Meditações - The stars move still, time runs, the clock will strike

Faust felt like this. The stars move still, time runs, the clock will strike, the devil will come and Faustus must be damned … How long did he buy with the currency of his soul — ten years?

John Brunner, in "It's Supposed To Be Automatic But Actually You Have To Press This Button" Stand on Zanzibar (1968)