Dibdin-s Bibliographical Tour in France and Germany. 617 



of Aquitaine, of which Toulouse was 

 the capital. It was most religiously 

 jireserved in that Abbey in a case of 

 massive silver, liclily sculptured, till 

 the -year 1793; when ihe silver was 

 stolen, and the book carried off, with 

 several precious relics of antiquity, by 

 order of the president of the adminis- 

 tration, (Le Sieur S*****) and thrown 

 into a magazine, in which were many 

 other vellum INISS. destined to be 

 burnt! One's blood curdles at the 

 narrative. There it laj', expecting its 

 melancholy fate, till a Monsieur de 

 Piiymaurln, then detained as a pri- 

 soner in the magazine, happened to 

 throw his eye upon the precious 

 volume, and writing a certain letter 

 about it, to a certain quarter, (which 

 letter is preserved in tlie fly-leaves, but 

 of which I was denied the transcription, 

 from motives of delicacy.) an order 

 \fas issued by govei'nmeut for file con- 

 Sreyauce of the MS. to the place whicli 

 it' now occui)ies, and fiom which place 

 I trust it will never depart ; this re- 

 storation was effected in May, ISll. I 

 think you must .■ulmit, that in every 

 point of view, this MS. ranks among 

 the most interesting and curious, as 

 well as the most ancient, of those in 

 tlie several libraries of Paris. 



o TRAGEDY OF FAUSTUS. 



vrThis dramatic fragment (for the play 

 «J incomplete) is preceded by a preface, 

 in which it is attempted to vindicate 

 the author from the imputation of licen- 

 tiousness and impiety. Faustus is a 

 young, virtuous, and hard-fagging stu- 

 dent ; but his peccant part, or rather 

 that quality Of the mind, upon which 

 it is attempted to work liis ruin, is his 

 curiosity. He is anxious after know- 

 ledge of (ruth, connected both with the 

 visible and invisible world, and he has 

 a companion or fellow-student, of the 

 name of Wagner, much disposed to 

 ihsten to his opinions, and receive them 

 a.s oracular. The plot is altogether 

 wild and preternatural. The devil, in 

 the character of Mephisfopheles, and in 

 the siiape of a luiman being, approaches 

 the throne of the Almigiity, and re- 

 ceives permission to tempt and ruin the 

 philosojjhical Faustus. 



He commences his attacks in the 

 . shape of a bhick dog, running round 

 Faustus and Wagner, in giddy and 

 si igiUly- fiery circles, as they are walk- 

 ing in (he fields at eventidi'. The dog 

 is taken home, kept in the: library of 

 Faustus, and during the studies of the 

 la(((-r, swells up to an eiu>rmous size, 



and betrays his diabolical origin, by as- 

 suming the form of a travelling student-, 

 which he preserves throughout the 

 whole tragedy. In this form his coun- 

 tenance is always preserved by the 

 artist, Retsch, as a compound of cun- 

 ning, cruelty, and unrelenting malig- 

 nity. Faustus, according to the stale 

 joke in witchcraft, makes over his soul 

 to Me])hisfopheles, or the devil, upon 

 condition of the latter putting him in 

 possession of whatsoever he wants. The 

 first attempt made upon the virtue of 

 Faustus is by means of intoxication. 

 He is conducted to a carousing party; 

 and to shew his miracle-woikiug powers 

 Mephistopheles commences by boring a 

 hole in the table with a gimblet, ami 

 causing wine to spout from the aper- 

 ture, lie thus addresses Faustus as his 

 conjuration proceeds : — 

 The vine is graced with clusters red,. ^ ,^ 

 The goat -with horus that crown his head^ 

 Wine is a most delicious juice, 

 But branches, which the grape product, 

 Seem arid wood. Look nature through ' 

 With keener ken ! your table too '■'■[ 



Shall learn from arid wood to give '"^ 

 The generous juice. Now, wonder aiia 



believe ! 

 Well ! draw your coiks : see, how it goes I 

 l^Tliey draw, and the icine runs into their 



glasses.'] 

 All delicious stream ! for us it flows ! 



Mephistopheles now condtuts the in- 

 toxicated youth to the residence of an 

 old witch ; who, in turn, exhibits be- 

 fore him proofs of her powers of incan^ 

 tation, by conjuring up forms of the 

 most horrible and loathsome kind. As 

 a contrast, she conducts Fausius to a 

 mirror, find shews him, in this magic 

 glass, the form of a beautiful young 

 woman (Margaret) sleeping upon a 

 couch, in order to inflame his passions. 

 Mephistopheles sits there, in the ex- 

 quisite enjoyment of seeing how the 

 chaim operates upon his pupil ! 



We may easily guess at the result. 

 Margaret has an old waiting maid, of 

 the name of Martha, who is compose<l 

 of very supple materials, and is there- 

 fore easily bribed by IMephistopheles. 

 This demon leaves certain rich orna- 

 ments in JMargaret's bed-cluimber. 

 They are seized upon with avidity and 

 joy by the imsusi)ecting maiden, who 

 calls her old attendant in order to help 

 her to adorn herself with them. 



Mephistopheles hastens tin; catas- 

 trophe of his puj)il, and of the hitherto 

 innocent Mai-g«ret. He calls off the 

 attention of Martiia, and brings the 

 lovers together lU'ar a shady walk. 

 Alargaret 



