And, Faustus, All jointly move upon one axletree Whose terminine is termed the wide world's pole; 40 Faust. But tell me, have they all one motion both, situ et tempore. Meph. All jointly move from east to west in twentyfour hours upon the poles of the world; but differ in their motion upon the poles of the zodiac. Faust. Tush! These slender trifles Wagner can decide; Hath Mephistophilis no greater skill? Who knows not the double motion of the planets? The first is finished in a natural day; 50 The second thus: as Saturn in thirty years; Jupiter in twelve: Mars in four; the Sun, Venus, and Mercury in a year; the Moon in twenty-eight days. Tush, these are freshmen's suppositions. But tell me, hath every sphere a dominion or intelligentia? Meph. I. 60 Faust. How many heavens, or spheres, are there? Meph. Nine: the seven planets, the firmament, and the empyreal heaven.2 Faust. Well, resolve me in this question: Why have 1 At Oxford students in their first term are still called "freshmen." 2 Ed. 1616 proceeds "Faust. But is there not calum igneum et crystallinum ? "Faust. Resolve me then in this one question: Why," &c. we not conjunctions, oppositions, aspects, eclipses, all at one time, but in some years we have more, in some less? Meph. Per inæqualem motum respectu totius. Faust. Well, I am answered. Tell me who made the world. Meph. I will not. Faust. Sweet Mephistophilis, tell me. Meph. Move me not,1 for I will not tell thee. 70 Faust. Villain, have I not bound thee to tell me anything? Meph. I, that is not against our kingdom; but this is. Think thou on Hell, Faustus, for thou art damned, Faust. Think, Faustus, upon God that made the world. Meph. Remember this. Faust. I, go, accursed Spirit, to ugly Hell. 'Tis thou hast damned distressed Faustus' soul. Is't not too late? Re-enter Good Angel and Evil Angel. E. Ang. Too late, G. Ang. Never too late, if Faustus can repent. [Exit. 80 E. Ang. If thou repent, Devils shall tear thee in G. Ang. Repent, and they shall never raze thy skin. [Exeunt Angels. 1 Ed. 1616 "Move me not, Faustus" (omitting "for I will not tell thee"). Faust. Ah, Christ my Saviour,1 Seek to save distressèd Faustus' soul ! Enter LUCIFER, BELZEBUB, and MEPHISTOPHILIS. Luc. I am Lucifer, And this is my companion-prince in Hell. Faust. O Faustus! they are come to fetch away 2 thy soul ! Luc. We come to tell thee thou dost injure us; Thou should'st not think of God: think of the Devil, Faust. Nor will I henceforth: pardon me in this, To burn his Scriptures, slay his Ministers, "my Saviour." 1 Ed. 1616 repeats the words " 2 Omitted in ed. 1616, to the advantage of the metre. 3 The arrangement in ed. 1616 is as follows : 'Belz. We are come to tell thee thou dost injure us. "Luc. Thou call'st on Christ contrary to thy promise. "Luc. Think on the Devil. "Belz. And his dam too." 90 100 (The mention of the devil's "dam" must surely have been added by the actor to provoke a laugh from the groundlings.) 4 Lines 100-102 are omitted in ed. 1616. Luc. Do so, and we will highly gratify thee. Faustus, we are come from Hell to show thee some pastime : sit down, and thou shalt see all the Seven Deadly Sins1 appear in their proper shapes. Faust. That sight will be as pleasing unto me, As Paradise was to Adam the first day Of his creation. Luc. Talk not of paradise nor creation, but mark this show: talk of the Devil, and nothing else: come away! Enter the Seven Deadly Sins. 122 Now, Faustus, examine them of their several names and dispositions. Faust. What art thou-the first? Pride. I am Pride. I disdain to have any parents. I am like to Ovid's flea:2 I can creep into every corner of a wench; sometimes, like a perriwig, I sit upon her brow; or like a fan of feathers, I kiss her lips; indeed I do what do I not? But, fie, what a scent is here! I'll not speak another word, except the ground were perfumed, and covered with cloth of arras. 132 Faust. What art thou-the second? Covet. I am Covetousness, begotten of an old churl in an old leathern bag; and might I have my wish I would desire that this house and all the people in it were turned 1 At Dulwich College is preserved the "plat" of an extemporal play by Richard Tarlton on the subject of the Seven Deadly Sins. See Collier's Engl. Dram. Poetry, iii. 394 (ed. 1). 2 An allusion to the medieval Carmen de Pulice, formerly ascribed to Ovid, to gold, that I might lock you up in my good chest. O, my sweet gold! Faust. What art thou-the third? 139 Wrath. I am Wrath. I had neither father nor mother: I leapt out of a lion's mouth when I was scarce half an hour old; and ever since I have run up and down the world with this case of rapiers, wounding myself when I had nobody to fight withal. I was born in Hell; and look to it, for some of you shall be my father. Faust. What art thou-the fourth? Envy. I am Envy, begotten of a chimney-sweeper and an oyster-wife. I cannot read, and therefore wish all books were burnt. I am lean with seeing others eat. O that there would come a famine through all the world, that all might die, and I live alone! then thou should'st see how fat I would be. But must thou sit and I stand! Come down with a vengeance! 153 Faust. Away, envious rascal! What art thou-the fifth? Glut. Who, I, sir? I am Gluttony. My parents are all dead, and the devil a penny they have left me, but a bare pension, and that is thirty meals a day and ten bevers 2 -a small trifle to suffice nature. O, I come of a royal parentage! My grandfather was a Gammon of Bacon, my grandmother was a Hogshead of Claret-wine; 1 Pair of rapiers. Cf. Webster's White Devil (ed. 1857, p. 46) :— "My lord hath left me yet two case of jewels Shall make me scorn your bounty." (The speaker, Flaminius, goes out and presently returns with "two case of pistols.") 2 Refreshment between meals. |
