Faust. If it like your grace, the year is divided into two circles over the whole world, that, when it is here winter with us, in the contrary circle it is summer with them, as in India, Saba,* and farther countries in the east; and by means of a swift spirit that I have, I had them brought hither, as you see.-How do you like them, madam? be they good? Duchess. Believe me, Master Doctor, they be the best grapes that e'er I tasted in my life before. Faust. I am glad they content you so, madam. Duke. Come, madam, let us in, where you must well reward this learned man for the great kindness he hath shewed to you. Duchess. And so I will, my lord; and, whilst I live, rest beholding+ for this courtesy. Faust. I humbly thank your grace. Duke. Come, Master Doctor, follow us, and receive your reward. [Exeunt. Se Enter WAGNER. Wag. I think my master means to die shortly, For he hath given to me all his goods: § And yet, methinks, if that death were near, He would not banquet, and carouse, and swill Amongst the students, as even now he doth, Who are at supper with such belly-cheer As Wagner ne'er beheld in all his life. See, where they come ! belike the feast is ended. [Exit. Enter FAUSTUS with two or three Scholars, and First Schol. Master Doctor Faustus, since our conference about fair ladies, which was the beautifulest in all the world, we have determined with ourselves that Helen of Greece was the admirablest lady that ever lived therefore, Master Doctor, if you will do us that favour, as to let us see that peerless dame of Greece, whom all the world admires for majesty, we should think ourselves much beholding unto you. Faust. Gentlemen, For that I know your friendship is unfeign'd, And Faustus' custom is not to deny The just requests of those that wish him well, * Saba] i. e. Sabæa. ↑ beholding] i. e. beholden. 1 Enter Wagner] Scene, a room in the house of Faus tus. § he hath given to me all his goods] Compare chap. lvi. of The History of Doctor Faustus,-"How Doctor Faustus made his will, in which he named his servant Wagner to be his heire." You shall behold that peerless dame of Greece, [Music sounds, and HELEN passeth over the stage." 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, First Schol. Since we have seen the pride of 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 To guide thy steps unto the way of life, By which sweet path thou mayst attain the goal Tears falling from repentant heaviness * Helen passeth over the stage] In The History of Doctor Faustus we have the following description of Helen. This lady appeared before them in a most rich gowne of purple velvet, costly imbrodered; her haire hanged downe loose, as faire as the beaten gold, and of such length that it reached downe to her hammes; having most amorous cole-black eyes, a sweet and pleasant round face, with lips as red as a cherry; her 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 necre-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 repentance, "--according to which history, the Old Man's exhortation is delivered at his own house, whither he had invited Faustus to supper. wild) Old ed. "vild." See note . p. 68. § sin] Old ed. "sinnes (This is not in the later 4tos). But mercy, Faustus, of thy Saviour sweet, Damn'd art thou, Faustus, damn'd; despair and die! Hell calls for right, and with a roaring voice Says, "Faustus, come; thine hour is almost* come;" And Faustus now will come to do thee right. [MEPHISTOPHILIS gives him a dagger. Old Man. Ah, stay, good Faustus, stay thy desperate steps! I see an angel hovers o'er thy head, Old Man. I go, sweet Faustus; but with heavy cheer, Fearing the ruin of thy hopeless soul. [Exit. Faust. Accursed 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 unfeigned heart, Lest greater danger do attend thy drift. Faust. Torment, sweet friend, that base and crooked age, That durst dissuade me from thy Lucifer, But what I may afflict his body with * almost] So the later 4tos.-Not in 4to 1604. now] So the later 4tos.-Not in 4to 1604. Meph. Do it, then, quickly, &c.] After this speech, most probably, there ought to be a stage-direction, "Faustus stabs his arm, and writes on a paper with his blood. Compare The History of Doctor Faustus, chap. xlix, -"How Doctor Faustus wrote the second time with his owne blood, and gave it to the Devill." Faust. One thing, good servant,* let me crave of thee, To glut the longing of my heart's desire,— Vow, And keep mine oath I made to Lucifer. Meph. Faustus, this, or what else thou shalt desire, Shall be perform'd in twinkling of an eye. 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. I will be Paris, and for love of thee, *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.-2to 1604 "These." Faustus, this] Qy. "This, Faustus"? § topless] i. e. not exceeded in height by any. is] So the later 4tos.-2to 1604 "be." Satan begins to sift me with his pride: [Exeunt,- —on one side, Devils, on the other, Old Man. Enter FAUSTUS, with Scholars. Faust. Ah, gentlemen! First Schol. What ails Faustus? Faust. Ah, my sweet chamber-fellow, had I lived with thee, then had I lived still! but now I die eternally. Look, comes he not? comes he not? Sec. Schol. What means Faustus? Third Schol. Belike he is grown into some sickness by being over-solitary. First Schol. If it be so, we'll have physicians to cure him. 'Tis but a surfeit; never fear, man. Faust. A surfeit of deadly sin, that hath damned both body and soul. Sec. Schol. Yet, Faustus, look up to heaven; remember God's mercies are infinite. Faust. But Faustus' offence can ne'er be *shalt] So all the 4tos; and so I believe Marlowe wrote, though the grammar requires "shall.” + Enter the Old Man] Scene, a room in the Old Man's house-In The History of Doctor Faustus the Old Man makes himself very merry with the attempts of the evil powers to hurt him. "About two dayes after that he had exhorted Faustus, as the poore man lay in his bed, suddenly there was a mighty rumbling in the chamber, the which he was never wont to heare, and he heard as it had beene the groaning of a sow, which lasted long: whereupon the good old man began to jest and mocke, and said, Oh, what barbarian cry is this? Oh faire bird, what foul musicke is this? A [h], faire angell, that could not tarry two dayes in his place! beginnest thou now to runne into a poore mans house, where thou hast no power, and wert not able to keepe thy owne two dayes? With these and such like words the spirit departed," &c. Sig. I 2, ed. 1648. Enter Faustus, &c.] Scene, a room in the house of Faustus. pardoned: the serpent that tempted Eve may be saved, but not Faustus. Ah, gentlemen, hear me with patience, and tremble not at my speeches! Though my heart pants and quivers to remember that I have been a student here these thirty years, O, would I had never seen Wertenberg, never read book! and what wonders I have done, all Germany can witness, yea, all the world; for which Faustus hath lost both Germany and the world, yea, heaven itself, heaven, the seat of God, the throne of the blessed, the kingdom of joy; and must remain in hell for ever, hell, ah, hell, for ever! Sweet friends, what shall become of Faustus, being in hell for ever? Third Schol. Yet, Faustus, call on God. Faust. On God, whom Faustus hath abjured! on God, whom Faustus hath blasphemed! Ab, my God, I would weep! but the devil draws in my tears. Gush forth blood, instead of tears! yea, life and soul! O, he stays my tongue! I would lift up my hands; but see, they hold them, they hold them! All. Who, Faustus? Faust. Lucifer and Mephistophilis. Ah, gentlemen, I gave them my soul for my cunning!" All. God forbid ! Faust. God forbade it, indeed; but Faustus hath done it for vain pleasure of twenty-four years hath Faustus lost eternal joy and felicity. I writ them a bill with mine own blood: the date is expired; the time will come, and he will fetch me. First Schol. Why did not Faustus tell us of this before, that divines might have prayed for thee? Faust. Oft have I thought to have done so; but the devil threatened to tear me in pieces, if cunning] i. e. knowledge, skill. + Why did not Faustus tell us of this before, &c.] "Wherefore one of them said unto him, Ab, friend Faustus, what have you done to conceale this matter so long from us? We would, by the helpe of good divines and the grace of God, have brought you out of this net, and have torne you out of the bondage and chaines of Satan; whereas now we feare it is too late, to the utter ruine both of your body and soule. Doctor Faustus answered, I durst never doe it, although I often minded to settle my life [myself?] to godly people to desire counsell and helpe; and once mine old neighbour counselled me that I should follow his learning and leave all my conjurations: yet, when I was minded to amend and to follow that good mans counsell, then came the Devill and would have had me away, as this night he is like to doe, and said, so soone as I turned againe to God, he would dispatch me altogether." The History of Doctor Faustus, Sig. K 3, ed. 1648. I named God, to fetch both body and soul, if I once gave ear to divinity: and now 'tis too late. Gentlemen, away, lest you perish with me. Sec. Schol. O, what shall we do to save* Faustus? Faust. Talk not of me, but save yourselves, and depart. Third Schol. God will strengthen me; I will stay with Faustus. First Schol. Tempt not God, sweet friend; but let us into the next room, and there pray for him. Faust. Ay, pray for me, pray for me; and what noise soever ye hear,t come not unto me, for nothing can rescue me. Where is it now? 'tis gone: and see, where God Then will I headlong run into the earth: Sec. Schol. Pray thou, and we will pray that Ah, half the hour is past! 'twill all be past anon God may have mercy upon thee. Faust. Gentlemen, farewell: if I live till morning, I'll visit you; if not, Faustus is gone to hell. All. Faustus, farewell. [Exeunt Scholars.-The clock strikes eleven. Faust. Ah, Faustus, Now hast thou but one bare hour to live, The stars move still, time runs, the clock will strike, The devil will come, and Faustus must be damn'd. O, I'll leap up to my God!-Who pulls me down? See, see, where Christ's blood streams in the firmament! One drop would save my soul, half a drop: ah, my Christ! Ah, rend not my heart for naming of my Christ! O God, If thou wilt not have mercy on my soul, Yet for Christ's sake, whose blood hath ransom'd me, Impose some end to my incessant pain; Their souls are soon dissolv'd in elements; [Thunder and lightning. O soul, be chang'd into little water-drops, And fall into the ocean, ne'er be found! Enter Devils. Yet will I call on him: O, spare me, Lucifer! My God, my God, look not so fierce on me! * save] So the later 4tos.-Not in 4to 1604. and what noise soever ye hear, &c.] "Lastly, to knit up my troubled oration, this is my friendly request, that you would go to rest, and let nothing trouble you; also, if you chance heare any noyse or rumbling about the house, be not therewith afraid, for there shall no evill happen unto you," &c. The History of Doctor Faustus, ubi supra. O lente, &c.] "At si, quem malles, Cephalum complexa teneres, Clamares, Lente currite, noctis equi.” Ovid,-Amor. i. xiii. 39. Adders and serpents, let me breathe a while! * Exeunt Devils with Faustus] In The History of Doctor Faustus, his "miserable and lamentable end" is described as follows: it took place, we are informed, at "the village called Rimlich, halfe a mile from Wittenberg.""The students and the other that were there, when they had prayed for him, they wept, and so went forth; but Faustus tarried in the hall; and when the gentlemen were laid in bed, none of them could sleepe, for that they att nded to heare if they might be privy of his end. It happened that betweene twelve and one a clocke at midnight, there blew a mighty storme of winde against the house, as though it would have blowne the foundation thereof out of his place. Hereupon the students began to feare and goe out of their beds, comforting one another; but they would not stirre out of the chamber; and the host of the house ran out of doores, thinking the house would fall. The students lay neere unto the hall wherein Doctor Faustus lay, and they heard a mighty noyse and hissing, as if the hall had beene full of snakes and adders. With that, the hall-doore flew open, wherein Doctor Faustus was, that he began to cry for helpe, saying, Murther, murther! but it came forth with halfe a voyce, hollowly: shortly after, they heard him no more. But when it was day, the students, that had taken no rest that night, arose and went into the hall, in the which they left Doctor Faustus; where notwithstanding they found not Faustus, but all the hall lay sprinkled with blood, his braines cleaving to the wall, for the devill had beaten him from one wall against another; in one corner lay his eyes, in another his teeth; a pittifull and fearefull sight to behold. Then begau the students to waile and weepe for him, and sought for his body in many places Lastly, they came into the yard, where they found his body lying on the horse-dung, most monstrously torne and feareful to Enter Chorus. Chor. Cut is the branch that might have grown full straight, And burned is Apollo's laurel-bough, Terminat hora diem; terminat auctor opus. behold, for his head and all his joynts were dashed in peeces. The fore-named students and masters that were at his death, have obtained so much, that they buried him in the village where he was so grievously tormented. After the which they returned to Wittenberg; and comming into the house of Faustus, they found the servant of Faustus very sad, unto whom they opened all the matter, who tooke it exceeding heavily. There found they also this history of Doctor Faustus noted and of him written, as is before declared, all save only his end, the which was after by the students thereto annexed; further, what his servant had noted thereof, was made in another booke. And you have heard that he held by him in his life the spirit of faire Helena, the which had by him one sonne, the which he named Justus Faustus: even the same day of his death they vanished awav, both mother and sonne. The house before was so darke that scarce any body could abide therein. The same night Doctor Faustus appeared unto his servant lively, and shewed unto him many secret things, the which he had done and hidden in his lifetime. Likewise there were certaine which saw Doctor Faustus looke out of the window by night, as they passed by the house." Sig. K 3, ed. 1648. |