Faust in Hell

ART: Max Lohrbach

            Eight years hence has Faust conjured his fair and faithful servant.  And now the great Doctor, bethinking how his time went away, and how he had spent eight yeares thereof, means to spend the rest to his better contentmeant.  Wherefore on a time he called his fine and capable spirit Mephistopheles, who asked of his master, “What is your pleasure, Faust.”  “Bring thou hither unto me thy Lord Lucifer.  I would knowe of thee if I may see Hell and take a view thereof.”

            His servant replied, “That thou shalt and at midnight I will fetch thee.  But marke that Faust must not speak to demon or spirit, must not exclaim or profound, must not bring words into the chambers of hell.”

            Night being come, Faust went to the window, where he pulled open a cazemeant, and looking into the Elemeant, he sawe a cloude in the North more black, darke and obscure, than all the rest of the Sky, from whence the winde blew most horrible right into Faust, filled the whole house with smoake, that Faust was almost smothered.  Hereat fell an exceeding thunderclap, and withall came a great rugged black Beare, all curled, & upon his backe a chayre of beaten golde.

            And Doctor Faust that had so long abode the smoake, wisht rather to be in hell than there, got on the Devil, and so they went together.  But marke how the Devil carried him into the ayre, and at last came to a place which burneth continually with flashing flames of fire and brimstone, whereout issued an exceeding mighty clap of thunder, with so horrible a noyse, but the Devil went forth on his way and carried Faust therinto.

            Yet howsoever it burnt, he felt no more heate, than as it were the glimps of the Sunne in May: and heard all manner of musicke to welcome him, but seeing none playing on them; it pleased him well, but Faust durst not aske.

To meet the Devil & the guest that came with him, came three other ugly Devils, the which ran back again before the Beare to make them way.  Against whome there came running an exceeding great Hart, which would have thrust Faust out of his chayre, but being defended by the other three Devils, the Hart was put to the repulse.

            Thence going on their way Faust looked, and beholde there was nothing but Snakes, and all manner of venemous beastes about him, which were exceeding great, unto the which Snakes came many Storks, and swallowed up all the whole multitude of Snakes, that they left not one: which when Faust sawe, he marveled greatly, but spake not as he was forbid.

            But shortly came unto him a monstrous Ape, bidding Faust be of good cheare, and said, “Get upon me.”  All the fire in hell seemed to Faust to have been put out, whereupon followed a monstrous thick fogge, that he sawe nothing, but shortly it seemed to him to waxe cleare, where he saw two great Dragons fastned to a waggon, into the which the Ape ascended and set Faust therein.  Foorth flewe the Dragons into an exceeding darke cloude, where Faust saw neither Dragon nor Chariot wherein he sat, and such were the cries of tormeanted soules, with mightie thunder-claps and flashing light-nings about his eares, that poore Faust shooke for feare. But still spake not as he was warned.

            But proceeding further on their hellish voyage, there came forth of a hollow cliffe an exceeding great flying Bull, the which with such a force hit Faust his chariot with his head and hornes, that he turned Faust and his dragons and chariot over and over, so that chayre, dragon and ape vanished away.

            And falling, Faust cried…

            Upon these words, sounds forbade to be heard in the realm of Hell, came Faust to a water, stinking and filthie, thick like mudde, into the which he fell, sinking under.  And sinking yet deeper and deeper, he came at last as it were upon a high Rock, where the waters parted and left him thereon: but when the water was gone, it seemed to him he should there have ended his life, for he saw no way but death: the Rocke was as high from the bottome as Heaven is from the earth: there sate he, seeing nor hearing any man.  Then he looked upon the Rocke.  At length he saw a little hole, out of the which issued fire.

            Faust thought, “How shall I now do?  I am forsaken of the Devils, and they that brought mee hither, here must I either fall to the bottome, or burne in the fire, or sit still in despaire.”

            With that in his madnesse he gave a leape into the fierie hole.

            “Holde you infernall Hagges, take here this sacrifice as my last ende; the which I justly have deserved!”

            Upon this he was entred, and there was so great a noyse as he never heard the like before, it passed all the thunder that ever he had heard; and he sawe a fire, wherein were many thousand worthie and noble personages, as Emperours, Kings, Dukes and Lords, and at the edge of which fire ran a most pleasant, cleare, and coole water to beholde, into the which many tormented soules sprang out of the fire to coole themselves; but being so freezing cold, they were constrained to returne againe into the fire, and thus wearied themselves and spent their endles torments out of one labyrinth into another.  And falling toward this damnation, Faust saw his own ending.

But then, before sinking into the flames, this Devil that brought him in came againe in likenes of a Beare, caught the falling Doctor in his chayre and the Devil carried him out into the ayre, where he had so sweete musick that he fell asleepe by the way. 

            The Devil brought him home fast a sleepe as he sate in his chayre, and so he threw him on his bed, where (being thus left of the Devil) he lay until day. When he awaked, he was amazed, like a man that had been in a darke dungeon; musing with himselfe if it were true or false that he had seene hel, or whether he was blinded or not: but he rather perswaded himself that he had been dreaming, because he had seene such wonderful things.