Matthew Poole and continuators on Matthew 8:31

31 So the devils besought him, saying, if thou castest us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine.

Both Mark and Luke, interpose here something more, Mark 5.9. And he asked him what is thy Name? and he answered and said. My Name is Legion, for we are many, Luke saith. And Iesus asked him, saying, what is thy Name? because many Devils were entred into him. A Roman Legion, consisted of twelve thousand five hundred Souldiers Not that there were precisely so many Evil Spirits which had a power over this poor Man, but many had. A certain number is named for one incertain. Christ knew his case well enough, but probably asked him the que[illegible: 1 letter]tion for the further G[illegible: 1 letter]orifying of his Divine power, in ca[illegible: 2 letters]ing them out. Luke adds, v. 31. And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep. I cannot think that the meaning of that is into the Sea, for surely the Devil did not [illegible: 1 letter]ear drowning▪ the word is [non-Latin text not transcribed] into the Abyss, that is into Hell, into the bottomless Pit, where he could do no more mischief, Mark saies, Ch. 5.10, The Devil besought him that he would not send them out of the Country. Still upon the same Grounds, the Devil hath an insatiable Thirst to do mischief, and would gladly be where he may do it. In the mean time he knoweth it is in the power of Christ to send him whither he pleaseth. Now comes in the 30. and 31. v. of Matthew, they saw an Herd of many Swine feeding, Mark saith, Ch. 5.11. nigh unto the Mountains. Luke saith on the Mountain. They beseech Christ to give them leave to enter into the Swine, and the Text saith. He suffered them. The Devil cannot so much as trouble a Swine without leave from God. The next v. tells us the Consequent of it,