Father, if I had made a compact with the Evil One, would he have let
me languish here?

The Grand Inquisitor
Your words are impious; the devil has a master whose existence is
proved by our burning of heretics.

Fontanares
Have you ever seen a ship on the sea? (The Grand Inquisitor assents.)
By what means is it propelled?

The Grand Inquisitor
The wind fills the sails.

Fontanares
Did the devil reveal this method of navigation to the first sailor?

The Grand Inquisitor
Do you know who he was?

Fontanares
He was, perhaps, the founder of some long forgotten power that ruled
the sea--at any rate, the means that I employ are not less natural
than his. I have seen a certain force in nature, a force controllable
by man. For the wind is God's creature, and man is not its master, but
the wind propels the ships of man, while my force is in the ship
itself.

The Grand Inquisitor (aside)
This man may prove a dangerous fellow. (Aloud) And you refuse to tell