SELLING TEE SOUL. 



515 



He had previously asked himself: 



" Why waverest thou ? 

 Oh, something souudeth in mine ear — 

 Abjure that magic— turn to God again 1" 



Suddenly he sees the words, " Homo, fuge I '" 

 written upon his arm. It vauishes. He does not 

 fly. It returns ! Yet he will not fly. He has 

 duly read the Latin Incantation ; and in the end, 

 after stipulating for four-and-twenty years of 

 magical power and human enjoyments of every 

 kind, he signs a deed of gift in a regular legal 

 form, which gives it a ghastly air of diabolical 

 reality. 



In the " Magico Prodigioso," the sale of " the 

 immortal soul" is effected by a similar bond, 

 which Cyprian signs with his blood ; but the pre- 

 liminaries are very different from the above, and 

 the main incentive and object is different. The 

 Mephistopheles is also a far more learned, philo- 

 sophical, and courtly person. On his first ap- 

 pearance, as Shelley translated it (in the Liberal), 

 we read, " Enter the Devil as a fine Gentleman.' 1 '' ' 

 The surrender of Cyprian's soul to the Demon, 

 though preceded by intense intellectual struggles, 

 dissatisfactions with the results of philosophical 

 studies, theological arguments, and a yearning 

 after forbidden knowledge, is nevertheless finally 

 determined upon for the sake of obtaining per- 

 sonal possession of a certain beautiful and virtu- 

 ous lady. This lady {Justina) exercises an influ- 

 ence upon the hero {Cyprian) throughout the 

 drama, far surpassing that of Helen in Marlowe's 

 tragedy, and quite equal to the influence Marga- 

 ret exercises over Faust. But it is of a very 

 different kind in some respects, for Justina, be- 

 sides being a boldly-reasoning theologian, placing 

 her life in peril as a heretic, is pursued in the 

 first instance by two lovers before Cyprian sees 

 her. Other situations are also in the highest 

 style of the Spanish comedy of intrigue. These 

 two lovers are prevented from fighting a mortal 

 duel by the mediatorial reasonings of Cyprian, 

 who takes so much interest in what is said of 

 the lady that he is quite prepared to fall in love 

 with her himself. ., This happens shortly after. 

 Justina's character being regarded as of immacu- 



1 Mr. Kossetti's alteration of devil to demon loses 

 the familiar wit and humorous irony. In Mr. Buxton 

 Forman's edition of Shelley, we also have — "The 

 Dsmon, dressed in a court-dress, enters." It is no 

 doubt a more direct translation of "Sale el Demonio 

 vestido de gala;" and the rendering by Mr. D. F. 

 MacCarthy, of "Enter the Demon in gala-dress," is 

 yet more rigidly literal; still, one regrets that Mrs. 

 Shelley's transcription from the first publication was 

 not adopted. 



late purity by these three adorers, the Demon 

 adopts a peculiarly Spanish treta fraudulenta in 

 order to damage, if not destroy, her reputation. 

 He secretes himself in the balcony of her bed- 

 chamber, and, when the two former lovers are 

 advancing from opposite sides under cover of the 

 night, down slips the Demon by a rope, and sud- 

 denly diving into the earth, the two lovers come 

 close upon each other, each one believing the 

 other had just descended by the rope ! A second 

 duel is also prevented by the entrance of Cyp- 

 rian. His love is, of course, much troubled by 

 what they tell him. In some sort he is glad of 

 it, as they agree to give her up as an unworthy 

 object, and this relieves him of their rivalry ; 

 but partly he disbelieves the scandalous state- 

 ment, and in any case his passion is too engross- 

 ing to be turned aside. He throws off his stu- 

 dent's dress, and orders a rich court-suit, with 

 sword and feathers ; away with books and studies, 

 for "love is the homicide of genius." He calls 

 to his servants Moscon and Clarin : 



" Moscon, preventne manana 

 Galas ; Clarin, tr&eme luego, 

 Espada y plumas ; que amor 

 Se regala en el objeto, 

 Airoso y lucido. Y ya 

 Ni libros ni estudios quiero; 

 Porque digan, que es amor 

 Homicida del ingenio."— Jornada, I. 



From tins point in the drama Cyprian pur- 

 sues Justina with devoted passion. She does 

 not encourage his hopes, and the Demon, by 

 reason of her purity and holiness of spirit, has 

 no real power over her. Nevertheless, he prom- 

 ises her to Cyprian. And the "juggling fiend" 

 brings the meeting about in the following fash- 

 ion : In a lonely wood a phantom figure of Jus- 

 tina appears, which Cyprian embraces, and pres- 

 ently carries off in his arms — when the follow- 

 ing scene occurs : 



" Cypr. Ya, bellisima Justina, 



En este sitio que oculto, 

 Ni el sol le peuetra & rayos," etc. — Jor- 

 nada, III. 



" Cypr. Now, O beautiful Justina, 



In this sweet and secret covert, 

 Where no beam of sun can enter, 

 Nor the breeze of heaven blow roughly; 

 Now the trophy of thy beauty 

 Makes my magic toils triumphant, 

 For here, folding thee, no longer 

 Have I need to fear disturbance. 

 Fair Justina, thou hast cost me 

 Even my soul! But in my judgment, 

 Since the gain has been so glorious, 

 Not so dear has been the purchase. 



