CHAPTER XXIII
How Faustus had a sight of Paradise
After this, Doctor Faustus set forth again, visited these countries of Spain, Portugal, France, England, Scotland, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, Muscovy, India, Cataia, Africa, Persia, and lastly into Barbaria amongst the Blackamoors, and in all his wandering he was desirous to visit the ancient monuments and mighty hills, amongst the rest beholding the high hill called the Treno Riefe, was desirous to rest upon it: from thence he went into the Isle of Brittany, wherein he was greatly delighted to see the fair water and warm Baths, the divers sorts of metal, with many precious stones, and divers other commodities the which Faustus brought thence with him, he was also at the Orchades behind Scotland, where he saw the tree that bringeth forth fruit, that when it is ripe, openeth and falleth into the water, whereof engendereth a certain kind of Fowl or Bird: these Islands are in number twenty-three but ten of them are not habitable, the other thirteen are inhabited: from hence, he went to the hill of Caucasus, which is the highest in all that Tropic, it lieth near the borders of Scythia, hereon Faustus stood and beheld many lands and Kingdoms. Faustus being on such an high hill, thought to look over all the world and beyond, for he meant to see Paradise, but he durst not commune with his Spirit thereof: and being on the hill of Caucasus, he saw the whole land of India and Scythia, and towards the East as he looked he saw a mighty clear strike of fire coming from heaven upon the earth, even as it had been one of the beams of the Sun, he saw in the valley four mighty waters springing, one had his course towards India, the second towards Egypt, the third and fourth towards Armenia. When he saw these, he would needs know of his Spirit what waters they were, and from whence they came. His Spirit gave him gently an answer, saying; it is Paradise that lieth so far in the East, the garden that God himself hath planted with all manner of pleasure, and the fiery stream that thou seest, is the walls or defence of the garden, but that clear light that thou seest so far off, is the Angel that hath the custody thereof, with a fiery sword: and although that thou thinkest thyself to be hard by, thou hast yet farther thither from hence, than thou hast ever been: the water that thou seest divided in four parts, is the water that issueth out of the Well in the middle of Paradise. The first is called Ganges or Phison, the second, Gihon or Nilus, the third Tigris, and the fourth Euphrates, also thou seest that he standeth under Libra and Aries right up towards the Zenith, and upon this fiery wall standeth the Angel Michael with his flaming sword to keep the tree of life the which he hath in charge; but the Spirit said unto Faustus, neither thou, nor I, nor any after us, yea all men whosoever are denied to visit it, or to come any nearer than we be.