Scene II

[209]alarm] alarum1828,1829.

alarm] alarum1828,1829.

[233]Octavio (suppressing resentment).1800,1828,1829.

Octavio (suppressing resentment).1800,1828,1829.

[245]With light tread] And light of tread1800,1828,1829.

With light tread] And light of tread1800,1828,1829.

[250]private1800,1828,1829.

private1800,1828,1829.

[257]wish1800,1828,1829.

wish1800,1828,1829.

[259]hope1800,1828,1829.

hope1800,1828,1829.

[317]us1800,1828,1829.

us1800,1828,1829.

[322]Hath] Had1800,1828,1829.

Hath] Had1800,1828,1829.

Before[330]Max (with enthusiasm).1800,1828,1829.

After[330][Moderates his voice and manner.1800,1828,1829.

OctavioandMaxas before. To them theValet of the Chamber.

Octavio.How now, then?Valet.A dispatch is at the door.Octavio.So early? From whom comes he then? Who is it?Valet.That he refused to tell me.Octavio.Lead him in:And, hark you—let it not transpire.[ExitValet—theCornetsteps in.Octavio.Ha! Cornet—is it you? and from Count Galas?5Give me your letters.Cornet.The Lieutenant-GeneralTrusted it not to letters.Octavio.And what is it?Cornet.He bade me tell you—Dare I speak openly here?

Octavio.How now, then?

Valet.A dispatch is at the door.

Octavio.So early? From whom comes he then? Who is it?

Valet.That he refused to tell me.

Octavio.Lead him in:And, hark you—let it not transpire.[ExitValet—theCornetsteps in.

Octavio.Ha! Cornet—is it you? and from Count Galas?5Give me your letters.

Cornet.The Lieutenant-GeneralTrusted it not to letters.

Octavio.And what is it?

Cornet.He bade me tell you—Dare I speak openly here?

Octavio.My son knows all.Cornet.We have him.Octavio.Whom?Cornet.Sesina,The old negotiator.Octavio.And you have him?10Cornet.In the Bohemian Forest Captain MohrbrandFound and secured him yester morning early:He was proceeding then to Regenspurg,And on him were dispatches for the Swede.Octavio.And the dispatches——Cornet.The Lieutenant-General15Sent them that instant to Vienna, andThe prisoner with them.Octavio.This is, indeed, a tiding!That fellow is a precious casket to us,Enclosing weighty things.—Was much found on him?Cornet.I think, six packets, with Count Tertsky's arms.20Octavio.None in the Duke's own hand?Cornet.Not that I know.Octavio.And old Sesina?Cornet.He was sorely frightened,When it was told him he must to Vienna.But the Count Altringer bade him take heart,Would he but make a full and free confession.25Octavio.Is Altringer then with your Lord? I heardThat he lay sick at Linz.Cornet.These three days pastHe's with my master, the Lieutenant-General,At Frauenberg. Already have they sixtySmall companies together, chosen men;30Respectfully they greet you with assurances,That they are only waiting your commands.Octavio.In a few days may great events take place.And when must you return?Cornet.I wait your orders.Octavio.Remain till evening.

Octavio.My son knows all.

Cornet.We have him.

Octavio.Whom?

Cornet.Sesina,The old negotiator.

Octavio.And you have him?10

Cornet.In the Bohemian Forest Captain MohrbrandFound and secured him yester morning early:He was proceeding then to Regenspurg,And on him were dispatches for the Swede.

Octavio.And the dispatches——

Cornet.The Lieutenant-General15Sent them that instant to Vienna, andThe prisoner with them.

Octavio.This is, indeed, a tiding!That fellow is a precious casket to us,Enclosing weighty things.—Was much found on him?

Cornet.I think, six packets, with Count Tertsky's arms.20

Octavio.None in the Duke's own hand?

Cornet.Not that I know.

Octavio.And old Sesina?

Cornet.He was sorely frightened,When it was told him he must to Vienna.But the Count Altringer bade him take heart,Would he but make a full and free confession.25

Octavio.Is Altringer then with your Lord? I heardThat he lay sick at Linz.

Cornet.These three days pastHe's with my master, the Lieutenant-General,At Frauenberg. Already have they sixtySmall companies together, chosen men;30Respectfully they greet you with assurances,That they are only waiting your commands.

Octavio.In a few days may great events take place.And when must you return?

Cornet.I wait your orders.

Octavio.Remain till evening.

[Cornetsignifies his assent and obeisance, and is going.

Octavio.No one saw you—ha?35Cornet.No living creature. Through the cloister wicketThe Capuchins, as usual, let me in.Octavio.Go, rest your limbs, and keep yourself concealed.I hold it probable, that yet ere evening[683]I shall dispatch you. The development40Of this affair approaches: ere the day,That even now is dawning in the heaven,Ere this eventful day hath set, the lotThat must decide our fortunes will be drawn.[ExitCornet.

Octavio.No one saw you—ha?35

Cornet.No living creature. Through the cloister wicketThe Capuchins, as usual, let me in.

Octavio.Go, rest your limbs, and keep yourself concealed.I hold it probable, that yet ere evening[683]I shall dispatch you. The development40Of this affair approaches: ere the day,That even now is dawning in the heaven,Ere this eventful day hath set, the lotThat must decide our fortunes will be drawn.[ExitCornet.

[9]Sesina1800,1828,1829.

Sesina1800,1828,1829.

Before10Octavio (eagerly).1800,1828,1829.

OctavioandMax Piccolomini.

Octavio.Well—and what now, son? All will soon be clear;For all, I'm certain, went through that Sesina.Max.I will procure me light a shorter way.Farewell.Octavio.Where now?—Remain here.Max.To the Duke.5Octavio.What——Max.If thou hast believed that I shall actA part in this thy play——Thou hast miscalculated on me grievously.My way must be straight on. True with the tongue,10False with the heart—I may not, cannot be:Nor can I suffer that a man should trust me—As his friend trust me—and then lull my conscienceWith such low pleas as these:—'I ask'd him not—He did it all at his own hazard—and15My mouth has never lied to him.'—No, no!What a friend takes me for, that I must be.—I'll to the Duke; ere yet this day is endedWill I demand of him that he do saveHis good name from the world, and with one stride20Break through and rend this fine-spun web of yours.He can, he will!—I still am his believer.Yet I'll not pledge myself, but that those lettersMay furnish you, perchance, with proofs against him.How far may not this Tertsky have proceeded—25What may not he himself too have permittedHimself to do, to snare the enemy,The laws of war excusing? Nothing, saveHis own mouth shall convict him—nothing less!And face to face will I go question him.30

Octavio.Well—and what now, son? All will soon be clear;For all, I'm certain, went through that Sesina.

Max.I will procure me light a shorter way.Farewell.

Octavio.Where now?—Remain here.

Max.To the Duke.5

Octavio.What——

Max.If thou hast believed that I shall actA part in this thy play——Thou hast miscalculated on me grievously.My way must be straight on. True with the tongue,10False with the heart—I may not, cannot be:Nor can I suffer that a man should trust me—As his friend trust me—and then lull my conscienceWith such low pleas as these:—'I ask'd him not—He did it all at his own hazard—and15My mouth has never lied to him.'—No, no!What a friend takes me for, that I must be.—I'll to the Duke; ere yet this day is endedWill I demand of him that he do saveHis good name from the world, and with one stride20Break through and rend this fine-spun web of yours.He can, he will!—I still am his believer.Yet I'll not pledge myself, but that those lettersMay furnish you, perchance, with proofs against him.How far may not this Tertsky have proceeded—25What may not he himself too have permittedHimself to do, to snare the enemy,The laws of war excusing? Nothing, saveHis own mouth shall convict him—nothing less!And face to face will I go question him.30

Octavio.Thou wilt?Max.I will, as sure as this heart beats.Octavio.I have, indeed, miscalculated on thee.I calculated on a prudent son,Who would have blest the hand beneficentThat plucked him back from the abyss—and lo!35A fascinated being I discover,Whom his two eyes befool, whom passion wilders,Whom not the broadest light of noon can heal.Go, question him!—Be mad enough, I pray thee.The purpose of thy father, of thy Emperor,40Go, give it up free booty:—Force me, drive meTo an open breach before the time. And now,Now that a miracle of heaven had guardedMy secret purpose even to this hour,And laid to sleep Suspicion's piercing eyes,45Let me have lived to see that mine own son,With frantic enterprise, annihilatesMy toilsome labours and state-policy.Max.Aye—this state-policy! O how I curse it!You will some time, with your state-policy,50Compel him to the measure: it may happen,Because ye are determined that he is guilty,Guilty ye'll make him. All retreat cut off,You close up every outlet, hem him inNarrower and narrower, till at length ye force him—55Yes, ye,—ye force him, in his desperation,To set fire to his prison. Father! Father!That never can end well—it cannot—will not!And let it be decided as it may,I see with boding heart the near approach60Of an ill-starred unblest catastrophe.For this great Monarch-spirit, if he fall,Will drag a world into the ruin with him.And as a ship (that midway on the oceanTakes fire) at once, and with a thunder-burst65Explodes, and with itself shoots out its crewIn smoke and ruin betwixt sea and heaven;So will he, falling, draw down in his fallAll us, who're fixed and mortised to his fortune.Deem of it what thou wilt; but pardon me,70[685]That I must bear me on in my own way.All must remain pure betwixt him and me;And, ere the day-light dawns, it must be knownWhich I must lose—my father, or my friend.[During his exit the curtain drops.

Octavio.Thou wilt?

Max.I will, as sure as this heart beats.

Octavio.I have, indeed, miscalculated on thee.I calculated on a prudent son,Who would have blest the hand beneficentThat plucked him back from the abyss—and lo!35A fascinated being I discover,Whom his two eyes befool, whom passion wilders,Whom not the broadest light of noon can heal.Go, question him!—Be mad enough, I pray thee.The purpose of thy father, of thy Emperor,40Go, give it up free booty:—Force me, drive meTo an open breach before the time. And now,Now that a miracle of heaven had guardedMy secret purpose even to this hour,And laid to sleep Suspicion's piercing eyes,45Let me have lived to see that mine own son,With frantic enterprise, annihilatesMy toilsome labours and state-policy.

Max.Aye—this state-policy! O how I curse it!You will some time, with your state-policy,50Compel him to the measure: it may happen,Because ye are determined that he is guilty,Guilty ye'll make him. All retreat cut off,You close up every outlet, hem him inNarrower and narrower, till at length ye force him—55Yes, ye,—ye force him, in his desperation,To set fire to his prison. Father! Father!That never can end well—it cannot—will not!And let it be decided as it may,I see with boding heart the near approach60Of an ill-starred unblest catastrophe.For this great Monarch-spirit, if he fall,Will drag a world into the ruin with him.And as a ship (that midway on the oceanTakes fire) at once, and with a thunder-burst65Explodes, and with itself shoots out its crewIn smoke and ruin betwixt sea and heaven;So will he, falling, draw down in his fallAll us, who're fixed and mortised to his fortune.Deem of it what thou wilt; but pardon me,70[685]That I must bear me on in my own way.All must remain pure betwixt him and me;And, ere the day-light dawns, it must be knownWhich I must lose—my father, or my friend.[During his exit the curtain drops.

Before3Max (who through the whole of the foregoing scene has been in a violent and visible struggle of feelings, at length starts as one resolved).1800,1828,1829.

Before6Octavio (alarmed).1800,1828,1829.

Before7Max (returning).1800,1828,1829.

[14]ask'd] ask1800,1828,1829.

ask'd] ask1800,1828,1829.

[16]mouth1800,1828,1829.

mouth1800,1828,1829.

[22]I1800,1828,1829.

I1800,1828,1829.

[52]determined1800,1828,1829.

determined1800,1828,1829.

[53]make1800,1828,1829.

make1800,1828,1829.

[56]ye,—ye force1800,1828,1829.

ye,—ye force1800,1828,1829.

Scene—A Room fitted up for astrological Labours, and provided with celestial Charts, with Globes, Telescopes, Quadrants, and other mathematical Instruments.—Seven Colossal Figures, representing the Planets, each with a transparent Star of a different Colour on its Head, stand in a Semi-circle in the Back-ground, so that Mars and Saturn are nearest the Eye.—The remainder of the Scene, and its Disposition, is given in the Fourth Scene of the Second Act.—There must be a Curtain over the Figures, which may be dropped, and conceal them on Occasions.

[In the Fifth Scene of this Act it must be dropped; but in the Seventh Scene, it must be again drawn up wholly or in part.]

Wallensteinat a black Table, on which a Speculum Astrologicum is described with Chalk.Seniis taking Observations through a window.

Wallenstein.All well—and now let it be ended, Seni.—Come,The dawn commences, and Mars rules the hour.We must give o'er the operation. Come,We know enough.Seni.Your Highness must permit meJust to contemplate Venus. She's now rising:5Like as a sun, so shines she in the east.Wallenstein.She is at present in her perigee,And shoots down now her strongest influences.[Contemplating the figure on the table.Auspicious aspect! fateful in conjunction,At length the mighty three corradiate;10And the two stars of blessing, JupiterAnd Venus, take between them the malignantSlily-malicious Mars, and thus compelInto my service that old mischief-founder;For long he viewed me hostilely, and ever15[686]With beam oblique, or perpendicular,Now in the Quartile, now in the Secundan,Shot his red lightnings at my stars, disturbingTheir blessed influences and sweet aspects.Now they have conquered the old enemy,20And bring him in the heavens a prisoner to me.Seni (who has come down from the window).And in a corner house, your Highness—think of that!That makes each influence of double strength.Wallenstein.And sun and moon, too, in the Sextile aspect,The soft light with the vehement—so I love it.25Sol is the heart, Luna the head of heaven,Bold be the plan, fiery the execution.Seni.And both the mighty Lumina by noMaleficus affronted. Lo! Saturnus,Innocuous, powerless, in cadente Domo.30Wallenstein.The empire of Saturnus is gone by;Lord of the secret birth of things is he;Within the lap of earth, and in the depthsOf the imagination dominates;And his are all things that eschew the light.35The time is o'er of brooding and contrivance;For Jupiter, the lustrous, lordeth now,And the dark work, complete of preparation,He draws by force into the realm of light.Now must we hasten on to action, ere40The scheme, and most auspicious positureParts o'er my head, and takes once more its flight;For the heavens journey still, and sojourn not.[There are knocks at the door.There's some one knocking there. See who it is.Tertsky (from without).Open, and let me in.Wallenstein.Aye—'tis Tertsky.45What is there of such urgence? We are busy.Tertsky (from without).Lay all aside at present, I entreat you.It suffers no delaying.Wallenstein.Open, Seni!

Wallenstein.All well—and now let it be ended, Seni.—Come,The dawn commences, and Mars rules the hour.We must give o'er the operation. Come,We know enough.

Seni.Your Highness must permit meJust to contemplate Venus. She's now rising:5Like as a sun, so shines she in the east.

Wallenstein.She is at present in her perigee,And shoots down now her strongest influences.[Contemplating the figure on the table.Auspicious aspect! fateful in conjunction,At length the mighty three corradiate;10And the two stars of blessing, JupiterAnd Venus, take between them the malignantSlily-malicious Mars, and thus compelInto my service that old mischief-founder;For long he viewed me hostilely, and ever15[686]With beam oblique, or perpendicular,Now in the Quartile, now in the Secundan,Shot his red lightnings at my stars, disturbingTheir blessed influences and sweet aspects.Now they have conquered the old enemy,20And bring him in the heavens a prisoner to me.

Seni (who has come down from the window).And in a corner house, your Highness—think of that!That makes each influence of double strength.

Wallenstein.And sun and moon, too, in the Sextile aspect,The soft light with the vehement—so I love it.25Sol is the heart, Luna the head of heaven,Bold be the plan, fiery the execution.

Seni.And both the mighty Lumina by noMaleficus affronted. Lo! Saturnus,Innocuous, powerless, in cadente Domo.30

Wallenstein.The empire of Saturnus is gone by;Lord of the secret birth of things is he;Within the lap of earth, and in the depthsOf the imagination dominates;And his are all things that eschew the light.35The time is o'er of brooding and contrivance;For Jupiter, the lustrous, lordeth now,And the dark work, complete of preparation,He draws by force into the realm of light.Now must we hasten on to action, ere40The scheme, and most auspicious positureParts o'er my head, and takes once more its flight;For the heavens journey still, and sojourn not.[There are knocks at the door.There's some one knocking there. See who it is.

Tertsky (from without).Open, and let me in.

Wallenstein.Aye—'tis Tertsky.45What is there of such urgence? We are busy.

Tertsky (from without).Lay all aside at present, I entreat you.It suffers no delaying.

Wallenstein.Open, Seni!

[WhileSeniopens the doors forTertsky, Wallensteindraws the curtain over the figures.

Tertsky (enters).Hast thou already heard it? He is taken.Galas has given him up to the Emperor.50

[Senidraws off the black table, and exit.

[14]my1800,1828,1829.

my1800,1828,1829.

[26]Sol. . .Luna1800,1828,1829.

Sol. . .Luna1800,1828,1829.

Wallenstein, Count Tertsky.

Wallenstein (to Tertsky).Who has been taken?—Who is given up?Tertsky.The man who knows our secrets, who knows everyNegotiation with the Swede and Saxon,Through whose hands all and every thing has passed—Wallenstein (drawing back).Nay, not Sesina?—Say, No! I entreat thee.5Tertsky.All on his road for Regenspurg to the SwedeHe was plunged down upon by Galas' agent,Who had been long in ambush, lurking for him.There must have been found on him my whole packetTo Thur, to Kinsky, to Oxenstirn, to Arnheim:10All this is in their hands; they have now an insightInto the whole—our measures, and our motives.

Wallenstein (to Tertsky).Who has been taken?—Who is given up?

Tertsky.The man who knows our secrets, who knows everyNegotiation with the Swede and Saxon,Through whose hands all and every thing has passed—

Wallenstein (drawing back).Nay, not Sesina?—Say, No! I entreat thee.5

Tertsky.All on his road for Regenspurg to the SwedeHe was plunged down upon by Galas' agent,Who had been long in ambush, lurking for him.There must have been found on him my whole packetTo Thur, to Kinsky, to Oxenstirn, to Arnheim:10All this is in their hands; they have now an insightInto the whole—our measures, and our motives.

To them entersIllo.

Illo (to Tertsky).Has he heard it?Tertsky.He has heard it.Illo (to Wallenstein).Thinkest thou stillTo make thy peace with the Emperor, to regainHis confidence?—E'en were it now thy wishTo abandon all thy plans, yet still they knowWhat thou hast wished; then forwards thou must press;5Retreat is now no longer in thy power.Tertsky.They have documents against us, and in hands,Which shew beyond all power of contradiction—Wallenstein.Of my hand-writing—no iota. TheeI punish for thy lies.Illo.And thou believest,10That what this man, that what thy sister's husband,Did in thy name, will not stand on thy reck'ning?His word must pass for thy word with the Swede,And not with those that hate thee at Vienna.Tertsky.In writing thou gav'st nothing—But bethink thee,15How far thou ventured'st by word of mouth[688]With this Sesina? And will he be silent?If he can save himself by yielding upThy secret purposes, will he retain them?Illo.Thyself dost not conceive it possible;20And since they now have evidence authenticHow far thou hast already gone, speak!—tell us,What art thou waiting for? thou canst no longerKeep thy command; and beyond hope of rescueThou'rt lost, if thou resign'st it.Wallenstein.In the army25Lies my security. The army will notAbandon me. Whatever they may know,The power is mine, and they must gulp it down—And substitute I caution for my fealty,They must be satisfied, at least appear so.30Illo.The army, Duke, is thine now—for this moment—'Tis thine: but think with terror on the slow,The quiet power of time. From open violenceThe attachment of thy soldiery secures theeTo-day—to-morrow; but grant'st thou them a respite,35Unheard, unseen, they'll undermine that loveOn which thou now dost feel so firm a footing,With wily theft will draw away from theeOne after the other——Wallenstein.'Tis a curséd accident!Illo.O, I will call it a most blessed one,40If it work on thee as it ought to do,Hurry thee on to action—to decision.The Swedish General——Wallenstein.He's arrived! Know'st thouWhat his commission is——Illo.To thee aloneWill he entrust the purpose of his coming.45Wallenstein.A curséd, curséd accident! Yes, yes,Sesina knows too much, and won't be silent.Tertsky.He's a Bohemian fugitive and rebel,His neck is forfeit. Can he save himselfAt thy cost, think you he will scruple it?50And if they put him to the torture, will he,Will he, that dastardling, have strength enough——Wallenstein.Their confidence is lost—irreparably![689]And I may act what way I will, I shallBe and remain for ever in their thought55A traitor to my country. How sincerelySoever I return back to my duty,It will no longer help me——Illo.Ruin thee,That it will do! Not thy fidelity,Thy weakness will be deemed the sole occasion——60Wallenstein.What! I must realize it now in earnest,Because I toy'd too freely with the thought?Accurséd he who dallies with a devil!And must I—I must realize it now—Now, while I have the power, it must take place?65Illo.Now—now—ere they can ward and parry it!Wallenstein (looking at the paper of signatures).I have the Generals' word—a written promise!Max Piccolomini stands not here—how's that?Tertsky.It was——he fancied——Illo.Mere self-willedness.There needed no such thing 'twixt him and you.70Wallenstein.He is quite right—there needeth no such thing.The regiments, too, deny to march for Flanders—Have sent me in a paper of remonstrance,And openly resist the Imperial orders.The first step to revolt's already taken.75Illo.Believe me, thou wilt find it far more easyTo lead them over to the enemyThan to the Spaniard.Wallenstein.I will hear, however,What the Swede has to say to me.Illo (to Tertsky).Go, call him!He stands without the door in waiting.Wallenstein.Stay!80Stay yet a little. It hath taken meAll by surprise,—it came too quick upon me;'Tis wholly novel, that an accident,With its dark lordship, and blind agency,Should force me on with it.Illo.First hear him only,85And after weigh it.[ExeuntTertskyandIllo.

Illo (to Tertsky).Has he heard it?

Tertsky.He has heard it.

Illo (to Wallenstein).Thinkest thou stillTo make thy peace with the Emperor, to regainHis confidence?—E'en were it now thy wishTo abandon all thy plans, yet still they knowWhat thou hast wished; then forwards thou must press;5Retreat is now no longer in thy power.

Tertsky.They have documents against us, and in hands,Which shew beyond all power of contradiction—

Wallenstein.Of my hand-writing—no iota. TheeI punish for thy lies.

Illo.And thou believest,10That what this man, that what thy sister's husband,Did in thy name, will not stand on thy reck'ning?His word must pass for thy word with the Swede,And not with those that hate thee at Vienna.

Tertsky.In writing thou gav'st nothing—But bethink thee,15How far thou ventured'st by word of mouth[688]With this Sesina? And will he be silent?If he can save himself by yielding upThy secret purposes, will he retain them?

Illo.Thyself dost not conceive it possible;20And since they now have evidence authenticHow far thou hast already gone, speak!—tell us,What art thou waiting for? thou canst no longerKeep thy command; and beyond hope of rescueThou'rt lost, if thou resign'st it.

Wallenstein.In the army25Lies my security. The army will notAbandon me. Whatever they may know,The power is mine, and they must gulp it down—And substitute I caution for my fealty,They must be satisfied, at least appear so.30

Illo.The army, Duke, is thine now—for this moment—'Tis thine: but think with terror on the slow,The quiet power of time. From open violenceThe attachment of thy soldiery secures theeTo-day—to-morrow; but grant'st thou them a respite,35Unheard, unseen, they'll undermine that loveOn which thou now dost feel so firm a footing,With wily theft will draw away from theeOne after the other——

Wallenstein.'Tis a curséd accident!

Illo.O, I will call it a most blessed one,40If it work on thee as it ought to do,Hurry thee on to action—to decision.The Swedish General——

Wallenstein.He's arrived! Know'st thouWhat his commission is——

Illo.To thee aloneWill he entrust the purpose of his coming.45

Wallenstein.A curséd, curséd accident! Yes, yes,Sesina knows too much, and won't be silent.

Tertsky.He's a Bohemian fugitive and rebel,His neck is forfeit. Can he save himselfAt thy cost, think you he will scruple it?50And if they put him to the torture, will he,Will he, that dastardling, have strength enough——

Wallenstein.Their confidence is lost—irreparably![689]And I may act what way I will, I shallBe and remain for ever in their thought55A traitor to my country. How sincerelySoever I return back to my duty,It will no longer help me——

Illo.Ruin thee,That it will do! Not thy fidelity,Thy weakness will be deemed the sole occasion——60

Wallenstein.What! I must realize it now in earnest,Because I toy'd too freely with the thought?Accurséd he who dallies with a devil!And must I—I must realize it now—Now, while I have the power, it must take place?65

Illo.Now—now—ere they can ward and parry it!

Wallenstein (looking at the paper of signatures).I have the Generals' word—a written promise!Max Piccolomini stands not here—how's that?

Tertsky.It was——he fancied——

Illo.Mere self-willedness.There needed no such thing 'twixt him and you.70

Wallenstein.He is quite right—there needeth no such thing.The regiments, too, deny to march for Flanders—Have sent me in a paper of remonstrance,And openly resist the Imperial orders.The first step to revolt's already taken.75

Illo.Believe me, thou wilt find it far more easyTo lead them over to the enemyThan to the Spaniard.

Wallenstein.I will hear, however,What the Swede has to say to me.

Illo (to Tertsky).Go, call him!He stands without the door in waiting.

Wallenstein.Stay!80Stay yet a little. It hath taken meAll by surprise,—it came too quick upon me;'Tis wholly novel, that an accident,With its dark lordship, and blind agency,Should force me on with it.

Illo.First hear him only,85And after weigh it.[ExeuntTertskyandIllo.

[13]His1800,1828,1829.

His1800,1828,1829.

[31]is1800,1828,1829.

is1800,1828,1829.

[52]he1800,1828,1829.

he1800,1828,1829.

Before[53]Wallenstein (lost in thought).1800,1828,1829.

Before[61]Wallenstein (pacing up and down in extreme agitation).1800,1828,1829.

[64]Imust1800,1828,1829.

Imust1800,1828,1829.

[65]must1800,1828,1829.

must1800,1828,1829.

[79]Illo (eagerly to Tertsky).1800,1828,1829.

Illo (eagerly to Tertsky).1800,1828,1829.

Wallenstein.Is it possible?Is't so? I can no longer what I would?No longer draw back at my liking? IMust do the deed, because I thought of it,And fed this heart here with a dream? Because5I did not scowl temptation from my presence,Dallied with thoughts of possible fulfilment,Commenced no movement, left all time uncertain,And only kept the road, the access open?By the great God of Heaven! it was not10My serious meaning, it was ne'er resolve.I but amused myself with thinking of it.The free-will tempted me, the power to doOr not to do it.—Was it criminalTo make the fancy minister to hope,15To fill the air with pretty toys of air,And clutch fantastic sceptres moving t'ward me?Was not the will kept free? Beheld I notThe road of duty close beside me—butOne little step, and once more I was in it!20Where am I? Whither have I been transported?No road, no track behind me, but a wall,Impenetrable, insurmountable,Rises obedient to the spells I mutteredAnd meant not—my own doings tower behind me.25A punishable man I seem, the guilt,Try what I will, I cannot roll off from me;The equivocal demeanour of my lifeBears witness on my prosecutor's party;And even my purest acts from purest motives30Suspicion poisons with malicious gloss.Were I that thing, for which I pass, that traitor,A goodly outside I had sure reserved,Had drawn the coverings thick and double round me,Been calm and chary of my utterance.35But being conscious of the innocenceOf my intent, my uncorrupted will,I gave way to my humours, to my passion:Bold were my words, because my deeds were not.[691]Now every planless measure, chance event,40The threat of rage, the vaunt of joy and triumph,And all the May-games of a heart o'erflowing,Will they connect, and weave them all togetherInto one web of treason; all will be plan,My eye ne'er absent from the far-off mark,45Step tracing step, each step a politic progress;And out of all they'll fabricate a chargeSo specious, that I must myself stand dumb.I am caught in my own net, and only force,Naught but a sudden rent can liberate me.50How else! since that the heart's unbiass'd instinctImpelled me to the daring deed, which nowNecessity, self-preservation, orders.Stern is the On-look of Necessity,Not without shudder many a human hand55Grasps the mysterious urn of destiny.My deed was mine, remaining in my bosom,Once suffered to escape from its safe cornerWithin the heart, its nursery and birthplace,Sent forth into the Foreign, it belongs60For ever to those sly malicious powersWhom never art of man conciliated.What is thy enterprize? thy aim? thy object?Hast honestly confessed it to thyself?Power seated on a quiet throne thou'dst shake,65Power on an ancient consecrated throne,Strong in possession, founded in old custom;Power by a thousand tough and stringy rootsFixed to the people's pious nursery-faith.This, this will be no strife of strength with strength.70That feared I not. I brave each combatant,Whom I can look on, fixing eye to eye,Who full himself of courage kindles courageIn me too. 'Tis a foe invisible,The which I fear—a fearful enemy,75Which in the human heart opposes me,By its coward fear alone made fearful to me.Not that, which full of life, instinct with power,[692]Makes known its present being, that is notThe true, the perilously formidable.80O no! it is the common, the quite common,The thing of an eternal yesterday,What ever was, and evermore returns,Sterling to-morrow, for to-day 'twas sterling!For of the wholly common is man made,85And custom is his nurse! Woe then to them,Who lay irreverent hands upon his oldHouse furniture, the dear inheritanceFrom his forefathers. For time consecrates;And what is grey with age becomes religion.90Be in possession, and thou hast the right,And sacred will the many guard it for thee![To thePage,who here enters.The Swedish officer?—Well, let him enter.[ThePageexit,Wallensteinfixes his eye in deep thought on the door.Yet is it pure—as yet!—the crime has comeNot o'er this threshold yet—so slender is95The boundary that divideth life's two paths.

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