How Doctor Faustus conjured away the four wheels from a clown’s waggon
Doctor Faustus was sent for to the Marshal of Brunswicke, who was greatly troubled with the falling sickness. Now Faustus had this use, never to ride but walk forth on foot, for he could ease himself when he list, and as he came near unto the town of Brunswicke, there overtook him a Clown with four horses and an empty waggon, to whom Doctor Faustus jestingly to try him, said: I pray thee, good fellow, let me ride a little to ease my weary legs; which the buzzardly ass denied, saying: that his horses were also weary, and he would not let him get up. Doctor Faustus did this but to prove the buzzard, if there were any courtesy to be found in him if need were.
But such churlishness as is commonly found among clowns, was by Doctor Faustus well requited, even with the like payment: for he said unto him, Thou doltish Clown, void of all humanity, seeing thou art of so currish a disposition, I will pay thee as thou hast deserved, for the four wheels of thy Waggon thou shalt have taken from thee, let me see then how canst thou shift: hereupon his wheels were gone, his horses also fell down to the ground, as though they had been dead: whereat the Clown was sore affright, measuring it as a just scourge of God for his sins and churlishness: wherefore all troubled, and wailing, he humbly besought Doctor Faustus to be good unto him, confessing he was worthy of it, notwithstanding if it pleased him to forgive him, he would hereafter do better. Which humility made Faustus his heart to relent, answering him on this manner, well, do so no more, but when a poor weary man desireth thee, see that thou let him ride, but yet thou shalt not go altogether clear, for although thou have again thy four wheels, yet shalt thou fetch them at the four Gates of the City, so he threw dust on the horses, and revived them again, and the Clown for his churlishness was fain to fetch his wheels, spending his time with weariness, whereas before he might have done a good deed, and gone about his business quietly.
CHAPTER XLVII
How four Jugglers cut one another’s head off, and set them on again; and how Doctor Faustus deceived them
Doctor Faustus came in the Lent unto Franckfort Fair, where his Spirit Mephostophiles gave him to understand that in an Inn were four Jugglers that cut one another’s head off, and after their cutting off, sent them to the Barber to be trimmed, which many people saw. This angered Faustus (for he meant to have himself the only Cock in the Devil’s basket), and he went to the place where they were, to behold them. And as these Jugglers were together, ready one to cut off the other’s head, there stood also the Barbers ready to trim them, and by them upon the table stood likewise a glass full of distilled water, and he that was the chiefest among them stood by it. Thus they began, they smote off the head of the first, and presently there was a Lily in the glass of distilled water, where Faustus perceived this Lily as it were springing, and the chief Juggler named it the tree of life, thus dealt he with the first, making the Barber wash and comb his head, and then he set it on again, presently the Lily vanished away out of the water, hereat the man had his head whole and sound again; the like did they with the other two: and as the turn and lot came to the chief Juggler that he also should be beheaded, and that his Lily was most pleasant, fair, and flourishing green, they smote his head off, and when it came to be barbed, it troubled Faustus his conscience, in so much that he could not abide to see another do anything, for he thought himself to be the principal conjurer in the world, wherefore Doctor Faustus went to the table whereat the other Jugglers kept that Lily, and so he took a small knife and cut off the stalk of the Lily, saying to himself, none of them should blind Faustus: yet no man saw Faustus to cut the Lily, but when the rest of the Jugglers thought to have set on their master’s head, they could not, wherefore they looked on the Lily, and found it a bleeding: by this means the Juggler was beguiled, and so died in his wickedness, yet not one thought that Doctor Faustus had done it.
CHAPTER XLVIII
How an old man, the neighbour of Faustus, sought to persuade him to amend his evil life, and to fall unto repentance