Chapter 51

_Another disputation betwixt Dr. Faustus and his Spirit, of the Power of the Devil, and his Envy to Mankind._

After Faustus had a while pondered and sorrowed with himself on his wretched estate, he called again Mephistophiles unto him, commanding him to tell him the judgment, rule, power, attempts, tyranny, and temptation of the devil; and why he was moved to such kind of living?

Whereupon the spirit answered to this question: "That thou demandest of me will turn thee to no small discontentment; therefore thou shouldst not have desired of me such matters, for it toucheth the secrets of our kingdom, although I cannot deny to resolve thy request: therefore know, Faustus, that so soon as my lord Lucifer fell from Heaven, he became mortal enemy both to God and man, and hath used, as now he doth, all manner of tyranny to the destruction of man, as is manifested by divers examples: one falling suddenly dead, another hangs himself, another drowns himself, others stab themselves, others unlawfully despair, and so come to utter confusion. The first Adam, that was made perfect to the similitude of God, was by my lord's policy the whole decay of man; yea, Faustus, in him was the beginning and first tyranny of my lord Lucifer to man. The like did he with Cain; the same with the children of Israel when they worshipped strange gods, and fell to whoredom with strange women; the like with Saul; so did he by the seven husbands of her that after was the wife of Tobias; likewise Dagon, our fellow, brought to destruction fifty thousand men, whereupon the ark of God was stolen, and Belial made David to number his men, whereupon were slain sixty thousand. Also he deceived King Solomon, that worshipped the gods of the heathen: and there are such spirits innumerable, that can come by men, and tempt them, and drive them to sin, and weaken their belief; for we rule the hearts of kings and princes, stirring them up to war and bloodshed, and to this intent do we spread ourselves through all the world, as the utter enemies of God and his Son Christ--yea, and all that worship them, and that thou knowest by thyself, Faustus. How have we dealt by thee?"

To this said Faustus: "Then thou didst also beguile me?"

"I did what I could to help thee forward, for as soon as I saw how thy heart did despise thy degree taken in divinity, and didst study to search and know the secrets of our kingdom, then did I enter into thee, giving thee divers foul and filthy cogitations, pricking thee forward in thy intent, persuading thee thou couldst never attain to thy desire till thou hadst the help of some devil; and when thou wast delighted in this, then took I root in thee, and so firmly, that thou gavest thyself to us both body and soul, which thou canst not deny."

Hereat answered Faustus: "Thou sayest true; I cannot deny it. Ah, woe is me, most miserable Faustus! How have I been deceived! Had I not had a desire to know too much, I had not been in this case; for having studied the lives of the holy saints and prophets, and thereby thought to understand sufficient heavenly matters, I thought myself not worthy to be called Dr. Faustus if I should not also know the secrets of hell, and be associated with the furious fiends thereof; now, therefore, must I be rewarded accordingly."

Which speeches being uttered, Faustus went very sorrowful away from his spirit.