第17章 Enter CHORUS(17)

FAUSTUS. O Faustus， Now hast thou but one bare hour to live， And then thou must be damn'd perpetually！ Stand still， you ever-moving spheres of heaven， That time may cease， and midnight never come； Fair Nature's eye， rise， rise again， and make Perpetual day； or let this hour be but A year， a month， a week， a natural day， That Faustus may repent and save his soul！ O lente， lente currite， noctis equi！ The stars move still， time runs， the clock will strike， The devil will come， and Faustus must be damn'd. O， I'll leap up to heaven！--Who pulls me down？-- See， where Christ's blood streams in the firmament！ One drop of blood will save me： O my Christ！-- Rend not my heart for naming of my Christ； Yet will I call on him： O， spare me， Lucifer！-- Where is it now？ 'tis gone： And， see， a threatening arm， an angry brow！ Mountains and hills， come， come， and fall on me， And hide me from the heavy wrath of heaven！ No！ Then will I headlong run into the earth： Gape， earth！ O， no， it will not harbour me！ You stars that reign'd at my nativity， Whose influence hath allotted death and hell， Now draw up Faustus， like a foggy mist， Into the entrails of yon labouring cloud[s]， That， when you vomit forth into the air， My limbs may issue from your smoky mouths；But let my soul mount and ascend to heaven！ [The clock strikes the half- hour.] O， half the hour is past！ 'twill all be past anon. O， if my soul must suffer for my sin， Impose some end to my incessant pain； Let Faustus live in hell a thousand years， A hundred thousand， and at last be sav'd！ No end is limited to damned souls. Why wert thou not a creature wanting soul？ Or why is this immortal that thou hast？ O， Pythagoras' metempsychosis， were that true， This soul should fly from me， and I be chang'd Into some brutish beast！ all beasts are happy， For， when they die， Their souls are soon dissolv'd in elements； But mine must live still to be plagu'd in hell. Curs'd be the parents that engender'd me！ No， Faustus， curse thyself， curse Lucifer That hath depriv'd thee of the joys of heaven. [The clock strikes twelve.] It strikes， it strikes！ Now， body， turn to air， Or Lucifer will bear thee quick to hell！ O soul， be chang'd into small water- drops， And fall into the ocean， ne'er be found！

Thunder.Enter DEVILS.

O， mercy， heaven！ look not so fierce on me！ Adders and serpents， let me breathe a while！ Ugly hell， gape not！ come not， Lucifer！ I'll burn my books！--O Mephistophilis！ [Exeunt DEVILS with FAUSTUS.]

Enter SCHOLARS.

FIRST SCHOLAR. Come， gentlemen， let us go visit Faustus， For such a dreadful night was never seen； Since first the world's creation did begin， Such fearful shrieks and cries were never heard： Pray heaven the doctor have escap'd the danger.

SECOND SCHOLAR. O， help us， heaven！ see， here are Faustus' limbs， All torn asunder by the hand of death！

THIRD SCHOLAR. The devils whom Faustus serv'd have torn him thus； For， twixt the hours of twelve and one， methought， I heard him shriek and call aloud for help； At which self time the house seem'd all on fire With dreadful horror of these damned fiends.

SECOND SCHOLAR. Well， gentlemen， though Faustus' end be such As every Christian heart laments to think on， Yet， for he was a scholar once admir'd For wondrous knowledge in our German schools， We'll give his mangled limbs due burial； And all the students， cloth'd in mourning black， Shall wait upon his heavy funeral. [Exeunt.]

Enter CHORUS.

CHORUS. Cut is the branch that might have grown full straight， And burned is Apollo's laurel-bough， That sometime grew within this learned man. Faustus is gone： regard his hellish fall， Whose fiendful fortune may exhort the wise， Only to wonder at unlawful things， Whose deepness doth entice such forward wits To practise more than heavenly power permits. [Exit.]

Terminat hora diem； terminat auctor opus.

Carthagens] So 4tos 1616， 1624， (and compare 4to 1604， p. 79).--2to 1631 "Carthagen."

her] Old eds. "his."

of] So 4to 1616.--2tos 1624， 1631， "and." upon] So 4to 1616.--2tos 1624 1631 "on the." thousand] So 4to 1616.--2tos 1624， 1631， "diuers." them] So 4to 1616.--2tos 1624， 1631， "men." legatur] Old eds. "legatus."

petty] I may notice that 4to 1604 has "pretty，" which is perhaps the right reading.

&c.] So 4tos 1624， 1631.--Not in 4to 1616.

circles， scenes， letters， and characters] So 4to 1604 (see note 噰，p. 80).--The later 4tos "circles， letters， characters."

gain] So 4tos 1624， 1631 (and so 4to 1604).--2to 1616 "get." these] See note *， p. 80.

enterprise] So 4to 1616.--2tos 1624， 1631， "enterprises." make swift Rhine circle fair] So 4to 1616.--2tos 1624， 1631， "WITH swift Rhine circle ALL." silk] Old eds. "skill."

blest] So 4to 1616.--2tos 1624， 1631， "wise." Swarm] So 4tos 1624， 1631.--2to 1616 "Sworne." to] So 4to 1616.--Not in 4tos 1624， 1631.