" But
lo! at that instant, at a distance from them, the ground cleft asunder,
and through the cleft there ascended three devils, who appeared on fire
from the delight of their love; and as those who accompanied the
novitiate spirit perceived that the three ascended out of hell by
_proviso_, they said to them, "Do not come nearer; but from the place
where you are, give some account of your delights." Whereupon they said,
"Know, then, that every one, whether he be good or evil, is in his own
delight; the good in the delight of his good, and the evil in the
delight of his evil." They were then asked, "What is your delight?" They
said. "The delight of whoring, stealing, defrauding, and blaspheming."
Again they were asked, "What is the quality of those delights?" They
said, "To the senses of others they are like the stinks arising from
dunghills, the stenches from dead bodies, and the scents from stale
urine." And it was asked them, "Are those things delightful to you?"
They said, "Most delightful." And reply was made, "Then you are like
unclean beasts which wallow in such things." To which they answered, "If
we are, we are: but such things are the delights of our nostrils.
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