The Wonder-Working Magician Part 16

DEMON. Stay; for till the word you gave me Is affirmed, and well attested, You can touch her not.

[CYPRIAN rushes towards the rock, which closes.

CYPRIAN. Oh, stay Cloud that hides the most resplendent Sun, that on my bliss e'er dawned!-- But 'tis air my void arm presses.-- I believe your art, acknowledge Now I am your slave for ever.

What do you wish I do for thee?

What do you ask?

DEMON. To be protected By your signature here written In your blood, at the foot of a letter.

CLARIN [peeping]. Oh! I'd give my soul that I To stay here had not been tempted.

CYPRIAN. For my pen I use this dagger, Paper let this white cloth serve for, And the ink wherewith I write it, Be the blood my arm presents me.

[He writes with the point of a dagger upon a piece of linen, having drawn blood from one of his arms.

CYPRIAN [Aside]. Oh! I freeze with fear, with horror!

I, great Cyprian, say expressly I will give my immortal soul, (Oh! what lethargy, what frenzy!) Unto him whose art will teach me (What confusion! what strange terror!) How I may of fair Justina, Haughty mistress mine, possess me.

I have signed it with my name.

DEMON [aside]. Now to my deceits is rendered Valid homage, when such reason, When discourse like his must tremble Even when my help is sought for.-- Have you written?

CYPRIAN. And signed the letter.

DEMON. Then the sun you adore is thine.

CYPRIAN. Thine too, for the years eternal, Is the soul I offer thee.

DEMON. Soul for soul I pay my debtors, Then for thine I give to thee Thy Justina's

CYPRIAN. In what term then, Think you you can teach to me All your magic art?

DEMON. A twelvemonth; But on this condition....

CYPRIAN. Speak.

DEMON. That within a cavern buried, Without any other study, We may live there both together, In our service having no one For us two but this attendant, [Drags out CLARIN.

Who being curious hid him here;-- By securing thus his person That our secret is well kept, We, I think, may be quite certain.

CLARIN [aside]. Oh, that I had never waited!

How does it happen though, so many Neighbours p.r.o.ne to pry, as I am, Are not caught thus by the devil?

CYPRIAN. So far well. My love, my genius Have this happy end effected: First Justina will be mine, Then by my new lights, new learning, I will wake the world's surprise.

DEMON. I have gained what I intended.

CLARIN. I not so.

DEMON. You come with us.-- [Aside.

O'er my great foe I've got the better.

CYPRIAN. Ah, how happy my desires, If I reach to such possession!--

DEMON [aside]. Never will my envy rest Till I gain both souls to serve me.-- Let us go, and in the deepest Cavern this wild world presenteth You to-day will learn in magic Your first lesson.

CYPRIAN. Let us enter, For my mind with such a master, For my love with such incentive, Will the sorcerer Cyprian's name Live before the world for ever.

ACT THE THIRD.

SCENE I.

A WOOD; AT THE EXTREMITY A GROTTO.

CYPRIAN.

CYPRIAN. Ungrateful beauty mine, At length the day, the happy day doth s.h.i.+ne-- My hope's remotest range, The limits of my love and of thy change, Since I to-day will gain At last my triumph over thy disdain.

This lofty mountain nigh, Raised to the star-lit palace of the sky, And this dark cavern's gloom, Of two that live, so long the dismal tomb, Are the rough school wherein From magic art its mystic lore I win, And such perfection reach That I can now my mighty master teach.

Seeing, that on this day, since I came here The sun completes its course from sphere to sphere, I from my prison cell come forth to view What in the light I now have power to do.

Ye skies of cloudless day List to my magic spell-words and obey; Swift zephyrs that rejoice In heaven's warm light, stand still and hear my voice; Stupendous mountain rock Shake at my words as at an earthquake shock; Ye trees in rough bark drest Be frightened at the groanings of my breast; Ye flowers so fair and frail Faint at the echoing terror of my wail; Ye sweet melodious birds Hush all your songs before my awful words; Ye cruel beasts of prey See the first fruits of my long toil to-day; For blinded, dazzled, dazed, Confused, disturbed, astonished and amazed, Ye skies and zephyrs, rocks, and trees, and flowers, And birds, and beasts, behold my magic powers, And thus to all make plain Cyprian's infernal study is not vain.

SCENE II.

The Demon and CYPRIAN.

DEMON. Cyprian!

CYPRIAN. Wise friend and master still!

DEMON. Why, how is this, that using your free-will More than my precept meant, Say for what end, what object, what intent, Through ignorance or boldness can it be, You thus come forth the sun's bright face to see?

CYPRIAN. Seeing that now my spell Can fill with fear, with horror even h.e.l.l, Since I, with so much care Have studied magic and its depths laid bare, So that yourself can scarcely tell Whether 'tis I or you that most excel, Seeing that now there is no place or part That I with study, diligence and art, have not attained, Since necromancy's secret I have gained, That art whose lines of gloom Can ope to me the dark funereal tomb, And bring before mine eyes Each corpse that in it lies, Regaining them, as 'twere by a new birth From the hard avarice of the grasping earth.

The pale ghosts, one and all, Rise and respond my call;-- And seeing that at length the sun My goal of life had won, Since from its innate force Swift-speeding on its course, Climbing the heavens each day, It turns as 'twere reluctantly away, And with a natural fear Completes to-day the lifetime of a year, I wish to attain the scope To last of all my dreams, of all my hope.

To-day the rare, the beautiful, the divine Justina will be mine, Here summoned by my charms, Here lured by love she'll come unto my arms, For you from me no longer can require Postponement of my hope's, my heart's desire.

DEMON. Nor do I wish to do it, no, Since thus so earnestly you wish it so.

Now trace upon the ground Mute mystic symbols, and the deep profound Of air, with powerful incantations move Obedient to your hope and to your love.

CYPRIAN. For that I will retire; You soon shall see the heaven and earth admire.

[Exit.

DEMON. I give you leave to go, Because our science being the same, I know That the abyss of h.e.l.l Obedient to your spell Will yield through me, this way, The fair Justina to your arms to-day: For, though my mighty power Cannot enslave free-will even for an hour, It may present The outward show of rapture and content, Suggesting thoughts impure:-- If force I cannot use, at least I lure.