Category: PART II

¹

Women and fools fear in the dark to be,
Lest they² the Devil in some shape should see.
As if, like silly owls, he takes³ delight
To sleep all day, and go⁴ abroad at Night,
To beat the pots and pans, candles⁵ blow out,                      5
And all the night to⁶ keep a revel-rout,
To⁷ make the sow to grunt, the pigs to squeak,
The dogs to bark, cats mew as if they speak.
Alas, poor Devil, whose power is⁸ small,
Only to make a cat or dog to bawl,                                          10
To make with pewter, tin, and brass⁹ a noise,
To stew with fearful sweat poor girls and boys.
Why should we fear him, since he doth no harm?
For we may bind him fast within a charm.
Then what a devil ails a woman old,                                      15
To play such tricks whereby her soul is sold?¹⁰
Can he destroy mankind, or new worlds make,
Or alter states for an old woman’s sake?
Or put daylight out,¹¹ or stop the sun,
Or make¹² the planets from their course to run?                 20
And yet methinks ’tis odd, and very strange,
That since the Devil¹³ cannot bodies change
He should have¹⁴ power over souls, to draw
Them from their God, and from his holy law,
Persuading conscience to do more ill,                                    25
Than the sweet grace of God to rule the will,
To cut off faith, by which our souls should climb
To make us leave our folly and our¹⁵ crime,
Destroying honesty, disgracing truth,
When he can¹⁶ neither make old age, nor youth.                30
He cannot add nor make¹⁷ a minute short,
Yet many souls he keeps¹⁸ from Heaven’s court.
It seems his power shall for ever last,
Because ’tis over souls¹⁹ which never waste.
And thus hath God the Devil power lent                               35
To punish man, unless he doth repent.