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THE
TRAGICAL HISTORY |
OF
DOCTOR FAUSTUS |
By
Christopher Marlowe |
c.
1589-1592 |
From the
Quarto of 1604 |
aka the 'A' Text |
|
|
DRAMATIS PERSONAE. |
Faustus. |
Wagner, Servant to Faustus. |
Valdes, Friend to Faustus. |
Cornelius, Friend to Faustus. |
The Pope. |
Cardinal Of Lorrain. |
The Emperor Of Germany. |
Duke Of Vanholt. |
Duchess Of Vanholt. |
Other Human
Characters: |
Clown. |
Robin. |
Ralph. |
Vintner. |
Horse-Courser. |
A Knight. |
An Old Man. |
Scholars, Friars, and
Attendants. |
Spirits: |
Lucifer. |
Belzebub. |
Mephistophilis. |
Good Angel. |
Evil Angel. |
The Seven Deadly Sins. |
Devils. |
Spirits in the shapes
of Alexander the Great, |
of his Paramour
and of Helen. |
Chorus. |
PROLOGUE. |
Enter Chorus. |
Chorus. Not marching now in fields of Thrasimene, |
Where Mars did mate
the Carthaginians, |
Nor sporting in the
dalliance of love, |
In courts of kings
where state is overturned; |
Nor in the pomp of
proud audacious deeds, |
Intends our Muse to
vaunt his heavenly verse: |
Only this, gentlemen,
− we must perform |
The form of Faustus'
fortunes, good or bad: |
To patient judgments
we appeal our plaud, |
And speak for Faustus
in his infancy. |
Now is he born, his
parents base of stock, |
In Germany, within a
town called Rhodes: |
Of riper years, to Wertenberg he went, |
Whereas his kinsmen
chiefly brought him up. |
So soon he profits in
divinity, |
The fruitful plot of scholarism graced, |
That shortly he was
graced with doctor's name, |
Excelling all whose
sweet delight disputes |
In heavenly matters of
theology; |
Till swoln with cunning of a self-conceit |
His waxen wings did
mount above his reach, |
And, melting, heavens
conspired his overthrow; |
For, falling to a
devilish exercise, |
And glutted now with
learning's golden gifts, |
He surfeits upon cursèd necromancy; |
Nothing so sweet as
magic is to him, |
Which he prefers
before his chiefest bliss: |
And this the man that
in his study sits. |
[Exit.] |
SCENE I. |
Faustus’ Study. |
Faustus discovered. |
Faust. Settle thy studies, Faustus, and begin |
To sound the depth of
that thou wilt profess: |
Having commenced, be a
divine in show, |
Yet level at the end
of every art, |
And live and die in
Aristotle's works. |
Sweet Analytics, 'tis
thou hast ravished me! |
Bene disserere est finis logices. |
Is to dispute well
logic's chiefest end? |
Affords this art no
greater miracle? |
Then read no more;
thou hast attained that end: |
A greater subject fitteth Faustus' wit: |
Bid Oncaymaeon farewell, and Galen come, |
Seeing, Ubi desinit philosophus, ibi incipit
medicus: |
Be a physician,
Faustus, heap up gold, |
And be etérnized for some wondrous cure: |
Summum bonum medicinae sanitas, |
The end of physic is
our body's health. |
Why, Faustus, hast
thou not attained that end? |
Is not thy common talk sound aphorisms? |
Are not thy bills hung
up as monuments, |
Whereby whole cities
have escaped the plague, |
And thousand desperate
maladies been eased? |
Yet art thou still but
Faustus, and a man. |
Couldst thou make men to live eternally, |
Or, being dead, raise
them to life again, |
Then this profession were to be esteemed. |
Physic, farewell! Where is Justinian? |
[Reads] |
Si una eademque res legatur duobus, alter rem, |
alter valorem rei,
etc. |
A pretty case of
paltry legacies! |
[Reads] |
Exhaereditare filium non potest pater, nisi, etc. |
Such is the subject of
the institute, |
And universal body of
the law: |
His study fits a
mercenary drudge, |
Who aims at nothing
but external trash; |
Too servile and
illiberal for me. |
When all is done,
divinity is best: |
Jerome's Bible,
Faustus; view it well. |
[Reads] |
Stipendium peccati mors est. |
Ha! |
Stipendium, etc. |
The reward of sin is
death: that's hard. |
[Reads] |
Si peccasse
negamus, fallimur, et nulla est in nobis veritas; |
If we say that we have
no sin, we deceive ourselves, |
and there's no truth
in us. Why, then, belike
we must |
sin, and so
consequently die: |
Ay, we must die an
everlasting death. |
What doctrine call you
this, Che sera, sera, |
What will be, shall
be? Divinity, adieu! |
These metaphysics of magiciäns, |
And necromantic books
are heavenly; |
Lines, circles,
scenes, letters, and characters; |
Ay, these are those
that Faustus most desires. |
O, what a world of
profit and delight, |
Of power, of honour, of omnipotence, |
Is promised to the
studious artizan! |
All things that move between
the quiet poles |
Shall be at my
command: emperors and kings |
Are but obeyèd in their several provinces, |
Nor can they raise the
wind, or rend the clouds; |
But his dominion that
exceeds in this, |
Stretcheth as far as doth the mind of man; |
A sound magician is a
mighty god: |
Here, Faustus, tire
thy brains to gain a deity! |
Enter Wagner. |
Wagner, commend me to
my dearest friends, |
The German Valdes and
Cornelius; |
Request them earnestly
to visit me. |
Wag. I will, sir. |
[Exit.] |
Faust. Their conference will be a greater help to me |
Than all my labours, plod I ne'er so fast. |
Enter Good Angel and Evil Angel. |
Good Ang. O, Faustus, lay that damnèd book
aside, |
And gaze not on it,
lest it tempt thy soul, |
And heap God's heavy
wrath upon thy head! |
Read, read the
Scriptures: − that is blasphemy. |
Evil Ang. Go forward, Faustus, in that famous art |
Wherein all Nature's
treasure is contained: |
Be thou on earth as
Jove is in the sky, |
Lord and commander of
these elements. |
[Exeunt Angels.] |
Faust. How am I glutted with conceit of this! |
Shall I make spirits
fetch me what I please, |
Resolve me of all
ambiguities, |
Perform what desperate
enterprise I will? |
I'll have them fly to
India for gold, |
Ransack the oceän for orient pearl, |
And search all corners
of the new-found world |
For pleasant fruits
and princely delicates; |
I'll have them read me
strange philosophy, |
And tell the secrets
of all foreign kings; |
I'll have them wall
all Germany with brass, |
And make swift Rhine
circle fair Wittenberg; |
I'll have them fill
the public schools with silk, |
Wherewith the students
shall be bravely clad; |
I'll levy soldiers
with the coin they bring, |
And chase the Prince
of Parma from our land, |
And reign sole king of
all our provinces; |
Yea, stranger engines
for the brunt of war, |
Than was the fiery
keel at Antwerp's bridge, |
I'll make my servile
spirits to invent. |
Enter Valdes and Cornelius. |
Come, German Valdes,
and Cornelius, |
And make me blest with
your sage conference. |
Valdes, sweet Valdes,
and Cornelius, |
Know that your words
have won me at the last |
To practice magic and concealèd arts: |
Yet not your words
only, but mine own fantasy, |
That will receive no
object; for my head |
But ruminates on
necromantic skill. |
Philosophy is odious
and obscure; |
Both law and physic
are for petty wits; |
Divinity is basest of
the three, |
Unpleasant, harsh,
contemptible, and vild: |
'Tis magic, magic, that hath ravished me. |
Then, gentle friends,
aid me in this attempt, |
And I, that have with
concise syllogisms |
Gravelled the pastors of the German church, |
And made the flowering
pride of Wertenberg |
Swarm to my problems,
as the infernal spirits |
On sweet Musaeus when he came to hell, |
Will be as cunning as
Agrippa was, |
Whose shadows made all
Europe honour him. |
Val. Faustus, these books, thy wit, and our experience, |
Shall make all nations
to canónize us. |
As Indian Moors obey
their Spanish lords, |
So shall the subjects of every element |
Be always serviceable
to us three; |
Like lions shall they
guard us when we please; |
Like Almain rutters with their
horsemen's staves, |
Or Lapland giants,
trotting by our sides; |
Sometimes like women,
or unwedded maids, |
Shadowing more beauty
in their airy brows |
Than have the white
breasts of the queen of love: |
From Venice shall they
drag huge argosies, |
And from America the
golden fleece |
That yearly stuffs old
Philip's treasury; |
If learnèd
Faustus will be resolute. |
Faust. Valdes, as resolute am I in this |
As thou to live: therefore object it not. |
Corn. The miracles that magic will perform |
Will make thee vow to
study nothing else. |
He that is grounded in
astrology, |
Enriched with tongues,
well seen in minerals, |
Hath all the
principles magic doth require: |
Then doubt not,
Faustus, but to be renowned, |
And more frequented for
this mystery |
Than heretofore the
Delphian oracle. |
The spirits tell me
they can dry the sea, |
And fetch the treasure
of all foreign wrecks, |
Ay, all the wealth
that our forefathers hid |
Within the massy
entrails of the earth: |
Then tell me, Faustus,
what shall we three want? |
Faust. Nothing, Cornelius. O,
this cheers my soul! |
Come, shew me some
demonstrations magical, |
That I may conjure in
some lusty grove, |
And have these joys in
full possessiön. |
Val. Then haste thee to some solitary grove, |
And bear wise Bacon's
and Albanus' works, |
The Hebrew Psalter,
and New Testament; |
And whatsoever else is
requisite |
We will inform thee
ere our conference cease. |
Corn. Valdes, first let him know the words of art; |
And then, all other
ceremonies learned, |
Faustus may try his
cunning by himself. |
Val. First I'll instruct thee in the rudiments, |
And then wilt thou be
perfecter than I. |
Faust. Then come and dine with me, and, after meat, |
We'll canvass every
quiddity thereof; |
For, ere I sleep, I'll
try what I can do: |
This night I'll
conjure, though I die therefore. |
[Exeunt.] |
SCENE II. |
Before Faustus’ House. |
Enter two Scholars. |
1st Schol. I wonder what's become of Faustus, that |
was wont to make our
schools ring with sic probo. |
2nd Schol. That shall we know, for see, here comes |
his boy. |
Enter Wagner. |
1st Schol. How now, sirrah! where's thy master? |
Wag. God in Heaven knows. |
2nd Schol. Why, dost not thou know? |
Wag. Yes, I know; but that follows not. |
1st Schol. Go to, sirrah! leave your jesting, and tell |
us where he is. |
Wag. That follows not necessary by force of |
argument, that you,
being licentiates, should stand |
upon: therefore acknowledge your error, and be |
attentive. |
2nd Schol. Why, didst thou not say thou knewest? |
Wag. Have you any witness on't? |
1st Schol. Yes, sirrah, I heard you. |
Wag. Ask my fellow if I be a thief. |
2nd Schol. Well, you will not tell us? |
Wag. Yes, sir, I will tell you: yet, if you were not |
dunces, you would
never ask me such a question; for |
is not he corpus naturale? and is not that mobile? |
then wherefore should
you ask me such a question? |
But that I am by
nature phlegmatic, slow to wrath, |
and prone to lechery
(to love, I would say), it were |
not for you to come
within forty foot of the place of |
execution, although I
do not doubt to see you both |
hanged the next
sessions. Thus
having triumphed |
over you, I will set
my countenance like a precisian, |
and begin to speak
thus: − Truly, my dear brethren,
|
my master is within at
dinner, with Valdes and |
Cornelius, as this
wine, if it could speak, it would |
inform your worships:
and so, the Lord bless you, |
preserve you, and keep
you, my dear brethren, my |
dear brethren! |
[Exit.] |
1st Schol. Nay, then, I fear he is fallen into that |
damned art for which
they two are infamous through |
the world. |
2nd Schol. Were he a stranger, and not allied to me, |
yet should I grieve
for him. But, come, let us go and |
inform the Rector, and
see if he by his grave counsel |
can reclaim him. |
1st Schol. O, but I fear me nothing can reclaim him! |
2nd Schol. Yet let us try what we can do. |
[Exeunt.] |
SCENE III. |
A grove. |
Enter Faustus to conjure. |
Faust. Now that the gloomy shadow of the earth, |
Longing to view
Orion's drizzling look, |
Leaps from th' antartic world unto the
sky, |
And dims the welkin
with her pitchy breath, |
Faustus, begin thine incantatiöns, |
And try if devils will
obey thy hest, |
Seeing thou hast
prayed and sacrificed to them. |
Within this circle is
Jehovah's name, |
Forward and backward
anagrammatized, |
Th' abbreviated names
of holy saints, |
Figures of every
adjunct to the heavens, |
And characters of
signs and erring stars, |
By which the spirits
are enforced to rise: |
Then fear not,
Faustus, but be resolute, |
And try the uttermost
magic can perform. − |
Sint mihi dei Acherontis propitii! Valeat
numen |
triplex Jehovoe! Ignei, aerii, aquatani spiritus, |
salvete!
Orientis princeps Belzebub, inferni |
ardentis monarcha, et
Demogorgon, propitiamus |
vos, ut appareat et surgat Mephistophilis...Quid |
tu moraris? per Jehovam, Gehennam, et |
consecratam aquam quam nunc spargo,
signumque |
crucis quod nunc facio, et per vota nostra, ipse
|
nunc surgat nobis dicatus Mephistophilis! |
Enter Mephistophilis. |
I charge thee to
return, and change thy shape; |
Thou art too ugly to
attend on me: |
Go, and return an old
Franciscan friar; |
That holy shape
becomes a devil best. |
[Exit Mephistophilis.] |
I see there's virtue
in my heavenly words: |
Who would not be
proficient in this art? |
How pliant is this Mephistophilis, |
Full of obedience and
humility! |
Such is the force of
magic and my spells: |
No, Faustus, thou art
conjuror laureat, |
That canst command
great Mephistophilis: |
Quin redis, Mephistophilis fratris imagine! |
Re-enter Mephistophilis like a
Franciscan friar. |
Meph. Now, Faustus, what wouldst thou have me do? |
Faust. I charge thee wait upon me whilst I live, |
To do whatever Faustus
shall command, |
Be it to make the moon
drop from her sphere, |
Or the oceän to overwhelm the world. |
Meph. I am a servant to great Lucifer, |
And may not follow
thee without his leave: |
No more than he
commands must we perform. |
Faust. Did not he charge thee to appear to me? |
Meph. No, I came hither of mine own accord. |
Faust. Did not my conjuring speeches raise thee? speak. |
Meph. That was the cause, but yet per accidens; |
For, when we hear one
rack the name of God, |
Abjure the Scriptures
and his Saviour Christ, |
We fly, in hope to get
his glorious soul; |
Nor will we come,
unless he use such means |
Whereby he is in
danger to be damned. |
Therefore the shortest cut for conjuring |
Is stoutly to abjure
the Trinity, |
And pray devoutly to
the prince of hell. |
Faust. So Faustus hath |
Already done; and
holds this principle, |
There is no chief but
only Belzebub; |
To whom Faustus doth
dedicate himself. |
This word
"damnation" terrifies not him, |
For he confounds hell
in Elysium: |
His ghost be with the
old philosophers! |
But, leaving these
vain trifles of men's souls, |
Tell me what is that
Lucifer thy lord? |
Meph. Arch-regent and commander of all spirits. |
Faust. Was not that Lucifer an angel once? |
Meph. Yes, Faustus, and most dearly loved of God. |
Faust. How comes it, then, that he is prince of devils? |
Meph. O, by aspiring pride and insolence; |
For which God threw
him from the face of Heaven. |
Faust. And what are you that live with Lucifer? |
Meph. Unhappy spirits that fell with Lucifer, |
Conspired against our God
with Lucifer, |
And are for ever damned with Lucifer. |
Faust. Where are you damned? |
Meph. In hell. |
Faust. How comes it, then, that thou art out of hell? |
Meph. Why, this is hell, nor am I out of it: |
Think'st thou that I, who saw the face of God, |
And tasted the eternal
joys of Heaven, |
Am not tormented with
ten thousand hells, |
In being deprived of
everlasting bliss? |
O, Faustus, leave
these frivolous demands, |
Which strike a terror
to my fainting soul! |
Faust. What, is great Mephistophilis so
passionate |
For being deprivèd of the joys of Heaven? |
Learn thou of Faustus
manly fortitude, |
And scorn those joys
thou never shalt possess. |
Go bear these tidings
to great Lucifer: |
Seeing Faustus hath
incurred eternal death |
By desperate thoughts
against Jove's deity, |
Say, he surrenders up
to him his soul, |
So he will spare him four and twenty years, |
Letting him live in
all voluptuousness; |
Having thee ever to
attend on me, |
To give me whatsoever
I shall ask, |
To tell me whatsoever
I demand, |
To slay mine enemies,
and aid my friends, |
And always be obedient
to my will. |
Go and return to
mighty Lucifer, |
And meet me in my
study at midnight, |
And then resolve me of
thy master's mind. |
Meph. I will, Faustus. |
[Exit.] |
Faust. Had I as many souls as there be stars, |
I’d give them all for Mephistophilis. |
By him I'll be great
emperor of the world, |
And make a bridge
thorough the moving air, |
To pass the ocean with
a band of men; |
I'll join the hills
that bind the Afric shore, |
And make that country
continent to Spain, |
And both contributory
to my crown: |
The Emperor shall not
live but by my leave, |
Nor any potentate of
Germany. |
Now that I have
obtained what I desired, |
I'll live in
speculation of this art, |
Till Mephistophilis return again. |
[Exit.] |
SCENE IV. |
A Street. |
Enter Wagner and Clown. |
Wag. Sirrah boy, come hither. |
Clown. How, boy! swowns, boy! I hope you have |
seen many boys with
such pickadevaunts as I have: |
"boy", quotha! |
Wag. Tell me, sirrah, hast thou any comings in? |
Clown. Ay, and goings out too; you may see else. |
Wag. Alas, poor slave! see how poverty jesteth
in |
his nakedness! the
villain is bare and out of service, |
and so hungry, that I
know he would give his soul to |
the devil for a shoulder
of mutton, though it were |
blood-raw. |
Clown. How! my soul to the devil for a shoulder of |
mutton, though 'twere
blood-raw! not so, good |
friend: by'r lady, I had need have it well roasted, and |
good sauce to it, if I
pay so dear. |
Wag. Well, wilt thou serve me, and I'll make thee |
go like Qui mihi discipulus? |
Clown. How, in verse? |
Wag. No, sirrah; in beaten silk and staves-acre. |
Clown. How, how, knaves-acre! ay, I thought that |
was all the land his
father left him.
Do you hear? I |
would be sorry to rob
you of your living. |
Wag. Sirrah, I say in staves-acre. |
Clown. Oho, oho, staves-acre! why, then, belike, if I |
were your man, I
should be full of vermin. |
Wag. So thou shalt, whether thou beest with
me or |
no. But, sirrah, leave
your jesting, and bind yourself |
presently unto me for
seven years, or I'll turn all the |
lice about thee into
familiars, and they shall tear thee |
in pieces. |
Clown. Do you hear, sir? you may save that labour;
|
they are too familiar
with me already: swowns, they |
are as bold with my
flesh as if they had paid for their |
meat and drink. |
Wag. Well, do you hear, sirrah? hold, take these |
guilders. |
[Gives money.] |
Clown. Gridirons! what be they? |
Wag. Why, French crowns. |
Clown. Mass, but for the name of French crowns, |
a man were as good have as many English counters. |
And what should I do
with these? |
Wag. Why, now, sirrah, thou art at an hour's |
warning, whensoever or wheresoever the devil shall |
fetch thee. |
Clown. No, no; here, take your gridirons again. |
Wag. Truly, I'll none of them. |
Clown. Truly, but you shall. |
Wag. Bear witness I gave them him. |
Clown. Bear witness I give them you again. |
Wag. Well, I will cause two devils presently to fetch |
thee away. −
Baliol and Belcher! |
Clown. Let your Baliol and your Belcher come |
here, and I'll knock
them, they were never so |
knocked since they
were devils: say I should kill one |
of them, what would
folks say? "Do ye see yonder |
tall fellow in the
round slop? he has killed the devil." |
So I should be called Kill-devil all the parish
over. |
Enter two Devils; |
and the Clown runs up and down crying. |
Wag. Baliol and Belcher, − spirits, away! |
[Exeunt Devils.] |
Clown. What, are they gone? a vengeance on them! |
they have vild long nails.
There was a he-devil and a |
she-devil: I'll tell
you how you shall know them; all |
he-devils has horns,
and all she-devils has clifts and |
cloven feet. |
Wag. Well, sirrah, follow me. |
Clown. But, do you hear? if I should serve you, |
would you teach me to
raise up Banios and |
Belcheos? |
Wag. I will teach thee to turn thyself to any
thing, to |
a dog, or a cat, or a
mouse, or a rat, or any thing. |
Clown. How! a Christian fellow to a dog, or a cat, a |
mouse, or a rat! no,
no, sir; if you turn me into any |
thing, let it be in
the likeness of a little pretty |
frisking flea, that I
may be here and there and |
everywhere: O, I'll
tickle the pretty wenches' |
plackets! I'll be amongst them, i'faith. |
Wag. Well, sirrah, come. |
Clown. But, do you hear, Wagner? |
Wag. How! − Baliol and Belcher! |
Clown. O Lord! I pray, sir, let Banio and Belcher |
go sleep. |
Wag. Villain, call me Master Wagner, and let thy |
left eye be diametarily fixed upon my right heel, with |
quasi vestigias nostris insistere. |
[Exit.] |
Clown. God forgive me, he speaks Dutch fustian. |
Well, I'll follow him;
I'll serve him, that's flat. |
[Exit.] |
SCENE V. |
Faustus’ Study. |
Faustus discovered. |
Faust. Now, Faustus, must thou needs be damned, |
and canst thou not be
saved: |
What boots it, then,
to think of God or Heaven? |
Away with such vain
fancies, and despair; |
Despair in God, and
trust in Belzebub: |
Now go not backward;
no, Faustus, be resolute: |
Why waver'st thou? O,
something soundeth in mine ears, |
"Abjure this
magic, turn to God again!" |
Ay, and Faustus will
turn to God again. |
To God? he loves thee
not; |
The god thou serv'st is thine own appetite, |
Wherein is fixed the
love of Belzebub: |
To him I'll build an
altar and a church, |
And offer lukewarm
blood of new-born babes. |
Enter Good Angel and Evil Angel. |
Good Ang. Sweet Faustus, leave that execrable art. |
Faust. Contrition, prayer, repentance − what of them? |
Good Ang. O, they are means to bring thee unto Heaven! |
Evil Ang. Rather illusions, fruits of lunacy, |
That makes men foolish
that do trust them most. |
Good Ang. Sweet Faustus, think of Heaven and heavenly things. |
Evil Ang. No, Faustus, think of honour and of
wealth. |
[Exeunt Angels.] |
Faust. Of wealth! |
Why, the signiory of
Embden shall be mine. |
When Mephistophilis shall stand by me, |
What god can hurt
thee, Faustus? thou art safe: |
Cast no more doubts.
− Come, Mephistophilis, |
And bring glad tidings
from great Lucifer; − |
Is't not midnight? − come, Mephistophilis, |
Veni, veni, Mephistophile! |
Enter Mephistophilis. |
Now tell me what says
Lucifer, thy lord? |
Meph. That I shall wait on Faustus whilst he lives, |
So he will buy my service with his soul. |
Faust. Already Faustus hath hazarded that for thee. |
Meph. But, Faustus, thou must bequeath it solemnly, |
And write a deed of
gift with thine own blood, |
For that security
craves great Lucifer. |
If thou deny it, I
will back to hell. |
Faust. Stay, Mephistophilis, and tell me,
what good |
will my soul do thy
lord? |
Meph. Enlarge his kingdom. |
Faust. Is that the reason why he tempts us thus? |
Meph. Solamen miseris socios habuisse doloris. |
Faust. Why, have you any pain that torture others? |
Meph. As great as have the human souls of men. |
But, tell me, Faustus,
shall I have thy soul? |
And I will be thy
slave, and wait on thee, |
And give thee more
than thou hast wit to ask. |
Faust. Ay, Mephistophilis, I give it thee. |
Meph. Then, Faustus, stab thine arm courageously, |
And bind thy soul,
that at some certain day |
Great Lucifer may
claim it as his own; |
And then be thou as
great as Lucifer. |
Faust. [Stabbing his arm] |
Lo, Mephistophilis, for love of thee, |
I cut mine arm, and
with my proper blood |
Assure my soul to be
great Lucifer's, |
Chief lord and regent
of perpetual night! |
View here the blood
that trickles from mine arm, |
And let it be
propitious for my wish. |
Meph. But, Faustus, thou must |
Write it in manner of
a deed of gift. |
Faust. Ay, so I will. |
[Writes.] |
|
But, Mephistophilis, |
My blood congeals, and
I can write no more. |
Meph. I'll fetch thee fire to dissolve it straight. |
[Exit.] |
Faust. What might the staying of my blood portend? |
Is it unwilling I
should write this bill? |
Why streams it not,
that I may write afresh? |
Faustus gives to thee
his soul: ah, there it stayed! |
Why shouldst thou not? is not thy soul thine own? |
Then write again, Faustus
gives to thee his soul. |
Re-enter Mephistophilis with a chafer
of coals. |
Meph. Here's fire; come, Faustus, set it on. |
Faust. So, now the blood begins to clear again; |
Now will I make an end
immediately. |
[Writes.] |
Meph. [Aside] |
O, what will not I do
t' obtain his soul! |
Faust. Consummatum est; this bill is ended, |
And Faustus hath
bequeathed his soul to Lucifer. |
But what is this
inscription on mine arm? |
Homo, fuge:
whither should I fly? |
If unto God, he'll
throw me down to hell. |
My senses are
deceived; here's nothing writ: − |
I see it plain; here
in this place is writ, |
Homo, fuge:
yet shall not Faustus fly. |
Meph. [Aside] |
I'll fetch him
somewhat to delight his mind. |
[Exit.] |
Re-enter Mephistophilis with Devils,
who give |
crowns and rich apparel to Faustus, dance, |
and then depart. |
Faust. Speak, Mephistophilis, what means this
show? |
Meph. Nothing, Faustus, but to delight thy mind
withal, |
And to shew thee what
magic can perform. |
Faust. But may I raise up spirits when I please? |
Meph. Ay, Faustus, and do greater things than these. |
Faust. Then there's enough for a thousand souls. |
Here, Mephistophilis, receive this scroll, |
A deed of gift of body
and of soul: |
But yet conditionally
that thou perform |
All articles
prescribed between us both. |
Meph. Faustus, I swear by hell and Lucifer |
To effect
all promises between us made! |
Faust. Then hear me read them. |
[Reads] On
these conditions following. |
First, that Faustus may be a spirit
in form and |
substance. |
Secondly, that Mephistophilis
shall be his |
servant, and at his
command. |
Thirdly, that Mephistophilis
shall do for him, |
and bring him
whatsoever. |
Fourthly, that he shall be in his
chamber or |
house invisible. |
Lastly, that he shall appear to the said
John |
Faustus, at all times,
in what form or shape soever |
he please. |
I, John Faustus, of Wertenberg,
Doctor, by |
these presents, do
give both body and soul to |
Lucifer prince of the
east, and his minister |
Mephistophilis; and furthermore
grant unto |
them, that,
twenty-four years being expired, the |
articles above-written
inviolate, full power to fetch |
or carry the said John
Faustus, body and soul, |
flesh, blood, or
goods, into their habitation |
wheresoever. |
By me, John Faustus. |
Meph. Speak, Faustus, do you deliver this as your |
deed? |
Faust. Ay, take it, and the devil give thee good on't! |
Meph. Now, Faustus, ask what thou wilt. |
Faust. First will I question with thee about hell. |
Tell me, where is the
place that men call hell? |
Meph. Under the heavens. |
Faust. Ay, but whereabout? |
Meph. Within the bowels of these elements, |
Where we are tortured
and remain for ever: |
Hell hath no limits, nor is circumscribed |
In one self place; for where we are is
hell, |
And where hell is,
there must we ever be: |
And, to conclude, when
all the world dissolves, |
And every creature
shall be purified, |
All places shall be
hell that is not Heaven. |
Faust. Come, I think hell's a fable. |
Meph. Ay, think so still, till experience change thy
|
mind. |
Faust. Why, think'st thou, then, that Faustus
shall be damned? |
Meph. Ay, of necessity, for here's the scroll |
Wherein thou hast
given thy soul to Lucifer. |
Faust. Ay, and body too: but what of that? |
Think'st thou that Faustus is so fond to imagine |
That, after this life,
there is any pain? |
Tush, these are trifles and mere old wives' tales. |
Meph. But, Faustus, I am an instance to prove the |
contrary, for I am
damned, and am now in hell. |
Faust. How! now in hell! |
Nay, an this be hell, I'll willingly
be damned here: |
What! walking,
disputing, &c. |
But, leaving off this,
let me have a wife, |
The fairest maid in
Germany; |
For I am wanton and
lascivious, |
And cannot live
without a wife. |
Meph. How! a wife! |
I prithee, Faustus,
talk not of a wife. |
Faust. Nay, sweet Mephistophilis, fetch me
one, |
for I will have one. |
Meph. Well, thou wilt have one? Sit there till I
come: |
I'll fetch thee a wife
in the devil's name. |
[Exit.] |
Re-enter Mephistophilis with a Devil |
drest like a Woman, with fire-works. |
Meph. Tell me, Faustus, how dost thou like thy wife? |
Faust. A plague on her for a hot whore! |
Meph. Tut, Faustus, |
Marriage is but a
ceremonial toy; |
If thou lovest me, think no more of it. |
I'll cull thee out the
fairest courtezans, |
And bring them every
morning to thy bed: |
She whom thine eye
shall like, thy heart shall have, |
Be she as chaste as
was Penelope, |
As wise as Saba, or as
beautiful |
As was bright Lucifer
before his fall. |
Hold, take this book,
peruse it thoroughly: |
[Gives book.] |
The iterating of these
lines brings gold; |
The framing of this
circle on the ground |
Brings whirlwinds,
tempests, thunder, and lightning; |
Pronounce this thrice
devoutly to thyself, |
And men in armour shall appear to thee, |
Ready to execute what
thou desir'st. |
Faust. Thanks, Mephistophilis: yet fain would
I |
have a book wherein I
might behold all spells and |
incantations, that I
might raise up spirits when I please. |
Meph. [Turns to them] Here they are in this book. |
Faust. Now would I have a book where I might see |
all characters and
planets of the heavens, that I might |
know their motions and
dispositions. |
Meph. [Turns to them] Here they are too. |
Faust. Nay, let me have one book more, − and then |
I have done, −
wherein I might see all plants, herbs, |
and trees, that grow
upon the earth. |
Meph. Here they be. |
Faust. O, thou art deceived. |
Meph. [Turns to them] Tut, I warrant thee. |
[Exeunt.] |
SCENE VI. |
In the House of
Faustus. |
Faust. When I behold the heavens, then I repent, |
And curse thee, wicked
Mephistophilis, |
Because thou hast
deprived me of those joys. |
Meph. Why, Faustus, |
Thinkest thou Heaven is such a glorious thing? |
I tell thee, 'tis not
half so fair as thou, |
Or any man that
breathes on earth. |
Faust. How prov'st thou that? |
Meph. 'Twas made for man, therefore is man more
excellent. |
Faust. If it were made for man, 'twas made for me: |
I will renounce this
magic and repent. |
Enter Good Angel and Evil Angel. |
Good Ang. Faustus, repent; yet God will pity thee. |
Evil Ang. Thou art a spirit; God cannot pity thee. |
Faust. Who buzzeth in mine ears I am a
spirit? |
Be I a devil, yet God
may pity me; |
Ay, God will pity me,
if I repent. |
Evil Ang. Ay, but Faustus never shall repent. |
[Exeunt Angels.] |
Faust. My heart's so hardened, I cannot repent: |
Scarce can I name
salvation, faith, or Heaven, |
But fearful echoes
thunder in mine ears, |
"Faustus, thou
art damned!" then swords, and knives, |
Poison, guns, halters,
and envenomed steel |
Are laid before me to despatch myself; |
And long ere this I
should have slain myself, |
Had not sweet pleasure
conquered deep despair. |
Have not I made blind
Homer sing to me |
Of Alexander's love
and Oenon's death? |
And hath not he, that
built the walls of Thebes |
With ravishing sound
of his melodious harp, |
Made music with my Mephistophilis? |
Why should I die,
then, or basely despair? |
I am resolved; Faustus
shall ne'er repent. − |
Come, Mephistophilis, let us dispute again, |
And argue of divine
astrology. |
Tell me, are there
many heavens above the moon? |
Are all celestial
bodies but one globe, |
As is the substance of
this centric earth? |
Meph. As are the elements, such are the spheres, |
Mutually folded in
each other's orb, |
And, Faustus, |
All jointly move upon
one axletree, |
Whose terminine is termed the world's wide pole; |
Nor are the names of
Saturn, Mars, or Jupiter |
Feigned, but are
erring stars. |
Faust. But, tell me, have they all one motion, |
both situ et
tempore? |
Meph. All jointly move from east to west in twenty- |
four hours upon the
poles of the world; but differ in |
their motion upon the
poles of the zodiac. |
Faust. Tush, |
These slender trifles
Wagner can decide: |
Hath Mephistophilis no greater skill? |
Who knows not the
double motion of the planets? |
The first is finished
in a natural day; |
The second thus; as
Saturn in thirty years; Jupiter in |
twelve; Mars in four;
the Sun, Venus, and Mercury |
in a year; the Moon in
twenty-eight days. Tush, |
these are freshmen's
suppositions. But, tell me, hath |
every sphere a
dominion or intelligentia? |
Meph. Ay. |
Faust. How many heavens or spheres are there? |
Meph. Nine; the seven planets, the firmament, and |
the empyreal heaven. |
Faust. Well, resolve me in this question; why have |
we not conjunctions,
oppositions, aspects, eclipses, |
all at one time, but
in some years we have more, in |
some less? |
Meph. Per inaequalem motum respectu totius. |
Faust. Well, I am answered. Tell
me who made the |
world? |
Meph. I will not. |
Faust. Sweet Mephistophilis, tell me. |
Meph. Move me not, for I will not tell thee. |
Faust. Villain, have I not bound thee to tell me |
anything? |
Meph. Ay, that is not against our kingdom; but this
is. |
Think thou on hell,
Faustus, for thou art damned. |
Faust. Think, Faustus, upon God that made the world. |
Meph. Remember this. |
[Exit.] |
Faust. Ay, go, accursèd spirit, to ugly hell! |
'Tis thou hast damned distressèd
Faustus' soul. |
Is't not too late? |
Re-enter Good Angel and Evil Angel. |
Evil Ang. Too late. |
Good Ang. Never too late, if Faustus can repent. |
Evil Ang. If thou repent, devils shall tear thee in pieces. |
Good Ang. Repent, and they shall never raze thy skin. |
[Exeunt Angels.] |
Faust. Ah, Christ, my Saviour, |
Seek to save distressèd Faustus' soul! |
Enter Lucifer, Belzebub, and Mephistophilis. |
Lucif. Christ cannot save thy soul, for he is just: |
There's none but I
have interest in the same. |
Faust. O, who art thou that look'st so
terrible? |
Lucif. I am Lucifer, |
And this is my
companion-prince in hell. |
Faust. O, Faustus, they are come to fetch away thy soul! |
Lucif. We come to tell thee thou dost injure us; |
Thou talk'st of Christ, contráry to
thy promise: |
Thou shouldst not think of God: think of the devil, |
And of his dam too. |
Faust. Nor will I henceforth: pardon me in this, |
And Faustus vows never
to look to Heaven, |
Never to name God, or
to pray to him, |
To burn his
Scriptures, slay his ministers, |
And make my spirits
pull his churches down. |
Lucif. Do so, and we will highly gratify thee. |
Faustus, we are come
from hell to shew thee some |
pastime: sit down, and
thou shalt see all the Seven |
Deadly Sins appear in
their proper shapes. |
Faust. That sight will be as pleasing unto me, |
As Paradise was to
Adam, the first day |
Of his creation. |
Lucif. Talk not of Paradise nor creation; but mark |
this show: talk of the
devil, and nothing else. – |
Come away! |
Enter the Seven Deadly Sins. |
Now, Faustus, examine
them of their several names |
and dispositions. |
Faust. What art thou, the first? |
Pride. I am
Pride. I disdain to have any parents. I |
am like to Ovid's
flea; I can creep into every corner |
of a wench; sometimes,
like a perriwig, I sit upon |
her brow; or, like a
fan of feathers, I kiss her lips; |
indeed, I do −
what do I not? But, fie, what a scent |
is here! I'll not speak another word, except the |
ground were perfumed, and covered with cloth of |
arras. |
Faust. What art thou, the second? |
Covetousness. I am
Covetousness, begotten of an |
old churl, in an old
leathern bag: and, might I have |
my wish, I would
desire that this house and all the |
people in it were
turned to gold, that I might lock |
you up in my good
chest: O, my sweet gold! |
Faust. What art thou, the third? |
Wrath. I am
Wrath. I had neither father nor
mother: |
I leapt out of a
lion's mouth when I was scarce half- |
an-hour old; and ever
since I have run up and down |
the world with this
case of rapiers, wounding myself |
when I had nobody to
fight withal. I was born in |
hell; and look to it,
for some of you shall be my |
father. |
Faust. What art thou, the fourth? |
Envy. I am
Envy, begotten of a chimney-sweeper |
and an oyster-wife. I
cannot read, and therefore wish |
all books were burnt.
I am lean with seeing others |
eat. O, that there
would come a famine through all |
the world, that all
might die, and I live alone! then |
thou shouldst see how fat I would be. But must thou |
sit, and I stand? come
down, with a vengeance! |
Faust. Away, envious rascal! − What art thou, the |
fifth? |
Gluttony. Who I,
sir? I am Gluttony. My parents |
are all dead, and the
devil a penny they have left me, |
but a bare pension,
and that is thirty meals a-day and |
ten bevers, − a small trifle to suffice nature. O, I |
come of a royal
parentage! my grandfather was a |
Gammon of Bacon, my
grandmother a Hogshead |
of Claret-wine; my
godfathers were these, Peter |
Pickle-herring and
Martin Martlemas-beef; O, but my |
godmother, she was a
jolly gentlewoman, and well- |
beloved in every good
town and city; her name was |
Mistress Margery
March-beer. Now, Faustus, thou |
hast heard all my
progeny; wilt thou bid me to |
supper? |
Faust. No, I'll see thee hanged: thou wilt eat up all |
my victuals. |
Gluttony. Then
the devil choke thee! |
Faust. Choke thyself, glutton! − What art thou, the |
sixth? |
Sloth. I am
Sloth. I was begotten on a sunny bank, |
where I have lain ever
since; and you have done me |
great injury to bring
me from thence: let me be carried |
thither again by
Gluttony and Lechery. I'll not speak |
another word for a
king's ransom. |
Faust. What are you, Mistress Minx, the seventh |
and last? |
Lechery. Who I,
sir? I am one that loves an inch |
of raw mutton better
than an ell of fried stock-fish; |
and the first letter
of my name begins with L. |
Faust. Away, to hell, to hell! |
[Exeunt the Sins.] |
Lucif. Now, Faustus, how dost thou like this? |
Faust. O, this feeds my soul! |
Lucif. Tut, Faustus, in hell is all manner of
delight. |
Faust. O, might I see hell, and return again, |
How happy were I then! |
Lucif. Thou shalt; I will send for thee at midnight. |
In meantime take this
book; peruse it throughly, |
And thou shalt turn
thyself into what shape thou wilt. |
Faust. Great thanks, mighty Lucifer! |
This will I keep as
chary as my life. |
Lucif. Farewell, Faustus, and think on the devil. |
Faust. Farewell, great Lucifer. |
[Exeunt Lucifer and Belzebub.] |
Come, Mephistophilis. |
[Exeunt.] |
Enter Chorus. |
Chorus. Learnèd Faustus, |
To know the secrets of
astronomy |
Graven in the book of
Jove's high firmament, |
Did mount himself to
scale Olympus' top, |
Being seated in a
chariot burning bright, |
Drawn by the strength
of yoky dragons' necks. |
He now is gone to
prove cosmography, |
And, as I guess, will
first arrive at Rome, |
To see the Pope and
manner of his court, |
And take some part of
holy Peter's feast, |
That to this day is
highly solemnized. |
[Exit.] |
SCENE VII. |
The Pope’s
Privy-Chamber. |
Enter Faustus and Mephistophilis. |
Faust. Having now, my good Mephistophilis, |
Passed with delight
the stately town of Trier, |
Environed round with
airy mountain-tops, |
With walls of flint,
and deep-entrenchèd lakes, |
Not to be won by any
conquering prince; |
From Paris next,
coasting the realm of France, |
We saw the river Maine
fall into Rhine, |
Whose banks are set
with groves of fruitful vines; |
Then up to Naples,
rich Campania, |
Whose buildings fair
and gorgeous to the eye, |
The streets straight
forth, and paved with finest brick, |
Quarter the town in
four equivalents: |
There saw we learnèd Maro's golden tomb, |
The way he cut, an
English mile in length, |
Thorough a rock of
stone, in one night's space; |
From thence to Venice,
Padua, and the rest, |
In midst of which a
sumptuous temple stands, |
That threats the stars
with her aspiring top. |
Thus hitherto hath Faustus spent his time: |
But tell me now what
resting-place is this? |
Hast thou, as erst I did command, |
Conducted me within
the walls of Rome? |
Meph. Faustus, I have; and, because we will not |
be unprovided, I have
taken up his Holiness' privy- |
chamber for our use. |
Faust. I hope his Holiness will bid us welcome. |
Meph. Tut, 'tis no matter; man; we'll be bold with
his |
good cheer. |
And now, my Faustus,
that thou mayst perceive |
What Rome containeth to delight thee with, |
Know that this city
stands upon seven hills |
That underprop the
groundwork of the same: |
Just through the midst
runs flowing Tiber's stream, |
With winding banks
that cut it in two parts; |
Over the which four
stately bridges lean, |
That make safe passage
to each part of Rome: |
Upon the bridge called
Ponto Angelo |
Erected is a castle
passing strong, |
Within whose walls
such store of ordnance are, |
And double cannons
framed of carvèd brass, |
As match the days
within one cómplete year; |
Besides the gates, and
high pyrámidès, |
Which Julius Caesar
brought from Africa. |
Faust. Now, by the kingdoms of infernal rule, |
Of Styx, of Acheron,
and the fiery lake |
Of ever-burning Phlegethon, I swear |
That I do long to see
the monuments |
And situation of
bright-splendent Rome: |
Come, therefore, let's
away. |
Meph. Nay, Faustus, stay: I know you’d fain see the
Pope, |
And take some part of
holy Peter's feast, |
Where thou shalt see a
troop of bald-pate friars, |
Whose summum bonum is in belly-cheer. |
Faust. Well, I'm content to compass then some sport, |
And by their folly
make us merriment. |
Then charm me, that I |
May be invisible, to
do what I please, |
Unseen of any whilst I
stay in Rome. |
[Mephistophilis charms him.] |
Meph. So, Faustus; now |
Do what thou wilt,
thou shalt not be discerned. |
Sound a Sonnet. |
Enter the Pope and the Cardinal of Lorraine |
to the banquet, with Friars attending. |
Pope. My Lord of Lorraine, will't please you
draw |
near? |
Faust. Fall to, and the devil choke you, an you spare! |
Pope. How now! who's that which spake?
− Friars, |
look about. |
1st Friar. Here's nobody, if it like your Holiness. |
Pope. My lord, here is a dainty dish was sent me |
from the Bishop of
Milan. |
Faust. I thank you, sir. |
[Snatches the dish.] |
Pope. How now! who's that which snatched the |
meat from me? will no
man look? − My lord, this |
dish was sent me from
the Cardinal of Florence. |
Faust. You say true; I'll ha't. |
[Snatches the dish.] |
Pope. What, again! − My lord, I'll drink to your grace. |
Faust. I'll pledge your grace. |
[Snatches the cup.] |
Lorr. My lord, it may be some ghost, newly crept |
out of Purgatory, come
to beg a pardon of your |
Holiness. |
Pope. It may be so. − Friars, prepare a dirge to lay |
the fury of this
ghost. − Once again, my lord, fall to. |
[The Pope crosses himself.] |
Faust. What, are you crossing of yourself? |
Well, use that trick
no more, I would advise you. |
[The Pope crosses himself again.] |
Well, there's the
second time. Aware the third; |
I give you fair
warning. |
[The Pope crosses himself again, |
and Faustus hits him a box of the ear; |
and they all run away.] |
Come on, Mephistophilis; what shall we do? |
Meph. Nay, I know not: we shall be cursed with |
bell, book, and
candle. |
Faust. How! bell, book, and candle, − candle, book, and bell,
− |
Forward and backward,
to curse Faustus to hell! |
Anon you shall hear a
hog grunt, a calf bleat, and an ass bray, |
Because it is Saint
Peter's holiday. |
Re-enter all the Friars to sing the Dirge. |
1st Friar. Come, brethren, let's about our business |
with good devotion. |
[They sing.] |
Cursed be he that
stole away his Holiness' meat from |
the table! maledicat
Dominus! |
Cursed be he that
struck his Holiness a blow on the |
face! maledicat Dominus! |
Cursed be he that took
Friar Sandelo a blow on the |
pate! maledicat Dominus! |
Cursed be he that disturbeth our holy dirge! |
maledicat Dominus! |
Cursed be he that took
away his Holiness' wine! |
maledicat Dominus! |
Et omnes
Sancti! Amen! |
[Mephistophilis and Faustus
beat the Friars, |
and fling fire-works among them; |
and so Exeunt.] |
Enter Chorus. |
Chorus. When Faustus had with pleasure ta'en
the view |
Of rarest things, and
royal courts of kings, |
He stayed his course,
and so returnèd home; |
Where such as bear his
absence but with grief, |
I mean his friends and
near'st companiöns, |
Did gratulate his
safety with kind words, |
And in their conferènce of what befell, |
Touching his journey
through the world and air, |
They put forth
questions of astrology, |
Which Faustus answered
with such learnèd skill |
As they admired and
wondered at his wit. |
Now is his fame spread
forth in every land: |
Amongst the rest the
Emperor is one, |
Carolus the Fifth, at
whose palace now |
Faustus is feasted 'mongst his noblemen. |
What there he did, in
trial of his art, |
I leave untold; your
eyes shall see['t] performed. |
[Exit.] |
SCENE VIII. |
Near an Inn. |
Enter Robin the Ostler, with a book in his hand. |
Robin. O, this is admirable! here I ha' stolen one of |
Doctor Faustus'
conjuring-books, and, i'faith, I mean |
to search some circles
for my own use. Now will I |
make all the maidens
in our parish dance at my |
pleasure, stark naked,
before me; and so by that |
means I shall see more
than e'er I felt or saw yet. |
Enter Ralph, calling Robin. |
Ralph. Robin, prithee, come away; there's a |
gentleman tarries to
have his horse, and he would |
have his things rubbed
and made clean: he keeps |
such a chafing with my
mistress about it; and she |
has sent me to look
thee out; prithee, come away. |
Robin. Keep out, keep out, or else you are blown |
up, you are
dismembered, Ralph: keep out, for I am |
about a roaring piece
of work. |
Ralph. Come, what doest thou with that same
book? |
thou canst not read? |
Robin. Yes, my master and mistress shall find that I |
can read, he for his
forehead, she for her private |
study; she's born to
bear with me, or else my art |
fails. |
Ralph. Why, Robin, what book is that? |
Robin. What book! why, the most intolerable book |
for conjuring that e'er was invented by any |
brimstone devil. |
Ralph. Canst thou conjure with it? |
Robin. I can do all these things easily with it; first, I |
can make thee drunk
with ippocras at any tabern
in |
Europe for nothing;
that's one of my conjuring |
works. |
Ralph. Our Master Parson says that's nothing. |
Robin. True, Ralph: and more, Ralph, if thou hast |
any mind to Nan Spit,
our kitchen-maid, then turn |
her and wind her to
thy own use, as often as thou |
wilt, and at midnight. |
Ralph. O, brave, Robin! shall I have Nan Spit, |
and to mine own
use? On that condition I'll feed |
thy devil with
horse-bread as long as he lives, |
of free cost. |
Robin. No more, sweet Ralph: let's go and make |
clean our boots, which
lie foul upon our hands, and |
then to our conjuring
in the devil's name. |
[Exeunt.] |
SCENE IX. |
The Same. |
Enter Robin and Ralph with a silver goblet. |
Robin. Come, Ralph: did not I tell thee, we were for |
ever made by this
Doctor Faustus' book? Ecce, |
signum! here's a simple purchase for horse-keepers: |
our horses shall eat
no hay as long as this lasts. |
Ralph. But, Robin, here comes the Vintner. |
Robin. Hush! I'll gull him
supernaturally. |
Enter Vintner. |
Drawer, I hope all is
paid; God be with you! – |
Come, Ralph. |
Vint. Soft, sir; a word with you. I must yet have a |
goblet paid from you,
ere you go. |
Robin. I a goblet, Ralph, I a goblet! −
I scorn you; |
and you are but a,
etc. I a
goblet! search me. |
Vint. I mean so, sir, with your favour. |
[Searches Robin.] |
Robin. How say you now? |
Vint. I must say somewhat to your fellow. −
You, |
sir! |
Ralph. Me, sir! me, sir! search your fill. |
[Vintner searches him.] |
Now, sir, you may be
ashamed to burden honest men |
with a matter of
truth. |
Vint. Well, tone of you hath this goblet about you. |
Robin. [Aside] You lie, drawer, 'tis afore me. – |
Sirrah you, I'll teach
you to impeach honest men; − |
stand by; − I'll
scour you for a goblet; − stand aside |
you had best, I charge
you in the name of Belzebub. |
− [Aside to Ralph] Look to the goblet, Ralph. |
Vint. What mean you, sirrah? |
Robin. I'll tell you what I mean.
|
[Reads from a book]
Sanctobulorum Periphrasticon
|
− nay, I'll
tickle you, Vintner. – |
[Aside to Ralph].
Look to the goblet, Ralph − |
[Reads] Polypragmos |
Belseborams framanto pacostiphos tostu, |
Mephistophilis, etc. |
Enter Mephistophilis, |
sets squibs at their backs, and then Exit. |
They run about. |
Vint. O, nomine Domine! what meanest thou, |
Robin? thou hast no
goblet. |
Ralph. Peccatum peccatorum! − Here's thy goblet, |
good Vintner. |
[Gives the goblet to Vintner, who Exit.] |
Robin. Misericordia pro nobis! what shall I do? |
Good devil, forgive me
now, and I'll never rob thy |
library more. |
Re-enter Mephistophilis. |
Meph. Monarch of Hell, under whose black survey |
Great potentates do
kneel with awful fear, |
Upon whose altars
thousand souls do lie, |
How am I vexèd with these villains' charms? |
From Constantinople am
I hither come, |
Only for pleasure of
these damnèd slaves. |
Robin. How, from Constantinople! you have had a |
great journey: will
you take sixpence in your purse |
to pay for your
supper, and be gone? |
Meph. Well, villains, for your presumption, I |
transform thee into an
ape, and thee into a dog; and |
so be gone! |
[Exit.] |
Robin. How, into an ape! that's brave: I'll have fine |
sport with the boys;
I'll get nuts and apples enow. |
Ralph. And I must be a dog. |
Robin. I'faith, thy head will never be out of the |
pottage-pot. |
[Exeunt.] |
SCENE X. |
The Emperor’s Court at
Innsbruck. |
Enter Emperor, Faustus, and a Knight, with Attendants. |
Emp. Master Doctor Faustus, I have heard strange |
report of thy
knowledge in the black art, how that |
none in my empire nor
in the whole world can |
compare with thee for
the rare effects of magic: they |
say thou hast a
familiar spirit, by whom thou canst |
accomplish what thou
list. This, therefore, is my |
request, that thou let
me see some proof of thy skill, |
that mine eyes may be
witnesses to confirm what |
mine ears have heard
reported: and here I swear to |
thee, by the honour of mine imperial crown, that, |
whatever thou doest, thou shalt be no ways |
prejudiced or endamaged. |
Knight. [Aside] I'faith, he looks much
like a |
conjurer. |
Faust. My gracious sovereign, though I must |
confess myself far
inferior to the report men have |
published, and nothing
answerable to the honour of |
your imperial majesty,
yet, for that love and duty |
binds me thereunto, I
am content to do whatsoever |
your majesty shall
command me. |
Emp. Then, Doctor Faustus, mark what I shall say. |
As I was sometime
solitary set |
Within my closet,
sundry thoughts arose |
About the honour of mine ancestors, |
How they had won by
prowess such exploits, |
Got such riches,
subdued so many kingdoms, |
As we that do succeed,
or they that shall |
Hereafter possess our
throne, shall |
(I fear me) ne'er
attain to that degree |
Of high renown and
great authority: |
Amongst which kings is
Alexander the Great, |
Chief spectacle of the
world's pre-eminence, |
The bright shining of
whose glorious acts |
Lightens the world
with his reflecting beams, |
As when I hear but
motion made of him, |
It grieves my soul I
never saw the man: |
If, therefore, thou,
by cunning of thine art, |
Canst raise this man
from hollow vaults below, |
Where lies entombed
this famous conqueror, |
And bring with him his
beauteous paramour, |
Both in their right
shapes, gesture, and attire |
They used to wear
during their time of life, |
Thou shalt both
satisfy my just desire, |
And give me cause to
praise thee whilst I live. |
Faust. My gracious lord, I am ready to accomplish |
your request, so far
forth as by art and power of my |
spirit I am able to
perform. |
Knight. [Aside] I'faith, that's just
nothing at all. |
Faust. But, if it like your grace, it is not in my |
ability to present
before your eyes the true |
substantial bodies of
those two deceased princes, |
which long since are
consumed to dust. |
Knight. [Aside] Ay, marry, Master Doctor, now |
there's a sign of
grace in you, when you will confess |
the truth. |
Faust. But such spirits as can lively resemble |
Alexander and his
paramour shall appear before |
your grace, in that
manner that they best lived in, in |
their most flourishing
estate; which I doubt not shall |
sufficiently content
your imperial majesty. |
Emp. Go to, Master Doctor; let me see them |
presently. |
Knight. Do you hear, Master Doctor? you bring |
Alexander and his
paramour before the Emperor! |
Faust. How then, sir? |
Knight. I'faith, that's as true as Diana turned me to a |
stag. |
Faust. No, sir; but, when Actaeon died, he
left the |
horns for you. −
Mephistophilis, be gone. |
[Exit Mephistophilis.] |
Knight. Nay, an you
go to conjuring, I'll be gone. |
[Exit.] |
Faust. I'll meet with you anon for interrupting me |
so. − Here they
are, my gracious lord. |
Re-enter Mephistophilis with Spirits |
in the Shapes of Alexander and his Paramour. |
Emp. Master Doctor, I heard this lady, while she |
lived, had a wart or
mole in her neck: how shall I |
know whether it be so
or no? |
Faust. Your highness may boldly go and see. |
Emp. Sure, these are no spirits, but the true |
substantial bodies of
those two deceased princes. |
[Exeunt Spirits.] |
Faust. Wilt please your highness now to send for |
the knight that was so
pleasant with me here of late? |
Emp. One of you call him forth. |
[Exit Attendant.] |
Re-enter the Knight with a pair of horns on his head. |
How now, sir knight!
why, I had thought thou hadst |
been a bachelor, but
now I see thou hast a wife, that |
not only gives thee horns, but makes thee wear them. |
Feel on thy head. |
Knight. Thou damnèd wretch and execrable dog, |
Bred in the concave of
some monstrous rock, |
How dar'st thou thus abuse a gentleman? |
Villain, I say, undo
what thou hast done! |
Faust. O, not so fast, sir! there's no haste: but, good, |
are you remembered how
you crossed me in my |
conference with the
Emperor? I think I have met |
with you for it. |
Emp. Good Master Doctor, at my entreaty release |
him: he hath done
penance sufficient. |
Faust. My gracious lord, not so much for the injury |
he offered me here in
your presence, as to delight |
you with some mirth,
hath Faustus worthily requited |
this injurious knight;
which being all I desire, I am |
content to release him
of his horns: − and, sir knight, |
hereafter speak well
of scholars. − Mephistophilis, |
transform him
straight. |
[Mephistophilis removes the
horns.] |
− Now, my good lord, having done my
duty, I |
humbly take my leave. |
Emp. Farewell, Master Doctor: yet, ere you go, |
Expect from me a
bounteous reward. |
[Exeunt Emperor, Knight, and Attendants.] |
SCENE XI. |
A Green; afterwards
the House of Faustus. |
Faust. Now, Mephistophilis, the restless
course |
That time doth run with
calm and silent foot, |
Short’ning my days and thread of vital life, |
Calls for the payment
of my latest years: |
Therefore, sweet Mephistophilis, let us |
Make haste to Wertenberg. |
Meph. What, will you go on horse-back or on foot? |
Faust. Nay, till I'm past this fair and pleasant green, |
I'll walk on foot. |
Enter a Horse-Courser. |
Horse-C. I have been all this day seeking one |
Master Fustian: mass,
see where he is! − God save |
you, Master Doctor! |
Faust. What, horse-courser! you are well met. |
Horse-C. Do you hear, sir? I have
brought you |
forty dollars for your
horse. |
Faust. I cannot sell him so: if thou likest
him for |
fifty, take him. |
Horse-C. Alas, sir, I have no more! − I pray you, |
speak for me. |
Meph. I pray you, let him have him: he is an honest |
fellow, and he has a
great charge, neither wife nor |
child. |
Faust. Well, come, give me your money: |
[Horse-Courser gives Faustus the money] |
my boy will deliver
him to you. But I must tell you |
one thing before you
have him; ride him not into the |
water, at any hand. |
Horse-C. Why, sir, will he not drink of all waters? |
Faust. O, yes, he will drink of all waters; but ride |
him not into the
water: ride him over hedge or ditch, |
or where thou wilt,
but not into the water. |
Horse-C. Well, sir. – |
[Aside] Now am
I made man for ever: I'll not leave |
my horse for forty: if
he had but the quality of hey- |
ding-ding,
hey-ding-ding, I’d make a brave living
|
on him: he has a
buttock as slick as an eel. − Well,
|
God b'wi'ye, sir: your boy will deliver him me: but, |
hark you, sir; if my
horse be sick or ill at ease, if I |
bring his water to
you, you'll tell me what it is? |
Faust. Away, you villain! what, dost think I am a |
horse-doctor? |
[Exit Horse-Courser.] |
What art thou,
Faustus, but a man condemned to die? |
Thy fatal time doth
draw to final end; |
Despair doth drive
distrust into my thoughts: |
Confound these
passions with a quiet sleep: |
Tush, Christ did call the thief upon the Cross; |
Then rest thee,
Faustus, quiet in conceit. |
[Sleeps in his chair.] |
Re-enter Horse-Courser, all wet, crying. |
Horse-C. Alas, alas! Doctor
Fustian, quoth a? |
mass, Doctor Lopus was never such a doctor: |
has given me a
purgation, has purged me of forty |
dollars; I shall never
see them more. But yet, like an |
ass as I was, I would
not be ruled by him, for he |
bade me I should ride
him into no water: now I, |
thinking my horse had
had some rare quality that he |
would not have had me
known of, I, like a venturous |
youth, rid him into
the deep pond at the town's end. |
I was no sooner in the
middle of the pond, but my |
horse vanished away,
and I sat upon a bottle of hay, |
never so near drowning
in my life. But I'll seek out |
my doctor, and have my
forty dollars again, or I'll |
make it the dearest
horse! − O, yonder is his snipper- |
snapper. − Do
you hear? you, hey-pass, where's |
your master? |
Meph. Why, sir, what would you? you cannot speak |
with him. |
Horse-C. But I will speak with him. |
Meph. Why, he's fast asleep: come some other time. |
Horse-C. I'll speak with him now, or I'll break his |
glass-windows about
his ears. |
Meph. I tell thee, he has not slept this eight
nights. |
Horse-C. An he have not slept this eight weeks, I'll |
speak with him. |
Meph. See, where he is, fast asleep. |
Horse-C. Ay, this is he. − God save you, Master |
Doctor, Master Doctor,
Master Doctor Fustian! forty |
dollars, forty dollars
for a bottle of hay! |
Meph. Why, thou seest he
hears thee not. |
Horse-C. [Hollows in his ear.]
So-ho, ho! so-ho, |
ho! No, will you not
wake? I'll make you wake ere I
go. |
[Pulls Faustus by the leg, and pulls
it away.] |
Alas, I am undone!
what shall I do? |
Faust. O, my leg, my leg! − Help, Mephistophilis!
|
call the officers.
− My leg, my leg! |
Meph. Come, villain, to the constable. |
Horse-C. O Lord, sir, let me go, and I'll give you |
forty dollars more! |
Meph. Where be they? |
Horse-C. I have none about me: come to my ostry,
|
and I'll give them
you. |
Meph. Be gone quickly. |
[Horse-Courser runs away.] |
Faust. What, is he gone? farewell he! Faustus has |
his leg again, and the
horse-courser, I take it, a |
bottle of hay for his labour: well, this trick shall cost |
him forty dollars
more. |
Enter Wagner. |
How now, Wagner!
what's the news with thee? |
Wag. Sir, the Duke of Vanholt doth
earnestly |
entreat your company. |
Faust. The Duke of Vanholt! an honourable |
gentleman, to whom I
must be no niggard of my |
cunning. − Come,
Mephistophilis, let's away to him. |
[Exeunt.] |
SCENE XII. |
The Court of the Duke
of Vanholt. |
Enter the Duke of Vanholt, the
Duchess, |
and Faustus. |
Duke. Believe me, Master Doctor, this merriment |
hath much pleased me. |
Faust. My gracious lord, I am glad it contents you |
so well. − But it may be, madam, you take no |
delight in this. I have heard that great-bellied |
women do long for some
dainties or other: what is it, |
madam? tell me, and
you shall have it. |
Duch. Thanks, good Master Doctor: and, for I see |
your courteous intent
to pleasure me, I will not hide |
from you the thing my
heart desires; and, were it |
now summer, as it is
January and the dead time of |
the winter, I would
desire no better meat than a dish |
of ripe grapes. |
Faust. Alas, madam, that's nothing! – Mephistophilis,
|
be gone. |
[Exit Mephistophilis.] |
Were it a greater
thing than this, so it would content |
you, you should have
it. |
Re-enter Mephistophilis with grapes. |
Here they be, madam:
wilt please you taste on them? |
Duke. Believe me, Master Doctor, this makes me |
wonder above the rest,
that being in the dead time of |
winter and in the
month of January, how you should |
come by these grapes. |
Faust. If it like your grace, the year is divided into |
two circles over the
whole world, that, when it is |
here winter with us,
in the contrary circle it is |
summer with them, as
in India, Saba, and farther |
countries in the east;
and by means of a swift spirit |
that I have, I had
them brought hither, as you see. – |
How do you like them,
madam? be they good? |
Duch. Believe me, Master Doctor, they be the best |
grapes that e'er I tasted in my life before. |
Faust. I am glad they content you so, madam. |
Duke. Come, madam, let us in, where you must |
well reward this
learned man for the great kindness |
he hath shewed to you. |
Duch. And so I will, my
lord; and, whilst I live, rest |
beholding for this
courtesy. |
Faust. I humbly thank your grace. |
Duke. Come, Master Doctor, follow us, and receive |
your reward. |
[Exeunt.] |
SCENE XIII. |
A Room in the House of
Faustus. |
Enter Wagner. |
Wag. I think my master means to die shortly, |
For he hath given to
me all his goods: |
And yet, methinks, if
that death were near, |
He would not banquet,
and carouse, and swill |
Amongst the students,
as even now he doth, |
Who are at supper with
such belly-cheer |
As Wagner ne'er beheld
in all his life. |
See, where they come! belike the feast is ended. |
[Exit.] |
Enter Faustus with two or three Scholars, |
and Mephistophilis. |
1st Sch. Master Doctor Faustus, since our |
conference about fair
ladies, which was the |
beautifulest in all the world, we have determined |
with ourselves that
Helen of Greece was the |
admirablest lady that ever lived: therefore, Master |
Doctor, if you will do
us that favour, as to let us see |
that peerless dame of
Greece, whom all the world |
admires for majesty,
we should think ourselves |
much beholding unto
you. |
Faust. Gentlemen, |
For that I know your
friendship is unfeigned, |
And Faustus' custom is
not to deny |
The just requests of
those that wish him well, |
You shall behold that
peerless dame of Greece, |
No otherways
for pomp and majesty |
Than when Sir Paris
crossed the seas with her, |
And brought the spoils
to rich Dardania. |
Be silent, then, for
danger is in words. |
[Music sounds, and Helen passeth
over the stage.] |
2nd Sch. Too simple is my wit to tell her praise, |
Whom all the world
admires for majesty. |
3rd Sch. No marvel though the angry Greeks pursued |
With ten years' war
the rape of such a queen, |
Whose heavenly beauty passeth all compare. |
1st Sch. Since we have seen the pride of Nature's works, |
And only paragon of
excellence, |
Let us depart; and for
this glorious deed |
Happy and blest be
Faustus evermore! |
Faust. Gentlemen, farewell: the same I wish to you. |
[Exeunt Scholars.] |
Enter an Old Man. |
Old Man. Ah, Doctor Faustus, that I might prevail |
To guide thy steps
unto the way of life, |
By which sweet path
thou may’st attain the goal |
That shall conduct
thee to celestial rest! |
Break heart, drop
blood, and mingle it with tears, |
Tears falling from
repentant heaviness |
Of thy most vild and loathsome filthiness, |
The stench whereof
corrupts the inward soul |
With such flagitious
crimes of heinous sins |
As no commiseration
may expel, |
But mercy, Faustus, of
thy Saviour sweet, |
Whose blood alone must
wash away thy guilt. |
Faust. Where art thou, Faustus? wretch, what hast thou done? |
Damned art thou,
Faustus, damned; despair and die! |
Hell calls for right,
and with a roaring voice |
Says, "Faustus,
come; thine hour is almost come;" |
And Faustus now will
come to do thee right. |
[Mephistophilis gives him a
dagger.] |
Old Man. Ah, stay, good Faustus, stay thy desperate steps! |
I see an angel hovers
o'er thy head, |
And, with a vial full
of precious grace, |
Offers to pour the
same into thy soul: |
Then call for mercy, and avoid despair. |
Faust. Ah, my sweet friend, I feel |
Thy words to comfort
my distressèd soul! |
Leave me a while to
ponder on my sins. |
Old Man. I go, sweet Faustus; but with heavy cheer, |
Fearing the ruin of
thy hopeless soul. |
[Exit.] |
Faust. Accursèd Faustus, where is mercy now? |
I do repent; and yet I
do despair: |
Hell strives with
grace for conquest in my breast: |
What shall I do to
shun the snares of death? |
Meph. Thou traitor, Faustus, I arrest thy soul |
For disobedience to my
sovereign lord: |
Revolt, or I'll in
piece-meal tear thy flesh. |
Faust. Sweet Mephistophilis, entreat thy lord |
To pardon my unjust presumptiön, |
And with my blood
again I will confirm |
My former vow I made
to Lucifer. |
Meph. Do it, then, quickly, with unfeignèd
heart, |
Lest greater danger do
attend thy drift. |
[Faustus stabs his arm, |
and writes on a paper with his blood.] |
Faust. Torment, sweet friend, that base and crooked age, |
That durst dissuade me
from thy Lucifer, |
With greatest torments
that our hell affords. |
Meph. His faith is great; I cannot touch his soul; |
But what I may afflict
his body with |
I will attempt, which
is but little worth. |
Faust. One thing, good servant, let me crave of thee, |
To glut the longing of
my heart's desire, − |
That I might have unto
my paramour |
That heavenly Helen
which I saw of late, |
Whose sweet embracings may extinguish clean |
These thoughts that do
dissuade me from my vow, |
And keep mine oath I
made to Lucifer. |
Meph. Faustus, this, or what else thou shalt desire, |
Shall be performed in
twinkling of an eye. |
Re-enter Helen. |
Faust. Was this the face that launched a thousand ships, |
And burnt the topless
towers of Ilium − |
Sweet Helen, make me
immortal with a kiss. − |
[Kisses her.] |
Her lips sucks forth my soul: see, where it flies! − |
Come, Helen, come,
give me my soul again. |
Here will I dwell, for
Heaven be in these lips, |
And all is dross that
is not Helena. |
I will be Paris, and
for love of thee, |
Instead of Troy, shall
Wertenberg be sacked; |
And I will combat with
weak Menelaus, |
And wear thy colours on my plumèd crest; |
Yea, I will wound
Achilles in the heel, |
And then return to
Helen for a kiss. |
O, thou art fairer
than the evening air |
Clad in the beauty of
a thousand stars; |
Brighter art thou than
flaming Jupiter |
When he appeared to
hapless Semele; |
More lovely than the monarch of the sky |
In wanton Arethusa's
azured arms; |
And none but thou
shalt be my paramour! |
[Exeunt.] |
Enter the Old Man. |
Old Man. Accursèd Faustus, miserable man, |
That from thy soul exclud'st the grace of Heaven, |
And fly'st the throne of his tribunal-seat! |
Enter Devils. |
Satan begins to sift
me with his pride: |
As in this furnace God
shall try my faith, |
My faith, vile hell,
shall triumph over thee. |
Ambitious fiends, see
how the heavens smile |
At your repulse, and laugh your state to scorn! |
Hence, hell! for hence
I fly unto my God. |
[Exeunt, − on one side, Devils, |
on the other, Old Man.] |
SCENE XIV. |
A Room in the House of
Faustus. |
Enter Faustus, with Scholars. |
Faust. Ah, gentlemen! |
1st Sch. What ails Faustus? |
Faust. Ah, my sweet chamber-fellow, had I lived |
with thee, then had I
lived still! but now I die |
eternally. Look, comes he not? comes he not? |
2nd Scholar. What means Faustus? |
3rd Scholar. Belike
he is grown into some sickness |
by being
over-solitary. |
1st Scholar. If it be so, we'll have physicians to cure |
him. − 'Tis but
a surfeit; never fear, man. |
Faust. A surfeit of deadly sin, that hath damned |
both body and soul. |
2nd Scholar. Yet, Faustus, look up to Heaven; |
remember God's mercies
are infinite. |
Faust. But Faustus' offence can ne'er be pardoned: |
the serpent that
tempted Eve may be saved, but not |
Faustus. Ah, gentlemen, hear me with patience, and |
tremble not at my
speeches! Though my heart pants |
and quivers to
remember that I have been a student |
here these thirty
years, O, would I had never seen |
Wertenberg, never read book! and what wonders I |
have done, all Germany
can witness, yea, all the |
world; for which
Faustus hath lost both Germany |
and the world, yea,
Heaven itself, Heaven, the seat |
of God, the throne of
the blessed, the kingdom of |
joy; and must remain
in hell for ever, − hell, ah, hell, |
for ever! Sweet friends, what shall become of |
Faustus, being in hell
for ever? |
3rd Sch. Yet, Faustus, call on God. |
Faust. On God, whom Faustus hath abjured! on |
God, whom Faustus hath
blasphemed! Ah, my God, |
I would weep! but the
devil draws in my tears. Gush |
forth blood, instead
of tears! yea, life and soul! − O, |
he stays my
tongue! I would lift up my hands; but |
see, they hold them,
they hold them! |
All. Who,
Faustus? |
Faust. Lucifer and Mephistophilis. Ah, gentlemen, |
I gave them my soul
for my cunning! |
All. God forbid! |
Faust. God forbade it, indeed; but Faustus hath |
done it: for vain
pleasure of twenty-four years hath |
Faustus lost eternal
joy and felicity. I writ them a |
bill with mine own
blood: the date is expired; the |
time will come, and he
will fetch me. |
1st Sch. Why did not Faustus tell us of this |
before, that divines
might have prayed for thee? |
Faust. Oft have I thought to have done so; but the |
devil threatened to
tear me in pieces, if I named God, |
to fetch both body and
soul, if I once gave ear to |
divinity: and now 'tis
too late. Gentlemen, away, lest |
you perish with me. |
2nd Sch. O, what shall we do to [save] Faustus? |
Faust. Talk not of me, but save yourselves, and |
depart. |
3rd Sch. God
will strengthen me; I will stay with |
Faustus. |
1st Sch. Tempt not God, sweet friend; but let us into |
the next room, and
there pray for him. |
Faust. Ay, pray for me, pray for me; and what noise |
soever ye hear, come not unto me, for nothing can |
rescue me. |
2nd Scholar. Pray thou, and we will pray that God |
may have mercy upon
thee. |
Faust. Gentlemen, farewell: if I live till morning, |
I'll visit you; if
not, Faustus is gone to hell. |
All.
Faustus, farewell. |
[Exeunt Scholars. − The clock strikes eleven.] |
Faust. Ah, Faustus, |
Now hast thou but one
bare hour to live, |
And then thou must be
damned perpetually! − |
Stand still, you
ever-moving spheres of Heaven, |
That time may cease,
and midnight never come; |
Fair Nature's eye,
rise, rise again, and make |
Perpetual day; or let
this hour be but |
A year, a month, a
week, a natural day, |
That Faustus may
repent and save his soul! |
O lente,
lente currite, noctis equi! |
The stars move still,
time runs, the clock will strike, |
The devil will come,
and Faustus must be damned. |
O, I'll leap up to my
God! − Who pulls me down? − |
See, see, where
Christ's blood streams in the firmament! |
One drop would save my
soul, half a drop: ah, my Christ! − |
Ah, rend not my heart
for naming of my Christ! |
Yet will I call on
him: O, spare me, Lucifer! − |
Where is it now? 'tis
gone: and see, where God |
Stretcheth out his arm, and
bends his ireful brows! |
Mountains and hills,
come, come, and fall on me, |
And hide me from the
heavy wrath of God! |
No, no! |
Then will I headlong
run into the earth: |
Earth, gape! O, no, it will
not harbour me! |
You stars
that reigned at my nativity, |
Whose influence hath
allotted death and hell, |
Now draw up Faustus,
like a foggy mist, |
Into the entrails of
yon labouring cloud, |
That, when you vomit
forth into the air, |
My limbs may issue
from your smoky mouths, |
So that my soul may
but ascend to Heaven! |
[The watch strikes the half-hour.] |
Ah, half the hour is
past! 'twill all be past anon: |
O God, |
If thou wilt not have
mercy on my soul, |
Yet for Christ's sake,
whose blood hath ransomed me, |
Impose some end to my
incessant pain; |
Let Faustus live in
hell a thousand years, |
A hundred thousand,
and at last be saved! |
O, no end is limited to damnèd
souls! |
Why wert thou not a
creature wanting soul? |
Or why is this immortal
that thou hast? |
Ah, Pythagoras'
metempsychosis, were that true, |
This soul should fly
from me, and I be changed |
Unto some brutish
beast! all beasts are happy, |
For, when they die, |
Their souls are soon
dissolved in elements; |
But mine must live still
to be plagued in hell. |
Cursed be the parents
that engendered me! |
No, Faustus, curse
thyself, curse Lucifer |
That hath deprived
thee of the joys of Heaven. |
[The clock strikes twelve.] |
O, it strikes, it
strikes! Now, body, turn to air, |
Or Lucifer will bear
thee quick to hell! |
[Thunder and lightning.] |
O soul, be changed
into little water-drops, |
And fall into the
ocean, ne'er be found! |
Enter Devils. |
My God, my God, look
not so fierce on me! |
Adders and serpents,
let me breathe a while! |
Ugly hell, gape not!
come not, Lucifer! |
I'll burn my books!−Ah, Mephistophilis! |
[Exeunt Devils with Faustus.] |
Enter Chorus. |
Chorus. Cut is the branch that might have grown full straight, |
And burnèd is Apollo's laurel-bough, |
That sometime grew
within this learnèd man. |
Faustus is gone:
regard his hellish fall, |
Whose fiendful fortune may exhort the wise, |
Only to wonder at
unlawful things, |
Whose deepness doth
entice such forward wits |
To practice more than
heavenly power permits. |
[Exit.] |
Terminat hora diem; terminat
auctor opus. |