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    Contents:
  • The Tragicall History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus (1616)
  • Act 1
  • Act 1
  • Act 2
  • Act 3
  • Act 4
  • Act 4
  • Act 5

    • Christopher Marlowe, The Tragedie of Doctor Faustus (B text) (ed. Hilary Binda)

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    Table of ContentsGo to Next

    to

      Dramatis Personae

    • Chorus
    • Faustus
    • Wagner
    • Good Angel
    • Bad Angel, : (Spirit)
    • Valdes
    • Cornelius
    • First Scholar
    • Second Scholar
    • Lucifer
    • Mephostophilis
    • a Clown (Robin)
    • Beelzebub

        • Sins

      • Pride
      • Covetousness
      • Envy
      • Wrath
      • Gluttony
      • Sloth
      • Lechery
    • Dick, a clown
    • The Pope (Adrian)
    • Raymond, King of Hungary
    • Bruno
    • First Cardinal (of France)
    • Second Cardinal (of Padua)
    • The Bishop (of Rheims)
    • a Friar
    • a Vintner
    • Martino
    • Frederick
    • Benvolio
    • The German Emperor
    • Charles The Duke of Saxony
      • Darius,
      • Alexander,
      • his Paramour
    • 1st Soldier
    • 2nd Soldier
    • a Horse-corser
    • a Carter
    • a Hostess
    • The Duke of Vanholt
    • his Duchess
    • a Servant
    • Third Scholar
    • Helen (of Greece)
    • an Old Man
    • Devils, Bishops, Monks, Friars, Attendants, Soldiers, and two Cupids.

    The Tragicall History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus (1616)


    Enter Chorus.
    Not marching in the fields of Thrasimen,
    Where Mars did mate the warlicke Carthagens,
    Nor sporting in the dalliance of loue
    In Courts of Kings, where state is ouer-turn'd
    Nor in the pompe of proud audacious deeds,
    Intends our Muse to vaunt his heauenly verse
    Onely this, Gentles: we must now performe
    The forme of Faustus fortunes, good or bad,
    And now to patient iudgements we appeale,
    And speake for Faustus in his infancie.
    Now is he borne, of parents base of stocke,
    In Germany, within a Towne cal'd Rhodes:
    At riper yeares to Wittenberg he went,
    Whereas his kinsmen chiefly brought him vp;
    So much he profits in Diuinitie,
    That shortly he was grac'd with Doctors name,
    Excelling all, and sweetly can dispute
    In th'heauenly matters of Theologie,
    Till swolne with cunning, of a selfe conceit,
    His waxen wings did mount aboue his reach
    And melting, heauens conspir'd his ouer-throw:
    For falling to a diuellish exercise,
    And glutted now with learnings golden gifts,
    He surfets vpon cursed Necromancie:
    Nothing so sweet as Magicke is to him;
    Which he preferres before his chiefest blisse,
    And this the man that in his study sits
    1.1
    Faustus in his study.
    Faust.
    Settle thy studies Faustus, and begin
    to sound the depth of that thou wilt professe,
    Hauing commenc'd, be a Diuine in shew,
    Yet leuell at the end of euery Art,
    And liue and die in Aristotles workes.
    Sweet Analitikes, tis thou hast rauisht me,
    Bene disserere est finis Logicis.
    Is to dispute well Logickes chiefest end?
    Affoords this Art no greater miracle?
    Then read no more, thou hast attain'd that end;
    A greater subject fitteth Faustus wit:
    Bid Oeconomy farewell; and Galen come:
    Be a Phisitian Faustus, heape vp gold,
    And be eterniz'd for some wondrous cure:
    Summum bonum, medicinae sanitas,
    The end of Physicke is our bodies health:
    Why Faustus, hast thou not attain'd that end?
    Are not thy bils hung vp as monuments,
    Wherby whole Cities haue escap't the plague
    And thousand desperate maladies beene cur'd?
    Yet art thou still but Faustus, and a man.
    Couldst thou make men to liue eternally,
    Or being dead, raise them to life againe,
    Then this profession were to be esteem'd.
    Physicke farewell: where is Iustinian?
    Si vna eademque res legatus duobus,
    AIter rem, alter valorem rei, &c.
    A petty case of paltry Legacies,
    Exhaereditari filium non potest pater, nisi--
    Such is the subject of the institute,
    And vniuersall body of the law.
    This study fits a Mercenarie drudge,
    Who aims at nothing but externall trash,
    Too seruile aad illiberall for mee.
    When all is done, Diuinitie is best:
    Ieromes Bible Faustus, view it well:
    Stipendium peccati, mors est:" ha, stipendium, &c.
    The reward of sin is death? that's hard:
    Si peccasse, negamus, fallimur, & nulla est in nobis veritas:
    If we say that we haue no sinne
    We deceiue our selues, and there is no truth in vs.
    Why then belike we must sinne,
    And so consequently die,
    I, we must die, an euerlasting death.
    What doctrine call you this? Che sera, sera:
    What will be, shall be; Diuinitie adeiw.
    These Metaphisicks of Magitians,
    And Negromantick bookes are heauenly,
    Lines, Circles, Letters, Characters.
    I these are those that Faustus most desires.
    O what a world of profite and delight,
    Of power, of honour, and omnipotence,
    Is promised to the Studious Artizan?
    All things that moue betweene the quiet Poles
    Shall be at my command: Emperors and Kings,
    Are but obey'd in their seuerall Prouinces:
    But his dominion that exceeds in this,
    Stretcheth as farre as doth the mind of man:
    A sound Magitian is a Demi-god,
    Here tire my braines to get a Deity. Enter Wagner.

    Wagner, commend me to my deerest friends,
    The Germane Valdes and Cornelius,
    Request them earnestly to visit me.
    Wag.


    I will sir. Exit.

    Faust.
    Their conference will be a greater helpe to me,
    Then all my labours, plod I ne're so fast.

    Enter the Angell and Spirit.
    Good A.
    O Faustus, lay that damned booke aside,
    And gaze not on it least it tempt thy soule,
    And heape Gods heauy wrath vpon thy head.
    Reade, reade the Scriptures: that is blasphemy.
    Bad A.
    Go forward Faustus in that famous Art
    Wherein all natures treasure is contain'd:
    Be thou on earth as Ioue is in the skye,
    Lord and Commander of these elements:
    Exeunt An.
    Faust.
    How am I glutted with conceipt of this?
    Shall I make spirits fetch me what I please?
    Resolue me of all ambiguities?
    Performe what desperate enterprise I will?
    I'le haue them flie to Indian for gold;
    Ransacke the Ocean for Orient Pearle,
    And search all corners of the new-found-world
    For pleasant fruites, and Princely delicates.
    I'le haue them read me strange Philosophy,
    And tell the secrets of all forraine Kings:
    I'le haue them wall all Germany with Brasse,
    And make swift Rhine, circle faire Wittenberge:
    I'le haue them fill the publique Schooles with skill,
    Wherewith the Students shall be brauely clad.
    I'le leauy souldiers with the coyne they bring,
    And chase the Prince of Parma from our Land,
    And raigne sole King of all the Prouinces.
    Yea stranger engines for the brunt of warre,
    Then was the fiery keele at Anwerpe bridge,
    I'le make my seruile spirits to inuent.
    Come Germane Valdes and Cornelius,
    And make me blest with your sage conference. Enter Valdes

    Valdes, sweete Valdes and Cornelius, and Cornelius.

    Know that your words haue won me at the last.
    To practice Magicke and concealed Arts.
    Philosophy is odious and obscure:
    Both Law and Physicke are for petty wits,
    'Tis magick, magick, that hath rauisht me.
    Then gentle friends aid me in this attempt,
    And I, that haue with subtle Sillogismes
    Grauel'd the Pastors of the Germane Church,
    And made the flowring pride of Wittenberg
    Sworne to my Problemes, as th'infernall spirits
    On sweet Musaes when he came to hell,
    Will be as cunning as Agrippa was
    Whose shadow made all Europe honour him.
    Val.
    Faustus, these bookes, thy wit, and our experience,
    shall make all Nations to Canonize vs,
    As Indian Moores, obey their Spanish Lords:
    So shall the spirits of euery element,
    Be alwaies seruiceable to vs three:
    Like Lyons shall they guard vs when we please,
    Like Almaine Rutters with their horsemens staues,
    Or Lopland Giants trotting by our sides,
    Sometimes like women or vowedded Maides:
    Shadowing more beauty in their Airie browes,
    Then has the white breasts of the Queene of loue.
    From Venice shall they drag huge Argosies,
    And from America the Golden Fleece,
    That yearely stuff'd old Phillips treasury,
    If learned Faustus will be resolute.
    Faust.
    Valdes, as resolute am I in this,
    As thou to liue, therefore object it not.
    Corn.
    The miracles that magick will performe,
    Will make thee vow to study nothing else.
    He that is grounded in Astrology,
    Inricht with tongues, well seene in Minerals,
    Hath all the Principles Magick doth require:
    Then doubt not Faustus but to be renowm'd,
    And more frequented for this mysterie,
    Then heeretofore the Delphian Oracle.
    The spirits tell me they can dry the sea,
    And fetch the treasure of all forraine wrackes:
    Yea all the wealth that our fore-fathers hid,
    Within the messy entrailes of the earth:
    Then tell me Faustus what shall we three want?
    Faust.
    Nothing Cornelius; O this cheeres my soule:
    Come, shew me some demonstrations Magicall,
    That I may coniure in some bushy Groue,
    And haue these ioies in full possession.
    Val.
    Then hast thee to some solitary Groue,
    And beare wise Bacons, and Albanus workes,
    The Hebrew Psalter, and new Testament;
    And whatsoeuer else is requisite,
    We will informe thee e're our conference cease.
    Cor.
    Valdes, first let him know the words of Art,
    And then all other ceremonies learn'd,
    Faustus may try his cunning by himselfe.
    Val.
    First I'le instruct thee in the rudiments,
    And then wilt thou be perfecter then I.
    Faust.
    Then come and dine with me, and after meate
    We'le canuase euery quidditie thereof:
    For e're I sleep, I'le try what I can do:
    This night I'le coniure tho I die therefore. Exeunt



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    OCLC: 921140


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