Water'd and nurs'd the pois'nous plants. May they Receive their earnests to the uttermost mite!

BUTLER.

And their death shall precede his!

We meant to have taken them alive this evening Amid the merry-making of a feast,

And keep them prisoners in the citadels

But this makes shorter work. I go this instant To give the necessary orders.

SCENE VII.

To these enter ILLO and TERTSKY.

TERTSKY.

Our luck is on the turn. To-morrow come
The Swedes-twelve thousand gallant warriors, Illo
Then straightways for Vienna. Cheerily, friend!
What! meet such news with such a moody face?

ILLO.

It lies with us at present to prescribe

Laws, and take vengeance on those worthless traitors
Those skulking cowards that deserted us;
One has already done his bitter penance,
The Piccolomini: be his the fate

Of all who wish us evil! This flies sure

To the old man's heart; he has his whole life long
Fretted and toil'd to raise his ancient house
From a Count's title to the name of Prince;
And now must seek a grave for his only son.

BUTLER.

'Twas pity, though! A youth of such heroic And gentle temperament! The Duke himself, "Twas easily seen, how near it went to his hear

ILLO.

Hark ye, old friend! That is the very point That never pleased me in our GeneralHe ever gave the preference to the Italians. Yea, at this very moment, by my soul! He'd gladly see us all dead ten times over, Could he thereby recall his friend to life.

TERTSKY.

Hush, hush! Let the dead rest! This evening's

business

Is, who can fairly drink the other downYour regiment, Illo! gives the entertainment, Come! we will keep a merry carnival

The night for once be day, and 'mid full glasses Will we expect the Swedish avant-garde.

ILLO.

Yes, let us be of good cheer for to-day,

For there's hot work before us, friends! This sword
Shall have no rest, till it be bathed to the hilt
In Austrian blood.

GORDON.

Shame, shame! what talk is this My Lord Field Marshal? Wherefore foam you so Against your Emperor?

BUTLER.

Hope not too much From this first victory. Bethink you, sirs! How rapidly the wheel of Fortune turns; The Emperor still is formidably strong.

ILLO.

The Emperor has soldiers, no commander
For this King Ferdinand of Hungary
Is but a tyro. Galas? He's no luck,

And was of old the ruiner of armies.
And then this viper, this Octavio,
Is excellent at stabbing in the back,
But ne'er meets Friedland in the open field.

TERTSKY.

Trust me, my friends, it cannot but succeed;
Fortune, we know, can ne'er forsake the Duke!
And only under Wallenstein can Austria
Be conqueror.

ILLO.

The Duke will soon assemble

A mighty army: all comes crowding, streaming
To banners, dedicate by destiny,

To fame, and prosperous fortune. I behold
Old times come back again! he will become
Once more the mighty Lord which he has been.
How will the fools, who've now deserted him,
Look then? I can't but laugh to think of them,
For lands will he present to all his friends,
And like a King and Emperor reward
True services; but we've the nearest claims.

[To GORDON.
You will not be forgotten, Governor!
He'll take you from this nest, and bid you shine
In higher station: your fidelity
Well merits it.

The sun has set;
A fateful evening doth descend upon us,
And brings on their long night! Their evil stars
Deliver them unarm'd into our hands,

And from their drunken dream of golden fortunes
The dagger at their heart shall rouse them. Well,
The Duke was ever a great calculator,
His fellow-men were figures on his chess-board,
To move and station, as his game required.
Other men's honor, dignity, good name,

Did he shift like pawns, and made no conscience of it
Still calculating, calculating still;
And yet at last his calculation proves
Erroneous; the whole game is lost; and lo!
His own life will be found among the forfeits.

GORDON.

O think not of his errors now; remember
His greatness, his munificence, think on all
The lovely features of his character,
On all the noble exploits of his life,

ILLO.

What! we are masters here; no soul shall dare
Avow himself imperial where we've the rule.
Gordon! good night, and for the last time, take
A fair leave of the place. Send out patrols
To make secure, the watch-word may be alter'd
At the stroke of ten; deliver in the keys
To the Duke himself, and then you've quit for ever
Your wardship of the gates, for on to-morrow
The Swedes will take possession of the citadel.
TERTSKY (as he is going, to BUTLER).
You come, though, to the castle?

Arrest the lifted sword.

BUTLER.

It is too late.

I suffer not myself to feel compassion,
Dark thoughts and bloody are my duty now:
[Grasping GORDON'S hand.
Gordon! 'tis not my hatred (I pretend not
To love the Duke, and have no cause to love him),
Yet 'tis not now my hatred that impels me
To be his murderer. "Tis his evil fate.
Hostile concurrences of many events
Control and subjugate me to the office.
In vain the human being meditates

Free action. He is but the wire-work'd* puppet
Of the blind Power, which out of his own choice
Creates for him a dread necessity.

What too would it avail him, if there were
A something pleading for him in my heart-
Still I must kill him.

GORDON.

If your heart speak to you Follow its impulse. "Tis the voice of God. Think you your fortunes will grow prosperous Bedew'd with blood-his blood? Believe it not!

We doubt the propriety of putting so blasphemous a sentiment in the mouth of any character. T.

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Our own heart, and not other men's opinions,
Forms our true honor.

BUTLER (with a cold and haughty air).
He is a great Lord,

This Duke and I am but of mean importance.
This is what you would say? Wherein concerns it
The world at large, you mean to hint to me,
Whether the man of low extraction keeps
Or blemishes his honor-

So that the man of princely rank be saved?
We all do stamp our value on ourselves.
The price we challenge for ourselves is given us.
There does not live on earth the man so station'd,
That I despise myself compared with him.
Man is made great or little by his own will;
Because I am true to mine, therefore he dies.

GORDON.

I am endeavoring to move a rock.
Thou hadst a mother, yet no human feelings.
I cannot hinder you, but may some God
Rescue him from you!

ACT IV.

SCENE I.

SCENE-Butler's Chamber.

BUTLER, MAJOR, and GERALDIN.

BUTLER.

Find me twelve strong Dragoons, arm them with pikes,

For there must be no firing

Conceal them somewhere near the banquet-rocm, And soon as the dessert is served up, rush all in

And cry-Who is loyal to the Emperor?

I will overturn the table-while you attack
Illo and Tertsky, and dispatch them both.
The castle-palace is well barr'd and guarded,
That no intelligence of this proceeding
May make its way to the Duke.-Go instantly;
Have you yet sent for Captain Devereux
And the Macdonald?-

GERALDIN.

They'll be here anon. [Exit GERALDIN.

BUTLER.

Here's no room for delay. The citizens
Declare for him, a dizzy drunken spirit
Possesses the whole town. They see in the Duke
A Prince of peace, a founder of new ages
And golden times. Arms too have been given out
By the town-council, and a hundred citizens
Have volunteer'd themselves to stand on guard
Dispatch then be the word. For enemies
Threaten us from without and from within.

SCENE II.

BUTLER, CAPTAIN DEVEREUX, and MACDONALD.

MACDONALD.

Here we are, General.

[Exit GORDON.

I stand beside him, and must feel myself

DEVEREUX.

What's to be the watch-word? BUTLER.

BOTH (recoiling). How?

BUTLER.

Live the House of Austria'

DEVEREUX.

Have we not sworn fidelity to Friedland?

MACDONALD.

Have we not march'd to this place to protect him?

BUTLER.

Protect a traitor, and his country's enemy!

DEVEREUX.

As well as any other. What think you, Brother Macdonald?

MACDONALD.

Why, if he must fall, And will fall, and it can't be otherwise, One would not give place to this Pestalutz. DEVEREUX (after some reflection). When do you purpose he should fall?

BUTLER.

This night

To-morrow will the Swedes be at our gates.

DEVEREUX.

You take upon you all the consequences'

BUTLER.

I take the whole upon me.

DEVEREUX.

And it is

The Emperor's will, his express absolute will? For we have instances, that folks may like The murder, and yet hang the murderer.

BUTLER.

The manifesto says-alive or dead.

Alive 't is not possible-you see it is not.

DEVEREUX.

What avails sword or dagger against him?

The town is fill'd with Tertsky's soldiery.

The Duke presented thee this good warm coat,

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