In vain his supplication! At this moment
The Duke hears only his old hate and grudge,
Barters the general good to gratify
Private revenge-and so falls Regenspurg.
WALLENSTEIN, TERTSKY, ILLO.-To them enter QUES-
TENBERG, OCTAVIO and MAX. PICCOLOMINI, BUT-
LER, ISOLANI, MARADAS, and three other Generals. Max., to what period of the war alludes he?
WALLENSTEIN motions QUESTENBERG, who in con
sequence takes the chair directly opposite to him; the My recollection fails me here!
others follow, arranging themselves according to their rank. There reigns a momentary silence.
I have understood, 'tis true, the sum and import
Of your instructions, Questenberg; have weigh'd
And form'd my final, absolute resolve:
Yet it seems fitting, that the Generals
Should hear the will of the Emperor from your mouth. The Swedes and Saxons from the province.
May't please you then to open your commission
Before these noble Chieftains?
To obey you; but will first entreat your Highness,
And all these noble Chieftains, to consider,
The Imperial dignity and sovereign right
Speaks from my mouth, and not my own presumption.
When his Majesty
The Emperor to his courageous armies
Presented in the person of Duke Friedland
A most experienced and renown'd commander,
He did it in glad hope and confidence
To give thereby to the fortune of the war
A rapid and auspicious change. The onset
Was favorable to his royal wishes.
Bohemia was deliver'd from the Saxons,
The Swede's career of conquest check'd! These lands
Began to draw breath freely, as Duke Friedland
From all the streams of Germany forced hither
The scatter'd armies of the enemy;
Hither invoked as round one magic circle
The Rhinegrave, Bernhard, Banner, Oxenstein,
Yea, and that never-conquer'd King himself;
Here finally, before the eye of Nürnberg,
The fearful game of battle to decide.
May't please you, to the point.
In Nirnberg's camp the Swedish monarch left
His fame-in Lützen's plains his life. But who
Stood not astounded, when victorious Friedland
After this day of triumph, this proud day,
March'd toward Bohemia with the speed of flight,
And vanish'd from the theatre of war;
While the young Weimar hero forced his way
Into Franconia, to the Danube, like
Some delving winter-stream, which, where it rushes,
Makes its own channel; with such sudden speed
He march'd, and now at once 'fore Regenspurg
Stood to the affright of all good Catholic Christians.
Then did Bavaria's well-deserving Prince
Entreat swift aidance in his extreme need;
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Beside the river Oder did the Duke
Assert his ancient fame. Upon the fields
Of Steinau did the Swedes lay down their arms,
Subdued without a blow. And here, with others
The righteousness of Heaven to his avenger
Deliver'd that long-practised stirrer-up
Of insurrection, that curse-laden torch
And kindler of this war, Matthias Thur.
But he had fallen into magnanimous hands,
Instead of punishment he found reward,
And with rich presents did the Duke dismiss
The arch-foe of his Emperor.
WALLENSTEIN (laughs).
I know,
I know you had already in Vienna
Your windows and balconies all forestall'd
To see him on the executioner's cart.
I might have lost the battle, lost it too
With infamy, and still retain'd your graces-
But, to have cheated them of spectacle,
Oh! that the good folks of Vienna never,
No, never can forgive me!
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The troops were pitiably destitute
Of every necessary, every comfort.
The winter came. What thinks his Majesty
His troops are made of? An't we men? subjected
Like other men to wet, and cold, and all
The Emperor sends seven horsemen to Duke Fried- The circumstances of necessity?
land,
O miserable lot of the poor soldier!
Seven horsemen couriers sends he with the entreaty: Wherever he comes in, all flee before him,
He superadds his own, and supplicates
Where as the sovereign lord he can command.
And when he goes away, the general curse
Follows him on his route. All must be seized,
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Yes! 'tis my fault, I know it: I myself
Have spoilt the Emperor by indulging him.
Nine years ago, during the Danish war,
I raised him up a force, a mighty force,
Forty or fifty thousand men, that cost him
Of his own purse no doit. Through Saxony
The fury goddess of the war march'd on,
E'en to the surf-rocks of the Baltic, bearing
The terrors of his name. That was a time!
In the whole Imperial realm no name like mine
Honor'd with festival and celebration-
And Albrecht Wallenstein, it was the title
Of the third jewel in his crown!
But at the Diet, when the Princes met
At Regensburg, there, there the whole broke out,
There 'twas laid open, there it was made known,
Out of what money-bag I had paid the host
And what was now my thank, what had I now,
That I, a faithful servant of the Sovereign,
Had loaded on myself the people's curses,
And let the Princes of the empire pay
The expenses of this war, that aggrandizes
The Emperor alone-What thanks had I?
What? I was offer'd up to their complaints,
Dismiss'd, degraded !
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I had that which could have procured him freedom.
No! since 't was proved so inauspicious to me
To serve the Emperor at the empire's cost,
I have been taught far other trains of thinking
Of the empire, and the diet of the empire.
From the Emperor, doubtless, I received this staff,
But now I hold it as the empire's general-
For the common weal, the universal interest,
And no more for that one man's aggrandizement!
But to the point. What is it that's desired of me?
First, his Imperial Majesty hath will'd
* The original is not translatable into English; -Und sein Sold
Muss dem Soldaten werden, darnach heisst er.
It might perhaps have been thus rendered:
And that for which he sold his services,
The soldier must receive.
I accepted the command but on conditions:
And this the first, that to the diminution
Of my authority no human being,
Not even the Emperor's self, should be entitled
To do aught, or to say aught, with the army
But a false or doubtful etymology is no more than a dull pun. If I stand warranter of the event,
Placing my honor and my head in pledge,
Needs must I have full mastery in all
The means thereto. What render'd this Gustavus
Resistless, and unconquer'd upon earth?
This-that he was the monarch in his army!
A monarch, one who is indeed a monarch,
Was never yet subdued but by his equal.
But to the point! The best is yet to come.
Attend now, generals!
QUESTENBERG.
The Prince Cardinal
Begins his route at the approach of spring
From the Milanese; and leads a Spanish army
Through Germany into the Netherlands.
That he may march secure and unimpeded,
"Tis the Emperor's will you grant him a detachment Of eight horse regiments from the army here.
Yes, yes! I understand!-Eight regiments! Well,
Right well concerted, father Lamormain!
Eight thousand horse! Yes, yes! "Tis as it should be!
I see it coming.
QUESTENBERG.
There is nothing coming.
All stands in front: the counsel of state-prudence, The dictate of necessity!
What, my Lord Envoy? May I not be suffer'd
To understand, that folks are tired of seeing
The sword's hilt in my grasp: and that your court
Snatch eagerly at this pretence, and use
The Spanish title, to drain off my forces,
To lead into the empire a new army
Unsubjected to my control? To throw me
Plumply aside,-I am still too powerful for you
To venture that. My stipulation runs,
That all the Imperial forces shall obey me
Where'er the German is the native language.
Of Spanish troops and of Prince Cardinals
That take their route, as visitors, through the empire,
There stands no syllable in my stipulation.
No syllable! And so the politic court
Steals in a tiptoe, and creeps round behind it;
First makes me weaker, then to be dispensed with,
Till it dares strike at length a bolder blow
And make short work with me.
What need of all these crooked ways, Lord Envoy?
Straight forward, man! His compact with me pinches
The Emperor. He would that I moved off!—
Well!-I will gratify him!
Forbid it Heaven, that it should come to this! Our troops will swell in dreadful fermentationThe Emperor is abused-it cannot be.
It cannot be; all goes to instant wreck.
Thou hast said truly, faithful Isolani!
What we with toil and foresight have built up
Will go to wreck-all go to instant wreck.
What then? another chieftain is soon found,
Another army likewise (who dares doubt it?)
Will flock from all sides to the Emperor,
At the first beat of his recruiting drum.
[During this speech, ISOLANI, TERTSKY, ILLO, and MARADAS talk confusedly with great agitation.
MAX. PICCOLOMINI (busily and passionately going from one to another, and soothing them. Hear, my commander! Hear me, generals! Let me conjure you, Duke! Determine nothing, Till we have met and represented to you Our joint remonstrances.-Nay, calmer! Friends! I hope all may be yet set right again.
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Where's he who means to rob us of our general?
TIEFENBACH (at the same time).
What are we forced to hear? That thou wilt leave us!
KOLATTO (at the same time).
We will live with thee, we will die with thee.
WALLENSTEIN (with stateliness, and pointing to II.LO)
[Here there commences an agitation among the There! the Feld-Marshal knows our will.
Generals, which increases continually.
It grieves me for my noble officers' sakes!
I see not yet, by what means they will come at
The moneys they have advanced, or how obtain
The recompense their services demand.
Still a new leader brings new claimants forward,
And prior merit superannuates quickly.
There serve here many foreigners in the army,
And were the man in all else brave and gallant,
I was not went to make nice scrutiny
After his pedigree or catechism.
This will be otherwise, i' the time to come.
Well-me no longer it concerns. [He seats himself.
[While all are going off the Stage, the curtain drops.
SCENE-A small Chamber.
ILLO and TERTSKY.
Now for this evening's business! How intend you To manage with the generals at the banquet?
Attend! We frame a formal declaration,
Wherein we to the Duke consign ourselves
Collectively, to be and to remain
His both with life and limb, and not to spare
The last drop of our blood for him, provided
So doing we infringe no oath or duty,
We may be under to the Emperor.-Mark!
This reservation we expressly make
In a particular clause, and save the conscience.
Now hear! This formula so framed and worded
Will be presented to them for perusal
Before the banquet. No one will find in it
Cause of offence or scruple. Hear now further!
After the feast, when now the vap'ring wine
Opens the heart, and shuts the eyes, we let
A counterfeited paper, in the which
This one particular clause has been left out,
Go round for signatures.
How! think you then That they'll believe themselves bound by an oath, Which we had trick'd them into by a juggle?
We shall have caught and caged them! Let them then
Beat their wings bare against the wires, and rave
Loud as they may against our treachery;
At court their signatures will be believed
Far more than their most holy affirmations.
Traitors they are, and must be; therefore wisely
Will make a virtue of necessity.
Well, well, it shall content me; let but something Be done, let only some decisive blow
Besides, 'tis of subordinate importance
How, or how far, we may thereby propel
The Generals.. "Tis enough that we persuade
The Duke that they are his-Let him but act
In his determined mood, as if he had them,
And he will have them. Where he plunges in,
He makes a whirlpool, and all stream down to it.
His policy is such a labyrinth,
That many a time when I have thought myself
Close at his side, he's gone at once, and left me
Ignorant of the ground where I was standing.
He lends the enemy his ear, permits me
To write to them, to Arnheim; to Sesina
Himself comes forward blank and undisguised;
Talks with us by the hour about his plans,
And when I think I have him-off at once-
He has slipp'd from me, and appears as if
He had no scheme, but to retain his place.
He give up his old plans! I'll tell you, friend!
His soul is occupied with nothing else,
Even in his sleep-They are his thoughts, his dreams,
That day by day he questions for this purpose
The motions of the planets
Ay! you know This night, that is now coming, he with SENI Shuts himself up in the astrological tower To make joint observations--for I hear,
[Talking to herself, while she is advancing Here's no need of full powers and commissions— My cloudy Duke! we understand each otherAnd without words. What, could I not unriddle, Wherefore the daughter should be sent for hither, Why first he, and no other, should be chosen To fetch her hither? This sham of betrothing her To a bridegroom,* when no one knows-No! no!This may blind others! I see through thee, Brother' But it beseems thee not, to draw a card At such a game. Not yet!-It all remains Mutely deliver'd up to my finessingWell-thou shalt not have been deceived, Duke Friedland'
In her who is thy sister.
SERVANT (enters).
The commanders!
TERTSKY (to the COUNTESS).
Take care you heat his fancy and affections
* In Germany, after honorable addresses have been paid and formally accepted, the lovers are called Bride and Bridegroom. even though the marriage should not take place till years afterwards.
All rests upon his undersigning.
COUNTESS (interrupting him).
When even, methought, with such a world as this
I was not discontented. Now, how flat!
How stale! No life, no bloom, no flavor in it!
Where art staying, Tertsky? My comrades are intolerable to me.
The house is full, and all expecting you.
COUNTESS, MAX. PICCOLOMINI.
MAX. (peeping in on the stage shyly).
Aunt Tertsky! may I venture?
My father-Even to him I can say nothing.
My arms, my military duties-O!
They are such wearying toys!
But, gentle friend!
I must entreat it of your condescension,
You would be pleased to sink your eye, and favor
With one short glance or two this poor stale world
Where even now much, and of much moment,
Is on the eve of its completion.
I can't but know, is going forward round me.
I see it gathering, crowding, driving on,
In wild uncustomary movements. Well,
In due time, doubtless, it will reach even me.
Where think you I have been, dear lady? Nay,
[Advances to the middle of the stage, and looks No raillery. The turmoil of the camp,
around him with uneasiness.
The spring-tide of acquaintance rolling in,
The pointless jest, the empty conversation,
Oppress'd and stiffen'd me. I gasp'd for air—
I could not breathe-I was constrain'd to fly,
To seek a silence out for my full heart;
And a pure spot wherein to feel my happiness.
No smiling, Countess! In the church was I.
There is a cloister here to the heaven's gate,*
Thither I went, there found myself alone.
Over the altar hung a holy mother;
A wretched painting 't was, yet 't was the friend
That I was seeking in this moment. Ah,
How oft have I beheld that glorious form
In splendor, 'mid ecstatic worshippers;
Yet, still it moved me not! and now at once
Was my devotion cloudless as my love.
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