Marlowe’s Seven Deadlies from The Tragedie of Doctor Faustus:
[Mephastophilis answers Faustus’s questions about the nature of the world, but not when Faustus asks him who made the universe. Faust has doubts, and Mephastophilis and Lucifer bring in personifications of the Seven Deadly Sins (pride, covetousness, wrath, envy, gluttony, sloth, and lechery) to parade in front of Faustus.]
LUCIFER. Do so, and we will highly gratify thee. Faustus, we are
come from hell to shew thee some pastime: sit down, and thou
shalt see all the Seven Deadly Sins appear in their proper shapes.
FAUSTUS. That sight will be as pleasing unto me,
As Paradise was to Adam, the first day
Of his creation.
LUCIFER. Talk not of Paradise nor creation; but mark this show:
talk of the devil, and nothing else.—Come away!
Enter the SEVEN DEADLY SINS. Now, Faustus, examine them of their several names and dispositions.
FAUSTUS. What art thou, the first?
PRIDE. I am Pride. I disdain to have any parents. I am like to
Ovid’s flea; I can creep into every corner of a wench; sometimes,
like a perriwig, I sit upon her brow; or, like a fan of feathers,
I kiss her lips; indeed, I do—what do I not? But, fie, what a
scent is here! I’ll not speak another word, except the ground
were perfumed, and covered with cloth of arras.
FAUSTUS. What art thou, the second?
COVETOUSNESS. I am Covetousness, begotten of an old churl, in an
old leathern bag: and, might I have my wish, I would desire that
this house and all the people in it were turned to gold, that I
might lock you up in my good chest: O, my sweet gold!
FAUSTUS. What art thou, the third?
WRATH. I am Wrath. I had neither father nor mother: I leapt out
of a lion’s mouth when I was scarce half-an-hour old; and ever
since I have run up and down the world with this case
of rapiers, wounding myself when I had nobody to fight withal.
I was born in hell; and look to it, for some of you shall be
my father.
FAUSTUS. What art thou, the fourth?
ENVY. I am Envy, begotten of a chimney-sweeper and an oyster-wife.
I cannot read, and therefore wish all books were burnt. I am lean
with seeing others eat. O, that there would come a famine through
all the world, that all might die, and I live alone! then thou
shouldst see how fat I would be. But must thou sit, and I stand?
come down, with a vengeance!
FAUSTUS. Away, envious rascal!—What art thou, the fifth?
GLUTTONY. Who I, sir? I am Gluttony. My parents are all dead,
and the devil a penny they have left me, but a bare pension, and
that is thirty meals a-day and ten bevers,—a small trifle
to suffice nature. O, I come of a royal parentage! my grandfather
was a Gammon of Bacon, my grandmother a Hogshead of Claret-wine;
my godfathers were these, Peter Pickle-herring and Martin
Martlemas-beef; O, but my godmother, she was a jolly gentlewoman,
and well-beloved in every good town and city; her name was Mistress
Margery March-beer. Now, Faustus, thou hast heard all my progeny;
wilt thou bid me to supper?
FAUSTUS. No, I’ll see thee hanged: thou wilt eat up all my victuals.
GLUTTONY. Then the devil choke thee!
FAUSTUS. Choke thyself, glutton!—What art thou, the sixth?
SLOTH. I am Sloth. I was begotten on a sunny bank, where I have
lain ever since; and you have done me great injury to bring me
from thence: let me be carried thither again by Gluttony and
Lechery. I’ll not speak another word for a king’s ransom.
FAUSTUS. What are you, Mistress Minx, the seventh and last?
LECHERY. Who I, sir? I am one that loves an inch of raw mutton
better than an ell of fried stock-fish; and the first letter
of my name begins with L. FAUSTUS. Away, to hell, to hell! [Exeunt the SINS.]
Christopher Marlowe, The Tragedie of Doctor Faustus (1604 A text) Pasted from <http://www.gutenberg.org/files/779/779-h/779-h.htm>