_How Dr. Faustus fell in talk with his Servant, touching his Testament,
and the Covenants thereof._
Now when this will was made, Dr. Faustus called unto his servant,
saying, "I have thought upon thee in my testament, for that thou hast
been a trusty servant unto me, and faithful, and hast not opened my
secrets. And yet farther," said he, "ask of me before I die what thou
wilt, and I will give it unto thee."
His servant rashly answered, "I pray you, let me have your cunning."
To which Dr. Faustus answered, "I have given thee all my books, upon
this condition, that thou wouldst not let them be common, but use them
for thy own pleasure, and study carefully in them; and dost thou also
desire my cunning? That thou mayst peradventure have, if thou love and
peruse my books well."
"Farther," said Dr. Faustus, "seeing that thou desirest of me this
request, I will resolve thee. My spirit Mephistophiles his time is out
with me, and I have nought to command him, as touching thee. Yet I will
help thee to another if thou like well thereof."
And within three days after he called his servant unto him, saying, "Art
thou resolved? wouldst thou verily have a spirit? Then tell me in what
manner or form thou wouldst have him." To whom his servant answered that
he would have him in the form of an ape. Whereupon appeared presently a
spirit unto him in manner and form of an ape, the which leaped about the
house.
Then said Faustus, "See, there thou hast thy request; but yet he will
not obey thee until I be dead, for when my spirit Mephistophiles shall
fetch me away, then shall thy spirit be bound unto thee, if thou agree,
and thy spirit shalt thou name Aberecock, for so he is called. But
all this upon a condition, that you publish my cunning and my merry
conceits, with all that I have done (when I am dead) in an history, and
if thou canst not remember all, the spirit Aberecock will help thee; so
shall the acts that I have done be made manifest unto the world."