THE ELIZABETHAN AGE-DRAMA CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE (1564-1593) FROM THE TRAGICAL HISTORY OF DOCTOR FAUSTUS.* Enter Chorus. CHORUS. Not marching in the fields of Thrasymene,1 Where Mars did mate the warlike Carthagens; Nor sporting in the dalliance of love, In courts of kings where states is over- Nor in the pomp of proud audacious deeds, verse: 10 Only this, gentles, we must now perform 1 The scene of Hannibal's defeat of the Romans, 2 cope with 4 Roda, near Weimar. it To sound the depth of that thou wilt pro- Having commenc'd,10 be a divine in show, Is, to dispute well, logic's chiefest end? 10 A greater subject fitteth Faustus' wit: 3 statehood, majesty 5 where Are not thy bills1+ hung up as monuments, 6 knowledge 7 Alluding to the story degree a profes And thousand desperate maladies been | WAG. I will, sir. cur'd? Yet art thou still but Faustus, and a man. Couldst thou make men to live eternally, Or, being dead, raise them to life again, Then this profession were to be esteem'd. Physic, farewell! Where is Justinian?15 20 FAUST. [Reads. Si una eademque res legatur duobus, alter rem, alter valorem rei, &c.16 A petty case of paltry legacies! [Reads. [Exit. Their conference10 will be a greater help to me Than all my labours, plod I ne'er so fast. G. ANG. O, Faustus, lay that damned book aside, And gaze not on it, lest it tempt thy soul, And heap God's heavy wrath upon thy head! Read, read the Scriptures:-that is blasphemy. Exhæreditare filium non potest pater, nisi, E. ANG. Go forward, Faustus, in that famous [Reads. Stipendium peccati mors est. Ha! Stipendium, &c. The reward of sin is death; that's hard. [Reads. 42 Si peccasse negamus, fallimur, et nulla est in nobis veritas; If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and there is no truth in us. Why, then, belike we must sin, and so consequently die: Ay, we must die an everlasting death. What doctrine call you this, Che sera, sera, What will be, shall be? Divinity, adieu! 19 These metaphysics of magicians, And necromantic books are heavenly; Lines, circles, scenes, letters, and characters; Ay, these are those that Faustus most desires. O, what a world of profit and delight, Of power, of honour, and omnipotence, Is promis'd to the studious artizan! All things that move between the quiet poles Shall be at my command: emperors and kings 50 Are but obeyed in their several provinces; Enter Wagner. Wagner, commend me to my dearest friends, 60 15 A Roman emperor and law-giver. 16 "If one and the same thing be bequeathed to two, one [shall have] the thing, the other its value, etc." 17 "A father may not disinherit his son, unless, etc." 18 The Vulgate. 19 Here Faustus turns to his books of magic. art21 70 Wherein all Nature's treasure is contain 'd: Be thou on earth as Jove is in the sky, Lord and commander of these elements. [Exeunt Angels. FAUST. How am I glutted with conceit of this! Shall I make spirits fetch me what I please, Resolve me of22 all ambiguities, Perform what desperate enterprise I will? I'll have them fly to India for gold, Ransack the ocean for orient pearl, And search all corners of the new-found world23 80 For pleasant fruits and princely delicates;24 I'll have them read me strange philosophy, And tell the secrets of all foreign kings; I'll have them wall all Germany with brass, And make swift Rhine circle fair Wittenberg; I'll have them fill the public schools with silk, Wherewith the students shall be bravely clad; I'll levy soldiers with the coin they bring, And chase the Prince of Parma* from our land, And reign sole king of all the provinces; 90 Yea, stranger engines for the brunt of war, Than was the fiery keel at Antwerp-bridge,t I'll make my servile spirits to invent. Enter Valdes and Cornelius. To practise magic and concealed arts. The Hebrew Psalter, and New Testament; And whatsoever else is requisite We will inform thee ere our conference cease. Valdes, first let him know the words of art; Then, gentle friends, aid me in this attempt; 110 Shall make all nations to canonize us. Like lions shall they guard us when we please; Like Almain rutters29 with their horsemen's staves, Or Lapland giants, trotting by our sides; Sometimes like women, or unwedded maids, Shadowing more beauty in30 their airy brows Than have the white breasts of the queen of love: From Venice shall they drag huge argosies, And from America the golden fleece That yearly stuffs old Philip's treasury; If learned Faustus will be resolute. FAUST. Valdes, as resolute am I in this And then, all other ceremonies learn'd, 150 Faustus may try his cunning by himself. VALD. First I'll instruct thee in the rudiments, And then wilt thou be perfecter than I. FAUST. Then come and dine with me, and after meat, We'll canvass every quiddity thereof; For, ere I sleep, I'll try what I can do ; This night I'll conjure, though I die therefore. [Exeunt. [SCENE II.] Enter two Scholars. FIRST SCHOL. I wonder what 's become of Faustus, that was wont to make our schools ring with sic probo.5 120 SEC. SCHOL. here As thou to live: therefore object it not.1 CORN. The miracles that magic will perform Will make thee vow to study nothing else. He that is grounded in astrology, Enrich'd with tongues, well seen in minerals, 130 Hath all the principles magic doth require: Then doubt not, Faustus, but to be renown'd, And more frequented for this mystery Than heretofore the Delphian oracle. The spirits tell me they can dry the sea, And fetch the treasure of all foreign wrecks, Yea, all the wealth that our forefathers hid Within the massy entrails of the earth; Then tell me, Faust us, what shall we three want? That shall we presently know; comes his boy. Enter Wagner. FIRST SCHOL. How now, sirrah! where's thy master? God in heaven knows. 10 WAG. SEC. SCHOL. Why, dost not thou know, then? WAG. Yes, I know; but that follows not. FIRST SCHOL. Go to, sirrah! leave your jesting, and tell us where he is. WAG. Truly, my dear brethren, my master is within at dinner, with Valdes and Cornelius, as this wine, if it could speak, would inform your worships: and so, the Lord bless you, preserve you, and keep you, my dear brethren! FIRST SCHOL. O Faustus! [Exit. 33 the 28 American Indians 29 German horsemen 30 Perhaps in = under SEC. SCHOL. time of Johann 27 A magician at Faustus. 3 Roger Bacon and Albertus Magnus, mediæval 4 matter scholars popularly reputed to have practiced | 5 "Thus I prove" (a formula in logical demon |