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.]
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