Ans. No Aversion, do you say, nay he would leave the most urgent Affair in the World, if such a Comedy were either to be seen or acted.  His Father-in-Law tells him the whole Story, and gives him his Part, that was, to act the Ghost.  He puts on a Dress, and wraps himself up in a Shrowd, and carrying a live Coal in a Shell, it appear’d through his Shrowd as if something were burning.  About Night he goes to the Place where this Play was acted, there were heard most doleful Moans. Faunus lets fly all his Exorcisms.  At Length the Ghost appears a good Way off in the Bushes, every now and then shewing the Fire, and making a rueful Groaning.  While Faunus was adjuring the Ghost to declare who he was, Polus of a sudden leaps out of the Thicket, dress’d like a Devil, and making a Roaring, answers him, you have nothing to do with this Soul, it is mine; and every now and then runs to the very Edge of the Circle, as if he would set upon the Exorcist, and then retired back again, as if he was beaten back by the Words of the Exorcism, and the Power of the holy Water, which he threw upon him in great Abundance.  At last when this guardian Devil was chased away, Faunus enters into a Dialogue with the Soul.  After he had been interrogated and abjured, he answers, that he was the Soul of a Christian Man, and being asked his Name, he answered Faunus. Faunus! replies the other, that’s my Name.  So then they being Name-Sakes, he laid the Matter more to Heart, that Faunus might deliver Faunus. Faunus asking a Multitude of Questions, lest a long Discourse should discover the Fraud, the Ghost retires, saying it was not permitted to stay to talk any longer, because its Time was come, that it must go whither its Devil pleased to carry it; but yet promised to come again the next Day, at what Hour it could be permitted.  They meet together again at Polus’s House, who was the Master of the Show.  There the Exorcist relates what was done, and tho’ he added some Lies to the Story, yet he believed them to be true himself, he was so heartily affected with the Matter in Hand.  At last it appeared manifestly, that it was the Soul of a Christian who was vexed with the dreadful Torments of an unmerciful Devil:  Now all the Endeavours are bent this Way.  There happened a ridiculous Passage in the next Exorcism.

Tho. Prithee what was that?

Ans. When Faunus had called up the Ghost, Polus, that acted the Devil, leap’d directly at him, as if he would, without any more to do, break into the Circle; and Faunus he resisted stoutly with his Exorcisms, and had thrown a power of holy Water, the Devil at last cries out, that he did not value all this of a Rush; you have had to do with a Wench, and you are my own yourself.  And tho’ Polus said so in Jest, it seemed that he had spoken Truth:  For the Exorcist being touched with this Word, presently retreated to the very Centre of the Circle, and whispered something in the Priest’s Ear. Polus seeing that, retires, that he might not hear what it was not fit for him to hear.