d and Delusion by Retale: The Priests of _Apollo_
acted this Farce for him to a great Nicety at _Delphos_; 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 the _Devil_, 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'd
to use the utmost Art to reconcile Events to the Prediction, even after
things were come to pass.

Here the Devil was a _lying 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.

_Julian_ the 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 of _Julian_'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 his _Persian_ Expedition, they all, like _Ahab_'s
_Prophets_, 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 at _Antioch_
to buy up white Beasts, and white Fowls, for Sacrifices, and for
predicting from the Entrails; from whence the _Antiochians_, in
contempt, call'd him _Victimarius_; 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 the
_Genij_ to 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 to _Julian_, who made
himself a Brother Sacrist or Priest; whereas the Priests turn'd it
presently to signify the Death of