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 EXORCISM.

I Exorcise thee N — in the Name of the Father Omnipotent, and in the Name of Jesus Christ his Son, and in the power of the Holy Ghost, that thou become a clean, holy, and purified Vessel from all spot of iniquity, and from all Witchcrafts, Incantations, Contracts, Signatures, and Actions done and committed in or about thy body. Farther also, I the un∣worthy servant of God, though a sinner, by the Authority to me committed in the Name of the said Omnipotent God the Father, and his Son Jesus Christ, and in the power of the Holy Ghost, dissolve all those Ties, Ligatures, and evil Actions, and command thee, most accursed

Devil, that thou presume no longer to have power in this body from the sole of the foot to the crown of the head, but that thou depart with all thy Witchcrafts and Incantations. And all this through him that shall come to judge the quick and the dead and the world by fire.Amen.

Then must be said this Prayer.

GOD of pity and compassion, who according to the multitude of thy mercies correctest whom thou lovest, we invoke thee, O Lord, that thou wouldst be pleased to grant thy Grace to thy Ser∣vant N — who suffers weakness of his members in his body: and that what is corrupted by earthly frailty, or disorde∣red by diabolical fraud, thou wouldst unite to the Body of thy Church. Pity his crys, have pity on his tears, and ad∣mit him to the Sacrament of thy Recon∣ciliation, having no other confidence than in thy mercy through Jesus Christ.

A very good Prayer, were it upon a better occasion, and not accompanied with the following piece of Superstition.

For now the party possessed must be washed with a showre of Holy Water, and then follows the ensuing Exor∣cism.

I Exorcise thee N — weak in body, yet regenerate by the Water of Baptism, by the living God, by the true God, by the holy God, by the God who redeemed thee with his most precious Blood, that thou become a man exor∣cised, that all fancy and fraud of diabolical wickedness may depart from thee, and every adjured unclean Spirit: through him who shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

Then this short Ejaculation.

O God, who governest thy handy work with a pious care, incline thine ear to our supplica∣tions, and look upon thy servant N — la∣bouring under extreme weakness of body: Vi∣sit him and afford him the healing relief of thy salvation and heavenly grace, through Christ our Lord.

Here ends the last Scene of the fourth Act, and 'tis greatly to be feared the De∣vil will be vengeance-weary before the Play be done. 'Tis no matter for that,

he'l be the more glad to be gone; 'twas done to that intent and purpose. And yet one would think the Devil should laugh in his sleeve to see how his Adversary does and undoes: For in his Incantations he assumes a power committed to him already to remove the vexation, and arbitrarily commands the removal. In his prayers he desires that to be done, which he de∣clares he had power to do before. Nor does the Priest complain of any limited Commission neither. This therefore must certainly be a very great comfort to the Devil under his affliction of Three Knots. For you may be sure that the Devil listens, like a Sow in the Beans, to every word that is said, and if there be any hole to creep out of his misery, he'l never strain a point of Curtesie with the Priest. But till the Exorcist has quite done, he knows not what to think on't. Only he's sure there's a dismal storm coming, by the great bundle of Hyssop in the Holy Water Bason.

And now the first Act being begun, the Priest spares for no Holy Water, which he plentifully bestows upon the Party possessed: The showre being over, and the Devil's courage, as he thinks, being sufficiently cool'd, the Exorcist full of hope and faith, falls briskly to work, that is, to conjure all the Devils remaining in the De∣moniac's Body, after this bold manner.

HEar, unclean Spirit and infamous De∣vil, I admonish thee, I exorcise thee, and command thee, O Tempter, vain, hare-brain'd, false, heretical, wicked, drunkard, mad man, thrown from the grace of God and Christ. By him I exorcise thee who for our sakes descended to Earth, who was named by the Angels, incarnate by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, and grow∣ing in years and wisdom, in the twelfth year of his Age disputed with high understanding in the midst of the greatest Doctors. I con∣jure thee by him who was baptized by John the Baptist in the River of Jordan, tempted by the Devil, sold and betrayed by Judas his Disciple, fed with Gall, made to drink Vinegar, crowned with Thorns, despoiled of his garments, upon which they cast lots. I con∣jure thee by him who was crucified, dead and buri∣ed, and rose from the dead the third day, ascended

into Heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father, from whence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead, and the World by fire, that thou immediately go forth and fly from this Vessel and Creature of God, without any damage to him, or hurt to me or any of the standers by. I exorcise thee by him, of whom the Angel Gabriel declared that he should be born of the Virgins womb, and John saluted in the womb of Elizabeth, and by him I conjure thee to answer me to all and every such questions which I shall ask thee, and that thou answer me the truth, what is thy Master's and thy own name, and whether thou beest in this body or without it; whether thou art alone, or one or more Legions with thee.

Here the Exorcist ought to examine the name of the Devil Pos∣sessor, what Companions he has, under what Order of Devils he is, for what cause he possest the Party, whether he be bound there by any Art of Witchcraft; how that tye may be dissolved; how long he had lived there; by what Saint or per∣son he may be expelled, who are his great∣est enemies in Heaven, and who in Hell?

and what signs he will give of his depar∣ture? Then command him that he do no harm to the Patient, and that from thence forward he never presume to return. But let the Exorcist be prudent and circum∣spect in his Interrogatories, lest he be de∣ceived. Rather let him endeavour to free the poor man from his vexation, than stand prating with the Devil. At last having sufficiently examined the Spirit, if he nei∣ther depart, nor answer, or whether he do or no; he shall prosecute his Conjura∣tion.

Notes

• He's mistaken that takes these for Com∣plements.
• Note, That Tauto∣logy may be used in Conjuring.
• A thick-skull'd De∣vil that knew not what he meant with∣out all these repeti∣tions.
• This seems to be in order to some In∣dictment.
• Quaere, Whether the Devil be bound to ac∣cuse himself?