ermit
one of Adam's race of dirt, to put himself on an equality with me who am
an angel, of a species and descent far superior." "Ha!" said Lucifer,
"he may be sure of his punishment. But, sirrah, answer to these
accusations speedily and clearly, or by hopeless Destruction I will--" "I
have brought hither," said the goblin, "many a soul since Satan was in
the garden of Eden, and ought to know my trade better than this novice of
an informer." "Blood of an infernal fire-brand!" said Lucifer, "did I
not command you to answer speedily and clearly." "Do but hear me," said
the sprite. "As to preaching, by your own command I have been a hundred
times _preaching_, and have forbidden people to follow several of the
roads which lead to your territories, and yet silently, in the same
breath, have led them hither safe enough, by some other vain paths; as I
have done by preaching lately in Germany, and in one of the Faroe isles,
and various other places.

"Thus through my preaching," he continued, "have come many of the
_superstitions_ of the papists, and the _old fables_ first to the world,
and the whole under the shape of some goodness. For who ever swallows
the hook without some bait? who ever would believe a story if there were
not some measure of _truth_ mingled with the falsehood; or some semblance
of _good_ to shade the _evil_? Thus if I find an opportunity in
preaching, to push in amongst a hundred correct and salutary counsels,
one of my own, with this one I will do you, either through
_contentiousness_ or _superstition_, more advantage than all the rest of
my counsels will do you harm." "Well," said Lucifer, "since you are of
such utility in your pulpit, I order you for seven years, to take up your
abode in the mouth of one of the barn-preachers, who will be sure to
utter the first thing which comes to his tongue's end. Then you will
find an opportunity to put in a word now and then, to your own purpose."

There were still many more devils and damned who were twisting through
one another like lightning, around the throne of Terrors, to give an
account of what they had done, and again to receive commissions. But
suddenly and unexpectedly, an order was given to all the messengers and
the prisoners, to go out of the palace, every one to his hole, and to
leave the king and his chief counsellors there alone. "Had we not best
depart," said I to my companion, "lest they should find us?" "You need
not fear," said the