Footnotes
[103] An incantation over the letters of the alphabet.
CHAPTER XXIV
Another time he by chance overheard a Gentleman which was talking to a Lady, and said that whatsoever she commanded him to do, he would do it, if she would grant him grace. The Gentlewoman belike willing to hear him speak so not to her, required him to build in that place with one word a Castle of fine silver, at which the Gentleman amazed went away confounded, Faustus followed him fast, and said to him that he had overheard the Lady’s unjust demand, wherefore go say (quoth he) thou wilt do it with one word. And so the Gentleman did and it was done, whilst he ran laughing in to many nobles and lusty gallants, telling them he would shew them the strangest thing that ever they saw, and all they came running into the garden together, where they found the Gentleman fast locked in a pair of stocks, and an ugly foul kitchen wrench in his arms. O Lord, what wondrous sport did he make them there. And when they had laughed their fill, he loosed the gallant, who went and swore all that he could he would be revenged on him. In such monstrous intolerable knaveries Faustus took especial felicity.
CHAPTER XXV
These four honest fellows Faustus, Akercocke, Mephostophiles, and Wagner went out together into the street, and walking there by chance espied four Gentlewomen seeming to be sisters, them they cast to abuse, and they were never content to play any merry pranks for honest sport, but they must be so satirically full of gall, that they commonly proved infamous, sparing neither their good name on whom they committed them nor any kind of villainy, so it might procure mirth: when they had talked sufficiently with them, they did so much that they were contented to ride abroad with them, and so each fetched his horse and came to them masked, and the Gentlewomen were wimpled likewise (for the men as well as women use there to wear masks). Thus they rode to the common furlong where many Italian gentlemen were playing at the Balloon, and there they rode round about, whole armies of shouts accompanying them, they riding still backward and forward, whilst these men-women had sewed their coats to their doublets, and pinned upon their backs things of vile reproach amongst them, then rode they to the Court not yet satisfied, where they were entertained with more merriment and laughter. And when these men-women saw the greatest multitude that was there likely to be, even upon a piece of ground which was higher than all the rest, they leaped down, and by reason of the friendship betwixt their petticoats and their doublets, they haled them all down one after another, the horses ran away, and they lay upon them to their great confusion and reproach, yet they thought all well sith they were personated and masked, but the women stripped off their women’s garments and their head attires, and there they were well known to be four brave noble young Gentlemen brethren, and each of them rent off the masks of Mephostophiles and his mates, and detected them to their great shame, who neither durst revenge themselves for fear of further displeasure, nor of revealing what they were, nor could be moaned of any one for their notable abuses aforehand, so that whereas in others it had been but a common jest, on them it was wonderful strange and ridiculous. So they with shame enough went fretting in vain to their lodging.
CHAPTER XXVI
The Emperor being some five or six days in rest within his walls, caused, as sloth cannot dwell in true noble breasts, the whole Army to set forward, leaving a convenient Garrison within the City of 30,000 men, marched into the fields in sundry embattles with above 130,000 men. And there in the view of the Army Mephostophiles, Akercocke, Wagner, Faustus pricked up to the Turk’s camp, armed in complete harness, and there challenged any four to break a staff with them, then came there forth four Janissaries horsemen armed at all assays,[104] and there they ran together to the singular delight of the beholders, so gallantly they demeaned themselves, but in the cope[105] all the four Janissaries were run quite through and through (as they say) and there lay on the cold earth, then made these four fellows in Arms their stop and expected a fresh revenge: which came immediately thundering out of the entry of the Camp, with whom to occur in time they met with the like success as before, to their singular commendations and high praises: then gan the Turk to stamp and fret, and commanded four of the best in his whole camp, and four more with them to run at these villains and to captive them, where they should rue the rashness of their presumption with long eternal torment. These eight came with all their power together and broke their lances very hardly upon their faces, and so did they four on theirs, then they drew their swords committing a brave tourney, till two of the Turks were slain, and the six fled, which were immediately hanged, at which ye Christian laughed heartily, and these four returned thanked highly, and for that the Enemy would not advance himself to the general Fortune of the fight, they marched in again into the City.