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The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus
THE TRAGICAL HISTORY OF DOCTOR FAUSTUS BY CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE FROM THE
QUARTO OF 1604.
EDITED BY THE REV. ALEXANDER DYCE.
THE TRAGICALL HISTORY OF D. FAUSTUS. AS IT HATH BENE ACTED BY THE
RIGHT HONORABLE THE EARLE OF NOTTINGHAM HIS SERUANTS. WRITTEN BY CH.
MARL.
In reprinting this edition, I have here and there amended the text by
means of the later 4tos,--1616, 1624, 1631.--Of 4to 1663, which
contains various comparatively modern alterations and additions, I
have made no use.
DRAMATIS PERSONAE.
THE POPE. CARDINAL OF LORRAIN. THE EMPEROR OF GERMANY. DUKE OF
VANHOLT. FAUSTUS. VALDES, ] friends to FAUSTUS. CORNELIUS, ]
WAGNER, servant to FAUSTUS. Clown. ROBIN. RALPH. Vintner.
Horse-courser. A Knight. An Old Man. Scholars, Friars, and Attendants.
DUCHESS OF VANHOLT
LUCIFER. BELZEBUB. MEPHISTOPHILIS. Good Angel. Evil Angel. The Seven
Deadly Sins. Devils. Spirits in the shapes of ALEXANDER THE GREAT, of
his Paramour and of HELEN.
Chorus.
THE TRAGICAL HISTORY OF DOCTOR FAUSTUS FROM THE QUARTO OF 1604.
Enter CHORUS.
CHORUS. Not marching now in fields of Thrasymene, Where Mars did mate
the Carthaginians; Nor sporting in the dalliance of love, In courts of
kings where state is overturn'd; Nor in the pomp of proud audacious
deeds, Intends our Muse to vaunt her heavenly verse: Only this,
gentlemen,--we must perform The form of Faustus' fortunes, good or
bad: To patient judgments we appeal our plaud, And speak for Faustus
in his infancy. Now is he born, his parents base of stock, In Germany,
within a town call'd Rhodes: Of riper years, to Wertenberg he went,
Whereas his kinsmen chiefly brought him up. So soon he profits in
divinity, The fruitful plot of scholarism grac'd, That shortly he was
grac'd with doctor's name, Excelling all whose sweet delight disputes
In heavenly matters of theology; Till swoln with cunning, of a
self-conceit, His waxen wings did mount above his reach, And, melting,
heavens conspir'd his overthrow; For, falling to a devilish exercise,
And glutted now with learning's golden gifts, He surfeits upon cursed
necromancy; Nothing so sweet as magic is to him, Which he prefers
before his chiefest bliss: And this the man that in his study sits.
[Exit.]
FAUSTUS discovered in his study.
FAUSTUS. Settle thy studies, Faustus, and begin To sound the depth of
that thou wilt profess: Having commenc'd, be a divine in shew, Yet
level at the end of every art, And live and die in Aristotle's works.
Sweet Analytics, 'tis thou hast ravish'd me! Bene disserere est finis
logices. Is, to dispute well, logic's chiefest end? Affords this art
no greater miracle? Then read no more; thou hast attain'd that end: A
greater subject fitteth Faustus' wit: Bid Economy farewell, and Galen
come, Seeing, Ubi desinit philosophus, ibi incipit medicus: Be a
physician, Faustus; heap up gold, And be eterniz'd for some wondrous
cure: Summum bonum medicinae sanitas, The end of physic is our body's
health. Why, Faustus, hast thou not attain'd that end? Is not thy
common talk found aphorisms? Are not thy bills hung up as monuments,
Whereby whole cities have escap'd the plague, And thousand desperate
maladies been eas'd? Yet art thou still but Faustus, and a man.
Couldst thou make men to live eternally, Or, being dead, raise them to
life again, Then this profession were to be esteem'd. Physic,
farewell! Where is Justinian?
[Reads.] Si una eademque res legatur duobus, alter rem, alter valorem
rei, &c.
A pretty case of paltry legacies!
[Reads.] Exhoereditare filium non potest pater, nisi, &c.
Such is the subject of the institute, And universal body of the law:
This study fits a mercenary drudge, Who aims at nothing but external
trash; Too servile and illiberal for me. When all is done, divinity is
best: Jerome's Bible, Faustus; view it well.
[Reads.] Stipendium peccati mors est. Ha! Stipendium, &c.
The reward of sin is death: that's hard.
[Reads.] Si peccasse negamus, fallimur, et nulla est in nobis veritas;
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and there's no
truth in us. Why, then, belike we must sin, and so consequently die:
Ay, we must die an everlasting death. What doctrine call you this, Che
sera, sera, What will be, shall be? Divinity, adieu! These
metaphysics of magicians, And necromantic books are heavenly; Lines,
circles, scenes, letters, and characters; Ay, these are those that
Faustus most desires. O, what a world of profit and delight, Of power,
of honour, of omnipotence, Is promis'd to the studious artizan! All
things that move between the quiet poles Shall be at my command:
emperors and kings Are but obeyed in their several provinces, Nor can
they raise the wind, or rend the clouds; But his dominion that exceeds
in this, Stretcheth as far as doth the mind of man; A sound magician
is a mighty god: Here, Faustus, tire thy brains to gain a deity.
Enter WAGNER.
Wagner, commend me to my dearest friends, The German Valdes and
Cornelius; Request them earnestly to visit me.
WAGNER. I will, sir. [Exit.]
FAUSTUS. Their conference will be a greater help to me Than all my
labours, plod I ne'er so fast.
Enter GOOD ANGEL and EVIL ANGEL.
GOOD ANGEL. O, Faustus, lay that damned book aside, And gaze not on
it, lest it tempt thy soul, And heap God's heavy wrath upon thy head!
Read, read the Scriptures:--that is blasphemy.
EVIL ANGEL. Go forward, Faustus, in that famous art Wherein all
Nature's treasure is contain'd: Be thou on earth as Jove is in the
sky, Lord and commander of these elements. [Exeunt Angels.]
FAUSTUS. How am I glutted with conceit of this! Shall I make spirits
fetch me what I please, Resolve me of all ambiguities, Perform what
desperate enterprise I will? I'll have them fly to India for gold,
Ransack the ocean for orient pearl, And search all corners of the
new-found world For pleasant fruits and princely delicates; I'll have
them read me strange philosophy, And tell the secrets of all foreign
kings; I'll have them wall all Germany with brass, And make swift
Rhine circle fair Wertenberg; I'll have them fill the public schools
with silk, Wherewith the students shall be bravely clad; I'll levy
soldiers with the coin they bring, And chase the Prince of Parma from
our land, And reign sole king of all the provinces; Yea, stranger
engines for the brunt of war, Than was the fiery keel at Antwerp's
bridge, I'll make my servile spirits to invent.
Enter VALDES and CORNELIUS.
Come, German Valdes, and Cornelius, And make me blest with your sage
conference. Valdes, sweet Valdes, and Cornelius, Know that your words
have won me at the last To practice magic and concealed arts: Yet not
your words only, but mine own fantasy, That will receive no object;
for my head But ruminates on necromantic skill. Philosophy is odious
and obscure; Both law and physic are for petty wits; Divinity is
basest of the three, Unpleasant, harsh, contemptible, and vile: 'Tis
magic, magic, that hath ravish'd me. Then, gentle friends, aid me in
this attempt; And I, that have with concise syllogisms Gravell'd the
pastors of the German church, And made the flowering pride of
Wertenberg Swarm to my problems, as the infernal spirits On sweet
Musaeus when he came to hell, Will be as cunning as Agrippa was, Whose
shadow made all Europe honour him.
VALDES. Faustus, these books, thy wit, and our experience, Shall make
all nations to canonize us. As Indian Moors obey their Spanish lords,
So shall the spirits of every element Be always serviceable to us
three; Like lions shall they guard us when we please; Like Almain
rutters with their horsemen's staves, Or Lapland giants, trotting by
our sides; Sometimes like women, or unwedded maids, Shadowing more
beauty in their airy brows Than have the white breasts of the queen of
love: From Venice shall they drag huge argosies, And from America the
golden fleece That yearly stuffs old Philip's treasury; If learned
Faustus will be resolute.
FAUSTUS. Valdes, as resolute am I in this As thou to live: therefore
object it not.
CORNELIUS. The miracles that magic will perform Will make thee vow to
study nothing else. He that is grounded in astrology, Enrich'd with
tongues, well seen in minerals, Hath all the principles magic doth
require: Then doubt not, Faustus, but to be renowm'd, And more
frequented for this mystery Than heretofore the Delphian oracle. The
spirits tell me they can dry the sea, And fetch the treasure of all
foreign wrecks, Ay, all the wealth that our forefathers hid Within the
massy entrails of the earth: Then tell me, Faustus, what shall we
three want?
FAUSTUS. Nothing, Cornelius. O, this cheers my soul! Come, shew me
some demonstrations magical, That I may conjure in some lusty grove,
And have these joys in full possession.
VALDES. Then haste thee to some solitary grove, And bear wise Bacon's
and Albertus' works, The Hebrew Psalter, and New Testament; And
whatsoever else is requisite We will inform thee ere our conference
cease.
CORNELIUS. Valdes, first let him know the words of art; And then, all
other ceremonies learn'd, Faustus may try his cunning by himself.
VALDES. First I'll instruct thee in the rudiments, And then wilt thou
be perfecter than I.
FAUSTUS. Then come and dine with me, and, after meat, We'll canvass
every quiddity thereof; For, ere I sleep, I'll try what I can do: This
night I'll conjure, though I die therefore. [Exeunt.]
Enter two SCHOLARS.
FIRST SCHOLAR. I wonder what's become of Faustus, that was wont to
make our schools ring with sic probo.
SECOND SCHOLAR. That shall we know, for see, here comes his boy.
Enter WAGNER.
FIRST SCHOLAR. How now, sirrah! where's thy master?
WAGNER. God in heaven knows.
SECOND SCHOLAR. Why, dost not thou know?
WAGNER. Yes, I know; but that follows not.
FIRST SCHOLAR. Go to, sirrah! leave your jesting, and tell us where he
is.
WAGNER. That follows not necessary by force of argument, that you,
being licentiates, should stand upon: therefore acknowledge your
error, and be attentive.
SECOND SCHOLAR. Why, didst thou not say thou knewest?
WAGNER. Have you any witness on't?
FIRST SCHOLAR. Yes, sirrah, I heard you.
WAGNER. Ask my fellow if I be a thief.
SECOND SCHOLAR. Well, you will not tell us?
WAGNER. Yes, sir, I will tell you: yet, if you were not dunces, you
would never ask me such a question; for is not he corpus naturale? and
is not that mobile? then wherefore should you ask me such a question?
But that I am by nature phlegmatic, slow to wrath, and prone to
lechery (to love, I would say), it were not for you to come within
forty foot of the place of execution, although I do not doubt to see
you both hanged the next sessions. Thus having triumphed over you, I
will set my countenance like a precisian, and begin to speak thus:--
Truly, my dear brethren, my master is within at dinner, with Valdes
and Cornelius, as this wine, if it could speak, would inform your
worships: and so, the Lord bless you, preserve you, and keep you, my
dear brethren, my dear brethren! [Exit.]