Iungere si velit, & varias inducere plumas
Vndique collatis membris, vt turpiter atrum
Desinat in piscem mulier formosa superne:
Spectatum admissi risum teneatis amici?
Credite Pisones isti tabulae fore librum
Per similem.
Non vt placidis coeant immitia.
I shall not need to turn back to declare the deep astonishment of the people, who are always in most small manners induced easily to wondering, but now this excellent fair Theatre erected, immediately after the third sound of the Trumpets, there entereth in the Prologue attired in a black vesture, and making his three obeisances, began to shew the argument of that Scenical Tragedy, but because it was so far off they could not understand the words, and having thrice bowed himself to the high Throne, presently vanished. Then out of this representance of Hell’s mouth, issued out whole Armies of fiery flames, and most thick foggy smokes, after which entered in a great battle of footmen Devils, all armed after the best fashion with pike, etc., marching after the stroke of the courageous Drum, who girded about laid siege to this fair Castle, on whose Walls after the summons Faustus presented himself upon the battlements, armed with a great number of Crosses, pen and ink horns, charms, characters, seals, periapts,[63] etc., who after sharp words defied the whole assembly, seeming to speak earnestly in his own defence, and as they were ready to rear the Ladders, and Faustus had begun to prepare for the counterbattery, determining to throw down upon the assembly’s heads so many heavy charms and conjurations, that they should fall down half way from the ascendant, whilst these things began to wax hot from the aforesaid Heaven, there descended a Legion of bright Angels riding upon milk-white Chariots, drawn with the like white steeds, who with celestial divine melody came into the Town, to the intent to fight for the Doctor against his furious enemies, but he wanting pay-money, and void indeed of all good thoughts, not able to abide their most blessed presence, sent them away, and they returned from whence they came, sorrowfully lamenting his most wilful obstinacy, whilst he had all benointed the Walls with holy Water, and painted with blood many a crimson Cross. At length the Alarm was given, and the Ladders cleaved to the Walls, up the assailants climbed, up they lifted their fearful weapons. Faustus not able (destitute of help) to withstand them, was taken prisoner, and his Tower razed down to the earth, with whose fall both the large Heaven and World shook and quaked mightily, whom, when they had fettered, they left there, they marching out and the fore-named Chairs were presently occupied with all the Imperial rulers of Hell, who clothed in their holiday apparel sat there to give Judgment upon this wilful Faustus, whom two Hangmans of Hell unloosed, and there in presence of them all the great Devil afore his chief peers, first stamping with his angry foot, and then shaking his great bush of hair, that therewith he made the near places and the most proud Devils’ courages to tremble, and with his fire-burnt sceptre, and his like-coloured Crown, all of gold, setting one arm by his side, and the other upon the pommel of his Chair, shook a pretty space with such angry fury, that the flames which proceeded from his frightful eyes did dim the sight of the Wittenbergers below. There was in this said Wittenberg a gallant fair Lady and a virgin, which now following her mother, accompanied with sundry gallant German Gentlemen, had even now entered out of their Barge, and seeing the whole world of people as they thought gazing up into the Heaven so very strangely, were partly struck with wonder, some with fear, and some with sudden merriment, and hasting down the hill more than a round pace, asked some what was there to do, and they bid them look up (for here is to be noted that they looked up afore but could see nothing, but as always they were wont until they shewed them it), which they did, and at the same time wherein the great Devil was in his red-hot anger, this young Gentlewoman looked up, whose most ugly shape so feared her, that even then there she fell down in a swoon, whom they conveyed away very speedily, yet ere they could come home she was well-nigh dead, and so she lay for two years without hope of life, or certainly of death: great sorrow to her parents, and as cruel pain to her: But she at length recovered her Spirit, and if by your patience I may, I will tell you how. There was a most learned and excellent Doctor dwelling in the town who had great knowledge in the black Art, who being requested to use some Physic to aid her in her great extremity, being promised for reward five thousand Dollars. This Doctor perceiving the cause of her malady was not caused of any distemperature of her body, but only of the aforesaid fear, knew that Physic might well make her body sound, but her mind never. Wherefore not only for the reward, but also to become gracious and famous at once, proceeded in his cure on this manner. One night having made his Orisons and nine times combed his hair with tears of a pure maid, and nine times gone about a fire made all of pure Heben[64] coal, and thrice nine times called upon the name of the most dreadful Hecate, he laid himself to sleep upon a pure white and clean unspotted maiden’s smock, and covered himself over with the ashes of a white Hind roasted and burned altogether, he slept, and the next morning apparelled in white robes, having often and often called, recalled and exorcised the three Fairies Millia, Achilya, and Sybilla, at length the ground opened, and with them they brought a milk-white Steed, and did put upon his finger the ring of invisibility; when they were vanished, he mounted up upon his Horse, who with more swift flight then the winged Pegasus carried him through the wide Air so fast and so long, that having passed over Bohem, Hungary, Thracia, all Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, and at length to Arabia Felix, where he alighted upon a most high Mountain, all the way from the top to the bottom of a just breadth and steepness, so that he that were on that would think himself not in the world, and they beneath would deem him to be in Heaven, upon the brims of it round about grew the high Pines, the stately Cedars, and always so green as the most fresh Meadow: the height of this huge rock was two and twenty miles in even altitude and half a mile of just circuit all the way: there he tied his Horse to a Tree and knocked at the Castle gate, where afore was never seen any, so that no path could there be seen, so that a man might justly have called it the house of little Hospitality, to him there came Neglectment, an old Lady, and demanded what he would, who told her his errand, and withal a ring of fine gold from the three Fairies; she knew the ring and his errand, and conveyed him into many a fair room, wherein she shewed him many a worthy Knight’s memorials, many an antique Monument heaped up, but inner rooms so monstrous dark and nightly, that no human eye could perceive anything, and forth she brought him unto a Garden, out of the midst whereof rose a little Hill, from the summit whereof there was a paved way of pure Crystal stone, from along whose bosom trilled a small Water: This water an old man held, and indeed he had it as a Patrimony, for therefore he could shew many an ancient evidence, and worn Charter, his hair was all fled to his front, as if some enemy had scared the hinder locks from his scalp, on his back hung a pair of Wings which flagged down, as if either they had been broken or he weary, and thus he overstrode a round World, from out of every part whereof gushed out this small River which was conveyed down in this Crystal pipe, in his hand he held a long scythe, and in the other an hour-glass, here the Doctor seeing the old ruins of this sumptuous house, and all the fair Walls and buildings over-grown with a deadly Moss, was much amazed, but because he could not tarry, he dipped a small Vial in the spring and departed, and for because he was so peremptorily warned not to tarry, he could not behold the most stately Galleries, in which he might see the World’s chief pleasures and Monuments, some wholly worn away, some half, and some even now beginning, and some wholly quite over-grown with a thick earthy fur, for as he came by an old Wall he chanced with his elbow to rub off the thick Moss, and then might he see a fair piece of Parchment gilded and painted curiously, wherein was truly described the ancient tokens of a most brave and worthy Gentleman, so having sped of his journey he came by the same way again as he went, Neglectment shut the doors upon him, whilst he mounted upon his white swift-footed Horse and by the like time arrived at his own house, where having with the blood of a new-slain heifer, thrice anointed the feet of his Cavallo, and tying at his ear with a string of fine silk spun by the hands of a pure maid, the received ring of invisibility unto his ear, with many a Cross, and many an open Ave Maria, dismissed him, who in the same moment returned to the place from whence he came. With this water the Doctor came to the maid, and having used a certain incantation, gave her to drink of the water of deep Oblivion, which she had no sooner tasted of, but straightways she had forgotten the terrible picture of the Devil, and was revived out of all her infernal fears, the Doctor called, winning him credit, favour, and fame, and richly rewarded for his medicine, departed, and running home threw his Vial into the deep River burying oblivion with oblivion, the parents of the young Lady rejoicing exceedingly at their daughter’s recovery, for ever after caused the place wherein their daughter was thus scared, to be inaccessible for man or beast, compassing it in with a high wall, and overthrowing the banks, so that now there is no mention of the meadow nor of the Wall.
The Devil, the great Devil Lucifer having finished his brief Oration, descended down out of his Judgment seat, and pointing unto all his Nobles, took Faustus by the hand, and placed him just before him, taking him by the chin, seemed to them to bid him speak freely, he mounted up again unto his high Throne, and with a more mild madness expected the speech of the Doctor, who having bowed himself submissively unto these damnable company, he began to speak, and yet not long, then he began to walk up and down and to shew strange gestures, when suddenly for some bug’s-words[65] escaped by Faustus, all the Devils there rose up, and with their swords drawn threatening with them the poor Doctor, turning all their bodies and directing their faces to the King, who with a stern countenance commanded silence. When Faustus having long raged, of a sudden howling loud, and tearing his hair, laid both his arms upon his neck, and leaped down headlong off the stage, the whole company immediately vanishing, but the stage, with a most monstrous thundering crack followed Faustus hastily, the people, verily thinking that they would have fallen upon them, ran all away, and he was happiest that had the swiftest foot, some leaped into the River and swam away, and all of them with great affright ran into the City and clapped the City gates together, straight, and to increase this fear they thought they heard a thing fall into the river as if a thousand houses had fallen down from the top of Heaven into it. But afterwards this was known to be Wagner’s knavery, who did this to shew the Pursuivant some point of his skill.
Footnotes
[63] Charms, amulets.
[64] Ebony.
[65] Swaggering, or threatening language.