Faust Book

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Of his Parentage and Birth. Chap. 1

IOhn Faustus, borne in the town of Rhode¹, lying in the Prouince of Weimer in Germ[anie,]² his father a poore Husbandman, and not [able]³ wel to bring him vp: but hauing an Vncle at Wittenberg, a rich man, & without issue, took this I. Faustus from his father, & made him his heire, in so much that his father was no more troubled with him, for he remained with his Vncle at Wittenberg, where he was kept at y Vniuersitie in the same citie to study diuinity. But Faustus being of a naughty minde & otherwise addicted, applied not his studies, but tooke himselfe to other exercises: the which his Vncle oftentimes hearing, rebuked him for it, as Eli oft times rebuked his children for sinning against the Lord: euen so this good man laboured to haue Faustus apply his study of Diuinitie, that he might come to the knowledge of God & his lawes. But it is manifest that many vertuous parents haue wicked children, as Cayn, Ruben, Absolom, and such like haue béen ⁴ to their parents: so this Faustus hauing godly parents, and seeing him to be of a toward wit⁵, were very desirous to bring him vp in those vertuous studies, namely, of Diuinitie: but he gaue himself secretly to study Necromancy and Coniuration, in so much that few or none could perceiue his profession.

But to the purpose: Faustus continued at study in the Vniuersity, & was by the Rectors and sixteene Masters after wards examined howe he had profited in his studies; and being found by them, that none for his time were able to argue with him in Diuinity, or for the excellency of his wisedome to compare with him, with one consent they made him Doctor of Diuinitie. But Doctor Faustus within short time after hee had obtayned his degree, fell into such fantasies and deepe cogitations, that he was marked of many, and of the most part of the Students was called the Speculator; and sometime he would throw the Scriptures ⁶ from him as though he had no care of his former profession: so that hee began a very vngodly life, as hereafter more at large may appeare; for the olde Prouerb sayth, Who can hold that wil away? so, who can hold Faustus from the diuel, that seekes after him with al his indeuour ':⁷ For he accompanied himselfe with diuers that were séene ⁸ In those diuelish Arts, and that had the Chaldean, Persian, Hebrew, Arabian, and Greeke tongues, vsing Figures, characters, Coniurations, Incantations, with many other ceremonies belonging to these infernal Arts as Necromancie, Charmes, South-saying, Witchcraft, Inchantment, being delighted with their bookes, words, and names so well, that he studied day and night therein: in so much that hee could not abide to bee called Doctor of Diuinitie, but waxed a worldly man, and named himselfe an Astrologian, and a Mathematician: & for a shadow ⁹ sometimes a Phisitian, and did great cures, namely, with hearbs, rootes, waters, drinks, receipts, & clisters.¹⁰ And without doubt he was passing wise, and excellent perfect in the holy scriptures: but hee that knoweth his masters will and doth it not, is worthy to be beaten with many stripes. It is written, no man can serue two masters: and, thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God: but Faustus threw all this in the winde, & made his soule of no estimation, regarding more his worldly pleasure than ye ioyes to come: therfore at ye day of iudgement there is no hope of his redemptio.