Meaning & Analysis
Do not summon more supernatural beings, such as devils or spirits, than you have the power to exorcise or banish. It is a direct warning against meddling with forces beyond one's control in the context of magic or demonology.
Insights
Uncontrollable Conflict
The proverb warns against initiating problems, conflicts, or arguments that you lack the ability or resources to resolve. It highlights the danger of provoking a situation that can easily escalate beyond your control.
Perils of Overreach
It serves as a caution against overreaching ambition or taking on projects and responsibilities that exceed one's capabilities. Starting a venture is one thing; having the skill to manage its complexities and see it to a successful conclusion is another.
Unleashing Uncontrollable Forces
The 'devils' can be interpreted as any powerful force or idea unleashed upon the world, such as a revolutionary ideology, a disruptive technology, or a viral rumor. The proverb warns that once released, such forces may develop a life of their own, with consequences the originator can neither predict nor contain.
Supernatural and Social Order
Rooted in a 17th-century worldview where supernatural forces were considered tangible threats, the proverb uses the potent imagery of exorcism to caution against unintended consequences. The historical quotations highlight a genuine fear of unleashing uncontrollable spiritual or social forces.
The Frankenstein Complex
This proverb serves as a timeless allegory for the myth of the Sorcerer's Apprentice or the story of Frankenstein, warning innovators and leaders that creating powerful new forces—be they technological, social, or political—comes with the immense responsibility of being able to manage and control them.
Psychology of Control
Psychologically, the proverb addresses the human tendency toward overconfidence and the illusion of control. It cautions that initiating an action (raising a devil) is often far easier than managing its complex and unpredictable aftermath (laying it to rest).
Rhetorical Devices
Extended Metaphor
The central metaphor of raising and laying devils powerfully equates starting a problem with a supernatural act, effectively framing the consequences as dangerous and difficult to contain.
Imperative Mood
The proverb is structured as a command in the imperative mood ('Raise no...'), giving it a direct, forceful, and memorable quality as a piece of cautionary advice.
Antithesis
The direct contrast between the actions of 'raising' (creating, starting) and 'laying' (banishing, controlling) creates a balanced, antithetical structure that enhances the proverb's rhythm and memorability.
Transcription
Quotations
Beware, you doe not coniure vp a spirit You cannot lay.
Raise no more spirits than you can conjure down.
The boy, having gotten a habit of counterfeiting . . would not be un-deviled by all their exorcisms, so that the priests raised up a spirit which they could not allay.
[As in 1639 Cl.]
Raise no more Spirits than you can lay down.
*Do not stir up a Strife, that you will not afterward be able to appease.
It is an old saying and a true, it is an easier matter to raise the devil than to lay him.
Raise up no Spirits, that you cannot conjure down again.
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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