_Devil_. Madman! thou hast not yet felt, as I have, the vindictiveness of the Avenger, the anticipation of which alone would make thee return to dust, even if thou didst bear in thy bosom the united strength of men from the first to the last sinner. Urge me no farther. _Faustus_. I will, and am resolved. _Devil_. Thou inspirest me with reverence and pity. _Faustus_. Obedience is all I require. _Devil_. Go to war with him who has lighted up a torch within thee which will consume thee, if fear do not extinguish it. _Faustus_. I have done so, and in vain. Obey! _Devil_. Insatiable man! But know that a devil has his bounds too. Since our fall, we have lost the idea of these sublime secrets, and forget even the language to express them. The pure spirits of yonder world can alone sing and imagine them. _Faustus_. Dost thou think by this crafty excuse to cheat me of that which I desire? _Devil_. Fool! I would wish for no better revenge upon thee than to be able to paint to thy soul, in the glittering colours of Paradise, all that thou hast lost, and then see thee writhe in despair. Knew I more than I know, can the tongue formed of flesh make intelligible to the ear of flesh what lies beyond the bounds of sense, and the disembodied spirit only comprehends? _Faustus_. Then be a spirit, and speak! Shake off this figure. _Devil_. Wilt thou then understand me? _Faustus_. Shake off this figure, and let me see thee as a spirit. _Devil_. Thy words are folly. Now, then, see me: I shall exist, but not for thee; I shall speak, but thou wilt not catch my meaning. Leviathan then melted into a thin clear flame, and disappeared. _Faustus_. Speak, and unfold the enigma. As the soft west wind moves along the perfumed meadows and gently kisses the tender flowers, so did it murmur around the ears of Faustus. Then the murmur changed to a loud continued tumult, which resembled the rolling of thunder, or the dash of a breaker against the coral reef, or its howl and bellow in the caves of the ocean. Faustus crept close within his circle, and with difficulty supported himself. _Faustus_. Ah, if this be the language of spirits, my dream has vanished; I am deceived, and must gnash my teeth in darkness. I have, then, exchanged my soul for the gratification of earthly lust! for that is all in which this intriguing devil can assist me. That is all against which I risked eternity! I thought to move among men enlightened as no one had ever yet been, and to dazzle them with my glory like the rising sun. The sublime thought of living for ever as the greatest in their hearts is gone; and I am more wretched than I was. Where art thou, trickster, that I may vent my fury upon thee?