And was the holy Lamb of God,
On Englands pleasant pastures seen!
- And did those feet, William Blake

mandag 28. februar 2011

The Devil himself

 
Marry, sir, three or four as honest devils and good companions as any be in hell.
- The Honourable Historie of Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay, Robert Greene

The Devil is an Ass, I do acknowledge it.
- The Devil is an Ass, Ben Jonson

And wroth to see his Kingdom fail,
Swings the scaly Horror of his folded tail.
- On the Morning of Christ's Nativity, John Milton


In a place like York that displays so much devotion towards Heaven there needs must be a devil roaming around too. On a few occasions I have encountered him in the streets, trying to make the people believe he does not exist or that he exists merely as wood and strings, snickering and laughing fiendishly in the process. For those who doubt I present evidence of my encounters and leave the judgement of verity to them. 


When you dance with the devil, you wait for the song to stop.
- Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

 The printer's devil, a remnant from the age of Minstergate's and Stonegate's bookbinders.

The Devil himself, which is the author of confusion and lies.
- The Anatomy of Melancholy, Richard Burton

But I pray you, sir, do you come lately from hell?
- Robert Greene, The Honourable Historie of Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay

 Ahriman, the foe of Mithras, girted with a serpent and, like Saint Peter mirrored, holding the keys to his kingdom. This was erected in York on commission by a certain Volusius Irenaeus in thanksgiving for the devil's assistance. The manner of assistance or the venture assisted in is unknown, but judging from the lengths Ireneaeus was prepared to go to it was presumably serious business indeed. The carving is currently on display in Yorkshire Museum. 

2 kommentarer:

  1. Now there's a quasi-historical fantasy novel in the spirit of Tim Powers just waiting to be written.

    SvarSlett
  2. That's a terrific idea! You should direct your energy towards that project once your master's dissertation's over and done with, that way you'll finance some good ten more years as a student.

    SvarSlett