_How Dr. Faustus desired to see Hell, and of the manner how he was used
therein._
Dr. Faustus bethinking how his time went away, and how he had spent
eight years thereof, he meant to spend the rest to his better contentment,
intending quite to forget any such motions as might offend the devil any
more: wherefore on a time he called his spirit Mephistophiles, and said
unto him, "Bring thou hither unto me thy lord Lucifer or Belial." He
brought him (notwithstanding) one that was called Belzebub, the which
asked Faustus his pleasure.
Quoth Faustus, "I will know of thee if I might see hell, and take a view
thereof?"
"That thou shalt," said the devil, "and at midnight I will fetch thee."
Well, night being come, Dr. Faustus waited very diligently for the
coming of the devil to fetch him, and thinking that he tarried too long,
he went to the window, where he pulled open a casement, and looking into
the element, he saw a cloud in the north more black, and darker, and
obscurer than all the rest of the sky, from whence the wind blew most
horribly right into Faustus's chamber, and filled the whole house with
smoke, that Faustus was almost smothered; hereat fell an exceeding
thunder-clap, and withal came a great rugged black bear all curled, and
upon his back a chair of beaten gold, and spake to Faustus, saying,
"Sir, up and away with me:" and Dr. Faustus that had so long abode the
smoke, wished rather to be in hell than there, got on the devil, and so
they went on together.
Mark how the devil blinded him, and made him believe he carried him into
hell, for he carried him into the lake, where Faustus fell into a sound
sleep, as if he had sate into a warm water or bath: at last they 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 noise that Faustus awaked. But the devil went forth on his
way, and carried Faustus therein, yea, notwithstanding however it burnt,
Dr. Faustus felt no more heat than as it were the glimpse of the sun in
May; there heard he all manner of music to overcome him, but saw none
playing on them; it pleased him well, but he durst not ask, for he was
forbidden it before. To meet the devil and the guest that came with him
came three other ugly devils, the which ran back again before the bear,
to make the way; against whom there came running an exceeding great
hart, which would have thrust Faustus out of the chair; but being
defended by the other three devils, the hart was put to the repulse:
thence going on the way, Faustus looked, and behold there was nothing
but snakes, and all manner of venomous beasts about him, which were
exceeding great: unto the which snakes came many storks, and swallowed
up the whole multitude of snakes, that they left not one: which when
Faustus saw, he marvelled greatly. But proceeding farther on their
hellish voyage, there came forth out of a hollow clift an exceeding
great flying bull, the which with such a force hit Faustus's chair with
his head and horns, that he turned Faustus and his bear over and over,
so that the bear vanished away: whereat Faustus began to cry, "Oh!
woe to me that ever I came here!" For he thought there to have been
beguiled of the devil; and to make an end before his time appointed or
conditioned of the devil: but shortly after came to him a monstrous ape,
bidding Faustus to be of good cheer, and said, "Get upon me."
All the fire in hell seemed to Faustus to have been put out, whereupon
followed a monstrous thick fog, that he saw nothing, but shortly after
it seemed to him to wax clear, where he saw two great dragons fastened
unto a waggon, in the which the ape ascended and set Faustus therein;
forth flew the dragons into an exceeding dark cloud, where Faustus saw
neither dragons nor chariot wherein he sate, and such were the cries of
tormented souls, with mighty thunder-claps and flashing lightnings about
his ears, that poor Faustus shook for fear; upon this they came to a
water, stinking and filthy, thick like mud, into the which ran the
dragons, sinking under with waggon and all; but Faustus felt no water,
but as it were a small mist, saving that the waves beat so sore upon
him, that he saw nothing under or over him but only water, in the which
he lost his dragons, ape, and waggon; and sinking 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 rock
was so high from the bottom as heaven is from the earth. There sate he,
seeing nor hearing any man, and looked ever upon the rock. At length he
saw a little hole out of which issued fire. Thought he, "How shall I now
do? I must either fall to the bottom or burn in the fire, or sit in
despair." With that, in his madness he gave a skip into the fire-hole,
saying, "Hold, you infernal hags! take here this sacrifice as my last
end, that which I have justly deserved."
Upon this he was entered, and finding himself as yet unburned or touched
of that fire, he was the better appayed. But there was so great a noise
that he never heard the like before; it passed all the thunder that
ever he had heard. And coming down farther to the bottom of the rock, he
saw a fire, wherein were many worthy and noble personages, as emperors,
kings, dukes, and lords, and many thousand more tormented souls, at the
edge of which fire ran a most pleasant, clear, and cold water to behold;
into the which many tormented souls sprang out of the fire to cool
themselves, but being so freezing cold, they were constrained to return
again into the fire, and thus wearied themselves and spent their endless
torments out of one labyrinth into another, one while in heat, another
while in cold. But Faustus, standing here all this while gazing on them
that were thus tormented, he saw one leaping out of the fire, shrieking
horribly, whom he thought to have known, wherefore he would fain
have spoken unto him, but remembering he was forbidden, he refrained
speaking. Then this devil that brought him in, came to him again in
likeness of a bear, with the chair on his back, and bid him sit up, for
it was time to depart. So Faustus got up, and the devil carried him out
into the air, where he had so sweet music that he fell asleep by the
way.
His boy Christopher, being all this while at home, and missing his
master so long, thought his master would have tarried and dwelt with the
devil for ever; but whilst the boy was in these cogitations, his master
came home; for the devil brought him home fast asleep as he sate in his
chair, and 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 who had been in
a dark dungeon; musing with himself, if it were true or false that he
had seen hell, or whether he was blinded or not; but he rather persuaded
himself he had been there than otherwise, because he had seen such
wonderful things; wherefore he most carefully took pen and ink, and
wrote those things in order as he had seen; which writing was afterwards
found by his boy in his study, which afterwards was published to the
whole city of Wittenburg in print, for example to all Christians.