Sec. SCHOL. Too simple is my wit to tell her

praise, Whom all the world admires for majesty. THIRD Schol. No marvel though the angry

Greeks pursu'd With ten years' war the rape of such a queen, Whose heavenly beauty passeth all compare. FIRST SCHOL. 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

faire as the beaten gold, and of such length that it reached downe to her bammes; having most amorous cole-black eyes, a sweet and pleasant round face, with lips as red as a cherry; ber cheekes of a rose colour, her mouth small, her neck white like a swan ; tall and slender of personage; in summe, there was no imperfect place in her : she looked round about with a rolling hawkes eye, a smiling and wanton countenance, which neere-hand inflamed the hearts of all the students; but that they perswaded themselves she was a spirit, which made them lightly passe away such fancies." Sig. H 4, ed. 1648.

Enter an Old Man) See chap. xlviii of The History of Doctor Faustus,"How an old man, the neighbour of Faustus, sought to perswade him to amend his evill life and to fall into

To guide thy steps unto the way of life,
By which sweet path thou mayst 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 sin*
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?
Damn'd art thou, Faustus, damn'd; despair and die!
Hell calls for right, and with a roaring voice
Says, “Faustus, come; thine bour is almost f come";
And Faustus now will come to do thee right.

[MEPHISTOPHilis gives him a dagger. OLD Man. Ah, stay, good Faustus, stay thy des

perate steps ! 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. repentance,”—according to which history, the Old Man's exhortation is delivered at his own house, whither he had invited Faustus to supper.

+ vild] i. e. vile.
* sin] Old ed. “ sinnes ” (This is not in the later 4tos).
I almost] So the later 4tos.-Not in 4to 1604.
Ø now] So the later 4tos.-Not in 4to 1604.

Faust. Ah, my sweet friend, I feel Thy words to comfort my distressed 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 presumption,
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.

FAUST. Torment, sweet friend, that base and

crookèd 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

* Meph. Do it, then, quickly, &c.] After this speech, most probably, there ought to be a stage direction,“ Faustus stabs his

and writes on a paper with his blood. Compare The History Doctor Fuustus, chap. xlix,_"How Doctor Faustus wrote the second time with his owne blood, and gave it to the Devill.”

arm,

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
Thoset thoughts that do dissuade me from my vow,
And keep mine oath I made to Lucifer.
Meph. Faustus, this f, or what else thou shalt de-

sire, Shall be perform'd in twinkling of an eye.

* One thing, good servant, &c.] “ To the end that this miserable Faustus might fill the lust of his flesh and live in all manner of voluptuous pleasure, it came in his mind, after he had slept his first sleepe, and in the 23 year past of his time, that he had a great desire to lye with faire Helena of Greece, especially her whom he had seen and shewed unto the students at Wittenberg : wherefore he called unto his spirit Mephostophiles, commanding him to bring to him the faire Helena; which he also did. Whereupon he fell in love with her, and made her his common concubine and bed-fellow; for she was so beautifull and delightfull a peece, that he could not be one houre from her, if he should therefore have suffered death, she had so stoln away his heart: and, to his seeming, in time she was with childe, whom Faustus named Justus Faustus. The childe told Doctor Faustus many things which were don in forraign countrys; but in the end, when Faustus lost his life, the mother and the childe vanished away both together.” The History of Doctor Faustus, Sig. I 4, ed. 1648.

+ Those] So the later 4tos.--210 1604 “ These.” # Faustus, this] Qy. “This, Faustus”?

Re-enter HELEN.

Faust. Was this the face that launch'd a thousand

ships, And burnt the topless + towers of Ilium ?Sweet Helen, make me immortal with a kiss.-

[Kisses her. Her lips suck | forth my soul: see, where it flies !Come, Helen, come, give me my soul again. Here will I dwell, for heaven is 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 sack'd; 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. Oh, thou art fairer than the evening air Clad in the beauty of a thousand stars ; Brighter art thou than flaming Jupiter When he appear'd to hapless Semele; More lovely than the monarch of the sky In wanton Arethusa's azur'd arms; And none but thou shalt be my paramour! [Exeunt.

+ topless] i. e. not exceeded in height by any.

suck] So the later 4tos.—2to 1604 "suckes.”
is] So the later 4tos.-2to 1604 “be.”