THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF DR FAUSTUS

Author - Anonymous. Written in London, circa 1810.

Darkwonders.wav

J0HN FAUSTUS WAS by far the most learned man of his day; his researches had no bounds, his mind was capacious, his memory retentive, his wit pointed and ready, he was deeply skilled in all the sciences, a proficient in every branch of literature, and a complete master, not only of the dead, but of all living languages of his time: this extraordinary man was of obscure birth; his father, a poor and labouring husbandman, who resided in a small hamlet, in the province of Weimar, in Germany: he had, however, the advantage of having a rich uncle living at Wittenberg, who, not being blessed with children, took the young FAUSTUS, adopted him, and made him heir to his property; thus, instead of being doomed to follow the plough-tail, to work hard early and late, and to live upon the most homely fare, our hero was destined to bask in the sunshine of affluence, to tread the flowery meads of learning, to drink at the immortal fount, to climb Helicon's banks, and thereby reach the temple of fame.

Young Faustus, now become the favourite of his uncle, who had a good living in his gift, was, in order to qualify him for the station, sent to study divinity at the university of Wittenberg; the same at which "Hamlet, Prince of Denmark" was educated; and which is rendered immortal by the unmatched pen of our great Shakespeare. Here he prosecuted his studies until he had exhausted the stores of learning; he regularly passed his different examinations for the various minor academical degrees, with great credit to himself, and honour to his tutors--when at last he presented himself for the superior degree he was not according to the laws of the university of sufficient standing, but as he was known to be a man of a vast and comprehensive genius, stood unrivalled as a polemicist and, as none of his contemporaries were found qualified to hold theological argument with him, he was made an exception to the general rule, suffered to pass his final examination, and by unanimous consent, admitted as a Doctor of Divinity; being moreover considered as one whose brilliant talents and extensive education would shed a lustre on the city and university in which he had studied. He was inducted into his uncle's living, was looked up to as a most impressive and orthodox preacher, and might in time, had he been properly disposed, have risen to the highest clerical preferment; but, alas! his genius and his fortune were fated to take a different and less honourable direction: in short, the world was obliged to confess 'his talents great, but sorely misapplied'.

Who guilty pleasures will pursue,
In the end such conduct must rue;
Nor wealth nor learning will avail,
If vice triumphant swells the sail.

The DEVIL cunningly prepares,
And for his victims spreads his snares;
Thus FAUSTUS in a luckless hour,
Submitted was to Satan's pow'r.

For not content to be the first,
Amongst the learned and the just;
As needs must seek for to obtain,
That knowledge men will never gain.

Faustus had virtuous relatives, who, seeing him possessed of strong natural abilities, with an aptitude for improvement; and having the means to provide handsomely for him in the church, were desirous to give play to his faculties, and to bring him up to religious studies; but FAUSTUS was blind to the generous feelings of his uncle, was deaf to the good wishes of his friends, and was moreover careless of his own reputation: for being evilly disposed, he addicted himself to the baneful study of necromancy, and the malignant arts of conjuration and soothsaying; aiming to see future events, to fathom the depths of nature, and pry into the inscrutable secret of hidden causes, in short, to discover the arcana of the universe: his companions were selected from the herd of impostors called Alchemists, who, to the disgrace of the ages, then infested every corner of Europe; from among astrologers as ignorant as they were presumptuous; in short, from among men, who outraged every feeling of decorum, and set themselves up as beings to whom everything was revealed and to whom nothing was unknown, except the road to virtue and honest industry: but FAUSTUS was not a man long to be deceived by such impudent pretenders; his quick and penetrating genius soon enabled him to discover their ignorant assurance, and although he quitted them with scorn, as unworthy of his notice, he did not abandon his own wicked pursuit for distinction in the devilish arts of magic and witchcraft; on the contrary, he followed them up with more ardency than ever, frequently falling into the deepest reveries, and was often so absorbed by his cogitations, that he became a by-word among the students, who nicknamed him the speculator: at first he indulged his theoretical dreams in private; but at length he grew callous to public opinion, and openly casting from him the scriptures, in derision of his profession as a priest; began, to the great mortification of his uncle, who would fain have reclaimed him, to lead a most dissolute and ungodly life: he practised as a physician, giving his advice gratis to all comers, among whom he effected the most miraculous cures, for it is an unquestionable fact, that his knowledge of the healing art was most consummate, and that he had by his elaborate researches, become better acquainted with the medicinal virtues of herbs and minerals, than any other practitioner of his day. FAUSTUS turned a deaf ear to advice of all kinds, and looking more to the joys of the world than to the value of his soul, he preferred the present to the future; continued his abominable course with a fixed determination, if possible, to become acquainted with the great secret of the original formation of the world.

How all was made, from whence all came,
Requires more wit than man can claim,
To see the future too we find,
Exceeds the wisdom of mankind;
Yet FAUSTUS fain these things would know,
And his superior learning show;
For this regardless of the evil,
He made a compact with the DEVIL:
Just so, the child who breaks his toy
That he the inside may enjoy;
Finds out too late, and to his cost,
He has but learnt his toy is lost.

FAUSTUS, now resolute to rank first in the magical art, furnished himself with all the books he could find, that embraced the subjects of his meditation; these he studied day and night, until he became so familiar with the mysteries of the black art, the figures and characters of enchantments, invocations to spirits, and every other knowledge requisite to the preparation of incantations, that be surpassed all those with whom he conversed; indeed he was fond of exhibiting before them such things as left them in utter astonishment. Having proceeded thus far, he became more impatient for the accomplishment of his favourite object; and began to entertain the notion of calling the Devil to his assistance; no sooner did this purpose enter his head, than he began to make preparation for carrying it into effect; to raise the Devil therefore, he adopted all the means of which he was master.

On consulting his oracles, he found it was requisite to undergo a probation of forty days, during which he must five times every day invoke the prince of darkness; trample on the holy Bible, seclude himself from society, and drink morning and evening, repeating his diabolical lessons, two spoonsful of Devil's soup: he drew a magical circle upon the floor of his apartment, and then with diligence, set about getting together the materials for his infernal diet; this was both a work of time and labour, as many of the ingredients were extremely difficult to be procured; to make and eat his hellish mixture required however no common degree of fortitude, but he had taken his resolution, and therefore he began to rummage the churchyards for human bones of a particular description, in the hollows of which worms of a certain shape and colour had engendered; he then procured newts of a month old; the eyes of dead brindled sows; eagles' eggs with five black spots on them; hoofs of cows that had died of the murrain; heads and legs of toads; spawn of frogs; genitals of scorpions; tongues of crocodiles; livers of male black rats; toes of nightingales, brains of white boars above three years old; and spurs of game cocks; the whole of this was boiled to a consistence with whale's sperm and snails; to which he added every morning seventy-three drops of his own blood, taken from his left arm by himself.

Having concocted this devilish potion, he in all things conformed himself to his probationary state, tearing Bibles to pieces and treading the scattered leaves under his feet: towards the end of the time uncommon noises began to assail his ears, whilst he was taking the abominable soup, and whenever he poured his blood into it, the room would suddenly fill with dense clouds of smoke, having a sulphurous smell; singing and music was heard as at a distance; at other times moaning cries resembling those of newborn infants as if suffering pain, would as if they were in the chamber; then suddenly, heavy groans would arise as if someone dying beneath the flooring; at another time it would appear as if the trampling of a thousand horses was mounting the stairs; then the windows would rattle, and all the doors in the house clap: by these tokens, FAUSTUS well knew he was rapidly advancing towards his wishes, and therefore when the forty days were expired, he resolved to put all to the hazard, and to use the utmost powers of his art to bring Belzebub into his presence.

All things being in readiness, FAUSTUS repaired about midnight to a thick wood near Wittenberg, and selecting an open spot where four cross roads met, he drew a circle on the ground, round which he traced various cabalistic figures; and sprinkled it over with a hundred drops of his own blood, taken from his left arm; he then placed within the circle a little globe covered with magical characters, and a magical bowl containing some of the soup; he next covered his head with a woollen cap, on which were painted a death's head and cross bones, together with a figure of the Devil; then throwing into the circle the fragments of the holy Bible, he resolutely took his stand within it, and fearlessly waving his wand, he began to invoke the demon, using the following words: " Mitgchen vater toufel ganz rasenel, werden veru andeln allwo kliener teufel forts chicksen abgesandter." He had no sooner uttered this, than a thick smoke like burning sulphur filled the whole forrest, and was so offensive that it almost choked him. FAUSTUS however stood firm, it then began to thunder as if the world were at an end, and the lightning so constant and so vivid, and the flashes succeeded each other so rapidly, that the wood appeared as if it was burning in all directions, or rather, as if it were one solid mass of fire; the most horrid noises were heard; the most piercing screams followed in quick succession: then was heard the roaring of lions, the yell of tigers, and the growling of bears, as if the forest were filled with wild beasts; then came the rumbling of stones, as if thousands of men were rolling huge masses down the paved sides of a steep hill; next came a discharge of cannon, so loud and so strong, that all the artillery in the universe, if fired at the same time, could have produced nothing like it, so fearful and terrifying did it sound: FAUSTUS manfully maintained his post, and taking up the magical bowl of soup, he drank it and danced on the leaves of the Bible; suddenly the most delicious music sprung up, as if some thousands of the sweetest instruments were sounded; then he heard the singing of women so delightfully soft and melodious, that it quite ravished his senses; at this moment a frightful dragon hovered in the air over his head, holding a three pronged pitchfork, and vomiting fire; the music ceased and the most hellish noises succeeded, when to his astonishment, FAUSTUS saw a hare chasing a lion; a sparrow pursuing an eagle; a man fighting with a tiger; a hyena swallowing up little children; and all appeared to be making directly towards the circle: he however was nothing daunted but kept on repeating his invocation, when the dragon falling to the ground, a smart little man dressed in black with a cocked hat on his head came forward and said, "Friend FAUSTUS, what wantest thou, Lucifer my master has sent me here to know?" FAUSTUS keeping his ground, repeated the charm, danced over the fragments of the holy Bible, and said with a stern voice, "Tell thy master that my business is with him, and that I must and will see him, though he were buried in fifty hells deeper than he is." The storm recommenced more furiously than ever, and at last there fell very near him a great ball of fire, which kept running round and round the circle with incredible velocity, sending forth the most appalling noises, and such a horrid smell, he was almost suffocated; FAUSTUS however was not afraid: at length, a voice like thunder was heard to say, "Mortal, what wantest thou, that thus you disturb my repose?" FAUSTUS firmly answered "Belzebub, come forth, and let us drink together, out of thine own liquor, which I have here with me," repeating his invocation as before; then there came such a tremendous clap of thunder, that FAUSTUS was stunned by it, and for the first time felt the sensation of fear; he however steadily kept his place within the circle, and recruited himself with a spoonful of soup: at that moment the storm suddenly subsided, and soft music was again heard: the ball of fire opened, and there issued the DEVIL in his own proper person, who civilly said "Faustus, thou art a bold man, and hast prevailed unhappily for thyself: what wantest thou with me?" FAUSTUS then gave him the magical bowl of soup, out of which the devil drank, and said, "wilt thou be mine, soul and body for ever, Faustus?" "No, demon," replied FAUSTUS courageously, "I will not! I will have all I desire of thee, and yet I will not be damned!" "FAUSTUS," said the DEVIL, "that cannot be, damned thou art already by what thou hast done; however, I am willing for thy boldness to hear what it is thou wanted me to do for thee; and for that purpose I leave my faithful servant MEPHOSTOPHILES with thee, write thy wishes on this skin, it once covered a human body, and one of thine own ancestors; write I say on this skin thy propositions, but mind, let it be in thine own blood, taken from thy left arm; give it to the spirit, he will convey it to me, and thou shalt have my answer; but remember, in all transactions with thee, I will have them recorded and written with thine own blood; and now wretched man, fare thee well; soon, very soon, we shall be closer connected, for thou wilt reside with me in hell." So saying, he vanished, and FAUSTUS found himself standing in his circle in the wood with the little man, who was the spirit MEPHOSTOPHILES: he desired his little friend to call upon him the next day for his propositions, to which the spirit assented, telling him that he now knew the way to make either him or his master attend him: FAUSTUS then returned home, well pleased with the success of his enterprise; flattering himself that he should gain his own ends, and at last outwit the DEVIL; but in this he grossly deceived himself. FAUSTUS was in his study, ruminating how he might get his desires fulfilled by the DEVIL, and yet avoid damnation; when MEPHOSTOPHILES stood before him, saying "Master, behold I am here to do thy bidding, and receive thy propositions to the Prince of Pandemonium." FAUSTUS, who had employed himself all the morning in writing them, gave them to him, and the room filling with a sulphurous smoke, the spirit vanished: these were the nine propositions which he made to the DEVIL.

PROPOSITIONS OF FAUSTUS TO THE DEVIL

FIRST: That from this moment, until the hour of my death, the Devil either by himself or his agents, shall at all times, and in all seasons, be at my command, and come to me in any shape or form that I may require.

SECOND: That he shall do my bidding without a murmur, whether by night or by day, be obedient to me in all things, and reveal to me all the secrets of nature; how everything came and where from.

THIRD: That whenever I require a supply of money or jewels, he shall furnish me with them forthwith, to whatever extent I may require.

FOURTH: That whatever I may desire or ask for, shall be brought to me without delay.

FIFTH: That whenever or wherever I may choose to travel, whether to the remotest part of the world, to the tops of the highest mountains, to any other planet, or into the regions of air, he shall either by himself or his spirits, conduct me without loss of time, or the knowledge of any one.

SIXTH: That he shall render me invisible, whenever I may feel inclined to be so.

SEVENTH: That he shall when required, bring before me the image any person, however long that person has been dead.

EIGHTH: That he shall show me the interior of hell, and explain all its mysteries, and the nature of its government.

NINTH: That he shall above all things when conversing with me, either by himself or his subordinate spirits, lay aside his devilish propensity to lying, and tell me nothing but the truth, and moreover, that he shall give me true answers to all my questions.

JOHN FAUSTUS

MEPHOSTOPHILES was not long in bringing back the answer: a terrible clap of thunder that shook the house to its foundation announced his approach, when he presented FAUSTUS with a scroll, on which was written,

REPLY FROM THE DEVIL TO DOCTOR FAUSTUS

First Proposition-granted; provided you require no religious ceremony, and that you bind yourself in a bond, which shall be dictated by my spirit MEPHOSTOPHILES to renounce heaven and religion for ever.

Second Proposition-granted with this reserve, that I can only tell you what I myself know.

Third Proposition-granted freely: provided the bond be given, making over your soul and body to me for ever.

Fourth Proposition-granted: provided it be upon the face of earth.

Fifth Proposition-granted: with the exception of the other planets.

Sixth Proposition-granted.

Seventh Proposition-granted.

Eighth Proposition-granted as far as showing the place, which is needless, as you will so soon live entirely in it.

Ninth Proposition-I will answer only such questions as I may be able to do, but when I do answer , I will, as I always do, answer them truly-the world does me an injustice, to tax me with want of veracity, 'tis their own evil disposition makes them think so ill of me, let them ask their conscience if ever I decieved them, or made them believe a bad action was a good one. Moreover, I hereby promise to let my trusty servant MEPHOSTOPHILES, be ever at your call, and further allow you twenty-four years to enjoy the privileges you have purchased at so dear a rate-Signcd by order of Lucifer, Prince of the hellish regions, by us the judges of his infernal domain; and in his name we say amen, it shall be so.

RHADAMANTHUS
MINOS
EACUS

FAUSTUS changed colour when he read the scroll, he clearly saw the Devil was too many for him, but he had proceeded too far to recede; besides he still relied upon the potency of his charms to effect all he wanted, and was so infatuated as to suppose he should yet contrive some means to save his soul, and escape the dreadful alternative upon which he was to receive the DEVIL's assistance: he therefore began to parley with MEPHOSTOPHILES, endeavouring to evade giving the bond required; but the spirit was immovable, threatening to leave him, and refused to do anything until the bond was regularly drawn and signed; FAUSTUS, being determined to pursue his own plans rather than fail, agreed to the terms, and the following bonds were then written upon two human skins, which, as the spirit said, had belonged to his relatives.

BOND FROM FAUSTUS TO THE DEVIL

I, JOHN FAUSTUS, of the university of Wittenberg, in Germany, Doctor of Divinity, and student in Astrology, being in perfect health, do of my own free will and pleasure, and without any restraint whatever, openly declare, that although I have diligently applied myself to the study of natural causes, and to the investigation of the elements of nature and their causes, yet that I am not satisfied with the lights and understanding granted me by heaven, which are not adequate to bring me to the extent of my desires, and that I have not been able to find any man with sufficient leaming and penetration to instruct me further in the means by which I may obtain the object of my ambition.

Being unwilling to relinquish this pursuit, and fully determined at all hazards, and at whatever risk or cost to accomplish my purpose-I DOCTOR JOHN FAUSTUS, finding that none other except the DEVIL himself can bring me to the desired end, have entered into a solemn agreement with the Prince of darkness, monarch of the infernal regions, commonly called the DEVIL, through the medium of his messenger and agent MEPHOSTOPHILES, one of the infernal spirits, serving his infernal Majesty, that provided he the DEVIL shall yield me all due obedience, and fulfil my desires in all things in that case, I shall bind myself, both body and soul to him for ever and ever, and renounce heaven, salvation, religion and all religious ceremonies. Therefore, provided his Satanic Majesty does for the full space of twenty-four years, to be reckoned from the day of the date hereof, faithfully serve me, and the twenty-four years convenanted for being fully expired, I, DOCTOR JOHN FAUSTUS, do by these presents, resign myself, my soul, my body, my goods, and all that may belong to me, without reserve, to him the Devil, and do invest him with full power over me, to send for, fetch or carry me alive or dead, to whatever place he may choose, and hereupon I defy all the host of heaven and all living creatures whether man or beast, and in his name I say amen, it shall be so.

And that this intrument may have its proper force, and not be liable to any evasion, I hereby again renounce heaven and all its glory, for the darkness of the infernal regions, and have thereunto written and signed it with a pen dipped in my own blood, drawn from my left arm, and mixed with boiling brimstone brought by MEPHOSTOPHILES from hell, and I call upon the whole host of Devils to witness my signature.

JOHN FAUSTUS

When this dreadful instrument was signed, the spirit MEPHOSTOPHILES said his instructions were on the part of the DEVIL, to give him a counter bond, "for his master," he said, was "one of the most honourable beings existing," and he accordingly wrote the following:

BOND FROM MEPHOSTOPHILES TO DOCTOR JOHN FAUSTUS

I, MEPHOSTOPHILES, one of the infernal spirits, and agent to the great Lucifer, Prince of darkness, and monarch of the infernal regions, do hereunto agree on the part of his Satanic Majesty, with JOHN FAUSTUS, of the university of Wittenberg, in Germany, Doctor of Divinity, that his said Majesty shall duly and truly serve, or cause to be served, the said DOCTOR JOHN FAUSTUS, for and during the full space and term of twenty-four years, to be reckoned from the day of the date hereof, according to the reply made to nine propositions, of him the said FAUSTUS, written with his own blood, copies of which are hereby annexed; and that at the expiration of the said term, he the said JOHN FAUSTUS, shall become both soul and body, whether alive or dead, the whole and sole property of my said master the DEVIL, and further that I will attend the said JOHN FAUSTUS personally, whenever called on during the whole of the said term, and do his bidding as far as is consistent with the tenor of his Satanic Majesty's reply, in witness whereof, I have signed this Instrument in his presence, with a pen dipped in a composition made of boiling brimstone brought by me from hell, and the blood of the said FAUSTUS, drawn by himself from his left arm, and in my master the DEVIL's name I say amen, it shall be so.

MEPHOSTOPHILES

The bonds being mutually exchanged, the spirit MEPHOSTOPHOLES addressed him familiarly, saying, "Come, my FAUSTUS, be of good cheer, man, although thou hath damned thyself to all eternity for a few years of pleasure, yet thou shall lead a merry life for the time; and be the envy and admiration of the world." Then putting a large key into his hand, he continued, "Take this, it is the key of one of the gates of Hell, and a favour never before granted to mortal: whenever you wish to see me, if you hold this key above your head with your right hand, and say GLISHMARAMROTH TEUFEL, I shall instantly appear in the shape you now see me," which was as before described in the form of a dapper little man, neatly dressed in black, with a cocked hat on his head, looking much like a French Abbe'.

FAUSTUS having thus succeeded in accomplishing the great purpose he had in view, prepared to avail himself of his power, and to seek distinction as well for his wealth and splendour, as for his superior knowledge; accordingly he bought a large stately mansion that had once been a palace belonging to one of the Caesars; money no longer any object with him, he furnished it in a style of the greatest magnificence, filled his cellars with the choicest and most costly wines, purchased a superb service of massy gold plate, hired a complete set of servants suitable to his establishment, set up a splendid equipage, and began to live like a nobleman of the first rank: and had the finest stud of horses that was to be found in all Germany, with hounds and dogs of all descriptions.

FAUSTUS, who was a man of some humour, now began to amuse himself with the exercise of his devilish powers: sometimes he would disguise himself and go round to the different gaming houses, and by the aid of his familiar, win all the money, let them play for whatever they might: one night, when there was a very large company assembled, having played until he had won everything as usual, he suddenly rendered himself invisible, and then ordered MEPHOSTOPHILES to set the cards and dice a-dancing over the tables and about the room, and at the same time to make them squeak just like pigs under the knife of the butcher; this so terrified the company that they ran out of the house, swearing that either the Devil or DOCTOR FAUSTUS was there; but judge their surprise, when each on reaching his own home, found the exact money he had lost lying on the table in his bed chamber; when he went to take it up, he was prevented by a little dog jumping up and snapping at his fingers: sometimes he would call at a friend's house, and while he was talking to the family, would cause sweet music, just as if someone was playing in the room either upon a guitar, flute, harpsichord, violin, French horn or clarinet, according as fancy happened to strike him; then suddenly change it into the cry of a pack of hounds, or the chattering of a score of magpies: these and a thousand other tricks of the kind he was continually playing: an old woman once offended him, and he revenged himself in a curious manner as she was one day sitting down to a hot dinner of something she was very fond of; the dish suddenly disappeared, and a gentle sprinkling of water as if thrown up by a fountain kept flowing over her, she ran from one room to another thinking to avoid the wetting, but go where she would although nothing was to be seen, the water kept playing over her without intermission for three days and three nights; what most astonished her and all her acquaintances was that, although her clothes were wet to her skin, yet the moment she pulled them off they were perfectly dry, and notwithstanding great crowds came to see her in this situation, yet no one received a drop of the water but herself; the poor old woman was dreadfully alarmed, and very unhappy at her miserable condition, when suddenly the sprinkling ceased, and the dinner of which she had been thus disappointed, reappeared upon the table as hot as ever, and at the exact hour she had sat down to it three days before; but to her great surprise and satisfaction, round the edges of the dish were placed twenty pieces of gold money of different countries; these when she attempted to touch them, leaped off the dish and rolled round the room, the old woman running after them, when in a moment she lost sight of them; but happening to put her hand into her pocket, she found them all safely there. He once set all the clocks (of which immense number kept in the town of Wittenberg) crowing at the same time, and they continued their shrill clarion notes for three hours without intermission, to the great dismay and wonder of the inhabitants, who could by no means account for so extraordinary an occurrence: at another time, just as the parson had mounted the pulpit in the great church, he got all the pigs within six miles of the place to come suddenly to the church; they began grunting and squeaking and so continued until the time for divine service had expired, and the congregation were obliged to go home without hearing either prayers or sermon, for fear of spoiling thier dinners.

Among other pranks he once so contrived it, that at a certain hour in the day, all the old maids in Wittenberg should be seen walking one after the other down one side of the street, with each a penny pie in her hand, and a tabby cat by her side, while at the same time, all the old bachelors were seen walking down the other, each having a knife and fork in his hand, with a clean napkin under his arm, the men bowing, the women curtseying, attended by an immense crowd of men, women and children, laughing and joking; and it was so arranged, although unknown to each other, that they should be all be dressed alike, the men in one costume, the women in another; they would fain have retired, but so potent was the charm, it was not until they had traversed the whole city, that they had power to separate.

One Christmas night, he so ordered it, that all the clothing of the inhabitants, not only that which they had in wear, but all that was in the drawers, should be taken from them while asleep, and hid in the cellars, and that each should in this condition be taken from thier own house, and removed into some neighbour's bed, so arranging it, that where it was possible the change should be among those of the same trade or profession; in the morning, they found each in a strange house, stark naked, and without any clothes to put on; they were most ludicrously situated, for if they sent for a tailor, the answer was. "I am naked, and cannot come." The mantua makers and milliners were obliged to send the same answer, and the servants being naked like their masters and mistresses, would not attend, alleging the same excuse.

Amidst all this festivity, FAUSTUS wanted someone who would participate with him in his enjoyments; he determined to marry, and communicated with his familiar; but he no sooner broached the subject, than he replied, "My FAUSTUS, thou canst not marry; remember, marriage is a religious ceremony, and thou hast sworn to defy religion and all its rights, as we do." FAUSTUS too plainly saw that he could by no artifice deceive the Devil, and he said,-"It shall be so; I will think no more of marriage." "It is a wise determination, my Faustus," replied the spirit, "thou doest well to keep to the tenor of thy agreement."

Sometime after, he called Lucifer to him in person, and addressed him, "Friend DEVIL, I find I cannot resist the inclination I have to marry, for I am unable to bridle my fancy; I therefore must and will have a wife; I pray thee to grant thy consent": he had hardly finished, before the most hideous noises were heard, clashing of swords and firing of pistols; the room filled with a black sulphurous smoke that stank most abominably, a tremendous clap of thunder rocked the mansion to its foundation, dragons with pitchforks vomiting flames seemed placed on all sides of him; a cock and a hen appeared to be fighting a desperate battle; and he felt as if his flesh was pinched by a thousand devils; in vain he attempted to fly, he was stopped and thrown backwards and forwards like a football so that he was thoroughly alarmed, and called to MEPHOSTOPHILES for help; in his place came a Devil, with a most frightful countenance. FAUSTUS could scarcely muster courage sufficient to look the monster in the face; at last he asked him who he was, and what he wanted: "I am," replied the demon, grinning horribly, and holding out a scourge made of iron wire, heated red hot, "one of Hell's executioners, my name is GHASTOMIO, I am sent to enquire what are now thy thoughts about marriage, how thou likest thy wedding, and what further thou wouldst have?" FAUSTUS now acknowledged his error.

GHASTOMIO said, "Know, rebellious mortal, that Lucifer my master is generous and can forgive, but will not be trifled with; you must not indulge in freaks of this kind, with impunity". MEPHOSTOPHILES then making his appearance, said, "Let me give thee a piece of wholesome advice, my FAUSTUS, there is no jesting with us, hold faithfully to the terms of thy bond, and thou shalt have no cause of complaint: my master has instructed me to say, that he admires thy daring spirit: that therefore thou shalt have thy hearts desire of what woman soever thou wilt." FAUSTUS was mightily pleased with this, and began to think he was a great fool to think of marrying.

FAUSTUS now resumed his wonted humour; having dined with a large party, they took a stroll in the evening and met a farmer's man driving a load of hay: FAUSTUS, determined to have some fun, accosted the man, saying, "That seems nice hay you have there, my honest fellow, how much must I give you to eat my belly full of it?" The man stared at him, thinking he was beside himself to talk of eating hay; however, the countryman was inclined to humour and joke, and agreed with him for a penny, which honest John thought would be all clear gain; however, he was much deceived in his calculation, for FAUSTUS fell to, and appeared to eat so ravenously, that more than half the load presently disappeared: at this the man scratching his head, said with a melancholy voice, "Ads wounds maister, I pray ye now leave off, an ye be not minded to ruin a poor man; ods bodikens, now who would have thoughten you would have eaten the hay." His company could not help laughing, and FAUSTUS jocularly said, "Well my honest lad, remember another time how you sell your master's hay, I could eat it all, but I have compassion on thee, so go thy ways whilst one half thy load is safe." The man drove on, cursing his own folly and the eater of the hay: however, when he came home, he was surprised to find that not any of his hay was wanting, and more pleased when, on putting his hand into his pocket, he found five guineas.

FAUSTUS was famed far and near; his almanacks were a constant theme of praise; whatever he predicted, as wind, hail, frost, snow, rain, it occured as he predicted.

FAUSTUS being in want of money, went into his great hall, and holding up his magical key, summoned his familiar; addressing him, he said, "How is it, that thou performest not thy promise to me?" The spirit replied, "Master, in nothing have I neglected thee; I know thy thoughts, and am not unmindful of thy wants." The spirit disappeared amidst loud claps of thunder: FAUSTUS found standing in one corner of the hall, three immense sacks, one filled with the rarest jewels, another with gold, and the third with silver. FAUSTUS now prepared to travel, and summoned MEPHOSTOPHILES; it was agreed that he should visit the courts of all the monarchs in the world, and play some merry pranks at each: they accordingly set off; when they came to the frontiers of Russia, the customs-house officers congratulated themselves on their good luck, for the carriage appeared to be stuffed full of contraband goods; FAUSTUS offered them a small bribe, which he well knew they would refuse, in hopes of getting a larger; he then said to them "Well then, you must do your duty"; they began joyfully to unpack, but no sooner had they touched them, than the most abbominable stench issued forth, so that they were almost poisoned; an unseen hand suddenly applied a hot trowel to their backsides, while a growling bear seized them by the nose with a pair of sharp pincers.

At a grand levee held by the Emperor of China, when the Mandarins and nobles were assembled, they all suddenly began hissing like so many serpents, and doubling their fists ran furiously about, threatening to knock each other down; the Emperor himself began to blow his nose so incessantly, and at each time there issued such a number of curious worms and butterflies, that the palace was quickly filled, the one flying up to the ceilings, the others crawling upon the walls and floors; during this confusion, FAUSTUS caused them all to appear as if they had changed heads, when each seeing his own head upon another man's shoulders, ran home terrified out of their senses. At a sumptuous repast given by the King of Persia, FAUSTUS caused every man's wine suddenly to spring up from the bottle like a fountain and fill his glass, which he no sooner put to his mouth, than it flowed back again through the bottom into the decanter, so that no one could get any wine that day. At the court of the great Mogul, when the Mogul and his counsellors of state were in deep debate, he caused the whole to begin sneezing and pinching his neighbour's ears, so that they could not do any business. At a grand ball given by the Spanish Monarch, he caused the ladies while dancing, suddenly to draw up one leg under their petticoats, and keep dancing on the other, while the gentlemen deliberately pulled off their coats and wigs.

In the course of his travels, he visited India, Persia, China, Europe and Africa; ascended the highest mountains; being on Mount Caucassus, he expressed a desire to behold the place from whence our first parents were driven, when MEPHOSTOPHILES taking him up into the air, "Yonder," said he, "is Paradise, the garden planted by God himself; those four mighty streams are rivers flowing out of it, and yonder stands angel Michael with the flaming sword; nor wilt thou nor any other mortal, not even my master, Lucifer, nor any of his spirits be ever permitted to approach nearer than thou doest at this moment."

FAUSTUS resuming his old theme, was desirous of becoming acquainted with the secret of the formation of the universe, for this purpose he made use of his key: "Pray inform me," said he, "in what way God made the world, and all the creatures in it, and why he made man after his own image." The spirit looking maliciously at him, replied, "Wherefore asketh thou this, well thou knowest I cannot answer thee, for we know not ourselves, this is contrary to thy bond: I know thou repentest of what thou hast done, but it availeth thee nothing now; and if thou continuest such questions, thou wilt be torn into atoms." Saying this, he vanished in a rage; suddenly Lucifer himself appeared, accompanied by many infernal demons, in hideous shapes.

"FAUSTUS," said the DEVIL, looking fiercely at him, "what is it thou wouldst have? I know well thy thoughts, thou wouldst evade thy promise," and here he produced the bond, "but know, wretched mortal, that nothing can save thee from my fury; wilt thou remain contented with the terms of our agreement, or shall I punish thee for thy attempt at evasion? Speak, my servants are ready, and they will soon show you some of our hellish pastimes, here is thy old acquaintance, GHASTOMIO, wouldst thou like that he should handle thee a little?" At this the demons began to brandish thier weapons, and to howl hideously; FAUSTUS, falling prostrate, said in a melancholy tone, "Satan, I worship thee, and thee only; I renounce religion, God, his holy scriptures, and his mercy." The demons then disappeared, and the DEVIL taking FAUSTUS by the hand, cried, "It is enough, we will be friends; for, remember thy time has now but seven years to run, and I am willing that thou shouldst make the most of it."

FAUSTUS said to MEPHOSTOPHILES, "Inform me, I pray thee, what sort of a place hell is, where it is placed, how it is governed, and when it was made, and if it be possible for the damned ever to come again into the favour of God?" The spirit looking archly at him and replied, "My lord FAUSTUS, that is a secret thou wilt very soon become acquainted with; I will give thee the best description of it I am able; know then, that before the fall of my lord and master, Lucifer, there was no hell; it is an unfathomed gulf, raging with perpetual and inextinguishable fire, burning with brimstone, that is to endure to all eternity; where the souls of the damned lie broiling without hopes of mercy, and whose torments will never cease; these are sometimes tossed about from demon to demon with red hot pitchforks; there are a great variety of punishments inflicted on the wicked who are sent there-we have a man who is chained to a rock, and a vulture keeps perpetually gnawing his liver, which regenerates as fast as the vulture consumes it; he was on earth, called PROMETHEUS, his crime was, making the figure of a man, and then calling down fire from heaven to animate it-another is doomed to eternally roll an immense stone, which he moves with great labour up a hill, this, when he nearly reaches the summit, rolls down again to the bottom, in spite of all his efforts, and he is compelled to re-commence his arduous and never-ending task, his name is SISYPHUS;-another is IXION, fastened to a wheel, upon which he is to be eternally broken, without being permitted to end his sufferings; be again received into the favour of God, how would the knowledge of this avail thee, seeing thou hast by the bond for ever renounced God's mercy."

FAUSTUS now began to amuse himself by changing his shape; he would find out where a large party of ladies were assembled, and creeping into the room in the shape of a mouse, frighten them almost to death, by running up and down under their petticoats; when hunted and hard pressed, he would turn himself into a fly or a little dog, and thus escape: he has been known to get into the tribunals of justice in the form of a magpie, and flying over the judges and counsellors, pluck off their wigs, throw them on a heap on the floor, and smite upon their heads, to the amusement of the spectators. He ordered his familiar to procure twelve of the handsomest women in the world, with these he established a harem, and lived with them until the day of his death. The following letter was published after his death, said to be written by FAUSTUS to a physician at Leipzig.

As you have expressed a wish to become acquainted with some of my extraordinary travels, I here send you an account of the most remarkable I ever made: one night, I looked out of my window and saw hovering in the air, a most splendid little open car, surrounded by a most brilliant flame, drawn by six of the most beautiful peacocks my eyes ever beheld; their tails were fully spread, and they were attached by silken cords to the car, which from its polish, resembled a looking-glass; it was attended by a griffin, who said, "Mortal, fear nothing, I am the spirit TRISMAGOMA, sent to show thee the planets, but I dare not enter one of them: so take courage, make ready, jump into the car, and let's away." We mounted in the air, and were far beyond the precincts of our world, when TRISMAGOMA pointed to a large ball, saying, "Mortal, that is the planet MERCURY, the people there are so curiously formed, that they coil them- selves up like hedge-hogs, and roll from place to place instead of walking." The next we saw the planet VENUS; there he said, "the women ruled everything, had eyes at their fingers ends, with the most sparkling diamonds growing from their noses; they do not spoil their figures by bearing children, but lay eggs, which they ripen in the sun." We now came to the planet MARS; in that, said he, "The inhabitants are all soldiers, and continually fighting; they never beget children, but taking up the dead carcases of the slain, and hanging them upon polished ivory pegs, they come to life again, fully accoutred and equipped ready for actual service." The next was the planet JUPITER; this he told me, "was governed by VULCAN, who had immense forges, at which his Cyclops, men with but one eye in the centre of their forehead, are continually at work; everything, even men, women and children, is made of polished steel, and moved by clockwork; they are fed with paper, of which there are innumerable manufactories: an angel goes to the poles every morning and winds them up for the day, which is equal to twelve of our years: when they die, they are sent to the forges, and new ones made of the old materials." We now approached a very large one, which he said was SATURN. "There, the people are so rich, that they keep their carriages, and so plentiful is gold, that the streets are paved with it; the rats are so large, that they are used instead of coach-horses; monkeys build carpenters' shops, make bricks, do all the labour, and act as servants; it is full of peacocks, who, when the season is over for laying eggs, void the largest and most brilliant polished diamonds, which are cut into glass windows; oysters grow to the size of turtles, and are filled with very large and beautiful pearls, which are used to cover the heads of nails; heavy dews fall in the night, which clinging to the branches of the trees, are ripened by the sun into topazes, rubies, and emeralds. When they marry, the bride is wrapped up in a paste made of cobblers' wax and honey, of which there are immense lakes, then baked, and in that form presented to the happy bridegroom; they always spend their honeymoon on the roofs of their houses, watching the cats fight." He now pointed to a planet larger than any we had seen, and to four smaller ones; those, said he are not yet known to your earth, and therefore it will be needless to describe them"; then drawing near the earth, we sailed round it, and returned.

The term granted to FAUSTUS having expired, MEPHOSTOPHILES appeared to him, and showing him his bond, commanded him to make preparation, for the DEVIL would fetch him according to their stipulation: FAUSTUS changed colour, sighed and wept bitterly; on which his familiar addressed him briskly, saying, "Come, come, my FAUSTUS, you have had your career, and a lewd and merry one it has been; do not act the coward at last."

On the fatal day that was to terminate his career, he made a grand entertainment; after the banquet, he thus addressed them. "My well-beloved friends, as I must in a few hours for ever quit the world and its pleasures, I have brought you here that I may explain the mystery of my life: four-and-twenty years are now unhappily passed, since I entered into a compact with the DEVIL, by whose help I have performed all those wonderful things that have gained me so much renown and envy; I pledged to him my soul and body in lieu of the riches and pleasures he was to provide me; this night our compact finishes, and he has warned me that he will claim the fulfillment of my agreement.

"Now, although I have made such a wicked use of that fine understanding which it pleased God to bestow upon me, I most heartily repent of my evil courses, and as I wish to die in peace with all men, I have brought you hither that we may take a friendly, and I fear everlasting farewell; and to entreat that you will hold up my wicked and abominable life, as a warning to others never to cease having THE FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES; and now my good friends, retire to your beds, and do not trouble yourselves about me, seeing that nothing can avert my unhappy fate: if, which I much fear is not likely, you should find my dead body, lay it decently in the earth, for I can truly say, I die both a good and a bad Christian; and write on my tombstone, HERE LIES FAUSTUS THE WICKED, WHO, TO GRATIFY HIS EVIL PROPENSITIES, SOLD HIMSELF TO THE DEVIL."

As the clock struck twelve, the DEVIL and GHASTOMIO appeared; FAUSTUS made a stout resistance uttering the most piercing cries, but the demons soon mastered him, when the latter taking him upon his pitchfork, flew away with him amidst a dreadful storm of thunder and lightning.

In the morning, his friends looked everywhere for his body, but it could nowhere be found; the only marks of him were some brains cleaving to the walls, his eyes, some of his teeth, and the hall sprinkled all over with his blood.

Back To Top