THE TRAGEDY OF DOCTOR FAUSTUS. Enter CHORUS. NoT marching in the fields of Tharsimen, In courts of kings, where state is overturn'd; That shortly he was grac'd with Doctor's name, In th' heavenly matters of theology: Till swoln with cunning, and a self-conceit, And melting heavens conspired his overthrow: And glutted now with Learning's golden gifts, FAUSTUS in his study. Faust. 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 Oeconomy farewell: and Galen come. The end of physic is our bodies' health. * The edition of 1624 read "divers." Physic farewell. Where is Justinian? A petty case of paltry legacies. Exhereditari filium non potest pater, nisi, &c. And universal body of the law. This study fits a mercenary drudge, When all is done, Divinity is best. Jerome's bible, Faustus; view it well. Stipendium peccati mors est: ha! stipendium, &c. The reward of sin is death: that's hard. Si peccasse negamus, fallimur, et nulla est in nobis véritas, If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and there is no truth in us. Why then belike we must sin, And so consequently die. Aye, we must die an everlasting death. *It may, perhaps, be advisable here, to apologize for the unpleasing repetition of the name of "the most high," and the irreverend sporting with the best feelings of our nature, which will be found throughout the first part of this Play, in the mouth of Faustus; but it should be remembered that Marlowe is not particular in this; that some of the greatest, and best men, not scrupled to represent vice speaking her own language. And it must be observed, that the moral of the parts, as of the whole, is excellent: the very devil is opposed to Faustus, and painted hating sin. bave Lines, Circles, Letters, Characters: Aye, these are those that Faustus most desires. All things that move between the quiet poles Here tire my brains to get 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* Than all my labours, plod I ne'er so fast. Enter a GOOD and BAD ANGEL. Good Ang. O Faustus! lay that damned book aside, And gaze not on it lest it tempt thy soul, * The original editions read, "help to me;" but as it was unnecessary to the sense, and destructive of the metre, I struck it out: but I wish it to be here understood, that I have invariably preferred presenting the original in its corrupt state, and leav ing the alteration to the judgment of the reader, to hazarding a conjectural emendation; and that when I have presumed on any, I bore in mind the directions of Augustus to the friends of Virgil, when he delivered to them the Æneid for revision. |