第6章
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  THEDEVIL。[ironically]What!youaCatholic,SenorDonJuan!A

  devotee!Mycongratulations。

  THESTATUE。[seriously]Comecome!asasoldier,IcanlistentonothingagainsttheChurch。

  DONJUAN。Havenofear,Commander:thisideaofaCatholicChurchwillsurviveIslam,willsurvivetheCross,willsurviveeventhatvulgarpageantofincompetentschoolboyishgladiatorswhichyoucalltheArmy。

  THESTATUE。Juan:youwillforcemetocallyoutoaccountforthis。

  DONJUAN。Useless:Icannotfence。EveryideaforwhichManwilldiewillbeaCatholicidea。WhentheSpaniardlearnsatlastthatheisnobetterthantheSaracen,andhisprophetnobetterthanMahomet,hewillarise,moreCatholicthanever,anddieonabarricadeacrossthefilthyslumhestarvesin,foruniversallibertyandequality。

  THESTATUE。Bosh!

  DONJUAN。Whatyoucallboshistheonlythingmendarediefor。

  Lateron,LibertywillnotbeCatholicenough:menwilldieforhumanperfection,towhichtheywillsacrificealltheirlibertygladly。

  THEDEVIL。Ay:theywillneverbeatalossforanexcuseforkillingoneanother。

  DONJUAN。Whatofthat?Itisnotdeaththatmatters,butthefearofdeath。Itisnotkillinganddyingthatdegradeus,butbaseliving,andacceptingthewagesandprofitsofdegradation。

  Bettertendeadmenthanoneliveslaveorhismaster。Menshallyetriseup,fatheragainstsonandbrotheragainstbrother,andkilloneanotherforthegreatCatholicideaofabolishingslavery。

  THEDEVIL。Yes,whentheLibertyandEqualityofwhichyouprateshallhavemadefreewhiteChristianscheaperinthelabormarketthanbyauctionattheblock。

  DONJUAN。Neverfear!thewhitelaborershallhavehisturntoo。

  ButIamnotnowdefendingtheillusoryformsthegreatideastake。IamgivingyouexamplesofthefactthatthiscreatureMan,whoinhisownselfishaffairsisacowardtothebackbone,willfightforanidealikeahero。Hemaybeabjectasacitizen;butheisdangerousasafanatic。Hecanonlybeenslavedwhilstheisspirituallyweakenoughtolistentoreason。Itellyou,gentlemen,ifyoucanshowamanapieceofwhathenowcallsGod’sworktodo,andwhathewilllateroncallbymanynewnames,youcanmakehimentirelyrecklessoftheconsequencestohimselfpersonally。

  ANA。Yes:heshirksallhisresponsibilities,andleaveshiswifetograpplewiththem。

  THESTATUE。Wellsaid,daughter。Donotlethimtalkyououtofyourcommonsense。

  THEDEVIL。Alas!SenorCommander,nowthatwehavegotontothesubjectofWoman,hewilltalkmorethanever。However,Iconfessitisformetheonesupremelyinterestingsubject。

  DONJUAN。Toawoman,Senora,man’sdutiesandresponsibilitiesbeginandendwiththetaskofgettingbreadforherchildren。Toher,Manisonlyameanstotheendofgettingchildrenandrearingthem。

  ANA。Isthatyourideaofawoman’smind?Icallitcynicalanddisgustingmaterialism。

  DONJUAN。Pardonme,Ana:Isaidnothingaboutawoman’swholemind。IspokeofherviewofManasaseparatesex。ItisnomorecynicalthanherviewofherselfasaboveallthingsaMother。

  Sexually,WomanisNature’scontrivanceforperpetuatingitshighestachievement。Sexually,ManisWoman’scontrivanceforfulfillingNature’sbehestinthemosteconomicalway。Sheknowsbyinstinctthatfarbackintheevolutionalprocesssheinventedhim,differentiatedhim,createdhiminordertoproducesomethingbetterthanthesingle—sexedprocesscanproduce。

  Whilsthefulfilsthepurposeforwhichshemadehim,heiswelcometohisdreams,hisfollies,hisideals,hisheroisms,providedthatthekeystoneofthemallistheworshipofwoman,ofmotherhood,ofthefamily,ofthehearth。Buthowrashanddangerousitwastoinventaseparatecreaturewhosesolefunctionwasherownimpregnation!Formarkwhathashappened。

  First,Manhasmultipliedonherhandsuntilthereareasmanymenaswomen;sothatshehasbeenunabletoemployforherpurposesmorethanafractionoftheimmenseenergyshehasleftathisdisposalbysavinghimtheexhaustinglaborofgestation。

  Thissuperfluousenergyhasgonetohisbrainandtohismuscle。

  Hehasbecometoostrongtobecontrolledbyherbodily,andtooimaginativeandmentallyvigoroustobecontentwithmereself—

  reproduction。Hehascreatedcivilizationwithoutconsultingher,takingherdomesticlaborforgrantedasthefoundationofit。

  ANA。THATistrue,atallevents。

  THEDEVIL。Yes;andthiscivilization!whatisit,afterall?

  DONJUAN。Afterall,anexcellentpegtohangyourcynicalcommonplaceson;butBEFOREall,itisanattemptonMan’sparttomakehimselfsomethingmorethanthemereinstrumentofWoman’spurpose。Sofar,theresultofLife’scontinualeffortnotonlytomaintainitself,buttoachievehigherandhigherorganizationandcompleterself—consciousness,isonly,atbest,adoubtfulcampaignbetweenitsforcesandthoseofDeathandDegeneration。Thebattlesinthiscampaignaremereblunders,mostlywon,likeactualmilitarybattles,inspiteofthecommanders。

  THESTATUE。Thatisadigatme。Nomatter:goon,goon。

  DONJUAN。Itisadigatamuchhigherpowerthanyou,Commander。

  Still,youmusthavenoticedinyourprofessionthatevenastupidgeneralcanwinbattleswhentheenemy’sgeneralisalittlestupider。

  THESTATUE。[veryseriously]Mosttrue,Juan,mosttrue。Somedonkeyshaveamazingluck。

  DONJUAN。Well,theLifeForceisstupid;butitisnotsostupidastheforcesofDeathandDegeneration。Besides,theseareinitspayallthetime。AndsoLifewins,afterafashion。Whatmerecopiousnessoffecunditycansupplyandmeregreedpreserve,wepossess。Thesurvivalofwhateverformofcivilizationcanproducethebestrifleandthebestfedriflemenisassured。

  THEDEVIL。Exactly!thesurvival,notofthemosteffectivemeansofLifebutofthemosteffectivemeansofDeath。Youalwayscomebacktomypoint,inspiteofyourwrigglingsandevasionsandsophistries,nottomentiontheintolerablelengthofyourspeeches。

  DONJUAN。Ohcome!whobeganmakinglongspeeches?However,ifI

  overtaxyourintellect,youcanleaveusandseekthesocietyofloveandbeautyandtherestofyourfavoriteboredoms。

  THEDEVIL。[muchoffended]Thisisnotfair,DonJuan,andnotcivil。Iamalsoontheintellectualplane。NobodycanappreciateitmorethanIdo。Iamarguingfairlywithyou,and,Ithink,utterlyrefutingyou。Letusgoonforanotherhourifyoulike。

  DONJUAN。Good:letus。

  THESTATUE。NotthatIseeanyprospectofyourcomingtoanypointinparticular,Juan。Still,sinceinthisplace,insteadofmerelykillingtimewehavetokilleternity,goaheadbyallmeans。

  DONJUAN。[somewhatimpatiently]Mypoint,youmarbleheadedoldmasterpiece,isonlyastepaheadofyou。AreweagreedthatLifeisaforcewhichhasmadeinnumerableexperimentsinorganizingitself;thatthemammothandtheman,themouseandthemegatherium,thefliesandthefleasandtheFathersoftheChurch,areallmoreorlesssuccessfulattemptstobuildupthatrawforceintohigherandhigherindividuals,theidealindividualbeingomnipotent,omniscient,infallible,andwithalcompletely,unilludedlyself—conscious:inshort,agod?

  THEDEVIL。Iagree,forthesakeofargument。

  THESTATUE。Iagree,forthesakeofavoidingargument。

  ANA。ImostemphaticallydisagreeasregardstheFathersoftheChurch;andImustbegyounottodragthemintotheargument。

  DONJUAN。Ididsopurelyforthesakeofalliteration,Ana;andIshallmakenofurtherallusiontothem。Andnow,sinceweare,withthatexception,agreedsofar,willyounotagreewithmefurtherthatLifehasnotmeasuredthesuccessofitsattemptsatgodheadbythebeautyorbodilyperfectionoftheresult,sinceinboththeserespectsthebirds,asourfriendAristophaneslongagopointedout,aresoextraordinarilysuperior,withtheirpowerofflightandtheirlovelyplumage,and,mayIadd,thetouchingpoetryoftheirlovesandnestings,thatitisinconceivablethatLife,havingonceproducedthem,should,ifloveandbeautywereherobject,startoffonanotherlineandlaborattheclumsyelephantandthehideousape,whosegrandchildrenweare?

  ANA。Aristophaneswasaheathen;andyou,Juan,Iamafraid,areverylittlebetter。

  THEDEVIL。Youconclude,then,thatLifewasdrivingatclumsinessandugliness?

  DONJUAN。No,perversedevilthatyouare,athousandtimesno。

  Lifewasdrivingatbrains——atitsdarlingobject:anorganbywhichitcanattainnotonlyself—consciousnessbutself—understanding。

  THESTATUE。Thisismetaphysics,Juan。Whythedevilshould——[totheDevil]IBEGyourpardon。

  THEDEVIL。Praydon’tmentionit。Ihavealwaysregardedtheuseofmynametosecureadditionalemphasisasahighcomplimenttome。Itisquiteatyourservice,Commander。

  THESTATUE。Thankyou:that’sverygoodofyou。Eveninheaven,I

  neverquitegotoutofmyoldmilitaryhabitsofspeech。WhatI

  wasgoingtoaskJuanwaswhyLifeshouldbotheritselfaboutgettingabrain。Whyshoulditwanttounderstanditself?Whynotbecontenttoenjoyitself?

  DONJUAN。Withoutabrain,Commander,youwouldenjoyyourselfwithoutknowingit,andsoloseallthefun。

  THESTATUE。True,mosttrue。ButIamquitecontentwithbrainenoughtoknowthatI’menjoyingmyself。Idon’twanttounderstandwhy。Infact,I’drathernot。Myexperienceisthatone’spleasuresdon’tbearthinkingabout。

  DONJUAN。Thatiswhyintellectissounpopular。ButtoLife,theforcebehindtheMan,intellectisanecessity,becausewithoutitheblundersintodeath。JustasLife,afteragesofstruggle,evolvedthatwonderfulbodilyorgantheeye,sothatthelivingorganismcouldseewhereitwasgoingandwhatwascomingtohelporthreatenit,andthusavoidathousanddangersthatformerlyslewit,soitisevolvingto—dayamind’seyethatshallsee,notthephysicalworld,butthepurposeofLife,andtherebyenabletheindividualtoworkforthatpurposeinsteadofthwartingandbafflingitbysettingupshortsightedpersonalaimsasatpresent。Evenasitis,onlyonesortofmanhaseverbeenhappy,haseverbeenuniversallyrespectedamongalltheconflictsofinterestsandillusions。

  THESTATUE。Youmeanthemilitaryman。

  DONJUAN。Commander:Idonotmeanthemilitaryman。Whenthemilitarymanapproaches,theworldlocksupitsspoonsandpacksoffitswomankind。No:Ising,notarmsandthehero,butthe,philosophicman:hewhoseeksincontemplationtodiscovertheinnerwilloftheworld,ininventiontodiscoverthemeansoffulfillingthatwill,andinactiontodothatwillbytheso—discoveredmeans。OfallothersortsofmenIdeclaremyselftired。They’retediousfailures。WhenIwasonearth,professorsofallsortsprowledroundmefeelingforanunhealthyspotinmeonwhichtheycouldfasten。ThedoctorsofmedicinebademeconsiderwhatImustdotosavemybody,andofferedmequackcuresforimaginarydiseases。IrepliedthatIwasnotahypochondriac;sotheycalledmeIgnoramusandwenttheirway。

  ThedoctorsofdivinitybademeconsiderwhatImustdotosavemysoul;butIwasnotaspiritualhypochondriacanymorethanabodilyone,andwouldnottroublemyselfaboutthateither;sotheycalledmeAtheistandwenttheirway。Afterthemcamethepolitician,whosaidtherewasonlyonepurposeinNature,andthatwastogethimintoparliament。ItoldhimIdidnotcarewhetherhegotintoparliamentornot;sohecalledmeMugwumpandwenthisway。Thencametheromanticman,theArtist,withhislovesongsandhispaintingsandhispoems;andwithhimI

  hadgreatdelightformanyyears,andsomeprofit;forI

  cultivatedmysensesforhissake;andhissongstaughtmetohearbetter,hispaintingstoseebetter,andhispoemstofeelmoredeeply。ButheledmeatlastintotheworshipofWoman。

  ANA。Juan!

  DONJUAN。Yes:Icametobelievethatinhervoicewasallthemusicofthesong,inherfaceallthebeautyofthepainting,andinhersoulalltheemotionofthepoem。

  ANA。Andyouweredisappointed,Isuppose。Well,wasitherfaultthatyouattributedalltheseperfectionstoher?

  DONJUAN。Yes,partly。Forwithawonderfulinstinctivecunning,shekeptsilentandallowedmetoglorifyher;tomistakemyownvisions,thoughts,andfeelingsforhers。Nowmyfriendtheromanticmanwasoftentoopoorortootimidtoapproachthosewomenwhowerebeautifulorrefinedenoughtoseemtorealizehisideal;andsohewenttohisgravebelievinginhisdream。ButI

  wasmorefavoredbynatureandcircumstance。Iwasofnoblebirthandrich;andwhenmypersondidnotplease,myconversationflattered,thoughIgenerallyfoundmyselffortunateinboth。

  THESTATUE。Coxcomb!

  DONJUAN。Yes;butevenmycoxcombrypleased。Well,IfoundthatwhenIhadtouchedawoman’simagination,shewouldallowmetopersuademyselfthatshelovedme;butwhenmysuitwasgrantedsheneversaid\"Iamhappy:myloveissatisfied\":shealwayssaid,first,\"Atlast,thebarriersaredown,\"andsecond,\"Whenwillyoucomeagain?\"

  ANA。Thatisexactlywhatmensay。

  DONJUAN。IprotestIneversaidit。Butallwomensayit。Well,thesetwospeechesalwaysalarmedme;forthefirstmeantthatthelady’simpulsehadbeensolelytothrowdownmyfortificationsandgainmycitadel;andthesecondopenlyannouncedthathenceforthsheregardedmeasherproperty,andcountedmytimeasalreadywhollyatherdisposal。

  THEDEVIL。Thatiswhereyourwantofheartcamein。

  THESTATUE。[shakinghishead]Youshouldn’trepeatwhatawomansays,Juan。

  ANA。[severely]Itshouldbesacredtoyou。

  THESTATUE。Still,theycertainlydoalwayssayit。Inevermindedthebarriers;buttherewasalwaysaslightshockabouttheother,unlessonewasveryhardhitindeed。

  DONJUAN。Thenthelady,whohadbeenhappyandidleenoughbefore,becameanxious,preoccupiedwithme,alwaysintriguing,conspiring,pursuing,watching,waiting,bentwhollyonmakingsureofherprey——Ibeingtheprey,youunderstand。NowthiswasnotwhatIhadbargainedfor。Itmayhavebeenveryproperandverynatural;butitwasnotmusic,painting,poetryandjoyincarnatedinabeautifulwoman。Iranawayfromit。Iranawayfromitveryoften:infactIbecamefamousforrunningawayfromit。

  ANA。Infamous,youmean,DONJUAN。Ididnotrunawayfromyou。Doyoublamemeforrunningawayfromtheothers?

  ANA。Nonsense,man。Youaretalkingtoawomanof77now。Ifyouhadhadthechance,youwouldhaverunawayfrommetoo——ifIhadletyou。Youwouldnothavefounditsoeasywithmeaswithsomeoftheothers。Ifmenwillnotbefaithfultotheirhomeandtheirduties,theymustbemadetobe。Idaresayyouallwanttomarrylovelyincarnationsofmusicandpaintingandpoetry。Well,youcan’thavethem,becausetheydon’texist。Iffleshandbloodisnotgoodenoughforyouyoumustgowithout:that’sall。Womenhavetoputupwithflesh—and—bloodhusbands——andlittleenoughofthattoo,sometimes;andyouwillhavetoputupwithflesh—and—bloodwives。TheDevillooksdubious。TheStatuemakesawryface。Iseeyoudon’tlikethat,anyofyou;butit’strue,forallthat;soifyoudon’tlikeityoucanlumpit。

  DONJUAN。Mydearlady,youhaveputmywholecaseagainstromanceintoafewsentences。ThatisjustwhyIturnedmybackontheromanticmanwiththeartistnature,ashecalledhisinfatuation。Ithankedhimforteachingmetousemyeyesandears;butItoldhimthathisbeautyworshippingandhappinesshuntingandwomanidealizingwasnotworthadumpasaphilosophyoflife;sohecalledmePhilistineandwenthisway。

  ANA。ItseemsthatWomantaughtyousomething,too,withallherdefects。

  DONJUAN。Shedidmore:sheinterpretedalltheotherteachingforme。Ah,myfriends,whenthebarriersweredownforthefirsttime,whatanastoundingillumination!Ihadbeenpreparedforinfatuation,forintoxication,foralltheillusionsoflove’syoungdream;andlo!neverwasmyperceptionclearer,normycriticismmoreruthless。ThemostjealousrivalofmymistressneversaweveryblemishinhermorekeenlythanI。Iwasnotduped:Itookherwithoutchloroform。

  ANA。Butyoudidtakeher。

  DONJUAN。Thatwastherevelation。UptothatmomentIhadneverlostthesenseofbeingmyownmaster;neverconsciouslytakenasinglestepuntilmyreasonhadexaminedandapprovedit。IhadcometobelievethatIwasapurelyrationalcreature:athinker!

  Isaid,withthefoolishphilosopher,\"Ithink;thereforeIam。\"

  ItwasWomanwhotaughtmetosay\"Iam;thereforeIthink。\"Andalso\"Iwouldthinkmore;thereforeImustbemore。\"

  THESTATUE。Thisisextremelyabstractandmetaphysical,Juan。Ifyouwouldsticktotheconcrete,andputyourdiscoveriesintheformofentertaininganecdotesaboutyouradventureswithwomen,yourconversationwouldbeeasiertofollow。

  DONJUAN。Bah!whatneedIadd?DoyounotunderstandthatwhenI

  stoodfacetofacewithWoman,everyfibreinmyclearcriticalbrainwarnedmetospareherandsavemyself。MymoralssaidNo。

  MyconsciencesaidNo。MychivalryandpityforhersaidNo。MyprudentregardformyselfsaidNo。Myear,practisedonathousandsongsandsymphonies;myeye,exercisedonathousandpaintings;torehervoice,herfeatures,hercolortoshreds。I

  caughtallthosetell—taleresemblancestoherfatherandmotherbywhichIknewwhatshewouldbelikeinthirtyyearstime。I

  notedthegleamofgoldfromadeadtoothinthelaughingmouth:

  Imadecuriousobservationsofthestrangeodorsofthechemistryofthenerves。Thevisionsofmyromanticreveries,inwhichI

  hadtrodtheplainsofheavenwithadeathless,agelesscreatureofcoralandivory,desertedmeinthatsupremehour。I

  rememberedthemanddesperatelystrovetorecovertheirillusion;

  buttheynowseemedtheemptiestofinventions:myjudgmentwasnottobecorrupted:mybrainstillsaidNooneveryissue。AndwhilstIwasintheactofframingmyexcusetothelady,Lifeseizedmeandthrewmeintoherarmsasasailorthrowsascrapoffishintothemouthofaseabird。

  THESTATUE。Youmightaswellhavegonewithoutthinkingsuchalotaboutit,Juan。Youarelikealltheclevermen:youhavemorebrainsthanisgoodforyou。

  THEDEVIL。Andwereyounotthehappierfortheexperience,SenorDonJuan?

  DONJUAN。Thehappier,no:thewiser,yes。Thatmomentintroducedmeforthefirsttimetomyself,and,throughmyself,totheworld。IsawthenhowuselessitistoattempttoimposeconditionsontheirresistibleforceofLife;topreachprudence,carefulselection,virtue,honor,chastity——

  ANA。DonJuan:awordagainstchastityisaninsulttome。

  DONJUAN。Isaynothingagainstyourchastity,Senora,sinceittooktheformofahusbandandtwelvechildren。Whatmorecouldyouhavedonehadyoubeenthemostabandonedofwomen?

  ANA。Icouldhavehadtwelvehusbandsandnochildrenthat’swhatIcouldhavedone,Juan。AndletmetellyouthatthatwouldhavemadeallthedifferencetotheearthwhichIreplenished。

  THESTATUE。BravoAna!Juan:youarefloored,quelled,annihilated。

  DONJUAN。No;forthoughthatdifferenceisthetrueessentialdifference——DonaAnahas,Iadmit,gonestraighttotherealpoint——yetitisnotadifferenceofloveorchastity,orevenconstancy;fortwelvechildrenbytwelvedifferenthusbandswouldhavereplenishedtheearthperhapsmoreeffectively。SupposemyfriendOttaviohaddiedwhenyouwerethirty,youwouldneverhaveremainedawidow:youweretoobeautiful。SupposethesuccessorofOttaviohaddiedwhenyouwereforty,youwouldstillhavebeenirresistible;andawomanwhomarriestwicemarriesthreetimesifshebecomesfreetodoso。Twelvelawfulchildrenbornebyonehighlyrespectableladytothreedifferentfathersisnotimpossiblenorcondemnedbypublicopinion。Thatsuchaladymaybemorelawabidingthanthepoorgirlwhomweusedtospurnintothegutterforbearingoneunlawfulinfantisnodoubttrue;butdareyousaysheislessself—indulgent?

  ANA。Sheislessvirtuous:thatisenoughforme。

  DONJUAN。Inthatcase,whatisvirtuebuttheTradeUnionismofthemarried?Letusfacethefacts,dearAna。TheLifeForcerespectsmarriageonlybecausemarriageisacontrivanceofitsowntosecurethegreatestnumberofchildrenandtheclosestcareofthem。Forhonor,chastityandalltherestofyourmoralfigmentsitcaresnotarap。Marriageisthemostlicentiousofhumaninstitutions——

  ANA。Juan!

  THESTATUE。[protesting]Really!——

  DONJUAN。[determinedly]Isaythemostlicentiousofhumaninstitutions:thatisthesecretofitspopularity。Andawomanseekingahusbandisthemostunscrupulousofallthebeastsofprey。Theconfusionofmarriagewithmoralityhasdonemoretodestroytheconscienceofthehumanracethananyothersingleerror。Come,Ana!donotlookshocked:youknowbetterthananyofusthatmarriageisamantrapbaitedwithsimulatedaccomplishmentsanddelusiveidealizations。Whenyoursaintedmother,bydintofscoldingsandpunishments,forcedyoutolearnhowtoplayhalfadozenpiecesonthespinetwhichshehatedasmuchasyoudid——hadsheanyotherpurposethantodeludeyoursuitorsintothebeliefthatyourhusbandwouldhaveinhishomeanangelwhowouldfillitwithmelody,oratleastplayhimtosleepafterdinner?YoumarriedmyfriendOttavio:well,didyoueveropenthespinetfromthehourwhentheChurchunitedhimtoyou?

  ANA。Youareafool,Juan。Ayoungmarriedwomanhassomethingelsetodothansitatthespinetwithoutanysupportforherback;soshegetsoutofthehabitofplaying。

  DONJUAN。Notifshelovesmusic。No:believeme,sheonlythrowsawaythebaitwhenthebirdisinthenet。

  ANA。[bitterly]Andmen,Isuppose,neverthrowoffthemaskwhentheirbirdisinthenet。Thehusbandneverbecomesnegligent,selfish,brutal——ohnever!

  DONJUAN。Whatdotheserecriminationsprove,Ana?Onlythattheheroisasgrossanimpostureastheheroine。

  ANA。Itisallnonsense:mostmarriagesareperfectlycomfortable。

  DONJUAN。\"Perfectly\"isastrongexpression,Ana。Whatyoumeanisthatsensiblepeoplemakethebestofoneanother。Sendmetothegalleysandchainmetothefelonwhosenumberhappenstobenextbeforemine;andImustaccepttheinevitableandmakethebestofthecompanionship。Manysuchcompanionships,theytellme,aretouchinglyaffectionate;andmostareatleasttolerablyfriendly。Butthatdoesnotmakeachainadesirableornamentnorthegalleysanabodeofbliss。Thosewhotalkmostabouttheblessingsofmarriageandtheconstancyofitsvowsaretheverypeoplewhodeclarethatifthechainwerebrokenandtheprisonersleftfreetochoose,thewholesocialfabricwouldflyasunder。Youcannothavetheargumentbothways。Iftheprisonerishappy,whylockhimin?Ifheisnot,whypretendthatheis?

  ANA。Atallevents,letmetakeanoldwoman’sprivilegeagain,andtellyouflatlythatmarriagepeoplestheworldanddebaucherydoesnot。

  DONJUAN。Howifatimecomeswhenthisshallceasetobetrue?Doyounotknowthatwherethereisawillthereisaway——thatwhateverManreallywishestodohewillfinallydiscoverameansofdoing?Well,youhavedoneyourbest,youvirtuousladies,andothersofyourwayofthinking,tobendMan’smindwhollytowardshonorableloveasthehighestgood,andtounderstandbyhonorableloveromanceandbeautyandhappinessinthepossessionofbeautiful,refined,delicate,affectionatewomen。Youhavetaughtwomentovaluetheirownyouth,health,shapeliness,andrefinementaboveallthings。Well,whatplacehavesquallingbabiesandhouseholdcaresinthisexquisiteparadiseofthesensesandemotions?Isitnottheinevitableendofitallthatthehumanwillshallsaytothehumanbrain:InventmeameansbywhichIcanhavelove,beauty,romance,emotion,passionwithouttheirwretchedpenalties,theirexpenses,theirworries,theirtrials,theirillnessesandagoniesandrisksofdeath,theirretinueofservantsandnursesanddoctorsandschoolmasters。

  THEDEVIL。Allthis,SenorDonJuan,isrealizedhereinmyrealm。

  DONJUAN。Yes,atthecostofdeath。Manwillnottakeitatthatprice:hedemandstheromanticdelightsofyourhellwhilstheisstillonearth。Well,themeanswillbefound:thebrainwillnotfailwhenthewillisinearnest。Thedayiscomingwhengreatnationswillfindtheirnumbersdwindlingfromcensustocensus;

  whenthesixroomedvillawillriseinpriceabovethefamilymansion;whentheviciouslyrecklesspoorandthestupidlypiousrichwilldelaytheextinctionoftheraceonlybydegradingit;

  whilsttheboldlyprudent,thethriftilyselfishandambitious,theimaginativeandpoetic,theloversofmoneyandsolidcomfort,theworshippersofsuccess,art,andoflove,willallopposetotheForceofLifethedeviceofsterility。

  THESTATUE。Thatisallveryeloquent,myyoungfriend;butifyouhadlivedtoAna’sage,oreventomine,youwouldhavelearnedthatthepeoplewhogetridofthefearofpovertyandchildrenandalltheotherfamilytroubles,anddevotethemselvestohavingagoodtimeofit,onlyleavetheirmindsfreeforthefearofoldageanduglinessandimpotenceanddeath。Thechildlesslaborerismoretormentedbyhiswife’sidlenessandherconstantdemandsforamusementanddistractionthanhecouldbebytwentychildren;andhiswifeismorewretchedthanhe。I

  havehadmyshareofvanity;forasayoungmanIwasadmiredbywomen;andasastatueIampraisedbyartcritics。ButIconfessthathadIfoundnothingtodointheworldbutwallowinthesedelightsIshouldhavecutmythroat。WhenImarriedAna’smother——orperhaps,tobestrictlycorrect,IshouldrathersaywhenIatlastgaveinandallowedAna’smothertomarryme——I

  knewthatIwasplantingthornsinmypillow,andthatmarriageforme,aswaggeringyoungofficerthithertounvanquished,meantdefeatandcapture。

  ANA。[scandalized]Father!

  THESTATUE。Iamsorrytoshockyou,mylove;butsinceJuanhasstrippedeveryragofdecencyfromthediscussionImayaswelltellthefrozentruth。

  ANA。Hmf!IsupposeIwasoneofthethorns。

  THESTATUE。Bynomeans:youwereoftenarose。Yousee,yourmotherhadmostofthetroubleyougave。

  DONJUAN。ThenmayIask,Commander,whyyouhaveleftHeaventocomehereandwallow,asyouexpressit,insentimentalbeatitudeswhichyouconfesswouldoncehavedrivenyoutocutyourthroat?

  THESTATUE。[struckbythis]Egad,that’strue。

  THEDEVIL。[alarmed]What!Youaregoingbackfromyourword。[ToDonJuan]Andallyourphilosophizinghasbeennothingbutamaskforproselytizing![TotheStatue]HaveyouforgottenalreadythehideousdulnessfromwhichIamofferingyouarefugehere?[ToDonJuan]Anddoesyourdemonstrationoftheapproachingsterilizationandextinctionofmankindleadtoanythingbetterthanmakingthemostofthosepleasuresofartandlovewhichyouyourselfadmitrefinedyou,elevatedyou,developedyou?

  DONJUAN。Ineverdemonstratedtheextinctionofmankind。Lifecannotwillitsownextinctioneitherinitsblindamorphousstateorinanyoftheformsintowhichithasorganizeditself。

  IhadnotfinishedwhenHisExcellencyinterruptedme。

  THESTATUE。Ibegintodoubtwhetheryoueverwillfinish,myfriend。Youareextremelyfondofhearingyourselftalk。

  DONJUAN。True;butsinceyouhaveenduredsomuch。youmayaswellenduretotheend。LongbeforethissterilizationwhichI

  describedbecomesmorethanaclearlyforeseenpossibility,thereactionwillbegin。Thegreatcentralpurposeofbreedingtherace,ay,breedingittoheightsnowdeemedsuperhuman:thatpurposewhichisnowhiddeninamephiticcloudofloveandromanceandpruderyandfastidiousness,willbreakthroughintoclearsunlightasapurposenolongertobeconfusedwiththegratificationofpersonalfancies,theimpossiblerealizationofboys’andgirls’dreamsofbliss,ortheneedofolderpeopleforcompanionshipormoney。Theplain—spokenmarriageservicesofthevernacularChurcheswillnolongerbeabbreviatedandhalfsuppressedasindelicate。Thesoberdecency,earnestnessandauthorityoftheirdeclarationoftherealpurposeofmarriagewillbehonoredandaccepted,whilsttheirromanticvowingsandpledgingsanduntil—death—do—us—partingsandthelikewillbeexpungedasunbearablefrivolities。Domysexthejusticetoadmit,Senora,thatwehavealwaysrecognizedthatthesexrelationisnotapersonalorfriendlyrelationatall。

  ANA。Notapersonalorfriendlyrelation!Whatrelationismorepersonal?moresacred?moreholy?

  DONJUAN。Sacredandholy,ifyoulike,Ana,butnotpersonallyfriendly。YourrelationtoGodissacredandholy:dareyoucallitpersonallyfriendly?Inthesexrelationtheuniversalcreativeenergy,ofwhichthepartiesareboththehelplessagents,over—ridesandsweepsawayallpersonalconsiderationsanddispenseswithallpersonalrelations。Thepairmaybeutterstrangerstooneanother,speakingdifferentlanguages,differinginraceandcolor,inageanddisposition,withnobondbetweenthembutapossibilityofthatfecundityforthesakeofwhichtheLifeForcethrowsthemintooneanother’sarmsattheexchangeofaglance。Dowenotrecognizethisbyallowingmarriagestobemadebyparentswithoutconsultingthewoman?

  HaveyounotoftenexpressedyourdisgustattheimmoralityoftheEnglishnation,inwhichwomenandmenofnoblebirthbecomeacquaintedandcourteachotherlikepeasants?Andhowmuchdoeseventhepeasantknowofhisbrideorsheofhimbeforeheengageshimself?Why,youwouldnotmakeamanyourlawyeroryourfamilydoctoronsoslightanacquaintanceasyouwouldfallinlovewithandmarryhim!

  ANA。Yes,Juan:weknowthelibertine’sphilosophy。Alwaysignoretheconsequencestothewoman。

  DONJUAN。Theconsequences,yes:theyjustifyherfiercegripoftheman。Butsurelyyoudonotcallthatattachmentasentimentalone。Aswellcallthepoliceman’sattachmenttohisprisoneraloverelation。

  ANA。Youseeyouhavetoconfessthatmarriageisnecessary,though,accordingtoyou,loveistheslightestofalltherelations。

  DONJUAN。Howdoyouknowthatitisnotthegreatestofalltherelations?fartoogreattobeapersonalmatter。CouldyourfatherhaveservedhiscountryifhehadrefusedtokillanyenemyofSpainunlesshepersonallyhatedhim?Canawomanservehercountryifsherefusestomarryanymanshedoesnotpersonallylove?Youknowitisnotso:thewomanofnoblebirthmarriesasthemanofnoblebirthfights,onpoliticalandfamilygrounds,notonpersonalones。

  THESTATUE。[impressed]Averycleverpointthat,Juan:Imustthinkitover。Youarereallyfullofideas。Howdidyoucometothinkofthisone?

  DONJUAN。Ilearntitbyexperience。WhenIwasonearth,andmadethoseproposalstoladieswhich,thoughuniversallycondemned,havemademesointerestingaherooflegend,Iwasnotinfrequentlymetinsomesuchwayasthis。Theladywouldsaythatshewouldcountenancemyadvances,providedtheywerehonorable。Oninquiringwhatthatprovisomeant,IfoundthatitmeantthatIproposedtogetpossessionofherpropertyifshehadany,ortoundertakehersupportforlifeifshehadnot;

  thatIdesiredhercontinualcompanionship,counselandconversationtotheendofmydays,andwouldbindmyselfunderpenaltiestobealwaysenrapturedbythem;and,aboveall,thatIwouldturnmybackonallotherwomenforeverforhersake。Ididnotobjecttotheseconditionsbecausetheywereexorbitantandinhuman:itwastheirextraordinaryirrelevancethatprostratedme。IinvariablyrepliedwithperfectfranknessthatIhadneverdreamtofanyofthesethings;thatunlessthelady’scharacterandintellectwereequalorsuperiortomyown,herconversationmustdegradeandhercounselmisleadme;thatherconstantcompanionshipmight,forallIknew,becomeintolerablytedioustome;thatIcouldnotanswerformyfeelingsforaweekinadvance,muchlesstotheendofmylife;

  thattocutmeofffromallnaturalandunconstrainedrelationswiththerestofmyfellowcreatureswouldnarrowandwarpmeifIsubmittedtoit,and,ifnot,wouldbringmeunderthecurseofclandestinity;that,finally,myproposalstoherwerewhollyunconnectedwithanyofthesematters,andweretheoutcomeofaperfectlysimpleimpulseofmymanhoodtowardsherwomanhood。

  ANA。Youmeanthatitwasanimmoralimpulse。

  DONJUAN。Nature,mydearlady,iswhatyoucallimmoral。Iblushforit;butIcannothelpit。Natureisapandar,Timeawrecker,andDeathamurderer。Ihavealwayspreferredtostanduptothosefactsandbuildinstitutionsontheirrecognition。Youprefertopropitiatethethreedevilsbyproclaimingtheirchastity,theirthrift,andtheirlovingkindness;andtobaseyourinstitutionsontheseflatteries。Isitanywonderthattheinstitutionsdonotworksmoothly?

  THESTATUE。Whatusedtheladiestosay,Juan?

  DONJUAN。Oh,come!Confidenceforconfidence。Firsttellmewhatyouusedtosaytotheladies。

  THESTATUE。I!Oh,IsworethatIwouldbefaithfultothedeath;

  thatIshoulddieiftheyrefusedme;thatnowomancouldeverbetomewhatshewas——

  ANA。She?Who?

  THESTATUE。Whoeverithappenedtobeatthetime,mydear。IhadcertainthingsIalwayssaid。OneofthemwasthatevenwhenI

  waseighty,onewhitehairofthewomanIlovedwouldmakemetremblemorethanthethickestgoldtressfromthemostbeautifulyounghead。AnotherwasthatIcouldnotbearthethoughtofanyoneelsebeingthemotherofmychildren。

  DONJUAN。[revolted]Youoldrascal!

  THESTATUE。[Stoutly]Notabit;forIreallybelieveditwithallmysoulatthemoment。Ihadaheart:notlikeyou。Anditwasthissinceritythatmademesuccessful。

  DONJUAN。Sincerity!Tobefoolenoughtobelievearamping,stamping,thumpinglie:thatiswhatyoucallsincerity!Tobesogreedyforawomanthatyoudeceiveyourselfinyoureagernesstodeceiveher:sincerity,youcallit!

  THESTATUE。Oh,damnyoursophistries!Iwasamaninlove,notalawyer。Andthewomenlovedmeforit,blessthem!

  DONJUAN。Theymadeyouthinkso。WhatwillyousaywhenItellyouthatthoughIplayedthelawyersocallously,theymademethinksotoo?IalsohadmymomentsofinfatuationinwhichI

  gushednonsenseandbelievedit。SometimesthedesiretogivepleasurebysayingbeautifulthingssoroseinmeonthefloodofemotionthatIsaidthemrecklessly。AtothertimesIarguedagainstmyselfwithadevilishcoldnessthatdrewtears。ButI

  founditjustashardtoescapeintheonecaseasintheothers。

  Whenthelady’sinstinctwassetonme,therewasnothingforitbutlifelongservitudeorflight。

  ANA。Youdareboast,beforemeandmyfather,thateverywomanfoundyouirresistible。

  DONJUAN。AmIboasting?ItseemstomethatIcutthemostpitiableoffigures。Besides,Isaid\"whenthelady’sinstinctwassetonme。\"Itwasnotalwaysso;andthen,heavens!whattransportsofvirtuousindignation!whatoverwhelmingdefiancetothedastardlyseducer!whatscenesofImogenandIachimo!

  ANA。Imadenoscenes。Isimplycalledmyfather。

  DONJUAN。Andhecame,swordinhand,tovindicateoutragedhonorandmoralitybymurderingme。

  THESTATUE。Murdering!Whatdoyoumean?DidIkillyouordidyoukillme?

  DONJUAN。Whichofuswasthebetterfencer?

  THESTATUE。Iwas。

  DONJUAN。Ofcourseyouwere。Andyetyou,theheroofthosescandalousadventuresyouhavejustbeenrelatingtous,youhadtheeffronterytoposeastheavengerofoutragedmoralityandcondemnmetodeath!Youwouldhaveslainmebutforanaccident。

  THESTATUE。Iwasexpectedto,Juan。Thatishowthingswerearrangedonearth。Iwasnotasocialreformer;andIalwaysdidwhatitwascustomaryforagentlemantodo。

  DONJUAN。Thatmayaccountforyourattackingme,butnotfortherevoltinghypocrisyofyoursubsequentproceedingsasastatue。

  THESTATUE。ThatallcameofmygoingtoHeaven。

  THEDEVIL。Istillfailtosee,SenorDonJuan,thattheseepisodesinyourearthlycareerandinthatoftheSenorCommanderinanywaydiscreditmyviewoflife。Here,Irepeat,youhaveallthatyousoughtwithoutanythingthatyoushrankfrom。

  DONJUAN。Onthecontrary,hereIhaveeverythingthatdisappointedmewithoutanythingthatIhavenotalreadytriedandfoundwanting。ItellyouthataslongasIcanconceivesomethingbetterthanmyselfIcannotbeeasyunlessIamstrivingtobringitintoexistenceorclearingthewayforit。

  Thatisthelawofmylife。ThatistheworkingwithinmeofLife’sincessantaspirationtohigherorganization,wider,deeper,intenserself—consciousness,andclearerself—understanding。Itwasthesupremacyofthispurposethatreducedloveformetothemerepleasureofamoment,artformetothemereschoolingofmyfaculties,religionformetoamereexcuseforlaziness,sinceithadsetupaGodwholookedattheworldandsawthatitwasgood,againsttheinstinctinmethatlookedthroughmyeyesattheworldandsawthatitcouldbeimproved。Itellyouthatinthepursuitofmyownpleasure,myownhealth,myownfortune,Ihaveneverknownhappiness。ItwasnotloveforWomanthatdeliveredmeintoherhands:itwasfatigue,exhaustion。WhenIwasachild,andbruisedmyheadagainstastone,Irantothenearestwomanandcriedawaymypainagainstherapron。WhenIgrewup,andbruisedmysoulagainstthebrutalitiesandstupiditieswithwhichIhadtostrive,IdidagainjustwhatIhaddoneasachild。Ihaveenjoyed,too,myrests,myrecuperations,mybreathingtimes,myveryprostrationsafterstrife;butratherwouldIbedraggedthroughallthecirclesofthefoolishItalian’sInfernothanthroughthepleasuresofEurope。Thatiswhathasmadethisplaceofeternalpleasuressodeadlytome。ItistheabsenceofthisinstinctinyouthatmakesyouthatstrangemonstercalledaDevil。Itisthesuccesswithwhichyouhavedivertedtheattentionofmenfromtheirrealpurpose,whichinonedegreeoranotheristhesameasmine,toyours,thathasearnedyouthenameofTheTempter。Itisthefactthattheyaredoingyourwill,orratherdriftingwithyourwantofwill,insteadofdoingtheirown,thatmakesthemtheuncomfortable,false,restless,artificial,petulant,wretchedcreaturestheyare。

  THEDEVIL。[mortified]SenorDonJuan:youareunciviltomyfriends。

  DONJUAN。Pooh!whyshouldIbeciviltothemortoyou?InthisPalaceofLiesatruthortwowillnothurtyou。YourfriendsareallthedullestdogsIknow。Theyarenotbeautiful:theyareonlydecorated。Theyarenotclean:theyareonlyshavedandstarched。Theyarenotdignified:theyareonlyfashionablydressed。Theyarenoteducatedtheyareonlycollegepassmen。

  Theyarenotreligious:theyareonlypewrenters。Theyarenotmoral:theyareonlyconventional。Theyarenotvirtuous:theyareonlycowardly。Theyarenotevenvicious:theyareonly\"frail。\"Theyarenotartistic:theyareonlylascivious。Theyarenotprosperous:theyareonlyrich。Theyarenotloyal,theyareonlyservile;notdutiful,onlysheepish;notpublicspirited,onlypatriotic;notcourageous,onlyquarrelsome;notdetermined,onlyobstinate;notmasterful,onlydomineering;notself—controlled,onlyobtuse;notself—respecting,onlyvain;notkind,onlysentimental;notsocial,onlygregarious;notconsiderate,onlypolite;notintelligent,onlyopinionated;notprogressive,onlyfactious;notimaginative,onlysuperstitious;

  notjust,onlyvindictive;notgenerous,onlypropitiatory;notdisciplined,onlycowed;andnottruthfulatall——liarseveryoneofthem,totheverybackboneoftheirsouls。

  THESTATUE。Yourflowofwordsissimplyamazing,Juan。HowI

  wishIcouldhavetalkedlikethattomysoldiers。

  THEDEVIL。Itismeretalk,though。Ithasallbeensaidbefore;

  butwhatchangehasitevermade?Whatnoticehastheworldevertakenofit?

  DONJUAN。Yes,itismeretalk。Butwhyisitmeretalk?Because,myfriend,beauty,purity,respectability,religion,morality,art,patriotism,braveryandtherestarenothingbutwordswhichIoranyoneelsecanturninsideoutlikeaglove。Weretheyrealities,youwouldhavetopleadguiltytomyindictment;butfortunatelyforyourself—respect,mydiabolicalfriend,theyarenotrealities。Asyousay,theyaremerewords,usefulfordupingbarbariansintoadoptingcivilization,orthecivilizedpoorintosubmittingtoberobbedandenslaved。Thatisthefamilysecretofthegoverningcaste;andifwewhoareofthatcasteaimedatmoreLifefortheworldinsteadofatmorepowerandluxuryforourmiserableselves,thatsecretwouldmakeusgreat。Now,sinceI,beinganobleman,aminthesecrettoo,thinkhowtedioustomemustbeyourunendingcantaboutallthesemoralisticfigments,andhowsqualidlydisastrousyoursacrificeofyourlivestothem!Ifyouevenbelievedinyourmoralgameenoughtoplayitfairly,itwouldbeinterestingtowatch;butyoudon’t:

  youcheatateverytrick;andifyouropponentoutcheatsyou,youupsetthetableandtrytomurderhim。

  THEDEVIL。Onearththeremaybesometruthinthis,becausethepeopleareuneducatedandcannotappreciatemyreligionofloveandbeauty;buthere——

  DONJUAN。Ohyes:Iknow。Herethereisnothingbutloveandbeauty。Ugh!itislikesittingforalleternityatthefirstactofafashionableplay,beforethecomplicationsbegin。NeverinmyworstmomentsofsuperstitiousterroronearthdidIdreamthatHellwassohorrible。Ilive,likeahairdresser,inthecontinualcontemplationofbeauty,toyingwithsilkentresses。I

  breatheanatmosphereofsweetness,likeaconfectioner’sshopboy。Commander:arethereanybeautifulwomeninHeaven?

  THESTATUE。None。Absolutelynone。Alldowdies。Nottwopennorthofjewelleryamongadozenofthem。Theymightbemenoffifty。

  DONJUAN。Iamimpatienttogetthere。Isthewordbeautyevermentioned;andarethereanyartisticpeople?

  THESTATUE。Igiveyoumywordtheywon’tadmireafinestatueevenwhenitwalkspastthem。

  DONJUAN。Igo。

  THEDEVIL。DonJuan:shallIbefrankwithyou?

  DONJUAN。Wereyounotsobefore?

  THEDEVIL。AsfarasIwent,yes。ButIwillnowgofurther,andconfesstoyouthatmengettiredofeverything,ofheavennolessthanofhell;andthatallhistoryisnothingbutarecordoftheoscillationsoftheworldbetweenthesetwoextremes。Anepochisbutaswingofthependulum;andeachgenerationthinkstheworldisprogressingbecauseitisalwaysmoving。ButwhenyouareasoldasIam;whenyouhaveathousandtimesweariedofheaven,likemyselfandtheCommander,andathousandtimesweariedofhell,asyouareweariednow,youwillnolongerimaginethateveryswingfromheaventohellisanemancipation,everyswingfromhelltoheavenanevolution。Whereyounowseereform,progress,fulfilmentofupwardtendency,continualascentbyManonthesteppingstonesofhisdeadselvestohigherthings,youwillseenothingbutaninfinitecomedyofillusion。

  YouwilldiscovertheprofoundtruthofthesayingofmyfriendKoheleth,thatthereisnothingnewunderthesun。Vanitasvanitatum——

  DONJUAN。[outofallpatience]ByHeaven,thisisworsethanyourcantaboutloveandbeauty。Cleverdoltthatyouare,isamannobetterthanaworm,oradogthanawolf,becausehegetstiredofeverything?Shallhegiveupeatingbecausehedestroyshisappetiteintheactofgratifyingit?Isafieldidlewhenitisfallow?CantheCommanderexpendhishellishenergyherewithoutaccumulatingheavenlyenergyforhisnexttermofblessedness?GrantedthatthegreatLifeForcehashitonthedeviceoftheclockmaker’spendulum,andusestheearthforitsbob;thatthehistoryofeachoscillation,whichseemssonoveltoustheactors,isbutthehistoryofthelastoscillationrepeated;naymore,thatintheunthinkableinfinitudeoftimethesunthrowsofftheearthandcatchesitagainathousandtimesasacircusriderthrowsupaball,andthatthetotalofallourepochsisbutthemomentbetweenthetossandthecatch,hasthecolossalmechanismnopurpose?

  THEDEVIL。None,myfriend。Youthink,becauseyouhaveapurpose,Naturemusthaveone。Youmightaswellexpectittohavefingersandtoesbecauseyouhavethem。

  DONJUAN。ButIshouldnothavethemiftheyservednopurpose。

  AndI,myfriend,amasmuchapartofNatureasmyownfingerisapartofme。IfmyfingeristheorganbywhichIgrasptheswordandthemandoline,mybrainistheorganbywhichNaturestrivestounderstanditself。Mydog’sbrainservesonlymydog’spurposes;butmybrainlaborsataknowledgewhichdoesnothingformepersonallybutmakemybodybittertomeandmydecayanddeathacalamity。WereInotpossessedwithapurposebeyondmyownIhadbetterbeaploughmanthanaphilosopher;fortheploughmanlivesaslongasthephilosopher,eatsmore,sleepsbetter,andrejoicesinthewifeofhisbosomwithlessmisgiving。ThisisbecausethephilosopherisinthegripoftheLifeForce。ThisLifeForcesaystohim\"Ihavedoneathousandwonderfulthingsunconsciouslybymerelywillingtoliveandfollowingthelineofleastresistance:nowIwanttoknowmyselfandmydestination,andchoosemypath;soIhavemadeaspecialbrain——aphilosopher’sbrain——tograspthisknowledgeformeasthehusbandman’shandgraspstheploughforme。\"Andthis\"saystheLifeForcetothephilosopher\"mustthoustrivetodoformeuntilthoudiest,whenIwillmakeanotherbrainandanotherphilosophertocarryonthework。\"

  THEDEVIL。Whatistheuseofknowing?

  DONJUAN。Why,tobeabletochoosethelineofgreatestadvantageinsteadofyieldinginthedirectionoftheleastresistance。Doesashipsailtoitsdestinationnobetterthanalogdriftsnowhither?ThephilosopherisNature’spilot。Andthereyouhaveourdifference:tobeinhellistodrift:tobeinheavenistosteer。

  THEDEVIL。Ontherocks,mostlikely。

  DONJUAN。Pooh!whichshipgoesoftenestontherocksortothebottom——thedriftingshiportheshipwithapilotonboard?

  THEDEVIL。Well,well,goyourway,SenorDonJuan。Iprefertobemyownmasterandnotthetoolofanyblunderinguniversalforce。Iknowthatbeautyisgoodtolookat;thatmusicisgoodtohear;thatloveisgoodtofeel;andthattheyareallgoodtothinkaboutandtalkabout。Iknowthattobewellexercisedinthesesensations,emotions,andstudiesistobearefinedandcultivatedbeing。Whatevertheymaysayofmeinchurchesonearth,IknowthatitisuniversallyadmittedingoodsocietythattheprinceofDarknessisagentleman;andthatisenoughforme。AstoyourLifeForce,whichyouthinkirresistible,itisthemostresistiblethingintheworldforapersonofanycharacter。Butifyouarenaturallyvulgarandcredulous,asallreformersare,itwillthrustyoufirstintoreligion,whereyouwillsprinklewateronbabiestosavetheirsoulsfromme;thenitwilldriveyoufromreligionintoscience,whereyouwillsnatchthebabiesfromthewatersprinklingandinoculatethemwithdiseasetosavethemfromcatchingitaccidentally;thenyouwilltaketopolitics,whereyouwillbecomethecatspawofcorruptfunctionariesandthehenchmanofambitioushumbugs;andtheendwillbedespairanddecrepitude,brokennerveandshatteredhopes,vainregretsforthatworstandsilliestofwastesandsacrifices,thewasteandsacrificeofthepowerofenjoyment:inaword,thepunishmentofthefoolwhopursuesthebetterbeforehehassecuredthegood。

  DONJUAN。ButatleastIshallnotbebored。TheserviceoftheLifeForcehasthatadvantage,atallevents。Sofareyouwell,SenorSatan。

  THEDEVIL。[amiably]Fareyouwell,DonJuan。Ishalloftenthinkofourinterestingchatsaboutthingsingeneral。Iwishyoueveryhappiness:Heaven,asIsaidbefore,suitssomepeople。Butifyoushouldchangeyourmind,donotforgetthatthegatesarealwaysopenheretotherepentantprodigal。Ifyoufeelatanytimethatwarmthofheart,sincereunforcedaffection,innocentenjoyment,andwarm,breathing,palpitatingreality——

  DONJUAN。Whynotsayfleshandbloodatonce,thoughwehaveleftthosetwogreasycommonplacesbehindus?

  THEDEVIL。[angrily]Youthrowmyfriendlyfarewellbackinmyteeth,then,DonJuan?

  DONJUAN。Bynomeans。Butthoughthereismuchtobelearntfromacynicaldevil,Ireallycannotstandasentimentalone。SenorCommander:youknowthewaytothefrontierofhellandheaven。

  Begoodenoughtodirectme。

  THESTATUE。Oh,thefrontierisonlythedifferencebetweentwowaysoflookingatthings。Anyroadwilltakeyouacrossitifyoureallywanttogetthere。

  DONJUAN。Good。[salutingDonaAna]Senora:yourservant。

  ANA。ButIamgoingwithyou。

  DONJUAN。Icanfindmyownwaytoheaven,Ana;butIcannotfindyours[hevanishes]。

  ANA。Howannoying!

  THESTATUE。[callingafterhim]Bonvoyage,Juan![Hewaftsafinalblastofhisgreatrollingchordsafterhimasapartingsalute。Afaintechoofthefirstghostlymelodycomesbackinacknowledgment]。Ah!therehegoes。[Puffingalongbreathoutthroughhislips]Whew!Howhedoestalk!They’llneverstanditinheaven。

  THEDEVIL。[gloomily]Hisgoingisapoliticaldefeat。IcannotkeeptheseLifeWorshippers:theyallgo。ThisisthegreatestlossIhavehadsincethatDutchpainterwent——afellowwhowouldpaintahagof70withasmuchenjoymentasaVenusof20。

  THESTATUE。Iremember:hecametoheaven。Rembrandt。

  THEDEVIL。Ay,Rembrandt。Thereasomethingunnaturalaboutthesefellows。Donotlistentotheirgospel,SenorCommander:itisdangerous。BewareofthepursuitoftheSuperhuman:itleadstoanindiscriminatecontemptfortheHuman。Toaman,horsesanddogsandcatsaremerespecies,outsidethemoralworld。Well,totheSuperman,menandwomenareamerespeciestoo,alsooutsidethemoralworld。ThisDonJuanwaskindtowomenandcourteoustomenasyourdaughterherewaskindtoherpetcatsanddogs;butsuchkindnessisadenialoftheexclusivelyhumancharacterofthesoul。

  THESTATUE。AndwhothedeuceistheSuperman?

  THEDEVIL。Oh,thelatestfashionamongtheLifeForcefanatics。

  DidyounotmeetinHeaven,amongthenewarrivals,thatGermanPolishmadman——whatwashisname?Nietzsche?

  THESTATUE。Neverheardofhim。

  THEDEVIL。Well,hecameherefirst,beforeherecoveredhiswits。Ihadsomehopesofhim;buthewasaconfirmedLifeForceworshipper。ItwashewhorakeduptheSuperman,whoisasoldasPrometheus;andthe20thcenturywillrunafterthisnewestoftheoldcrazeswhenitgetstiredoftheworld,theflesh,andyourhumbleservant。

  THESTATUE。Supermanisagoodcry;andagoodcryishalfthebattle。IshouldliketoseethisNietzsche。

  THEDEVIL。UnfortunatelyhemetWagnerhere,andhadaquarrelwithhim。

  THESTATUE。Quiteright,too。Mozartforme!

  THEDEVIL。Oh,itwasnotaboutmusic。WagneroncedriftedintoLifeForceworship,andinventedaSupermancalledSiegfried。Buthecametohissensesafterwards。Sowhentheymethere,Nietzschedenouncedhimasarenegade;andWagnerwroteapamphlettoprovethatNietzschewasaJew;anditendedinNietzsche’sgoingtoheaveninahuff。Andagoodriddancetoo。Andnow,myfriend,letushastentomypalaceandcelebrateyourarrivalwithagrandmusicalservice。

  THESTATUE。Withpleasure:you’remostkind。

  THEDEVIL。Thisway,Commander。Wegodowntheoldtrap[heplaceshimselfonthegravetrap]。

  THESTATUE。Good。[Reflectively]Allthesame,theSupermanisafineconception。Thereissomethingstatuesqueaboutit。[HeplaceshimselfonthegravetrapbesideTheDevil。Itbeginstodescendslowly。Redglowfromtheabyss]。Ah,thisremindsmeofoldtimes。

  THEDEVIL。Andmealso。

  ANA。Stop![Thetrapstops]。

  THEDEVIL。You,Senora,cannotcomethisway。Youwillhaveanapotheosis。Butyouwillbeatthepalacebeforeus。

  ANA。ThatisnotwhatIstoppedyoufor。TellmewherecanIfindtheSuperman?

  THEDEVIL。Heisnotyetcreated,Senora。

  THESTATUE。Andneverwillbe,probably。Letusproceed:theredfirewillmakemesneeze。[Theydescend]。

  ANA。Notyetcreated!Thenmyworkisnotyetdone。[Crossingherselfdevoutly]IbelieveintheLifetoCome。[Cryingtotheuniverse]Afather——afatherfortheSuperman!

  Shevanishesintothevoid;andagainthereisnothing:allexistenceseemssuspendedinfinitely。Then,vaguely,thereisalivehumanvoicecryingsomewhere。Onesees,withashock,amountainpeakshowingfaintlyagainstalighterbackground。Theskyhasreturnedfromafar;andwesuddenlyrememberwherewewere。Thecrybecomesdistinctandurgent:itsaysAutomobile,Automobile。Thecompleterealitycomesbackwitharush:inamomentitisfullmorningintheSierra;andthebrigandsarescramblingtotheirfeetandmakingfortheroadasthegoatherdrunsdownfromthehill,warningthemoftheapproachofanothermotor。TannerandMendozariseamazedlyandstareatoneanotherwithscatteredwits。Strakersitsuptoyawnforamomentbeforehegetsonhisfeet,makingitapointofhonornottoshowanyundueinterestintheexcitementofthebandits。Mendozagivesaquicklooktoseethathisfollowersareattendingtothealarm;

  thenexchangesaprivatewordwithTanner。

  MENDOZA。Didyoudream?

  TANNER。Damnably。Didyou?

  MENDOZA。Yes。Iforgetwhat。Youwereinit。

  TANNER。Sowereyou。AmazingMENDOZA。Iwarnedyou。[ashotisheardfromtheroad]。Dolts!

  theywillplaywiththatgun。[Thebrigandscomerunningbackscared]。Whofiredthatshot?[toDuval]Wasityou?

  DUVAL。[breathless]Ihavenotshoot。Deyshootfirst。

  ANARCHIST。ItoldyoutobeginbyabolishingtheState。Nowwearealllost。

  THEROWDYSOCIAL—DEMOCRAT。[stampedingacrosstheamphitheatre]

  Run,everybody。

  MENDOZA。[collaringhim;throwinghimonhisback;anddrawingaknife]Istabthemanwhostirs。[Heblockstheway。Thestampedeitchecked]。Whathashappened?

  THESULKYSOCIAL—DEMOCRAT,Amotor——

  THEANARCHIST。Threemen——

  DUVAL。Deuxfemmes——

  MENDOZA。Threemenandtwowomen!Whyhaveyounotbroughtthemhere?Areyouafraidofthem?

  THEROWDYONE。[gettingup]Thyveahescort。Ow,de—oohlut’sookit,Mendowza。

  THESULKYONE。Twoarmoredcarsfullosoldiersattheendothevalley。

  ANARCHIST。Theshotwasfiredintheair。Itwasasignal。

  Strakerwhistleshisfavoriteair,whichfallsontheearsofthebrigandslikeafuneralmarch。

  TANNER。Itisnotanescort,butanexpeditiontocaptureyou。Wewereadvisedtowaitforit;butIwasinahurry。

  THEROWDYONE。[inanagonyofapprehension]AndOwmygoodLord,ereweare,wytinforem!Lut’stiketothemahntns。

  MENDOZA。Idiot,whatdoyouknowaboutthemountains?AreyouaSpaniard?Youwouldbegivenupbythefirstshepherdyoumet。

  Besides,wearealreadywithinrangeoftheirrifles。

  THEROWDYONE。Bat——

  MENDOZA。Silence。Leavethistome。[ToTanner]Comrade:youwillnotbetrayus。

  STRAKER。Ooareyoucallincomrade?

  MENDOZA。Lastnighttheadvantagewaswithme。Therobberofthepoorwasatthemercyoftherobberoftherich。Youofferedyourhand:Itookit。

  TANNER。Ibringnochargeagainstyou,comrade。Wehavespentapleasanteveningwithyou:thatisall。

  STRAKER。Igevmyandtonobody,see?

  MENDOZA。[turningonhimimpressively]Youngman,ifIamtried,Ishallpleadguilty,andexplainwhatdrovemefromEngland,homeandduty。DoyouwishtohavetherespectablenameofStrakerdraggedthroughthemudofaSpanishcriminalcourt?Thepolicewillsearchme。TheywillfindLouisa’sportrait。Itwillbepublishedintheillustratedpapers。Youblench。Itwillbeyourdoing,remember。

  STRAKER。[withbaffledrage]Idon’tcareaboutthecourt。It’savinournamemixedupwithyoursthatIobjectto,youblackmailinswine,you。

  MENDOZA。LanguageunworthyofLouisa’sbrother!Butnomatter:

  youaremuzzled:thatisenoughforus。[Heturnstofacehisownmen,whobackuneasilyacrosstheamphitheatretowardsthecavetotakerefugebehindhim,asafreshparty,muffledformotoring,comesfromtheroadinriotousspirits。Ann,whomakesstraightforTanner,comesfirst;thenViolet,helpedovertheroughgroundbyHectorholdingherrighthandandRamsdenherleft。Mendozagoestohispresidentialblockandseatshimselfcalmlywithhisrankandfilegroupedbehindhim,andhisStaff,consistingofDuvalandtheAnarchistonhisrightandthetwoSocial—Democratsonhisleft,supportinghiminflank]。

  ANN。It’sJack!

  TANNER。Caught!

  HECTOR。Why,certainlyitis。Isaiditwasyou,Tanner,We’vejustbeenstoppedbyapuncture:theroadisfullofnails。

  VIOLET。Whatareyoudoingherewithallthesemen?

  ANN。Whydidyouleaveuswithoutawordofwarning?

  HECTOR。Iwantthatbunchofroses,MissWhitefield。[ToTanner]

  Whenwefoundyouweregone,MissWhitefieldbetmeabunchofrosesmycarwouldnotovertakeyoursbeforeyoureachedMonteCarlo。

  TANNER。ButthisisnottheroadtoMonteCarlo。

  HECTOR。Nomatter。MissWhitefieldtrackedyouateverystoppingplace:sheisaregularSherlockHolmes。

  TANNER。TheLifeForce!Iamlost。

  OCTAVIUS。[Boundinggailydownfromtheroadintotheamphitheatre,andcomingbetweenTannerandStraker]Iamsogladyouaresafe,oldchap。Wewereafraidyouhadbeencapturedbybrigands。

  RAMSDEN。[whohasbeenstaringatMendoza]Iseemtorememberthefaceofyourfriendhere。[MendozarisespolitelyandadvanceswithasmilebetweenAnnandRamsden]。

  HECTOR。Why,sodoI。

  OCTAVIUS。Iknowyouperfectlywell,Sir;butIcan’tthinkwhereIhavemetyou。

  MENDOZA。[toViolet]DoYOUrememberme,madam?

  VIOLET。Oh,quitewell;butIamsostupidaboutnames。

  MENDOZA。ItwasattheSavoyHotel。[ToHector]You,sir,usedtocomewiththislady[Violet]tolunch。[ToOctavius]You,sir,oftenbroughtthislady[Ann]andhermothertodinneronyourwaytotheLyceumTheatre。[ToRamsden]You,sir,usedtocometosupper,with[droppinghisvoicetoaconfidentialbutperfectlyaudiblewhisper]severaldifferentladies。

  RAMSDEN。[angrily]Well,whatisthattoyou,pray?

  OCTAVIUS。Why,Violet,Ithoughtyouhardlyknewoneanotherbeforethistrip,youandMalone!

  VIOLET。[vexed]Isupposethispersonwasthemanager。

  MENDOZA。Thewaiter,madam。Ihaveagratefulrecollectionofyouall。Igatheredfromthebountifulwayinwhichyoutreatedmethatyouallenjoyedyourvisitsverymuch。

  VIOLET。Whatimpertinence![Sheturnsherbackonhim,andgoesupthehillwithHector]。

  RAMSDEN。Thatwilldo,myfriend。Youdonotexpecttheseladiestotreatyouasanacquaintance,Isuppose,becauseyouhavewaitedonthemattable。

  MENDOZA。Pardonme:itwasyouwhoclaimedmyacquaintance。Theladiesfollowedyourexample。However,thisdisplayoftheunfortunatemannersofyourclassclosestheincident。Forthefuture,youwillpleaseaddressmewiththerespectduetoastrangerandfellowtraveller。[Heturnshaughtilyawayandresumeshispresidentialseat]。

  TANNER。There!Ihavefoundonemanonmyjourneycapableofreasonableconversation;andyouallinstinctivelyinsulthim。

  EventheNewManisasbadasanyofyou。Enry:youhavebehavedjustlikeamiserablegentleman。

  STRAKER。Gentleman!Notme。

  RAMSDEN。Really,Tanner,thistone——

  ANN。Don’tmindhim,Granny:yououghttoknowhimbythistime[shetakeshisarmandcoaxeshimawaytothehilltojoinVioletandHector。Octaviusfollowsher,doglike]。

  VIOLET。[callingfromthehill]Herearethesoldiers。Theyaregettingoutoftheirmotors。

  DUVAL。[panicstricken]Oh,nomdeDieu!

  THEANARCHIST。Fools:theStateisabouttocrushyoubecauseyouspareditatthepromptingofthepoliticalhangers—onofthebourgeoisie。

  THESULKYSOCIAL—DEMOCRAT。[argumentativetothelast]Onthecontrary,onlybycapturingtheStatemachine——

  THEANARCHIST。Itisgoingtocaptureyou。

  THEROWDYSOCIAL—DEMOCRAT。[hisanguishculminating]Ow,chockit。Wotareweerefor?WOTarewewytinfor?

  MENDOZA。[betweenhisteeth]Goon。Talkpolitics,youidiots:

  nothingsoundsmorerespectable。Keepitup,Itellyou。

  Thesoldierslinetheroad,commandingtheamphitheatrewiththeirrifles。Thebrigands,strugglingwithanover—whelmingimpulsetohidebehindoneanother,lookasunconcernedastheycan。Mendozarisessuperbly,withundauntedfront。Theofficerincommandstepsdownfromtheroadintotheamphitheatre;

  lookshardatthebrigands;andtheninquiringlyatTanner。

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