Page:History of the Devil, ancient and modern (2).pdf/22

 near Mons, a ghaſtly frightful fellow (that is to

ſay, the Devil ſo clothed in human vizor came up

to his horſe and taking hold of his bridle, ſtopt

him, with addition of theſe words, "Stop king:

whether go ye: you are betrayed!" and imme-

diately diſappeared. It is true the king had been

diſtempered in his head before and ſo he might

have been deceived; and we might perhaps have

been led to have charged it to the account of a

whimſical brain, or the power of his imagina-

tions; but this was in the face of his attendants,

ſeveral of his great officers, courtiers, and princes

of the blood, being with him, who all ſay the man

heard the words, and immediately to their aſtoniſh-

ment, loſt ſight of the ſpectre, who vaniſhed from

them all.

Theſe are ſome of the Devil's extraordinaries,

and it muſt be confeſſed they are not the moſt a-

greeable to mankind for ſometimes he takes up-

on him to diſorder his friends very much on theſe

occaſions. And in the above caſe of Charles VI.

of France, the king, they ſay, was really dement-

ed ever, after that is, as we vulgarly, but not al-

ways improperly, expreſs it, he was really frighted

out of his wits. Whether the malicious Devil

intended it ſo or not, is not certain, tho' it was

not ſo foreign to his particular diſpoſition if he

did.

It is true, Satan may be obliged to make differ-

ent appearances, as the ſeveral circumſtances of

things call for it; in ſome places he makes his pu-

blic entry, and then he muſt how himſelf in the

habit of ceremony: in other caſes he comes upon

private buſineſs, and then he appears in diſguiſe;

in ſome caſes he may think it fit to be in cog, and

then he appears dreſſed ala maſque; ſo they fay

he appeared at the famous St Bartholomew s wed-

ding at Paris, where he came in dreſſed like a