How an old man the neighbour of Faustus, sought to perswade him to amend his euill life, and to fall vnto repentance. Chap. 48.
A Good Christian an honest and vertuous olde man, a louer of the holy
scriptures, who was neighbour vnto Doctor
Faustus: whe he perceiued that
many students had their recourse in and out vnto Doctor
Faustus, he
suspected his euill life, wherefore like a friend he inuited Doctor
Faustus
to supper vnto his house, vnto the which hee agreed; and hauing ended their
banquet, the olde man began with these words. My louing friend and neighbour
Doctor
Faustus, I haue to desire of you a friendly and Christian
request, beseeching you that you wil vouchsafe not to be angry with me, but
friendly resolue mee in my doubt, and take my poore inuiting in good part. To
whome Doctor
Faustus answered: My louing neighbour, I pray you say your
minde. The began the old Patron to say: My good neighbour, you know in the
beginning how that you haue defied God, & all the hoast heauen,
& giuen your soule to the Diuel, wherewith you haue incurred Gods high
displeasure, and are become from a Christian farre worse than a heathen person:
oh consider what you haue done, it is not onely the pleasure of the body, but
the safety of the soule that you must haue respect vnto: of which if you be
carelesse, then are you cast away, and shall remaine in the anger of almighty
God. But yet is it time enough Doctor
Faustus, if you repent and call
vnto the Lord for mercy, as wee haue example in the
Acts of the
Apostles, the eight Chap. of
Simon in
Samaria, who was led out of
the way, affirming that he was
Simon homo sanctus. This man was
notwithstanding in the end conuerted, after that he had heard the Sermon of
Philip, for
he was baptized, and sawe his sinnes, and repented. Likewise I beseech you good
brother Doctor
Faustus, let my rude Sermon be vnto you a conuersion; and
forget the filthy life that you haue led, repent, aske mercy, & liue: for
Christ saith, ‘Come vnto me all ye that are weary & heauy loden,
& J wil refresh you. And in
Ezechiel: I desire not the death of a
sinner, but rather that hee conuert and liue. Let my words good brother
Faustus, pearce into your adamant heart, and desire God for his Sonne
Christ his sake, to forgiue you. Wherefore haue you so long liued in your
Diuelish practises, knowing that in the olde and newe Testament you are
forbidden, and that men should not suffer any such to hue, neither haue any
conuersation with them, for it is an abomination vnto the Lord; and that such
persons haue no part in the Kingdome of God.’ All this while Doctor
Faustus
heard him very attentiuely, and replyed. Father, your perswasions like me
wonderous well, and I thanke you with all my heart for your good will and
counsell, promising you so farre as I may to follow your discipline: whereupon
he tooke his leaue. And being come home, he layd him very pensiue on his bed,
bethinking himselfe of the wordes of the good olde man, and in a maner began to
repent that he had giuen his Soule to the Diuell, intending to denie all that
hee had promised vnto
Lucifer. Continuing in these cogitations,
sodainly his Spirit appeared vnto him clapping him vpon the head, and wrung it
as though he would haue pulled the head from the shoulders, saying vnto him.
Thou knowest
Faustus, that thou hast giuen thy selfe body and soule vnto
my Lord
Lucifer, and hast vowed thy selfe an enemy vnto God and vnto all
men; and now thou beginnest to harken to an olde doting foole which perswadeth
thee as it were vnto God, when indeed it is too late, for that thou art the
diuels, and hee hath good power presently to fetch thee:
wherefore he hath sent me vnto thee, to tell thee, that seeing thou hast
sorrowed for that thou hast done, begin againe and write another writing with
thine owne blood, if not, then will I teare thee all to peeces. Hereat Doctor
Faustus was sore afrayde, and sayd: My
Mephostophiles, I will
write agayne what thou wilt: wherefore hee sate him downe, and
with his owne blood hee wrote as followeth: which writing was afterward sent
to a deare friend of the sayd Doctor
Faustus being his kinsman.
