tremble before my magic circle, when I threatened to scourge thee with my rod. The tears which thou seest in my eyes ore tears of indignation, of hate, and of disgust. Not the fiend, but my own heart, triumphs over me.
Devil. Insipid braggart! With this form I tear off the mask which belied my courage. Vengeance is at hand, and Leviathan is himself once more!
He stood in gigantic stature before him. His eyes glowed like full-laden thunder-clouds, which reflect the rays of the descending sun. The noise of his breath was like the rushing of the tempest-blast. The earth groaned beneath his iron feet. The storm rustled in his hair, which waved round his head like the tail from the threatening comet. Faustus lay before him like a worm; for the horrible sight had deprived him of his senses and his strength. The Devil uttered a contemptuous laugh, which hissed over the surface of the earth; and seizing the trembling being, he tore him to pieces, as a capricious boy would tear an insect. He strewed the bloody members with fury and
disgust about the field, and plunged with the soul into the depths of hell.
The devils were assembled round Satan, who was consulting with his princes concerning the punishments which should be inflicted upon Pope Alexander the Sixth. His crimes, and the last moments of his life, had been unparalleled, so that even the worst devils found themselves at a loss to allot him a punishment suitable to his deserts. The Pope stood before his judges, who treated him as contemptuously as a tribunal of princes treats an accused person who has nothing else to recommend him than his being a man. All of a sudden Leviathan rushed triumphantly into the midst, held the soul of Faustus on high, and then hurled it with violence upon the table, saying:
“There you have Faustus!”
He was received with so loud a bellow of joy, that the damned trembled in their pools: “Welcome, Prince Leviathan! There is Faustus! There is Faustus!”
Satan. Welcome, prince of hell. Welcome, Faustus; we have heard enough of you here.
Leviathan. There he is, Satan; see him yourself. He has plagued me not a little, but he has been a good recruit for us, and I hope that thou art contented with my long sojourn upon earth. But I entreat thee, for many centuries to come, to send me no more on such errands; for I am quite weary of the human race. I must, however, acknowledge that this fellow did not badly support the last hour of his life, hard as it was; but that arose, I suppose, from his having applied himself in his youth to that philosophy which thou hast taught mankind.
Satan. I thank thee, Prince Leviathan; and I promise thee that thou shalt long continue with me among the sweet vapours of this place, and scourge the shades of the great princes of the earth for thy pastime. Hem! a fine fellow, and seems to have had quite enough of men and things. Despair, audacity, hate, rancour, agony, and pride, have torn deep furrows in his soul. He looks even at us and hell without trembling. Faustus, art thou become dumb of a sudden?