yet I do despair: Hell strives with grace for conquest in my breast: What shall I do to shun the snares of death? MEPHIST. Thou traitor, Faustus, I arrest thy soul For disobedience to my sovereign lord: Revolt, or I'll in piece-meal tear thy flesh. FAUSTUS. I do repent I e'er offended him. Sweet Mephistophilis, entreat thy lord To pardon my unjust presumption, And with my blood again I will confirm The former vow I made to Lucifer. MEPHIST. 236 Do it, then, Faustus, with unfeigned heart, Lest greater dangers do attend thy drift. FAUSTUS. Torment, sweet friend, that base and aged man, That durst dissuade me from thy Lucifer, With greatest torments 237 that our hell affords. MEPHIST. His faith is great; I cannot touch his soul; But what I may afflict 238 his body with I will attempt, which is but little worth. FAUSTUS. One thing, good servant, let me crave of thee, To glut the longing of my heart's desire,— That I may have unto my paramour That heavenly Helen which I saw of late, Whose sweet embraces may extinguish clean 239 Those thoughts that do dissuade me from my vow, And keep my oath 240 I made to Lucifer. MEPHIST. This, or what else my Faustus shall desire, Shall be perform'd in twinkling of an eye. Re-enter HELEN, passing over the stage between two CUPIDS. FAUSTUS. Was this the face that launch'd a thousand ships, And burnt the topless towers of Ilium?— Sweet Helen, make me immortal with a kiss.— [Kisses her.] Her lips suck forth my soul: see, where it flies!— Come, Helen, come, give me my soul again. Here will I dwell, for heaven is in these lips, And all is dross that is not Helena. I will be Paris, and for love of thee, Instead of Troy, shall Wittenberg be sack'd; And I will combat with weak Menelaus, And wear thy colours on my plumed crest; Yea, I will wound Achilles in the heel, And then return to Helen for a kiss. O, thou art fairer than the evening 241 air Clad in the beauty of a thousand stars; Brighter art thou than flaming Jupiter When he appear'd to hapless Semele; More lovely than the monarch of the sky In wanton Arethusa's azur'd 242 arms; And none but thou shalt 243 be my paramour! [Exeunt.] Thunder. Enter LUCIFER, BELZEBUB, and MEPHISTOPHILIS. LUCIFER. Thus from infernal Dis do we ascend To view the subjects of our monarchy, Those souls which sin seals the black sons of hell; 'Mong which, as chief, Faustus, we come to thee, Bringing with us lasting damnation To wait upon thy soul: the time is come Which