we haue determin'd with our selues, that Hellen of Greece was the admirablest Lady that euer liu'd: therefore M. Doctor, if you will doe vs so much fauour, as to let vs see that peerelesse dame of Greece, whom all the world admires for Maiesty, we should thinke our selues much beholding vnto you.

1251

Faust. Gentlemen, for ỳ I know your friendship is vnfain'd,

It is not Faustus custome to deny

The iust request of those that wish him well:

You shall behold that peerelesse dame of Greece,
No otherwise for pompe or Maiesty,

Then when sir Paris crost the seas with her,
And brought the spoyles to rich Dardania:
Be silent then, for danger is in words.

1255

Musicke sound, Mephosto brings in Hellen, she passeth ouer the stage.

2. Was this faire Hellen, whose admired worth Made Greece with ten yeares warres afflict poore Troy? 3. Too simple is my wit to tell her worth, Whom all the world admires for maiesty.

1260

1265 Exeunt Schollers.

1. Now we haue seene the pride of Natures worke,
Wee'l take our leaues, and for this blessed sight
Happy and blest be Faustus euermore.
Faust. Gentlemen farewell: the same wish I to you.

Enter an old Man.

Old Man. O gentle Faustus leaue this damned Art, This Magicke, that will charme thy soule to hell,

And quite bereaue thee of saluation.

1270

Though thou hast now offended like a man,

Doe not perseuer in it like a Diuell;

Yet, yet, thou hast an amiable soule,

If sin by custome grow not into nature:

Then Faustus, will repentance come too late,

1275

Then thou art banisht from the sight of heauen;

No mortall can expresse the paines of hell.

It may be this my exhortation

Seemes harsh, and all vnpleasant; let is not,

1280

For gentle sonne, I speake it not in wrath,
Or enuy of thee, but in tender loue,
And pitty of thy future miserie.

And so haue hope, that this my kinde rebuke,
Checking thy body, may amend thy soule.

1281 enny of 1616, 1619: of enuy to 1620-63

For the speech of the Old Man in Qq 1604-11 (ll. 1348-56), Qq 1616-63 insert the following:

Thunder. Enter Lucifer, Belzebub, and Mephostophilis.

Lucif. Thus from infernall Dis do we ascend

To view the subiects of our Monarchy,

1349

Those soules which sinne seales the blacke sonnes of hell, 'Mong which as chiefe, Faustus we come to thee, Bringing with vs lasting damnation,

To wait vpon thy soule; the time is come
Which makes it forfeit.

Meph. And this gloomy night,

Here in this roome will wretched Faustus be.

Bels. And here wee'l stay,

To marke him how he doth demeane himselfe.

Meph. How should he, but in desperate lunacie.

1355

Fond worlding, now his heart bloud dries with griefe; 1360 His conscience kils it, and his labouring braine,

Begets a world of idle fantasies,

To ouer-reach the Diuell; but all in vaine,

His store of pleasures must be sauc'd with paine.
He and his seruant Wagner are at hand,

Both come from drawing Faustus latest will.
See where they come.

Enter Faustus and Wagner.

Faust. Say Wagner, thou hast perus'd my will,

How dost thou like it?

Wag. Sir, so wondrous well,

As in all humble dutie, I do yeeld

My life and lasting seruice for your loue.

1365

1370

Enter the scholers.

Faust. Gramercies Wagner. Welcome gentlemen. 1. Now worthy Faustus: me thinks your looks are chang'd.

Between lines 1418 and 1419 of Qq 1604-11, the later quartos add this passage:

Meph. I Faustus, now thou hast no hope of heauen,
Therefore despaire, thinke onely vpon hell;
For that must be thy mansion, there to dwell.

1420

Faust. O thou bewitching fiend, 'twas thy temptation, Hath rob'd me of eternall happinesse.

1347+(Act V.) Scene IV. add. Rob., Cunn.: Scene XIII Brey. 1349-51 om. 1663 1352 lasting damnation] the Deed 1663

1353 To.. soule om. 1663 1361 and his] and 1624

Scene XIV. add. Brey.
Gramercy 1619-63

1372 your] you 1663

1373+S.D. Exit Wagner add. Dyce

1367+

1373

Егова

Meph. I doe confesse it Faustus, and reioyce ;
'Twas I, that when thou wert i'the way to heauen,
Damb'd vp thy passage, when thou took'st the booke,
To view the Scriptures, then I turn'd the leaues
And led thine eye.

1425

What, weep'st thou ? 'tis too late, despaire, farewell,
Fooles that will laugh on earth, must weepe in hell. Exit.

Enter the good Angell, and the bad Angell at seuerall

doores.

Good. Oh Faustus, if thou hadst giuen eare to me, 1431 Innumerable ioyes had followed thee.

But thou didst loue the world.

Bad. Gaue eare to me,

And now must taste hels paines perpetually.

Good. O what will all thy riches, pleasures, pompes,

Auaile thee now?

Bad. Nothing but vexe thee more,

To want in hell, that had on earth such store.

Musicke while the Throne descends.

Good. O thou hast lost celestiall happinesse,
Pleasures vnspeakeable, blisse without end.
Hadst thou affected sweet diuinitie,

Hell, or the Diuell, had had no power on thee.

1435

1440

Hadst thou kept on that way, Faustus behold,

In what resplendant glory thou hadst set

1445

In yonder throne, like those bright shining Saints,

And triumpht ouer hell: that hast thou lost,

And now poore soule must thy good Angell leaue thee,

The iawes of hell are open to receiue thee.

Exit.

Hell is discouered.

Bad. Now Faustus let thine eyes with horror stare

1450

Into that vaste perpetuall torture-house.
There are the Furies tossing damned soules,

On burning forkes: their bodies broyle in lead.
There are liue quarters broyling on the coles,
That ner'e can die: this euer-burning chaire
Is for ore-tortur'd soules to rest them in.
These, that are fed with soppes of flaming fire,
Were gluttons, and lou'd only delicates,

1430 must 1619-63: most 1616
Bad 1619-63
1434 Gauest Brey.

S.D. follows 1444 Dyce, Cunn.

1455

1430 S.D. bad Angell 1616: 1439 S.D. the om. 1663

1441 blisse. . end om. 1663

1443 had had no power] had no dower 1663
1663

1445 hadst] had

1449

set 1616: sit 1619-63, Dyce, Brey.: sat Cunn.

1458 and 1616: that

are open 1616, 1619: is ready 1620-63 1453 broyle 1616, 1619, Brey. boyle 1620-63, Rob., Dyce, Cunn.

And laught to see the poore starue at their gates:
But yet all these are nothing, thou shalt see
Ten thousand tortures that more horrid be.

1460

Faust. O, I haue seene enough to torture me.

Bad. Nay, thou must feele them, taste the smart of all. He that loues pleasure, must for pleasure fall: And so I leaue thee Faustus till anon,

1465

Exit.

Then wilt thou tumble in confusion.

The Clock strikes eleuen.

Between 1. 1477 and the Chorus, Qq 1616-63 insert the following new scene:

Enter the Schollers.

1. Come Gentlemen, let vs go visit Faustus, For such a dreadfull night, was neuer seene, Since first the worlds creation did begin.

Such fearefull shrikes, and cries, were neuer heard,
Pray heauen the Doctor haue escapt the danger.

2. O help vs heauen, see, here are Faustus limbs,

All torne asunder by the hand of death.

1480

3. The deuils whom Faustus seru'd haue torne him thus:
For twixt the houres of twelue and one, me thought 1486
I heard him shreeke and call aloud for helpe :
At which selfe time the house seem'd all on fire,
With dreadfull horror of these damned fiends.

2. Well Gentlemen, tho Faustus end be such
As euery Christian heart laments to thinke on:
Yet for he was a Scholler, once admired
For wondrous knowledge in our Germane schooles,
We'll giue his mangled limbs due buryall:
And all the Students clothed in mourning blacke,
Shall waite vpon his heauy funerall.

1477 S.D. the om. 1619–63 1482 haue] has 1619 1620-63 1485 Diuell 1619–63 hath 1620-63 same 1624-63

1490

1495

Exeunt.

1483 Heauens

1488 selfe]

THE JEW OF MALTA

Date. There is no evidence on which to determine very accurately the date of The Jew of Malta. The allusion to the death of the Duke of Guise in line 3 points to a period subsequent to December 23, 1588, for the composition of at least that part of the play. It is quite true, as Wagner has argued, that this Prologue of Macheuil may possibly have been written after the rest of the piece, but considerations of dramatic structure and versification make it wellnigh impossible to refer the play as a whole to an earlier year than 1589. It seems certainly to have been written and performed between the period of the composition of Doctor Faustus (? 1588-9) and February 26, 1591/2, when an entry in Henslowe's Diary shows it to be already an old play. The year 1590 cannot be far wrong.

Stage history and the early edition. The earliest mention of The Jew of Malta is that already referred to, which occurs very near the beginning of Henslowe's Diary: 'Rd. at the Jewe of malltuse the 26 of febrearye 1591 [1592, N.S.] 1.' The play belonged apparently to Henslowe and was acted by each of the many companies with which he was connected during the next five years. It was one of the most popular pieces in the manager's repertoire: the Diary notes thirty-six representations, the last being on June 21, 1596. This record exceeds that of any other of Marlowe's plays,1 even the very popular Doctor Faustus having only twentyfive certified performances.

In 1601 The Jew of Malta was certainly revived, probably in a somewhat altered form. Unfortunately the Diary does not mention the individual performances for this period, but it contains the following notes of expenditure: Lent vnto Robart shawe & mr. Jube the 19 of Maye 1601 to bye divers thinges for the Jewe of malta the some of . . . vli.

We have, however, no information concerning the number of performances of Edward II and Dido, which did not belong to