There is wisdom in these words of Mephistophilis: “That was the cause, but yet per accidens.”

Here is the context from Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus (1.3.34–53). Faustus has just called for Mephistophilis.

Enter Mephistophilis.

Mephistophilis: Now, Faustus, what would’st thou have me do?

Faustus: I charge thee wait upon me whil’st I live
To do what ever Faustus shall command.
. . .

Mephistophilis: I am a servant to great Lucifer,
And may not follow thee without his leave.
No more than he commands, must we perform.

Faustus: Did not he charge thee to appear to me?

Mephistophilis: No, I came now hither of mine own accord.

Faustus: Did not my conjuring raise thee? Speak.

Mephistophilis: That was the cause, but yet per accidens;
For when we hear one rack the name of God,
Abjure the scriptures, and his Savior Christ,
We fly in hope to get his glorious soul;
Nor will we come, unless he use such means,
Whereby he is in danger to be damned.
Therefore the shortest cut for conjuring
Is stoutly to abjure all godliness
And pray devoutly to the Prince of Hell.

Faust was sure that he understood causation and, incidentally, that he controlled causation. Faust ignored or rejected what his reading in divinity must have taught him, that behind the immediate cause lies the ultimate cause. The rest of the play goes on to show his folly. I wonder how often I make the same error . . .

I shall have to come back to this idea of causation.