MAX.

I follow thee? Thy way is crooked—it is not my way. - [Octavio drops his hand, and starts back. O, hadst thou been but simple and sincere, Ne'er had it coine to this—all had stood otherwise. He had not done that foul and horrible deed, The virtuous had retain'd their influence o'er him: He had not fallen into the snares of villains. Wherefore so like a thief, and thief's accomplice Didst creep behind him—lurking for thy prey ! O, unblest falsehood' Mother of all evil! Thou misery-making daemon, it is thou That sink'st us in perdition. Simple truth, Sustainer of the world, had saved us all! Father, I will not, I cannot excuse thee! Wallenstein has deceived me–0, most foully! But thou hast acted not much better. octaw Io.

Son | My son, ah! I forgive thy agony! Max. (rises, and contemplates his father with looks of suspicion). Was 't possible? hadst thou the heart, my father, Iladst thou the heart to drive it to such lengths, With cold premeditated purpose? Thou– Hadst thou the heart, to wish to see him guilty, Rather than saved? Thou risest by his fall. Octavio, 't will not please me. octavio. God in Heaven MAx. 0, woe is me! sure I have changed my nature. How comes suspicion here—in the free soul? Hope, confidence, belief, are gone; for all Lied to me, all that I e'er loved or honour’d. No no! not all! She-she yet lives for me, And she is true, and open as the Ileavens! Deceit is every where, hypocrisy, Murder, and poisoning, treason, perjury: The single holy spot is our love, The only unprofaned in human nature. oct'AW io. Max."—we will go together. T will be better. ni Ax. What? ere I've taken a last parting leave, The very last—no never! octavio. Spare thyself The pang of necessary separation. Come with me! Come, my son [Attempts to take him with him. MAA. God lives, no! octavio (more urgently). Come with me, 1 command thee! I, thy father.

M.A.X. Command me what is human. I stay here. - octavio. Max. in the Emperor's name I bid thee come. M.A.X.

No Emperor has power to prescribe
Laws to the heart; and wouldst thou wish to rob me
Of the sole blessing which my fate has left me,
Her sympathy Must then a cruel deed o
lie done with cruelty? The unalterable

more passages whose excellence will bear reflection, than in the former productions of Schiller. The description of the Astrological Tower, and the reflections of the Young Lover, which follow it, form in the original a fine poem; and my translation must have been wretched indeed, if it can have wholly overclouded the beauties of the Scene in the first Act of the first Play between Questenberg, Max., and Octavio Piccolomini. If we except the Scene of the setting sun in the Robbers, I know of no part in Schiller's Plays which equals the whole of the first Scene of the fifth Act of the concluding Play. It would be unbecoming in me to be more diffuse on this subject. A Translator stands connected with the original Author by a certain law of subordination, which makes it more decorous to point out excellencies than defects: indeed he is not likely to be a fair judge of either. The pleasure or disgust from his own labour will mingle with the feelings that arise from an after-view of the original. Even in the first perusal of a work in any foreign language which we understand, we are apt to attribute to it thore excellence than it really possesses from our own pleasureable sense of difficulty overcome without effort. Translation of poetry into poetry is difficult, because the Translator must give a brilliancy to his language without that warmth of original conception, from which such brilliancy would follow of its own accord. But the Translator of a living Author is encumbered with additional inconveniencies. If he render his original faithfully, as to the sense of each passage, he must, necessarily, destroy a considerable portion of the spirit; if he endeavour to give a work executed according to laws of compensation, he subjects himself to imputations of vanity, or misrepresentation. I have thought it my duty to remain bound by the sense of my original, with as few exceptions as the nature of the languages rendered possible.

DRAMATIS PERSONAE.

Wallenstein, Duke of Friedland, Generalissimo of the Imperial Forces in the Thirty-years' War.

Duchess of Faiedland, Wife of Wallenstein.

Thekla, her Daughter, Princess of Friedland.

The Coux ress Tearsky, Sister of the Duchess.

LAny Neubau NN.

Octavio Piccolomix1, Lieutenant General.

Max. Piccolomini, his son, Colonel of a Regiment of Cuirassiers.

Count Tearsky, the Commander of several Regiments, and Brother-in-law of Wallenstein.

Illo, Field Marshal, Wallenstein's Confidant.

Burlem, an Irishman, Commander of a Regiment of Dragoons.

Gordon, Governor of Egra.

Majon Graaldtw.

Capra in Devekkux.

— — — MacDonald.

Noum ANN, Captain of Cavalry, Aide-de-camp to Tertsky.

Swedish CArtAix.

Saxt.

Bukoomasten of Egra.

Assposs Ape of the Cuirassiers.

Gaoons of rue CuAM bef,

A PAC, E,

Cora assikas, DnAgoons, Sehwants.

| Felonging to the Duke.

countess. It does not please me, Princess, that he holds Himself so still, exactly at this time. The RLA. Exactly at this time? countess. He now knows all : "T were now the moment to declare himself. ther, L.A. If I'm to understand you, speak less darkly. countess. 'Twas for that purpose that I bade her leave us. Thekla, you are no more a child. Your heart Is now no more in nonage: for you love, And boldness dwells with love—that you have proved. Your nature moulds itself upon your father's More than your mother's spirit. Therefore may you Hear, what were too much for her fortitude. The KLA. Enough : no further preface, I entreat you. At once, out with it! Be it what it may, It is not possible that it should torture me More than this introduction. What have you To say to me? Tell me the whole, and briefly! countess. You'll not be frighten’d——

with most implicit unconditional faith,
Sure of the right path if I follow'd thee.
To-day, for the first time, dost thou refer
Me to myself, and forcest me to make
Election between thee and my own heart. .
wall. ENSTEIN.
Soft cradled thee thy Fortune till to day;
Thy duties thou couldst exercise in sport,
Indulge all lovely instincts, act for ever
With undivided heart. It can remain
No longer thus. Like enemies, the roads
Start from each other. Duties strive with duties.
Thou must needs chuse thy party in the war
Which is now kindling 'twixt thy friend and him
Who is thy Emperor.
MAx.
War! is that the name?
war is as frightful as heaven's pestilence.
Yet it is good, is it heaven's will as that is.
Is that a good war, which against the Emperor
Thou wagest with the Emperor's own army?
O God of heaven! what a change is this.
Bescems it me to offer such persuasion
To thee, who like the fix'd star of the pole
Wert all I gazed at on life's trackless ocean?
O! what a rent thou makest in my heart!
The ingrain'd instinct of old reverence,
The holy habit of obediency,
Must 1 pluck live asunder from thy name *
Nay, do not turn thy countenance upon me–
It always was as a god looking at me!
Duke Wallenstein, its power is not departed:
The senses still are in thy bonds, although,
Bleeding, the soul hath freed itself.
wal, Le NSTEIN.
Max. hear me.
M. A. Y.
O! do it not, I pray thee, do it not
There is a pure and noble soul within thee,
Knows not of this unblest, unlucky doing.
Thy will is chaste, it is thy fancy only
Which hath polluted thee—and innocence,
It will not let itself be driven away
From that world-awing aspect. Thou will not,
Thou canst not, end in this. It would reduce
All human creatures to disloyalty
Against the nobleness of their own nature.
"T will justify the vulgar misbelief,
Which holdeth nothing noble in free will,
And trusts itself to impotence alone,
Made powerful only in an unknown power.
wati.enstein.
The world will judge me sternly, I expect it.
Already have I said to my own self
All thou canst say to ine. Who but avoids
The extreme, can he by going round avoid it 2
But here there is no choice. Yes—I must use
Or suffer violence—so stands the case,
There remains nothing possible but that.
- at ax.
O that is never possible for thee!
'T is the last desperate resource of those
Cheap souls, to whom their honour, their good name
ls their poor saving, their last worthless keep,
Which having staked and lost, they stake themselves
on the mad rage of gaming. Thou art rich,

And glorious; with an unpolluted heart
Thou canst make conquest of whate'er seems highest
But he, who once hath acted infamy,
Does nothing more in this world.
wallenstein (grasps his hand).
Calmly, Max."
Much that is great and excellent will we
Perform together yet. And if we only
Stand on the height with dignity, "t is soon
Forgotten, Max., by what road we ascended.
Believe me, many a crown shines spotless now,
That yet was deeply sullied in the winning.
To the evil spirit doth the earth belong,
Not to the good. All, that the powers divine
Send from above, are universal blessings:
Their light rejoices us, their air refreshes,
But never yet was man enrich'd by them :
In their eternal realm no property
Is to be struggled for—all there is general.
The jewel, the all-valued gold we win
From the deceiving Powers, depravel in nature,
That dwell beneath the day and blessed sun-light.
Not without sacrifices are they render'd
Propitious, and there lives no soul on earth
That e'er retired unsullied from their service.
M A X.
Whate'er is human, to the human being
Do I allow—and to the vehement
And striving spirit readily I pardon
The excess of action; but to thee, my General!
Above all others make I large concession.
For thou must move a world, and be the master–
He kills thee, who condemns thee to inaction.
So be it then maintain thee in thy post
By violence. Resist the Emperor,
And if it must be, force with force repel:
I will not praise it, yet I can forgive it.
But not—not to the traitor—yes!—the word
Is spoken out—— .
Not to the traitor can I yield a pardon.
That is no mere excess! that is no error
Of human nature—that is wholly different,
O that is black, black as the pit of hell!
[WAllensteix betrays a sudden agitation.

Thou canst not hear it named, and will thou do it?
O turn back to thy duty. That thou canst,
I hold it certain. Send me to Vienna :
I'll make thy peace for thee with the Emperor.
He knows thee not. But I do know thee. He
Shall see thee, Duke with my unclouded eye,
And I bring back his considence to thee.

wai, LENSTEl N. It is too late. Thou knowest not what has happen'd.

M.A.X.

Were it too late, and were things gone so far,
That a crime only could prevent thy fall,
Then—fall ! fall honourably, even as thou stood'st.
Lose the command. Go from the stage of war.
Thou canst with splendour do it—do it too
With innocence. Thou hast lived much for others,
At length live thou for thy own self. I follow thee.
My destiny I never part from thine.

w Allt N's rei N.
It is too late | Even now, while thou art losing
Thy words, one after the other are the mile-stones
Left fast behind by my post courters,

Who bear the order on to Prague and Egra.
[Max. stands as convulsed, with a gesture and
countenance expressing the most intense an-
quish.
Yield thyself to it. We act as we are forced.
I cannot give assent to my own shame
And ruin. Thou—no—thou canst not forsake me!
So let us do, what must be done, with dignity,
With a firm step. What am I doing worse
Than did famed Caesar at the Rubicon,
When he the legions led against his country,
The which his country had deliver'd to him
Had he thrown down the sword, he had been lost,
As I were, if I but disarm'd myself.
I trace out something in me of his spirit;
Give me his luck, that other thing I'll bear.
[Max. Quits him abrupty. WAllenstein, startled
and overpowered, continues looking after him,
and is still in this posture when Teatsky
enters.

TERTsky. Max. Piccolomini just left you? wall-e-Nstein. Where is Wrangel? Triarsky. He is already gone. wallrwst El N. In such a hurry? to Ritsky. It is as if the earth had swallow'd him. He had scarce left thee, when I went to seek him. I wish’d some words with him—but he was gone. How, when, and where, could no one tell me. Nay, I half believe it was the devil himself; A human creature could not so at once Have vanish'd, illo (enters). Is it true that thou wilt send Octavior tertsky. How, Octavio' Whither send him! walls wstein. He goes to Frauenberg, and will lead hither The Spanish and Italian regiments. 1 L.Lo. No! Nay, Heaven forbid? wat, lenstein. And why should Heaven forbid? I LL0. Ilim — that deceiver! Wouldst thou trust to him The soldiery? Him wilt thou let slip from thee, Now, in the very instant that decides us——

Who have always trusted him? What, then, has happen'd,
That I should lose my good opinion of him?
In complaisance to your whims, not my own,
I must, forsooth, live up a rooted judgment.
Think not I am a woman. Having trusted him
Een till to-day, to-day too will I trust him.
Tentsky.
Must it be he—he only 1 Send another.
w A LLENster N.
It must be he, whom I myself have chosen;
He is well fitted for the business. Therefore
I gave it him. -
Ilf.o.
Because he's an Italian–
Therefore is he well sitted for the business!
wall.enstein.
l know you love them not—nor sire nor son—
Because that I esteem them, love them—visibly
Esteem them, love them more than you and others,
E'en as they merit. Therefore are they eve-blights,
Thorns in your foot-path. But your jealousies,
In what affect they me or my concerns?
Are they the worse to me because you hate them?
Love or hate one another as you will,
I leave to each man his own moods and likings;
Yet know the worth of each of you to me.
1.Lo.
Von Questenberg, while he was here, was always
Lurking about with this Octavio.
war, lenstein.
It happen'd with my knowledge and permission.
illo. -
I know that secret messengers came to him
From Galas——

wallenstein. That's not true. ILL0. O thou art blind, With thy deep-seeing eyes! wALLENSTriN. Thou wilt not shake My faith for me—my faith, which founds itself On the profoundest science. If t is false, Then the whole science of the stars is false; For know, I have a pledge from Fate itself, That he is the most faithful of my friends. 1 Llo. hast thou a pledge, that this pledge is not false? wallenstel N. There exist moments in the life of man, when he is nearer the great Soul of the world Than is man's custom, and possesses freely The power of questioning his destiny: And such a moment’t was, when in the night Before the action in the plains of Lützen, Leaning against a tree, thoughts crowding thoughts, I look'd out far upon the ominous plain. My whole life, past and future, in this moment Before my mind's eye glided in procession, And to the destiny of the next morning The spirit, fill'd with anxious presentiment, Did knit the most removed futurity. Then said I also to myself, . So many Dost thou command. They follow all thy stars, And as on some great number set their All Upon thy single head, and only man