To these enter BUTLER.BUTLER (passionately).General! this is not right!WALLENSTEIN.What is not right?BUTLER.It must needs injure us with all honest men.WALLENSTEIN.But what?BUTLER.It is an open proclamationOf insurrection.WALLENSTEIN.Well, well—but what is it?BUTLER.Count Terzky's regiments tear the imperial eagleFrom off his banners, and instead of itHave reared aloft their arms.ANSPESSADE (abruptly to the CUIRASSIERS).Right about! March!WALLENSTEIN.Cursed be this counsel, and accursed who gave it![To the CUIRASSIERS, who are retiring.Halt, children, halt! There's some mistake in this;Hark! I will punish it severely. StopThey do not hear. (To ILLO). Go after them, assure them,And bring them back to me, cost what it may.[ILLO hurries out.This hurls us headlong. Butler! Butler!You are my evil genius, wherefore must youAnnounce it in their presence? It was allIn a fair way. They were half won! those madmenWith their improvident over-readiness—A cruel game is Fortune playing with me.The zeal of friends it is that razes me,And not the hate of enemies.
To these enter the DUCHESS, who rushes into the chamber;THEKLA and the COUNTESS follow her.DUCHESS.O Albrecht!What hast thou done?WALLENSTEIN.And now comes this beside.COUNTESS.Forgive me, brother! It was not in my power—They know all.DUCHESS.What hast thou done?COUNTESS (to TERZKY).Is there no hope? Is all lost utterly?TERZKY.All lost. No hope. Prague in the emperor's hands,The soldiery have taken their oaths anew.COUNTESS.That lurking hypocrite, Octavio!Count Max. is off too.TERZKY.Where can he be? He'sGone over to the emperor with his father.[THEKLA rushes out into the arms of her mother, hiding her facein her bosom.DUCHESS (enfolding her in her arms).Unhappy child! and more unhappy mother!WALLENSTEIN (aside to TERZKY).Quick! Let a carriage stand in readinessIn the court behind the palace. Scherfenberg,Be their attendant; he is faithful to us.To Egra he'll conduct them, and we follow.[To ILLO, who returns.Thou hast not brought them back?ILLO.Hear'st thou the uproar?The whole corps of the Pappenheimers isDrawn out: the younger Piccolomini,Their colonel, they require: for they affirm,That he is in the palace here, a prisoner;And if thou dost not instantly deliver him,They will find means to free him with the sword.[All stand amazed.TERZKY.What shall we make of this?WALLENSTEIN.Said I not so?O my prophetic heart! he is still here.He has not betrayed me—he could not betray me.I never doubted of it.COUNTESS.If he beStill here, then all goes well; for I know what[Embracing THEKLA.Will keep him here forever.TERZKY.It can't be.His father has betrayed us, is gone overTo the emperor—the son could not have venturedTo stay behind.THEKLA (her eye fixed on the door).There he is!
To these enter MAX. PICCOLOMINI.MAX.Yes, here he is! I can endure no longerTo creep on tiptoe round this house, and lurkIn ambush for a favorable moment:This loitering, this suspense exceeds my powers.[Advancing to THEKLA, who has thrown herself into her mother's arms.Turn not thine eyes away. O look upon me!Confess it freely before all. Fear no one.Let who will hear that we both love each other.Wherefore continue to conceal it? SecrecyIs for the happy—misery, hopeless misery,Needeth no veil! Beneath a thousand sunsIt dares act openly.[He observes the COUNTESS looking on THEKLA with expressionsof triumph.No, lady! No!Expect not, hope it not. I am not comeTo stay: to bid farewell, farewell forever.For this I come! 'Tis over! I must leave thee!Thekla, I must—must leave thee! Yet thy hatredLet me not take with me. I pray thee, grant meOne look of sympathy, only one look.Say that thou dost not hate me. Say it to me, Thekla![Grasps her hand.O God! I cannot leave this spot—I cannot!Cannot let go this hand. O tell me, Thekla!That thou dost suffer with me, art convincedThat I cannot act otherwise.[THEKLA, avoiding his look, points with her hand to her father.MAX. turns round to the DUKE, whom he had not till then perceived.Thou here? It was not thou whom here I sought.I trusted never more to have beheld thee,My business is with her alone. Here will IReceive a full acquittal from this heart;For any other I am no more concerned.WALLENSTEIN.Think'st thou that, fool-like, I shall let thee go,And act the mock-magnanimous with thee?Thy father is become a villain to me;I hold thee for his son, and nothing moreNor to no purpose shalt thou have been givenInto my power. Think not, that I will honorThat ancient love, which so remorselesslyHe mangled. They are now passed by, those hoursOf friendship and forgiveness. Hate and vengeanceSucceed—'tis now their turn—I too can throwAll feelings of the man aside—can proveMyself as much a monster as thy father!MAX (calmly).Thou wilt proceed with me as thou hast power.Thou knowest I neither brave nor fear thy rage.What has detained me here, that too thou knowest.[Taking THEKLA by the hand.See, duke! All—all would I have owed to thee,Would have received from thy paternal handThe lot of blessed spirits. That hast thouLaid waste forever—that concerns not thee.Indifferent thou tramplest in the dustTheir happiness who most are thine. The godWhom thou dost serve is no benignant deity,Like as the blind, irreconcilable,Fierce element, incapable of compact.Thy heart's wild impulse only dost thou follow.5WALLENSTEIN.Thou art describing thy own father's heart.The adder! Oh, the charms of hell o'erpowered meHe dwelt within me, to my inmost soulStill to and fro he passed, suspected never.On the wide ocean, in the starry heavenDid mine eyes seek the enemy, whom IIn my heart's heart had folded! Had I beenTo Ferdinand what Octavio was to me,War had I ne'er denounced against him.No, I never could have done it. The emperor wasMy austere master only, not my friend.There was already war 'twixt him and meWhen he delivered the commander's staffInto my hands; for there's a naturalUnceasing war twixt cunning and suspicion;Peace exists only betwixt confidenceAnd faith. Who poisons confidence, he murdersThe future generations.MAX.I will notDefend my father. Woe is me, I cannot!Hard deeds and luckless have taken place; one crimeDrags after it the other in close link.But we are innocent: how have we fallenInto this circle of mishap and guilt?To whom have we been faithless? Wherefore mustThe evil deeds and guilt reciprocalOf our two fathers twine like serpents round us?Why must our fathers'Unconquerable hate rend us asunder,Who love each other?WALLENSTEIN.Max., remain with me.Go you not from me, Max.! Hark! I will tell thee——How when at Prague, our winter quarters, thouWert brought into my tent a tender boy,Not yet accustomed to the German winters;Thy hand was frozen to the heavy colors;Thou wouldst not let them go.At that time did I take thee in my arms,And with my mantle did I cover thee;I was thy nurse, no woman could have beenA kinder to thee; I was not ashamedTo do for thee all little offices,However strange to me; I tended theeTill life returned; and when thine eyes first opened,I had thee in my arms. Since then, when haveAltered my feelings toward thee? Many thousandsHave I made rich, presented them with lands;Rewarded them with dignities and honors;Thee have I loved: my heart, my self, I gaveTo thee; They all were aliens: thou wertOur child and inmate.6Max.! Thou canst not leave me;It cannot be; I may not, will not thinkThat Max. can leave me.MAX.Oh, my God!WALLENSTEINI haveHeld and sustained thee from thy tottering childhood.What holy bond is there of natural love,What human tie that does not knit thee to me?I love thee, Max.! What did thy father for thee,Which I too have not done, to the height of duty?Go hence, forsake me, serve thy emperor;He will reward thee with a pretty chainOf gold; with his ram's fleece will he reward thee;For that the friend, the father of thy youth,For that the holiest feeling of humanity,Was nothing worth to thee.MAX.O God! how can IDo otherwise. Am I not forced to do it,My oath—my duty—my honor——WALLENSTEIN.How? Thy duty?Duty to whom? Who art thou? Max.! bethink theeWhat duties may'st thou have? If I am actingA criminal part toward the emperor,It is my crime, not thine. Dost thou belongTo thine own self? Art thou thine own commander?Stand'st thou, like me, a freeman in the world,That in thy actions thou shouldst plead free agency?On me thou art planted, I am thy emperor;To obey me, to belong to me, this isThy honor, this a law of nature to thee!And if the planet on the which thou livestAnd hast thy dwelling, from its orbit starts.It is not in thy choice, whether or noThou'lt follow it. Unfelt it whirls thee onwardTogether with his ring, and all his moons.With little guilt steppest thou into this contest;Thee will the world not censure, it will praise thee,For that thou held'st thy friend more worth to theeThan names and influences more removedFor justice is the virtue of the ruler,Affection and fidelity the subject's.Not every one doth it beseem to questionThe far-off high Arcturus. Most securelyWilt thou pursue the nearest duty: letThe pilot fix his eye upon the pole-star.
To these enter NEUMANN.WALLENSTEIN.What now?NEUMANN.The Pappenheimers are dismounted,And are advancing now on foot, determinedWith sword in hand to storm the house, and freeThe count, their colonel.WALLENSTEIN (to TERZKY).Have the cannon planted.I will receive them with chain-shot.[Exit TERZKY.Prescribe to me with sword in hand! Go, Neumann!'Tis my command that they retreat this moment,And in their ranks in silence wait my pleasure.[NEUMANN exit. ILLO steps to the window.COUNTESS.Let him go, I entreat thee, let him go.ILLO (at the window).Hell and perdition!WALLENSTEIN.What is it?ILLO.They scale the council-house, the roof's uncovered,They level at this house the cannon——MAX.MadmenILLO.They are making preparations now to fire on us.DUCHESS and COUNTESS.Merciful heaven!MAX. (to WALLENSTEIN).Let me go to them!WALLENSTEIN.Not a step!MAX. (pointing to THEKLA and the DUCHESS).But their life! Thine!WALLENSTEIN.What tidings bringest thou, Terzky?
To these TERZKY returning.TERZKY.Message and greeting from our faithful regiments.Their ardor may no longer be curbed in.They entreat permission to commence the attack;And if thou wouldst but give the word of onsetThey could now charge the enemy in rear,Into the city wedge them, and with easeO'erpower them in the narrow streets.ILLO.Oh comeLet not their ardor cool. The soldieryOf Butler's corps stand by us faithfully;We are the greater number. Let us charge themAnd finish here in Pilsen the revolt.WALLENSTEIN.What? shall this town become a field of slaughter,And brother-killing discord, fire-eyed,Be let loose through its streets to roam and rage?Shall the decision be delivered overTo deaf remorseless rage, that hears no leader?Here is not room for battle, only for butchery.Well, let it be! I have long thought of it,So let it burst then![Turns to MAX.Well, how is it with thee?Wilt thou attempt a heat with me. Away!Thou art free to go. Oppose thyself to me,Front against front, and lead them to the battle;Thou'rt skilled in war, thou hast learned somewhat under me,I need not be ashamed of my opponent,And never hadst thou fairer opportunityTo pay me for thy schooling.COUNTESS.Is it then,Can it have come to this? What! Cousin, cousin!Have you the heart?MAX.The regiments that are trusted to my careI have pledged my troth to bring away from PilsenTrue to the emperor; and this promise will IMake good, or perish. More than this no dutyRequires of me. I will not fight against thee,Unless compelled; for though an enemy,Thy head is holy to me still,[Two reports of cannon. ILLO and TERZKY hurry to the window.WALLENSTEIN.What's that?TERZBY.He falls.WALLENSTEIN.Falls! Who?ILLO.Tiefenbach's corpsDischarged the ordnance.WALLENSTEIN.Upon whom?ILLO.On—Neumann,Your messenger.WALLENSTEIN (starting up).Ha! Death and hell! I will——TERZKY.Expose thyself to their blind frenzy?DUCHESS and COUNTESS.No!For God's sake, no!ILLO.Not yet, my general!Oh, hold him! hold him!WALLENSTEIN.Leave me——MAX.Do it not;Not yet! This rash and bloody deed has thrown themInto a frenzy-fit—allow them time——WALLENSTEIN.Away! too long already have I loitered.They are emboldened to these outrages,Beholding not my face. They shall beholdMy countenance, shall hear my voice—Are they not my troops? Am I not their general,And their long-feared commander! Let me see,Whether indeed they do no longer knowThat countenance which was their sun in battle!From the balcony (mark!) I show myselfTo these rebellious forces, and at onceRevolt is mounded, and the high-swollen currentShrinks back into the old bed of obedience.[Exit WALLENSTEIN; ILLO, TERZKY, and BUTLER follow.
COUNTESS, DUCHESS, MAX., and THEKLA.COUNTESS (to the DUCHESS).Let them but see him—there is hope still, sister.DUCHESS.Hope! I have none!MAX. (who during the last scene has been standing at a distance, in avisible struggle of feelings advances).This can I not endure.With most determined soul did I come hither;My purposed action seemed unblamableTo my own conscience—and I must stand hereLike one abhorred, a hard, inhuman being:Yea, loaded with the curse of all I love!Must see all whom I love in this sore anguish,Whom I with one word can make happy—O!My heart revolts within me, and two voicesMake themselves audible within my bosom.My soul's benighted; I no longer canDistinguish the right track. Oh, well and trulyDidst thou say, father, I relied too muchOn my own heart. My mind moves to and fro—I know not what to do.COUNTESS.What! you know not?Does not your own heart tell you? Oh! then IWill tell it you. Your father is a traitor,A frightful traitor to us—he has plottedAgainst our general's life, has plunged us allIn misery—and you're his son! 'Tis yoursTo make the amends. Make you the son's fidelityOutweigh the father's treason, that the nameOf Piccolomini be not a proverbOf infamy, a common form of cursingTo the posterity of Wallenstein.MAX.Where is that voice of truth which I dare follow!It speaks no longer in my heart. We allBut utter what our passionate wishes dictate:Oh that an angel would descend from heaven,And scoop for me the right, the uncorrupted,With a pure hand from the pure Fount of light.[His eyes glance on THEKLA.What other angel seek I? To this heart,To this unerring heart, will I submit it;Will ask thy love, which has the power to blessThe happy man alone, averted everFrom the disquieted and guilty—canst thouStill love me, if I stay? Say that thou canst,And I am the duke's——COUNTESS.Think, niece——MAX.Think nothing, Thekla!Speak what thou feelest.COUNTESS.Think upon your father.MAX.I did not question thee, as Friedland's daughter.Thee, the beloved and the unerring GodWithin thy heart, I question. What's at stake?Not whether diadem of royaltyBe to be won or not—that mightest thou think on.Thy friend, and his soul's quiet are at stake:The fortune of a thousand gallant men,Who will all follow me; shall I forswearMy oath and duty to the emperor?Say, shall I send into Octavio's campThe parricidal ball? For when the ballHas left its cannon, and is on its flight,It is no longer a dead instrument!It lives, a spirit passes into it;The avenging furies seize possession of it,And with sure malice, guide it the worst way.THEKLA.Oh! Max.——MAX. (interrupting her).Nay, not precipitately either, Thekla.I understand thee. To thy noble heartThe hardest duty might appear the highest.The human, not the great part, would I act.Even from my childhood to this present hour,Think what the duke has done for me, how loved meAnd think, too, how my father has repaid him.Oh likewise the free lovely impulsesOf hospitality, the pious friend'sFaithful attachment, these, too, are a holyReligion to the heart; and heavilyThe shudderings of nature do avengeThemselves on the barbarian that insults them.Lay all upon the balance, all—then speak,And let thy heart decide it.THEKLA.Oh, thy ownHath long ago decided. Follow thouThy heart's first feeling——COUNTESS.Oh! ill-fated woman!THEKLA.Is it possible, that that can be the right,The which thy tender heart did not at firstDetect and seize with instant impulse? Go,Fulfil thy duty! I should ever love thee.Whate'er thou hast chosen, thou wouldst still have actedNobly and worthy of thee—but repentanceShall ne'er disturb thy soul's fair peace.MAX.Then IMust leave thee, must part from thee!THEKLA.Being faithfulTo thine own self, thou art faithful, too, to me:If our fates part, our hearts remain united.A bloody hatred will divide foreverThe houses Piccolomini and Friedland;But we belong not to our houses. Go!Quick! quick! and separate thy righteous causeFrom our unholy and unblessed one!The curse of heaven lies upon our head:'Tis dedicate to ruin. Even meMy father's guilt drags with it to perdition.Mourn not for me:My destiny will quickly be decided.[MAX. clasps her in his arms in extreme emotion. There is heardfrom behind the scene a loud, wild, long-continued cry, VivatFerdinandus! accompanied by warlike instruments. MAX. and THEKLAremain without motion in each other's embraces.
To the above enter TERZKY.COUNTESS (meeting him).What meant that cry? What was it?TERZKY.All is lost!COUNTESS.What! they regarded not his countenance?TERZKY.'Twas all in vain.DUCHESS.They shouted Vivat!TERZKY.To the emperor.COUNTESS.The traitors?TERZKY.Nay! he was not permittedEven to address them. Soon as he began,With deafening noise of warlike instrumentsThey drowned his words. But here he comes.
To these enter WALLENSTEIN, accompanied by ILLO and BUTLER.WALLENSTEIN (as he enters).Terzky!TERZKY.My general!WALLENSTEIN.Let our regiments hold themselvesIn readiness to march; for we shall leavePilsen ere evening.[Exit TERZKY.Butler!BUTLER.Yes, my general.WALLENSTEIN.The Governor of Egra is your friendAnd countryman. Write him instantlyBy a post courier. He must be advised,That we are with him early on the morrow.You follow us yourself, your regiment with you.BUTLER.It shall be done, my general!WALLENSTEIN (steps between MAX. and THEKLA, who have remained during thistime in each other's arms).Part!MAX.O God![CUIRASSIERS enter with drawn swords, and assemble in thebackground. At the same time there are heard from below somespirited passages out of the Pappenheim March, which seem toaddress MAX.WALLENSTEIN (to the CUIRASSIERS).Here he is, he is at liberty: I keep himNo longer.[He turns away, and stands so that MAX. cannot pass by himnor approach the PRINCESS.MAX.Thou know'st that I have not yet learnt to liveWithout thee! I go forth into a desert,Leaving my all behind me. Oh, do not turnThine eyes away from me! Oh, once more show meThy ever dear and honored countenance.[MAX. attempts to take his hand, but is repelled: heturns to the COUNTESS.Is there no eye that has a look of pity for me?[The COUNTESS turns away from him; he turns to the DUCHESS.My mother!DUCHESS.Go where duty calls you. HaplyThe time may come when you may prove to usA true friend, a good angel at the throneOf the emperor.MAX.You give me hope; you would notSuffer me wholly to despair. No! no!Mine is a certain misery. Thanks to heaven!That offers me a means of ending it.[The military music begins again. The stage fills more and morewith armed men. MAX. sees BUTLER and addresses him.And you here, Colonel Butler—and will youNot follow me? Well, then, remain more faithfulTo your new lord, than you have proved yourselfTo the emperor. Come, Butler! promise me.Give me your hand upon it, that you'll beThe guardian of his life, its shield, its watchman.He is attainted, and his princely headFair booty for each slave that trades in murder.Now he doth need the faithful eye of friendship,And those whom here I see——[Casting suspicious looks on ILLO and BUTLER.ILLO.Go—seek for traitorsIn Gallas', in your father's quarters. HereIs only one. Away! away! and free usFrom his detested sight! Away![MAX. attempts once more to approach THERLA. WALLENSTEIN preventshim. MAX. stands irresolute, and in apparent anguish, In themeantime the stage fills more and more; and the horns sound frombelow louder and louder, and each time after a shorter interval.MAX.Blow, blow! Oh, were it but the Swedish trumpets,And all the naked swords, which I see here,Were plunged into my breast! What purpose you?You come to tear me from this place! Beware,Ye drive me not to desperation. Do it not!Ye may repent it![The stage is entirely filled with armed men.Yet more! weight upon weight to drag me downThink what ye're doing. It is not well doneTo choose a man despairing for your leader;You tear me from my happiness. Well, then,I dedicate your souls to vengeance. Mark!For your own ruin you have chosen meWho goes with me must be prepared to perish.[He turns to the background; there ensues a sudden and violentmovement among the CUIRASSIERS; they surround him, and carry himoff in wild tumult. WALLENSTEIN remains immovable. THERLA sinksinto her mother's arms. The curtain falls. The music becomesloud and overpowering, and passes into a complete war-march—theorchestra joins it—and continues during the interval between thethird and fourth acts.
The BURGOMASTER's house at Egra.BUTLER (just arrived).Here then he is by his destiny conducted.Here, Friedland! and no further! From BohemiaThy meteor rose, traversed the sky awhile,And here upon the borders of BohemiaMust sink.Thou hast forsworn the ancient colors,Blind man! yet trustest to thy ancient fortunes.Profaner of the altar and the hearth,Against thy emperor and fellow-citizensThou meanest to wage the war. Friedland, beware—The evil spirit of revenge impels thee—Beware thou, that revenge destroy thee not!
BUTLER and GORDON.GORDON.Is it you?How my heart sinks! The duke a fugitive traitor!His princely head attainted! Oh, my God!Tell me, general, I implore thee, tell meIn full, of all these sad events at Pilsen.BUTLER.You have received the letter which I sent youBy a post-courier?GORDON.Yes: and in obedience to itOpened the stronghold to him without scruple,For an imperial letter orders meTo follow your commands implicitly.But yet forgive me! when even now I sawThe duke himself, my scruples recommenced.For truly, not like an attainted man,Into this town did Friedland make his entrance;His wonted majesty beamed from his brow,And calm, as in the days when all was right,Did he receive from me the accounts of office.'Tis said, that fallen pride learns condescension.But sparing and with dignity the dukeWeighed every syllable of approbation,As masters praise a servant who has doneHis duty and no more.BUTLER.'Tis all preciselyAs I related in my letter. FriedlandHas sold the army to the enemy,And pledged himself to give up Prague and Egra.On this report the regiments all forsook him,The five excepted that belong to Terzky,And which have followed him, as thou hast seen.The sentence of attainder is passed on him,And every loyal subject is requiredTo give him in to justice, dead or living.GORDON.A traitor to the emperor. Such a noble!Of such high talents! What is human greatness?I often said, this can't end happily.His might, his greatness, and this obscure powerAre but a covered pitfall. The human beingMay not be trusted to self-government.The clear and written law, the deep-trod footmarksOf ancient custom, are all necessaryTo keep him in the road of faith and duty.The authority intrusted to this manWas unexampled and unnatural,It placed him on a level with his emperor,Till the proud soul unlearned submission. Woe is me!I mourn for him! for where he fell, I deemMight none stand firm. Alas! dear general,We in our lucky mediocrityHave ne'er experienced, cannot calculate,What dangerous wishes such a height may breedIn the heart of such a man.BUTLER.Spare your lamentsTill he need sympathy; for at this presentHe is still mighty, and still formidable.The Swedes advance to Egra by forced marches,And quickly will the junction be accomplished.This must not be! The duke must never leaveThis stronghold on free footing; for I havePledged life and honor here to hold him prisoner,And your assistance 'tis on which I calculate.GORDON.O that I had not lived to see this day!From his hand I received this dignity,He did himself intrust this stronghold to me,Which I am now required to make his dungeon.We subalterns have no will of our own:The free, the mighty man alone may listenTo the fair impulse of his human nature.Ah! we are but the poor tools of the law,Obedience the sole virtue we dare aim at!BUTLER.Nay! let it not afflict you, that your powerIs circumscribed. Much liberty, much error!The narrow path of duty is securest.And all then have deserted him you say?He has built up the luck of many thousandsFor kingly was his spirit: his full handWas ever open! Many a one from dust[With a sly glance on BUTLER.Hath he selected, from the very dustHath raised him into dignity and honor.And yet no friend, not one friend hath he purchased,Whose heart beats true to him in the evil hour.BUTLER.Here's one, I see.GORDON.I have enjoyed from himNo grace or favor. I could almost doubt,If ever in his greatness he once thought onAn old friend of his youth. For still my officeKept me at distance from him; and when firstHe to this citadel appointed me,He was sincere and serious in his duty.I do not then abuse his confidence,If I preserve my fealty in thatWhich to my fealty was first delivered.BUTLER.Say, then, will you fulfil the attainder on him,And lend your aid to take him in arrest?GORDON (pauses, reflecting—then as in deep dejection).If it be so—if all be as you say—If he've betrayed the emperor, his master,Have sold the troops, have purposed to deliverThe strongholds of the country to the enemy—Yea, truly!—there is no redemption for him!Yet it is hard, that me the lot should destineTo be the instrument of his perdition;For we were pages at the court of BergauAt the same period; but I was the senior.BUTLER.I have heard so——GORDON.'Tis full thirty years since then,A youth who scarce had seen his twentieth yearWas Wallenstein, when he and I were friendsYet even then he had a daring soul:His frame of mind was serious and severeBeyond his years: his dreams were of great objectsHe walked amidst us of a silent spirit,Communing with himself; yet I have known himTransported on a sudden into utteranceOf strange conceptions; kindling into splendorHis soul revealed itself, and he spake soThat we looked round perplexed upon each other,Not knowing whether it were craziness,Or whether it were a god that spoke in him.BUTLER.But was it where he fell two story highFrom a window-ledge, on which he had fallen asleepAnd rose up free from injury? From this day(It is reported) he betrayed clear marksOf a distempered fancy.GORDON.He becameDoubtless more self-enwrapped and melancholy;He made himself a Catholic.7MarvellouslyHis marvellous preservation had transformed him.Thenceforth he held himself for an exemptedAnd privileged being, and, as if he wereIncapable of dizziness or fall,He ran along the unsteady rope of life.But now our destinies drove us asunder;He paced with rapid step the way of greatness,Was count, and prince, duke-regent, and dictator,And now is all, all this too little for him;He stretches forth his hands for a king's crown,And plunges in unfathomable ruin.BUTLER.No more, he comes.
To these enter WALLENSTEIN, in conversation with theBURGOMASTER of Egra.WALLENSTEIN.You were at one time a free town. I seeYe bear the half eagle in your city arms.Why the half eagle only?BURGOMASTER.We were free,But for these last two hundred years has EgraRemained in pledge to the Bohemian crown;Therefore we bear the half eagle, the other halfBeing cancelled till the empire ransom us,If ever that should be.WALLENSTEIN.Ye merit freedom.Only be firm and dauntless. Lend your earsTo no designing whispering court-minions.What may your imposts be?BURGOMASTER.So heavy thatWe totter under them. The garrisonLives at our costs.WALLENSTEIN.I will relieve you. Tell me,There are some Protestants among you still?[The BURGOMASTER hesitates.Yes, yes; I know it. Many lie concealedWithin these walls. Confess now, you yourself——[Fixes, his eye on him. The BURGOMASTER alarmed.Be not alarmed. I hate the Jesuits.Could my will have determined it they hadBeen long ago expelled the empire. Trust me—Mass-book or Bible, 'tis all one to me.Of that the world has had sufficient proof.I built a church for the Reformed in GlogauAt my own instance. Hark ye, burgomaster!What is your name?BURGOMASTER.Pachhalbel, may it please you.WALLENSTEIN.Hark ye! But let it go no further, what I nowDisclose to you in confidence.[Laying his hand on the BURGOMASTER'S shoulder with a certainsolemnity.The timesDraw near to their fulfilment, burgomaster!The high will fall, the low will be exalted.Hark ye! But keep it to yourself! The endApproaches of the Spanish double monarchy—A new arrangement is at hand. You sawThe three moons that appeared at once in the heaven?BURGOMASTER.With wonder and affright!WALLENSTEIN.Whereof did twoStrangely transform themselves to bloody daggers,And only one, the middle moon, remainedSteady and clear.BURGOMASTER.We applied it to the Turks.WALLENSTEIN.The Turks! That all? I tell you that two empiresWill set in blood, in the East and in the West,And Lutherism alone remain.[Observing GORDON and BUTLER.I'faith,'Twas a smart cannonading that we heardThis evening, as we journeyed hitherward:'Twas on our left hand. Did ye hear it here?GORDON.Distinctly. The wind brought it from the south.BUTLER.It seemed to come from Weiden or from Neustadt.WALLENSTEIN.'Tis likely. That's the route the Swedes are taking.How strong is the garrison?GORDON.Not quite two hundredCompetent men, the rest are invalids.WALLENSTEIN.Good! And how many in the vale of Jochim?GORDON.Two hundred arquebusiers have I sent thitherTo fortify the posts against the Swedes.WALLENSTEIN.Good! I commend your foresight. At the works tooYou have done somewhat?GORDON.Two additional batteriesI caused to be run up. They were needless;The Rhinegrave presses hard upon us, general!WALLENSTEIN.You have been watchful in your emperor's service.I am content with you, lieutenant-colonel.[To BUTLER.Release the outposts in the vale of Jochim,With all the stations in the enemy's route.[To GORDON.Governor, in your faithful hands I leaveMy wife, my daughter, and my sister. IShall make no stay here, and wait but the arrivalOf letters to take leave of you, togetherWith all the regiments.
To these enter COUNT TERZKY.TERZKY.Joy, general, joy! I bring you welcome tidings.WALLENSTEIN.And what may they be?TERZKY.There has been an engagementAt Neustadt; the Swedes gained the victory.WALLENSTEIN.From whence did you receive the intelligence?TERZKY.A countryman from Tirschenreut conveyed it.Soon after sunrise did the fight beginA troop of the imperialists from TachauHad forced their way into the Swedish camp;The cannonade continued full two hours;There were left dead upon the field a thousandImperialists, together with their colonel;Further than this he did not know.WALLENSTEIN.How cameImperial troops at Neustadt? Altringer,But yesterday, stood sixty miles from there.Count Gallas' force collects at Frauenberg,And have not the full complement. Is it possibleThat Suys perchance had ventured so far onward?It cannot be.TERZKY.We shall soon know the whole,For here comes Illo, full of haste, and joyous.
To these enter ILLO.ILLO (to WALLENSTEIN).A courier, duke! he wishes to speak with thee.TERZKY (eagerly).Does he bring confirmation of the victory?WALLENSTEIN (at the same time).What does he bring? Whence comes he?ILLO.From the Rhinegrave,And what he brings I can announce to youBeforehand. Seven leagues distant are the Swedes;At Neustadt did Max. PiccolominiThrow himself on them with the cavalry;A murderous fight took place! o'erpowered by numbersThe Pappenheimers all, with Max. their leader,[WALLENSTEIN shudders and turns pale.Were left dead on the field.WALLENSTEIN (after a pause, in a low voice).Where is the messenger? Conduct me to him.[WALLENSTEIN is going, when LADY NEUBRUNN rushes into the room.Some servants follow her and run across the stage.NEUBRUNN.Help! Help!ILLO and TERZKY (at the same time).What now?NEUBRUNN.The princess!WALLENSTEIN and TERZKY.Does she know it?NEUBRUNN (at the same time with them).She is dying![Hurries off the stage, when WALLENSTEIN and TERZKY follow her.
BUTLER and GORDON.GORDON.What's this?BUTLER.She has lost the man she loved—Young Piccolomini, who fell in the battle.GORDON.Unfortunate lady!BUTLER.You have heard what IlloReporteth, that the Swedes are conquerers,And marching hitherward.GORDON.Too well I heard it.BUTLER.They are twelve regiments strong, and there are fiveClose by us to protect the duke. We haveOnly my single regiment; and the garrisonIs not two hundred strong.GORDON.'Tis even so.BUTLER.It is not possible with such small forceTo hold in custody a man like him.GORDON.I grant it.BUTLER.Soon the numbers would disarm us,And liberate him.GORDON.It were to be feared.BUTLER (after a pause).Know, I am warranty for the event;With my head have I pledged myself for his,Must make my word good, cost it what it will,And if alive we cannot hold him prisoner,Why—death makes all things certain!GORDON.Sutler! What?Do I understand you? Gracious God! You could——BUTLER.He must not live.GORDON.And you can do the deed?BUTLER.Either you or I. This morning was his last.GORDON.You would assassinate him?BUTLER.'Tis my purpose.GORDON.Who leans with his whole confidence upon you!BUTLER.Such is his evil destiny!GORDON.Your general!The sacred person of your general!BUTLER.My general he has been.GORDON.That 'tis onlyAn "has been" washes out no villany,And without judgment passed.BUTLER.The executionIs here instead of judgment.GORDON.This were murder,Not justice. The most guilty should be heard.BUTLER.His guilt is clear, the emperor has passed judgment,And we but execute his will.GORDON.We should notHurry to realize a bloody sentence.A word may be recalled, a life never can be.BUTLER.Despatch in service pleases sovereigns.GORDON.No honest man's ambitious to press forwardTo the hangman's service.BUTLER.And no brave man losesHis color at a daring enterprise.GORDON.A brave man hazards life, but not his conscience.BUTLER.What then? Shall he go forth anew to kindleThe unextinguishable flame of war?GORDON.Seize him, and hold him prisoner—do not kill him.BUTLER.Had not the emperor's army been defeatedI might have done so. But 'tis now passed by.GORDON.Oh, wherefore opened I the stronghold to him?BUTLER.His destiny, and not the place destroys him.GORDON.Upon these ramparts, as beseemed a soldier—I had fallen, defending the emperor's citadel!BUTLER.Yes! and a thousand gallant men have perished!GORDON.Doing their duty—that adorns the man!But murder's a black deed, and nature curses it.BUTLER (brings out a paper).Here is the manifesto which commands usTo gain possession of his person. See—It is addressed to you as well as me.Are you content to take the consequences,If through our fault he escape to the enemy?GORDON.I? Gracious God!BUTLER.Take it on yourself.Come of it what may, on you I lay it.GORDON.Oh, God in heaven!BUTLER.Can you advise aught elseWherewith to execute the emperor's purpose?Say if you can. For I desire his fall,Not his destruction.GORDON.Merciful heaven! what must beI see as clear as you. Yet still the heartWithin my bosom beats with other feelings!BUTLER.Mine is of harder stuff! NecessityIn her rough school hath steeled me. And this Illo,And Terzky likewise, they must not survive him.GORDON.I feel no pang for these. Their own bad heartsImpelled them, not the influence of the stars.'Twas they who strewed the seeds of evil passionsIn his calm breast, and with officious villanyWatered and nursed the poisonous plants. May theyReceive their earnests to the uttermost mite!BUTLER.And their death shall precede his!We meant to have taken them alive this eveningAmid the merrymaking of a feast,And keep them prisoners in the citadel,But this makes shorter work. I go this instantTo give the necessary orders.