Overuse Of Faustian Pacts
(Conspiracy Nation, 10/22/07) – In various news reports, the term “Faustian Pact” is used. For example, Ambrose Evans-Pritchard today, in the London Telegraph newspaper, describes, “The British are resorting to a Faustian Pact that leaves many of them with an ever greater debt burden.” (“German team damn UK economic 'miracle' as a sham,” http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2007/10/22/bcnuksham122.xml)
Also in some news (but not much in MSM news), is an amazing story on how Chinese dishwashers really like Hillary Clinton. They have been “bundling” together their hard-earned dimes and contributing to her presidential campaign. (“Hillary's China Connection,” by Paul R. Hollrah. http://www.theconservativevoice.com/article/28782.html)
Hollrah (op. cit.) suggests the Chinese dishwashers might be just “bag men” passing on loot from Red China. If this is so, then Hillary Clinton has made a Faustian Pact.
Wondering about all the “Faustian Pact” being used by various writers, the Conspiracy Nation editor got hold of the original description: “Faust” by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Sure enough, it is found that Faust had to sign a contract – a pact – with the Devil, called “Mephistopheles.”
Faust complains about putting the pact into writing: “Cannot you pedant do without a screed? Have you not met a man, not found his word his deed?”
In these sorts of “Pact with the Devil” stories, the Arch-Fiend is scrupulous about the legalities. “Is even Hell with statutes paved?” wonders Faust.
In return for selling his soul, Faust “devours the earth,” as Thomas Wolfe described it. Faust does not get just any girl, but the classical Helen herself, whose “face launched a thousand ships.”
How do Faust and Mephistopheles get money? They conjure it up!
“To All it may
Concern upon Our Earth:
This paper is a thousand guilders worth.
There lies, sure warrant of it and full measure,
Beneath Our
earth a wealth of buried treasure."
The basis for their scrip is to be found in the future. Eventually “buried treasure” is surely to be discovered. Meanwhile, “The thing was multiplied a thousand parts; So that like blessing should to all accrue, We stamped up all the lower series too, Tens, Thirties, Fifties, Hundreds did we edit, The good it did folk, you would hardly credit.”
The Emperor is astonished. He can “scarce believe it.” Because the money is paper, “One is no longer plagued by purse or package, A note borne next the heart is easy baggage...”
Faust and Mephistopheles have accomplished an economic miracle for the Kingdom! It is a “new economy,” so to speak. Paper money, based on the “plethora of treasure which, congealed, The depths of Your dominions hold concealed” floods the land. “To butcher, baker, inn it next flits down; Just feasting seems to busy half the town, The other half show off their fine new clothes. The draper cuts the bolt, the tailor sews.”
The future holds a “plethora of concealed treasure,” upon which Faust and Mephistopheles base their paper money. This is what Ambrose Evans-Pritchard means by a “Faustian Pact that leaves many of them with an ever greater debt burden.”
Only the “Fool” in “Faust” has lingering doubts:
FOOL: “Look – does this really work in money's stead?”
MEPHISTOPHELES: “Enough to keep you drunk and overfed.”
Conspiracy Nation
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