, if ever I say to the passing moment, _Stay; thou art so
fair!_--then let my life be ended. This wager I offer thee.' 'Topp!'
('Done!') exclaims Mephistopheles; and, as you know, the compact is
signed by Faust with his own blood.

You will observe that here there is no mention, as in the old legend, of
any term of years--the compact is _for life_. Of what may come after
this life Faust makes no mention in his wager. He expressly says that
all he cares about, all he can know, is _this_ life, and that he will
hear nothing about any future life. This may be agnosticism or whatever
else we like to call it, but it is not formally selling one's soul, with
or without one's body, for a _future_ life and for all eternity.

Moreover Faust has _not_ summoned the devil. The devil has come to
him--is indeed a part of him. He does _not_ league himself with a
hell-fiend for the sake of worldly power or fame or sensual enjoyment,
of which he speaks with contempt. He only offers to come forward into
the battle of life and of passions to test the nobler powers and the
deeper beliefs and the yet dim aspirations of his better nature against
the powers of evil, against what he calls the 'cold devil's-fist' of
negation and cynicism and disbelief, against the brute within the man.

Thou hearest me! I do not speak of joy--
I dedicate myself to passion--pleasure--pain--
Enamour'd hate, and rapture of disdain.
What's highest or what's lowest I will know,
And heap upon my bosom weal and woe.

Footsteps are now heard approaching. It is one of Faust's scholars.
Faust 'has no heart to meet him'--and no wonder. He goes; and
Mephistopheles, throwing around him Faust's professorial mantle and
placing the professorial cap upon his head, awaits the scholar. The
scene which ensues, in which Mephisto gives the young aspirant for
knowledge his diabolic advice and his diabolic views on Science, Logic,
Metaphysics, Medicine and even Theology--would offer ample material for
a very long course of lectures; but as it is one which is not closely
connected with the main action of the play it will have to be omitted.
The scholar retires--his poor young head whirling round like a
mill-wheel with the advice he has received and carrying away his album,
in which the devil has inscribed his favourite text 'Ye shall be as
gods, knowing good and evil.' Then Faust re-enters, Mephistopheles
spreads out his silken cape, and on it the two fly away thr