rd_ Soldier in the Army of King
_Antharis_, who attempting to cut it with his Knife, was miraculously
forced to direct the Wound to himself, and cut his own Throat; that King
_Antharis_ and his Nobles happened to see the Fellow do it, and were
converted to Christianity by it, and that the King sent the Key, with
another made like it, to Pope _Pelagius_, then Bishop of _Rome_, who
thereupon assum'd the Power of opening and shutting Heaven's Gates; and
he afterwards setting a Price or Toll upon the Entrance, as we do here
at passing a Turn-pike; these fine things, I say, were successfully
managed for some Years before this I am now speaking of, and the Devil
got a great deal of Ground by it too; but now he triumph'd openly, and
having set up a Murtherer upon the temporal Throne, and a Church Emperor
upon the Ecclesiastic Throne, and both of his own choosing, the _Devil_
may be said to begin his new Kingdom from this Epocha, and call it the
_Restoration_.

Since this time indeed the Devil's Affairs went very merrily on, and the
Clergy brought so many Gewgaws into their Worship, and such devilish
Principles were mixt with that which we call'd the Christian Faith, that
in a Word, from this Time the Bishop of _Rome_ commenc'd _Whore of
Babylon_, in all the most express Terms that could be imagin'd: Tyranny
of the worst sort crept into the Pontificate, Errors of all sorts into
the Profession, and they proceeded from one thing to another, till the
very Popes, for so the Bishop of _Rome_ was now called, by way of
Distinction; I say, the Popes themselves, their spiritual Guides,
profess'd openly to confederate with the _Devil_, and to carry on a
personal and private Correspondence with him at the same time, taking
upon them the Title of Christ's Vicar, and the infallible Guide of the
Consciences of Christians.

This we have sundry Instances of in some merry Popes, who, _if Fame lies
not_, were Sorcerers, Magicians, had familiar Spirits, and immediate
Conversation with the Devil, as well visibly as invisibly, and by this
means became what we call _Devils incarnate_: Upon this account it is
that I have left the Conversation that passes between _Devils and Men_
to this Place, as well because I believe it differs much now in his
modern State, from what it was in his ancient State, and therefore that
which most concerns us belongs rather to this part of his History; as
also because, as I am now writing to the present Age, I choose to