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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 perform'd. [Exit.

Enter ROBIN* the Ostler, with a book in his hand.

ROBIN. Oh, 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.

* Enter Robin, &c.] Scene, near an inn.

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. Oh, 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.

ippocras] Or hippocras,—a medicated drink composed of wine (usually red) with spices and sugar. It is generally supposed to have been so called from Hippocrates (contracted by our earliest writers to Hippocras); perhaps because it was strained, the woollen bag used by apothecaries to strain syrups and decoctions for clarification being termed Hippocrates' sleeve.

+ tabern] i. e. tavern.

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, &c. I a goblet! search me. VINT. I mean so, sir, with favour. [Searches ROBIN.

ROBIN. How say you now?

your

VINT. I must say somewhat to your fellow.— You, sir!

[Exeunt.

Enter Robin and Ralph, &c.] Perhaps a scene is wanting after the Exeunt of Robin and Ralph.

purchase] i. e. booty-gain, acquisition.

Drawer] There is an inconsistency here: the Vintner cannot properly be addressed as "Drawer." The later 4tos are also inconsistent in the corresponding passage: Dick says, "the Vintner's boy follows us at the hard heels," and immediately the "Vintner" enters.

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. You lie, drawer, 'tis afore me [Aside].— 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. -Look to the goblet, Ralph [Aside to 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.-Look to the goblet, Ralph [Aside to Ralph].[Reads] Polypragmos Belseborams framanto pacostiphos tostu, Mephistophilis, &c.

Enter MEPHISTOPHILIS, sets squibs at their backs, and then exit. They run about.

VINT. O, nomine Domini! 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.

tone] i. e. the one.

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 damned 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.

* MEPH. Monarch of hell, &c.] Old ed. thus:"MEPH. Vanish vilaines, th' one like an Ape, an other like a Beare, the third an Asse, for doing this enterprise.

Monarch of hell, vnder whose blacke suruey," &c.

What follows, shews that the words which I have omitted ought to have no place in the text; nor is there any thing equivalent to them in the corresponding passage of the play as given in the later 4tos.

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