Chapter X.—Continuation: audacity of Satan.

Chapter X.—Continuation: audacity of Satan.

Darest thou, then, who didst fall “as lightning”¹³⁴¹ from the very highest glory, to say to the Lord, “Cast thyself down from hence¹³⁴² [to Him] to whom the things that are not are reckoned as if they were,¹³⁴³ and to provoke to a display of vainglory Him that was free from all ostentation? And didst thou pretend to read in Scripture concerning Him: “For He hath given His angels charge concerning Thee, and in their hands they shall bear Thee up, lest thou shouldest dash Thy foot against a stone?”¹³⁴⁴ At the same time thou didst pretend to be ignorant of the rest, furtively concealing what [the Scripture] predicted concerning thee and thy servants: “Thou shalt tread upon the adder and the basilisk; the lion and the dragon shall thou trample under foot.”¹³⁴⁵