"And why not, master?"
"This stupid speech about the devil leading a man to the scaffold."
"My luminous idea was a true one, though," said the jester. "Would you like me to show you one of Satan's tricks?"
"I am somewhat curious; let us see."
"Be good enough then to open wide the eyes of your understanding, for he who is blind in spirit, although carnally lucid, cannot discover the wiles of the demon. The works of his diabolical Majesty are, like Beelzebub himself, of a spiritual essence. The first and chief agent of the devil is--guess what, cousin!"
"What do you mean?"
"Pride! Whenever Satan can entangle a man in the meshes of pride, it is all over with him! Pride rises, and aspires to rise. Let us suppose that our individual is a duke, he covets the Empire; and to accomplish his purpose, would destroy every barrier to his ambition, even were it necessary to be guilty of a crime. Should he be an Emperor, he desires the power of God, and even the Pope must be his humble vassal. If you look around, cousin, you can see for yourself, that is, if your eyes are worth anything. Should the proud man have an excellent wife, whose only fault is that she has not borne him a son, the poor creature becomes a martyr, for pride has no respect for the feelings or rights of others, and only dreams of seeing his own power and glory reflected in the persons of his descendants, long after his own flesh has become the food of worms!"
The Duke started, and turned towards his wife; but Clemence seemed absorbed in her work and heedless of the fool's discourse.
"Shall I show you some more of the devil's tricks, cousin?"
"No! I have had enough for to-day!"