Meph. So, Faustus, now Do what thou wilt, thou shalt not be discerned. Sound a Sonnet.1 Enter the POPE and the CARDINAL OF LORRAIN to the banquet, with Friars attending. Pope. My Lord of Lorrain, wilt please you draw near ? 60 Faust. Fall to, and the devil choke you an you spare! Pope. How now! Who's that which spake ?-Friars, look about. First Friar. Here's nobody, if it like your Holiness. Pope. My lord, here is a dainty dish was sent me from the Bishop of Milan. Faust. I thank you, sir. [Snatches the dish. Pope. How now! Who's that which snatched the meat from me? Will no man look? My Lord, this dish was sent me from the Cardinal of Florence. 69 Faust. You say true; I'll ha't. [Snatches the dish. C. of Lor. My lord, it may be some ghost newly crept out of Purgatory, come to beg a pardon of your Holiness. Pope. It may be so. Friars prepare a dirge to lay the fury of this ghost. Once again, my lord, fall to. [The POPE crosses himself. Faust. What, are you crossing of yourself? Well, use that trick no more I would advise you. [The POPE crosses himself again. 1 Nares enumerates six various forms-Sennet, Senet, Synnet, Cynet, Signet and Signate. It is defined by the same authority as "a particular set of notes on the trumpet or cornet, different from a flourish." Well, there's the second time. Aware the third, I give you fair warning. 80 [The POPE crosses himself again, and FAUSTUS hits him a box of the ear; and they all run away. Come on, Mephistophilis, what shall we do? Meph. Nay, I know not. We shall be cursed with bell, book, and candle. Faust. How! bell, book, and candle,-candle, book, and bell, Forward and backward to curse Faustus to Hell! Anon you shall hear a hog grunt, a calf bleat, an ass bray, Because it is Saint Peter's holiday. Re-enter the Friars to sing the Dirge. First Friar. Come, brethren, let's about our business with good devotion. [They sing. Cursed be he that stole away his Holiness' meat from the table! Maledicat Dominus 90 Cursed be he that struck his Holiness a blow on the face! Maledicat Dominus! Cursed be he that took1 Friar Sandelo a blow on the pate! Maledicat Dominus! Cursed be he that disturbeth our holy dirge! Maledicat Dominus! 100 Cursed be he that took away his Holiness' wine! Maledicat Dominus! Et omnes sancti ! Amen! MEPHISTOPHILIS and FAUSTUS beat the Friars, and fling fireworks among them: and so exeunt. 1 Wagner wanted to read "strook," but Ward aptly compares Measure for Measure, ii, 1. 189 :—“ If he took you a box o' the ear." Enter CHORUS. Chorus. When Faustus had with pleasure ta'en the view Of rarest things, and royal courts of kings, He stayed his course, and so returned home; ΙΟ I leave untold-your eyes shall see performed. [Exit. SCENE VIII. Enter1 ROBIN the Ostler with a book in his hand. Robin. O, this is admirable! here I ha' stolen one of Dr. Faustus's conjuring books, and i' faith I mean to search some circles for my own use. Now will I make 1 Scene: an Inn-yard. The scene is omitted in ed. 1616, and later 4tos. 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. II 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? Thou can'st 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. Ralph. Why, Robin, what book is that? 20 Robin. What book! why the most intolerable book for conjuring that e'er was invented by any brimstone devil. Ralph. Can'st thou conjure with it? Robin. I can do all these things easily with it; first, I can make thee drunk with ippocras1 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 1 "A medicated drink composed usually of red wine, but sometimes white, with the addition of sugar and spices."—Nares. any mind to Nan Spit, our kitchenmaid, then turn her and wind her to thy own use as often as thou wilt, and at midnight. 31 Ralph. O brave Robin, shall I have Nan Spit, and to mine own use? On that condition I'd feed thy devil with horsebread 1 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. SCENE IX. Enter 2 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 purchase3 for horsekeepers; our horses shall eat no hay as long as this lasts. Ralph. But, Robin, here comes the Vintner. Enter Vintner. Drawer, I hope all is paid: God be with you; come, Ralph. 1 It was a common practice among our ancestors to feed horses on bread. Nares quotes from Gervase Markham a recipe for making horse-loaves. 2 Dyce supposes that a scene has dropped out before the re-entrance of Robin and Ralph. Scene: an Inn-yard as before. (The text of ed. 1616 is given in the Appendix.) 3 See note 3, P. 42. VOL. I. R |
