How Doctor Faustus made his iourney thorough the principal and most famous lands in the world. Chap. 22.
DOctor Faustus hauing ouer-runne1 fifteen yeers of his appointed time,
he tooke vpon him a iourney, with ful pretencec to see the whole world: and
calling his spirit Mephostophiles vnto him, he sayd: thou knowest that
thou art bound vnto me vpon conditions, to performe and fulfill my desire in
all thengs, wherfore my pretence is to visite the whole face of the earth
visible & inuisible when it pleaseth me: wherfore, I enioyne and command
thee to the same. Whereupon Mephostophiles answered, I am ready my Lord
at thy command & foorthwith the Spirit changed himselfe into the likenes of
a flying horse, saying, Faustus sit vp, I am ready. Doctor Faustus
loftily sate vpon him, & forward they went: Faustus came
thorough many a land & Prouince; as Pannonia2, Austria, Germania,
Bohemia, Slesia, Saxony, Missene3, During4, Francklandt5, Shawblandt6,
Beyerlandt7, Stiria, Ca
rinthia, Poland, Litaw,8 Liefland,9 Prussia, Denmarke, Muscouia,
Tartaria, Turkie, Persia, Cathai, Alexandria, Bar baria, Ginnie, Peru, the
strayghts of Magelanes, India, all about the frozen Zone, and
Terra Incognita,10 Noua Hispaniola,11 the Isles of Terzera,12
Mederi,13 S. Michaels, 14 the Canaries, and the Tenorrifocie,15
into Spaine, the Mayne Land,16 Portugall, Italie, Campania,
the Kingdome of Naples, the Isles of Sicilia, Malta, Maioria,17
Minoriac18 to the Knights of the Rhodes, Candie, or
Creete, Ciprus, Corinth, Switzerland, France, Freesland, Westphalia, Zeland,
Holland, Brabant, and all the 17. Prouinces in Netherland, England,
Scotland, Ireland, all America, and Island,19 the out Isles
of Scotland, the Orchades, Norway, the Bishoprick of Breame,20
and so home agayne: all these Kingdomes, Prouinces and Countries he passed
in 25. dayes, in which time he saw very little that delighted his minde:
wherefore he tooke a little rest at home, and burning in desirec to see more at
large, and to beholde the secrets of each kingdome, he set forward again on his
iourney vpon his swift horse Mephostophiles, and came to Treir,21
for that he chiefly desired to see this towne, and the monuments thereof;
but there he saw not many wonders, except one fayre Pallace that belonged vnto
the Bishop, and also a mighty large Castle that was built of bricke, with three
walles and three great trenches, so strong, that it was impossible for any
princes power to win it; then he saw a Church, wherein was buried Simeon,
and the Bishop Popo: their Tombes are of most sumptuous large Marble
stone, closed and ioyned together with great bars of yron: from whence he
departed to Paris, where hee liked well the Academie; and what place or
Kingdome soeuer fell in his minde, the same
he visited. He came from Paris to Mentz,22 where the riuer of
Mayne fals into the Rhine; notwithstanding he taried not long
there, but went to Campania in the Kingdome of Neapolis, in which
he saw an innumerable23 sort of Cloysters, Nunneries, and Churches, great and
high houses of stone, the streetes fayre and large, and straight foorth from
one end of the towne to the other as a line, and al the pauement of the Citie
was of brick, and the more it rayned in the towne, the fayrer the streetes were
; there saw he the Tombe of Virgil; & the high way that bee cutte
through that mighty hill of stone in one night, the whole length of an English
mile: then he saw the number of Gallies, and Argozies that lay there at the
Citie head, the Windmil that stood in the water, the Castle in the water, and
the houses aboue the water where vnder the Gallies might ride most safely from
raine or winde; then he saw the Castle on the hil ouer the towne, and many
monuments within: also the hil called Vesuvius, whereon groweth all the
Greekish wine, and most pleasant sweet Oliues. From thence he came to
Venice, whereas he wondered not a little to see a Citie so famously
built standing in the Sea: where, through euery streete the water ranne in
such largenes, that great Ships and Barks might passe from one streete to
another, hauing yet a way on both sides the water, whereon men and horse might
passe; he maruailed also howe it was possible for so much victual to be found
in the towne and so good cheape, considering that for a whole league
off nothing grew neere the same. He wondred not a little at the fayrenes of
Saint Markes place, and the sumptuous Church standing therein called
Saint Markes; how all the pauement was set with coloured stones, and all
the Roode or loft24 of the Church double gilded ouer. Leauing this, he came to
Padoa, beholding the maner of their Academie, which is called the mother
or nurse of Christendome, there he heard the Doctors, and saw the most
monuments in the towne, entred his name into the Vniuersitie of the Germane
nation, and wrote himselfe Doctor Faustus the vnsatiable Speculator:
then saw he the worthiest monument in the world for a Church, named S.
Anthonies Cloyster, which for the pinacles thereof, and the contriuing
of the Church, hath not the like in Christendome. This towne is fenced about
with three mighty walles of stone and earth, betwixt the which runneth goodly
ditches of water:
twise euery 24. houres passeth boates betwixt Padoa and Venice
with passengers, as they doe here betwixt London and Grauesend,
and euen so far they differ in distance: Faustus beheld likewise
the Counsaile house & the Castle with no small wonder.
Well, forward he
went to Rome, which lay, & doth yet lie, on the riuer Tybris,
the which deuideth the Citie in two parts: ouer the riuer are foure great
stone bridges, and vpon the one bridge called Ponte S. Angelo is
the castle of S. Angelo, wherein are so many great cast peeces as there
are dayes in a yeare, & such Pieces that will shoote seuen bullets off with
one fire, to this Castle commeth a priuie vault from the Church and Pallace of
Saint Peter, through the which the Pope (if any danger be) passeth from
his Pallace to the Castle for safegard; the Citie hath eleuen gates, and a hill
called Vaticinium,25 whereon S. Peters Church is built: in that
Church the holie Fathers will heare no confession, without the penitent bring
mony in his hand. Adioyning to this Church, is the Campo Santo26, the
which Carolus Magnus27 built, where euery day thirteen Pilgrims haue
their dinners serued of the best: that is to say, Christ and his twelue
Apostles. Hard by this he visited the Church yard of S. Peters, where he
saw the Pyramide28 that Iulius Cæsar29 brought out of
Africa; it stood in Faustus his time leaning against the Church
wall of Saint Peters, but now Papa Sixtus hath erected it30 in
the middle of S. Peters Church yard; it is 24. fathom long and at the
lower end sixe fathom foure square, and so forth
smaller vpwards, on the top is a Crucifixe of beaten golde, the stone standeth
on foure Lyons of brasse. Then he visited the seuen Churches of Rome,
that were S. Peters, S. Pauls, S. Sebastians, S.
Iohn Lateran, S. Laurence, S. Mary Magdalen, and S.
Marie maiora: then went he without the towne, where he saw the
conduits of water that runne leuell through hill and dale, bringing water into
the town fifteen Italian miles off:
other monuments he saw, too many to recite,
but amongst the rest he was desirous to see the Popes Pallace, and his maner of
seruice at his table, wherefore he and his Spirit made themselues inuisible,
and came into the Popes Court, and priuie chamber where he was, there saw he
many seruants attendant on his holmes, with many a flattering Syco~ phant
carrying of his meate, and there hee marked the Pope and the manner of his
seruice, which hee seeing to bee so vnmeasurable and sumptuous; fie (quoth
Faustus) why had not the Diuel made a Pope of me? Faustus saw
notwithstanding in that place those that were like to himselfe, proud, stout,
wilfull, gluttons, drunkards, whoremongers, breakers of wedlocke, and followers
of all manner of vngodly exercises:
wherefore he said to his Spirit, I thought that I had been alone a hogge, or
porke of the diuels, but he must beare with me yet a little longer, for these
hogs of Rome are already fatned, and fitted to make his roste-meate, the
Diuel might doe well nowe to spit them all and hane them to the fire, and let31
him summon the Nunnes to turne the spits: for as none must confesse the Nunne
but the Frier, so none should turne the rosting Frier but the Nunne. Thus
continued Faustus three dayes in the Popes Pallace, and yet had no lust
to his meate, but stood still in the Popes chamber, and saw euery thing
whatsoeuer it was: on a time the Pope would haue a feast prepared for the
Cardinall of Pauia, and for his first welcome the Cardinall was bidden
to dinner: and as he sate at meate, the Pope would euer be blessing and
crossing ouer his mouth; Faustus could suffer it no longer, but vp with
his fist and smote the Pope on the face, and withall he laughed that the whole
house might heare him, yet none of them sawe him nor knew where he was: the
Pope perswaded his company that it was a damned soule, commanding a Masse
presently to be said for his de
liuerie out of Purgatory, which was done: the Pope sate still at meate, but
when the latter messe came in to the Popes boord, Doctor Faustus laid
hands thereon saying; this is mine:
& so he took both dish & meate & fled vnto the Capital or
Campadolia,32 calling his spirit vnto him and said: come let vs be merry, for
thou must fetch me some wine, & the cup that the Pope drinkes of, &
here vpon monte caual33 will wee make good cheare in spight of the Pope
& al his fat abbie lubbers. His spirit hearing this, departed towards the
Popes chamber, where he found the yet sitting and quaffing: wherefore he tooke
from before the Pope the fairest peece of plate or drinking goblet, & a
flaggon of wine, & brought it to Faustus; but when the
Pope and the rest of his crue perceiued they were robbed, and knew not after
what sort, they perswaded themselues that it was the damned soule that before
had vexed the Pope so, & that smote him on the face, wherefore he sent
commandement through al the whole Citie of Rome, that they should say
Masse in euery Church, and ring al the bels for to lay the walking Spirit,
& to curse him with Bel, Booke, and Candle, that so inuisiblie had misused
the Popes holinesse, with the Cardinall of Pauia, and the rest of their
company: but Faustus notwithstanding made good cheare with yt which he
had beguiled ye pope of, and in the middest of the order of Saint Barnards
bare footed Friers, as they were going on Procession through the market
place, called Campa de fiore, he let fall his plate dishes and cup, and
withall for a farwell he made such a thunder-clap and a storme of raine, as
though Heauen and earth should haue met together, and so he left Rome,
and came to
Millain in
Italie, neere the Alpes or borders of
Switzerland, where hee praysed much to his Spirit the pleasantnesse of
the place, the Citie being founded in so braue a plaine, by the which ranne
most pleasant riuers on euery side of the same, hauing besides within the
compasse or circuit of seuen miles, seuen small Seas: he sawe also therein
many fayre Pallaces & goodly buildings, the Dukes Pallace, and the mighty
strong Castle, which is in maner halfe the bignes of the towne. Moreouer, it
liked him well to see the Hospitall of Saint
Maryes, with diuers other
things. He did
nothing there worthy of memorie, but hee departed backe agayne towards
Bolognia, and from thence to
Florence, where hee was well pleased
to see the pleas[a]nt walke of Merchants, the goodly vaults of the citie, for
that almost the whole City is vaulted, & the houses themselues are built
outwardly, in such sort that the people may go vnder them as vnder a vault:
then hee perused the sumptuous Church in the Dukes Castle called
Nostra
Donna, our Ladies Church, in which he saw many monuments, as a Marble doore
most huge to looke vpon: the gate of the Castle was Bell mettall, wherein are
grauen the holy Patriarkes, with Christ and his twelue Apostles, and diuers
other histories out of the olde and new Testament. Then went he to
Sena,
where he highly praysed the church and Hospital of
Santa Maria formosa,
with the goodly
buildings,
34 and especially the fayrenesse and greatnesse of
the Citie, and beautifull women. Then came he to
Lyons in
France,
where hee marked the scituation of the Citie, which lay betweene two
hilles, inuironed with two waters: one worthy monument in the citie pleased him
wel, that was the great Church with the Image therm; he comended ye
Citie highly for the great resort that it had vnto it of strangers. From
thence he went to
Cullin,
35 which lieth vpon the Riuer of
Rhine,
wherein he saw one of the auncientest monuments of the worlde, the which
was the Tombe of the three Kings that came by the Angel of God, & their
knowledge they had in the starre, to worship Christ: which when
Faustus
saw, he spake in this manner. Ah, alas good men how haue you erred and
lost your way, you should haue gone to
Palestina and
Bethelem in
Judea, how came you hither': or belike after your death you were throwne
into
Mare Mediterraneum about
Tripolis in
Syria; and so
you
fleeted,
36 out of the Straights of
Giblaterra into the Ocean Sea,
and so into the bay of
Portugal; & not finding any rest you were
driuen alongst the coast of
Galicia, Biskay, and
France, and into
the narrow Seas, then from thence into
Mare Germanicum, and so I think
taken vp abotit the towne of
Dort in
Holland, you were brought to
Cullin to bee buried: or else I think you came more easily with a
whirle-wind ouer the Alpes, and being
throwne into the Riuer of
Rhine, it conuayed you to this place, where
you are kept as a monument? There sawe he the Church of S.
Vrsula,
where remaines a monument of the 1000. Virgins: it pleased him also to see
the beauty of the women. Not farre from
Cullin lyeth the towne of
Ach,
37 where he saw the gorgeous Temple that the Emperour
Carolus
quartus built of Marble stone for a remembrance of him, to the end that all
his successors should there be crowned. From
Cullin and
Ach, he
went to
Genf,
38 a Citie in
Sauoy, lying neere
Switzerland:
it is a towne of great trafficke, the Lorde thereof is a Bishop, whose
Wine-celler
Faustus, and his Spirit visited for the loue of his good
wine. From thence he went to
Strasburg, where he beheld the fayrest
steeple that euer he had seene in his life before, for on each side therof he
might see through it, euen from the couering of the Minister to the top of the
Pinacle, and it is named one of the wonders of the worlde: wherefore he
demaunded why it was called
Strasburg: his Spirit answered, because it
hath so many high wayes comming to it on euery side, for
Stras in Dutch
is a high way, and hereof came the name, yea (sayd
Mephostophiles) the
Church which thou so wonderest at, hath more reuenues belonging to it, then the
twelue Dukes of
Slesia are worth, for there pertaine vnto this Church
55. Townes, and 463. Villages besides many houses in the Towne. From hence
went
Faustus to
Basile in
Switzerland, whereas the Riuer
of
Rhine runneth thorough the towne, parting the same as the Riuer of
Thames doth
London: in this towne of
Basile he saw many
rich Monuments, the towne walled with brick, and round about without it goeth a
great trench: no Church pleased him but the Iesuites Church, which
was so sumptuouslie builded, and beset full of Alabaster pillers.
Faustus
demanded of his Spirite, how it tooke the name of
Basyl: his Spirite
made answere and saide, that before this Citie was founded, there vsed a
Basiliscus, a kinde of Serpent, this Serpent killed as many men, women,
and children, as it tooke a sight of: but there was a Knight that made himselfe
a couer of Christall to come ouer his head, and so downe to the ground, and
being first couered with a
blacke cloth, ouer that he put the Christall, and so boidlie went to see the
Basiliscus, and finding the place where he haunted, he expected his
coming, euen before the mouth of her caue: where standing a while, the
Basylike came forth, who, when shee sawe her owne venemous shadowe in
the Christall, shee split in a thousand peeces; wherefore the Knight was
richlie rewarded of the Emperour: after the which the Knight founded this Towne
vpon the place where he had slaine the Serpent, and gaue it the name of
Basyl, in remembrance of his deede.
From
Basyl Faustus went to
Costuitz39 in
Sweitz, at the
head of the
Rhine, where is a most sumptuous Bridge, that goeth ouer the
Rhine, euen from the gates of the Towne vnto the other side of the
streame: at the head of the Riuer of
Rhine, is a small Sea, called of
the
Switzers the black Sea, twentie thousand paces long, and fiftie
hundred paces broad. The towne
Costuitz tooke the name of this, the
Emperour gaue it to a Clowne for expounding of his riddle, wherefore the Clowne
named the Towne
Costuitz, that is in English, cost nothing. From
Costuitz hee came to
Vlme, where hee sawe the sumptuous
Towne-house built by two and fiftie of the ancient Senators of the Citie, it
tooke the name of
Vlma, for that the whole land thereabout are full of
Elmes: but
Faustus minding to depart from thence, his Spirite saide vnto
him:
Faustus thinke on the towne as thou wilt, it hath three Dukedomes
belonging to it, the which they haue bought with readie mon [i] e. From
Vlme, he came to
Wartzburg40 the chiefest towne in
Frankelandt, wherein the Bishop altogether keepeth his Court, through
the which Towne passeth the Riuer of
Mayne that runnes into the
Rhine: thereabout groweth strong and pleasant wine, the which
Faustus
wel prooued. The Castle standeth on a hill on the North side of the Towne,
at the foote whereof runneth the Riuer: this Towne is full of beggerlie Fryers,
Nunnes, Priestes, and lesuites: for there are flue sortes of begging Friers,
besides three Cloysters of Nunnes. At the foote of the Castle stands a Church,
in the which there is an Alter, where are ingrauen all the foure Elements, and
all the orders and degrees in Heauen, that any
man of vnderstanding whosoeuer that hath a sight thereof, will say
that it is the artificiallest thing that euer he beheld. From thence he went
to
Norenberg, whither as he went by the waie, his Spirite enformed him
that the Towne was named of
Claudius Tiberius the Sonne of
Nero
the Tyrant. In the Towne are two famous Cathedrall Churches, the one
called Saint
Sabolt, the other Saint
Laurence; in which Church
hangeth al the reliques of
Carolus Magnus, that is his cloake, his hose
and doublet, his sworde and Crowne, his Scepter, and his Apple. It hath a very
gorgious gilden Conduit
41 in the market of Saint
Laurence, in which
Conduit, is the speare that thrust our Sauiour into the side, and a peece of
the holy Crosse; the wall is called the fayre wall of
Norenberg, and
hath 528. streates, 160. wells, foure great, and two small clockes, sixe great
gates, and two small doores, eleuen stone bridges, twelue small hills, ten
appoynted market places, thirteene
common hothouses,
42 ten Churches, within the
Towne are thirtie wheeles of water-mills; it hath
132. tall ships,
43 two
mightie Towne walls of hewen stone and earth, with very deepe trenches. The
walls haue 180. Towers about them, and foure faire platformes, ten
Apothecaries, ten Doctors of the common lawe, foureteene Doctors of Phisicke.
From
Norenberg, hee went to
Auspurg, where at the breake of the
day, he demaunded of his Spirit wherevpon the Towne tooke his name: this Towne
(saith he) hath had many names, when it was first built, it was called
Vindelica: secondly, it was called
Zizaria, the yron bridge:
lastly by the Emperour
Octauius Augustus, it was called
Augusta,
and by corruption of language the
Germanes haue named it
Auspurgi
Now for because that
Faustus had been there before, he departed
without visiting their monuments to
Rauenspurg, where his Spirite
certified him that the Citie had had seuen names, the first
Tyberia, the
second
Qadratis, the third
Hyaspalis, the fourth
Reginopolis,
the flift
Imbripolis, the sixt
Ratisbona, lastly
Rauenspurg. The scituation of the Citie pleased
Faustus well,
also the strong and sumptuous buildings: by the walls thereof runneth the Riuer
of
Danubia, in Dutch called
Donow, into
the which not farre from the compasse of the Citie, falleth nerehand threescore
other small Riuers and fresh waters.
Faustus also liked the sumptuous
stone bridge ouer the samec water, with the Church standing thereon, the which
was founded 1115. the name whereof, is called S.
Remedian: in this
towne
Faustus went into the celler of an Inholder, and let out all the
Wine and Beere that was in his Celler. After the which feat he returned vnto
Mentz44 in
Bauaria, a right prince-ly Towne, the Towne
appeared as if it were newe, with great streates therein, both of breadth and
length: from
Mentz to
Saltzburg, where the Bishop is alwaies
resident: here sawe he all the commodities that were possible to be seene, for
at the hill he sawe the forme of
Abel45 made in Christall, an huge
thing to looke vpon, that euery yeare groweth bigger and bigger, by reason of
the freezing colde. From hence, hee went to
Vienna, in
Austria:
this towne is of so great antiquitie, that it is not possible to finde the
like in this towne (said the Spirite) is more Wine then water, for all vnder
the towne are wells, the which are filled euery yeare with wine, and all the
water that they haue, runneth by the towne, that is the Riuer
Danubia.
From hence, hee went vnto
Prage, the chiefe Citie in
Bohemia,
this is deuided into three partes, that is, olde
Prage, new
Prage, and little
Prage. Little
Prage is the place where
the Emperours Court is placed vpon an exceeding high mountaine: there is a
Castle, wherein are two fayre Churches, in the one he found a monument, which
might well haue been a mirror to himselfe, and that was the Sepulchre of a
notable Coniurer, which by his Magick had so inchanted his Sepulchre, that who
so euer set foote thereon, should be sure neuer to dye in their beds. From the
Castell he came downe, and went ouer the Bridge. This Bridge hath twentie and
foure Arches. In the middle of this Bridge stands a very fayre monument, being
a Crosse builded of stone, and most artificially carued. From thence, he came
into the olde
Prage, the which is separated from the new
Prage,
with an exceeding deepe ditch, and round about inclosed with a wall of
Bricke
.46 Vnto this is adioyning the lewes Towne, wherein are thirteene
thousand
men, women, and Children, all lewes. There he viewed the Colledge and the
Garden, where all manner of sauage Beasts are kept; and from thence, he fet
47 a
compasse rounde about the three townes, whereat he wondred greatly, to see so
mighty a Citie to stand all within the walles. From
Prage, hee flewe
into the ayre and bethought himselfe what hee might doe, or which way to take,
so hee looked round about and beholde, he had espied a passing faire City which
lay not farre from
Prage, about some foure & twentie miles, and that
was
Breslaw in
Sclesia; into which when he was entred, it seemed
to him that hee had been in Paradise, so neate and deane was the streates, and
so sumptuous was their buildings. In this Citie he sawe not many wonders,
except the Brasen Virgin that standeth on a Bridge ouer the water, & vnder
ye which standeth a mil like a powder mil, which Virgin is made to do executio
vpon those disobedient town-borne children yt be so wilde, yt their parents
canot bridle them; which when any such are found with some hainous
offence, turning to the shame of their parents and kindred, they are brought to
kisse this Virgin, which openeth her armes, the person then to bee executed,
kisseth her, then doth she close her armes together with such violence, that
she crusheth out the breath of the person, breaketh his bulke, and so dieth:
but being dead, she openeth her armes againe, and letteth the partie fall into
the Mil, where he is stamped in smal morsels, which the water carrieth away, so
that not any parte of him is found againe. From
Breslaw he went toward
Cracouia, in the Kingdome of
Polonia, where he beheld the
Academie, the which pleased him wonderful well. In this Citie the King
most commonly holdeth his Court at a Castel, in which Castell are many famous
monuments. There is a most sumptuous Church in the same, in which standeth a
siluer alter gilded, and set with rich stones, and ouer it is a conueiance full
of all maner siluer ornaments belonging to the Masse. In the Church hangeth
the iawe bones of an huge Dragon that kept the Rocke before the Castel was
edified thereon. It is full of all maner munition, and hath alwaies victual
for three yeare to serue 2000. men. Through the towne runneth a riuer called
the
Vistula or
Wissel, where ouer is a faire woodden bridge.
This water
deuideth the towne and
Casmere, in this
Casmere dwelleth the
Iewes being a small walled towne by themselues, to the number of 25000. men,
women, and Children. Within one mile of the towne there is a salte mine, where
they finde stones of pure salte of a 1000. pound, or 900. pound, or more in
waight, and that in great quantitie. This salte is as black as the
Newcastle
coales when it comes out of the mines, but being beaten to powder, it is as
white as snowe. The like they haue foure mile from thence, at a towne called
Buchnia. From thence,
Faustus went to
Sandetz, the
Captaine thereof was called
Don Spiket Jordan, in this towne are many
monuments as the tombe or sepulchre of Christ, in as ample maner as that is at
Ierusalem) at the proper costs of a Gentleman that went thrice to
Ierusalem from that place, and returned againe. Not far from that towne
is a new towne, wherein is a Nunrie of the order of Saint
Dioclesian,
into which order may none come, except they be Gentlewomen, and well formed
and faire to looke vpon, the which pleased
Faustus well: but hauing a
desire to trauaile farther, and to see more wonders, mounting vp towards the
East, ouer many lands and prouinces, as into
Hungaria,
Transiluania,
Shede,
Ingratz,
48 Sardinia, and so into
Constantinople, where the Turkish
Emperor kept his Court. This Citie was surnamed by
Constantine the
founder thereof, being builded of very faire stone. In the same the
great Turke hath three faire Pallaces, the wals are strong, the pinnacles are
very huge, and the streetes large: but this liked not
Faustus, that one
man mightc haue so many wiues as he would. The Sea runneth hard by the Citie,
the wall hath eleuen Gates:
Faustus abode there a certaine time to see
the manner of the Turkish Emperours seruice at his table, where hee saw his
royall seruice to bee such, that bee thought if all the Christian Princes
should banquet together, and euery one adorne the feast to the vttermost, they
were not able to compare with the Turke for his table, and the rest of his
Countrey seruice, wherefore it so spighted
Faustus, that hee vowed to
bee reuenged of him, for his pompe he thought was more fit for himselfe:
wherefore as the Turke sate and eate,
Faustus shewed him a little apish
play: for rounde about
the priuie Chamber, he sent foorth flashing flames of fire, in so much, that the whole company forsooke their meate and fled, except onely the great Turke himselfe, him
Faustus had charmed in such sorte, that hee could neither rise nor fall, neither could any man pull him vp. With this was the Hall so
light, as if the Sunne had shined in the house, then came
Faustus in
forme of a Pope to the great Turke, saying, all haile Emperour, now art thou
honoured that I so worthily appeare vnto thee as thy
Mahumet was wont to
doe, herevpon he vanished, and forthwith it so thundred, that the whole Pallace
shooke: the Turke greatly merueiled what this should bee that so vexed him,
and was perswaded by his chiefest counsailers, that it was
Mahumet his
Prophet, the which had so appeared vnto them, wherevpon the Turke commaunded
them to fal downe on their knees, and to giue him thankes for dooing them so
great honor, as to shew himselfe vnto them; but the next day
Faustus
went into the Castell where hee kept his Wiues and Concubines, in the which
Castel might no man vpon paine of death come, except those that were appointed
by the great Turke to doo them seruice, and they were all gelded, Which when
Faustus perceiued, he said to his Spirit
Mephostophiles, how
likest thou this sport, are not these faire Ladies greatly to be pitied, that
thus consume their youth at the pleasure of one onely man? Why (quoth the
Spirit) maiest not thou instead of the Emperor, imbrace his fairest Ladies, doe
what thy heart desireth herein, and I will aide thee, and what thou wishest,
thou shalt haue it performed: wherefore
Faustus (being before this
counsaile apt enough to put such matters in practize) caused a great fogge to
bee round about the Castell, both within and without, and he himselfe appeared
amongst the Ladies in all things as they vse to paint their
Mahumet, at
which sight, the Ladies fell on their knees, and worshipped him, then
Faustus tooke the fairest by the hand, and led her into a chamber, where
after his maner hee fell to dalliance, and thus he continued a whole day and
night: and when hee had delighted himselfe sufficiently with her, hee put her
away, and made his spirite bring him another, so likewise hee kept with her 24.
houres play, causing his spirit to fetch him most dainty fare, and so bee
passed way sixe daies, hauing each day his pleasure of a sundry Lady, and that
of the fairest, all which time, the fog was so thick, and so stinking, that
they within the house thought they had been in hell, for the time, and they
without wondred thereat, in such sort, that they went to their praiers calling
on their God
Mahumet, and worshipping of his Image. Wherfore the sixt
day
Faustus exalted himselfe in the ayre, like to a Pope, in the sight
of the great Turke and his people, and hee had no sooner departed the Castell,
but the fogge vanished away, whence presently the Turke sent for his Wiues and
Concubines, demanding of them if they knew the cause why the Castell was beset
with a mist so long': they said, that it was the God
Mahumet himselfe
that caused it, and how he was in the Castell personally full sixe daies, and
for more certaintie, he hath lien with sixe of vs these sixe nights one after
another. Wherefore the Turke hearing this fell on his knees, and gaue
Mahumet thanks, desiring him to forgiue him for being offended with his
visiting his Castel and wiues those sixe dayes: but the Turke commanded that
those whome
Mahumet had laine by, should bee most carefully looked vnto,
perswading himselfe (and so did the whole people that knewe of it) that out of
their
Mahumet should be raised a mighty generation, but first he
demaunded of the sixe Ladies if
Mahumet had had actuall copulation with
them, according as earthly men haue, yea my Lorde quoth one, as if you had been
there your selfe, you could not haue mended it, for hee lay with vs starke
naked, kissed and colled vs, and so delighted me, yt for my part, I would hee
came two or three times a week to serue me in such sort againe. From hence,
Faustus went to
Alkar, the which before time was called
Chairam or Memphis,
49 in this Citie the Egiptian Souldane holdeth
his Court. From hence the riuer
Nilus hath his first head and spring,
it is the greatest fresh-water riuer that is in the whole world, and alwaies
when the Sunne is in
Cancer, it ouerfloweth the whole land of
Egypt:
then hee returned againe towards the North-east, and to the towne of
Ofen50 and
Sabatz 51 in
Hungaria. This
Ofen is the
chiefest Citie in
Hungaria, and
standeth in a fertile soyle, wherein groweth most excellent wine, and not farre
from the Towne there is a wel, called
Zipzar,
52 the water whereof
changeth yron into Copper: here are mines of gold and siluer, and all
maner of mettall, we
Germains call this towne
Ofen, but in the
Hungarian speech it is
Start53 In the towne standeth a very
faire Castell, and very well fortified. From hence he went to
Austria,
and through
Slesia into
Saxony, vnto the townes of
Magdeburg and
Liptzig, and
Lubeck. Magdeburg is a
Bishoprick: in this Citie is one of the pitchers wherein Christ changed the
water into wine at
Cana in
Galile. At
Liptzig nothing
pleased
Faustus so well as the great vessell in the Castell made of
wood, the which is bounde about with 24. yron hoopes, and euery hoope waieth 200. pound waight, they must goe vpon a ladder of 30. steps high before they
can looke into it: hee saw also the new church-yard, where it is walled, and
standeth vpon a faire plaine, the yard is 200. paces long, and round about in
the inside of the wall, are goodly places seperated one from each other to see
sepulchers in, which in the middle of the yard standeth very sumptuous: therein
standeth a pulpit of white worke and golde. From hence hee came to
Lubeck
and
Hamburg, where he made no abode, but away againe to
Erfort
in
Duringen, where he visited the
Freskold,
54 and from
Erfort hee went home to
Wittenberg, when he had seene and visited
many a strange place, being from home one yeare and a halfe, in which time he
wrought more wonders than are here declared.
