ig'd to
leave off their building, and immediately separating one from another;
but what a Surprize it was to the old Serpent, that remains to be
considered of, for indeed it belongs to his History.

Satan had never met with any Disappointment in all his wicked Attempts
till now; for first, he succeeded even to triumph upon _Eve_, he did the
like upon _Cain_, and in short upon the whole World, _one Man_ (Noah)
_excepted_; when he blended the Sons of God, and the Daughters of Hell,
for so the Word is understood, together, in promiscuous voluptuous
Living as well as Generation.

As to the Deluge, Authors are not agreed whether it was a Disappointment
to the Devil or no, it might be indeed a Surprize to him, for tho'
_Noah_ had preach'd of it for a hundred Year together, yet as he
(_Satan_) daily prompted the People not to heed or believe what that old
Fellow _Noah_ said to them, and to ridicule his whimsical Building a
monstrous Tub to swim or float in, when the said Deluge should come; so
I am of the Opinion he did not believe it himself, and am positive he
could not foresee it, by any insight into Futurity that he was Master
of.

'Tis true the Astronomers tell us, there was a very terrible Comet seen
in the Air, that it appeared for 180 Days before the Flood continually;
and that as it approach'd nearer and nearer every Day all the while, so
that at last it burst and fell down in a continual Spout or Stream of
Water, being of a watry Substance, and the Quantity so great, that it
was forty Days a falling; so that this Comet not only foretold the
Deluge or drowning of the Earth, but actually perform'd it, and drown'd
it from it self.

But to leave this Tale to them that told it, let us consider the Devil,
surpris'd, and a little amaz'd at the Absorption or Inundation, or
whatever we are to call it, of the Earth in the Deluge, not, I say, that
he was much concern'd at it, perhaps just the Contrary; and if God would
drown it again, and as often as he thought fit, I do not see by any
thing I meet with in Satan's History, or in the Nature of him, that he
would be at all disturb'd at it; all that I can see in it, that could
give Satan any Concern, would be that all his Favourites were gone, and
he had his Work to do over again, to lay a Foundation for a new Conquest
in the Generation that was to come; But in this his Prospect was fair
enough, for why should he be discouraged, when he had now eight People
to work upon, who