Defoe about the Devil
“I got the idea to find out, finally, for sure, to cast aside any doubts that tormented me as to whether there is such a thing in the world as a secret deal with the Devil. I can say with complete confidence that if there were no such transactions, it was by no means his fault. The Scriptures say that he was ready to conclude a treaty with our Savior and, to give him his due, acted with his usual arrogance, promising to give all the kingdom and all the glory for one of his knees before him. Shameless Seraphim!..
How is Pope Sylvester II or Pope Hildenbrand different from him (the Devil), who sometimes voluntarily ceded their throne to the Devil? How many of them, pop-devils, are listed in the list of God's governors on earth?"
CONTRACT WITH THE DEVIL
The devil has long been looking for reliable helpers, using for his insidious purposes such people in whom faith in the true God is still weak.
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He, through his intermediaries, tried in every possible way to bring them closer to him, to promise them whatever they want, and after a certain time, for his "services" to take away their souls for 21 years.
And the guarantee of such voluntary enslavement is the contract, which has always been the basis of any witchcraft.
However, the culprit of such a "formalized" transaction fell under the jurisdiction of the courts, or, to put it simply, into the clutches of the ruthless Inquisition.
Collaboration with the Devil, and, consequently, denying or opposing God was the basis of such a crime as witchcraft.
The first rather extensive description of the contractual ritual between the spirit and the believer we find in Johannes Nieder in "Formicarus" ("Anthill" about 1436).
LEGENDS ABOUT THE CONTRACT WITH THE DEVIL
Most of the old legends about the pact with the Devil, who in every possible way pledged to help such an apostate from the true faith, appeared in European manuscripts around the ninth century, and they came mainly from Byzantium. The Crusades played an important role in their spread. Hinkmar of Rhine (d. 882) was the first in his Life of Saint Basil to tell the story of a lonely servant who fell madly in love with his master's daughter. Having sold his soul to the Devil, he achieved his goal. He was saved from certain death by a saint who managed to terminate the enslaving agreement. In the thirtieth century, there even appeared "evidence" that such a "document" between the Devil and his sacrifice was drawn up in blood. The "bloody" surroundings of the deal became the most spectacular, but at the same time the most eerie feature of this theory.
In addition to the canonical, usual requirements, such a "document" provided for: an appeal to the Devil with a request to delete his name from the "Book of Life"; sacrifice to the Devil of babies and children not older than 3 years of age; Bringing to the Devil the annual gifts of only black; joyful acceptance of the devil's marks anywhere on the body, so that these places lose their usual sensitivity; impeccable service to the Devil; rejection of holy gifts, holy water and church candles; the obligation to break and destroy all church religions and utensils; keeping your relationship with Satan a secret.
Probably, due to the special importance of such paper, these documents have not survived. Demonologists explain this fact by the fact that the Devil, fearing for the fate of his followers, destroyed all undesirable evidence for them.
Nevertheless, such a document was presented during the famous trial of Father Grandier. It consisted of two parts: on the first - the oath of allegiance to the Devil given by the priest Grandier, and on the second - the testimony of several demons. This document is written “vice versa” in Latin with abbreviated words.
Facts and events
Cromwell and the Devil. According to D. Defoe, the famous English dictator Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658), who proclaimed a republic in England and executed King Charles I, concluded an agreement with the Devil. He generously promised him everything in the world, except for one - the title of king. "It will be with you and the Protector!" - he hung him up.
Furious at the Devil's intransigence, Cromwell hit his staff with all his might, but hit himself in the leg. Gangrene began. So he died as a Protector.
FACE TO FACE WITH THE DEVIL
Faust, who is known to have sold his soul to the Devil, is a historical person. He lived in the 16th century and was legendary as an astrologer who practiced black magic and a necromancer. Oral legends about him were collected by an unknown author and published under the title "The Story of Dr. Johann Faust, a famous wizard and warlock."
The story of Dr. Faust crossed the English Channel and became known in England, where the predecessor of the great W. Shakespeare Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593) wrote his tragedy on this plot.
Johann Goethe (1749-1832), who wrote his famous drama about Faust almost all his life (as much as 60 years!), Cannot be reproached for plagiarism, since he read Marlowe's tragedy only after he finished the first part of his. Goethe came up with his nickname for the Devil - Mephistopheles. This word consists of two ancient European words: "mephiz" - "destroyer" and "tofel" - "liar, deceiver."
RITE OF REFUSAL
“On any Sunday before the consecration of water, the one who concludes an agreement with his Teacher to go to church and there, in his presence, deny Christ and his former faith, baptism and the Catholic Church in general.
After that, he must show all respect to the "magisterulus" (Devil), drink a special liquid (blood of slain babies) from a flask, after which he is imbued with our mysterious art and becomes a full member of our witchcraft sect. He swears that he gives himself entirely into the hands of Satan, so that he will dispose of him at his own discretion.