pture charges with Sorcery, and having a Familiar or Devil;
Fame tells us that St. _Dunstan_ frequently converst with him, and
finally, took him by the Nose; and so of others.

But in these modern Ages of the World, he finds it much more to his
Purpose to work under Ground as I have observ'd, and to keep upon the
Reserve; so that we have no authentick Accounts of his personal
Appearance, but what are very antient or very remote from our Faith, as
well as our Enquiry.

It seems to be a Question that would bear some debating, whether all
Apparitions are not _Devils_ or from the _Devil_; but there being so
many of those Apparitions which we call Spirits, which really assume
Shapes and make Appearances in the World, upon such Accounts as we know
_Satan_ himself scorns to be employ'd in, that I must dismiss the
Question in favour of the _Devil_; assuring them, that as he never
willingly did any good in his Life, so he would be far from giving
himself the Trouble of setting one Foot into the World, on such an
Errand; and for that Reason we maybe assur'd those certain Apparitions,
which we are told came to detect a Murther in _Gloucestershire_, and
others who appear'd to prevent the ruining an Orphan for want of finding
a Deed, that was not lost, was certainly some other Power equally
concern'd, and not the _Devil_.

On the other Hand, neither will it follow that _Satan_ never appears in
human Shape; for tho' every Apparition may not be the _Devil_, yet it
does not follow that the _Devil_ never makes an Apparition: All I shall
say to it is, as I have mention'd before, that generally speaking, the
_Devil_ finds it more for his Purpose, to have his Interest in the World
propagated another Way; namely, in private, and his personal Appearances
are reserv'd for Things only of extraordinary Consequence, and, as I may
say, of evident Necessity, where his Honour is concern'd, and where his
Interest could be carried on no other Way; not forgetting to take Notice
that this is very seldom.

It remains to enquire, what then those Things are which we make so much
stir about, and which are call'd _Apparitions_, or Spirits assuming
human Shapes, and shewing themselves to People on particular Occasions?
whether they are evil Spirits or good? and tho', indeed, this is out of
my Way at this Time, and does not relate at all to the _Devil_'s
History, yet I thought it not amiss to mention it; (1.) Because, as I
have said, I do not wholly exclu