Lowers in the back-ground of thy soul: thy tongue
Trifles the church's ear. Beware, my son,
And tamper not with Paradise.

III:1:25 ALAR.
A breath,
A shadow, essence subtler far than love:
And yet I loved her, and for love had dared
All that I ventured for this twin-born lure
Cradled with love, for which I soiled my soul.
O, father, it was Power.

III:1:26 PRIOR.
And this dominion
Purchased by thy soul's mortgage, still is't thine?

III:1:27 ALAR.
Yea, thousands bow to him, who bows to thee.

III:1:28 PRIOR.
Thine is a fearful deed.

III:1:29 ALAR.
O, is there mercy?

III:1:30 PRIOR.
Say, is there penitence?

III:1:31 ALAR.
How shall I gauge it?
What temper of contrition might the church
Require from such a sinner?

III:1:32 PRIOR.
Is't thy wish,
Nay, search the very caverns of thy thought,
Is it thy wish this deed were now undone?

III:1:33 ALAR.
Undone, undone! It is; O, say it were,
And what am I? O, father, wer't not done,
I should not be less tortured than I'm now;
My life less like a dream of haunting thoughts
Tempting to unknown enormities. The sun
Would rise as beamless on my darkened days,
Night proffer the same torments. Food would fly
My lips the same, and the same restless blood
Quicken my harassed limbs. Undone! undone!
I have no metaphysic faculty
To deem this deed undone.

III:1:34 PRIOR.
Thou must repent
This terrible deed. Look through thy heart. Thy wife,
There was a time thou lov'dst her?

III:1:35 ALAR.
I'll not think
There was a time.

III:1:36 PRIOR.
And was she fair?

III:1:37 ALAR.
A form
Dazzling all eyes but mine.

III:1:38 PRIOR.
A