The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus Christopher Marlowe (philippa perry book .TXT) š
- Author: Christopher Marlowe
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And I will be thy slave, and wait on thee,
And give thee more than thou hast wit to ask. Faustus
Ay, Mephistopheles, I give it thee.
MephistophelesThen, Faustus, stab thine arm courageously,
And bind thy soul, that at some certain day
Great Lucifer may claim it as his own;
And then be thou as great as Lucifer.
Stabbing his arm. Lo, Mephistopheles, for love of thee,
I cut mine arm, and with my proper blood
Assure my soul to be great Luciferās,
Chief lord and regent of perpetual night!
View here the blood that trickles from mine arm,
And let it be propitious for my wish.
But, Faustus, thou must
Write it in manner of a deed of gift.
Ay, so I will. Writes. But, Mephistopheles,
My blood congeals, and I can write no more.
Iāll fetch thee fire to dissolve it straight.
Exit. FaustusWhat might the staying of my blood portend?
Is it unwilling I should write this bill?
Why streams it not that I may write afresh?
Faustus gives to thee his soul. Ah, there it stayed!
Why shouldāst thou not? Is not thy soul shine own?
Then write again, Faustus gives to thee his soul.
Hereās fire. Come, Faustus, set it on.31
FaustusSo, now the blood begins to clear again;
Now will I make an end immediately. Writes.
O what will not I do to obtain his soul. Aside.
FaustusConsummatum est; this bill is ended,
And Faustus hath bequeathed his soul to Lucifer
But what is this inscription on mine arm?
Homo, fuge! Whither should I fly?
If unto God, heāll throw me down to hell.
My senses are deceived; hereās nothing writ:ā ā
I see it plain; here in this place is writ,
Homo, fuge! Yet shall not Faustus fly.
Iāll fetch him somewhat to delight his mind.
Exit. Re-enter Mephistopheles with Devils, who give crowns and rich apparel to Faustus, dance, and then depart. FaustusSpeak, Mephistopheles, what means this show?
MephistophelesNothing, Faustus, but to delight thy mind withal,
And to show thee what magic can perform.
But may I raise up spirits when I please?
MephistophelesAy, Faustus, and do greater things than these.
FaustusThen thereās enough for a thousand souls.
Here, Mephistopheles, receive this scroll,
A deed of gift of body and of soul:
But yet conditionally that thou perform
All articles prescribed between us both.
Faustus, I swear by hell and Lucifer
To effect all promises between us made!
Speak, Faustus, do you deliver this as your deed?
FaustusAy, take it, and the Devil give thee good onāt!
MephistophelesNow, Faustus, ask what thou wilt.
FaustusFirst will I question with thee about hell.
Tell me, where is the place that men call hell?
Under the Heavens.
FaustusAy, but whereabout?
MephistophelesWithin the bowels of these elements,
Where we are tortured and remain forever:
Hell hath no limits, nor is circumscribed
In one self place; for where we are is hell,
And where hell is, there must we ever be:
And, to conclude, when all the world dissolves,
And every creature shall be purified,
All places shall be hell that are not Heaven.
Come, I think hellās a fable.
MephistophelesAy, think so still, till experience change thy mind.
FaustusWhy, thinkāst thou, then that Faustus shall be damned?
MephistophelesAy, of necessity, for hereās the scroll
Wherein thou hast given thy soul to Lucifer.
Ay, and body too; but what of that?
Thinkāst thou that Faustus is so fond33 to imagine
That, after this life, there is any pain?
Tush; these are trifles, and mere old wivesā tales.
But, Faustus, I am an instance to prove the contrary,
For I am damned, and am now in hell.
How! now in hell?
Nay, an this be hell, Iāll willingly be damned here;
What? walking, disputing, etc.?
But, leaving off this, let me have a wife,
The fairest maid in Germany;
For I am wanton and lascivious,
And cannot live without a wife.
Howā āa wife?
I prithee, Faustus, talk not of a wife.
Nay, sweet Mephistopheles, fetch me one, for I will have one.
MephistophelesWellā āthou wilt have one. Sit there till I come: Iāll fetch thee a wife in the Devilās name.
Exit. Re-enter Mephistopheles with a Devil dressed like a woman, with fireworks. MephistophelesTell me, Faustus, how dost thou like thy wife?
Faustus A plague on her for a hot whore! MephistophelesTut, Faustus,
Marriage is but a ceremonial toy;
If thou lovest me, think no more of it.
Iāll cull thee out the fairest courtesans,
And bring them every morning to thy bed;
She whom thine eye shall like, thy heart shall have,
Be she as chaste as was Penelope,
As wise as Saba,34 or as beautiful
As was bright Lucifer before his fall.
Hold, take this book, peruse it thoroughly: Gives book.
The iterating35 of these lines brings gold;
The framing of this circle on the ground
Brings whirlwinds, tempests, thunder and lightning;
Pronounce this thrice devoutly to thyself,
And men in armour shall appear to thee,
Ready to execute what thou desirāst.
Here they are, in this book. Turns to them.
Faustus Now would I have a book where I might see all characters and planets
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