Originally from Ovid's "Amore" (Liber I, XIII, Line 40: Lente currite noctis equi) with reference to horses pulling Time’s chariot, and he wants the night to stretch out so he can spend more time with his mistress. Later used in Dr. Faustus by Christopher Marlowe, metaphorically spoken by Faustus who is awaiting the appearance of Lucifer, who is expected to collect Faustus' soul when the clock strikes midnight.

The basis of the Faust story is that Faustus sold his soul to the Devil in return for twenty-four years of further life during which he was to have every pleasure and all knowledge at his command; but, then he had to surrender his soul to Lucifer. At eleven o'clock, the last hour of his life, Faustus tried to conceive of every way to escape hell. For one thing, he commanded the sun to stay still, so that the hour would not pass; as seen in O lente, lente currite noctis equi!.