Act II, Scene i

FAUSTUS discovered in his study.:

FAUSTUS. Now, Faustus,

Must thou needs be damn'd, canst thou not be sav'd.

What boots it, then, to think on God or heaven?

Away with such vain fancies, and despair;

Despair in God, and trust in Belzebub:

Now, go not backward,<43> Faustus; be resolute:

Why<44> waver'st thou? O, something soundeth in mine ear,

"Abjure this magic, turn to God again!"

Why, he loves thee not;

The god thou serv'st is thine own appetite,

Wherein is fix'd the love of Belzebub:

To him I'll build an altar and a church,

And offer lukewarm blood of new-born babes.

Enter GOOD ANGEL and EVIL ANGEL.:

EVIL ANGEL. Go forward, Faustus, in that famous<45> art.

GOOD ANGEL. Sweet Faustus, leave that execrable art.

FAUSTUS. Contrition, prayer, repentance—what of<46> these?

GOOD ANGEL. O, they are means to bring thee unto heaven!

EVIL ANGEL. Rather illusions, fruits of lunacy,

That make men<47> foolish that do use them most.

GOOD ANGEL. Sweet Faustus, think of heaven and heavenly things.

EVIL ANGEL. No, Faustus; think of honour and of wealth.

[Exeunt ANGELS.]

FAUSTUS. Wealth!

Why, the signiory of Embden shall be mine.

When Mephistophilis shall stand by me,

What power can hurt me? Faustus, thou art safe:

Cast no more doubts.—Mephistophilis, come,

And bring glad tidings from great Lucifer;—

Is't not midnight?—come Mephistophilis,

And bring glad tidings from great Lucifer;—

Is't not midnight?—come Mephistophilis,

Veni, veni, Mephistophile!<48>

Enter MEPHISTOPHILIS.:

Now tell me what saith Lucifer, thy lord?

MEPHIST. That I shall wait on Faustus whilst he lives,

So he will buy my service with his soul.

FAUSTUS. Already Faustus hath hazarded that for thee.

MEPHIST. But now thou must bequeath it solemnly,

And write a deed of gift with thine own blood;

For that security craves Lucifer.

If thou deny it, I must back to hell.

FAUSTUS. Stay, Mephistophilis, and tell me, what good will my

soul do thy lord?

MEPHIST. Enlarge his kingdom.

FAUSTUS. Is that the reason why he tempts us thus?

MEPHIST. Solamen miseris socios habuisse doloris.

FAUSTUS. Why, have you any pain that torture others?

MEPHIST. As great as have the human souls of men.

But, tell me, Faustus, shall I have thy soul?

And I will be thy slave, and wait on thee,

And give thee more than thou hast wit to ask.

FAUSTUS. Ay, Mephistophilis, I'll give it thee.<49>

MEPHIST. Then, Faustus, stab thine<50> arm courageously,

And bind thy soul, that at some certain day

Great Lucifer may claim it as his own;

And<51> then be thou as great as Lucifer.

FAUSTUS.[Stabbing his arm]Lo, Mephistophilis, for love of thee,

Faustus hath cut his arm, and with his proper blood

Assures his soul to be great Lucifer's,

Chief lord and regent of perpetual night!

View here this blood that trickles from mine arm,

And let it be propitious for my<52> wish.

MEPHIST. But, Faustus,

Write it in manner of a deed of gift.

FAUSTUS.[Writing]Ay, so I do. But, Mephistophilis,

My blood congeals, and I can write no more.

MEPHIST. I'll fetch thee fire to dissolve it straight.

[Exit.]

FAUSTUS. What might the staying of my blood portend?

Is it<53> unwilling I should write this bill?

Why streams it not, that I may write afresh?

FAUSTUS GIVES TO THEE HIS SOUL: O, there it stay'd!

Why shouldst thou not? is not thy soul thine own?

Then write again, FAUSTUS GIVES TO THEE HIS SOUL.<54>

Re-enter MEPHISTOPHILIS with the chafer of fire.:

MEPHIST. See, Faustus, here is fire; set it on.

FAUSTUS. So, now the blood begins to clear again;

Now will I make an<55> end immediately.

[Writes.]

MEPHIST. What will not I do to obtain his soul?

[Aside.]

FAUSTUS. Consummatum est; this bill is ended,

And Faustus hath bequeath'd his soul to Lucifer.

But what is this inscription on mine arm?

Homo, fuge: whither should<56> I fly?

If unto God,<57> he'll throw me down to hell.

My senses are deceiv'd; here's nothing writ:—

O, yes, I see it plain; even here is writ,

Homo, fuge: yet shall not Faustus fly.

MEPHIST. I'll fetch him somewhat to delight his mind.

[Aside, and then exit.]

Enter DEVILS, giving crowns and rich apparel to FAUSTUS.

They dance, and then depart.

Re-enter MEPHISTOPHILIS.:

FAUSTUS. What means this show? speak, Mephistophilis.

MEPHIST. Nothing, Faustus, but to delight thy mind,

And let thee see what magic can perform.

FAUSTUS. But may I raise such spirits when I please?

MEPHIST. Ay, Faustus, and do greater things than these.

FAUSTUS. Then, Mephistophilis, receive this scroll,<58>

A deed of gift of body and of soul:

But yet conditionally that thou perform

All covenants and articles between us both!

MEPHIST. Faustus, I swear by hell and Lucifer

To effect all promises between us both!

FAUSTUS. Then hear me read it, Mephistophilis.

[Reads.]

ON THESE CONDITIONS FOLLOWING. FIRST, THAT FAUSTUS MAY BE A

SPIRIT IN FORM AND SUBSTANCE. SECONDLY, THAT MEPHISTOPHILIS

SHALL BE HIS SERVANT, AND BE BY HIM COMMANDED. THIRDLY, THAT

MEPHISTOPHILIS SHALL DO FOR HIM, AND BRING HIM WHATSOEVER HE

DESIRES.<59> FOURTHLY, THAT HE SHALL BE IN HIS CHAMBER OR HOUSE

INVISIBLE. LASTLY, THAT HE SHALL APPEAR TO THE SAID JOHN FAUSTUS,

AT ALL TIMES, IN WHAT SHAPE AND FORM SOEVER HE PLEASE. I, JOHN

FAUSTUS, OF WITTENBERG, DOCTOR, BY THESE PRESENTS, DO GIVE BOTH

BODY AND SOUL TO LUCIFER PRINCE OF THE EAST, AND HIS MINISTER

MEPHISTOPHILIS; AND FURTHERMORE GRANT UNTO THEM, THAT, FOUR-AND-

TWENTY YEARS BEING EXPIRED, AND THESE ARTICLES ABOVE-WRITTEN

BEING INVIOLATE, FULL POWER TO FETCH OR CARRY THE SAID JOHN FAUSTUS,

BODY AND SOUL, FLESH AND<60> BLOOD, INTO THEIR HABITATION WHERESOEVER.

BY ME, JOHN FAUSTUS.

MEPHIST. Speak, Faustus, do you deliver this as your deed?

FAUSTUS. Ay, take it, and the devil give thee good of it!

MEPHIST. So, now, Faustus, ask me what thou wilt.

FAUSTUS. First I will question with<61> thee about hell.

Tell me, where is the<62> place that men call hell?

MEPHIST. Under the heavens.

FAUSTUS. Ay, so are all things else; but whereabouts?

MEPHIST. Within the bowels of these elements,

Where we are tortur'd and remain for ever:

Hell hath no limits, nor is circumscrib'd

In one self-place; but where we are is hell,

And where hell is, there must we ever be:

And, to be short, when all the world dissolves,

And every creature shall be purified,

All places shall be hell that are<63> not heaven.

FAUSTUS. I think hell's a fable.<64>

MEPHIST. Ay, think so still, till experience change thy mind.

FAUSTUS. Why, dost thou think that Faustus shall be damn'd?

MEPHIST. Ay, of necessity, for here's the scroll

In which thou hast given thy soul to Lucifer.

FAUSTUS. Ay, and body too; and what of that?

Think'st thou that Faustus is so fond to imagine

That, after this life, there is any pain?

No, these are trifles and mere old wives' tales.

MEPHIST. But I am an instance to prove the contrary,

For I tell thee I am damn'd and now in hell.

FAUSTUS. Nay, an this be hell, I'll willingly be damn'd:

What! sleeping, eating, walking, and disputing!

But, leaving this, let me have a wife,

The fairest maid in Germany;

For I am wanton and lascivious,

And cannot live without a wife.

MEPHIST. Well, Faustus, thou shalt have a wife.

[MEPHISTOPHILIS fetches in a WOMAN-DEVIL.]

FAUSTUS. What sight is this?

MEPHIST. Now, Faustus, wilt thou have a wife?

FAUSTUS. Here's a hot whore, indeed: no, I'll no wife.

MEPHIST. Marriage is but a ceremonial toy,

And, if thou lov'st me, think no more of it.

I'll cull thee out the fairest courtezans,

And bring them every morning to thy bed:

She whom thine<65> eye shall like, thy<66> heart shall have,

Were she as chaste as was<67> Penelope,

As wise as Saba, or as beautiful

As was bright Lucifer before his fall.

Here, take this book, peruse it well:

The iterating of these lines brings gold;

The framing of this circle on the ground

Brings thunder, whirlwinds, storm, and lightning;

Pronounce this thrice devoutly to thyself,

And men in harness<68> shall appear to thee,

Ready to execute what thou command'st.

FAUSTUS. Thanks, Mephistophilis, for this sweet book:

This will I keep as chary as my life.

[Exeunt.]