Some comfort it would have been, could I, like a Faust, have fancied myself tempted and tormented of the Devil; for a Hell, as I imagine, without Life, though only Diabolic Life, were more frightful: but in our age of Downpulling and Disbelief, the very Devil has been pulled down, you cannot so much as believe in a Devil. To me the Universe was all void of Life, of Purpose, of Volition, even of Hostility: it was one huge, dead, immeasurable Steam-engine, rolling on, in its dead indifference, to grind me limb from limb.

Summary

This quote reflects the writer's sense of despair and isolation. They express that even if they could find solace in the idea of being tempted or tormented by the devil, they cannot, as disbelief and skepticism have diminished even the concept of the devil. The writer sees the universe as devoid of life, purpose, and animosity, comparing it to a massive, lifeless steam engine grinding them apart with indifference. Overall, the quote conveys a profound sense of hopelessness and a feeling of being utterly alone in an indifferent and seemingly purposeless universe.

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