A Whip for the Devil, or, The Roman conjuror discovering the intolerable folly, prophaneness and superstition of the papists in endeavouring to cast the Devil out of the bodies of men and women by him possest ... / all faithfully collected from their own authors, with pleasant notes and observations intermixt.

The second Document.

AN Exorcist ought to be very diligent to discern whether the Party be re∣ally possessed by the Devil or no, and whe∣ther it be not a fallacy. For it would be a very great blur to the Credit of an Exor∣ciser to be baffled in his attempt for want of Judgment. Not only the Friends of the Party, but the Devil himself would laugh at him for his pains. Now an Ex∣orcist shall certainly know whether the Party be possessed or no, if he hears him speak and understand those things which it

would be otherwise impossible for the per∣son afflicted to understand or discourse without the Devils Instruction. Another way to try this Experiment is by touching the party with some Religious Relick, or by reading Holy words out of the Four Evangelists to the party concerned. Thus a Demoniac being brought to the Bishop of Angers, in France, he caused the Wenches Coats to be taken up to her bare knee, and then pulling a Key out of his pocket, laid it upon her naked skin. You cannot ima∣gine how the poor Wench screamed, and roared, drew her mouth a one side, and foamed and fumed, so soon as she percei∣ved the cold Key upon her flesh. Then the Bishop pulled out of his pocket a piece of Petronius Arbiter, and read to the De∣moniac these words, There was a certain Ephesian Matron. But then the Devil was ten thousand times madder than before, the Wench raved and tore, and stampt and stared, and it was a million to six pence, but that the Devil had split her into two parts, as he took his leave; he flew away in such a violent rage, as if he had resolved to demolish the Tenement of which he could not keep the Possession. So that if you can privately and without the parties knowledge do it, 'tis a most excel∣lent

way to tye some holy Relique or a piece of paper full of Godly Names, to some part of the Demoniac's body: For then if the party be troubled and tormen∣ted with strange Convulsions, or utter furious and raging Expressions, 'tis a sign of a Diabolical Presence. But you are to ob∣serve, for the sake of those who detract from this Art, that the Devils entring in∣to humane bodies, very rarely speak La∣tin: first, because the Devil is too polite to speak the Language of the Beast: second∣ly, because it would lay him too open to discovery, if he should use any other than the natural Instruments of those whom he possesses. And therefore the Devil posses∣sing an illiterate Idiot never speaks Latin; or if he possess an Italian, he never speaks French, unless the party were known to speak both Languages before, in regard the Tongue being habituated to one sort of Language, becomes more pliable in its motion to the Devils occasions. Neither indeed will they speak either Hebrew or Greek, as being Languages altogether out of use, unless it be among the Learned; and the Devil is too cunning to come un∣der their clutches.