bright glancing of swords as much as the splendour
and light of the sun. In confirmation of the
verity whereof he related this story, that Hercules,
at his descent into hell to all the devils of those
regions, did not by half so much terrify them with
his club and lion’s skin as afterwards Aeneas
did with his clear shining armour upon him, and his
sword in his hand well-furbished and unrusted, by the
aid, counsel, and assistance of the Sybilla Cumana.
That was perhaps the reason why the senior John Jacomo
di Trivulcio, whilst he was a-dying at Chartres, called
for his cutlass, and died with a drawn sword in his
hand, laying about him alongst and athwart around
the bed and everywhere within his reach, like a stout,
doughty, valorous and knight-like cavalier; by which
resolute manner of fence he scared away and put to
flight all the devils that were then lying in wait
for his soul at the passage of his death. When
the Massorets and Cabalists are asked why it is that
none of all the devils do at any time enter into the
terrestrial paradise? their answer hath been, is,
and will be still, that there is a cherubin standing
at the gate thereof with a flame-like glistering sword
in his hand. Although, to speak in the true
diabological sense or phrase of Toledo, I must needs
confess and acknowledge that veritably the devils cannot
be killed or die by the stroke of a sword, I do nevertheless
avow and maintain, according to the doctrine of the
said diabology, that they may suffer a solution of
continuity (as if with thy shable thou shouldst cut
athwart the flame of a burning fire, or the gross
opacous exhalations of a thick and obscure smoke),
and cry out like very devils at their sense and feeling
of this dissolution, which in real deed I must aver
and affirm is devilishly painful, smarting, and dolorous.
When thou seest the impetuous shock of two armies,
and vehement violence of the push in their horrid
encounter with one another, dost thou think, Ballockasso,
that so horrible a noise as is heard there proceedeth
from the voice and shouts of men, the dashing and
jolting of harness, the clattering and clashing of
armies, the hacking and slashing of battle-axes, the
justling and crashing of pikes, the bustling and breaking
of lances, the clamour and shrieks of the wounded,
the sound and din of drums, the clangour and shrillness
of trumpets, the neighing and rushing in of horses,
with the fearful claps and thundering of all sorts
of guns, from the double cannon to the pocket pistol
inclusively? I cannot goodly deny but that in
these various things which I have rehearsed there may
be somewhat occasionative of the huge yell and tintamarre
of the two engaged bodies. But the most fearful
and tumultuous coil and stir, the terriblest and most
boisterous garboil and hurry, the chiefest rustling
black santus of all, and most principal hurlyburly
springeth from the grievously plangorous howling and
lowing of devils, who pell-mell, in a hand-over-head