Dr. Faustus
by
Christopher Marlowe
Part 1 out of 2
From: Gary R. L. Young
Comments on the preparation of the E-Text:
ANGLE BRACKETS:
Any place where angle brackets are used, i.e.< >, it is
a change made during the preparation of this E-Text.
The original printed book did not use this character at all.
SQUARE BRACKETS:
The square brackets, i.e. [ ] are copied from the printed book,
without change, except that the stage directions usually do not
have closing brackets. These have been added.
FOOTNOTES:
For this E-Text version of the book, the footnotes have been
consolidated at the end of the play.
Numbering of the footnotes has been changed, and each footnote
is given a unique identity in the form.
CHANGES TO THE TEXT:
Character names were expanded. For Example, FAUSTUS was FAUST;
SECOND SCHOLAR was SEC. SCHOL.
OTHER COMMENTS:
This E-Text of _Doctor Faustus_ is taken from a volume of
_The Works of Christopher Marlowe_. That volume also contains
an earlier version of the play, based on the text of 1604,
which is available as an E-Text. Some of the notes to the
earlier version are applicable to, and help explain, this
version.
This E-text was prepared by Gary R. Young using an IBM compatible
486-33 computer, a Hewlett Packard Scanjet IIP scanner, OmniPage
Pro OCR software, and Microsoft Word software, Nov. 1996.
****Start of E-Text****
THE TRAGICAL HISTORY OF DOCTOR FAUSTUS
BY CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE
FROM THE QUARTO OF 1616.
EDITED BY THE REV. ALEXANDER DYCE.
The Tragicall History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus.
Written by Ch. Mar. London, Printed for John Wright, and are
to be sold at his shop without Newgate, at the signe of the
Bible, 1616, 4to.
The Tragicall History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus.
With new Additions. Written by Ch. Mar. Printed at London for
John Wright, and are to be sold at his shop without Newgate,
1624, 4to.
The Tragicall Historie of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus.
With new Additions. Written by Ch. Mar. Printed at London for
John Wright, and are to be sold at his shop without Newgate,
1631, 4to.
In a few places I have amended the text of this play by means of
4to 1604.--I have made no use of the comparatively modern edition,
4to 1663.
DRAMATIS PERSONAE.
THE POPE.
THE EMPEROR OF GERMANY.
RAYMOND, king of Hungary.
DUKE OF SAXONY.
BRUNO.
DUKE OF VANHOLT.
MARTINO, >
FREDERICK, > gentlemen.
BENVOLIO, >
FAUSTUS.
VALDES, > friends to FAUSTUS.
CORNELIUS, >
WAGNER, servant to FAUSTUS.
Clown.
ROBIN.
DICK.
Vintner.
Horse-courser.
Carter.
An Old Man.
Scholars, Cardinals, ARCHBISHOP OF RHEIMS, Bishops, Monks,
Friars, Soldiers, and Attendants.
DUCHESS OF VANHOLT.
Hostess.
LUCIFER.
BELZEBUB.
MEPHISTOPHILIS.
Good Angel.
Evil Angel.
The Seven Deadly Sins.
Devils.
Spirits in the shapes of ALEXANDER THE GREAT, of his Paramour,
of DARIUS, and of HELEN.
Chorus.
THE TRAGICAL HISTORY OF DOCTOR FAUSTUS
FROM THE QUARTO OF 1616.
Enter CHORUS.
CHORUS. Not marching in the fields of Thrasymene,
Where Mars did mate the warlike Carthagens;<1>
Nor sporting in the dalliance of love,
In courts of kings where state is overturn'd;
Nor in the pomp of proud audacious deeds,
Intends our Muse to vaunt her<2> heavenly verse:
Only this, gentles,--we must now perform
The form of Faustus' fortunes, good or bad:
And now to patient judgments we appeal,
And speak for Faustus in his infancy.
Now is he born of parents base of stock,
In Germany, within a town call'd Rhodes:
At riper years, to Wittenberg he went,
Whereas his kinsmen chiefly brought him up.
So much he profits in divinity,
That shortly he was grac'd with doctor's name,
Excelling all, and sweetly can dispute
In th' heavenly matters of theology;
Till swoln with cunning, of<3> a self-conceit,
His waxen wings did mount above his reach,
And, melting, heavens conspir'd his overthrow;
For, falling to a devilish exercise,
And glutted now with learning's golden gifts,
He surfeits upon<4> cursed 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.]
FAUSTUS discovered in his study.
FAUSTUS. Settle thy studies, Faustus, and begin
To sound the depth of that thou wilt profess:
Having commenc'd, 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 ravish'd 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 attain'd that end:
A greater subject fitteth Faustus' wit:
Bid Economy farewell, and Galen come:
Be a physician, Faustus; heap up gold,
And be eterniz'd for some wondrous cure:
Summum bonum medicinoe sanitas,
The end of physic is our body's health.
Why, Faustus, hast thou not attain'd that end?
Are not thy bills hung up as monuments,
Whereby whole cities have escap'd the plague,
And thousand<5> desperate maladies been cur'd?
Yet art thou still but Faustus, and a man.
Couldst thou make men to live eternally,
Or, being dead, raise them<6> to life again,
Then this profession were to be esteem'd.
Physic, farewell! Where is Justinian?
[Reads.]
Si una eademque res legatur<7> duobus, alter rem,
alter valorem rei, &c.
A petty<8> case of paltry legacies!
[Reads.]
Exhoereditare filium non potest pater, nisi, &c.<9>
Such is the subject of the institute,
And universal body of the law:
This 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, &c.
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
is 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 magicians,
And necromantic books are heavenly;
Lines, circles, scenes, letters, and characters;<10>
Ay, these are those that Faustus most desires.
O, what a world of profit and delight,
Of power, of honour, and omnipotence,
Is promis'd to the studious artizan!
All things that move between the quiet poles
Shall be at my command: emperors and kings
Are but obeyed in their several provinces;
But his dominion that exceeds in this,
Stretcheth as far as doth the mind of man;
A sound magician is a demigod:
Here tire, my brains, to gain<11> a deity.
Enter WAGNER.
Wagner, commend me to my dearest friends,
The German Valdes and Cornelius;
Request them earnestly to visit me.
WAGNER. I will, sir.
[Exit.]
FAUSTUS. 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 ANGEL. O, Faustus, lay that damned 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 ANGEL. Go forward, Faustus, in that famous art
Wherein all Nature's treasure is contain'd:
Be thou on earth as Jove is in the sky,
Lord and commander of these<12> elements.
[Exeunt ANGELS.]
FAUSTUS. 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<13> I will?
I'll have them fly to India for gold,
Ransack the ocean 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<14> Wertenberg;
I'll have them fill the public schools with silk,<15>
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 the provinces;
Yea, stranger engines for the brunt of war,
Than was the fiery keel at Antwerp-bridge,
I'll make my servile spirits to invent.
Enter VALDES and CORNELIUS.
Come, German Valdes, and Cornelius,
And make me blest<16> with your sage conference.
Valdes, sweet Valdes, and Cornelius,
Know that your words have won me at the last
To practice magic and concealed arts.
Philosophy is odious and obscure;
Both law and physic are for petty wits:
'Tis magic, magic that hath ravish'd me.
Then, gentle friends, aid me in this attempt;
And I, that have with subtle syllogisms
Gravell'd the pastors of the German church,
And made the flowering pride of Wittenberg
Swarm<17> to my problems, as th' infernal spirits
On sweet Musaeus when he came to hell,
Will be as cunning as Agrippa was,
Whose shadow made all Europe honour him.
VALDES. Faustus, these books, thy wit, and our experience,
Shall make all nations to<18> canonize us.
As Indian Moors obey their Spanish lords,
So shall the spirits 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<19> the white breasts of the queen of love:
>From Venice shall they<20> drag huge<21> argosies,
And from America the golden fleece
That yearly stuffs<22> old Philip's treasury;
If learned Faustus will be resolute.
FAUSTUS. Valdes, as resolute am I in this
As thou to live: therefore object it not.
CORNELIUS. The miracles that magic will perform
Will make thee vow to study nothing else.
He that is grounded in astrology,
Enrich'd with tongues, well seen in minerals,
Hath all the principles magic doth require:
Then doubt not, Faustus, but to be renowm'd,<23>
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,
Yea, all the wealth that our forefathers hid
Within the massy entrails of the earth:
Then tell me, Faustus, what shall we three want?
FAUSTUS. Nothing, Cornelius. O, this cheers my soul!
Come, shew me some demonstrations magical,
That I may conjure in some bushy grove,
And have these joys in full possession.
VALDES. Then haste thee to some solitary grove,
And bear wise Bacon's and Albertus'<24> works,
The Hebrew Psalter, and New Testament;
And whatsoever else is requisite
We will inform thee ere our conference cease.
CORNELIUS. Valdes, first let him know the words of art;
And then, all other ceremonies learn'd,
Faustus may try his cunning by himself.
VALDES. First I'll instruct thee in the rudiments,
And then wilt thou be perfecter than I.
FAUSTUS. 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.]
Enter two SCHOLARS.
FIRST SCHOLAR. I wonder what's become of Faustus, that was wont
to make our schools ring with sic probo.
SECOND SCHOLAR. That shall we presently know; here comes his boy.
Enter WAGNER.
FIRST SCHOLAR. How now, sirrah! where's thy master?
WAGNER. God in heaven knows.
SECOND SCHOLAR. Why, dost not thou know, then?
WAGNER. Yes, I know; but that follows not.
FIRST SCHOLAR. Go to, sirrah! leave your jesting, and tell us
where he is.
WAGNER. That follows not by force of argument, which you, being
licentiates, should stand upon: therefore acknowledge your
error, and be attentive.
SECOND SCHOLAR. Then you will not tell us?
WAGNER. You are deceived, for I will tell you: yet, if you were
not dunces, you would never ask me such a question; for is he not
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 but 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, would
inform your worships: and so, the Lord bless you, preserve you,
and keep you, my dear brethren!
[Exit.]
FIRST SCHOLAR. O Faustus!
Then I fear that which I have long suspected,
That thou art fall'n into that<25> damned art
For which they two are infamous through the world.
SECOND SCHOLAR. Were he a stranger, not allied to me,
The danger of his soul would make me mourn.
But, come, let us go and inform the Rector:
It may be his grave counsel may reclaim him.<26>
FIRST SCHOLAR. I fear me nothing will reclaim him now.
SECOND SCHOLAR. Yet let us see what we can do.
[Exeunt.]
Enter FAUSTUS.<27>
FAUSTUS. Now that the gloomy shadow of the night,
Longing to view Orion's drizzling look,
Leaps from th' antartic world unto the sky,
And dims the welkin with her<28> pitchy breath,
Faustus, begin thine incantations,
And try if devils will obey thy hest,
Seeing thou hast pray'd and sacrific'd to them.
Within this circle is Jehovah's name,
Forward and backward anagrammatiz'd,
Th' abbreviated names of holy saints,
Figures of every adjunct to the heavens,
And characters of signs and erring<29> stars,
By which the spirits are enforc'd to rise:
Then fear not, Faustus, to be resolute,
And try the utmost magic can perform.
[Thunder.]
Sint mihi dii 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 Dragon, quod tumeraris:<30>
per Jehovam, Gehennam, et consecratam aquam quam nunc spargo,
signumque crucis quod nunc facio, et per vota nostra, ipse nunc
surgat nobis dicatus<31> 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.
Re-enter MEPHISTOPHILIS like a Franciscan friar.
MEPHIST. Now, Faustus, what wouldst thou have me do?
FAUSTUS. 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 ocean to overwhelm the world.
MEPHIST. I am a servant to great Lucifer,
And may not follow thee without his leave:
No more than he commands must we perform.
FAUSTUS. Did not he charge thee to appear to me?
MEPHIST. No, I came hither<32> of mine own accord.
FAUSTUS. Did not my conjuring speeches<33> raise thee? speak!
MEPHIST. That was the cause, but yet per accidens;<34>
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 damn'd.
Therefore the shortest cut for conjuring
Is stoutly to abjure all godliness,
And pray devoutly to the prince of hell.
FAUSTUS. 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 me,
For I confound hell in Elysium:
My ghost be with the old philosophers!
But, leaving these vain trifles of men's souls,
Tell me what is that Lucifer thy lord?
MEPHIST. Arch-regent and commander of all spirits.
FAUSTUS. Was not that Lucifer an angel once?
MEPHIST. Yes, Faustus, and most dearly lov'd of God.
FAUSTUS. How comes it, then, that he is prince of devils?
MEPHIST. O, by aspiring pride and insolence;
For which God threw him from the face of heaven.
FAUSTUS. And what are you that live with Lucifer?
MEPHIST. Unhappy spirits that fell<35> with Lucifer,
Conspir'd against our God with Lucifer,
And are for ever damn'd with Lucifer.
FAUSTUS. Where are you damn'd?
MEPHIST. In hell.
FAUSTUS. How comes it, then, that thou art out of hell?
MEPHIST. Why, this is hell, nor am I out of it:
Think'st thou that I, that saw the face of God,
And tasted the eternal joys of heaven,
Am not tormented with ten thousand hells,
In being depriv'd of everlasting bliss?
O, Faustus, leave these frivolous demands,
Which strike<36> a terror to my fainting soul!
FAUSTUS. What, is great Mephistophilis so passionate
For being deprived 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 incurr'd 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 to 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.
MEPHIST. I will, Faustus.
[Exit.]
FAUSTUS. 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<37> 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 contributary to my crown:
The Emperor shall not live but by my leave,
Nor any potentate of Germany.
Now that I have obtain'd what I desir'd,
I'll live in speculation of this art,
Till Mephistophilis return again.
[Exit.]
Enter WAGNER and CLOWN.
WAGNER. Come hither, sirrah boy.
CLOWN. Boy! O, disgrace to my person! zounds, boy in your face!
You have seen many boys with beards, I am sure.
WAGNER. Sirrah,<38> hast thou no comings in?
CLOWN. Yes, and goings out too, you may see, sir.
WAGNER. Alas, poor slave! see how poverty jests in his nakedness!
I know the villain's 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. Not so neither: I had need to have it well roasted, and
good sauce to it, if I pay so dear, I can tell you.
WAGNER. Sirrah, wilt thou be my man, and wait on me, and I will
make thee go like Qui mihi discipulus?
CLOWN. What, in verse?
WAGNER. No, slave; in beaten silk and staves-acre.
CLOWN. Staves-acre! that's good to kill vermin: then, belike,
if I serve you, I shall be lousy.
WAGNER. Why, so thou shalt be, whether thou dost it or no; for,
sirrah, if thou dost not presently bind thyself to me for seven
years, I'll turn all the lice about thee into familiars, and make
them tear thee in pieces.
CLOWN. Nay, sir, you may save<39> yourself a labour, for they
are as familiar with me as if they paid for their meat and drink,
I can tell you.
WAGNER. Well, sirrah, leave your jesting, and take these guilders.
[Gives money.]
CLOWN. Yes, marry, sir; and I thank you too.
WAGNER. So, now thou art to be at an hour's warning, whensoever
and wheresoever the devil shall fetch thee.
CLOWN. Here, take your guilders again;<40> I'll none of 'em.
WAGNER. Not I; thou art pressed: prepare thyself, or<41> I will
presently raise up two devils to carry thee away.--Banio! Belcher!
CLOWN. Belcher! an Belcher come here, I'll belch him: I am not
afraid of a devil.
Enter two DEVILS.
WAGNER. How now, sir! will you serve me now?
CLOWN. Ay, good Wagner; take away the devil[s], then.
WAGNER. Spirits, away!
[Exeunt DEVILS.]
Now, sirrah, follow me.
CLOWN. I will, sir: but hark you, master; will you teach me this
conjuring occupation?
WAGNER. Ay, sirrah, I'll teach thee to turn thyself to a dog,
or a cat, or a mouse, or a rat, or any thing.
CLOWN. A dog, or a cat, or a mouse, or a rat!
O, brave, Wagner!
WAGNER. Villain, call me Master Wagner, and see that you walk
attentively, and let your right eye be always diametrally fixed
upon my left heel, that thou mayst quasi vestigiis nostris<42>
insistere.
CLOWN. Well, sir, I warrant you.
[Exeunt.]
FAUSTUS discovered in his study.
FAUSTUS. Now, Faustus,
Must thou needs be damn'd, canst thou not be sav'd.
What boots it, then, to think on God or heaven?
Away with such vain fancies, and despair;
Despair in God, and trust in Belzebub:
Now, go not backward,<43> Faustus; be resolute:
Why<44> waver'st thou? O, something soundeth in mine ear,
"Abjure this magic, turn to God again!"
Why, he loves thee not;
The god thou serv'st is thine own appetite,
Wherein is fix'd 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.
EVIL ANGEL. Go forward, Faustus, in that famous<45> art.
GOOD ANGEL. Sweet Faustus, leave that execrable art.
FAUSTUS. Contrition, prayer, repentance--what of<46> these?
GOOD ANGEL. O, they are means to bring thee unto heaven!
EVIL ANGEL. Rather illusions, fruits of lunacy,
That make men<47> foolish that do use them most.
GOOD ANGEL. Sweet Faustus, think of heaven and heavenly things.
EVIL ANGEL. No, Faustus; think of honour and of wealth.
[Exeunt ANGELS.]
FAUSTUS. Wealth!
Why, the signiory of Embden shall be mine.
When Mephistophilis shall stand by me,
What power can hurt me? Faustus, thou art safe:
Cast no more doubts.--Mephistophilis, come,
And bring glad tidings from great Lucifer;--
Is't not midnight?--come Mephistophilis,
And bring glad tidings from great Lucifer;--
Is't not midnight?--come Mephistophilis,
Veni, veni, Mephistophile!<48>
Enter MEPHISTOPHILIS.
Now tell me what saith Lucifer, thy lord?
MEPHIST. That I shall wait on Faustus whilst he lives,
So he will buy my service with his soul.
FAUSTUS. Already Faustus hath hazarded that for thee.
MEPHIST. But now thou must bequeath it solemnly,
And write a deed of gift with thine own blood;
For that security craves Lucifer.
If thou deny it, I must back to hell.
FAUSTUS. Stay, Mephistophilis, and tell me, what good will my
soul do thy lord?
MEPHIST. Enlarge his kingdom.
FAUSTUS. Is that the reason why he tempts us thus?
MEPHIST. Solamen miseris socios habuisse doloris.
FAUSTUS. Why, have you any pain that torture others?
MEPHIST. 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.
FAUSTUS. Ay, Mephistophilis, I'll give it thee.<49>
MEPHIST. Then, Faustus, stab thine<50> arm courageously,
And bind thy soul, that at some certain day
Great Lucifer may claim it as his own;
And<51> then be thou as great as Lucifer.
FAUSTUS. [Stabbing his arm] Lo, Mephistophilis, for love of thee,
Faustus hath cut his arm, and with his proper blood
Assures his soul to be great Lucifer's,
Chief lord and regent of perpetual night!
View here this blood that trickles from mine arm,
And let it be propitious for my<52> wish.
MEPHIST. But, Faustus,
Write it in manner of a deed of gift.
FAUSTUS. [Writing] Ay, so I do. But, Mephistophilis,
My blood congeals, and I can write no more.
MEPHIST. I'll fetch thee fire to dissolve it straight.
[Exit.]
FAUSTUS. What might the staying of my blood portend?
Is it<53> unwilling I should write this bill?
Why streams it not, that I may write afresh?
FAUSTUS GIVES TO THEE HIS SOUL: O, there it stay'd!
Why shouldst thou not? is not thy soul thine own?
Then write again, FAUSTUS GIVES TO THEE HIS SOUL.<54>
Re-enter MEPHISTOPHILIS with the chafer of fire.
MEPHIST. See, Faustus, here is fire; set it on.
FAUSTUS. So, now the blood begins to clear again;
Now will I make an<55> end immediately.
[Writes.]
MEPHIST. What will not I do to obtain his soul?
[Aside.]
FAUSTUS. Consummatum est; this bill is ended,
And Faustus hath bequeath'd his soul to Lucifer.
But what is this inscription on mine arm?
Homo, fuge: whither should<56> I fly?
If unto God,<57> he'll throw me down to hell.
My senses are deceiv'd; here's nothing writ:--
O, yes, I see it plain; even here is writ,
Homo, fuge: yet shall not Faustus fly.
MEPHIST. I'll fetch him somewhat to delight his mind.
[Aside, and then exit.]
Enter DEVILS, giving crowns and rich apparel to FAUSTUS.
They dance, and then depart.
Re-enter MEPHISTOPHILIS.
FAUSTUS. What means this show? speak, Mephistophilis.
MEPHIST. Nothing, Faustus, but to delight thy mind,
And let thee see what magic can perform.
FAUSTUS. But may I raise such spirits when I please?
MEPHIST. Ay, Faustus, and do greater things than these.
FAUSTUS. Then, Mephistophilis, receive this scroll,<58>
A deed of gift of body and of soul:
But yet conditionally that thou perform
All covenants and articles between us both!
MEPHIST. Faustus, I swear by hell and Lucifer
To effect all promises between us both!
FAUSTUS. Then hear me read it, Mephistophilis.
[Reads.]
ON THESE CONDITIONS FOLLOWING. FIRST, THAT FAUSTUS MAY BE A
SPIRIT IN FORM AND SUBSTANCE. SECONDLY, THAT MEPHISTOPHILIS
SHALL BE HIS SERVANT, AND BE BY HIM COMMANDED. THIRDLY, THAT
MEPHISTOPHILIS SHALL DO FOR HIM, AND BRING HIM WHATSOEVER HE
DESIRES.<59> 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 SHAPE AND FORM SOEVER HE PLEASE. I, JOHN
FAUSTUS, OF WITTENBERG, 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, FOUR-AND-
TWENTY YEARS BEING EXPIRED, AND THESE ARTICLES ABOVE-WRITTEN
BEING INVIOLATE, FULL POWER TO FETCH OR CARRY THE SAID JOHN FAUSTUS,
BODY AND SOUL, FLESH AND<60> BLOOD, INTO THEIR HABITATION WHERESOEVER.
BY ME, JOHN FAUSTUS.
MEPHIST. Speak, Faustus, do you deliver this as your deed?
FAUSTUS. Ay, take it, and the devil give thee good of it!
MEPHIST. So, now, Faustus, ask me what thou wilt.
FAUSTUS. First I will question with<61> thee about hell.
Tell me, where is the<62> place that men call hell?
MEPHIST. Under the heavens.
FAUSTUS. Ay, so are all things else; but whereabouts?
MEPHIST. Within the bowels of these elements,
Where we are tortur'd and remain for ever:
Hell hath no limits, nor is circumscrib'd
In one self-place; but where we are is hell,
And where hell is, there must we ever be:
And, to be short, when all the world dissolves,
And every creature shall be purified,
All places shall be hell that are<63> not heaven.
FAUSTUS. I think hell's a fable.<64>
MEPHIST. Ay, think so still, till experience change thy mind.
FAUSTUS. Why, dost thou think that Faustus shall be damn'd?
MEPHIST. Ay, of necessity, for here's the scroll
In which thou hast given thy soul to Lucifer.
FAUSTUS. Ay, and body too; and what of that?
Think'st thou that Faustus is so fond to imagine
That, after this life, there is any pain?
No, these are trifles and mere old wives' tales.
MEPHIST. But I am an instance to prove the contrary,
For I tell thee I am damn'd and now in hell.
FAUSTUS. Nay, an this be hell, I'll willingly be damn'd:
What! sleeping, eating, walking, and disputing!
But, leaving this, let me have a wife,
The fairest maid in Germany;
For I am wanton and lascivious,
And cannot live without a wife.
MEPHIST. Well, Faustus, thou shalt have a wife.
[MEPHISTOPHILIS fetches in a WOMAN-DEVIL.]
FAUSTUS. What sight is this?
MEPHIST. Now, Faustus, wilt thou have a wife?
FAUSTUS. Here's a hot whore, indeed: no, I'll no wife.
MEPHIST. Marriage is but a ceremonial toy,
And, if thou lov'st 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<65> eye shall like, thy<66> heart shall have,
Were she as chaste as was<67> Penelope,
As wise as Saba, or as beautiful
As was bright Lucifer before his fall.
Here, take this book, peruse it well:
The iterating of these lines brings gold;
The framing of this circle on the ground
Brings thunder, whirlwinds, storm, and lightning;
Pronounce this thrice devoutly to thyself,
And men in harness<68> shall appear to thee,
Ready to execute what thou command'st.
FAUSTUS. Thanks, Mephistophilis, for this sweet book:
This will I keep as chary as my life.
[Exeunt.]
Enter FAUSTUS, in his study, and MEPHISTOPHILIS.
FAUSTUS. When I behold the heavens,<69> then I repent,
And curse thee, wicked Mephistophilis,
Because thou hast depriv'd me of those joys.
MEPHIST. 'Twas thine<70> own seeking, Faustus; thank thyself.
But, think'st thou heaven is<71> such a glorious thing?
I tell thee, Faustus, it is not half so fair
As thou, or any man that breathes<72> on earth.
FAUSTUS. How prov'st thou that?
MEPHIST. 'Twas made for man; then he's more excellent.
FAUSTUS. If heaven was made for man, 'twas made for me:
I will renounce this magic and repent.
Enter GOOD ANGEL and EVIL ANGEL.
GOOD ANGEL. Faustus, repent; yet God will pity thee.
EVIL ANGEL. Thou art a spirit; God cannot pity thee.
FAUSTUS. Who buzzeth in mine ears<73> I am a spirit?
Be I a devil, yet God may pity me;
Yea, God will pity me, if I repent.
EVIL ANGEL. Ay, but Faustus never shall repent.
[Exeunt ANGELS.]
FAUSTUS. My heart is harden'd, I cannot repent;
Scarce can I name salvation, faith, or heaven:
Swords, poisons, halters, and envenom'd steel
Are laid before me to despatch myself;
And long ere this I<74> should have done the deed,
Had not sweet pleasure conquer'd 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 resolv'd; Faustus shall not repent.--
Come, Mephistophilis, let us dispute again,
And reason of divine astrology.
Speak, are there many spheres above the moon?
Are all celestial bodies but one globe,
As is the substance of this centric earth?
MEPHIST. As are the elements, such are the heavens,
Even from the moon unto th' empyreal orb,
Mutually folded in each other's spheres,
And jointly move upon one axletree,
Whose termine<75> is term'd the world's wide pole;
Nor are the names of Saturn, Mars, or Jupiter
Feign'd, but are erring<76> stars.
FAUSTUS. But have they all one motion, both situ et tempore?
MEPHIST. All move from east to west in four-and-twenty
hours upon the poles of the world; but differ in their motions
upon the poles of the zodiac.
FAUSTUS. These slender questions Wagner can decide:
Hath Mephistophilis no greater skill?
Who knows not the double motion<77> of the planets?
That the first is finish'd in a natural day;
The second thus; Saturn in thirty years; Jupiter in twelve;
Mars in four; the Sun, Venus, and Mercury in a year; the Moon
in twenty-eight days. These are freshmen's questions. But
tell me, hath every sphere a dominion or intelligentia?
MEPHIST. Ay.
FAUSTUS. How many heavens or spheres are there?
MEPHIST. Nine; the seven planets, the firmament, and the empyreal
heaven.
FAUSTUS. But is there not coelum igneum et crystallinum?
MEPHIST. No, Faustus, they be but fables.
FAUSTUS. Resolve me, then, in this one question; why are not
conjunctions, oppositions, aspects, eclipses, all at one time,
but in some years we have more, in some less?
MEPHIST. Per inoequalem motum respectu totius.
FAUSTUS. Well, I am answered. Now tell me who made the world?
MEPHIST. I will not.
FAUSTUS. Sweet Mephistophilis, tell me.
MEPHIST. Move me not, Faustus.
FAUSTUS. Villain, have I not bound thee to tell me any thing?
MEPHIST. Ay,<78> that is not against our kingdom; this is.
Thou art damned; think thou of hell.
FAUSTUS. Think, Faustus, upon God that made the world.
MEPHIST. Remember this.
[Exit.]
FAUSTUS. Ay, go, accursed spirit, to ugly hell!
'Tis thou hast damn'd distressed Faustus' soul.
Is't not too late?
Re-enter GOOD ANGEL and EVIL ANGEL.
EVIL ANGEL. Too late.
GOOD ANGEL. Never too late, if Faustus will repent.
EVIL ANGEL. If thou repent, devils will tear thee in pieces.
GOOD ANGEL. Repent, and they shall never raze thy skin.
[Exeunt ANGELS.]
FAUSTUS. O Christ, my Saviour, my Saviour
Help to save distressed Faustus' soul!
Enter LUCIFER, BELZEBUB, and MEPHISTOPHILIS.
LUCIFER. Christ cannot save thy soul, for he is just:
There's none but I have interest in the same.
FAUSTUS. O, what art thou that look'st so terribly?
LUCIFER. I am Lucifer,
And this is my companion-prince in hell.
FAUSTUS. O Faustus, they are come to fetch thy soul!
BELZEBUB. We are come to tell thee thou dost injure us.
LUCIFER. Thou call'st of Christ, contrary to thy promise.
BELZEBUB. Thou shouldst not think on God.
LUCIFER. Think of the devil.
BELZEBUB. And his dam too.
FAUSTUS. Nor will Faustus henceforth: pardon him for this,
And Faustus vows never to look to heaven.
LUCIFER. So shalt thou shew thyself an obedient servant,
And we will highly gratify thee for it.
BELZEBUB. Faustus, we are come from hell in person to shew thee
some pastime: sit down, and thou shalt behold the Seven Deadly
Sins appear to thee in their own proper shapes and likeness.
FAUSTUS. That sight will be as pleasant unto me,
As Paradise was to Adam the first day
Of his creation.
LUCIFER. Talk not of Paradise or creation; but mark the show.--
Go, Mephistophilis, and<79> fetch them in.
MEPHISTOPHILIS brings in the SEVEN DEADLY SINS.
BELZEBUB. Now, Faustus, question them of their names and
dispositions.
FAUSTUS. That shall I soon.--What art thou, the<80> 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; next, like a necklace, I hang
about her neck; then, like a fan of feathers, I kiss her lips;<81>
and then, turning myself to a wrought smock, do what I list.
But, fie, what a smell is here! I'll not speak a word more for
a king's ransom, unless the ground be perfumed, and covered with
cloth of arras.
FAUSTUS. Thou art a proud knave, indeed.--What art thou, the second?
COVETOUSNESS. I am Covetousness, begotten of an old churl, in a
leather bag: and, might I now obtain my wish, this house, you,
and all, should turn to gold, that I might lock you safe into
my chest: O my sweet gold!
FAUSTUS. And what art thou, the third?
ENVY. I am Envy, begotten of a chimney-sweeper and an oyster-wife.
I cannot read, and therefore wish all books burned. I am lean
with seeing others eat. O, that there would come a famine over
all the world, that all might die, and I live alone! then thou
shouldst see how fat I'd be. But must thou sit, and I stand?
come down, with a vengeance!
FAUSTUS. Out, envious wretch!--But what art thou, the fourth?
WRATH. I am Wrath. I had neither father nor mother: I leapt
out of a lion's mouth when I was scarce an hour old; and ever
since have run<82> up and down the world with this<83> case of
rapiers, wounding myself when I could get none to fight withal.
I was born in hell; and look to it, for some of you shall be my
father.
FAUSTUS. And what art thou, the fifth?
GLUTTONY. I am Gluttony. My parents are all dead, and the devil
a penny they have left me, but a small pension, and that buys me
thirty meals a-day and ten bevers,--a small trifle to suffice
nature. I come<84> of a royal pedigree: my father was a Gammon
of Bacon, my mother was a Hogshead of Claret-wine; my godfathers
were these, Peter Pickled-herring and Martin Martlemas-beef; but
my godmother, O, she was an ancient gentlewoman; her name was
Margery March-beer. Now, Faustus, thou hast heard all my progeny;
wilt thou bid me to supper?
FAUSTUS. Not I.
GLUTTONY. Then the devil choke thee!
FAUSTUS. Choke thyself, glutton!--What art thou, the sixth?
SLOTH. Heigho! I am Sloth. I was begotten on a sunny bank.
Heigho! I'll not speak a word more for a king's ransom.
FAUSTUS. And what are you, Mistress Minx, the seventh and last?
LECHERY. Who, I,<85> 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.<86>
LUCIFER. Away to hell, away! On, piper!
[Exeunt the SINS.]
FAUSTUS. O, how this sight doth delight my soul!
LUCIFER. Tut,<87> Faustus, in hell is all manner of delight.
FAUSTUS. O, might I see hell, and return again safe,
How happy were I then!
LUCIFER. Faustus, thou shalt; at midnight I will send for thee.
Meanwhile peruse this book and view it throughly,
And thou shalt turn thyself into what shape thou wilt.
FAUSTUS. Thanks, mighty Lucifer!
This will I keep as chary as my life.
LUCIFER. Now, Faustus, farewell.
FAUSTUS. Farewell, great Lucifer.
[Exeunt LUCIFER and BELZEBUB.]
Come, Mephistophilis.
[Exeunt.]
Enter ROBIN,<88> with a book.
ROBIN. What, Dick! look to the horses there, till I come again.
I have gotten one of Doctor Faustus' conjuring-books; and now
we'll have such knavery as't passes.
Enter DICK.
DICK. What, Robin! you must come away and walk the horses.
ROBIN. I walk the horses! I scorn't, faith:<89> I have other
matters in hand: let the horses walk themselves, an they will.--
[Reads.]
A per se, a; t, h, e, the; o per se, o; Demy orgon gorgon.--
Keep further from me, O thou illiterate and unlearned hostler!
DICK. 'Snails, what hast thou got there? a book! why, thou canst
not tell<90> ne'er a word on't.
ROBIN. That thou shalt see presently: keep out of the circle,
I say, lest I send you into the ostry with a vengeance.
DICK. That's like, faith! you had best leave your foolery; for,
an my master come, he'll conjure you, faith.
ROBIN. My master conjure me! I'll tell thee what; an my master
come here, I'll clap as fair a<91> pair of horns on's head as
e'er thou sawest in thy life.
DICK. Thou need'st<92> not do that, for my mistress hath done it.
ROBIN. Ay, there be of us here that have waded as deep into
matters as other men, if they were disposed to talk.
DICK. A plague take you! I thought you did not sneak up and down
after her for nothing. But, I prithee, tell me in good sadness,
Robin, is that a conjuring-book?
ROBIN. Do but speak what thou'lt have me to do, and I'll do't:
if thou'lt dance naked, put off thy clothes, and I'll conjure
thee about presently; or, if thou'lt go but to the tavern with
me, I'll give thee white wine, red wine, claret-wine, sack,
muscadine, malmsey, and whippincrust, hold, belly, hold;<93> and
we'll not pay one penny for it.
DICK. 0, brave! Prithee,<94> let's to it presently, for I am as
dry as a dog.
ROBIN. Come, then, let's away.
[Exeunt.]
Enter CHORUS.
CHORUS. Learned Faustus,
To find the secrets of astronomy
Graven in the book of Jove's high firmament,
Did mount him<95> up to scale Olympus' top;
Where, sitting in a chariot burning bright,
Drawn by the strength of yoked dragons' necks,
He views<96> the clouds, the planets, and the stars,
The tropic zones, and quarters of the sky,
>From the bright circle of the horned moon
Even to the height of Primum Mobile;
And, whirling round with this<97> circumference,
Within the concave compass of the pole,
>From east to west his dragons swiftly glide,
And in eight days did bring him home again.
Not long he stay'd within his quiet house,
To rest his bones after his weary toil;
But new exploits do hale him out again:
And, mounted then upon a dragon's back,
That with his wings did part the subtle air,
He now is gone to prove cosmography,
That measures coasts and kingdoms of the earth;
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,
The which this day is highly solemniz'd.
[Exit.]
Enter FAUSTUS and MEPHISTOPHILIS.
FAUSTUS. Having now, my good Mephistophilis,
Pass'd with delight the stately town of Trier,
Environ'd round<98> with airy mountain-tops,
With walls of flint, and deep-entrenched 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,<99>
Whose banks are set with groves of fruitful vines;
Then up to<100> Naples, rich Campania,
Whose buildings fair and gorgeous to the eye,
The streets straight forth, and pav'd with finest brick,
Quarter the town in four equivalents:<101>
There saw we learned Maro's golden tomb;
The way he cut, an English mile in length,
Thorough<102> a rock of stone, in one night's space;
>From thence to Venice, Padua, and the rest,<103>
In one of which a sumptuous temple stands,
That threats the stars with her aspiring top,
Whose frame is pav'd with sundry-colour'd stones,
And roof'd aloft with curious work in gold.
Thus hitherto hath Faustus spent his time:
But tell me<104> now, what resting-place is this?
Hast thou, as erst I did command,
Conducted me within the walls of Rome?
MEPHIST. I have, my Faustus; and, for proof thereof,
This is the goodly palace of the Pope;
And, 'cause we are no common guests,
I choose his privy-chamber for our use.
FAUSTUS. I hope his Holiness will bid us<105> welcome.
MEPHIST. All's one, for we'll be bold with his venison.
But now, my Faustus, that thou mayst perceive
What Rome contains for to delight thine eyes,
Know that this city stands upon seven hills
That underprop the groundwork of the same:
Just through<106> the midst runs flowing Tiber's stream,
With winding banks that cut it in two parts;
Over the which two stately bridges lean,
That make safe passage to each part of Rome:
Upon the bridge call'd Ponte<107> Angelo
Erected is a castle passing strong,
Where thou shalt see such store of ordnance,
As that the double cannons, forg'd of brass,
Do match<108> the number of the days contain'd
Within the compass of one complete year;
Beside the gates, and high pyramides,
That Julius Caesar brought from Africa.
FAUSTUS. 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<109> monuments
And situation of bright-splendent Rome:
Come, therefore, let's away.
MEPHIST. Nay, stay, my Faustus: I know you'd see the Pope,
And take some part of holy Peter's feast,
The which, in state and<110> high solemnity,
This day, is held through Rome and Italy,
In honour of the Pope's triumphant victory.
FAUSTUS. Sweet Mephistophilis, thou pleasest me.
Whilst I am here on earth, let me be cloy'd
With all things that delight the heart of man:
My four-and-twenty years of liberty
I'll spend in pleasure and in dalliance,
That Faustus' name, whilst<111> this bright frame doth stand,
May be admir'd thorough<112> the furthest land.
MEPHIST. 'Tis well said, Faustus. Come, then, stand by me,
And thou shalt see them come immediately.
FAUSTUS. Nay, stay, my gentle Mephistophilis,
And grant me my<113> request, and then I go.
Thou know'st, within the compass of eight days
We view'd the face of heaven, of earth, and hell;
So high our dragons soar'd into the air,
That, looking down, the earth appear'd to me
No bigger than my hand in quantity;
There did we view the kingdoms of the world,
And what might please mine eye I there beheld.
Then in this show let me an actor be,
That this proud Pope may Faustus' cunning<114> see.
MEPHIST. Let it be so, my Faustus. But, first, stay,
And view their triumphs as they pass this way;
And then devise what best contents thy mind,
By cunning in thine art to cross the Pope,
Or dash the pride of this<115> solemnity;
To make his monks and abbots stand like apes,
And point like antics at<116> his triple crown;
To beat the beads about the friars' pates,
Or clap huge horns upon the Cardinals' heads;
Or any villany thou canst devise;
And I'll perform it,<117> Faustus. Hark! they come:
This day shall make thee be admir'd in Rome.
Enter the CARDINALS and BISHOPS, some bearing crosiers, some
the pillars; MONKS and FRIARS, singing their procession;
then the POPE, RAYMOND king of Hungary, the ARCHBISHOP
OF RHEIMS, BRUNO led in chains, and ATTENDANTS.
POPE. Cast down our footstool.
RAYMOND. Saxon Bruno, stoop,
Whilst on thy back his Holiness ascends
Saint Peter's chair and state pontifical.
BRUNO. Proud Lucifer, that state belongs to me;
But thus I fall to Peter, not to thee.
POPE. To me and Peter shalt thou grovelling lie,
And crouch before the Papal dignity.--
Sound trumpets, then; for thus Saint Peter's heir,
>From Bruno's back, ascends Saint Peter's chair.
[A flourish while he ascends.]
Thus, as the gods creep on with feet of wool,
Long ere with iron hands they punish men,
So shall our sleeping vengeance now arise,
And smite with death thy hated enterprise.<118>--
Lord Cardinals of France and Padua,
Go forthwith to our<119> holy consistory,
And read, amongst the statutes decretal,
What, by the holy council held at Trent,
The sacred synod hath decreed for him
That doth assume the Papal government
Without election and a true consent:
Away, and bring us word with speed.
CARDINAL OF FRANCE. We go, my lord.
[Exeunt CARDINALS of France and Padua.]
POPE. Lord Raymond.
[They converse in dumb show.]
FAUSTUS. Go, haste thee, gentle Mephistophilis,
Follow the cardinals to the consistory;
And, as they turn their superstitious books,
Strike them with sloth and drowsy idleness,
And make them sleep so sound, that in their shapes
Thyself and I may parley with this<120> Pope,
This proud confronter of the Emperor;
And, in despite of all his holiness,
Restore this Bruno to his liberty,
And bear him to the states of Germany.
MEPHIST. Faustus, I go.
FAUSTUS. Despatch it soon:
The Pope shall curse, that Faustus came to Rome.
[Exeunt FAUSTUS and MEPHISTOPHILIS.]
BRUNO. Pope Adrian, let me have right<121> of law:
I was elected by the Emperor.
POPE. We will depose the Emperor for that deed,
And curse the people that submit to him:
Both he and thou shall<122> stand excommunicate,
And interdict from church's privilege
And all society of holy men.
He grows too proud in his authority,
Lifting his lofty head above the clouds,
And, like a steeple, overpeers the church:
But we'll pull down his haughty insolence;
And, as Pope Alexander, our progenitor,
Trod on the neck of German Frederick,
Adding this golden sentence to our praise,
"That Peter's heirs should tread on Emperors,
And walk upon the dreadful adder's back,
Treading the lion and the dragon down,
And fearless spurn the killing basilisk,"
So will we quell that haughty schismatic,
And, by authority apostolical,
Depose him from his regal government.
BRUNO. Pope Julius swore to princely Sigismond,
For him and the succeeding Popes of Rome,
To hold the Emperors their lawful lords.
POPE. Pope Julius did abuse the church's rights,
And therefore none of his decrees can stand.
Is not all power on earth bestow'd on us?
And therefore, though we would, we cannot err.
Behold this silver belt, whereto is fix'd
Seven golden seals, fast sealed with seven seals,
In token of our seven-fold power from heaven,
To bind or loose, lock fast, condemn or judge,
Resign or seal, or what so pleaseth us:
Then he and thou, and all the world, shall stoop,
Or be assured of our dreadful curse,
To light as heavy as the pains of hell.
Re-enter FAUSTUS and MEPHISTOPHILIS, in the shapes of the
CARDINALS of France and Padua.
MEPHIST. Now tell me, Faustus, are we not fitted well?
FAUSTUS. Yes, Mephistophilis; and two such cardinals
Ne'er serv'd a holy Pope as we shall do.
But, whilst they sleep within the consistory,
Let us salute his reverend fatherhood.
RAYMOND. Behold, my lord, the Cardinals are return'd.
POPE. Welcome, grave fathers: answer presently
What hath<123> our holy council there decreed
Concerning Bruno and the Emperor,
In quittance of their late conspiracy
Against our state and papal dignity?
FAUSTUS. Most sacred patron of the church of Rome,
By full consent of all the synod<124>
Of priests and prelates, it is thus decreed,--
That Bruno and the German Emperor
Be held as Lollards and bold schismatics,
And proud disturbers of the church's peace;
And if that Bruno, by his own assent,
Without enforcement of the German peers,
Did seek to wear the triple diadem,
And by your death to climb Saint Peter's chair,
The statutes decretal have thus decreed,--
He shall be straight condemn'd of heresy,
And on a pile of faggots burnt to death.
POPE. It is enough. Here, take him to your charge,
And bear him straight to Ponte<125> Angelo,
And in the strongest tower enclose him fast.
To-morrow, sitting in our consistory,
With all our college of grave cardinals,
We will determine of his life or death.
Here, take his<126> triple crown along with you,
And leave it in the church's treasury.
Make haste again, my good Lord Cardinals,
And take our blessing apostolical.
MEPHIST. So, so; was never devil thus bless'd before.
FAUSTUS. Away, sweet Mephistophilis, be gone;
The Cardinals will be plagu'd for this anon.
[Exeunt FAUSTUS and MEPHISTOPHILIS with BRUNO.]
POPE. Go presently and bring a banquet forth,
That we may solemnize Saint Peter's feast,
And with Lord Raymond, King of Hungary,
Drink to our late and happy victory.
A Sennet<127> while the banquet is brought in; and then enter
FAUSTUS and MEPHISTOPHILIS in their own shapes.
MEPHIST. Now, Faustus, come, prepare thyself for mirth:
The sleepy Cardinals are hard at hand,
To censure Bruno, that is posted hence,
And on a proud-pac'd steed, as swift as thought,
Flies o'er the Alps to fruitful Germany,
There to salute the woful Emperor.
FAUSTUS. The Pope will curse them for their sloth to-day,
That slept both Bruno and his crown away.
But now, that Faustus may delight his mind,
And by their folly make some merriment,
Sweet Mephistophilis, so charm me here,
That I may walk invisible to all,
And do whate'er I please, unseen of any.
MEPHIST. Faustus, thou shalt: then kneel down presently,
Whilst on thy head I lay my hand,
And charm thee with this magic wand.
First, wear this girdle; then appear
Invisible to all are here:
The planets seven, the gloomy air,
Hell, and the Furies' forked hair,
Pluto's blue fire, and Hecat's tree,
With magic spells so compass thee,
That no eye may thy body see!
So, Faustus, now, for all their holiness,
Do what thou wilt, thou shalt not be discern'd.
FAUSTUS. Thanks, Mephistophilis.--Now, friars, take heed,
Lest Faustus make your shaven crowns to bleed.
MEPHIST. Faustus, no more: see, where the Cardinals come!
Re-enter the CARDINALS of France and Padua with a book.
POPE. Welcome, Lord Cardinals; come, sit down.--
Lord Raymond, take your seat.--Friars, attend,
And see that all things be<128> in readiness,
As best beseems this solemn festival.
CARDINAL OF FRANCE. First, may it please your sacred Holiness
To view the sentence of the reverend synod
Concerning Bruno and the Emperor?
POPE. What needs this question? did I not tell you,
To-morrow we would sit i' the consistory,
And there determine of his punishment?
You brought us word even now, it was decreed
That Bruno and the cursed Emperor
Were by the holy council both condemn'd
For loathed Lollards and base schismatics:
Then wherefore would you have me view that book?
CARDINAL OF FRANCE. Your grace mistakes; you gave us no such charge.
RAYMOND. Deny it not; we all are witnesses
That Bruno here was late deliver'd you,
With his rich triple crown to be reserv'd
And put into the church's treasury.
BOTH CARDINALS. By holy Paul, we saw them not!
POPE. By Peter, you shall die,
Unless you bring them forth immediately!--
Hale them to<129> prison, lade their limbs with gyves.--
False prelates, for this hateful treachery
Curs'd be your souls to hellish misery!
[Exeunt ATTENDANTS with the two CARDINALS.]
FAUSTUS. So, they are safe. Now, Faustus, to the feast:
The Pope had never such a frolic guest.
POPE. Lord Archbishop of Rheims, sit down with us.
ARCHBISHOP.<130> I thank your Holiness.
FAUSTUS. Fall to; the devil choke you,<131> an you spare!
POPE. Who is that spoke?--Friars, look about.--
Lord Raymond, pray, fall to. I am beholding<132>
To the Bishop of Milan for this so rare a present.
FAUSTUS. I thank you, sir.
[Snatches the dish.]
POPE. How now! who snatch'd the meat from me?
Villains, why speak you not?--
My good Lord Archbishop, here's a most dainty dish
Was sent me from a cardinal in France.
FAUSTUS. I'll have that too.
[Snatches the dish.]
POPE. What Lollards do attend our holiness,
That we receive such<133> great indignity?
Fetch me some wine.
FAUSTUS. Ay, pray, do, for Faustus is a-dry.
POPE. Lord Raymond,
I drink unto your grace.
FAUSTUS. I pledge your grace.
[Snatches the cup.]
POPE. My wine gone too!--Ye lubbers, look about,
And find the man that doth this villany,
Or, by our sanctitude, you all shall die!--
I pray, my lords, have patience at this
Troublesome banquet.
ARCHBISHOP. Please it<134> your Holiness, I think it be some ghost
crept out of Purgatory, and now is come unto your Holiness for his
pardon.
POPE. It may be so.--
Go, then, command our priests to sing a dirge,
To lay the fury of this same troublesome ghost.
[Exit an ATTENDANT.--The POPE crosses himself.]
FAUSTUS. How now! must every bit be spic'd with a cross?--
Nay, then, take that.
[Strikes the POPE.]
POPE. O, I am slain!--Help me, my lords!
O, come and help to bear my body hence!--
Damn'd be his<135> soul for ever for this deed!
[Exeunt all except FAUSTUS and MEPHISTOPHILIS.]
MEPHIST. Now, Faustus, what will you do now? for I can tell you
you'll be cursed with bell, book, and candle.
FAUSTUS. Bell, book, and candle,--candle, book, and bell,--
Forward and backward, to curse Faustus to hell!
Re-enter the FRIARS, with bell, book, and candle, for the
Dirge.
FIRST FRIAR. Come, brethren, lets about our business with good
devotion.
[They sing.]
CURSED BE HE THAT STOLE HIS HOLINESS' MEAT FROM THE TABLE!
maledicat Dominus!
CURSED BE HE THAT STRUCK<136> HIS HOLINESS A BLOW ON<137> THE
FACE! maledicat Dominus!
CURSED BE HE THAT STRUCK 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!
[MEPHISTOPHILIS and FAUSTUS beat the FRIARS, and fling
fire-works among them, and exeunt.]
Enter ROBIN and DICK with a cup.
DICK. Sirrah Robin, we were best look that your devil can answer
the stealing of this same<138> cup, for the Vintner's boy follows
us at the hard heels.<139>
ROBIN. 'Tis no matter; let him come: an he follow us, I'll so
conjure him as he was never conjured in his life, I warrant him.
Let me see the cup.
DICK. Here 'tis.
[Gives the cup to ROBIN.]
Yonder he comes: now, Robin, now or never shew thy cunning.
Enter VINTNER.<140>
VINTNER. O, are you here? I am glad I have found you. You are
a couple of fine companions: pray, where's the cup you stole
from the tavern?
ROBIN. How, how! we steal a cup! take heed what you say: we look
not like cup-stealers, I can tell you.
VINTNER. Never deny't, for I know you have it; and I'll search you.
ROBIN. Search me! ay, and spare not.
--Hold the cup, Dick [Aside to DICK, giving him the cup].--
Come, come, search me, search me.
[VINTNER searches him.]
VINTNER. Come on, sirrah, let me search you now.
DICK. Ay, ay, do, do.
--Hold the cup, Robin [Aside to ROBIN, giving him the cup].--
I fear not your searching: we scorn to steal your<141> cups,
I can tell you.
[VINTNER searches him.]
VINTNER. Never out-face me for the matter; for, sure, the cup
is between you two.
ROBIN. Nay, there you lie; 'tis beyond us both.
VINTNER. A plague take you! I thought 'twas your knavery to take
it away: come, give it me again.
ROBIN. Ay, much!<142> when, can you tell?--Dick, make me a circle,
and stand close at my back, and stir not for thy life.--Vintner,
you shall have your cup anon.--Say nothing, Dick.--[Reads from
a book] O per se, O; Demogorgon; Belcher, and Mephistophilis!
Enter MEPHISTOPHILIS.
MEPHIST. You princely legions of infernal rule,
How am I vexed by these villains' charms!
>From Constantinople have they brought me now,
Only for pleasure of these damned slaves.
[Exit VINTNER.]
ROBIN. By lady,<143> sir, you have had a shrewd journey of it!
will it please you to<144> take a shoulder of mutton to supper,
and a tester<145> in your purse, and go back again?
DICK. Ay, I pray you heartily, sir; for we called you but in jest,
I promise you.
MEPHIST. To purge the rashness of this cursed deed,
First, be thou turned to this ugly shape,
For apish deeds transformed to an ape.
ROBIN. O, brave! an ape! I pray, sir, let me have the carrying
of him about, to shew some tricks.
MEPHIST. And so thou shalt: be thou transformed to a dog, and
carry him upon thy back. Away! be gone!
ROBIN. A dog! that's excellent: let the maids look well to their
porridge-pots, for I'll into the kitchen presently.--Come, Dick,
come.
[Exeunt ROBIN and DICK.]
MEPHIST. Now with the flames of ever-burning fire
I'll wing myself, and forthwith fly amain
Unto my Faustus, to the Great Turk's court.
[Exit.]
Enter MARTINO and FREDERICK at several doors.
MARTINO. What, ho, officers, gentlemen!
Hie to the presence to attend the Emperor.--
Good Frederick, see the rooms be voided straight:
His majesty is coming to the hall;
Go back, and see the state<146> in readiness.
FREDERICK. But where is Bruno, our elected Pope,
That on a Fury's back came post from Rome?
Will not his grace consort the Emperor?
MARTINO. O, yes; and with him comes the German conjurer,
The learned Faustus, fame of Wittenberg,
The wonder of the world for magic art;
And he intends to shew great Carolus
The race of all his stout progenitors,
And bring in presence of his majesty
The royal shapes and perfect<147> semblances
Of Alexander and his beauteous paramour.
FREDERICK. Where is Benvolio?
MARTINO. Fast asleep, I warrant you;
He took his rouse<148> with stoops of Rhenish wine
So kindly yesternight to Bruno's health,
That all this day the sluggard keeps his bed.
FREDERICK. See, see, his window's ope! we'll call to him.
MARTINO. What, ho! Benvolio!
Enter BENVOLIO above, at a window, in his nightcap, buttoning.
BENVOLIO. What a devil ail you two?
MARTINO. Speak softly, sir, lest the devil hear you;
For Faustus at the court is late arriv'd,
And at his heels a<149> thousand Furies wait,
To accomplish whatsoe'er the doctor please.
BENVOLIO. What of this?
MARTINO. Come, leave thy chamber first, and thou shalt see
This conjurer perform such rare exploits,
Before the Pope and royal Emperor,
As never yet was seen in Germany.
BENVOLIO. Has not the Pope enough of conjuring yet?
He was upon the devil's back late enough:
An if he be so far in love with him,
I would he would post with him to Rome again!
FREDERICK. Speak, wilt thou come and see this sport?
BENVOLIO. Not I.
MARTINO. Wilt thou stand in thy window, and see it, then?
BENVOLIO. Ay, an I fall not asleep i' the mean time.
MARTINO. The Emperor is at hand, who comes to see
What wonders by black spells may compass'd be.
BENVOLIO. Well, go you attend the Emperor. I am content, for
this once, to thrust my head out at a<150> window; for they
say, if a man be drunk over night, the devil cannot hurt him
in the morning: if that be true, I have a charm in my head,
shall control him as well as the conjurer, I warrant you.
[Exeunt FREDERICK and MARTINO.]
A Sennet. Enter CHARLES the German Emperor, BRUNO,
DUKE OF SAXONY, FAUSTUS, MEPHISTOPHILIS, FREDERICK,
MARTINO, and Attendants.
EMPEROR. Wonder of men, renowm'd<151> magician,
Thrice-learned Faustus, welcome to our court.
This deed of thine, in setting Bruno free
>From his and our professed enemy,
Shall add more excellence unto thine art
Than if by powerful necromantic spells
Thou couldst command the world's obedience:
For ever be belov'd of Carolus!
And if this Bruno, thou hast late redeem'd,
In peace possess the triple diadem,
And sit in Peter's chair, despite of chance,
Thou shalt be famous through<152> all Italy,
And honour'd of the German Emperor.
FAUSTUS. These<153> gracious words, most royal Carolus,
Shall make poor Faustus, to his utmost power,
Both love and serve the German Emperor,
And lay his life at holy Bruno's feet:
For proof whereof, if so your grace be pleas'd,
The doctor stands prepar'd by power of art
To cast his magic charms, that shall pierce through<154>
The ebon gates of ever-burning hell,
And hale the stubborn Furies from their caves,
To compass whatsoe'er your grace commands.
BENVOLIO. Blood, he speaks terribly! but, for all that, I do not
greatly believe him: he looks as like a<153> conjurer as the Pope
to a costermonger. [Aside.]
EMPEROR. Then, Faustus, as thou late didst promise us,
We would behold that famous conqueror,
Great Alexander, and his paramour,
In their true shapes and state majestical,
That we may wonder at their excellence.
FAUSTUS. Your majesty shall see them presently.--
Mephistophilis, away,
And, with a solemn noise of trumpets' sound,
Present before this<156> royal Emperor
Great Alexander and his beauteous paramour.
MEPHIST. Faustus, I will.
[Exit.]
BENVOLIO. Well, Master Doctor, an your devils come not away
quickly, you shall have me asleep presently: zounds, I could
eat myself for anger, to think I have been such an ass all this
while, to stand gaping after the devil's governor, and can see
nothing!
FAUSTUS.
I'll make you feel something anon, if my art fail me not.--
My lord, I must forewarn your majesty,
That, when my spirits present the royal shapes
Of Alexander and his paramour,
Your grace demand<157> no questions of the king,
But in dumb silence let them come and go.
EMPEROR. Be it as Faustus please; we are content.
BENVOLIO. Ay, ay, and I am content too: an thou bring Alexander
and his paramour before the Emperor, I'll be Actaeon, and turn
myself to a stag.
FAUSTUS. And I'll play Diana, and send you the horns presently.
Sennet. Enter, at one door,<158> the EMPEROR ALEXANDER, at
the other, DARIUS. They meet. DARIUS is thrown down;
ALEXANDER kills him, takes off his crown, and, offering to
go out, his PARAMOUR meets him. He embraceth her, and sets
DARIUS' crown upon her head; and, coming back, both salute
the EMPEROR, who, leaving his state,<159> offers to embrace
them; which FAUSTUS seeing, suddenly stays him. Then trumpets
cease, and music sounds.
My gracious lord, you do forget yourself;
These<160> are but shadows, not substantial.
EMPEROR. O, pardon me! my thoughts are so ravish'd
With sight of this renowmed<161> emperor,
That in mine arms I would have compass'd him.
But, Faustus, since I may not speak to them,
To satisfy my longing thoughts<162> at full,
Let me this tell thee: I have heard it said
That this fair lady, whilst<163> she liv'd on earth,
Had on her neck a little wart or mole;
How may I prove that saying to be true?
FAUSTUS. Your majesty may boldly go and see.
EMPEROR. Faustus, I see it plain;
And in this sight thou better pleasest me
Than if I gain'd<164> another monarchy.
FAUSTUS. Away! be gone! [Exit show.]--See, see, my gracious
lord! what strange beast is yon, that thrusts his head out at
window?<165>
EMPEROR. O, wondrous sight!--See, Duke of Saxony,
Two spreading horns most strangely fastened
Upon the head of young Benvolio!
SAXONY. What, is he asleep or dead?
FAUSTUS. He sleeps, my lord; but dreams not of his horns.
EMPEROR. This sport is excellent: we'll call and wake him.--
What, ho, Benvolio!
BENVOLIO. A plague upon you! let me sleep a while.
EMPEROR. I blame thee not to sleep much, having such a head of
thine own.
SAXONY. Look up, Benvolio; 'tis the Emperor calls.
BENVOLIO. The Emperor! where?--O, zounds, my head!
EMPEROR. Nay, an thy horns hold, 'tis no matter for thy head,
for that's armed sufficiently.
FAUSTUS. Why, how now, Sir Knight! what, hanged by the horns!
this is<166> most horrible: fie, fie, pull in your head, for
shame! let not all the world wonder at you.
BENVOLIO. Zounds, doctor, this is<167> your villany!
FAUSTUS. O, say not so, sir! the doctor has no skill,
No art, no cunning, to present these lords,
Or bring before this royal Emperor
The mighty monarch, warlike Alexander.
If Faustus do it, you are straight resolv'd,
In bold Actaeon's shape, to turn a stag:--
And therefore, my lord, so please your majesty,
I'll raise a kennel of hounds shall hunt him so
As<168> all his footmanship shall scarce prevail
To keep his carcass from their bloody fangs.--
Ho, Belimoth, Argiron, Asteroth!<169>
BENVOLIO. Hold, hold!--Zounds, he'll raise up a kennel of devils,
I think, anon.--Good my lord, entreat for me.--'Sblood, I am never
able to endure these torments.
EMPEROR. Then, good Master Doctor,
Let me entreat you to remove his horns;
He has<170> done penance now sufficiently.
FAUSTUS. My gracious lord, not so much for injury done to me,
as to delight your majesty with some mirth, hath Faustus justly
requited this injurious knight; which being all I desire, I am
content to remove his horns.<171>--Mephistophilis, transform him
[MEPHISTOPHILIS removes the horns]:--and hereafter, sir,<172>
look you speak well of scholars.
BENVOLIO. Speak well of ye! 'sblood, an scholars be such
cuckold-makers, to clap horns of<173> honest men's heads o' this
order, I'll ne'er trust smooth faces and small ruffs more.--But,
an I be not revenged for this, would I might be turned to a
gaping oyster, and drink nothing but salt water!
[Aside, and then exit above.]
EMPEROR. Come, Faustus: while the Emperor lives,
In recompense of this thy high desert,
Thou shalt command the state of Germany,
And live belov'd of mighty Carolus.
[Exeunt.]
Enter BENVOLIO, MARTINO, FREDERICK, and SOLDIERS.
MARTINO. Nay, sweet Benvolio, let us sway<174> thy thoughts
>From this attempt against the conjurer.<175>
BENVOLIO. Away! you love me not, to urge me thus:
Shall I let slip so great an injury,
When every servile groom jests at my wrongs,
And in their rustic gambols proudly say,
"Benvolio's head was grac'd with horns today?"
O, may these eyelids never close again,
Till with my sword I have that<176> conjurer slain!
If you will aid me in this enterprise,
Then draw your weapons and be resolute;
If not, depart: here will Benvolio die,
But Faustus' death shall quit my<177> infamy.
FREDERICK. Nay, we will stay with thee, betide what may,
And kill that<178> doctor, if he come this way.
BENVOLIO. Then, gentle Frederick, hie thee to the grove,
And place our servants and our followers
Close in an<179> ambush there behind the trees.
By this, I know the conjurer is near:
I saw him kneel, and kiss the Emperor's hand,
And take his leave, laden with rich rewards.
Then, soldiers, boldly<180> fight: if Faustus die,
Take you the wealth, leave us the victory.
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