Doctor Faustus – Original 1604 Version & Revised 1616 Version. Christopher Marlowe
those joys thou never shalt possess. Go bear these58 tidings to great Lucifer: Seeing Faustus hath incurr'd eternal death By desperate thoughts against Jove's59 deity, Say, he surrenders up to him his soul, So he will spare him four and twenty60 years, Letting him live in all voluptuousness; Having thee ever to attend on me, To give me whatsoever I shall ask, To tell me whatsoever I demand, To slay mine enemies, and aid my friends, And always be obedient to my will. Go and return to mighty Lucifer, And meet me in my study at midnight, And then resolve61 me of thy master's mind. MEPHIST. I will, Faustus. [Exit.] FAUSTUS. Had I as many souls as there be stars, I'd give them all for Mephistophilis. By him I'll be great emperor of the world, And make a bridge thorough62 the moving air, To pass the ocean with a band of men; I'll join the hills that bind the Afric shore, And make that country63 continent to Spain, And both contributory to my crown: The Emperor shall not live but by my leave, Nor any potentate of Germany. Now that I have obtain'd what I desir'd,64 I'll live in speculation of this art, Till Mephistophilis return again. [Exit.] Enter WAGNER65 and CLOWN. WAGNER. Sirrah boy, come hither. CLOWN. How, boy! swowns, boy! I hope you have seen many boys with such pickadevaunts66 as I have: boy, quotha! WAGNER. Tell me, sirrah, hast thou any comings in? CLOWN. Ay, and goings out too; you may see else. WAGNER. Alas, poor slave! see how poverty jesteth in his nakedness! the villain is bare and out of service, and so hungry, that I know he would give his soul to the devil for a shoulder of mutton, though it were blood-raw. CLOWN. How! my soul to the devil for a shoulder of mutton, though 'twere blood-raw! not so, good friend: by'r lady,67 I had need have it well roasted, and good sauce to it, if I pay so dear. WAGNER. Well, wilt thou serve me, and I'll make thee go like Qui mihi discipulus?68 CLOWN. How, in verse? WAGNER. No, sirrah; in beaten silk and staves-acre.69 CLOWN. How, how, knaves-acre! ay, I thought that was all the land his father left him. Do you hear? I would be sorry to rob you of your living. WAGNER. Sirrah, I say in staves-acre. CLOWN. Oho, oho, staves-acre! why, then, belike, if I were your man, I should be full of vermin.70 WAGNER. So thou shalt, whether thou beest with me or no. But, sirrah, leave your jesting, and bind yourself presently unto me for seven years, or I'll turn all the lice about thee into familiars,71 and they shall tear thee in pieces. CLOWN. Do you hear, sir? you may save that labour; they are too familiar with me already: swowns, they are as bold with my flesh as if they had paid for their72 meat and drink. WAGNER. Well, do you hear, sirrah? hold, take these guilders. [Gives money.] CLOWN. Gridirons! what be they? WAGNER. Why, French crowns. CLOWN. Mass, but for the name of French crowns, a man were as good have as many English counters. And what should I do with these? WAGNER. Why, now, sirrah, thou art at an hour's warning, whensoever or wheresoever the devil shall fetch thee. CLOWN. No, no; here, take your gridirons again. WAGNER. Truly, I'll none of them. CLOWN. Truly, but you shall. WAGNER. Bear witness I gave them him. CLOWN. Bear witness I give them you again. WAGNER. Well, I will cause two devils presently to fetch thee away.—Baliol and Belcher! CLOWN. Let your Baliol and your Belcher come here, and I'll knock them, they were never so knocked since they were devils: say I should kill one of them, what would folks say? "Do ye see yonder tall fellow in the round slop?73 he has killed the devil." So I should be called Kill-devil all the parish over. Enter two DEVILS; and the CLOWN runs up and down crying. WAGNER. Baliol and Belcher—spirits, away! [Exeunt DEVILS.] CLOWN. What, are they gone? a vengeance on them! they have vile74 long nails. There was a he-devil and a she-devil: I'll tell you how you shall know them; all he-devils has horns, and all she-devils has clifts and cloven feet. WAGNER. Well, sirrah, follow me. CLOWN. But, do you hear? if I should serve you, would you teach me to raise up Banios and Belcheos? WAGNER. I will teach thee to turn thyself to any thing, to a dog, or a cat, or a mouse, or a rat, or any thing. CLOWN. How! a Christian fellow to a dog, or a cat, a mouse, or a rat! no, no, sir; if you turn me into any thing, let it be in the likeness of a little pretty frisking flea, that I may be here and there and every where: O, I'll tickle the pretty wenches' plackets! I'll be amongst them, i'faith. WAGNER. Well, sirrah, come. CLOWN. But, do you hear, Wagner? WAGNER. How!—Baliol and Belcher! CLOWN. O Lord! I pray, sir, let Banio and Belcher go sleep. WAGNER. Villain, call me Master Wagner, and let thy left eye be diametarily fixed upon my right heel, with quasi vestigiis nostris75 insistere. [Exit.] CLOWN. God forgive me, he speaks Dutch fustian. Well, I'll follow him; I'll serve him, that's flat. [Exit.] FAUSTUS discovered in his study. FAUSTUS. Now, Faustus, must Thou needs be damn'd, and canst thou not be sav'd: What boots it, then, to think of God or heaven? Away with such vain fancies, and despair; Despair in God, and trust in Belzebub: Now go not backward; no, Faustus, be resolute: Why waver'st thou? O, something soundeth in mine ears, "Abjure this magic, turn to God again!" Ay, and Faustus will turn to God again. To God? 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. GOOD ANGEL. Sweet Faustus, leave that execrable art. FAUSTUS. Contrition, prayer, repentance—what of them? GOOD ANGEL. O, they are means to bring thee unto heaven! EVIL ANGEL. Rather illusions, fruits of lunacy, That make men foolish that do trust them most. GOOD ANGEL. Sweet Faustus, think of heaven and heavenly things. EVIL ANGEL. No, Faustus; think of honour and of76 wealth. [Exeunt ANGELS.] FAUSTUS. Of wealth! Why, the signiory of Embden shall be mine. When Mephistophilis shall stand by me, What god can hurt thee, Faustus? thou art safe Cast no more doubts.—Come, Mephistophilis, And bring glad tidings from great Lucifer;— Is't not midnight?—come, Mephistophilis, Veni, veni, Mephistophile! Enter MEPHISTOPHILIS. Now tell me77 what says Lucifer, thy lord? MEPHIST. That I shall wait on Faustus whilst he lives,78 So he will buy my service with his soul. FAUSTUS. Already Faustus hath hazarded that for thee. MEPHIST. But, Faustus, thou must bequeath it solemnly, And write a deed of gift with thine own blood; For that security craves great Lucifer. If thou deny it, I will 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 why79 he tempts us thus? MEPHIST. Solamen miseris socios habuisse doloris.80 FAUSTUS. Why,81 have you any pain that torture82 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 give it thee. MEPHIST. Then, Faustus,83 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. FAUSTUS. [Stabbing his arm] Lo, Mephistophilis, for love of thee, I cut mine arm, and with my proper blood Assure my soul to be great Lucifer's, Chief lord and regent of perpetual night! View here the blood that trickles from mine arm, And let it be propitious for my wish. MEPHIST. But, Faustus, thou must Write it in manner of a deed of gift. FAUSTUS. Ay, so I will [Writes]. 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 unwilling I should write this bill?84 Why streams it not, that I may write afresh? FAUSTUS GIVES TO THEE HIS SOUL: ah, there it stay'd! Why shouldst thou not? is not thy soul shine own? Then write again, FAUSTUS GIVES TO THEE HIS SOUL. Re-enter MEPHISTOPHILIS with a chafer of coals. MEPHIST. Here's fire; come, Faustus, set it on.85 FAUSTUS. So, now the blood begins to clear again; Now will I make an end immediately. [Writes.] MEPHIST. O, 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 inscription86 on mine arm? Homo, fuge: whither should I fly? If unto God, he'll throw me87 down to hell. My senses are deceiv'd; here's nothing writ:— I see it plain; here in this place is writ, Homo, fuge: yet shall not Faustus fly. MEPHIST. I'll fetch him somewhat to delight his mind. [Aside, and then exit.] Re-enter MEPHISTOPHILIS with DEVILS, who give crowns and rich apparel to FAUSTUS, dance, and then depart. FAUSTUS. Speak, Mephistophilis, what means this show? MEPHIST. Nothing, Faustus, but to delight thy mind withal, And to shew thee what magic can perform. FAUSTUS. But may I raise up spirits when I please? MEPHIST. Ay, Faustus, and do greater things than these. FAUSTUS. Then there's enough for a thousand souls. Here, Mephistophilis, receive this scroll, A deed of gift of body and of soul: But yet conditionally that thou perform All articles prescrib'd between us both. MEPHIST. Faustus, I swear by hell and Lucifer To effect all promises between us made! FAUSTUS. Then hear me read them. [Reads] ON THESE CONDITIONS FOLLOWING.