The history of the damnable life and deserved death of Doctor John Faustus, 1592, together with The second report of Faustus, containing his appearances and the deeds of Wagner, 1594.
History
The history of the damnable life and deserved death of Doctor John Faustus, 1592, together with The second report of Faustus, containing his appearances and the deeds of Wagner, 1594.
Faust, -approximately 1540 -- Legends
The last Bacchanalia was held on Thursday, where ensued a great Snow,
and Doctor Faustus was invited unto the Students that were with him the
day before, where they had prepared an excellent banquet for him: which
banquet being ended, Doctor Faustus began to play his old pranks, and
forthwith were in the place thirteen Apes, that took hands and danced
round in a ring together, then they fell to tumble and to vaulting one
over another, that it was most pleasant to behold, then they leaped out
of the window and vanished away: then they set before Doctor Faustus a
roasted Calve’s head: which one of the Students cut a piece off, and
laid it on Doctor Faustus his trencher, which piece being no sooner
laid down, but the Calve’s head began to cry mainly out like a man,
murther, murther, but, alas, what doest thou to me! Whereat they were
all amazed, but after a while considering of Faustus his jesting tricks
they began to laugh, and then they pulled in sunder the Calve’s head
and ate it up. Whereupon Doctor Faustus asked leave to depart, but they
would in no wise agree to let him go, except that he would promise to
come again: presently then Faustus, through his cunning, made a sledge,
the which was drawn about the house with four fiery dragons: this was
fearful for the Students to behold, for they saw Faustus ride up and
down as though he should have fired and slain all them in the house.
This sport continued until midnight with such a noise that they could
not hear one another, and the heads of the Students were so light, that
they thought themselves to be in the air all that time.
CHAPTER XLV
_How Doctor Faustus shewed the fair Helena unto the Students upon the
Sunday following_
The Sunday following came these Students home to Doctor Faustus his
own house, and brought their meat and drink with them: these men were
right welcome guests unto Faustus, wherefore they all fell to drinking
of wine smoothly: and being merry, they began some of them to talk of
the beauty of women, and every one gave forth his verdict what he had
seen and what he had heard. So one among the rest said, I never was
so desirous of anything in this world, as to have a sight (if it were
possible) of fair Helena of Greece, for whom the worthy town of Troie
was destroyed and razed down to the ground, therefore saith he, that in
all men’s judgment she was more than commonly fair, because that when
she was stolen away from her husband, there was for her recovery so
great bloodshed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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