' 'I thank your excellence kindly,'
said I, 'pray, what is it your infernal protectorship will be pleased
to confer upon me?' To which his mighty ugliness replied, 'Friend
Naylor, I know thou hast been very industrious to make many people fools
in the upper world, which has highly conduced to my interest.' Then
turning to a pigmy aerial, who attended his commands as a running
footman, 'Haste, _Numps_,' says he, 'and fetch me the painted coat,'
which was no sooner brought, but by Lucifer's command I was shoved into
it, neck and shoulders, by half a dozen swarthy _valets de chambre_, and
in a minute's time found myself tricked up in a rainbow-coloured coat,
like a merry-Andrew. 'Now, friend,' says the ill-favoured prince of all
the hell-born scoundrels, 'for the many fools you have made above, I now
ordain you mine below;' so all the reward truly of my great services was
to be made Lucifer's jester, or fool in ordinary to the devil; a pretty
post, thought I, for a man of my principles, that from a Quaker in the
outer world I should be metamorphosed into a jack-adam in the lower
one."

The occupation of people in the Nether world is described after
Rabelais, thus:--"Cardinal Mazarin keeps a nine-holes; Mary of Medicis
foots stockings; and Katharine of Sweden cries 'Two bunches a penny
card-matches--two bunches a penny!' Henry the Fourth of France carries
a raree-show, and Mahomet sells mussels. Seneca keeps a fencing-school,
and Julius Caesar a two-penny ordinary."

At the present day it is rather amusing to read, "A Comical View of
London and Westminster"--a weekly prophecy intended to ridicule the
increasing use of barometers and other scientific instruments for
predicting changes of weather.

"Wednesday October 16th. Cloudy, foggy weather at Garraway's and
Jonathan's, and at most coffee-houses at about twelve. Crowds of people
gather at the Exchange by one; disperse by three. Afternoon, noisy and
bloody at her Majesty's bear-garden at _Hockly-in-the-Hole_.
Night--sober with broken chaplains and others that have neither credit
nor money. This week's transactions censured by the virtuosos at
_Child's_ from morning till night.

"Thursday 17th. Coffee and water-gruel to be had at the Rainbow and
Nando's at four. Hot furmity at Bride-bridge at seven. Justice to be had
at _Doctor's Commons_, when people can get it. A lecture at Pinner's
hall at ten. Excellent pease-pottage and tripe in Baldwin's Gardens at
twelve. A cons