He in the mean time busied himself in the necessary preparations. He
entered his study at the appointed time, and found the devil waiting
for him. Faustus told him that he had prepared certain articles, to
which it was necessary that the demon should fully accord,--that he
should attend him at all times, when required, for all the days of his
life, that he should bring him every thing he wanted, that he should
come to him in any shape that Faustus required, or be invisible, and
Faustus should be invisible too, whenever he desired it, that he
should deny him nothing, and answer him with perfect veracity to every
thing he demanded. To some of these requisitions the spirit could not
consent, without authority from his master, the chief of devils. At
length all these concessions were adjusted. The devil on his part also
prescribed his conditions. That Faustus should abjure the Christian
religion and all reverence for the supreme God; that he should enjoy
the entire command of his attendant demon for a certain term of years,
and that at the end of that period the devil should dispose of him
body and soul at his pleasure [the term was fixed for twenty-four
years]; that he should at all times stedfastly refuse to listen to any
one who should desire to convert him, or convince him of the error of
his ways, and lead him to repentance; that Faustus should draw up a
writing containing these particulars, and sign it with his blood, that
he should deliver this writing to the devil, and keep a duplicate of
it for himself, that so there might be no misunderstanding. It was
further appointed by Faustus that the devil should usually attend him
in the habit of cordelier, with a pleasing countenance and an
insinuating demeanour. Faustus also asked the devil his name, who
answered that he was usually called Mephostophiles (perhaps more
accurately Nephostophiles, a lover of clouds).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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