II. Whether they had best to go and sit down before

Mansoul, in their now ragged and beggarly guise ?
To which it was answered also in the negative, By no means ; and that because, though the town of Mansoul had been made to know, and to have to do with, before now, things that are invisible ; they never did as yet see any of their fellow creatures in so bad and rascally a con- dition as they ; and this was the advice of the fierce Alec- .. to. Then said Apollyon, The advice is per-
*. j. ' tinent ; for even one of us appearing to them * as we are now, must needs both beget and
multiply such thoughts in them, as will both put them into a consternation of spirit, and necessitate them to put themselves upon their guard ; and if so, said he, then as Diabolus said, but now it is in vain for us to think of tak-
Beehebub's ing the tOWn* Then **"* that miSht>' Siant . . Beelzebub, The advice that is already given
is safe; for though the men of Mansoul have
seen such things as we once were, yet hitherto they did
never behold such things as we now are. And it is best,
in my opinion, to come upon them in such a guise as is
common to, and most familiar among them. To this,
when they had consented; the next thing to be considered
was, in what shape, hue, or guise Diabolus had best to
shew himself, when he went about to make Mansoul his
r .j. , own. Then one said one thing, and ano- -Luafer also .. 4l . . , v .? .,
J ,. ther the contrary. At lastLuciier* answer-
5 , . ' . . ed, That, in his opinion, it was best that his
advice* which , i , • u n »u> c
m.a.1 11 lordship should assume tue body ol one ot
is afihlauded . r . iL A . r , ' ■ , ,
. I j. those creatures that they or the town had
^ a ' dominion over ; for, quoth he, those are
* These names are well chosen : Apollyov, signifies the destroy- er : Beelzebub, the lord of flies, an idol of the heathen, and a name used by the Jews for the prince of devils : Lucifer, the morning star, another name of a fallen angel : Legion, a name assumed by the demoniac, (Mark v. 9, 15); — a battalion of the Roman army, consisting of 4000 or 5000 men. Alecto, a feigned being among the heathen, one of the furies ; described by their poets-as having her head covered with snakes, and breathing vengeance. Twphone, another of the furies.
20
not only familiar to them, but being under them, the will never imagine that any attempt should by them be made upon the town ; and, to blind all, let him assume^ the body of one of those beasts that Mansoul deems to bJ# wiser than any of the rest, Gen. iii. 1. Rev. xx. I, 2. This advice was applauded of all ; so it was determined that the giant Diabolus should assume the dragon ; for that he was in those days, as familiar with the town of Mansoul, as now is the bird with the boy ; for nothing that was in its primitive state was at all amazing to them. They then proceeded to the third thing, which was,