The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-07-25
THE DEVILS LIBRARY.
SOME OF THE QUEER LITERATURE
WRITTEN ABOUT HIM.
His Satanic Majesty Seems to Have
Cad a Reasonable Amount of Atten-
ton From the Writer'S of All Ages.

Cad a Reasonable Amount of Atten-
ton From the Writer'S of All Ages.
From the EeW York Collector.
Considering that the church has a litera-
ture of its own, there is no reason why the
great enemy of the church should not.
Nevertheless was not aware that Satan
owned so extensive library especially ded-
icated to himself till / came upon an old
time catalogue Of ''the most valuable books
relating to the devil, his origin, greatness
and influence" The catalogue covers forty
pages, names 500 volumes and does not pro-
fess to be anything like complete 1t is
introduced by the motto: 'Fools deride-
philosophers investigate" and by four
motto verses, including the fine epigram by
Defoe:
Bad as he Is, the devil may be abused,
Be basely charged and causelessly accused,
When men, unwilling to be blamed alone.
Shift off those crimes on him which are their
own.
A series Of Introductory illustrations
show the devil as he has been variously de-
hDeated by various races. The Egyptian
devil seems to have been a cross between q
dog aud q hog, walking on his hind legs
with the assistance OF a staff. The Assyrian
has lions body with wings, scaly neck
and dragons head with horns. The Gin
galese satan has two heads with tusks, four
arms, sits on colt and has venomous
snakes climbing all over him. The French
is the first of the old devils to exhibit the
combined traits 30 familiar to us now. He
has horns, the oars of an ass, a goats tail
and ROSTERS claws, but his body and
head are human, with bats wings growing
from the shoulders.
But Beelzebub has been represented in
other and far more polite FORMS There Is a
print from the illustration OF Goethe's
Faust which shows him as a oourtly gen.
tlemen, elegant in dress and polished in
manners. 1t seems as IL mankind, as it ed-
vanced in refinement, improved its great
foo as 1t has improved, or at least refined,
the vices with which it pays him tribute.
Thus in the thirteenth century, the English
devil was horrible monster, with the dis
torted body of q man the horned head OF a
bull, a docked tail like hackney horse,
only three fingers and toes on each eK-
tremity spikes at its knees and shlns like
the spurs Of game cock.
BY Thomas Laudseer's time, however,
the artist had elevated him to quiet
Renteel sort Of person, with q sardonic leer,
but with good clothes and an nublemished
anatomy. Landseer-she brother of Sir
Ed win, 1t should be svated-once made ten
etchingS called The Devils Walk" which
are very rare and valuable. The most in
dustrtous and extensive of all artistic glori-
fiers of his satanic majesty, however, has
been George Cruikshank. That ingenious
drsughtsman has pictured him in every
conceivable form, as long as it was hateful,
for he has always been too conscientious
to paint the devil as an attractive being.
The True Legend of st. Dunstan aud the
DeviI' is one of Cruikshank's most humor-
Gus works, and his Gentleman in Black"
is almost inimitabls as far as unique gro
tesqueness of the plates is concerned.
The catalogue contains a choice assort-
ment Of proverbs applying to the rulAr of
the Internal regions. All are quaint, and
some are very curious indeed. This one
tells us 1.-THE devil Is good when he is
pleased" another that "Satan is all Christi
anity," AID another still that "The devil is
even Gods ape, "'Tls a sin to belle the
devil" IAN idle brain is the DEVILS work.
shop" idle men are the DEVILS plavfel-
lows" what is gotten over the DEVILS
back is spent under bis belly" ITS an ill
battle when the devil carries the colors -
'He must have long spoon that must eat
with toe devl,n ''Where God builds
church, there the devil builds chapel" and
Hell ana chsncery are always open" are
some odd sayings Odder still are 1.-THE
devils meal is half bran," ''Seldom lies the
devil dead in ditch" aud Hell is seless
to the sages, but necessary to the blind
populace," which latter is a very true and
philosophical statement indeed.
These are only few of their kind.
HELPS prince, sly parent of revolt and lies"
Is one Ut the many names applied to him.
Fear made the devil and weak hope the
gods" and 1.-THE devil tempts all, but the
idle tempt the devil, +" are among the state
ments laid down In these wise saws, One
tells US, ''resist the devil and he will fee
ha haf al kha
devil into his boat must carry him over the
sound" IL is unpleasant to reflect that
hell is whatever heaven lie not" but the
proyerb says 1t is, and Of course 1t must be
80.
The literature Of the devil includes prob
ably some Of the most curious book titles
ever put in print. Ima1ins a drama called
Narrowing of He'll" Yet it is miracle
play, written in the reign of Edward II.
1t is piece regularly constructed, with a
sort of prologue and spilogue. After the
prologue Christ enters and states his suffer-
ings and design in entering into hell Satan
hears him and inquiries who il is, lest he
should 'fonden how we pleyen here" The
Savior declares himself and Satan argues
with him on the injustice OF depriving him
Of what he had acquired, and so they 60 on,
Christianity, of course, triumphing in the
end.
Other mystery plays are 1.-THE Descent
Into He'll" "The Diyil Madde to Dauncen
and "The Devils Wife; or Sin Welded to
Siu." A very curious work Is Letters
From HE'LL" supposed to describe the suffer-
ing Of a wicked victim in the red-hot Pres
byterian inferno.
A satire, published In 1850, is George Gas
coigne's THE Wyll Of the Deuill With His
Detestnble Commandments, Directed to His
Obedient aud Accused Children" The
most interesting part Of this is its minute
description of the vices of the time. II
Gascoigne is a reliable witness the devils
children of his day must have been first
class devils themselves.
"The Diabe Lady. or a Match in He'll, :" Is
poem dedicated TO the worst woman In
her majesty's dominions." Another poem
is 1.-THE Tavern Hunter, or Drunken Ram
BILE From the Crown IL tavern to the Devil
(another)." This latter effusion bears as a
motto the following verse:
Not vertue, Dor wit. but more prevalent wine.
Does mankind IN friendly societies join:
We chuse not our friends now by honest be-
havior,
Or love EN- because they are wiser or drawer.
Other works of q mirthful character are
"a Sure Guide to He'll" by Beezebub;
Tho Praise Of He'll, or View Of the In
fernal Regions; its antiquity, situation and
stability, manners, customs, etc. :" "The
Devil In America, u Dramatic Setire:n
"The DEVILS Mushrooms" which pope is
alleged to have eaten. "a PLEASANT Hia