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. Duchess. 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, begone.-[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? Duchess. Believe me, Master Doctor, they be the best grapes that ever 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 showed to you. Duchess. 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. Enter Wagner. Wag. I think my master shortly means to die, For he hath given to me all his goods: And yet, methinks, if that death were [so] 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. Whose heavenly beauty passeth all com pare. 1st Schol. Since we have seen the pride of Nature's works, And only paragon of excellence, 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 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, Fearing the ruin of thy hopeless soul. [Exit. I do repent; and yet I do despair : 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; Faust. Sweet Mephistophilis, entreat thy lord To pardon my unjust presumption. Lest greater danger do attend thy drift. 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,— Those 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. Come, Helen, come, give me my soul again, I will be Paris, and for love of thee, Enter the Old Man. Old Man. Accursed Faustus! miserable man, 1st Schol. If it be so, we'll have cians to cure him. 'Tis but a surfeit. Never fear, man. Faust. A surfeit of deadly sin that hath damned both body and soul. 2nd Schol. Yet, Faustus, look up to Heaven remember God's mercies are infinite. 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 Schol. 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. and Schol. Oh, what shall we do to save Faustus? Faust. Talk not of me, but save yourselves, and depart. 3rd Schol. God will strengthen me. I will stay with Faustus. Ist Schol. Tempt not God, sweet friend; but let us into the next room, and there pray for him. Faust. Aye, pray for me, pray for me! and what noise soever you hear, come not unto me, for nothing can rescue me. The clock 2nd Schol. Pray thou, and we will pray Faust. But Faustus' offence can never be that God may have mercy upon thee. pardoned: the serpent that tempted Eve Faust. Gentlemen, farewell: if I live till may be saved, but not Faustus. Ah, gentle-morning I'll visit you: if not— -Faustus is men, hear me with patience, and tremble gone to Hell. not at my speeches! Though my heart pants and quivers to remember that I have been a student here these thirty years, oh, 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, aye Hell, for ever! Sweet friends! what shall become of Faustus being in Hell for ever? 3rd Schol. 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! Your life and soul! Oh, he stays my tongue! I would lift up my hards, but see! they hold them, they hold them! All. Faustus, farewell. That time may cease, and midnight never Fair Nature's eye, rise, rise again and Perpetual day; or let this hour be but The Devil will come, and Faustus must be Oh, I'll leap up to my God! Who pulls me down? 306 THE TRAGICAL HISTORY OF DOCTOR FAUSTUS. (QUARTO, 1604.) 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; Now draw up Faustus like a foggy mist So that my soul may but ascend to Heaven. If thou wilt not have mercy on my soul, somed me, Impose some end to my incessant pain; Were that [but] true, this soul should fly from me, And I be changed unto some brutish beast. All beasts are happy, for [that] when they die Their souls are soon dissolved in elements; But mine must live, still to be plagued in Hell. Curst 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. Oh, it strikes, it strikes! Now, body, turn to air, Or Lucifer will bear thee quick to Hell. [Thunder and lightning [and rain]. O soul, Be changed into little water drops, And fall into the ocean-ne'er be found. [Enter Devils. Adders and serpents, let me breathe awhile! 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 burned is Apollo's laurel bough, man. Faustus is gone; regard his hellish fall, Whose fiendful fortune may exhort the wise Let Faustus live in Hell a thousand years-Only to wonder at unlawful things, A hundred thousand, and-at last-be Whose deepness doth entice such forward saved! Oh, no end is limited to damned souls! wits To practise more than heaven permits. [Exit. Terminat hora diem; terminat auctor apus. Ballad of Faustus. [As an appropriate accompaniment of Marlowe's great drama, the contemporary ballad, giving the story of the play, is printed from the copy selected by Mr. Dyce from the Roxburghe Collection in the British Museum.] THE JUDGMENT OF GOD SHOWED UPON ONE JOHN FAUSTUS, In learning, loe, my uncle brought up me, *Then did I shun the holy Bible-book, Nor on God's word would ever after look; Would I had first been made a beast by Then had not I so vainly set my mind; Some darksome den had been my dismal Woe to the day of my nativity! Woe to the time that once did foster me! The time I past away with much delight, I wrought such wonders by my magic skill, Which was the cause of my utter damna- And then returned unto my native place. tion. The devil in fryars weeds appeared to me, Twice wretchedly I soul and body sold, What pleasure I did wish to please my He did perform, as bond and seal did bird; I thought of all things that was past and To live in pleasure, and do what thing; I How that the devil would soon claim his would. For four and twenty years this bond was And at the length my soul was truly paid: right, And carry me to everlasting night. Then all too late I cursed my wicked deed, All days and hours I mourned wondrous sore, |