his mighty ugliness replied, ’Friend Naylor, I know thou hast been very industrious to make many people fools in the upper world, which has highly conduced to my interest.’  Then turning to a pigmy aerial, who attended his commands as a running footman, ‘Haste, Numps,’ says he, ‘and fetch me the painted coat,’ which was no sooner brought, but by Lucifer’s command I was shoved into it, neck and shoulders, by half a dozen swarthy valets de chambre, and in a minute’s time found myself tricked up in a rainbow-coloured coat, like a merry-Andrew.  ‘Now, friend,’ says the ill-favoured prince of all the hell-born scoundrels, ’for the many fools you have made above, I now ordain you mine below;’ so all the reward truly of my great services was to be made Lucifer’s jester, or fool in ordinary to the devil; a pretty post, thought I, for a man of my principles, that from a Quaker in the outer world I should be metamorphosed into a jack-adam in the lower one.”

The occupation of people in the Nether world is described after Rabelais, thus:—­“Cardinal Mazarin keeps a nine-holes; Mary of Medicis foots stockings; and Katharine of Sweden cries ’Two bunches a penny card-matches—­two bunches a penny!’ Henry the Fourth of France carries a raree-show, and Mahomet sells mussels.  Seneca keeps a fencing-school, and Julius Caesar a two-penny ordinary.”

At the present day it is rather amusing to read, “A Comical View of London and Westminster”—­a weekly prophecy intended to ridicule the increasing use of barometers and other scientific instruments for predicting changes of weather.

“Wednesday October 16th.  Cloudy, foggy weather at Garraway’s and Jonathan’s, and at most coffee-houses at about twelve.  Crowds of people gather at the Exchange by one; disperse by three.  Afternoon, noisy and bloody at her Majesty’s bear-garden at Hockly-in-the-Hole.  Night—­sober with broken chaplains and others that have neither credit nor money.  This week’s transactions censured by the virtuosos at Child’s from morning till night.

“Thursday 17th.  Coffee and water-gruel to be had at the Rainbow and Nando’s at four.  Hot furmity at Bride-bridge at seven.  Justice to be had at Doctor’s Commons, when people can get it.  A lecture at Pinner’s hall at ten.  Excellent pease-pottage and tripe in Baldwin’s Gardens at twelve.  A constable and two watchmen killed, or near being so in Westminster; whether by a lord or lord’s footman, planets don’t determine.

“Friday.  Damsels whipped for their good nature at Bridewell about ten.  Several people put in fear of their lives by their god-fathers at the Old Bailey at eleven.  Great destruction of Herrings at one.  Much swearing at three among the horse-coursers at Smithfield; if the oaths were registered as well as the horses, good Lord, what a volume ’twould make!  Several tails turned up at St. Paul’s School, Merchant Taylors, &c. for their repetitioning.  Night very drunk, as the two former.