MY GOD, and I cannot go beyond his Orders; but that which gives me
a better Opinion of _Balaam_ than all this is, his plain Prophesy of
Christ, Chap. xxiv. 17. where he calls him the Star of _Jacob_, and
declares, _I shall see him, but not now, I shall behold him, but not
nigh; there shall come a Star out of_ Jacob, _and a Scepter shall rise
out of_ Israel, _and shall smite the Corners of_ Moab, _and destroy all
the Children of_ Seth, all which express not a Knowledge only, but a
Faith in Christ; but I have done preaching, this is all by the by, I
return to my Business, which is the History.

There is another Piece of dark Practice here, which lies between Satan
and his particular Agents, and which they must give us an Answer to,
when they can, which I think will not be in haste; and that is about the
obsequious _Devil_ submitting to be call'd up into Visibility, whenever
an old Woman has her Hand cross'd with a white Six-pence, _as they Call
it_: One would think that instead of these vile Things call'd Witches,
being sold to the _Devil_, the _Devil_ was really sold for a Slave to
them; for how far soever Satan's Residence is off of this State of Life,
they have Power, it seems, to fetch him from home, and oblige him to
come at their Call.

I can give little Account of this, only that indeed so it is; nor is the
Thing so strange in its self, as the Methods to do it are mean, foolish,
and ridiculous; as making a Circle and dancing in it, pronouncing such
and such Words, saying the Lord's Prayer backward, and the like; now is
this agreeable to the Dignity of the Prince of the Air or Atmosphere,
that he should be commanded forth with no more Pomp or Ceremony than
that of muttering a few Words, such as the old Witches and he agree
about? or is there something else in it, which none of us or themselves
understand?

Perhaps, indeed, he is always with those People call'd Witches and
Conjurers, or at least some of his _Camp Volant_ are always present, and
so upon the least call of the Wizard, it is but putting off the misty
Cloak and showing themselves.

Then we have a Piece of mock Pageantry in bringing those Things call'd
witches or Conjurers to Justice, that is, first to know if a Woman be a
Witch, throw her into a Pond, and if she be a Witch, she will swim, and
it is not in her own Power to prevent it; if she does all she can to
sink her self, it will not do, she will swim like a Cork. Then that a
Rope will not hang a