and my great father Belzebub; such an union I did establish, as nothing natural shall ever be able to dissolve.

IMP. Hah, my sire, you began very early indeed. You spen little idle time in your infancy; and proved very successful in your first enterprise too!

INFID. I have no reason to complain of want of success, I assure you. But you shall hear. The very moment I was brought forth, the great Belzebub gazed upon me with all the admiration of a father infernal; and said, that I was the loveliest babe his eyes ever beheld. Multitudes of his sable menials, flocking together, were likewise astonished at my beauties: such majestic grace displayed itself in my countenance, though then but an infant, that all agreed "I was father's own child." Moreover, such were their hopes of my usefulness, that great Belzebub, and his peers, did what they could, sparing neither pains nor expence to have me transported to hell, to be nursed up at the infernal court: believing that my presence would greatly alleviate their distress, and prevent their trembling on the thoughts of futurity. But my constitution being altogether earthly, it was found by experience that the infernal air was too hot for me, and that I could not live within the confines of the damned. Earth, my child, only earth is my habitation. Here I was born, and here I suppose I must die.

IMP. With your leave, father, I think I have somewhere heard, that all who are now the inhabitants of the deep are unbelievers. How comes this to pass, if the great Infidelis cannot live in those torrid regions.

INFID. I perceive, child, that you are no great proficient in theology as for me I have dealt against divine matters all my days. It is your province to counteract moral principles, not interfering much with things divine, and my province to oppose truth rather than promote immorality; therefore I shall inform you how it comes to pass. Know then, that what a man is when he dies, such he is in the eye of the moral law to all eternity; for death casts the dye, and the same posture in which the tree falls it must lie for ever; but with unbelief they never more agree. For instance many of them whilst on earth could not be prevailed on to believe that there is a God, but in hell they are feelingly convinced of the truth of this doctrine. Now they believe that there is a terrible God, and that they are fallen into his dreadful hards. Search hell through all its corners; ransack every furnace in the fiery world, and you'll find never an atheist therein. Others whilst on earth were not quite so stupid as to imagine that this beautiful world, and all things therein came into existence of themselves, and that the economy of nature is wholly effected by chance; therefore they assented to the being of God: but deemed it enthusiasm to suppose that this God

should subject his creature unto a written law. They sneered at the authority of the scriptures; ridiculed every part of instituted worship, and gloried in their infidelity: but now they are sentenced to hell, and have had a specimen of eternal torment, they most sincerely believe the veracity of the scriptures; finding themselves to have been judged according to what is written in them. Others, whilst health and strength continued with them, supposed God was only jesting, when he threatened the sinner with the vengeance of eternal fire, but now they are in hell, enduring that vengeance, they verily believe that he was in earnest. In short, son, many of them disbelieved that there is either God or devil, heaven or hell, but now, all these things are certain, even to demonstration, with them; they having been driven to associate with the peers of darkness.

The very best of historical faith is to be found in hell: there are millions now inhabiting there, who when on earth could boast that they had good hearts, and believed well all their days, but who never began in reality to believe the report of the bible, till they tasted the sulphur of the lake. Then they believed very sincerely, though very much against their inclination. Now do you understand me when I tell you that, unbelief cannot live in hell?

IMP. Yes, but you amaze me, sir! I never heard so much before. What a learned devil you are! The famous pope Hellbrand himself could not have discussed the subject with greater accuracy. One may see from you what it is to be conversant with popes, councils, convocations, and the clergy. But in our country all the conversation runs upon horse-coursing, cardplaying, cock-fighting, fox-hunting, whore-making, swearing, lying, cheating, and drinking. Not a word about religion, unless it is to damn the parson for a sanctified hypocrite. And more, sir, I never knew that I had so many brethren and sisters before. Right well I knew that I was begotten by you, but I looked on myself as your only son by Ignorantia, my mother. Those honourable spirits whom you mention as my brethren, I always took to have been sons to Belzebub, your brethren and my uncles. I should never have thought of a fraternal relation subsisting between them and myself in any other way than cooperation.

INFID. You have been greatly mistaken, Impiator, for Belzebub never begat a son besides myself, and my brother Fastosus, who is something older than I. I am aware that there are some, who alledge that Contumax, Crudelis, Discordans, &c. are the natural children of the great Belzebub: but it is a mistake; for they are only his grand-children, sons to my brother Fastosus. The very moment that Contumax was brought forth, our great father Belzebub, with all his adherents, were cast down from the ineffable heights of primeval glory, to the depths of bottomless perdition,

and according to a certain historian, were nine natural days in falling. Now, my dear Impiator, by this account, Contumax is your cousin, and my nephew. So that you are not only a brother in government with those illustrious princes: but sprung from the same famous ancestors with them.

IMP. Indeed, sir, I am astonished at your story, but you know that I am no scholar, and that ought to excuse me for my ignorance of matters so profound; besides, such things very seldom make a great impression on my mind, being quite out of my latitude. However, I should be glad to know how your extensive government was established ?

INFID. How it elates my mind, to hear my dear Impiator express desire after instruction! I will inform you as far as I myself have known. My kingdom, which is indeed extensive, was established as follows: As soon as I was born, I began to call in question the truth, goodness, and authority of the Almighty, and in every respect set myself to oppose the Eternal, by contradicting every word which he spake to man.

For instance, when God said to man, "Thou shalt not eat of the fruit of such and such a tree." Although then in my infancy, I stepped up to man, and thus interrogated him; "Hath God indeed said so? Are you sure of it? Are you not mistaken, think you? You must needs have misunderstood him, for it cannot be consistent with the goodness of such a being as God is, to forbid your eating the fruit of such a divine tree." And as God had said, " In the day you eat thereof you shall surely die." I addressed myself to man after this manner: "Die too! nay, ye shall not die. That is only an empty threatening, to keep your consciences in awe; for God doth very well know that if you eat of that precious fruit ye shall be Gods like himself; having knowledge of good and evil: for this it is that he hath prohibited the use of this divine tree." My brother, Fastosus, also performed wonders on this occasion. By these means I brought over man to my obedience: thus I established my interest upon earth, and hitherto I have maintained it. With safety may I say that my good friends, both parsons and people, to this day, love me as their lives, and at any time sooner take the bare word of the adored Infidelis, than the word and oath of the God of Heaven.

IMP. Why, sir, you began from a child to work the delightful works of darkness.

INFID. Yes, I am the oldest of all the Belzebubian offspring, Fastosus, alone excepted, and I yield in point of government to none of the princes. Fastosus and I, indeed, have a dispute between us, concerning the extent of our earthly territories; I can freely allow him the pre-eminence with respect to his angelic dominions; but I can never be brought to own that his sway over mankind is more extensive than mine, nor yet more

sovereign. I yield to none in this debate, for all men are included under my government; and what makes greatly for my interest is, the far greater part of them, cannot be persuaded that I have any real existence. Thus it is, my dear Impiator, I reign almost universally over mankind, and they perceive it not. Many thousands of those good people who believed nothing of my existence, and who, in their own imagination had believed well all their days, have I conducted very safely down to the dark abodes of ever-growing anguish. Within which they were no sooner entered and began to taste of the entertainment, than they were fully convinced that they never had believed aright. It is the unparalleled dexterity of our administration that all our works are performed in obscurity. And let me tell thee, child, it will require a better light than any natural ray of the human understanding, to trace and detect our deep intrigues. Thus far, with respect to myself and government. I shall take it kind if you will in your turn oblige me with some account of yours, my son. IMP. Yes, sir, your command shall be instantly obeyed; yet upon this condition only, that you excuse my inaccuracies, because I know myself to be the most illiterate devil of the fraternity, and cannot speak like the courtly Fastosus, the reverend Infidelis, or the intelligent Falax.

INF. No apoligies, Impiator, we all know that neither you, nor your disciples have any taste for learning: therefore, we expect not to hear you speak as an orator, but as a plain illiterate devil.

IMP. Then I proceed. My kingdom does not consist of all the land known by the name of Impiety-Real, as some geographers alledge, several provinces being made over by treaty to my uncle Fastosus; such as the provinces of Civility, Legality, Presumption, and Formality. I reign openly only over the land called Impiety-Enormous, and in our country the laws are as black as the bottomless pit, for there iniquity is established by my authority. As to the rest of my kingdom, it was like all the branches of Belzebub's government, accomplished by subtilty and guile. For man, considered simply as a creature, could never have been subjected to my sway; for this reason I was put to my shifts, to find out some proper method for introducing my regal power.

So violent was the opposition to it, that my brain was put to tne utmost torture, and after all I should have been obliged to return to my native country, with my finger in my mouth, had it not been for the timely assistance I received from my worthy friends and relations. My good old mother, who you know hath an excellent hand at a dead lift, by means peculiar to herself, kicked up such a dust, as almost put out the eyes of one of the most vigilant and formidable of my numerous adversaries; a captain, from whose hand I had much to fear, his name was

Intellectus; from that time to this he hath been incapable of discerning my deformities, and the danger to which men are exposed by my dominion. And what makes very much for me, the old gentleman can hardly be persuaded, but his eye-sight is now as good as ever it was. I need not tell you the advantages that resulted to me from this his deception. At the same time my worthy uncle, Fastosus, came up to the second, a sturdy chief, whose name was Volens as tradition says, and he gave his back a most dreadful wrench, insomuch that he has never recovered his former posture. Imyself took a poisonous, or rather an intoxicating apple, and having gilded it over with leaf-gold, presented it to the third, whose name if I remember right, was Rationalis: it answered my expectation. He swallowed the bait, and ever since has called bitter sweet, and sweet he hath called bitter.

This triumvirate being thus disabled, I found my conquest extremely easy, and without any struggle on the part of the rest I confined them to incessant labour and drudgery, in the different parts of my extended territories, where they are as content as possible with their condition, many of them believing they are still in the garden of paradise.

INFID. Indeed! learned or unlearned you display uncommon merit. Great is my honour and happiness in having such a son. The potent Impiator will do honour to the venerable name of Infidelis to the end of the world. Well, my son, will you please to proceed?

İMP. Perhaps you have heard that my kingdom is divided into several cantons, according to the dispositions of my subjects, each canton having its proper employments.

1. There is the canton of drunkards, out of which I select all my courtiers, and officers in general. This canton has several communications with all the other parts of my dominions, and this we call the royal canton.

2. There is the swearers' canton, a set of people the most unaccountably foolish of all my subjects; but a people very profitable to our government.

3. There is the canton of thieves, to which all pilferers, robbers, gamesters, and deceitful dealers belong. A very populous and splendid canton this is.

4. There is the liars' canton: these are a people possessed of two tongues; a people who have very much of the features of great Belzebub, and a very populous and polite canton it is also.

5. There is the canton of sabbath-breakers, here, there is hardly room enough for the inhabitants, they are so exceedingly

numerous.

6. There is the adulterers' canton: this is a very dark place seldom visited by the rays of the sun. The fornicators cohal it

with them.