Part 184 (1/2)

COUNTESS.

Desirest thou nothing further? Such a way Lies still before thee. Send this Wrangel off.

Forget thou thy old hopes, cast far away All thy past life; determine to commence A new one. Virtue hath her heroes too, As well as fame and fortune. To Vienna Hence--to the emperor--kneel before the throne; Take a full coffer with thee--say aloud, Thou didst but wish to prove thy fealty; Thy whole intention but to dupe the Swede.

ILLO.

For that too 'tis too late. They know too much; He would but bear his own head to the block.

COUNTESS.

I fear not that. They have not evidence To attaint him legally, and they avoid The avowal of an arbitrary power.

They'll let the duke resign without disturbance.

I see how all will end. The King of Hungary Makes his appearance, and 'twill of itself Be understood, and then the duke retires.

There will not want a formal declaration.

The young king will administer the oath To the whole army; and so all returns To the old position. On some morrow morning The duke departs; and now 'tis stir and bustle Within his castles. He will hunt and build; Superintend his horses' pedigrees, Creates himself a court, gives golden keys, And introduceth strictest ceremony In fine proportions, and nice etiquette; Keeps open table with high cheer: in brief, Commenceth mighty king--in miniature.

And while he prudently demeans himself, And gives himself no actual importance, He will be let appear whate'er he likes: And who dares doubt, that Friedland will appear A mighty prince to his last dying hour?

Well now, what then? Duke Friedland is as others, A fire-new n.o.ble, whom the war hath raised To price and currency, a Jonah's gourd, An over-night creation of court-favor, Which, with an undistinguishable ease, Makes baron or makes prince.

WALLENSTEIN (in extreme agitation).

Take her away.

Let in the young Count Piccolomini.

COUNTESS.

Art thou in earnest? I entreat thee!

Canst thou consent to bear thyself to thy own grave, So ignominiously to be dried up?

Thy life, that arrogated such an height To end in such a nothing! To be nothing, When one was always nothing, is an evil That asks no stretch of patience, a light evil; But to become a nothing, having been----

WALLENSTEIN (starts up in violent agitation).

Show me a way out of this stifling crowd, Ye powers of aidance! Show me such a way As I am capable of going. I Am no tongue-hero, no fine virtue-prattler; I cannot warm by thinking; cannot say To the good luck that turns her back upon me Magnanimously: ”Go; I need thee not.”

Cease I to work, I am annihilated.

Dangers nor sacrifices will I shun, If so I may avoid the last extreme; But ere I sink down into nothingness, Leave off so little, who began so great, Ere that the world confuses me with those Poor wretches, whom a day creates and crumbles, This age and after ages [2] speak my name With hate and dread; and Friedland be redemption For each accursed deed.

COUNTESS.

What is there here, then, So against nature? Help me to perceive it!

Oh, let not superst.i.tion's nightly goblins Subdue thy clear, bright spirit! Art thou bid To murder? with abhorred, accursed poniard, To violate the b.r.e.a.s.t.s that nourished thee?

That were against our nature, that might aptly Make thy flesh shudder, and thy whole heart sicken. [3]

Yet not a few, and for a meaner object, Have ventured even this, ay, and performed it.

What is there in thy case so black and monstrous?

Thou art accused of treason--whether with Or without justice is not now the question-- Thou art lost if thou dost not avail thee quickly Of the power which thou possessest--Friedland! Duke!

Tell me where lives that thing so meek and tame, That doth not all his living faculties Put forth in preservation of his life?

What deed so daring, which necessity And desperation will not sanctify?

WALLENSTEIN.

Once was this Ferdinand so gracious to me; He loved me; he esteemed me; I was placed The nearest to his heart. Full many a time We like familiar friends, both at one table, Have banqueted together--he and I; And the young kings themselves held me the basin Wherewith to wash me--and is't come to this?

COUNTESS.

So faithfully preservest thou each small favor, And hast no memory for contumelies?

Must I remind thee, how at Regensburg This man repaid thy faithful services?

All ranks and all conditions in the empire Thou hadst wronged to make him great,--hadst loaded on thee, On thee, the hate, the curse of the whole world.

No friend existed for thee in all Germany, And why? because thou hadst existed only For the emperor. To the emperor alone Clung Friedland in that storm which gathered round him At Regensburg in the Diet--and he dropped thee!

He let thee fall! he let thee fall a victim To the Bavarian, to that insolent!