Excerpt from Fausto - A book that I have not yet published.

How Fausto meets with Aristotle, and the sage teaches him the argument of non contradiction.

Among those whom he saw, applying themselves to some industry, one in particular stood out from the rest. And it would be difficult to describe him in words that suit form-filled things, except to say that he exuded a kind of supremely logical intelligence, and was in a fashion, motioning him, in a familiar gesture of welcome, or so to him it seemed.

"You were there but now you are here," he said, followed by others, who had now gathered around, as if to hear the words of the sage. "Ten principles are all around you and as Heraclitus once said, no man may dip twice in the same stream....and it was he too who said, only one who views death can view the merits and demerits of life, then even imperfections become justified, for illness makes health sweet, hunger makes food appreciable, toil enjoys rest....the sea contains water that is pure and impure, drinkable and wholesome for fish, and yet undrinkable and injurious for humans. A square longs for a circle and a circle a square. So you wish to redeem the devil? You are brave. Many have tried it, many will continue to do so, but they all have failed at least they have not been entirely successful."

"That was not my desire." Fausto answered worriedly. "I wished only to be a knight and a good poet."

"Yes....I know. But it is all about transformation you see? Even a poet was once a child without words, as you were once a poet without a sword. Compassion, compassion, your poor Benedictine suffers seeing what mankind has to suffer at the hands of the Devil, and he wishes to learn the secret of transubstantiation. It is true, I am the most suited to help you. " He glowed with good humour as did the others, humming to his words. "You must think....think! Thoughts divinely inspired are like water and bread! Juxtapositions of words, numbers, merging philosophies! The harmony of the world arises from opposites held in tension, from odd and even numbers, long and short lengths, as in the lyre and the bow...eternal dualism...notes together to form a unity. One contradicts another like limited and unlimited, even and odd, one and many, right and left, male and female, still and moving, straight and bent, light and darkness, good and bad, square and oblong etc etc....but together! Harmony!" He resonated and all around there was a streaming outwards of sympathetic thought. "I have dealt with Pythagorean philosophy many times, that is, that numbers are the primary constituents of the world. This is what Alcmaeon of Croton also supposed. But then there are also those like Xenophanes who looked up at the whole sky and pronounced that God was one. Plato too sought the truth, but really, how may forms be numbers? It is impossible. What no one realised is that from the union of two thoughts there always arises a third that is higher than the other two, as it is with the union of man and woman."

"Who are you?" He asked.

The spirit warmed, and there was a general sensation of amusement. "You don't recognise me? Today I feel that I am all things at once, and yet in your world I have been called, Aristotle."