THE VISION AND THE VOICE
demon, and so feared him not, and ordered the demon to
proceed.)
Thou canst tell me naught that I know not, for in me is
all Knowledge: Knowledge is my name. Is not the head of
the great Serpent arisen into Knowledge?
(Here the Scribe again commanded Choronzon to continue
with the call.)
Know thou that there is no Cry in the tenth Aethyr like
unto the other Cries, for Choronzon is Dispersion, and cannot
fix his mind upon any one thing for any length of time. Thou
canst master him in argument, O talkative one; thou wast
commanded, wast thou not, to talk toChoronzon? He sought
not to enter the circle, or to leave the triangle, yet thou didst
prate of all these things.
(Here the Scribe threatened the demon with anger and
pain and hell. The demon replied:)
Thinkest thou, O fool, that there is any anger and any pain
that I am not, or any hell but this my spirit?
Images, images, images, all without control, all without
reason. The malice of Choronzon is not the malice of a being;
it is the quality of malice, because he that boasteth himself
“JT am I,” hath in truth no self, and these are they that are
fallen under my power, the slaves of the Blind One that
boasteth himself to be the Enlightened One. For there is no
centre, nay, nothing but Dispersion.
Woe, woe, woe, threefold to him that is led away by talk,
O talkative One.
O thou that hast written two-and-thirty books of Wisdom,
and art more stupid than an owl, by thine own talk is thy
IV h 97