wn how busily evil spirits hover around men, and
from the Scriptures he had learned that the devil labours to injure
even the purest. On his own path lurked busy devils seeking to weaken
and entice him, and to make countless numbers miserable through him. He
saw them working in the angry mien of the Cardinal, the sneering
countenance of Eckius, and indeed in his own soul; and he knew how
powerful they were in Rome. In his youth he had been tormented by
apparitions, and now they had returned to him. Out of the dark shadows
of his study rose the tempter as a spectre, clutching at his reason,
and when praying, the devil approached him, even under the form of the
Saviour, radiant as king of heaven, with his five wounds as the old
Church represented him. But Luther knew that Christ only approaches
weak man in his word, or in humble form, as He hung upon the cross; so
by a violent effort he collected himself and cried out to the
apparition: "Away with thee, thou vile devil!" then the spectre
vanished.[30] Thus again and again for years did the stout heart of the
man struggle with wild excitement. It was a gloomy conflict between
reason and delusion; he always came out as conqueror, the primitive
strength of his healthy character gained the victory. In long hours of
prayer the stormy waves of excitement were calmed; his solid
understanding and his conscience led him always from doubt to security,
and he felt this expansion of his soul as a gracious inspiration from
his God. It was after such experiences, that he, who had been so
anxious and timid, became firm as steel, indifferent to the judgment of
men, intrepid and inexorable.

He appeared quite another person in his conflicts with earthly enemies;
in these he almost always showed the confidence of superiority, and
especially in his literary disputes.

The activity he displayed from this period as a writer was gigantic. Up
to the year 1517, he had published little; but after that he became not
only the most copious, but the most popular writer of Germany. By the
energy of his style, the power of his arguments, the fire and vehemence
of his convictions, he carried all before him. No one had as yet spoken
with such power to the people. His language adapted itself to every
voice and every key; sometimes brief, terse, and sharp as steel; at
others, with the rich fullness of a mighty stream his words flowed upon
the people; and a figurative expression or a striking comparison ma