Dejected, Faust spies a phial of poison and contemplates suicide. A phial containing some of his blood was long preserved at Ravello. Among its relics was a phial of the Virgin's milk. For example, Byron's wife discovered that he had a phial of the Black Drop. He struggles with the pirates who try to seize his phial and the Deflagrator. Tisbe, accompanied by Angelo, brings a phial, which Catarina refuses to drink from. Charmis is to get the phial and bring to him at once. "The Phial of Dread" was one of Ludlow's earliest magazine stories, published in October 1859.