Dr. Faustus bethinking how his time went away, and how he had spent eight years thereof, he meant to spend the rest to his better contentment, intending quite to forget any such motions as might offend the devil any more: wherefore on a time he called his spirit Mephistophiles, and said unto him, "Bring thou hither unto me thy lord Lucifer or Belial." He brought him (notwithstanding) one that was called Belzebub, the which asked Faustus his pleasure.
Quoth Faustus, "I will know of thee if I might see hell, and take a view thereof?"
"That thou shalt," said the devil, "and at midnight I will fetch thee."
Well, night being come, Dr. Faustus waited very diligently for the coming of the devil to fetch him, and thinking that he tarried too long, he went to the window, where he pulled open a casement, and looking into the element, he saw a cloud in the north more black, and darker, and obscurer than all the rest of the sky, from whence the wind blew most horribly right into Faustus's chamber, and filled the whole house with smoke, that Faustus was almost smothered; hereat fell an exceeding thunder-clap, and withal came a great rugged black bear all curled, and upon his back a chair of beaten gold, and spake to Faustus, saying, "Sir, up and away with me:" and Dr. Faustus that had so long abode the smoke, wished rather to be in hell than there, got on the devil, and so they went on together.
Mark how the devil blinded him, and made him believe he carried him into hell, for he carried him into the lake, where Faustus fell into a sound sleep, as if he had sate into a warm water or bath: at last they came to a place which burneth continually with flashing flames of fire and brimstone, whereout issued an exceeding mighty clap of thunder, with so horrible a noise that Faustus awaked. But the devil went forth on his way, and carried Faustus therein, yea, notwithstanding however it burnt, Dr. Faustus felt no more heat than as it were the glimpse of the sun in May; there heard he all manner of music to overcome him, but saw none playing on them; it pleased him well, but he durst not ask, for he was forbidden it before. To meet the devil and the guest that came with him came three other ugly devils, the which ran back again before the bear, to make the way; against whom there came running an exceeding great hart, which would have thrust Faustus out of the chair; but being defended by the other three devils, the hart was put to the repulse: thence going on the way, Faustus looked, and behold there was nothing but snakes, and all manner of venomous beasts about him, which were exceeding great: unto the which snakes came many storks, and swallowed up the whole multitude of snakes, that they left not one: which when Faustus saw, he marvelled greatly. But proceeding farther on their hellish voyage, there came forth out of a hollow clift an exceeding great flying bull, the which with such a force hit Faustus's chair with his head and horns, that he turned Faustus and his bear over and over, so that the bear vanished away: whereat Faustus began to cry, "Oh! woe to me that ever I came here!" For he thought there to have been beguiled of the devil; and to make an end before his time appointed or conditioned of the devil: but shortly after came to him a monstrous ape, bidding Faustus to be of good cheer, and said, "Get upon me."
All the fire in hell seemed to Faustus to have been put out, whereupon followed a monstrous thick fog, that he saw nothing, but shortly after it seemed to him to wax clear, where he saw two great dragons fastened unto a waggon, in the which the ape ascended and set Faustus therein; forth flew the dragons into an exceeding dark cloud, where Faustus saw neither dragons nor chariot wherein he sate, and such were the cries of tormented souls, with mighty thunder-claps and flashing lightnings about his ears, that poor Faustus shook for fear; upon this they came to a water, stinking and filthy, thick like mud, into the which ran the dragons, sinking under with waggon and all; but Faustus felt no water, but as it were a small mist, saving that the waves beat so sore upon him, that he saw nothing under or over him but only water, in the which he lost his dragons, ape, and waggon; and sinking deeper and deeper, he came at last as it were upon a high rock, where the waters parted and left him thereon: but when the water was gone, it seemed to him he should there have ended his life, for he saw no way but death. The rock was so high from the bottom as heaven is from the earth. There sate he, seeing nor hearing any man, and looked ever upon the rock. At length he saw a little hole out of which issued fire. Thought he, "How shall I now do? I must either fall to the bottom or burn in the fire, or sit in despair." With that, in his madness he gave a skip into the fire-hole, saying, "Hold, you infernal hags! take here this sacrifice as my last end, that which I have justly deserved."
Upon this he was entered, and finding himself as yet unburned or touched of that fire, he was the better appayed. But there was so great a noise that he never heard the like before; it passed all the thunder that ever he had heard. And coming down farther to the bottom of the rock, he saw a fire, wherein were many worthy and noble personages, as emperors, kings, dukes, and lords, and many thousand more tormented souls, at the edge of which fire ran a most pleasant, clear, and cold water to behold; into the which many tormented souls sprang out of the fire to cool themselves, but being so freezing cold, they were constrained to return again into the fire, and thus wearied themselves and spent their endless torments out of one labyrinth into another, one while in heat, another while in cold. But Faustus, standing here all this while gazing on them that were thus tormented, he saw one leaping out of the fire, shrieking horribly, whom he thought to have known, wherefore he would fain have spoken unto him, but remembering he was forbidden, he refrained speaking. Then this devil that brought him in, came to him again in likeness of a bear, with the chair on his back, and bid him sit up, for it was time to depart. So Faustus got up, and the devil carried him out into the air, where he had so sweet music that he fell asleep by the way.
His boy Christopher, being all this while at home, and missing his master so long, thought his master would have tarried and dwelt with the devil for ever; but whilst the boy was in these cogitations, his master came home; for the devil brought him home fast asleep as he sate in his chair, and threw him on his bed, where (being thus left of the devil) he lay until day. When he awaked, he was amazed, like a man who had been in a dark dungeon; musing with himself, if it were true or false that he had seen hell, or whether he was blinded or not; but he rather persuaded himself he had been there than otherwise, because he had seen such wonderful things; wherefore he most carefully took pen and ink, and wrote those things in order as he had seen; which writing was afterwards found by his boy in his study, which afterwards was published to the whole city of Wittenburg in print, for example to all Christians.
CHAPTER XXI.
How Dr. Faustus was carried through the Air, up to the Heavens
to see the whole World, and how the Sky and Planets ruled;
after the which he wrote a Letter to his Friend of the same to Liptzig,
and how he went about the World in eight days.