THE DEVIL TURN'D CASUIST OR THE Cheats of ROME Laid open in the Exorcism of a Despairing DEVIL At the House of Thomas Pennington in Orrel in the Parish of Wigan and County of Lancaster By Zachary Taylor M. A. Chaplin to the right reverend Father in God Nicholas Lord Bishop of Chester and Rector of Wigan Spectatum admissi Risum teneatis LONDON Prnited for Peter Buck near the Middle-Temple Gate in Fleet-street 1696. To the Right Reverend Father in God NICHOLAS Lord Bishop of CHESTER My truly Honoured Lord WHereas Dedications are generally intended to Express the Editors Acknowledgement unto the Patron that he doth Address yet this must beg your Lordships pardon for Prefixing your name to a Transaction that may seem too Light for the gravity of your Function to be interested in But besides the Presumption on your Lordships Condescention the Reasons moving me thereunto were these Your Lordship as a Father in the Church must needs be concerned for the Religion of it and it is a matter of Religion altho she and her Author be the Greatest Sufferers by it that is here pretended Now as we teach our Children to know Good Coin by acquainting them with what is Counterfeit so there is no better way to Ground weak persons in the full Assurance of Divine Truths than by Discovering to them the Juggles of Superstitious Bigots for God having settled All and Every Article of the Christian Faith on the Veracity of his own Vnerring Word and the Evidence of Vnâ—â—â—â—ested Miracles there can be no Greater Argument of the Hellish Villany as well as Crafty Knavery of those that Tack and Super add any thing thereto thâ—n in Contradistinction to Gods word and works to have them Build the same on the Fanaticism of Vnwritten Tradition and the Sophistry of Lying Wonders For My Lord what Opinion must any sober Person 〈◊〉 of that Church who â—ndeavours to Prove the Truth and Confirm her Members in the Belief of the Fundamentals that she coin'd at Constance and at Trent from the Testimony of the Father of Lyes and one whom in her Exorcisms she labours what she can to perswade the Assembly that he is indeed the Devil This seems to me an Infatuation of that Size that I cannot apprehend it to be any thing else but that very Judgment that God hath Threatned to Deliver such Artificers up to 2 Thes 2.11 Your Lordship will meet with a deplorable Instance of this in the Following Pages where if you find any thing that shews an Air Lighter than these present Lines it is because the Subject will endure no other and Solomon must Apologize for me who hath made it a Rule To Answer a Fool according to his Folly Anothâ—r Inducement to me was the Scene 's being Acted in your Lordships â—aâ—ish and the Great Trust you have been pleas'd to Commit to me there doth require that I should be Accountable to your Lordship for all Affairs of such a nature as this is as you are the Rector of the Parish as well as the Ordinary of the Diocess But that which to me is none of the least is what relates unto the Reader he is here to meet with such a Medley of â—opperies as will be hard to believe that any who call themselves Christians should be Guilty of for the Priests have so far over-acted each part of the Play that the plan Relation of it will appear more like Burlesque than Narrative It was necessary therefore that I should Court your Lordships Patronage that the Reader when he meets with all such passages may be convinced of the Reaâ—â—y of theâ— Whilst he must conclude that I durst not presume to Abuse your Lordships Name by Prefixing it to what was only my own Invention and 〈◊〉 having plenty of Witnesses for the Protestants were Frankly invited 〈◊〉 the â—aâ—e-Show in hopes of a Good Harvest as the Narrative will inform 〈◊〉 I have been carefull to Assert Nothing but what I have Vndeniable 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of and what hath been twice read over to those that gave me thy 〈…〉 the Operation Several Passages where I had not a Pluraâ—â—ty of Concurring Voices I have designedly left out that the rest might be Vnexcepâ—â—â—â—â—â—le For instance When a Person whom they were afraid of loseing came into the Room the Demoniack seem'd to Laugh and the Priest ask'd him why he was so pleasant to which he replied he could not but Laugh to think If that she turned to â—er Husbands Religion She must certainly be his the Rest not taking notice of this passage I have omitted it The Priest also amongst on other Quâ—â—seâ— would needs know Whether Protestants were not Damned Which the Devil that is the Title and Language they gave the Demoniack and therefore I must use it wishing no doubt but that they all might avouched that they were this several will aver but because the Priest I hear denies it and thereby intimates as if he had some Charity left for Poor Protestants I am willing by way of Return to his Civility to pass it by with some others I know of what moment it is in order to satisfaction in matters of this nature to direct the Reader personally to the Deponerts themselves that by some Friend or other he may inquire of it from their Mouths I therefore once had designâ—d to have affixed to the Relation the names of those that gave me this account but considering what manner of Spirit the Romish Zealots their neighbours are of I siffered my self to be disswaded from it but if Curiosity on the one hand or Scepticism on the other lead any to be Inquisitive after it the Circumstances of time and Place when and where the Game was acted the names of the Parties concerned together with the Managers of it will direct him where he may find amplesatisfaction As for the order of it I have methodized it according to the Rules of their Proceedings at Exorcisms but I do not pretend to be responsible for the place that every passage is ranked in for in so tedious a Process as this was it must be above the Capacity of mean Persons to charge their Memory with every Punctilio It is difficient that there is Truth as to matter of Fact it is not at all necessary that there should be the Juncto's of exact order in the relation of it What the Papists design was in this Exploit is easily unsolded we are not Ignorant of there Devices nor the Artificies they make use of to cajose simple well meaning people to their Party It is not the first time nor I sear like to be the Last that they have had to do with the Devil on this score only according to Circumstances they play a different game and turn the Tables as obcasion offers Sometimes they chance to stumble on the opportunity of a natural Disease and that is their Great Advantage for Physical operations are not wanting to be ascribed to a miraculous Energy But generally the whole
being married to a good ingenious Man that is a Protestant and one that hath baffled Mr. Brooks the Chief Engineer in an Argument about Purgatory the Demoniack stares at her and roars out I 'le have thee And is not this fair warning to be given by a Devil I 'le have thee If thou turn Protestant as thy Husband would have thee there is no hopes of Salvation The Children of Robert Topping an honest poor Neighbour Vpon this he sent to desire us to give him the Communion according to the Church of England and is since departed with our prayers in the same Faith were also called to come near and the same question was again ask'd and the Priest declaim'd upon it and told them that their Father was sickly and weak and charg'd them that they should tell him in what danger he was if he continued to dye in that Faith wherein he had lived Now when the Devil had done all the Service for them that he could had confirm'd their new Creed by the Truth of his own Confession and had damn'd every body but those that believed as he and the Priest did The Priest like an unkind Master to a Trusty Servant would needs turn him out of Doors commanded him to be gone and threatned what he would do if he offered to stay giving him a parcel of very foul words stamping with his feet and calling him as his Authors teach him Mengus indeed and the Scriblers of Exorcisms teach their Priests this Biltings-gate Language But how unlike is this to our Saviours speech or the Arch-Angels to the Devil who in the Cause of God and his Saints durst not bring against the Devil any railing accusation but only prayed the Lord to rebuke him Jud. v. 9. all that was nought an Infernal Dog an Accursed Devil c. And here it was that he had a mind to give them a Touch of his Learning and shew the Excellency of his Parts and so he takes occasion to tell them that the Devil was a Latin Devil and that he understood Latin for they should hear he would speak to him in Latin and bid him put out his Tongue and he should observe him so he learned ly bespeaks him Extende linguam Diabole Put out thy tongue thou Devil and the Demoniack as became a discreet Patient to a skillful Physitian put out his Tongue Here you must observe that to discolour his tongue they prest it in his mouth with their Thumbs which perhaps had a Dy on them and sometimes nipt it which was something of a blewish colour and the Protestants were call'd on to see the Black Tongue of a cursed Devil But here happned an unlucky blunder for Mr. Skinner standing a little on one side that he could not well see his Tongue calls to him Verte ad me Turn towards me but the blockish Devil for so they commonly call'd the Demoniack had either not learnt or else he had forgot that Lesson so he put out his Tongue again but did not turn to Mr. Skinner However the Priest was not to take notice of the Error so he cries out It is well It is well But there chanced to be a Protestant youth there that understood so much Latin as to discover the Knavish ignorance as you will further gather from the following passage Mr. Brooks had as you have heard undertook to talk to the Devil in Latin and he was at it Maledicte Diabole discede hinc ad locum maledicte Diabole c. Thou cursed Devil depart hence c. At length out he comes with thou Infernal Toad hereupon he recollects himself of his promise which was that he would talk to him in Latin and he knew not what was Latin for a Toad so he steps to Mr. Skinner and says pray Mr. Skinner what is Latin for a Toad He told him Bufo then he rallied again and assaulted the Devil with an Infernalis Bufo discede hinc ad locum Infernalis Bufo Thou infernal Toad depart hence c. However the Devil made no great haste to be gone but they continued the operation ever and anon demanding how long he would stay and when he would go c. At length the Devil told them roundly he would not go out before Dinner Ay! sayst thou so quoth Mr. Brooks Thou wantedst thy Breakfast but a faith I will give thee I will give thee thy Dinner thou thoughtest before with the Stole I would have hang'd thee but now a faith I 'le choak thee Pure Conjuration Numero Deus Impare Gaudet Virg. here 's a Dose for thee So he gave him five Spoonfuls of Holy-water Here is one saith he for the honour of the Holy Trinity another for the honour of the Blessed Virgin another for the honour of St. Anthony and here 's two more for Charity So the Devil roar'd most hideously ay saith the Priest I 'le scald thee out When wilt thou be gone I will go saith he at two of the Clock This gave the Priest a little satisfaction And after some time he demanded what should be the sign of his departure Why when I go out saith he I will take away a Quarrel of Glass out of the Window Then a dispute arose betwixt them which Quarrel he was to take But the Priest like a man of Resolution determined such an one should be the Quarrel and accordingly he chalked it out When two of the Clock drew near the Priest charged him to be gone reminding him that his hour was at hand But the Devil beg'd for longer time and desired to stay till morning But the Priest peremptorily commanded him to vanish and the Devil in abundance of suspence cries I doubt I must go out I doubt I must go out Which the Priest prudently catching at demands with an assuming Authority Dost thou not feel the Spirit of God pressing thee this moment to go out Mr. Brooks would do well here to consider whether this solemn attributing to the spirit of God what seems and perhaps he knows to be nothing but the confederacy of man be not a blaspheming of of that spirit Numquid Dens indiget vestro mendacio ut pro illo loquamini dolos Job 13.7 The Devil was loth to confess it but at length acknowledg'd that he did The Priest therefore repeats his adjurations and adds thereto the virtue of his promise which he very much insisted on and shewed him a Watch that it was full two of the Clock and when the Devil saw the Watch he bellowed out most terribly as all along he had done even to affright the Beholders but more especially when a Crucisix was applied to him which they often made use of and seemed sometimes to make Characters or write something with it on his forehead Notwithstanding all this the Devil had no great mind to be walking so they plied him again and again with Holy-water inwardly and outwardly which made him roar with a witness and complain that he
THE Cheats of ROME c. THE Papists having lately lost in this Parish some of their Party who happily turn'd to the Protestant truth and finding others so unsteady that they were jealous of loosing them also began to think it necessary to use their utmost skill to retain those they were doubtful of and if possible that they might be even with us gain some Proselytes to their Communion Hereupon they resolve upon a known Feat of Activity and instead of better friends call the Devil to their assistance To this end one Tho. Asâ—â—â—◠〈…〉 of Wigan a Weaver was pretended to be possessed the occasion of which is as foolish as it is unchristian for they sâ—râ—ad abroad a rumour as if he was bewithed by a neighbouring old Man that he had disobliged and whom they would have the world believe to be a Wizard And now they prepare themselves for the Game and tho I cannot learn that this Ashton had either any of those Frantick Symptoms or â—eger-de-main Tricks that their Demoniacks are usually taught to play yet having concluded of a Gambol to end Christmas with to work they go And January the 17th 1695 6. being Saint Anthonies Day was fixt upon for the day of the Exorcism Accordingly Four Priests Mr. Brooks the Operator in Chief Mr. Shimar Mr. Kennel and another whose name I cannot yet learn met at the House of Thomas Pennington in Orrel in the Parish of Wigan and County of Lancasâ—â— where a great Concourse of People Protestants as well as Papists were gathered together to see this mighty Feat At Nine of the Clock in the Morning the Scene was to be opened which begun with a Speech made by Mr. Brooks the Holder-forth wherein he told the people that he had offered up his Prayers to God that morning with relation to the work he was now going to undertake This is nothing but a Sanctifud and holy Cheat. that he hoped Christ had heard his prayers and he did not doubt but to be Master of the Devil by two of the Clock in the Afternoon He admonished the people also to have Faith and believe that he was able to do that Great Work Thus would he preingage the peoples saith and get then to mortgage it unto his soâ—â— for if they did not believe it would be very hard indeed for him to do it nevertheless he was able to do it notwithstanding their Infidelity Then the Demoniack was brought before the Altar which was new van 〈◊〉 for this same purpose for they had bought a new Altar-piece of White-Sattin and trim'd it up with two Fringes the one deeper than the other to grace their Show and the Priest turn'd his Stole twice or thrice about the Demoniacks neck upon which the Demoniack asked if he meant to hang him but I cannot learn the Priests answer The operation now immediately began and the people were commanded to kneel and pray to Saint Anthony and the Mother of God I before have told you it was St. Anthonies day which intâ—rested him in the sport And the Priests were ever and anon at it Mother of God help us pray for us Good St. Anthony pray for us Here the young Priest who knew not the name of the man Possessed any more than I know his steps to one of the Company who chanced to be a Protestant and ask'd what the Demoniacks Christian name was who told him it was Thomas upon which he falls tooth and nail to work Good St. Thomas pray for us Good St. Thomas pray for us c. expecting St. Thomas would be civil to his namesake Thus they continued till they brought the Devil to his Tongue Here you must once for all be advised that when the Demoniack spoke he made use of his own Lips and Tongue so that he was no Pythonist nor had they skill or not time to teach him the knack of speaking out of his Belly and then it was demanded For what cavse he did enter and afflict that soul of Christ Was it for Envy The Devil was loath to speak having learnt from a Boy witty on his Horn book that if he said A they would make him say B and so on to the end of the Chapter But the Priest Ad jured him to declare and at length he mumbled out No. Was it for Pride and so on through the Seaven Deadly Sins The Devil was Gruff but with much threatning they still made him speak and his answer continued to be No. The Priest run over a Bead-Roll of Vices and the Devil still was in the Negative At length the Priest ask'd him was it for Despair Here he begun to be Restive and would not have replied but by the the vertue of Holy-water and hard Words he was obliged to confess that it was for Despair It seems as if the Devil and the Priest had one and the same interest and that makes them to be thus concerned for each other Despair saith the â—riest Of what didst thou Despair Why sâ—â—th the Devil I did despair because I thought the Priests were falling and going down and if they fall adds he I shall fall also Hereupon he was declared to he a Despairing Devil Then the Priest wanted to know what the Devils name was and though he betraies his skill in that Question for a Great Man of their own Church doth diswade from it by assuring him that neither Angels 〈◊〉 Devils have any Proper names Sciendum est Angelos Doemones non habere propria nomina quibus tanquam vocabulis inter se distinguantur cùm sint incorporei Sed nomen Angeli Proprietas quaedam ejus est qua ab aliis distinguitur Cum doemones interrogati ab Exorcista de nomine respondent nomina quaedam Barbara incognita nihil significantia per hoc hominibus illudunt qui potestatis suae limites egre diuntur quaerentes quod non oportet Estius An. Aur. in Evang. Sec. Mar. c. 5. but are distinguished from one another by their Qualities And that therefore Devils when they are examined by Exorcists as to their name and give in some insignificant or uncouth name do only impose upon men that have transgressed the bounds of their Authority and inquire into things that they ought not Yet his name he would know and after some seeming aversion he was pleased to tell him that his name was Loll. Now the Reader is here to know that for all this formality the Devils name was no Secret For a neighbouring Justice of the Peace doth assure me that he was told six Weeks or two Months before the Farce was acted that a Devil was to be cast out in our Parish and that his name was to be Loll by which you may understand they had time enough to provide Gossips for him but the whim of the name made him then give no credit to the information When they had fâ—und which of the Devils it was they had to deal with no doubt but a
friend The Protestants are desired to attend that they I suppose may be informed of the truth of some new coin'd Articles of Faith from him that was the Author of them And because the Priest perceived some of them to be afraid at the Demoniacks roaring foaming slavering c. he bid them not to fear for the Devil should not hurt them He had him at command as they should see he would command him to kiss his foot it is a wonder that in conformity to his Masters Greatness it was not his Toe and he should obey By this passage one would think the Devil had lost his Pride and the Priest had found it Accordingly he gave the word of command and the Devil kist the shadow of his Shoe-tie and was not this a very humble Devil Then they proceeded to examine him as to his Creed as if they meant to know what Religion he was of and you need not in the least doubt but the Devil is a good Roman Catholick for they ask'd him if there were not a Purgatory Speak Devil I command thee saith the Priest is there not a Purgatory and the Devil inform'd him that there was Very well But is it not necessary to pray for souls that are in Purgatory Now had this Spark of Divinity consulted his own reason that would have told him that it was not proper to expect the truth of God from the mouth of the Devil or had he consulted his own School-men he might have learn'd that it was unlawful to adjure the Devil in order to learn somethings from him for Aquinas from Saint Chrysostom assures us that we ought not to believe the Devil though he deciare nothing but the truth Salutiferum nobis dogma datur ne credamus Doemonibus quantumcunque denuntient veritatem Aquin. 2da 2dae Qu. 90. Ar. 2. that they may be delivered thence And the Devil and Priest agreed that it was Thus understanding one another and agreeing in the Fundamental Articles of Faith for you read that the Devils believe Jam. 2.19 though it is an uncomfortable faith of theirs for it makes them tremble he proceeded to other matters of Doctrine and always had the satisfaction to find the Devil of his own opinion Amongst other Queries he demands to know whether it was not necessary to pray to Saints and Angels and adjured the Devil to tell the truth and because he found him sometimes sturdy and a naughty Boy he and his Partners would Box him about the Ears sometimes all four at once for the Devil being an haughty spirit cannot as we are told brook such affronts and the Devil thus chastis'd acknowledged that it was his curiosity then led him to inquire Now it is so long since the Devil was in that happy place where Saints and Angles are that a man may very reasonably suspect his information especially considering his fate which made him incapable to resolve the Question I wonder how the Church of Rome will requite the Devil for his kind vouching these Superstitious Doctrines whether Saints and Angels did not hear our Prayers And the Devil remembring very well that he himself was once an Angel in Heaven assured him that they did though he staid not so long there as to hear any They further inquired if it was not lawful to worship Pictures and Images And the Devil could discorn no hurt at all in a man's humbling himself before those pretty play things They then would know whether any Protestant Presbyterian c. could forgive sins and the Devil being a good Casuist told them they could not It was then demanded whether the Priests of the Church of Rome could not forgive sins And what cannot they do that can turn a Wafer into Flesh and Blood yes they could forgive sins And is not this a good Chatitable Devil that directs people whither to go for the Remission of their sins but at the same time he is a blockish Devil to betray such a secret as is enough to ruin his Kingdom But they proceed and the Devil must tell them whether the Priests of the Church of Rome have not power to east out Devils And to his sad grief and pain he felt they had Be it so they make but ill improvement of this Talent for the Devil as you will find was too hard for them and maugre their Exorcisms kept his Burrough Then they desired to know whether any Protestant or Presbyterian c. Minister could cast out Devils And if by casting out Devils they mean such juggling knacks as the Popish Exorcists are known to use the Devil here bad fairest at the Truth when he said they could not For the Clergy of the Church of England understand the nature of Christs Kingdom and the operation of his Grace which effectually doth cast Devils and all evil out of the hearts and souls of men far better than to expose God and Religion to the Buffoonry of Atheists by pretending to such Mountebank tricks as are an infamous scandal to both As for Dissenters let them answer for themselves for though their warm zeal betrays them too oft to a superstitious Credulity yet I think they are generally too wise to be engaged in such Artifices And though must confess I hear that some of them do intend to bless the world with the Narrative of a late Miracle of this nature which they wrought yet if the presence of a neighbouring Justice of Peace which as I hear struck their Affidavit-men dumb for that time hath not convinced them of their Vanity I wish them to consider what they are doing and save some of us the labour of spending time and Paper in Animadversions on their Folly But to return this was a tedious way of proceeding by particulars to compromize therefore all in one he fairly ask'd The Priests used to teach the people that they ought to believe as the Church believed but now it seems they have changed their note and would have them believe as the Devil belives whether Salvation was to be had in any Church but only that of Rome And the Devil very officiously told him there was not Right faith the Priest I know that as well as thou why then dist thou ask me saith the Devil Only saith the Priest that I might make the to satisfie these people of this truth And having made such powerful discoveries as these are by the Ingenious Confession of a knowing Devil Mr. Books desired that William Winstanl's Maid might be sent for which accordingly was done She is a Protestant but her Master is a Papist and when she came the Devil beat about him froth'd and foam'd and cryed out Art thou come Art thou come And then the same question was put again and met with the same answer as it was as oft as any Protestant or any that they suspected in danger of turning Protestants did appear For when another person came in whom not without reason they were jealous of as
Ditchfield who seemed not willing at all to believe it but it prov'd too true for in a little time they gained upon her and she began to tell Mr. Smith of the virtue of the Holy-Water and what strange effects it wrought on the Demoniack of which she could desire that he might be a Witness so to the Maid they went and she sprinkled Holy-Water in her face and the Maid spit at her Oh saith she do you not see what a strange power is in this Holy-Water Yes Saith Mr. Smith and pray will you try it upon me with some perswasions she was prevail'd with to make the Experiment on him and she flung Holy-Water on his face and he spit in her face and she flung again and he spit again what do you mean saith she O what a Strange power saith he is there in this Holy-Water but Dear Mrs. saith he do you not plainly see that all this is only to delude and abuse you I am heartily sorry for you she made him to reply for they had now prevail'd upon her A Day for Exorcism was fixt upon and Mr. Smith comes that morning to see the Maid when he entred the house he heard a great noise in the chamber of things hurried to and fro but he knows not what it meant He desired to see the Maid and after some time Mr. Urmston came to him and told him that she was a sleep I have often seen her wakeing saith her and I desire to see how she is when a sleep When the Old Gentleman saw he could not divert him he pretended to go a little before and he would call for Mr. Smith this was to get the Priest out of the way who was in so much haste that he left his Cant behind hom Mr. Smith comes up and finds the Maid awake and the Priest's Cane left behind him What now saith he hath he over run his staff What are all these Pictures for for they had brought a great many into the Room What must these puâ— the Devil out of the at which the Maid smil'd as before and flung the shâ—â— over her face But Mr. Urmston could not bear such discourse which created a Quarrell betwixt them and occasion'd Mr. Smith to leave both the Room and the House When he was gone the Exorcism came on of which I can give no exact Account very few being suffered to be present I cannot therefore learn whether they asked any Questions about Religion as the Prtests with us did only the Maid amidst her Rambling talk made use of her own tongue for one Elizabeth Hilton a Protestant then present being ask't by the then Vicar of Leigh whether a spirit spake within the pretended Demoniack or no she said no for she spake as I do The name of the Devil was Declared to be Sturdy and the sign of his departure was to have been a Quarrel taken away with him out of the window but the Devil would not consent to that so the Devil and Priest agreed that the sign should be a Box on the Ear given to the Priest which at the appointed minute was Executed by the Maids hand Vpon this Mrs. Ditchfield turn'd Papist but never after wore the same countenance that she had before she looked like another woman as she had got another Religion and could never well face a Protestant Her troubles were augmented in that it begun to be whispered that the Maid would confess the Juggle and how she was hired by her Master and the Priest to act this Scene This is thought to shorten Mrs. Ditchfields days for she was buryed August 15. 1673. as appears by the Register of Leigh and this Exorcism happned not much above Two years before Her Remorse increased for that the Maid was sent away to New-England decoy'd as is suppos'd by the Priest to Leverpool and ship'd-off thence In New-England she Married one Mr. Sworton a Minister there and whether confessing the Truth there to him and advis'd by him or no I know not but she return'd again into England acknowledged the whole Intreague and that there was nothing in it at all but Trick and Dissimulation Mrs. Ditchfield never endeavoured to turn her Children The Heir is and as I am told always was a Protestant as for the rest tho they were constrained to go to Mass to please their Grandfather yet they are at this day all Protestants even he that was designed for a Priest from whose Testimony joyned with some others herein named I have compiled this Narrative These are the little fetches of the Romish Emissaries which are the greatest Scandal and Injury to Religion that the Wit of Hell it self can contrive The Greatest Scandal for can any one take a more effectual way to expose it and its Anthor to the Contempt of Libertines and Aâ—heists than to be sound Guilty of such a Notorious piece of Priest-Craft aâ— this is The Greatest Injury for how justly may the Miracles of Christ and his Apostles on which Christianity is founded be brought into suspicion when men discover the works of their Disciples who pretend to the same Power with them to be nothing else but slight Leger-de-main Thus the Wounds which Religion like her Master receives are in the House of her Friends But I must contract these Lamentations lest the Porch should grow too Sumptuous for the Fabrick Nothing now remains unless your Lordship desire to know what success this Pious Fraud met with amongst us and may such Priest-crafts never meet with better for like to Strong Physick it wrought the contrary way and the Priests began to find themselves the Loosers Their own Party and the Demoniacks nearest Relations could not but take notice of the Dissention amongst the Priests about the Operation when they found it unsuccessful and some of them as I am told ingeniously confessed that they do not believe that the Person was possest I was not sometime since without some hope of gaining the Demoniack himself for some of his Friends sent to me to beg the favour that he might pay me a visit Whether he was at home then or no I know not Yet by the Messengers discourse I conceived that he was Tho since I understand that his Mother Weeps and Cries Complains for the want of her Son and saith she knows not where he is Whether she be sincere in it or no I cannot tell for by some Rumours I have lately heard I have cause to suspect her But if the Priests be jealous of his Tongue no doubt but they will serve him as they did the Maid in the foregoing Narrative Such Scandalous Abuses of Religion as these are as they create us Sorrow so deserve our Prayers and therefore that the God of Truth would in mercy open the eyes of the Blind that they may all come unto the knowledge of the Truth is the Earnest Prayer of My Lod Your Lordships most Humble and Dutiful Servant and Curate ZACH. TAYLOR THE DEVIL TURNED CASUIST OR