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. [7] MarvellouslyHis 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, my 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.
To these enter ILLO and TERZKY.
TERZKY.Our luck is on the turn. To-morrow comeThe Swedes—twelve thousand gallant warriors, Illo!Then straightwise for Vienna. Cheerily, friend!What! meet such news with such a moody face?
ILLO.It lies with us at present to prescribeLaws, and take vengeance on those worthless traitorsThose skulking cowards that deserted us;One has already done his bitter penance,The Piccolomini: be his the fateOf all who wish us evil! This flies sureTo the old man's heart; he has his whole life longFretted and toiled to raise his ancient houseFrom a count's title to the name of prince;And now must seek a grave for his only son.
BUTLER.'Twas pity, though! A youth of such heroicAnd gentle temperament! The duke himself,'Twas easily seen, how near it went to his heart.
ILLO.Hark ye, old friend! That is the very pointThat never pleased me in our general—He ever gave the preference to the Italians.Yea, at this very moment, by my soul!He'd gladly see us all dead ten times over,Could he thereby recall his friend to life.
TERZKY.Hush, hush! Let the dead rest! This evening's businessIs, who can fairly drink the other down—Your regiment, Illo! gives the entertainment.Come! we will keep a merry carnivalThe night for once be day, and 'mid full glassesWill we expect the Swedish avant-garde.
ILLO.Yes, let us be of good cheer for to-day,For there's hot work before us, friends! This swordShall have no rest till it is bathed to the hiltIn Austrian blood.
GORDON.Shame, shame! what talk is this,My lord field-marshal? Wherefore foam you soAgainst your emperor?
BUTLER.Hope not too muchFrom this first victory. Bethink you, sirs!How rapidly the wheel of fortune turns;The emperor still is formidably strong.
ILLO.The emperor has soldiers, no commander,For this King Ferdinand of HungaryIs but a tyro. Gallas? He's no luck,And was of old the ruiner of armies.And then this viper, this Octavio,Is excellent at stabbing in the back,But ne'er meets Friedland in the open field.
TERZKY.Trust me, my friends, it cannot but succeed;Fortune, we know, can ne'er forsake the duke!—And only under Wallenstein can AustriaBe conqueror.
ILLO.The duke will soon assembleA mighty army: all come crowding, streamingTo banners, dedicate by destinyTo fame, and prosperous fortune. I beholdOld times come back again! he will becomeOnce more the mighty lord which he has been.How will the fools, who've how deserted him,Look then? I can't but laugh to think of them,For lands will he present to all his friends,And like a king and emperor rewardTrue services; but we've the nearest claims.[To GORDON.You will not be forgotten, governor!He'll take from you this nest, and bid you shineIn higher station: your fidelityWell merits it.
GORDON.I am content already,And wish to climb no higher; where great height is,The fall must needy be great. "Great height, great depth."
ILLO.Here you have no more business, for to-morrowThe Swedes will take possession of the citadel.Come, Terzky, it is supper-time. What think you?Nay, shall we have the town illuminatedIn honor of the Swede? And who refusesTo do it is a Spaniard and a traitor.
TERZKY.Nay! nay! not that, it will not please the duke——
ILLO.What; we are masters here; no soul shall dareAvow himself imperial where we've the rule.Gordon! good-night, and for the last time takeA fair leave of the place. Send out patrolsTo make secure, the watchword may be altered.At the stroke of ten deliver in the keysTo the duke himself, and then you've quit foreverYour wardship of the gates, for on to-morrowThe Swedes will take possession of the citadel.
TERZKY (as he is going, to BUTLER).You come, though, to the castle?
BUTLER.At the right time.
[Exeunt TERZKY and ILLO.
GORDON and BUTLER.
GORDON (looking after them).Unhappy men! How free from all forebodingThey rush into the outspread net of murderIn the blind drunkenness of victory;I have no pity for their fate. This Illo,This overflowing and foolhardy villain,That would fain bathe himself in his emperor's blood.
BUTLER.Do as he ordered you. Send round patrols,Take measures for the citadel's security;When they are within I close the castle-gateThat nothing may transpire.
GORDON (with earnest anxiety).Oh! haste not so!Nay, stop; first tell me——
BUTLER.You have heard already,To-morrow to the Swedes belongs. This nightAlone is ours. They make good expedition.But we will make still greater. Fare you well.
GORDON.Ah! your looks tell me nothing good. Nay, Butler,I pray you promise me!
BUTLER.The sun has set;A fateful evening doth descend upon us,And brings on their long night! Their evil starsDeliver them unarmed into our hands,And from their drunken dream of golden fortunesThe dagger at their hearts shall rouse them. Well,The duke was ever a great calculator;His fellow-men were figures on his chess-boardTo move and station, as his game required.Other men's honor, dignity, good name,Did he shift like pawns, and made no conscience ofStill calculating, calculating still;And yet at last his calculation provesErroneous; the whole game is lost; and low!His own life will be found among the forfeits.
GORDON.Oh, think not of his errors now! rememberHis greatness, his munificence; think on allThe lovely features of his character,On all the noble exploits of his life,And let them, like an angel's arm, unseen,Arrest the lifted sword.
BUTLER.It is too late.I suffer not myself to feel compassion,Dark thoughts and bloody are my duty now.[Grasping GORDON's hand.Gordon! 'tis not my hatred (I pretend notTo love the duke, and have no cause to love him).Yet 'tis not now my hatred that impels meTo be his murderer. 'Tis his evil fate.Hostile occurrences of many eventsControl and subjugate me to the office.In vain the human being meditatesFree action. He is but the wire-worked [8] puppetOf the blind Power, which, out of its own choice,Creates for him a dread necessity.What too would it avail him if there wereA something pleading for him in my heart—Still I must kill him.
GORDON.If your heart speak to youFollow its impulse. 'Tis the voice of God.Think you your fortunes will grow prosperousBedewed with blood—his blood? Believe it not!
BUTLER.You know not. Ask not! Wherefore should it happenThat the Swedes gained the victory, and hastenWith such forced marches hitherwards? Fain would IHave given him to the emperor's mercy. Gordon!I do not wish his blood,—but I must ransomThe honor of my word,—it lies in pledge—And he must die, or——[Passionately grasping GORDON's hand.Listen, then, and knowI am dishonored if the duke escape us.
GORDON.Oh! to save such a man——
BUTLER.What!
GORDON.It is worthA sacrifice. Come, friend! Be noble-minded!Our own heart, and not other men's opinions,Forms our true honor.
BUTLER (with a cold and haughty air).He is a great lord,This duke, and I am of but mean importance.This is what you would say! Wherein concerns itThe world at large, you mean to hint to me,Whether the man of low extraction keepsOr blemishes his honor—So that the man of princely rank be saved?We all do stamp our value on ourselves:The price we challenge for ourselves is given us.There does not live on earth the man so stationedThat I despise myself compared with him.Man is made great or little by his own will;Because I am true to mine therefore he dies!
GORDON.I am endeavoring to move a rock.Thou hadst a mother, yet no human feelings.I cannot hinder you, but may some GodRescue him from you!
[Exit GORDON.BUTLER [9] (alone).I treasured my good name all my life long;The duke has cheated me of life's best jewel,So that I blush before this poor weak Gordon!He prizes above all his fealty;His conscious soul accuses him of nothing;In opposition to his own soft heartHe subjugates himself to an iron duty.Me in a weaker moment passion warped;I stand beside him, and must feel myselfThe worst man of the two. What though the worldIs ignorant of my purposed treason, yetOne man does know it, and can prove it, too—High-minded Piccolomini!There lives the man who can dishonor me!This ignominy blood alone can cleanse!Duke Friedland, thou or I. Into my own handsFortune delivers me. The dearest thing a man has is himself.
[A gothic and gloomy apartment at the DUCHESS FRIEDLAND's.THEKLA on a seat, pale, her eyes closed. The DUCHESS and LADYNEUBRUNN busied about her. WALLENSTEIN and the COUNTESS inconversation.
WALLENSTEIN.How knew she it so soon?
COUNTESS.She seems to haveForeboded some misfortune. The reportOf an engagement, in which had fallenA colonel of the imperial army, frightened her.I saw it instantly. She flew to meetThe Swedish courier, and with sudden questioning,Soon wrested from him the disastrous secret.Too late we missed her, hastened after her,We found her lying in his arms, all pale,And in a swoon.
WALLENSTEIN.A heavy, heavy blow!And she so unprepared! Poor child! how is it?[Turning to the DUCHESS.Is she coming to herself?
DUCHESS.Her eyes are opening——
COUNTESS.She lives!
THEKLA (looking around her).Where am I?
WALLENSTEIN (steps to her, raising her up in his arms).Come, cheerly, Thekla! be my own brave girl!See, there's thy loving mother. Thou art inThy father's arms.
THEKLA (standing up).Where is he? Is he gone?
DUCHESS.Who gone, my daughter?
THEKLA.He—the man who utteredThat word of misery.
DUCHESS.Oh, think not of it!My Thekla!
WALLENSTEIN.Give her sorrow leave to talk!Let her complain—mingle your tears with hers,For she hath suffered a deep anguish; butShe'll rise superior to it, for my TheklaHath all her father's unsubdued heart.
THEKLA.I am not ill. See, I have power to stand.Why does my mother weep? Have I alarmed her?It is gone by—I recollect myself.[She casts her eyes round the room, as seeking some one.Where is he? Please you, do not hide him from me.You see I have strength enough: now I will hear him.
DUCHESS.No; never shall this messenger of evilEnter again into thy presence, Thekla!
THEKLA.My father——
WALLENSTEIN.Dearest daughter!
THEKLA.I'm not weak.Shortly I shall be quite myself again.You'll grant me one request?
WALLENSTEIN.Name it, my daughter.
THEKLA.Permit the stranger to be called to me,And grant me leave, that by myself I mayHear his report and question him.
DUCHESS.No, never!
COUNTESS.'Tis not advisable—assent not to it.
WALLENSTEIN.Hush! Wherefore wouldst thou speak with him, my daughter?
THEKLA.Knowing the whole, I shall be more collected;I will not be deceived. My mother wishesOnly to spare me. I will not be spared—The worst is said already: I can hearNothing of deeper anguish!
COUNTESS and DUCHESS.Do it not.
THEKLA.The horror overpowered me by surprise,My heart betrayed me in the stranger's presence:He was a witness of my weakness, yea,I sank into his arms; and that has shamed me.I must replace myself in his esteem,And I must speak with him, perforce, that he,The stranger, may not think ungently of me.
WALLENSTEIN.I see she is in the right, and am inclinedTo grant her this request of hers. Go, call him.
[LADY NEUBRUNN goes to call him.
DUCHESS.But I, thy mother, will be present——
THEKLA.'TwereMore pleasing to me if alone I saw him;Trust me, I shall behave myself the moreCollectedly.
WALLENSTEIN.Permit her her own will.Leave her alone with him: for there are sorrows,Where of necessity the soul must beIts own support. A strong heart will relyOn its own strength alone. In her own bosom,Not in her mother's arms, must she collectThe strength to rise superior to this blow.It is mine own brave girl. I'll have her treatedNot as the woman, but the heroine.
[Going.
COUNTESS (detaining him).Where art thou going? I heard Terzky sayThat 'tis thy purpose to depart from henceTo-morrow early, but to leave us here.
WALLENSTEIN.Yes, ye stay here, placed under the protectionOf gallant men.
COUNTESS.Oh, take us with you, brother.Leave us not in this gloomy solitude.To brood o'er anxious thoughts. The mists of doubtMagnify evils to a shape of horror.
WALLENSTEIN.Who speaks of evil? I entreat you, sister,Use words of better omen.
COUNTESS.Then take us with you.Oh leave us not behind you in a placeThat forces us to such sad omens. HeavyAnd sick within me is my heart—These walls breathe on me like a churchyard vault.I cannot tell you, brother, how this placeDoth go against my nature. Take us with you.Come, sister, join you your entreaty! Niece,Yours too. We all entreat you, take us with you!
WALLENSTEIN.The place's evil omens will I change,Making it that which shields and shelters for meMy best beloved.
LADY NEUBRUNN (returning).The Swedish officer.
WALLENSTEIN.Leave her alone with me.
DUCHESS (to THEKLA, who starts and shivers).There—pale as death! Child, 'tis impossibleThat thou shouldst speak with him. Follow thy mother.
THEKLA.The Lady Neubrunn then may stay with me.
[Exeunt DUCHESS and COUNTESS.
CAPTAIN (respectfully approaching her).Princess—I must entreat your gentle pardon—My inconsiderate rash speech. How could!——
THEKLA (with dignity).You have beheld me in my agony.A most distressful accident occasionedYou from a stranger to become at onceMy confidant.
CAPTAIN.I fear you hate my presence,For my tongue spake a melancholy word.
THEKLA.The fault is mine. Myself did wrest it from you.The horror which came o'er me interruptedYour tale at its commencement. May it please you,Continue it to the end.
CAPTAIN.Princess, 'twillRenew your anguish.
THEKLA.I am firm,—I will be firm. Well—how began the engagement?
CAPTAIN.We lay, expecting no attack, at Neustadt,Intrenched but insecurely in our camp,When towards evening rose a cloud of dustFrom the wood thitherward; our vanguard fledInto the camp, and sounded the alarm.Scarce had we mounted ere the Pappenheimers,Their horses at full speed, broke through the lines,And leaped the trenches; but their heedless courageHad borne them onward far before the others—The infantry were still at distance, onlyThe Pappenheimers followed daringlyTheir daring leader——
[THEKLA betrays agitation in her gestures. The officer pausestill she makes a sign to him to proceed.
CAPTAIN.Both in van and flanksWith our whole cavalry we now received them;Back to the trenches drove them, where the footStretched out a solid ridge of pikes to meet them.They neither could advance, nor yet retreat;And as they stood on every side wedged in,The Rhinegrave to their leader called aloud,Inviting a surrender; but their leader,Young Piccolomini——[THEKLA, as giddy, grasps a chair.Known by his plume,And his long hair, gave signal for the trenches;Himself leaped first: the regiment all plunged after.His charger, by a halbert gored, reared up,Flung him with violence off, and over himThe horses, now no longer to be curbed,——
[THEKLA, who has accompanied the last speech with allthe marks of increasing agony, trembles through her wholeframe and is falling. The LADY NEUBRUNN runs to her, andreceives her in her arms.
NEUBRUNN.My dearest lady!
CAPTAIN.I retire.
THERLA.'Tis over.Proceed to the conclusion.
CAPTAIN.Wild despairInspired the troops with frenzy when they sawTheir leader perish; every thought of rescueWas spurned; they fought like wounded tigers; theirFrantic resistance roused our soldiery;A murderous fight took place, nor was the contestFinished before their last man fell.
THEKLA (faltering).And where—Where is—you have not told me all.
CAPTAIN (after a pause).This morningWe buried him. Twelve youths of noblest birthDid bear him to interment; the whole armyFollowed the bier. A laurel decked his coffin;The sword of the deceased was placed upon it,In mark of honor by the Rhinegrave's self,Nor tears were wanting; for there are among usMany, who had themselves experiencedThe greatness of his mind and gentle manners;All were affected at his fate. The RhinegraveWould willingly have saved him; but himselfMade vain the attempt—'tis said he wished to die.
NEUBRUNN (to THEKLA, who has hidden her countenance).Look up, my dearest lady——
THEKLA.Where is his grave?
CAPTAIN.At Neustadt, lady; in a cloister churchAre his remains deposited, untilWe can receive directions from his father.
THEKLA.What is the cloister's name?
CAPTAIN.Saint Catherine's.
THEKLA.And how far is it thither?
CAPTAIN.Near twelve leagues.
THEKLA.And which the way?
CAPTAIN.You go by TirschenreutAnd Falkenberg, through our advanced posts.
THEKLAWhoIs their commander?
CAPTAIN.Colonel Seckendorf.
[THEKLA steps to the table, and takes a ring from a casket.
THEKLA.You have beheld me in my agony,And shown a feeling heart. Please you, accept[Giving him the ring.A small memorial of this hour. Now go!
CAPTAIN (confusedly).Princess——
[THEKLA silently makes signs to him to go, and turns from him.The captain lingers, and is about to speak. LADY NEUBRUNN repeatsthe signal, and he retires.
THEKLA (falls on LADY NEUBRUNN's neck).Now gentle Neubrunn, show me the affectionWhich thou hast ever promised—prove thyselfMy own true friend and faithful fellow-pilgrim.This night we must away!
NEUBRUNN.Away! and whither?
THEKLA.Whither! There is but one place in the world.Thither, where he lies buried! To his coffin!
NEUBRUNN.What would you do there?
THEKLA.What do there?That wouldst thou not have asked, hadst thou e'er loved.There, that is all that still remains of him!That single spot is the whole earth to me.
NEUBRUNN.That place of death——
THEKLA.Is now the only placeWhere life yet dwells for me: detain me not!Come and make preparations; let us thinkOf means to fly from hence.
NEUBRUNN.Your father's rage
THEKLA.That time is past—And now I fear no human being's rage.
NEUBRUNN.The sentence of the world! The tongue of calumny!
THEKLA.Whom am I seeking? Him who is no more.Am I then hastening to the arms—O God!I haste—but to the grave of the beloved.
NEUBRUNN.And we alone, two helpless, feeble women?
THEKLA.We will take weapons: my arm shall protect thee.
NEUBRUNN.In the dark night-time?
THEKLA.Darkness will conceal us.
NEUBRUNN.This rough tempestuous night——
THEKLA.Had he a soft bedUnder the hoofs of his war-horses?
NEUBRUNN.Heaven!And then the many posts of the enemy!
THEKLA.They are human beings. Misery travels freeThrough the whole earth.
NEUBRUNN.The journey's weary length——
THEKLA.The pilgrim, travelling to a distant shrineOf hope and healing doth not count the leagues.
NEUBRUNN.How can we pass the gates?
THEKLA.Gold opens them.Go, do but go.
NEUBRUNN.Should we be recognized——
THEKLA.In a despairing woman, a poor fugitive,Will no one seek the daughter of Duke Friedland.
NEUBRUNN.And where procure we horses for our flight?
THEKLA.My equerry procures them. Go and fetch him.
NEUBRUNN.Dares he, without the knowledge of his lord?
THEKLA.He will. Go, only go. Delay no longer.
NEUBRUNN.Dear lady! and your mother?
THEKLA.Oh! my mother!
NEUBRUNN.So much as she has suffered too already;Your tender mother. Ah! how ill preparedFor this last anguish!
THEKLA.Woe is me! My mother![Pauses.Go instantly.
NEUBRUNN.But think what you are doing!
THEKLA.What can be thought, already has been thought.
NEUBRUNN.And being there, what purpose you to do?
THEKLA.There a divinity will prompt my soul.
NEUBRUNN.Your heart, dear lady, is disquieted!And this is not the way that leads to quiet.
THEKLA.To a deep quiet, such as he has found,It draws me on, I know not what to name it,Resistless does it draw me to his grave.There will my heart be eased, my tears will flow.Oh hasten, make no further questioning!There is no rest for me till I have leftThese walls—they fall in on me—a dim powerDrives me from hence—oh mercy! What a feeling!What pale and hollow forms are those! They fill,They crowd the place! I have no longer room here!Mercy! Still more! More still! The hideous swarm,They press on me; they chase me from these walls—Those hollow, bodiless forms of living men!
NEUBRUNN.You frighten me so, lady, that no longerI dare stay here myself. I go and callRosenberg instantly.
[Exit LADY NEUBRUNN.
THEKLA.His spirit 'tis that calls me: 'tis the troopOf his true followers, who offered upThemselves to avenge his death: and they accuse meOf an ignoble loitering—they would notForsake their leader even in his death; they died for him,And shall I live?For me too was that laurel garland twinedThat decks his bier. Life is an empty casket:I throw it from me. Oh, my only hope;To die beneath the hoofs of trampling steeds—That is a lot of heroes upon earth!
[Exit THEKLA. [10]
(The Curtain drops.)
THEKLA, LADY NEUBRUNN, and ROSENBERG.
NEUBRUNN.He is here, lady, and he will procure them.
THEKLA.Wilt thou provide us horses, Rosenberg?
ROSENBERG.I will, my lady.
THEKLA.And go with us as well?
ROSENBERG.To the world's end, my lady.
THEKLA.But consider,Thou never canst return unto the duke.
ROSENBERG.I will remain with thee.
THEKLA.I will reward thee.And will commend thee to another master.Canst thou unseen conduct us from the castle?
ROSENBERG.I can.
THEKLA.When can I go?
ROSENBERG.This very hour.But whither would you, lady?
THEKLA.To—Tell him, Neubrunn.
NEUBRUNN.To Neustadt.
ROSENBERG.So; I leave you to get ready.
[Exit.
NEUBRUNN.Oh, see, your mother comes.
THEKLA.Indeed! O Heaven!
THEKLA, LADY NEUBRUNN, the DUCHESS.
DUCHESS.He's gone! I find thee more composed, my child.
THEKLA.I am so, mother; let me only nowRetire to rest, and Neubrunn here be with me.I want repose.
DUCHESS.My Thekla, thou shalt have it.I leave thee now consoled, since I can calmThy father's heart.
THEKLA.Good night, beloved mother!
(Falling on her neck and embracing her with deep emotion).
DUCHESS.Thou scarcely art composed e'en now, my daughter.Thou tremblest strongly, and I feel thy heartBeat audibly on mine.
THEKLA.Sleep will appeaseIts beating: now good-night, good-night, dear mother.
(As she withdraws from her mother's arms the curtain falls).
Butler's Chamber.
BUTLER, and MAJOR GERALDIN.
BUTLER.Find me twelve strong dragoons, arm them with pikesFor there must be no firing—Conceal them somewhere near the banquet-room,And soon as the dessert is served up, rush all inAnd cry—"Who is loyal to the emperor?"I will overturn the table—while you attackIllo and Terzky, and despatch them both.The castle-palace is well barred and guarded,That no intelligence of this proceedingMay make its way to the duke. Go instantly;Have you yet sent for Captain DevereuxAnd the Macdonald?
GERALDIN.They'll be here anon.
[Exit GERALDIN.
BUTLER.Here's no room for delay. The citizensDeclare for him—a dizzy drunken spiritPossesses the whole town. They see in the dukeA prince of peace, a founder of new agesAnd golden times. Arms, too, have been given outBy the town-council, and a hundred citizensHave volunteered themselves to stand on guard.Despatch! then, be the word; for enemiesThreaten us from without and from within.
BUTLER, CAPTAIN DEVEREUX, and MACDONALD.
MACDONALD.Here we are, general.
DEVEREUX.What's to be the watchword?
BUTLER.Long live the emperor!
BOTH (recoiling).How?
BUTLER.Live the house of Austria.
DEVEREUX.Have we not sworn fidelity to Friedland?
MACDONALD.Have we not marched to this place to protect him?
BUTLER.Protect a traitor and his country's enemy?
DEVEREUX.Why, yes! in his name you administeredOur oath.
MACDONALD.And followed him yourself to Egra.
BUTLER.I did it the more surely to destroy him.
DEVEREUX.So then!
MACDONALD.An altered case!
BUTLER (to DEVEREU%).Thou wretched manSo easily leavest thou thy oath and colors?
DEVEREUX.The devil! I but followed your example;If you could prove a villain, why not we?
MACDONALD.We've naught to do with thinking—that's your business.You are our general, and give out the orders;We follow you, though the track lead to hell.
BUTLER (appeased).Good, then! we know each other.
MACDONALD.I should hope so.
DEVEREUX.Soldiers of fortune are we—who bids mostHe has us.
MACDONALD.'Tis e'en so!
BUTLER.Well, for the presentYou must remain honest and faithful soldiers.
DEVEREUX.We wish no other.
BUTLER.Ay, and make your fortunes.
MACDONALD.That is still better.
BUTLER.Listen!
BOTH.We attend.
BUTLER.It is the emperor's will and ordinanceTo seize the person of the Prince-Duke FriedlandAlive or dead.
DEVEREUX.It runs so in the letter.
MACDONALD.Alive or dead—these were the very words.
BUTLER.And he shall be rewarded from the stateIn land and gold who proffers aid thereto.
DEVEREUX.Ay! that sounds well. The words sound always wellThat travel hither from the court. Yes! yes!We know already what court-words import.A golden chain perhaps in sign of favor,Or an old charger, or a parchment-patent,And such like. The prince-duke pays better.
MACDONALD.Yes,The duke's a splendid paymaster.
BUTLER.All overWith that, my friends. His lucky stars are set.
MACDONALD.And is that certain?
BUTLER.You have my word for it.
DEVEREUX.His lucky fortune's all passed by?
BUTLER.Forever.He is as poor as we.
MACDONALD.As poor as we?
DEVEREUX.Macdonald, we'll desert him.
BUTLER.We'll desert him?Full twenty thousand have done that already;We must do more, my countrymen! In short—We—we must kill him.
BOTH (starting back)Kill him!
BUTLER.Yes, must kill him;And for that purpose have I chosen you.
BOTH.Us!
BUTLER.You, Captain Devereux, and thee, Macdonald.
DEVEREUX (after a pause).Choose you some other.
BUTLER.What! art dastardly?Thou, with full thirty lives to answer for—Thou conscientious of a sudden?
DEVEREUX.NayTo assassinate our lord and general——
MACDONALD.To whom we swore a soldier's oath——
BUTLER.The oathIs null, for Friedland is a traitor.
DEVEREUX.No, no! it is too bad!
MACDONALD.Yes, by my soul!It is too bad. One has a conscience too——
DEVEREUX.If it were not our chieftain, who so longHas issued the commands, and claimed our duty——
BUTLER.Is that the objection?
DEVEREUX.Were it my own father,And the emperor's service should demand it of me,It might be done perhaps—but we are soldiers,And to assassinate our chief commander,That is a sin, a foul abomination,From which no monk or confessor absolves us.
BUTLER.I am your pope, and give you absolution.Determine quickly!
DEVEREUX.'Twill not do.
MACDONALD.'Twont do!
BUTLER.Well, off then! and—send Pestalutz to me.
DEVEREUX (hesitates).The Pestalutz——
MACDONALD.What may you want with him?
BUTLER.If you reject it, we can find enough——
DEVEREUX.Nay, if he must fall, we may earn the bountyAs well as any other. What think you,Brother Macdonald?
MACDONALD.Why, if he must fall,And will fall, and it can't be otherwise,One would not give place to this Pestalutz.
DEVEREUX (after some reflection).When do you purpose he should fall?
BUTLER.This night.To-morrow will the Swedes be at our gates.
DEVEREUX.You take upon you all the consequences?
BUTLER.I take the whole upon me.
DEVEREUX.And it isThe emperor's will, his express absolute will?For we have instances that folks may likeThe murder, and yet hang the murderer.
BUTLER.The manifesto says—"alive or dead."Alive—'tis not possible—you see it is not.
DEVEREUX.Well, dead then! dead! But bow can we come at him.The town is filled with Terzky's soldiery.
MACDONALD.Ay! and then Terzky still remains, and Illo——
BUTLER.With these you shall begin—you understand me?
DEVEREUX.How! And must they too perish?
BUTLER.They the first.
MACDONALD.Hear, Devereux! A bloody evening this.
DEVEREUX.Have you a man for that? Commission me——
BUTLER.'Tis given in trust to Major Geraldin;This is a carnival night, and there's a feastGiven at the castle—there we shall surprise them,And hew them down. The Pestalutz and LesleyHave that commission. Soon as that is finished——
DEVEREUX.Hear, general! It will be all one to you—Hark ye, let me exchange with Geraldin.
BUTLER.'Twill be the lesser danger with the duke.
DEVEREUX.Danger! The devil! What do you think me, general,'Tis the duke's eye, and not his sword, I fear.
BUTLER.What can his eye do to thee?
DEVEREUX.Death and hell!Thou knowest that I'm no milksop, general!But 'tis not eight days since the duke did send meTwenty gold pieces for this good warm coatWhich I have on! and then for him to see meStanding before him with the pike, his murderer.That eye of his looking upon this coat—Why—why—the devil fetch me! I'm no milksop!
BUTLER.The duke presented thee this good warm coat,And thou, a needy wight, hast pangs of conscienceTo run him through the body in return,A coat that is far better and far warmerDid the emperor give to him, the prince's mantle.How doth he thank the emperor? With revoltAnd treason.
DEVEREUX.That is true. The devil takeSuch thankers! I'll despatch him.
BUTLER.And would'st quietThy conscience, thou hast naught to do but simplyPull off the coat; so canst thou do the deedWith light heart and good spirits.
DEVEREUX.You are right,That did not strike me. I'll pull off the coat—So there's an end of it.