"No, thou sayest truth," quoth Mephistophiles, "thou hast not done it; but thou hast denied the Lord thy Maker which gave thee the breath of life, speech, hearing, sight, and all other thy reasonable senses, that thou mightest understand his will and pleasure, to live to the glory and honour of his name, and to the advancement of thy body and soul. Him, I say, being thy Maker, hast thou denied and defied; yea, wickedly hast thou applied that excellent gift of understanding, and given thy soul to the devil; therefore give none the blame but thine own self-will, thy proud and aspiring mind, which hath brought thee unto the wrath of God and utter damnation."
"This is most true," quoth Faustus; "but tell me, Mephistophiles, would thou be in my case as I am now?"
"Yea," saith the spirit (and with that fetched a great sigh), "for yet I would so humble myself that I would win the favour of God."
"Then," said Dr. Faustus, "it were time enough for me if I amended."
"True," said Mephistophiles, "if it were not for thy great sins, which are so odious and detestable in the sight of God, that it is too late for thee, for the wrath of God resteth upon thee."
"Leave off," quoth Faustus, "and tell me my question to my greater comfort."
CHAPTER XVII.
HERE FOLLOWETH THE SECOND PART OF DR. FAUSTUS
HIS LIFE AND PRACTICES,
UNTIL HIS END.
Dr. Faustus having received denial of his spirit to be resolved any more in such questions propounded, forgot all good works, and fell to be a calendar-maker by the help of his spirit, and also in short time to be a good astronomer or astrologian. He had learned so perfectly of his spirit the course of the sun, moon, and stars, that he had the most famous name of all the mathematicians that lived in his time, as may well appear by his works dedicated unto sundry dukes and lords, for he did nothing without the advice of his spirit, which learned him to presage of matters to come, which have come to pass since his death. The like praise won he with his calendars and almanack-making; for when he presaged of anything, operations, and alterations of the weather or elements, as wind, rain, fogs, snow, hail, moist, dry, warm, cold, thunder, lightning, it fell so duly out, as if an angel of heaven had forewarned it. He did not, like the unskilful astronomers in our time, that set in winter, cold moist air, frosty, and in the dog days, hot, dry, thunder, fire, and such like; but he set in all his works the day and hour, when, where, and how it should happen. If any wonderful things were at hand, as mortality, famine, plague, wars, he would set the time and place, in true and just order, when it would come to pass.