The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus

of the heavens, that I might know their motions and dispositions. Mephistopheles

Here they are too. Turns to them.

Faustus Nay, let me have one book more⁠—and then I have done⁠—wherein I might see all plants, herbs, and trees that grow upon the earth. Mephistopheles

Here they be.

Faustus O, thou art deceived. Mephistopheles

Tut, I warrant thee.

Turns to them. Exeunt.

Scene VI

	Enter Faustus and Mephistopheles.36
Faustus	When I behold the heavens, then I repent, And curse thee, wicked Mephistopheles, Because thou hast deprived me of those joys.
Mephistopheles	Why, Faustus, Thinkest thou Heaven is such a glorious thing? I tell thee ’tis not half so fair as thou, Or any man that breathes on earth.
Faustus	How prov’st thou that?
Mephistopheles	’Twas made for man, therefore is man more excellent.
Faustus	If it were made for man, ’twas made for me; I will renounce this magic and repent.
	Enter Good Angel and Evil Angel.
Good Angel	Faustus, repent; yet God will pity thee.
Evil Angel	Thou art a spirit; God cannot pity thee.
Faustus	Who buzzeth in mine ears I am a spirit? Be I a devil, yet God may pity me; Ay, God will pity me if I repent.
Evil Angel	Ay, but Faustus never shall repent.
	Exeunt Angels.
Faustus	My heart’s so hardened I cannot repent. Scarce can I name salvation, faith, or heaven, But fearful echoes thunder in mine ears “Faustus, thou art damned!” Then swords, and knives, Poison, gun, halters, and envenomed steel Are laid before me to despatch myself, And long ere this I should have slain myself, Had not sweet pleasure conquered deep despair. Have not I made blind Homer sing to me Of Alexander’s love and Oenon’s death? And hath not he that built the walls of Thebes With ravishing sound of his melodious harp, Made music with my Mephistopheles? Why should I die then, or basely despair? I am resolved; Faustus shall ne’er repent⁠— Come, Mephistopheles, let us dispute again, And argue of divine astrology. Tell me, are there many heavens above the moon? Are all celestial bodies but one globe, As is the substance of this centric earth?
Mephistopheles	As are the elements, such are the spheres Mutually folded in each other’s orb, And, Faustus, All jointly move upon one axletree Whose terminine is termed the world’s wide pole; Nor are the names of Saturn, Mars, or Jupiter Feigned, but are erring stars.
Faustus	But tell me, have they all one motion, both situ et tempore.
Mephistopheles	All jointly move from east to west in twenty-four hours upon the poles of the world; but differ in their motion upon the poles of the zodiac.
Faustus	Tush! These slender trifles Wagner can decide; Hath Mephistopheles no greater skill? Who knows not the double motion of the planets? The first is finished in a natural day; The second thus; as Saturn in thirty years; Jupiter in twelve; Mars in four; the Sun, Venus, and Mercury in a year; the moon in twenty eight days. Tush, these are freshmen’s suppositions. But tell me, hath every sphere a dominion or intelligentia?
Mephistopheles	Ay.
Faustus	How many heavens, or spheres, are there?
Mephistopheles	Nine: the seven planets, the firmament, and the empyreal heaven.
Faustus	Well, resolve me in this question: why have we not conjunctions, oppositions, aspects, eclipses, all at one time, but in some years we have more, in some less?
Mephistopheles	Per inoequalem motum respectu totius.
Faustus	Well, I am answered. Tell me who made the world?
Mephistopheles	I will not.
Faustus	Sweet Mephistopheles, tell me.
Mephistopheles	Move me not, for I will not tell thee.
Faustus	Villain, have I not bound thee to tell me anything?
Mephistopheles	Ay, that is not against our kingdom; but this is. Think thou on hell, Faustus, for thou art damned.
Faustus	Think, Faustus, upon God that made the world.
Mephistopheles	Remember this.
	Exit.
Faustus	Ay, go, accursed spirit, to ugly hell. ’Tis thou hast damned distressed Faustus’ soul. Is’t not too late?
	Re-enter Good Angel and Evil Angel.
Evil Angel	Too late.
Good Angel	Never too late, if Faustus can repent.
Evil Angel	If thou repent, devils shall tear thee in pieces.
Good Angel	Repent, and they shall never raze thy skin.
	Exeunt Angels.
Faustus	Ah, Christ, my Saviour, Seek to save distressed Faustus’ soul!
	Enter Lucifer, Belzebub, and Mephistopheles.
Lucifer	Christ cannot save thy soul, for he is just; There’s none but I have interest in the same.
Faustus	O, who art thou that look’st so terrible?
Lucifer	I am Lucifer, And this is my companion-prince in hell.
Faustus	O Faustus! they are come to fetch away thy soul!
Lucifer	We come to tell thee thou dost injure us; Thou talk’st of Christ contrary to thy promise; Thou should’st not think of God: think of the Devil.37
Faustus	Nor will I henceforth: pardon me in this, And Faustus vows never to look to Heaven, Never to name God, or to pray to him, To burn his Scriptures, slay his ministers, And make my spirits pull his churches down.
Lucifer	Do so, and we will highly gratify thee. Faustus, we are come from hell to show thee some pastime: sit down, and thou shalt see all the Seven Deadly Sins appear in their proper shapes.
Faustus	That sight will be as pleasing unto me, As Paradise was to Adam, the first day Of his creation.
Lucifer	Talk not of Paradise nor creation; but mark this show: talk of the Devil, and nothing else: come away!
	Enter the Seven Deadly Sins.
	Now, Faustus, examine them of their several names and dispositions.
Faustus	What art thou⁠—the first?
Pride	I am Pride. I disdain to have any parents. I am like to Ovid’s flea:38 I can creep into every corner of a wench; sometimes, like a periwig, I sit upon her brow; or like a fan of feathers, I kiss her lips; indeed I do⁠—what do I not? But, fie, what a scent is here! I’ll not speak another word, except the ground were perfumed, and covered with cloth of arras.
Faustus	What art thou⁠—the second?
Covetousness	I am Covetousness, begotten of an old churl in an old leathern bag; and might I have my wish I would desire that this house and all the people in it were turned to gold, that I might lock you up in my good chest: O, my sweet gold!