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  • Title: Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay (Quarto)
  • Editors: Christopher Hicklin, Christopher Matusiak

  • Copyright Queen's Men Editions. This text may be freely used for educational, non-profit purposes; for all other uses contact the Editor.
    Author: Robert Greene
    Editors: Christopher Hicklin, Christopher Matusiak
    Peer Reviewed

    Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay (Quarto)

    The honourable historie of Frier Bacon.
    2. Scholler. But marke the ward.
    They fight and kill ech other.
    Lambert. Oh I am slaine.
    Serlbie. And I, Lord haue mercie on me.
    18551. Scholler. My father slaine, Serlby ward that.

    The two schollers stab on another.
    2. Scholler. And so is mine Lambert, Ile quite thee well.
    Bungay. O strange strattagem.
    Bacon. See Frier where the fathers both lie dead.
    1860Bacon thy magicke doth effect this massacre:
    This glasse prospectiue worketh manie woes,
    And therefore seeing these braue lustie brutes,
    These friendly youths did perish by thine art,
    End all thy magicke and thine art at once:
    1865The poniard that did end the fatall liues,
    Shall breake the cause efficiat of their woes,
    So fade the glasse, and end with it the showes,
    That Nigromancie did infuse the christall with.
    He breakes the glasse.

    1870Bung. What means learned Bacon thus to breake his glasse.
    Bacon. I tell thee Bungay it repents me sore,
    That euer Bacon medled in this art,
    The houres I haue spent in piromanticke spels,
    The fearefull tossing in the latest night,
    1875Of papers full of Nigromanticke charmes,
    Coniuring and adiuring diuels and fiends,
    With stole and albe and strange Pentaganon,
    The wresting of the holy name of God,
    As Sother, Elaim, and Adonaie,
    1880Alpha, Manoth, and Tetragramiton,
    With praying to the fiue-fould powers of heauen,
    Are instances that Bacon must be damde,
    For vsing diuels to counteruaile his God.
    Yet
    H2