Festus · Scene 23 (2/2) (1/2)
Lucifer* and Festus* entering.
Lucifer Behold my world! Man’s science counts it not Upon the brightest sky. He never knows How near it comes to him; but, swathed in clouds, As though in plumed and palled state, it steals Hearselike and thieflike round the universe, For ever rolling and returning not⁠— Robbing all worlds of many an angel soul⁠— With its light hidden in its breast, which burns With all concentrate and superfluent woe. Nor sun nor moon illume it, and to those Which dwell in it, not live, the starry skies Have told no time since first they entered there. Worlds have been built, and to their central base Ruined and rased to the last atom; they Of neither know nor can⁠—unconscious save To agony⁠—nought knowing even of God But His omnipotence to execute Torture on those He hath in wrath endowed With Heaven’s own immortality, to make Them feel what woe the Almighty can inflict, And the all-feeble suffer, and not be Annihilated as they would. Be sure That this is Hell. The blood which hath embrued Earth’s breast, since first men met in war, may hope Yet to be formed again and reascend, Each drop its individual vein; the foam-bubble, Sun-drawn out of the sea into the clouds, To scale the cataract down which it fell, Or seek its primal source in earth’s hot heart; But for the lost to rise to or regain Heaven, or to hope it, is impossible.
Festus Are all these angels then, or men, or both? Or mortals of all worlds?
Lucifer Immortals all.
Festus What numbers!
Lucifer All are spirits fallen through sin At various periods of eternity; And not by one offence, to one same doom, And at one moment, did they down from Heaven Like to the rapid droppings of a shower;⁠— No! each distinct as thunder-peals, they fell; Save those that fell with me. With me began Sin even in Heaven; with me but sin remains. Once I alone was Hell. Behold my fruits!
Festus What do yon fiends! some ’mong them look like mortals: Their hearts shine through them like live coals thorugh ashes. They look like madmen gone delirious. Oh! horror! let me hence!
Lucifer Nay, hear!
Festus I hear! A strain incongruous as a merry dirge, Or sacramental bacchanal might be.
Lucifer Men are they not, but devils at the best; And I would have thee mark them.
Festus I attend.
Fiends Fill the bowl! it burns but blackly: Fill it up with living fire: Drunkard! hadst thou sipped as slackly As thou pourest⁠—pour it higher! Then thou hadst ne’er with me been bound In Hell to dwell; But let the burning health go round⁠— Drunkard!⁠—to Hell! Fill! it drinks but cold and leadly; Fill it up with bubbling fire: Drink! ’tis nothing half so deadly As thy soul when living, Liar! Or thou hadst ne’er with me been bound In Hell to dwell; But let the burning health go round⁠— Liar!⁠—to Hell! Fill! it boils but sick and sadly; Fill! some more immortal fire: Murderer! drain it quickly, madly, As the stab thou gav’st thy sire! Or thou hadst ne’er with me been bound In Hell to dwell; But let the burning health go round⁠— Murderer!⁠—to Hell!
Festus Nay, let me quit! now know I what Hell is. What are they⁠—drunkards, liars, murderers?
Lucifer Can wine destroy the soul? or Hell’s fierce flames Feed upon holy water, wherewith Priest Baptiseth sinless babe? Can liar make God lie? or cheat his neighbour of his soul? No! God’s salvation waiteth not on man’s Weak will nor ministry; nor man’s perdition Upon his brother’s hatred or neglect. Can murderer slay the soul? or suicide Drug immortality? Their sin is great, And is eternally condemned of God; But of their nature, the which Death destroys, Their own as well as victim’s recompense. When Time hath overcome the ruin wrought Upon their hearts who loved the dead, that they Who suffered most have most forgiven ill⁠— Shall the dead slay the living ceaselessly?⁠— Shall God, who is all Love, reverse, reserve, Here in Hell, ages afterwards, those crimes? And because man hath sinned a moment, crown All crime in instituting punishment Unending for an instantaneous wrong? Shall that be justice? It were more than vengeance. Yet such the Deity men fable, such The Hell whereto they doom themselves.
Festus No more. The world is all sufficient for itself; And Hell and Heaven are not the equivalents Of earth’s iniquities and righteousness.
Lucifer Can those who are idolators defraud God of His worship? who adore the world, Gold, or as savages, the stars and Heaven, And Elements of Earth? None worship Him, But with and in His spirit. Nought attains His love but that proceedeth from it first. His praise is everlasting in all worlds And starry ages of eternity. Can they who covet the world’s worthiest goods, Wealth, honour, power, knowledge, rank, or aught Merit eternal torment for a sin Wherewith is bound the world’s prosperity And human glory? Nought eternal is But that which is of God. All pain and woe Are therefore finite. Can the robber steal From God or Heaven a thing or from the soul? Or the deflowerer desecrate and undo The espousals of the spirit with its Lord? How weak is virtue, then, and vice, how vain! How wretched human righteousness⁠—and sin, How despicable to the soul assured, Since neither hath a recompense. The one By Him destroyed who can alone unmake That He hath made; the other perfected, United, Deified in God the son With His own nature. Infinite Universe! Thou hast no like, no second favourite To mortal man of God’s.
Festus What mean the words Of yonder fiendish chant, there?
Lucifer Words and shaped Are equally as soon assumed by spirits. What mean my words to thee?
Festus In sooth, I know not. I am constrained to hear them.
Lucifer As for these!⁠— It is a fire of soul in which they burn, And by which they are purified from sin⁠— Rid of the grossness which had gathered round them, And burned again into their virgin brightness. All things work round like worlds. The orb of Hell Hath yet its place in Heaven as thine and all. But, as a spiritual quality, As spirit is the substance of all matter⁠— Hidden or open, heatlike doth inhere In all existence⁠—or for good or ill. Look at yon spirit.
Festus What was it brought thee hither?
Spirit I was an angel once, ages agone; But doing good and glorifying not God, who empowered me, He sent me here To fire the proud spot from my heart.
Festus And when Wilt thou do this, and own thou hast wronged God?
Spirit I do repent me, and confess it now. I will not ask God now to let me be What once I was; but might I only sit A footstool for some other worthier far Who owneth now my throne, I should be happy⁠— Far happier than I was in my proud prayers, That God would give me worlds on worlds to govern, And in receiving all their prayers and blessings. God! remember me! O save me!
Festus See! I do believe there is an angel coming This way from Heaven.
Spirit He comes to me⁠—to me!
Angel Hail, sufferer!
Spirit Sinner.
Angel God hath bade me bring thee Away to Heaven; thy throne is kept for thee; And all the hosts of Heaven are on the wing To welcome thee again.
Spirit I dare not come: I am not worthy Heaven.
Angel But God will make thee.
Festus Spirit⁠—farewell! and may we meet again In better time and place.
Spirit Glory to God! I go⁠—farewell!⁠—and I will speak of thee. But, oh! repent! Be humble, and despair not. Angel* and Spirit* rise.
Lucifer Oh! think, when all are judged, what hosts of souls Will then be mine at last!⁠—what wings of fire! Deemest thou yet as mortal?
Festus This is not As thou didst speak of Hell, nor as I judged.
Lucifer Hell is the wrath of God⁠—His hate of sin. God hates man’s nature; be it said of his As of all beings!
Festus How hate that He hath made?
Lucifer The infinite opposition of Perfection To imperfection leaves nor choice nor mean. Thus the demeanour of thy world grieved God, Till its destruction pleased Him, and its name Was struck out of the starry scroll; thus all Creation worketh infinite grief in Time. When human nature is most perfect, then Its fall is nearest, as of ripest fruit. Man’s pleasure in the world⁠—to both of which His nature is made fit⁠—is not of God, Save theirs on whom His spirit He bestows, As in a twilight between earth and Heaven, A promissory Being unfulfilled⁠— But still how glorious to the stone-blind world. This is in time, but in eternity, He raises, remakes, adds to all He made His own immortalizing love and grace, Which keeps them ever pure as is the sea, And incorruptible in godly will. The bliss of God and man originates, Unites, and ends in self⁠—in Deity: To whom is neither motive⁠—good⁠—nor end Greater or less or other than Himself.
Festus But how can the Creator glory find In Hell, or creature, good⁠—if God be Love, Or man a being salvable? Oh, say! But who comes hither?
Lucifer It is the Son of God!⁠— Omnipotent! before whose steadfast feet The thrones of Heaven, which hoped to have o’erthrown thine, But now all strengthless, hopeless, Godless here, Rose once and ebbed forever, even these Deep in their fiery abyss of woe Unbent, unbettered will again rush forth In all the might of madness and despair, To prove their hatred of Thee and Thy love. Salvation is the scorn of Angels here. What dost Thou here, not having sinned?
Son of God For men I bore with death⁠—for fiends I bear with sin; And death and sin are each the pain I pay For the love which brought me down from Heaven to save Both men and devils; and the Father makes And orders every instant what is best.
Festus This is God’s truth: Hell feels a moment cool.
Son of God Hell is His justice⁠—Heaven is His love⁠— Earth His long suffering: all tbe world is but A quality of God; therefore come I To temper these⁠—to give to justice, mercy; And to long-suffering, longer. Heaven is mine By birthright. Lo! I am the heir of God: He hath given all things to me. I have made The earth mine own, and all yon countless worlds, And all the souls therein; yea, soul by soul, And world by world, have I redeemed them all⁠— One by one through eternity, or given The means of their salvation: why not, then, Hell?
Festus Every spirit is to be redeemed.
Son of God Mortal! it has: the best and worst need one And same salvation. There is nothing final In all this world but God; therefore these souls Whom I see here, and pity for their woes⁠— But for their evil more⁠—these need not be Inhelled for ever; for although once, twice, thrice, On earth or here they may have put God from them, Disowned His prophets⁠—mocked His angels⁠—slain His Son in his mortality⁠—and stormed His curses back to Him; yet God is such, That He can pity still; and I can suffer For them, and save them. Father! I fear not, But by Thy might I can save Hell from Hell. Fiends! hear ye me! Why will ye burn for ever? Look! I am here all water: come and drink, And bathe in me! baptize your burning souls In the pure well of life⁠—the spring of God. I come to save all souls who will be saved. Come, ye immortal fallen! rise again! There is a resurrection for the dead, And for the second dead. And though ye died, And fell, and fell again, and again died⁠— There is a life to come, a rise for all⁠— A life to come for ever, and a rise Perpetual as the spring is in the year.
Fiend Thou Son of God! what wilt thou here with us? Have we not Hell enough without Thy presence? Remorse, and always strife, and hate of all, I see around me: is it not enough? Why wilt Thou double it with Thy mild eyes?
Son of God Spirit! I come to save thee.
Fiend How can that be?
Son of God Repent! God will forgive thee then: and I Will save thee: and the Holy One shall hallow. Repent thou, for thy judgment is at hand; But if thou slurrest over these means and times, Which have been given thee for repentance here⁠— Tremble! This Hell is nothing to thy next. Believest thou I can save thee?
Fiend Son of God! I do believe it. Let me worship.
Son of God Come! Come to me! Lo! I will but touch thy brow, And make thee bright as morning is in Heaven.
Spirit Angel of light I am again! Look here! This⁠—this is to be saved!
Lucifer I like it not.
Son of God Hear! ye immortals dead! this I can do. Repent! and be all angels.
Spirit Oh, believe! He is God. Worship Him! He comes to save us.
Lucifer Stand thou beside me: I will speak to them; Or they will sure believe Him. Hell! oh Hell! Powers of perdition! thrones of darkness!⁠—hear! Wrath, ruin, torment!⁠—hear me! It is I! Thanks, fiends! I know ye hate me well, and may: I tempted, ruined, damned ye every one. Were ye not proud, now, to be conquered by me? But wherefore so supine? Am I your lord? Me do ye doubt? or dare ye Him believe? What is an angel dressed in shiny white? Can I not make ye angels? Ay! and more: I cannot make ye less⁠—nor ye yourselves⁠— Nor God⁠—nor Son of God. But hark to me! Be still, ye thunderblasts and hills of fire! Hell doth out-din itself.⁠—Hell-hearted slaves! What are ye that I thus should toil for ye? Who hardly earn the fire that burns ye up? Power I have proffered, but ye have refused: Nothing is for ye but your fiery fate. Kingdoms I have prepared, and ye have spurned. Slaves! slaves! ye are too much at ease! Ye leave Me single in the work of woe. I, sole, Go forth to sow destruction: I, alone, Reap ruin. Had ye been as I, ere now The universe had been all Hell; and, for A pit, each fiend had had a world to rule. Rise! Yet we’ll play all hell against all Heaven. Up! up! and then at once we will battle God; And hurling each his orb against the throne, Strange if we will not scatter it like sand. To reign is nothing half like to dethrone! Dethrone! and each is greater then than God. And will ye, then, give up your hopes of Heaven, And entrance as young conquerors fresh from spoil, And choice of thrones won by your death-red hands, For pitiful repentance, like him yonder? Forbid it! all the prowess, pride, and pain Of Hell that we have borne with! do ye not? Meanwhile man’s world is straight to be destroyed. Be glad! be glad! Earth’s sons may soon be here. And here, as earnest of the truth I tell, Behold this earthling standing by my side! Speak to them, Festus.
Festus Nay, I dread them.
Lucifer Speak! Great spirits! he scarce is worthy to address ye, In that I cannot say he yet is damned.