r　ultimate　Political　Evangel；　wherein　alone　can　liberty　lie。　　Madly　enough　he　preached；　it　is　true；　as　Enthusiasts　and　first　Missionaries　are　wont；　with　imperfect　utterance；　amid　much　frothy　rant；　yet　as　articulately　perhaps　as　the　case　admitted。　　Or　call　him；　if　you　will；　an　American　Backwoodsman；　who　had　to　fell　unpenetrated　forests；　and　battle　with　innumerable　wolves；　and　did　not　entirely　forbear　strong　liquor；　rioting；　and　even　theft；　whom；　notwithstanding；　the　peaceful　Sower　will　follow；　and；　as　he　cuts　the　boundless　harvest；　bless。〃
  More　legitimate　and　decisively　authentic　is　Teufelsdrockh's　appearance　and　emergence　（we　know　not　well　whence）　in　the　solitude　of　the　North　Cape；　on　that　June　Midnight。　　He　has　a　〃light…blue　Spanish　cloak〃　hanging　round　him；　as　his　〃most　commodious；　principal；　indeed　sole　upper…garment；〃　and　stands　there；　on　the　World…promontory；　looking　over　the　infinite　Brine；　like　a　little　blue　Belfry　（as　we　figure）；　now　motionless　indeed；　yet　ready；　if　stirred；　to　ring　quaintest　changes。
  〃Silence　as　of　death；〃　writes　he；　〃for　Midnight；　even　in　the　Arctic　latitudes；　has　its　character：　　nothing　but　the　granite　cliffs　ruddy…tinged；　the　peaceable　gurgle　of　that　slow…heaving　Polar　Ocean；　over　which　in　the　utmost　North　the　great　Sun　hangs　low　and　lazy；　as　if　he　too　were　slumbering。　　Yet　is　his　cloud…couch　wrought　of　crimson　and　cloth…of…gold；　yet　does　his　light　stream　over　the　mirror　of　waters；　like　a　tremulous　fire…pillar；　shooting　downwards　to　the　abyss；　and　hide　itself　under　my　feet。　　In　such　moments；　Solitude　also　is　invaluable；　for　who　would　speak；　or　be　looked　on；　when　behind　him　lies　all　Europe　and　Africa；　fast　asleep；　except　the　watchmen；　and　before　him　the　silent　Immensity；　and　Palace　of　the　Eternal；　whereof　our　Sun　is　but　a　porch…lamp？
  〃Nevertheless；　in　this　solemn　moment　comes　a　man；　or　monster；　scrambling　from　among　the　rock…hollows；　and；　shaggy；　huge　as　the　Hyperborean　Bear；　hails　me　in　Russian　speech：　　most　probably；　therefore；　a　Russian　Smuggler。　With　courteous　brevity；　I　signify　my　indifference　to　contraband　trade；　my　humane　intentions；　yet　strong　wish　to　be　private。　　In　vain：　　the　monster；　counting　doubtless　on　his　superior　stature；　and　minded　to　make　sport　for　himself；　or　perhaps　profit；　were　it　with　murder；　continues　to　advance；　ever　assailing　me　with　his　importunate　train…oil　breath；　and　now　has　advanced；　till　we　stand　both　on　the　verge　of　the　rock；　the　deep　Sea　rippling　greedily　down　below。　　What　argument　will　avail？　　On　the　thick　Hyperborean；　cherubic　reasoning；　seraphic　eloquence　were　lost。　　Prepared　for　such　extremity；　I；　deftly　enough；　whisk　aside　one　step；　draw　out；　from　my　interior　reservoirs；　a　sufficient　Birmingham　Horse…pistol；　and　say；　'Be　so　obliging　as　retire；　Friend　（_Er　ziehe　sich　zuruck；　Freund_）；　and　with　promptitude！'　　This　logic　even　the　Hyperborean　understands：　　fast　enough；　with　apologetic；　petitionary　growl；　he　sidles　off；　and；　except　for　suicidal　as　well　as　homicidal　purposes；　need　not　return。
  〃Such　I　hold　to　be　the　genuine　use　of　Gunpowder：　　that　it　makes　all　men　alike　tall。　　Nay；　if　thou　be　cooler；　cleverer　than　I；　if　thou　have　more　_Mind_；　though　all　but　no　_Body_　whatever；　then　canst　thou　kill　me　first；　and　art　the　taller。　　Hereby；　at　last；　is　the　Goliath　powerless；　and　the　David　resistless；　savage　Animalism　is　nothing；　inventive　Spiritualism　is　all。
  〃With　respect　to　Duels；　indeed；　I　have　my　own　ideas。　　Few　things；　in　this　so　surprising　world；　strike　me　with　more　surprise。　　Two　little　visual　Spectra　of　men；　hovering　with　insecure　enough　cohesion　in　the　midst　of　the　UNFATHOMABLE；　and　to　dissolve　therein；　at　any　rate；　very　soon；make　pause　at　the　distance　of　twelve　paces　asunder；　whirl　round；　and；　simultaneously　by　the　cunningest　mechanism；　explode　one　another　into　Dissolution；　and　off…hand　become　Air；　and　Non…extant！　　Deuce　on　it　（_verdammt_）；　the　little　spitfires！Nay；　I　think　with　old　Hugo　von　Trimberg：　　'God　must　needs　laugh　outright；　could　such　a　thing　be；　to　see　his　wondrous　Manikins　here　below。'〃
  But　amid　these　specialties；　let　us　not　forget　the　great　generality；　which　is　our　chief　quest　here：　　How　prospered　the　inner　man　of　Teufelsdrockh；　under　so　much　outward　shifting！　　Does　Legion　still　lurk　in　him；　though　repressed；　or　has　he　exorcised　that　Devil's　Brood？　　We　can　answer　that　the　symptoms　continue　promising。　　Experience　is　the　grand　spiritual　Doctor；　and　with　him　Teufelsdrockh　has　now　been　long　a　patient；　swallowing　many　a　bitter　bolus。　　Unless　our　poor　Friend　belong　to　the　numerous　class　of　Incurables；　which　seems　not　likely；　some　cure　will　doubtless　be　effected。　We　should　rather　say　that　Legion；　or　the　Satanic　School；　was　now　pretty　well　extirpated　and　cast　out；　but　next　to　nothing　introduced　in　its　room；　whereby　the　heart　remains；　for　the　while；　in　a　quiet　but　no　comfortable　state。
  〃At　length；　after　so　much　roasting；〃　thus　writes　our　Autobiographer；　〃I　was　what　you　might　name　calcined。　　Pray　only　that　it　be　not　rather；　as　is　the　more　frequent　issue；　reduced　to　a　_caput…mortuum_！　　But　in　any　case；　by　mere　dint　of　practice；　I　had　grown　familiar　with　many　things。　　Wretchedness　was　still　wretched；　but　I　could　now　partly　see　through　it；　and　despise　it。　Which　highest　mortal；　in　this　inane　Existence；　had　I　not　found　a　Shadow…hunter；　or　Shadow…hunted；　and；　when　I　looked　through　his　brave　garnitures；　miserable　enough？　　Thy　wishes　have　all　been　sniffed　aside；　thought　I：　　but　what；　had　they　even　been　all　granted！　　Did　not　the　Boy　Alexander　weep　because　he　had　not　two　Planets　to　conquer；　or　a　whole　Solar　System；　or　after　that；　a　whole　Universe？　　_Ach　Gott_；　when　I　gazed　into　these　Stars；　have　they　not　looked　down　on　me　as　if　with　pity；　from　their　serene　spaces；　like　Eyes　glistening　with　heavenly　tears　over　the　little　lot　of　man！　　Thousands　of　human　generations；　all　as　noisy　as　our　own；　have　been　swallowed　up　of　Time；　and　there　remains　no　wreck　of　them　any　more；　and　Arcturus　and　Orion　and　Sirius　and　the　Pleiades　are　still　shining　in　their　courses；　clear　and　young；　as　when　the　Shepherd　first　noted　them　in　the　plain　of　Shinar。　　Pshaw！　what　is　this　paltry　little　Dog…cage　of　an　Earth；　what　art　thou　that　sittest　whining　there？　　Thou　art　still　Nothing；　Nobody：　true；　but　who；　then；　is　Something；　Somebody？　　For　thee　the　Family　of　Man　has　no　use；　it　rejects　thee；　thou　art　wholly　as　a　dissevered　limb：　　so　be　it；　perhaps　it　is　better　so！〃
  Too…heavy…laden　Teufelsdrockh！　　Yet　surely　his　bands　are　loosening；　one　day　he　will　hurl　the　burden　far　from　him；　and　bound　forth　free　and　with　a　second　youth。
  〃This；〃　says　our　Professor；　〃was　the　CENTRE　OF　INDIFFERENCE　I　had　now　reached；　through　which　whoso　travels　from　the　Negative　Pole　to　the　Positive　must　necessarily　pass。〃
  CHAPTER　IX。　THE　EVERLASTING　YEA。
  〃Temptations　in　the　Wilderness！　　〃　exclaims　Teufelsdrockh；　〃Have　we　not　all　to　be　tried　with　such？　　Not　so　easily　can　the　old　Adam；　lodged　in　us　by　birth；　be　dispossessed。　　Our　Life　is　compassed　round　with　Necessity；　yet　is　the　meaning　of　Life　itself　no　other　than　Freedom；　than　Voluntary　Force：　thus　have　we　a　warfare；　in　the　beginning；　especially；　a　hard…fought　battle。　For　the　God…given　mandate；　_Work　thou　in　Well…doing_；　lies　mysteriously　written；　in　Promethean　Prophetic　Characters；　in　our　hearts；　and　leaves　us　no　rest；　night　or　day；　till　it　be　deciphered　and　obeyed；　till　it　burn　forth；　in　our　conduct；　a　visible；　acted　Gospel　of　Freedom。　　And　as　the　clay…given　mandate；　_Eat　thou　and　be　filled_；　at　the　same　time　persuasively　proclaims　itself　through　every　nerve；must　not　there　be　a　confusion；　a　contest；　before　the　better　Influence　can　become　the　upper？
  〃To　me　nothing　seems　more　natural　than　that　the　Son　of　Man；　when　such　God…given　mandate　first　prophetically　stirs　within　him；　and　the　Clay　must　now　be　vanquished　or　vanquish；should　be　carried　of　the　spirit　into　grim　Solitudes；　and　there　fronting　the　Tempter　do　grimmest　battle　with　him；　defiantly　setting　him　at　naught　till　he　yield　and　fly。　　Name　it　as　we　choose：　　with　or　without　visible　Devil；　whether　in　the　natural　Desert　of　rocks　and　sands；　or　in　the　populous　moral　Desert　of　selfishness　and　baseness；to　such　Temptation　are　we　all　called。　　Unhappy　if　we　are　not！　Unhappy　if　we　are　but　Half…men；　in　whom　that　divine　handwriting　has　never　blazed　forth；　all…subduing；　in　true　sun…splendor；　but　quivers　dubiously　amid　meaner　lights：　　or　smoulders；　in　dull　pain；　in　darkness；　under　earthly　vapors！Our　Wilderness　is　the　wide　World　in　an　Atheistic　Century；　our　Forty　Days　are　long　years　of　suffering　and　fasting：　　nevertheless；　to　these　also　comes　an　end。　　Yes；　to　me　also　was　given；　if　not　Victory；　yet　the　consciousness　of　Battle；　and　the　resolve　to　persevere　therein　while　life　or　faculty　is　left。　　To　me　also；　entangled　in　the　enchanted　forests；　demon…peopled；　doleful　of　sight　and　of　sound；　it　was　given；　after　weariest　wanderings；　to　work　out　my　way　into　the　higher　sunlit　slopesof　that　Mountain　which　has　no　summit；　or　whose　summit　is　in　Heaven　only！〃
  He　says　elsewhere；　under　a　less　ambitious　figure；　as　figures　are；　once　for　all；　natural　to　him：　　〃Has　not　thy　Life　been　that　of　most　sufficient　men　（_tuchtigen　Manner_）　thou　hast　known　in　this　generation？　　An　outflush　of　foolish　young　Enthusiasm；　like　the　first　fallow…crop；　wherein