ACT III

[11]dear1800,1828,1829.

dear1800,1828,1829.

[15]here, are there? (looks round the whole circle with a jolly and triumphant air)1800,1828,1829.

here, are there? (looks round the whole circle with a jolly and triumphant air)1800,1828,1829.

Before16Tertsky (to Butler, eagerly).1800,1828,1829.

Before19Illo (cordially).1800,1828,1829.

[22]parsed1800,1828,1829.

parsed1800,1828,1829.

Before23Max (waking as from a dream).1800,1828,1829.

After24[Octaviodirects his eyes on him with intense anxiety.1800,1828,1829.

[26]business1800,1828,1829.

business1800,1828,1829.

Before49Tertsky (in extreme embarrassment, to the, &c.1800,1828,1829.

Before51Isolani (with a bitter laugh).1800,1828,1829.

[51]tattles1800,1828,1829.

tattles1800,1828,1829.

Before55Tertsky (interrupting him).1800,1828,1829.

Before56Illo (raising his voice to the highest pitch).1800,1828,1829.

[57]proviso1800,1828,1829.

proviso1800,1828,1829.

Before58Max (has his attention roused, and looks again into the paper).1800,1828,1829.

[67]was1800,1828,1829.

was1800,1828,1829.

Scene.—A Chamber inPiccolomini'sMansion.—Night.

Octavio Piccolomini.AValet de Chambre,with Lights.

Octavio.——And when my son comes in, conduct him hither.What is the hour?Valet.'Tis on the point of morning.Octavio.Set down the light. We mean not to undress.You may retire to sleep.

Octavio.——And when my son comes in, conduct him hither.What is the hour?

Valet.'Tis on the point of morning.

Octavio.Set down the light. We mean not to undress.You may retire to sleep.

[Exit Valet.Octaviopaces, musing, across the chamber;Max Piccolominienters unobserved, and looks at his father for some moments in silence.

Max.Art thou offended with me? Heaven knows5That odious business was no fault of mine.'Tis true, indeed, I saw thy signature.What thou hadst sanctioned, should not, it might seem,Have come amiss to me. But—'tis my nature—Thou know'st that in such matters I must follow10My own light, not another's.Octavio (embraces him).Follow it,O follow it still further, my best son!To-night, dear boy! it hath more faithfullyGuided thee than the example of thy father.Max.Declare thyself less darkly.Octavio.I will do so.15For after what has taken place this night,There must remain no secrets 'twixt us two.[Both seat themselves.Max Piccolomini! what thinkest thou ofThe oath that was sent round for signatures?Max.I hold it for a thing of harmless import,20Although I love not these set declarations.Octavio.And on no other ground hast thou refused[673]The signature they fain had wrested from thee?Max.It was a serious business——I was absent—The affair itself seemed not so urgent to me.25Octavio.Be open, Max. Thou hadst then no suspicion?Max.Suspicion! what suspicion? Not the least.Octavio.Thank thy good angel, Piccolomini:He drew thee back unconscious from the abyss.Max.I know not what thou meanest.Octavio.I will tell thee.30Fain would they have extorted from thee, son,The sanction of thy name to villainy;Yea, with a single flourish of thy pen,Made thee renounce thy duty and thy honour!Max (rises).Octavio!Octavio.Patience! Seat yourself. Much yet35Hast thou to hear from me, friend!—hast for yearsLived in incomprehensible illusion.Before thine eyes is Treason drawing outAs black a web as e'er was spun for venom:A power of hell o'erclouds thy understanding.40I dare no longer stand in silence—dareNo longer see thee wandering on in darkness,Nor pluck the bandage from thine eyes.Max.My father!Yet, ere thou speak'st, a moment's pause of thought!If your disclosures should appear to be45Conjectures only—and almost I fearThey will be nothing further—spare them! IAm not in that collected mood at present,That I could listen to them quietly.Octavio.The deeper cause thou hast to hate this light,50The more impatient cause have I, my son,To force it on thee. To the innocenceAnd wisdom of thy heart I could have trusted theeWith calm assurance—but I see the netPreparing—and it is thy heart itself55Alarms me for thine innocence—that secret,Which thou concealest, forces mine from me.Know, then, they are duping thee!—a most foul game[674]With thee and with us all—nay, hear me calmly—The Duke even now is playing. He assumes60The mask, as if he would forsake the army;And in this moment makes he preparationsThat army from the Emperor to steal,And carry it over to the enemy!Max.That low Priest's legend I know well, but did not65Expect to hear it from thy mouth.Octavio.That mouth,From which thou hearest it at this present moment,Doth warrant thee that it is no Priest's legend.Max.How mere a maniac they supposed the Duke!What, he can meditate?—the Duke?—can dream70That he can lure away full thirty thousandTried troops and true, all honourable soldiers,More than a thousand noblemen among them,From oaths, from duty, from their honour lure them,And make them all unanimous to do75A deed that brands them scoundrels?Octavio.Such a deed,With such a front of infamy, the DukeNo wise desires—what he requires of usBears a far gentler appellation. NothingHe wishes, but to give the Empire peace.80And so, because the Emperor hates this peace,Therefore the Duke—the Duke will force him to it.All parts of the Empire will he pacify,And for his trouble will retain in payment(What he has already in his gripe)—Bohemia!85Max.Has he, Octavio, merited of us,That we—that we should think so vilely of him?Octavio.What we would think is not the question here.The affair speaks for itself—and clearest proofs!Hear me, my son—'tis not unknown to thee,90In what ill credit with the Court we stand.But little dost thou know, or guess, what tricks,What base intrigues, what lying artifices,Have been employed—for this sole end—to sowMutiny in the camp! All bands are loosed—95Loosed all the bands, that link the officerTo his liege Emperor, all that bind the soldier[675]Affectionately to the citizen.Lawless he stands, and threateningly beleaguersThe state he's bound to guard. To such a height100'Tis swoln, that at this hour the EmperorBefore his armies—his own armies—trembles;Yea, in his capital, his palace, fearsThe traitor's poniards, and is meditatingTo hurry off and hide his tender offspring——105Not from the Swedes, not from the Lutherans—No! from his own troops hide and hurry them!Max.Cease, cease! thou tortur'st, shatter'st me. I knowThat oft we tremble at an empty terror;But the false phantasm brings a real misery.110Octavio.It is no phantasm. An intestine war,Of all the most unnatural and cruel,Will burst out into flames, if instantlyWe do not fly and stifle it. The GeneralsAre many of them long ago won over;115The subalterns are vacillating—wholeRegiments and garrisons are vacillating.To foreigners our strong holds are entrusted;To that suspected Schafgotch is the wholeForce of Silesia given up: to Tertsky120Five regiments, foot and horse—to Isolani,To Illo, Kinsky, Butler, the best troops.Max.Likewise to both of us.Octavio.Because the DukeBelieves he has secured us—means to lure usStill further on by splendid promises.125To me he portions forth the princedoms, GlatzAnd Sagan; and too plain I see the angleWith which he doubts not to catch thee.Max.No! no!I tell thee—no!Octavio.O open yet thine eyes!And to what purpose think'st thou he has called us130Hither to Pilsen?—to avail himselfOf our advice?—O when did Friedland everNeed our advice?—Be calm, and listen to me.To sell ourselves are we called hither, and,[676]Decline we that—to be his hostages.135Therefore doth noble Galas stand aloof;Thy father, too, thou would'st not have seen here,If higher duties had not held him fettered.Max.He makes no secret of it—needs make none—That we're called hither for his sake—he owns it.140He needs our aidance to maintain himself—He did so much for us; and 'tis but fairThat we too should do somewhat now for him.Octavio.And know'st thou what it is which we must do?That Illo's drunken mood betrayed it to thee.145Bethink thyself—what hast thou heard, what seen?The counterfeited paper—the omissionOf that particular clause, so full of meaning,Does it not prove, that they would bind us downTo nothing good?Max.That counterfeited paper150Appears to me no other than a trickOf Illo's own device. These underhandTraders in great men's interests ever useTo urge and hurry all things to the extreme.They see the Duke at variance with the court,155And fondly think to serve him, when they widenThe breach irreparably. Trust me, father,The Duke knows nothing of all this.Octavio.It grieves meThat I must dash to earth, that I must shatterA faith so specious; but I may not spare thee!160For this is not a time for tenderness.Thou must take measures, speedy ones—must act.I therefore will confess to thee, that allWhich I've entrusted to thee now—that allWhich seems to thee so unbelievable,165That—yes, I will tell thee—Max! I had it allFrom his own mouth—from the Duke's mouth I had it.Max.No!—no!—never!Octavio.Himself confided to meWhat I, 'tis true, had long before discoveredBy other means—himself confided to me,170That 'twas his settled plan to join the Swedes;And, at the head of the united armies,[677]Compel the Emperor—Max.He is passionate.The Court has stung him—he is sore all overWith injuries and affronts; and in a moment175Of irritation, what if he, for once,Forgot himself? He's an impetuous man.Octavio.Nay, in cold blood he did confess this to me:And having construed my astonishmentInto a scruple of his power, he shewed me180His written evidences—shewed me letters,Both from the Saxon and the Swede, that gavePromise of aidance, and defin'd the amount.Max.It cannot be!—cannotbe!cannot be!Dost thou not see, it cannot!185Thou wouldest of necessity have shewn himSuch horror, such deep loathing—that or heHad taken thee for his better genius, orThou stood'st not now a living man before me—Octavio.I have laid open my objections to him,190Dissuaded him with pressing earnestness;But my abhorrence, the full sentimentOf my whole heart—that I have still kept sacredTo my own consciousness.Max.And thou hast beenSo treacherous? That looks not like my father!195I trusted not thy words, when thou didst tell meEvil of him; much less can I now do it,That thou calumniatest thy own self.Octavio.I did not thrust myself into his secrecy.Max.Uprightness merited his confidence.200Octavio.He was no longer worthy of sincerity.Max.Dissimulation, sure, was still less worthyOf thee, Octavio!Octavio.Gave I him a causeTo entertain a scruple of my honour?Max.That he did not, evinced his confidence.205Octavio.Dear son, it is not always possibleStill to preserve that infant purityWhich the voice teaches in our inmost heart.Still in alarm, for ever on the watchAgainst the wiles of wicked men, e'en Virtue210[678]Will sometimes bear away her outward robesSoiled in the wrestle with Iniquity.This is the curse of every evil deed,That, propagating still, it brings forth evil.I do not cheat my better soul with sophisms:215I but perform my orders; the EmperorPrescribes my conduct to me. Dearest boy,Far better were it, doubtless, if we allObeyed the heart at all times; but so doing,In this our present sojourn with bad men,220We must abandon many an honest object.'Tis now our call to serve the Emperor,By what means he can best be served—the heartMay whisper what it will—this is our call!Max.It seems a thing appointed, that to-day225I should not comprehend, not understand thee.The Duke thou say'st did honestly pour outHis heart to thee, but for an evil purpose;And thou dishonestly hast cheated himFor a good purpose! Silence, I entreat thee—230My friend thou stealest not from me—Let me not lose my father!Octavio.As yet thou know'st not all, my son. I haveYet somewhat to disclose to thee.[After a pause.Duke FriedlandHath made his preparations. He relies235Upon his stars. He deems us unprovided,And thinks to fall upon us by surprise.Yea, in his dream of hope, he grasps alreadyThe golden circle in his hand. He errs.We too have been in action—he but grasps240His evil fate, most evil, most mysterious!Max.O nothing rash, my sire! By all that's goodLet me invoke thee—no precipitation!Octavio.With light tread stole he on his evil way,With light tread hath Vengeance stole on after him.245Unseen she stands already, dark behind him—But one step more—he shudders in her grasp!Thou hast seen Questenberg with me. As yetThou know'st but his ostensible commission;He brought with him a private one, my son!250[679]And that was for me only.Max.May I know it?Octavio (seizes the patent).Max![A pause.——In this disclosure place I in thy handsThe Empire's welfare and thy father's life.Dear to thy inmost heart is Wallenstein:A powerful tie of love, of veneration,255Hath knit thee to him from thy earliest youth.Thou nourishest the wish.—O let me stillAnticipate thy loitering confidence!The hope thou nourishest to knit thyselfYet closer to him——Max.Father——Octavio.O my son!260I trust thy heart undoubtingly. But am IEqually sure of thy collectedness?Wilt thou be able, with calm countenance,To enter this man's presence, when that IHave trusted to thee his whole fate?Max.According265As thou dost trust me, father, with his crime.

Octavio (embraces him).Follow it,O follow it still further, my best son!To-night, dear boy! it hath more faithfullyGuided thee than the example of thy father.

Max.Declare thyself less darkly.

Octavio.I will do so.15For after what has taken place this night,There must remain no secrets 'twixt us two.[Both seat themselves.Max Piccolomini! what thinkest thou ofThe oath that was sent round for signatures?

Max.I hold it for a thing of harmless import,20Although I love not these set declarations.

Octavio.And on no other ground hast thou refused[673]The signature they fain had wrested from thee?

Max.It was a serious business——I was absent—The affair itself seemed not so urgent to me.25

Octavio.Be open, Max. Thou hadst then no suspicion?

Max.Suspicion! what suspicion? Not the least.

Octavio.Thank thy good angel, Piccolomini:He drew thee back unconscious from the abyss.

Max.I know not what thou meanest.

Octavio.I will tell thee.30Fain would they have extorted from thee, son,The sanction of thy name to villainy;Yea, with a single flourish of thy pen,Made thee renounce thy duty and thy honour!

Max (rises).Octavio!

Octavio.Patience! Seat yourself. Much yet35Hast thou to hear from me, friend!—hast for yearsLived in incomprehensible illusion.Before thine eyes is Treason drawing outAs black a web as e'er was spun for venom:A power of hell o'erclouds thy understanding.40I dare no longer stand in silence—dareNo longer see thee wandering on in darkness,Nor pluck the bandage from thine eyes.

Max.My father!Yet, ere thou speak'st, a moment's pause of thought!If your disclosures should appear to be45Conjectures only—and almost I fearThey will be nothing further—spare them! IAm not in that collected mood at present,That I could listen to them quietly.

Octavio.The deeper cause thou hast to hate this light,50The more impatient cause have I, my son,To force it on thee. To the innocenceAnd wisdom of thy heart I could have trusted theeWith calm assurance—but I see the netPreparing—and it is thy heart itself55Alarms me for thine innocence—that secret,Which thou concealest, forces mine from me.Know, then, they are duping thee!—a most foul game[674]With thee and with us all—nay, hear me calmly—The Duke even now is playing. He assumes60The mask, as if he would forsake the army;And in this moment makes he preparationsThat army from the Emperor to steal,And carry it over to the enemy!

Max.That low Priest's legend I know well, but did not65Expect to hear it from thy mouth.

Octavio.That mouth,From which thou hearest it at this present moment,Doth warrant thee that it is no Priest's legend.

Max.How mere a maniac they supposed the Duke!What, he can meditate?—the Duke?—can dream70That he can lure away full thirty thousandTried troops and true, all honourable soldiers,More than a thousand noblemen among them,From oaths, from duty, from their honour lure them,And make them all unanimous to do75A deed that brands them scoundrels?

Octavio.Such a deed,With such a front of infamy, the DukeNo wise desires—what he requires of usBears a far gentler appellation. NothingHe wishes, but to give the Empire peace.80And so, because the Emperor hates this peace,Therefore the Duke—the Duke will force him to it.All parts of the Empire will he pacify,And for his trouble will retain in payment(What he has already in his gripe)—Bohemia!85

Max.Has he, Octavio, merited of us,That we—that we should think so vilely of him?

Octavio.What we would think is not the question here.The affair speaks for itself—and clearest proofs!Hear me, my son—'tis not unknown to thee,90In what ill credit with the Court we stand.But little dost thou know, or guess, what tricks,What base intrigues, what lying artifices,Have been employed—for this sole end—to sowMutiny in the camp! All bands are loosed—95Loosed all the bands, that link the officerTo his liege Emperor, all that bind the soldier[675]Affectionately to the citizen.Lawless he stands, and threateningly beleaguersThe state he's bound to guard. To such a height100'Tis swoln, that at this hour the EmperorBefore his armies—his own armies—trembles;Yea, in his capital, his palace, fearsThe traitor's poniards, and is meditatingTo hurry off and hide his tender offspring——105Not from the Swedes, not from the Lutherans—No! from his own troops hide and hurry them!

Max.Cease, cease! thou tortur'st, shatter'st me. I knowThat oft we tremble at an empty terror;But the false phantasm brings a real misery.110

Octavio.It is no phantasm. An intestine war,Of all the most unnatural and cruel,Will burst out into flames, if instantlyWe do not fly and stifle it. The GeneralsAre many of them long ago won over;115The subalterns are vacillating—wholeRegiments and garrisons are vacillating.To foreigners our strong holds are entrusted;To that suspected Schafgotch is the wholeForce of Silesia given up: to Tertsky120Five regiments, foot and horse—to Isolani,To Illo, Kinsky, Butler, the best troops.

Max.Likewise to both of us.

Octavio.Because the DukeBelieves he has secured us—means to lure usStill further on by splendid promises.125To me he portions forth the princedoms, GlatzAnd Sagan; and too plain I see the angleWith which he doubts not to catch thee.

Max.No! no!I tell thee—no!

Octavio.O open yet thine eyes!And to what purpose think'st thou he has called us130Hither to Pilsen?—to avail himselfOf our advice?—O when did Friedland everNeed our advice?—Be calm, and listen to me.To sell ourselves are we called hither, and,[676]Decline we that—to be his hostages.135Therefore doth noble Galas stand aloof;Thy father, too, thou would'st not have seen here,If higher duties had not held him fettered.

Max.He makes no secret of it—needs make none—That we're called hither for his sake—he owns it.140He needs our aidance to maintain himself—He did so much for us; and 'tis but fairThat we too should do somewhat now for him.

Octavio.And know'st thou what it is which we must do?That Illo's drunken mood betrayed it to thee.145Bethink thyself—what hast thou heard, what seen?The counterfeited paper—the omissionOf that particular clause, so full of meaning,Does it not prove, that they would bind us downTo nothing good?

Max.That counterfeited paper150Appears to me no other than a trickOf Illo's own device. These underhandTraders in great men's interests ever useTo urge and hurry all things to the extreme.They see the Duke at variance with the court,155And fondly think to serve him, when they widenThe breach irreparably. Trust me, father,The Duke knows nothing of all this.

Octavio.It grieves meThat I must dash to earth, that I must shatterA faith so specious; but I may not spare thee!160For this is not a time for tenderness.Thou must take measures, speedy ones—must act.I therefore will confess to thee, that allWhich I've entrusted to thee now—that allWhich seems to thee so unbelievable,165That—yes, I will tell thee—Max! I had it allFrom his own mouth—from the Duke's mouth I had it.

Max.No!—no!—never!

Octavio.Himself confided to meWhat I, 'tis true, had long before discoveredBy other means—himself confided to me,170That 'twas his settled plan to join the Swedes;And, at the head of the united armies,[677]Compel the Emperor—

Max.He is passionate.The Court has stung him—he is sore all overWith injuries and affronts; and in a moment175Of irritation, what if he, for once,Forgot himself? He's an impetuous man.

Octavio.Nay, in cold blood he did confess this to me:And having construed my astonishmentInto a scruple of his power, he shewed me180His written evidences—shewed me letters,Both from the Saxon and the Swede, that gavePromise of aidance, and defin'd the amount.

Max.It cannot be!—cannotbe!cannot be!Dost thou not see, it cannot!185Thou wouldest of necessity have shewn himSuch horror, such deep loathing—that or heHad taken thee for his better genius, orThou stood'st not now a living man before me—

Octavio.I have laid open my objections to him,190Dissuaded him with pressing earnestness;But my abhorrence, the full sentimentOf my whole heart—that I have still kept sacredTo my own consciousness.

Max.And thou hast beenSo treacherous? That looks not like my father!195I trusted not thy words, when thou didst tell meEvil of him; much less can I now do it,That thou calumniatest thy own self.

Octavio.I did not thrust myself into his secrecy.

Max.Uprightness merited his confidence.200

Octavio.He was no longer worthy of sincerity.

Max.Dissimulation, sure, was still less worthyOf thee, Octavio!

Octavio.Gave I him a causeTo entertain a scruple of my honour?

Max.That he did not, evinced his confidence.205

Octavio.Dear son, it is not always possibleStill to preserve that infant purityWhich the voice teaches in our inmost heart.Still in alarm, for ever on the watchAgainst the wiles of wicked men, e'en Virtue210[678]Will sometimes bear away her outward robesSoiled in the wrestle with Iniquity.This is the curse of every evil deed,That, propagating still, it brings forth evil.I do not cheat my better soul with sophisms:215I but perform my orders; the EmperorPrescribes my conduct to me. Dearest boy,Far better were it, doubtless, if we allObeyed the heart at all times; but so doing,In this our present sojourn with bad men,220We must abandon many an honest object.'Tis now our call to serve the Emperor,By what means he can best be served—the heartMay whisper what it will—this is our call!

Max.It seems a thing appointed, that to-day225I should not comprehend, not understand thee.The Duke thou say'st did honestly pour outHis heart to thee, but for an evil purpose;And thou dishonestly hast cheated himFor a good purpose! Silence, I entreat thee—230My friend thou stealest not from me—Let me not lose my father!

Octavio.As yet thou know'st not all, my son. I haveYet somewhat to disclose to thee.[After a pause.Duke FriedlandHath made his preparations. He relies235Upon his stars. He deems us unprovided,And thinks to fall upon us by surprise.Yea, in his dream of hope, he grasps alreadyThe golden circle in his hand. He errs.We too have been in action—he but grasps240His evil fate, most evil, most mysterious!

Max.O nothing rash, my sire! By all that's goodLet me invoke thee—no precipitation!

Octavio.With light tread stole he on his evil way,With light tread hath Vengeance stole on after him.245Unseen she stands already, dark behind him—But one step more—he shudders in her grasp!Thou hast seen Questenberg with me. As yetThou know'st but his ostensible commission;He brought with him a private one, my son!250[679]And that was for me only.

Max.May I know it?

Octavio (seizes the patent).Max![A pause.——In this disclosure place I in thy handsThe Empire's welfare and thy father's life.Dear to thy inmost heart is Wallenstein:A powerful tie of love, of veneration,255Hath knit thee to him from thy earliest youth.Thou nourishest the wish.—O let me stillAnticipate thy loitering confidence!The hope thou nourishest to knit thyselfYet closer to him——

Max.Father——

Octavio.O my son!260I trust thy heart undoubtingly. But am IEqually sure of thy collectedness?Wilt thou be able, with calm countenance,To enter this man's presence, when that IHave trusted to thee his whole fate?

Max.According265As thou dost trust me, father, with his crime.

[Octaviotakes a paper out of his escrutoire, and gives it to him.

Max.What? how? a full Imperial patent!Octavio.Read it.Max (just glances on it).Duke Friedland sentenced and condemned!Octavio.Even so.Max (throws down the paper).O this is too much! O unhappy error!270Octavio.Read on. Collect thyself.Max (after he has read further, with a look of affright and astonishment on his father).How! what! Thou! thou!Octavio.But for the present moment, till the KingOf Hungary may safely join the army,Is the command assigned to me.Max.And think'st thou,Dost thou believe, that thou wilt tear it from him?275O never hope it!—Father! father! father!An inauspicious office is enjoined thee.This paper here—this! and wilt thou enforce it?[680]The mighty in the middle of his host,Surrounded by his thousands, him would'st thou280Disarm—degrade! Thou art lost, both thou and all of us.Octavio.What hazard I incur thereby, I know.In the great hand of God I stand. The AlmightyWill cover with his shield the Imperial house,And shatter, in his wrath, the work of darkness.285The Emperor hath true servants still; and evenHere in the camp, there are enough brave men,Who for the good cause will fight gallantly.The faithful have been warned—the dangerousAre closely watched. I wait but the first step,290And then immediately——Max.What! on suspicion?Immediately?Octavio.The Emperor is no tyrant.The deed alone he'll punish, not the wish.The Duke hath yet his destiny in his power.Let him but leave the treason uncompleted,295He will be silently displaced from office,And make way to his Emperor's royal son.An honourable exile to his castlesWill be a benefaction to him ratherThan punishment. But the first open step——300Max.What callest thou such a step? A wicked stepNe'er will he take; but thou mightest easily,Yea, thou hast done it, misinterpret him.Octavio.Nay, howsoever punishable wereDuke Friedland's purposes, yet still the steps305Which he hath taken openly, permitA mild construction. It is my intentionTo leave this paper wholly uninforcedTill some act is committed which convicts himOf a high-treason, without doubt or plea,310And that shall sentence him.Max.But who the judge?Octavio.Thyself.Max.For ever, then, this paper will lie idle.Octavio.Too soon, I fear, its powers must all be proved.After the counter-promise of this evening,315It cannot be but he must deem himselfSecure of the majority with us;[681]And of the army's general sentimentHe hath a pleasing proof in that petitionWhich thou delivered'st to him from the regiments.320Add this too—I have letters that the RhinegraveHath changed his route, and travels by forced marchesTo the Bohemian Forest. What this purports,Remains unknown; and, to confirm suspicion,This night a Swedish nobleman arrived here.325Max.I have thy word. Thou'lt not proceed to actionBefore thou hast convinced me—me myself.Octavio.Is it possible? Still, after all thou know'st,Canst thou believe still in his innocence?Max.Thy judgment may mistake; my heart can not.330These reasons might expound thy spirit or mine;But they expound not Friedland—I have faith:For as he knits his fortunes to the stars,Even so doth he resemble them in secret,Wonderful, still inexplicable courses!335Trust me, they do him wrong. All will be solved.These smokes, at once, will kindle into flame—The edges of this black and stormy cloudWill brighten suddenly, and we shall viewThe Unapproachable glide out in splendour.340Octavio.I will await it.

Max.What? how? a full Imperial patent!

Octavio.Read it.

Max (just glances on it).Duke Friedland sentenced and condemned!

Octavio.Even so.

Max (throws down the paper).O this is too much! O unhappy error!270

Octavio.Read on. Collect thyself.

Max (after he has read further, with a look of affright and astonishment on his father).How! what! Thou! thou!

Octavio.But for the present moment, till the KingOf Hungary may safely join the army,Is the command assigned to me.

Max.And think'st thou,Dost thou believe, that thou wilt tear it from him?275O never hope it!—Father! father! father!An inauspicious office is enjoined thee.This paper here—this! and wilt thou enforce it?[680]The mighty in the middle of his host,Surrounded by his thousands, him would'st thou280Disarm—degrade! Thou art lost, both thou and all of us.

Octavio.What hazard I incur thereby, I know.In the great hand of God I stand. The AlmightyWill cover with his shield the Imperial house,And shatter, in his wrath, the work of darkness.285The Emperor hath true servants still; and evenHere in the camp, there are enough brave men,Who for the good cause will fight gallantly.The faithful have been warned—the dangerousAre closely watched. I wait but the first step,290And then immediately——

Max.What! on suspicion?Immediately?

Octavio.The Emperor is no tyrant.The deed alone he'll punish, not the wish.The Duke hath yet his destiny in his power.Let him but leave the treason uncompleted,295He will be silently displaced from office,And make way to his Emperor's royal son.An honourable exile to his castlesWill be a benefaction to him ratherThan punishment. But the first open step——300

Max.What callest thou such a step? A wicked stepNe'er will he take; but thou mightest easily,Yea, thou hast done it, misinterpret him.

Octavio.Nay, howsoever punishable wereDuke Friedland's purposes, yet still the steps305Which he hath taken openly, permitA mild construction. It is my intentionTo leave this paper wholly uninforcedTill some act is committed which convicts himOf a high-treason, without doubt or plea,310And that shall sentence him.

Max.But who the judge?

Octavio.Thyself.

Max.For ever, then, this paper will lie idle.

Octavio.Too soon, I fear, its powers must all be proved.After the counter-promise of this evening,315It cannot be but he must deem himselfSecure of the majority with us;[681]And of the army's general sentimentHe hath a pleasing proof in that petitionWhich thou delivered'st to him from the regiments.320Add this too—I have letters that the RhinegraveHath changed his route, and travels by forced marchesTo the Bohemian Forest. What this purports,Remains unknown; and, to confirm suspicion,This night a Swedish nobleman arrived here.325

Max.I have thy word. Thou'lt not proceed to actionBefore thou hast convinced me—me myself.

Octavio.Is it possible? Still, after all thou know'st,Canst thou believe still in his innocence?

Max.Thy judgment may mistake; my heart can not.330These reasons might expound thy spirit or mine;But they expound not Friedland—I have faith:For as he knits his fortunes to the stars,Even so doth he resemble them in secret,Wonderful, still inexplicable courses!335Trust me, they do him wrong. All will be solved.These smokes, at once, will kindle into flame—The edges of this black and stormy cloudWill brighten suddenly, and we shall viewThe Unapproachable glide out in splendour.340

Octavio.I will await it.

Act III, Scene I.A Chamber, &c. . . . It is Night. Octavio, &c.1800,1828,1829.

[8]thou1800,1828,1829.

thou1800,1828,1829.

Before[12]Octavio (goes up to him and embraces him).1800,1828,1829.

[39]for] from1800,1828,1829.

for] from1800,1828,1829.

[47]They] There1828,1829.

They] There1828,1829.

After[56][Fixing his eye steadfastly on his son's face.1800,1828,1829.

[57]mine1800,1828,1829.

mine1800,1828,1829.

After[57][Max attempts to answer but hesitates, and casts his eyes to the ground, embarrassed. Octavio, after a pause.1800,1828,1829.

[63]steal1800,1828,1829.

steal1800,1828,1829.

[69]supposed] suppose1800,1828,1829.

supposed] suppose1800,1828,1829.

[78]wise] ways1800,1828,1829.

wise] ways1800,1828,1829.

[81]this1800.

this1800.

[82]force1800.

force1800.

[88]we would1800,1828,1829.

we would1800,1828,1829.

[104]traitor's] traitors'1800,1828,1829.

traitor's] traitors'1800,1828,1829.

[127]angle]angel1800,1828,1829,1834angle1852. Angle, der Angel, a curious misprint perpetuated in the new edition. [MS. note by Derwent Coleridge.]

angle]angel1800,1828,1829,1834angle1852. Angle, der Angel, a curious misprint perpetuated in the new edition. [MS. note by Derwent Coleridge.]

[128]thee1800,1828,1829.

thee1800,1828,1829.

[166]That—yes, I will tell thee— (a pause), &c.1800,1828,1829.

That—yes, I will tell thee— (a pause), &c.1800,1828,1829.

Before[168]Max (in excessive agitation).1800,1828,1829.

[192]abhorrence1800,1828,1829.

abhorrence1800,1828,1829.

[193]whole1800,1828,1829.

whole1800,1828,1829.

[194]thou1800,1828,1829.

thou1800,1828,1829.

[197]now1800,1828,1829.

now1800,1828,1829.

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