Zigzag Journeys in Northern Lands Part 25

"His life was full of beautiful friendships. In 1787 Schiller, the second in rank of great German poets, was invited to reside at Weimar.

Goethe became most warmly attached to him, and the two pursued their high literary callings together. The literary circle now consisted of Goethe, Schiller, Wieland, Herder, and the Grand Duke. It was the golden age of German literature.

THE STRANGE STORY OF FAUST.

No myth of the Middle Ages has had so large a growth and so long a life as this.

It has been made the subject of books, pamphlets, and articles almost without number. The Faust literature in Germany would fill a library.

In painting, especially of the Holland school, the dark subject as prominently appears. It is also embodied in sculpture.

But it is in poetry and music that it found a place that carried it over the world. It was made the subject of Marlowe's drama, of Goethe's greatest poem, and it is sung in three of the greatest operas of modern times.

But to the legend.

About the year 1490 there was born at Roda, in the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar, a child whose fame was destined to fill the world of superst.i.tion, fable, and song. He was named John Faustus, or Faust.

He studied medicine, became an alchemist, and was possessed with a consuming desire to learn the secrets of life and of the spiritual world.

He studied magic, and his thirst for knowledge of the occult sciences grew. He wished to know how to prolong life, to change base metals to gold, to do things at once by the power of the will.

One night, as he was studying, the Evil One appeared before him.

"I will reveal to you all the secrets you are seeking, and will enable you to do anything you wish by the power of the will alone--"

Dr. Faustus was filled with an almost insane delight.

"--On one condition."

"Name it."

"That I shall have your soul in return."

"When?"

"At the end of twenty-four years--at this time of night--midnight."

"I shall have pleasure?"

[Ill.u.s.tration: FAUST SIGNING.]

"Pleasure."

"Gold?"

"Gold."

"I shall know the secrets of nature?"

"The secrets of nature."

"I may do what I like at will?"

"At will."

"I will sign the compact."

"Sign!"

Faust signed his name to a compact that was to give the Evil One his soul for twenty-four years of pleasure, gold, and knowledge, that were to come to an end at midnight.

"I will give you an attendant," said the Evil One, "to help you."

He caused a dark but very elegant gentleman to appear, whom he presented to Faust as Mephistopheles.

Dr. Faustus and Mephistopheles now began to travel into all lands, performing wonders to the amazement of all people wherever they went.

In a wine-cellar at Leipsig, where he and Mephistopheles were drinking, some gay fellows said,--

"Faust, make grapes grow on a vine on this table."

"Be silent."

There was dead silence.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FAUST AND MEPHISTOPHELES.]

A vine began to grow from the table, and presently it bore a bunch of grapes for each of the revellers.

"Take your knives and cut a cl.u.s.ter for each."

There was an explosion. Faust and Mephistopheles were seen flying out of the window; the _window_ is still shown in Leipsig. The vine had disappeared, and each of the revellers found himself with his knife over his nose, about to cut it off, supposing it to be a cl.u.s.ter of grapes.

The wonders that it is claimed that Dr. Faustus did in the twenty-four years fill volumes. The Faust marvels have gathered to themselves the fables of centuries.

The twenty-four years came to an end at last. Faust became gloomy, and retired to Rimlich, at the inn, among his old friends.

The fatal night came.

"Should you hear noises in my chamber to-night, do not disturb me,"

he said, on parting from his companions to go to his room.

Near midnight a tempest arose,--a wild, strange tempest. The winds were like demons. It thundered and the air was full of tongues of lightning.

At midnight there was heard a fearful shriek in Faust's chamber.

The next morning the room was found bespattered with blood, and the body of Faust was missing. The broken remains of the alchemist were discovered at last in a back yard on a heap of earth.