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 wit
5, 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.