this Scandal upon himself; I mean, the Report that he cannot conceal or disguise his Devil’s Foot, or Hoof, but that it must appear, under whatever Habit he shews himself; and the Reason I gave holds good still,namely, that he may be more effectually conceal’d when he goes abroad without it: For if the People were fully persuaded that theDevilcould not appear without this Badge ofhis Honour, or Mark of his Infamy,take it as you will; and that he was bound also to shew it upon all Occasions, it would be natural to conclude, that whatever frightful Appearances might be seen in the World, if the Cloven-Foot did not also appear, we had no Occasion to look for theDevil, or so much as to think of him, much less to apprehend he was near us; and as this might be a Mistake, and that theDevilmight be there while we thought our selves so secure, it might on many Occasions be a Mistake of very ill Consequence, and in particular, as it would give theDevilroom to act in the Dark, and not be discover’d, where it might be most needful to know him.
From this short Hint, thus repeated, I draw a new Thesis, namely, ThatDevilis most dangerous that has no Cloven-Foot; or, if you will have it in Words more to the common Understanding, theDevilseems to be most dangerous when he goes without his Cloven-Foot.
And here a learned Speculation offers it self to our Debate, and which indeed I ought to call a Council of Casuists, and Men learned in theDevil’s Politicks, to determine:
Whether is most hurtful to the World, theDevilwalking about without his Cloven-Foot, or the Cloven-Foot walking about without theDevil?
It is indeed a nice and difficult Question, and merits to be well enquir’d into; for which Reason, and diverse others, I have referr’d it to be treated with some Decency, and as a Dispute of Dignity sufficient to take up a Chapter by itself.