More than a thousand noblemen among them,
From oaths, from duty, from their honour lure them,
And make them all unanimous to do 75
A deed that brands them scoundrels?
Octavio. Such a deed,
With such a front of infamy, the Duke
No wise desires — what he requires of us
Bears a far gentler appellation. Nothing
He wishes, but to give the Empire peace. 80
And so, because the Emperor hates this peace,
Therefore the Duke — the Duke will force him to it.
All parts of the Empire will he pacify,
And for his trouble will retain in payment
(What he has already in his gripe) — Bohemia! 85
Max. Has he, Octavio, merited of us,
That we — that we should think so vilely of him?
Octavio. What we would think is not the question here.
The affair speaks for itself — and clearest proofs!
Hear me, my son—’tis not unknown to thee, 90
In what ill credit with the Court we stand.
But little dost thou know, or guess, what tricks,
What base intrigues, what lying artifices,
Have been employed — for this sole end — to sow
Mutiny in the camp! All bands are loosed — 95
Loosed all the bands, that link the officer
To his liege Emperor, all that bind the soldier
Affectionately to the citizen.
Lawless he stands, and threateningly beleaguers
The state he’s bound to guard. To such a height 100
‘Tis swoln, that at this hour the Emperor
Before his armies — his own armies — trembles;
Yea, in his capital, his palace, fears
The traitor’s poniards, and is meditating
To hurry off and hide his tender offspring —— 105
Not from the Swedes, not from the Lutherans —
No! from his own troops hide and hurry them!
Max. Cease, cease! thou tortur’st, shatter’st me. I know
That oft we tremble at an empty terror;
But the false phantasm brings a real misery. 110
Octavio. It is no phantasm. An intestine war,
Of all the most unnatural and cruel,
Will burst out into flames, if instantly
We do not fly and stifle it. The Generals
Are many of them long ago won over; 115
The subalterns are vacillating — whole
Regiments and garrisons are vacillating.
To foreigners our strong holds are entrusted;
To that suspected Schafgotch is the whole
Force of Silesia given up: to Tertsky 120
Five regiments, foot and horse — to Isolani,
To Illo, Kinsky, Butler, the best troops.
Max. Likewise to both of us.
Octavio. Because the Duke
Believes he has secured us — means to lure us
Still further on by splendid promises. 125
To me he portions forth the princedoms, Glatz
And Sagan; and too plain I see the angle
With which he doubts not to catch thee.
Max. No! no!
I tell thee — no!
Octavio. O open yet thine eyes!
And to what purpose think’st thou he has called us 130
Hither to Pilsen? — to avail himself
Of our advice? — O when did Friedland ever
Need our advice? — Be calm, and listen to me.
To sell ourselves are we called hither, and,
Decline we that — to be his hostages. 135
Therefore doth noble Galas stand aloof;
Thy father, too, thou would’st not have seen here,
If higher duties had not held him fettered.
Max. He makes no secret of it — needs make none —
That we’re called hither for his sake — he owns it. 140
He needs our aidance to maintain himself —
He did so much for us; and ‘tis but fair
That we too should do somewhat now for him.
Octavio. And know’st thou what it is which we must do?
That Illo’s drunken mood betrayed it to thee. 145
Bethink thyself — what hast thou heard, what seen?
The counterfeited paper — the omission
Of that particular clause, so full of meaning,
Does it not prove, that they would bind us down
To nothing good?
Max. That counterfeited paper 150
Appears to me no other than a trick
Of Illo’s own device. These underhand
Traders in great men’s interests ever use
To urge and hurry all things to the extreme.
They see the Duke at variance with the court, 155
And fondly think to serve him, when they widen
The breach irreparably. Trust me, father,
The Duke knows nothing of all this.
Octavio. It grieves me
That I must dash to earth, that I must shatter
A faith so specious; but I may not spare thee! 160
For this is not a time for tenderness.
Thou must take measures, speedy ones — must act.
I therefore will confess to thee, that all
Which I’ve entrusted to thee now — that all
Which seems to thee so unbelievable, 165
That — yes, I will tell thee — Max! I had it all
From his own mouth — from the Duke’s mouth I had it.
Max. No! — no! — never!
Octavio. Himself confided to me
What I, ‘tis true, had long before discovered
By other means — himself confided to me, 170
That ‘twas his settled plan to join the Swedes;
And, at the head of the united armies,
Compel the Emperor —
Max. He is passionate.
The Court has stung him — he is sore all over
With injuries and affronts; and in a moment 175
Of irritation, what if he, for once,
Forgot himself? He’s an impetuous man.
Octavio.