FAUSTUS
Within this circle is Jehovah's name
Forward and backward anagrammatized,
Th'abbreviated names of holy saints,
Figures of every adjunct to the heavens,
And characters of signs and evening stars,
By which the spirits are enforced to rise.
Then fear not, Faustus, be resolute
And try the utmost magic can perform. (1.3.8-15)
Faustus draws a complicated diagram here to summon a devil familiar. The names of the saints are abbreviated, which may be a sign of disrespect for them. In script, they are made "less" than the name of Jehovah, or the devil, which is written out twice in its entirety.
Quote 23
[Enter Devils, giving crowns and rich apparel to Faustus. They dance, and then depart. Enter Mephistopheles.]
FAUSTUS
What means this show? Speak, Mephistopheles.
MEPHISTOPHELES
Nothing, Faustus, but to delight thy mind
And let thee see what magic can perform.
FAUSTUS
But may I raise such spirits when I please?
MEPHISTOPHELES
Ay, Faustus, and do greater things than these.
FAUSTUS
Then, Mephistopheles, receive this scroll,
A deed of gift of body and of soul,
But yet conditionally that thou perform
All covenants and articles between us both. (2.1.81-89)
Here it is: the Big Moment. This delightful little show is what tips the scales in Mephistopheles's favor, convincing Faustus to hand over the scroll on which he's signed over his soul to the devil. The delights, though, are nothing more than rich clothing and a show of worship. Big whoop. Although Mephistopheles tells Faustus he can do "more" if he chooses, the tricks he gets up to with his magic rarely amount to more than this, which means this moment foreshadows the rest of the play.
Quote 24
FAUSTUS
Go, haste thee, gentle Mephistopheles,
Follow the cardinals to the consistory,
And, as they turn their superstitious books,
Strike them with sloth and drowsy idleness,
And make them sleep so sound that in their shapes
Thyself and I may parley with this Pope,
This proud confronter of the Emperor,
And, in despite of all his holiness,
Restore this Bruno to his liberty
and bear him to the states of Germany. (3.1.112-121)
Here, Faustus uses magic to do something that actually has an impact (beyond entertainment). He rescues a schismatic Pope, Bruno, from the punishment of the Roman Pope, who's more than a little ticked off. Faustus's characterization of the books of the cardinals as "superstitious" shows that he has a typically Protestant attitude toward Catholicism, which means he thinks Catholicism is just a bunch of superstitious nonsense.