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. [Footnote 63: Charms, amulets.] [Footnote 64: Ebony.] [Footnote 65: Swaggering, or threatening language.] CHAPTER IX