a sublime angelic Original; so by the Help of my recited Art I knew it
too, and so far it might relate to her.

Very fine, says she, so you would make a _Devil_ of me indeed.

I took that Occasion to tell her, I would make nothing of her but what
she was; that I suppos'd she knew well enough God Almighty never thought
fit to make any human Creature so perfect and compleatly beautiful as
she was, but that such were also reserved for Figures to be assum'd by
Angels of one Kind or other.

She rallied me upon that, and told me that would not bring me off, for I
had not determined her for any thing Angelic, but a meer _Devil_; and
how could I flatter her with being handsome and a _Devil_ both at the
same time?

I told her, as Satan, whom we abusively call'd _Devil_, was an immortal
Seraph, and of an original angelic Nature, so abstracted from any thing
wicked, he was a most glorious Being; that when he thought fit to encase
himself with Flesh, and walk about in Disguise, it was in his Power
equally with the other Angels to make the Form he took upon himself be
as he thought fit, beautiful or deform'd.

Here she disputed the Possibility of that, and after charging me faintly
with flattering her Face, told me the Devil could not be represented by
any thing handsome, alledging our constant picturing the _Devil_ in all
the frightful Appearances imaginable.

I told her we wrong'd him very much in that, and quoted St. _Francis_,
to whom the _Devil_ frequently appeared in the Form of the most
incomparably beautiful naked Woman, to allure him, and what Means he
used to turn the Appearance into a _Devil_ again, and how he effected
it.

She put by the Discourse, and returned to that of Angels, and insisted
that Angels did not always assume beautiful Appearances; that sometimes
they appear'd in terrible Shapes, but that when they did not, it was at
best only amiable Faces, not exquisite; and that therefore it would not
hold, that to be handsome, should always render them suspected.

I told her the _Devil_ had more Occasion to form Beauties than other
Angels had, his Business being principally to deceive and ensnare
Mankind. And then I gave her some Examples upon the whole.

I found by her Discourse she was willing enough to pass for an _Angel_,
but 'twas the hardest thing in the World to convince her that she was a
DEVIL, and she would not come into that by any means; she argued that I
knew her Father, and that her Mother wa