AN ADDITION TO THE FAUST LITERATURE:AN UNKNOWN 'HARROWING OF HELL' IN THE

BRITISH LIBRARY, LONDON

DR. HANS HENNING

(Translated by D. L. PAISEY)

T H E spread of material on the subject of Faust began in the sixteenth century with theexistence of Faust as an historical figure, and with the appearance of a 'Faust-trilogy'(Faust-Buch of 1587, Wagner-Buch of 1593, Fausts Gaukeltasche of 1607). The subjectentered English literature with an English version of the Faust-book (1587-8) and withChristopher Marlowe's dramatization. The Faust tradition of the seventeenth andeighteenth centuries brought new versions of the Faust-book and further dramatic treat-ment in Dutch, German, and French, as well as adaptations into farces, pantomimes, andballets by William Mountford (1697), John Rich (1723), Thomas Merrivale (1724), andJohn Thurmond (1724 and 1727).

The seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Faust tradition was also characterized by thecontinuing attention paid by scholars and theologians to the historical Faust, and includedsongs, which probably developed from the Faust-plays, and the magic books. Thesecirculated, under Faust's name, in manuscript or printed form, the usual titles beingDreifacher Hollenzwang, Praxis magica^ or Mtracul-^ Kunst- und Wunderbuch^ though insome cases the connection with the Faust literature is not immediately apparent, withtitles such as Schwarzer Rabe^ Geisterkommando, or Liber sptrituum.

All of these are rare texts, whether manuscript or printed. In part I of my Faust-Bibliographie (Berlin and Weimar, 1966) 46 manuscripts are listed, of which 16 have noknown location, while of the 35 printed Hdlienzmang-tcxis which appeared up to 1930,9 could not be located or have disappeared.' (Hollenzwang is usually translated as'Harrowing of HelF, though the Hteral equivalent is Coercing of Hell.)

It is therefore all the more welcome that a new, unknown, printed 'Harrowingof Heir has been found in the collections of the British Library and can be studied.

r!l).F.\USTUS EXKUNDLINCilA

ORIGINAU-: HOC OPUS MAnrcuM ROMAM ADALLIXANDRUM VI A 1). ifAHLRMANNO TRANSIMISSUM M.D.II-A yULIO It PtlNT: MAX". TM'ISPBIVATIS DATUM ANNO P O M I M Mi D. X.

DFAUSTS(ORIGINAL)

GEISTRR COMMANDODER

C H O L L R N )UND AU.EK ANDER GEISTER

C ZWANG )SOWOHL DIE liOSEN.AI.S OUTEN

C S P I R I T U S )DES OANTZEN OEISTER RF.ICHES

(FAMILIARIUM )7.U AI.r.F.N DIHNST.UND

( GEHORSAM )( V i

It is a combination of several of the known texts, namely, D. Fausts Geistercommando,Origmal-Hdllenzwang^ and Spiritus familiarium. No other such version is known, so thatit is unique. It is also a complete copy, comprising seventeen unnumbered leaves,i 6 x 19 cm (4* ).

Given the close inter-relationship, or frequent identity, of material in the manuscriptand printed versions, the present Hollenzwang may be assumed to be especially close tothe lost printed Dr. Fausts wahres und dchtes Original Magiae Albae ($' Nigrae (Faust-Biblwgraphte, I, no. 3205) and to D. Faustus Original Dreyfacher Hollen-Zwang (I, no.3207). The connection with the former is suggested by the mention of Habermann onthe page facing the title-page, that with the latter by the occurrence on the same page ofthe so-called portrait of Faust (size of woodcut: 7 ^ 9 cm), with a legend 'D. Faustus exurbe Kundlingia magus insignis' which differs somewhat from that in Faust-Bibliographie,I, no. 3207;- the picture itself is not quite the same either, for though on both woodcutsthe head is turned to the right, the features, beard, cap, and shoulders of that in theBritish Library copy are more coarsely cut. Since the Faust portrait does not appear else-where in the printed texts, we may even assume that the two (I, no. 3207 and the B.L.copy) came from the same printing-house. The less good version of the woodcut suggeststhat it has been re-cut. Since the two editions cited for comparison have been dated 1765and 1770, the new discovery is probably of similar date. To judge from its typography, itcertainly belongs to the decade 1770-80. The new 'Harrowing of Heir should thereforebe entered in part I of the Faust-Btblwgraphte zs no. 3208a, as the only copy of this edition.

It is scarcely possible to establish a complete provenance for this copy. It is known to

have been purchased by the British Museum in June 1846 from the Berlin antiquarianbookseller Adolf Asher as part of a substantial consignment of early German literature,possibly from a large collection first sold or handled by the Halle bookseller Kuppitsch.It has not so far been possible to locate relevant catalogues of Kuppitsch or Asher.^ Itshould be noted that Asher was a regular supplier of books to London and particularly tothe British Museum.-* The possible role as intermediary of Kuppitsch in Halle mightindicate a source in one of the near-by places with large libraries and collections, a townwhich had lost its importance in the course of the centralization of Prussian administra-tion, such as Merseburg, Weissenfels, Naumburg, or Zeitz. The Court, monastic, andcapitular libraries in these towns were gradually dispersed in the decades after 1815, withthe formation of the administrative district of Merseburg. It is possible that the collectionsold through Kuppitsch came from one of these libraries or from a private Hbrary.

There is an indication of the previous owner in the press-mark inscribed in the top left-hand corner of the page facing the title-page: 594(or 694).c.II.g. The old British Museumpress-mark is in the top right-hand corner of the title-page: 8630.d.10; some time agothis was changed by the British Library, Department of Printed Books, to 1608/668, andfinally, when its rarity was recognized, to C.143.CC.19. Mr. D. L. Paisey, Assistant Keeperin that department, drew the nature and importance of the book to my attention andsuggested this article.

After two pages listing further titles of magic texts, Geistertraktat, 6. undy. Buck Mosis,Tabella Rabellina, there follows the text proper which corresponds substantially withother versions.5 Thus the 'Unterricht' (instruction) is almost identical in all versions;it reads:

Wenn du die Geister citirn, und zu dein Diensten haben wilst, so mache folgende Procedur,aus 'NB' den ^VF und 'VIT Buch Mosis Bibliae Arcanorum nach der Traditionem und Uber-setzung Rabellina, wie folget*

(I) Reinige dich vor Gott von schwerenf und grosen Sunden.(II) Baue, und traue vollkomen auf die, hier geoffenbahrte Geister Zwangs gottliche AllmachtsWorter, und Hiilfe des t allmachtigen Gottes.(III) Hake an mit der Citation, und sey standhaft in Wercke, und in Glauben.(IV) Mercke und observiere die Geister Constellation wohl.(V) Richte dich nach der Zeit und (NBf) Stund der Geister Regierung . . .

(If you wish to summon the spirits and have them serve you, follow the procedure set out in the6th and 7th Books of Moses in the Biblia arcanorum in the Rabelline tradition and translation,as follows: (r) Purify yourself before God of heavy and great sins. (2) Rely on, and put yourcomplete trust in the divine words of omnipotence to coerce spirits here revealed, and in the helpof almighty God. (3) Persist in the citation, and be steadfast in deed and in faith. (4) Note andobserve well the spirits' constellation. (5) Follow the time and hour of spirit rule . . .)

Similarly, we find known formulae for conjuration and dismissal ('Abdanckung'),the latter meaning the freeing of spirits. The usual 'General Conjuration', the descriptionof the 'seven Grand Dukes' and the list of serviceable and elemental spirits are also present.

C N B )BEY DEN EINOANO DES CRKYSFS.UND ZUM ANFANO SPRICH

A M E N(•»)•• .:•, •Jiai'i • ';:i?«;j

Fig. 2. D. Fausts Original Geister Commando der Hollen^ p. io : magic circle. C. 143.cc. 19. (Reduced)

The magic impact of the text is enhanced by strange names such as 'Bacoss' (Bacchus?)and lines in Hebrew characters. Amongst further features of this sort are so-called magiccircles or diagrams, which hold out vivid promise of conjuration. But however individualthis rare printed 'Harrowing of HelF text may be, its correspondence to the substance ofmanuscripts and other printed versions of these magic books is certain. Attention shouldtherefore be drawn to other descriptions'* of such products, which represent a particularoffshoot of the Faust tradition of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

The origin of the magic practices cannot be fully explained. The texts are related tobooks of recipes of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and certainly also to works by

early exponents of modern science: medicine, chemistry or alchemy, and pharmacy.One may also assume the influence of works by Johannes Habermann (1516-90) andJohannes Kornreuther (dates unknown): Der goldene H[abermann] (c. 1550) or MagiaOrdinis Artium et Scientiarum Abstrusarum (c. 1515?), although the contents of theseapocryphal books in their turn are dubious and portentous in parts, and put specialemphasis on hunting for buried treasure. Other works of Kornreuther are GewaltigeCitation und Beschworung des vermaledeiten Teufels Astaroth Beelzebub Dierle Bassiel(possibly not printed until 1725) and Der gerechte Kornreuther (c. 1520?). Closely relatedto, and possibly even directly dependent on, Kornreuther's Magia Ordinis is Herpentil'sKurtzer Begriffder ubernatUrlichen schmartzen Magie (c. 1700 ?).' It was certainly not untilthe mid-seventeenth century that these conjuration books became associated with Faust.They are neither derived from the magic books found after the death of the historicalFaust and reported in the Zimmern Chronicle,^ nor do they represent an adaptation of theGaukeltasche, which is a satirical epilogue to the philosophical problems portrayed inthe Faust- and Wagner-books, which were of immediate importance to the people of thesixteenth century. Also, the magic books are below the literary level of the Faust literature,which reflects the social upheavals of the early sixteenth century and is a product of theearly bourgeois revolution in Germany and England. In this connection, the significanceof the lost English work The black stair of Doctor John Faust (c. 1730) remains to bedetermined.^ If we are to do justice to the magic books, we should not inquire into theirvalue as sources or their literary quality, but we must consider them as an undercurrent,widespread amongst the common people, in the history of the Faust material. We shouldexpect these products to yield neither information about the historical Faust nor fruitfuldiscoveries relating to Faust as he appears in belles-lettres since Lessing and Goethe. Buta knowledge of such literature can give us a better understanding of the historical Faustand his thematic influence in the sixteenth and following centuries. Not least, it helps usto appreciate the potentialities of superstition, the prerequisite for sorcery, magic, witch-craft, and the great 'nigromancer Faust' himself. Furthermore, the existence of the magicbooks, like others of their kind, together with the written and oral tradition, with thedissemination of stories about the historical Faust, with repeated new editions of theFaust-book and numerous performances of the popular and puppet plays, was one ofthe reasons why the subject persisted from the sixteenth century to the age of Goethe.

Just how dangerous such books were considered to be can be seen from the fact that in1778 in Barstadt in Hessen the bookseller Hechtel of Frankfurt and the purchasers of theprinted 'Harrowing of Hell' were summoned to appear before the authorities, and that aslate as 1794 a calico-printer, Johann Gottfried Bohme of Schraplau near Halle, wasprosecuted for producing such things. Bohme's manuscripts are preserved in the Faustcollection at Weimar, and reveal the influence of the Faust-books. Whether as a result oftrust in Faust's skills, belief in supernatural powers, or simply curiosity, an attempt totry out Faust's 'Harrowing of Hell' in practice is recorded, in the year 1715.'^ Late onChristmas Eve 1715, 'studiosus medicinae Weber' and 'two bold peasants' from Jenabegan a conjuration in a vineyard shed to seek buried treasure. Since two of the participants

Ftg. J. Conjuration scene, from the Dutch Faust-book of 1764 {Faust-Bibliographie^ I, no. 1138)

died from the effects of fumes from a charcoal fire they had lit, the affair caused a sensation,and the Faculties of Theology, Law, and Medicine of the University of Leipzig were askedto submit reports on it. It is almost impossible for a modern observer to credit the serious-ness with which attempts were made at the time to prove that the conjurers had fallenvictim to the Devil; the Jena doctor Friedrich Andreas Erdmann, for example, maintainedthat this was so. But we need only recall that the last executions for witchcraft were not totake place in Germany and Switzerland until 1754, 1756, and 1782. Similarly, the Dukeof Luxembourg, Marshal of Louis XIV of France, was held to have concluded a pact withthe Devil, without which his victories would not have been possible. In the literaturerelating to this case, a certain role is played by the example of Faust, contracts with theDevil, and so on. There is a further report of the acquisition and trying-out of a 'Harrowingof Heir, by Carl Friedrich Bahrdt in 1757, in chapters 18 and 19 of his autobiography."And Goethe, commenting on the newly found manuscript Praxis Cabulae ntgrae DoctorisJohannis Faustit Magi celeberrimi, mentions the use of texts of this kind: 'Haben wir dochnoch vor Kurzem [1827 or 1828] im Neustadter Kreis ein dergleichen Nest vonSchatzgrabern ausgehoben und damit ein Dutzend solcher Wunderschriften . . .' (Didwe not recently discover in the Neustadt district such a nest of treasure seekers, togetherwith a dozen marvellous writings of this kind), as he wrote in his letter of 20 November1829 to his friend Zelter.'-

The Enlightenment brought with it a dispersal of the mental fog which the magic bookshad engendered. Just as Faust himself became portrayed in a more realistic way, so the'Harrowing of Hell' gradually came to be stripped of its peculiar aura. As early as 1791,Johann Friedrich Kohler, in his book on Faust," expressed the opinion that the 'Harrowingof Heir had not been written by Faust and was a 'zusammengeschriebenes, verstandlosesund hochst schadliches Zauberbuch' (botched-up, senseless and highly dangerous magicbook). Then in the Goethe letter of 1829 already mentioned, the work in question ischaracterized as a 'hochst merkwiirdiges Werk des raisonniertesten Unsinns' (highlyremarkable work of the most reasoned nonsense). Goethe finally states the reason for the

creation of such works: 'denn freilich ware es leichter, durch einige gezogene Charaktereund unsinniges Gemurmel reich zu werden, als im Schweisse seines Angesichts dastagliche Brot zu essen' (for it would admittedly be easier to grow rich by drawing a fewcharacters and murmuring nonsense than to earn one's daily bread by the sweat of one'sbrow). This marks the end of the influence of the 'Harrowing of Hell', even if here andthere, down to the twentieth century, superstition has still been capable of bearing strangeblossoms.

1 Of numbers 3194-213 in my Faust-Bibhographie,part I, which were published up to 1820-3,those originals numbered 3194, 3197, 3198, 3201.,3203, 3204, 3205, 3206, 3210 are lost and couldbe listed only from reprints; they include twoEnglish works entitled The black stair of DoctorJohn Faust, c. 1730 (nos. 3197 and 3198).

2 In this case the legend is 'D. Faustus MagusMaximus Kundlingensis'.

3 Perhaps this publication may assist in locatingthe catalogues of Asher (Berlin and London) andKuppitsch (Halle). For example, one Ashercatalogue was entitled Catalogue d'une collectionprecieuse de livres rares et curieux a venire^ auxprix marques, 96 pp., 8** (see Anzeiger derBibliothekswissenschaft, Dresden and Leipzig,1847, 145). Two Kuppitsch catalogues are citedby C. Goedeke: 'Kuppitsch: Verzeichnis. Halle1845. 8' and 'Kuppitsch^ Catalogue d'unecollection precieuse. Halle 1846' in Grundrisszur Geschichte der deutschen Dichtung, 2nd edn.,respectively Bd. i (Dresden, 1884). p. viii, andBd. 2 (1886). p. iv. The latter does not includeour 'Harrowing of HelP (information kindlysupplied by Roland Folter of New York).

4 The Anzeiger der Bibliothekswissenschaft(Dresden and Leipzig, 1845), 67, reported (inGerman) that Asher had supplied to the BritishMuseum 'a newly discovered work, unique of its 'kind, comprising a series of 64 French farces,bergeries and moralites, printed in the years1542-48 in so-called agenda format. The best-informed bibliographers knew nothing of theexistence of so many of these pieces, and theBibliotheque royale in Paris has only five or six.'These rarities are listed in the Bulletin du biblio-phile (Paris, 1845) no. 5, pp. 187-91. Evidencethat books from Kuppitsch entered the BritishMuseum is provided by Goedeke's statement(op. cit., Bd. I, p. viii), here translated: 'Thebooks went mostly to the British Museum, a fewto Heyse and then with his library to the Royal

Library in Berhn.'5 Georg Conrad Horst, Zauber-Bibliothek, Tl. 1-6

(Mainz, 1821-6), and J. Scheible, Das Kloster,Bd. 5 (Stuttgart, 1847).

6 Carl Kiesewetter, Faust in der Geschichte undTradition (Leipzig, 1893), 261-315; and HansHenning, 'Ein Exemplar von "Dr. JohannFausts magischen Schriften" in der Zentral-bibliothek der deutschen Klassik', Marginalien^Hft. 13 (Berlin, 1963), 58-60, 62. For a generalaccount in English see E. M. Butler, Ritual/Wa iV (Cambridge, 1949), 154-234-

7 Another related text is the Compendium magiaenigrae ascribed to Michael Scotus (astrologer toFrederick II of Hohenstaufen; he lived in Italyand died in 1235?), which may represent thebridge from Arabic and Oriental philosophy toKornreuther, Habermann, Herpentil, and themagic books, as far as astrological and magic'science' is concerned. Cf. Bachtold-Staubli,Handwbrterbuch des deutschen Aberglauhens, Bd. 3(1930-1), cols. 1294, 1791-2; Bd. 5 (1932-3),cols. 316-17; Bd. 9 (1938-41), cols. 733-6.

8 Paul Herrmann (ed), Zimmerische Chronik(Merseburg and Leipzig, 1932), Bd. i, p. 577,Bd. 3, pp. 529-30

9 H. Henning, Faust-Bibliographie (Berlin andWeimar, 1966), I, nos. 3197-8. Cf. n. i.

10 Amongst tbe literature on this subject(H. Henning, ibid., nos. 3251-83), attentionshould be drawn above all to the manuscriptExtract Derer Jenaischen Stadt Gerichts Aden(no. 3251).

11 C. F. Bahrdt, Geschichte seines Lebens^ seinerMeinungen und S chick sale, i\BA.{BQr\{r\., 1790-1).

12 Goethe, Werke, Weimar edn., Abt. 4: Briefe,Bd. 46 (Weimar, 1908), 157-64.

13 J. F. Kohler, Historisch-kritische UntersuchungUber das Leben und die Thaten des alsSchwarzkunstler verschrieenen LandfahrersDoctor Johann Fausts (Leipzig, 1791).