Some are of the Opinion that the Communication with the _Devil_, or between the Devil and those Creatures his Agents, has something assimulating in it, and that if they were tolerable before, they are, _ipso facto_, turn'd into DEVILS by talking with him; I will not say but that a Tremor in the Limbs, a Horror in the Aspect, and a surprizing Stare in the Eyes may seize upon some of them when they really see the DEVIL, and that the frequent Repetition may make those Distortions, which we so constantly see in their Faces becomes natural to them; by which if it does not continue always upon the Countenance, they can at least, _like the Posture-Masters_, cast themselves into such Figures and frightful Dislocations of the Lines and Features in their Faces, and so assume a Devil's Face suitable to the Occasion, or as may serve the turn for which they take it up, and as often as they have any use for it.
But be it which of these the Enquirer pleases, 'tis all one to the Case in Hand; this is certain, that such deform'd _Devil-like_ Creatures, most of those we call _Hags_ and _Witches_, are in their Shapes and Aspects, and that they give out their Sentences and frightful Messages with an Air of Revenge for some Injury receiv'd; for Witches are fam'd chiefly for doing Mischief.
It seems the _Devil_ has always pick'd out the most ugly and frightful old Women to do his Business; _Mother Shipton_, our famous _English_ Witch or Prophetess, is very much wrong'd in her Picture, if she was not of the most terrible Aspect imaginable; and if it be true that _Merlin_, the famous _Welch_ Fortune-Teller, was a frightful Figure, it will seem the more rational to believe, if we credit another Story, (_viz._) that he was begotten by the Devil himself, of which I shall speak by it self: But to go back to the Devil's Instruments being so ugly; it may be observed, I say, that the Devil has always dealt in such sort of Cattle; the _Sybils_, of whom so many strange prophetic Things are recorded, whether true or no is not to the Question, are (if the _Italian_ Painters may have any Credit given them) all represented as very old Women; and as if Ugliness were a Beauty to old Age, they seem to paint them out as ugly and frightful as (not they, the Painters) but even as the Devil himself could make them; not that I believe there are any original Pictures of them really extant; but it is not unlikely that the _Italians_ might have some traditional Knowledge of them, or some remaining Notions of them, or particularly that antient _Sybil_ named _Anus_, who sold the fatal Book to _Tarquin_; 'tis said of her that _Tarquin_ supposed she doated with Age.