for I stood by his elbow when he writ the lines. _Animae sunt in loco certo et expectant indicium neq; se inde possunt commouere._ Which place as appeareth in the precedent chapter is heaven or hell: again it is said _Anima quae pecauerit ipsa morietur_. Of necessity then the soul to whom the Lord imputeth not his sin shall live, for they are immediate oppositions, for the soul that is in joy will not come to these troubles, nor that which is in torment cannot: therefore it is said: _Et reuertatur puluis in terram quemadmodum erat, et spiritus reuertatur ad Dominum qui dedit ilium_, so there is no mention in any scripture of the soul’s returning, but to a certain place deputed of God to him. But before I go any further in ye declaring of that which is here to be set down, I know they that have their consciences more of the precise cut, will say, that here was a learned Devil, true it is he is learned, strong, and above all human conceit, subtle and crafty: and if they say it is blasphemously done to have the word spoken to the world by so vile a mouth, first they know how mightily the Devil is conversant in holy writ, in anything to over-throw a Christian thought, knowing that as ye word of God is a word of power to attain salvation to whom grace is given: and to work eternal damnation where that gift is wanting, knowing it is the only means to debel[55] and conquer the Christian thought, for as a man is governed by a law and by it lives, so if anything be evidently directed against him in it, it slays his heart, it overthrows him, it takes away his power for ever, nor is it more blasphemous to be spoke to us men, than to God himself, as it is in S. Alathero, where the Devil was not afeared, to assail his creator with most terrible arguments of the divine letter. They which have right minds can persuade themselves accordingly: but otherwise they may cavil as long as they will, which they may do to their small profit, assuring them this that in coveting by fault finding to seem learned, they make themselves the notes and reproach not only of the learned, but even of the absurd and barbarous rude fools, and that they are the only spirits of error and contention, and the chief causes of unbelief by vain reasonings and questions to the unresolved Christian. But as for this speech which is but _Humile dicendi genus_ in very truth, let them thus think, that if there were any such controversy betwixt Wagner and his Spirit, as is here mentioned, that those are not the words which were spoken, but that they do proceed from a young Scholar who gave me this copy, and not of a Devil, of whose familiarity and frequency and of other circumstantive causes, I will God willing in the Catastrophe and conclusion of this Book deliver unto you my poor opinion. In the meanwhile I will follow the matter into which we are fallen, my good friends, and without further ado I pray without any more excusive phrase, patiently expect the good hour wherein the death