“The Devil himself, which is the author of confusion and lies.”

—  Robert Burton , book The Anatomy of Melancholy

Section 4, member 1, subsection 3.
The Anatomy of Melancholy (1621), Part III

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Robert Burton 111
English scholar 1577–1640

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Section 1, member 3.
The Anatomy of Melancholy (1621), Part III

“One might almost make a rule of it: "Whoever declares another heretic is himself a devil. Whoever places a relic or artifact above justice, kindness, mercy, or truth is himself a devil and the thing elevated is a work of evil magic."”

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Context: Ignorance perpetuates itself just as knowledge does. Men write false documents, they preach false doctrine, and those beliefs survive to inspire wickedness in later generations.... Conversely, some men write and teach about the truth, only to be declared heretic by the wicked. In such cases evil has the advantage, for it will do anything to suppress truth, but the good man limits what he will do to suppress falsehood.
One might almost make a rule of it: "Whoever declares another heretic is himself a devil. Whoever places a relic or artifact above justice, kindness, mercy, or truth is himself a devil and the thing elevated is a work of evil magic."

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