Yes, he did—I was Bacon, too.
AGNUS (with ironical politeness)
Been anybody lately?
THE DEVIL
Bernard Shaw was my last appearance. Just before my last trip to Mars. I see he’s made good use of the plays I wrote for him; produced some very good imitations; caught my style, so to speak. I was sorry to leave Shaw. I was having rather better success waking up the world than usual. But I simply had to go back to Mars—
AGNUS (with increasing irony)
Really? Why?
THE DEVIL
It’s my home. When news came there some ten thousand years ago that man was evolving into a thinking brute, the Martians realized the dawning intellect would need a guide. I was the most ignorant of all Martians—I had tried to lead a revolt to make the body independent of the spirit. So, instead of going on to a higher mental state—my soul transferred from planet to planet until finally I should reach the Sun, which is the perfection of the soul—instead of that, I was sentenced to stand still for ten thousand years; to act as the link between Mars and the Earth; to make men fit for Mars, d’you understand?
AGNUS (faltering)