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
heat, than as it were the glimpse of the Sun in May: there heard he
all manner of music to welcome him, but saw none playing on them; it
pleased him well, but he durst not ask, for he was forbidden it before.
To meet the Devil and the guest that came with him, came three other
ugly Devils, the which ran back again before the Bear to make them
way, against whom there came running an exceeding great Hart, which
would have thrust Faustus out of his chair, but being defended by the
other three Devils, the Hart was put to the repulse: thence going on
their way Faustus looked, and behold there was nothing but Snakes, and
all manner of venomous beasts about him, which were exceeding great,
unto the which Snakes came many Storks, and swallowed up all the whole
multitude of Snakes, that they left not one: which when Faustus saw,
he marvelled greatly: but proceeding further on their hellish voyage,
there came forth of a hollow cliff an exceeding great flying Bull, the
which with such a force hit Faustus his chair with his head and horns,
that he turned Faustus and his Bear over and over, so that the Bear
vanished away, whereat Faustus began to cry: oh, woe is me that ever I
came here: for he thought there to have been beguiled of the Devil, and
to make his end before his time appointed or conditioned of the Devil:
but shortly came unto him a monstrous Ape, bidding Faustus be of good
cheer, and said, get upon me; all the fire in hell seemed to Faustus to
have been put out, whereupon followed a monstrous thick fog, that he
saw nothing, but shortly it seemed to him to wax clear, where he saw
two great Dragons fastened to a waggon, into the which the Ape ascended
and set Faustus therein; forth flew the Dragons into an exceeding dark
cloud, where Faustus saw neither Dragon nor Chariot wherein he sat,
and such were the cries of tormented souls, with mighty thunder-claps
and flashing lightnings about his ears, that poor Faustus shook for
fear. Upon this came they to a water, stinking and filthy, thick like
mud, into the which ran the Dragons, sinking under with waggon and all;
but Faustus felt no water but as it were a small mist, saving that the
waves beat so sore upon him, that he saw nothing under and over him
but only water, in the which he lost his Dragons, Ape, and waggon;
and sinking yet deeper and deeper, he came at last as it were upon an
high Rock, where the waters parted and left him thereon: but when the
water was gone, it seemed to him he should there have ended his life,
for he saw no way but death: the Rock was as high from the bottom as
Heaven is from the earth: there sat he, seeing nor hearing any man,
and looked ever upon the Rock; at length he saw a little hole, out of
the which issued fire; thought he, how shall I now do? I am forsaken
of the Devils, and they that brought me hither, here must I either
fall to the bottom, or burn in the fire, or sit still in despair: with
that in his madness he gave a leap into the fiery hole, saying: hold
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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