(*Diabolus*), an evil angel, one of those celestial spirits cast down from heaven for pretending to equal himself with God. The Ethiopians paint the devil white, to be even with the Europeans who paint him black.

There is no mention of the word *devil* in the Old Testament, but only of the word *Satan* and *Belial*: nor do we meet with it in any heathen authors, in the fable it is taken among Christians, that is, as a creature revolted from God. Their theology went no farther than to evil genii or demons.

Some of the American idolaters have a notion of two collateral independent beings, one of whom is good, and the other evil; which last they imagine has the direction and superintendence of this earth, for which reason they chiefly worship him; whence those that give us an account of the religion of these savages give out, with some impropriety, that they worship the devil. The Chaldeans, in like manner, believed both a good principle and an evil one; which last they imagined was an enemy to mankind.

Isaiah, speaking, according to some commentators, of the fall of the devil, calls him Lucifer; from his former elevation and state of glory: but others explain this passage of Isaiah in reference to the king of Babylon, who had been precipitated from his throne and glory. The Arabs call Lucifer, *Eblis*; which some think is only a diminutive or corruption of the word *Diabolus*.

**Devil on the Neck**, a tormenting engine made of iron, straitening and wincing the neck of a man, with his legs together, in a horrible manner; so that the more he stirreth in it, the straiter it presseth him; formerly in use among the persecuting papists.