or but one, affault Manfoul; and, in mine opinion, faid Diabolus, let me be he. And then to the fecond propofal they came, namely, " Whether they had beft to go and fit down before Manfoul in their now ragged and beggarly guife?”.

The fecond propofal.

Allecto.

To which it was anfwered alfo in the negative. By no means; and that because, though the town of Manfoul had been made to know, and to have to do before now with things that are invifible, they did never as yet fee any of their fellow-creatures in fo fad and rascally a condition as they. And that was the advice of the fierce Alecto. Then faid Apollyon, the advice is pertinent; for even one of us appear- Apollyon. ing to them as we now are must needs both beget and multiply fuch thoughts in them as will both put them into a confternation of spirit, and neceffitate them to put themselves upon their guard: and if so, faid he, then, as my Lord Alecto faid but now, it is in vain for us to think of taking the Town. Then faid that mighty Giant Beelzebub, the advice that already is given is fafe; for though the men of Manfoul have feen fuch things as we once were, yet hitherto they did never behold fuch things as we now are and it is beft, in mine opinion, to come upon them in fuch a guife as is common to and moft familiar among them. To this, when they had confented, the next thing to be confidered was, in what shape, hue, or guise, Diabolus had beft to fhew himself, when he went about to make Manfoul his own. Then one faid one thing, and another the contrary; at last Lucifer. Lucifer answered, that, in his opinion, it was beft that his Lordship fhould affume the body of fome of those creatures that they of the Town had dominion over; for, quoth he, these are not only familiar to them,

Beelzebub.

but

but being under them, they will never imagine that any attempt fhould be made by them upon the Town: and, to blind all, let him affume the body of one of these beafts that Manfoul deems to be wifer than

Gen. iii. I.

Rev. 5. 1. 2. any of the reft. This advice was applauded of all; fo it was determined that the Giant Diabolus fhould affume the Dragon, for that he was one in those days as familiar with the Town of Mansoul as now is the bird with the boy; for nothing that was in its primitive state was at all amazing to them. Then they proceeded to the third thing, which was,

3dly, "Whether they had best to shew their inten→

tions or their defign of his coming to Man" The third pro- foul or no?" This alfo was anfwered in the pofal. negative; because of the weight that was in the former reasons, to wit, for that Manfoul were a strong people, in a strong town, whofe walls and gates were impregnable, to fay nothing else of their caftle, nor can they by any means be won but by their own confent. Befides, faid Legion, (for he gave answer to Legion. this) a discovery of our intentions may make them send to their King for aid; and, if that be done, I know quickly what time of day it will be with us.---Therefore let us affault them in all pretended fairness, covering of our intentions with all manner of lies, flatteries, delufive words, feigning of things that will never be, and promifing of that to them that they shall never find: this is the way to win Manfoul, and to make them of themselves to open their gates to us, yea, and to defire us too to come in to them.

And the reason why I think that this project will do is, because the people of Manfoul now are every one fimple and innocent; all honest and true: nor do they as yet know what it is to be affaulted with fraud, guile, and

hypo

hypocrify. They are ftrangers to lying and diffembling lips; wherefore we cannot, if thus we be difguifed, by them at all be difcerned; our lies fhall go for true fayings, and our diffimulations for upright dealings. What we promise them they will in that believe us; especial ly, if in all our lies and feigned words we pretend great love to them, and that our defign is only their advantage. and honour. Now, there was not one bit of a reply against this; this went as current down as doth the water down a steep defcent. Wherefore they go to confider of the laft propofal, which was,

4thly, Whether they had not beft to give orders to fome of their company to fhoot fome one or more of the principal of the townfinen, if they judge that their cause may be promoted thereby?"

The fourth propofal.

Of Captain

Refiftance.

This was carried in the affirmative; and the man that was by this ftratagem defigned to be deftroyed was one Mr Resistance, otherwife called Captain Refiftance; and a great man in Manfoul this Captain Refiftance was, and a man that the Giant Diabolus and his band more feared than they feared the whole town of Manfoul befides. Now, who fhould be the actor to do the murder? that was the next, and they appointed one Tifiphane, a fury of the lake, to do it.

They thus having ended their council of war, rofe up, and affayed to do as they had determined: they marched towards Manfoul, but all in a manner invifible, fave only one; nor did he approach their council. the town in his own likeness, but under the fhade, and in the body of the Dragon.

The refult of

So they drew up, and fat down before Ear-gate, for that was the place of hearing for all without the Town,

the Town and

ence.

as Eye-gate was the place of perfpection. So, as I faid, Diabolus he came up with his train to the gate, and marches up to laid his ambufcade for Captain Resistance calls for audi- within bow-fhot of the Town. This done, the Giant afcended up clofe to the gate, and called to the town of Manfoul for audience: nor took he any with him but one Ill-paufe, who was his orator in all difficult matters. Now, as I faid, he, being come up to the gate, as the manner of those times was, founded his trumpet for audience. At which the chief of the The lords of town of Manfoul, fuch as my Lord Innocent, Manfoul ap- my Lord Willbewill, my Lord Mayor, Mr Recorder, and Captain Refiftance, came down to the wall to fee who was there, and what was the matter. And my Lord Willbewill, when he looked over, and faw who ftood at the gate, demanded what he was, wherefore he was come, and why he roused the town of Manfoul with fo unufual a found?

peared.

1

Diabolus his oration.

Diabolus then, as if he had been a lamb, began his oration, and faid, "Gentlemen of the famous town of Manfoul, I am as you may perceive, no far dweller from you, but near, and one that is bound by the King to do you my ho mage, and what fervice I can; wherefore, that I may be faithful to myfelf, and to you, I have fomewhat of concern to impart unto you: wherefore grant me your audience, and hear me patiently. And, firft, I will affure you, it is not myself, but you; not mine, but your advantage that I feek by what I now do, as will full well be made manifeft by that I have opened my mind unto you. For, Gentlemen, I am, to tell you the truth, come to fhew you how you may obtain great and ample deliverance from a bondage that, unawares to yourfelves, you are captivated and enflaved under.

At

Manfoul en

gaged.

this the town of Manfoul began to prick up its ears; and what is it, pray what is it? thought they. And he faid, "I have fomewhat to fay to you concerning your King, concerning his law, and alfo touching yourselves. Touching your King, I know he is great and potent, but yet all that he hath faid to you is neither true, nor yet for your advantage. I. 'Tis not true; for that wherewith he hath hitherto awed you shall not come to pass, nor be fulfilled, though you do the thing that he hath forbidden. But, if there was danger, what a flavery is it to live always in fear of the greateft of punishments for doing fo fmall and trivial a thing as eating of a little fruit is? 2. Touching his laws, that I fay further, they are both unreasonable, intricate, and intolerable. Un- Diabolus his reasonable, as was hinted before, for that the fubtilty made punishment is not proportioned to the offence. up of lies. There is great difference and difproportion betwixt the life and an apple: yet the one must go for the other by the law of your Shaddai. But it is alfo intricate, in that he faith firft, you may eat of all; and yet after forbids the eating of one. And then, in the laft place, it muft needs be intolerable, forafmuch as that fruit which you are forbidden to eat of, if you are forbidden any, is that, and that alone, which is able, by your eating, to minister to you a good as yet unknown by you. This is manifeft by the very name of the tree it is called The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil: and have you that knowledge as yet? No, no; nor can you conceive how good, how pleasant, and how much to be defired to make one wife it is, fo long as you ftand by your King's commandment. Why thould you be holden in ignorance and blindness? why fhould you not be

C 2

en