Countess. Ha! what new scruple?
Tertsky. The Duke will not.
Countess. He will not what he must!
Illo. It lies with you now. Try. For I am silenced,
When folks begin to talk to me of conscience,
And of fidelity.
Countess. How? then, when all 15
Lay in the far-off distance, when the road
Stretched out before thine eyes interminably,
Then hadst thou courage and resolve; and now,
Now that the dream is being realized,
The purpose ripe, the issue ascertained, 20
Dost thou begin to play the dastard now?
Planned merely, ‘tis a common felony;
Accomplished, an immortal undertaking:
And with success comes pardon hand in hand;
For all event is God’s arbitrement. 25
Servant (enters). The Colonel Piccolomini.
Countess. — Must wait.
Wallenstein. I cannot see him now. Another time.
Servant. But for two minutes he entreats an audience.
Of the most urgent nature is his business.
Wallenstein. Who knows what he may bring us? I will hear him. 30
Countess. Urgent for him, no doubt; but thou mayest wait.
Wallenstein. What is it?
Countess. Thou shalt be informed hereafter.
First let the Swede and thee be compromised. [Exit Servant.
Wallenstein. If there were yet a choice! if yet some milder
Way of escape were possible — I still 35
Will choose it, and avoid the last extreme.
Countess. Desir’st 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 40
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 did’st but wish to prove thy fealty; 45
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 50
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, that then the Duke retires. 55
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 60
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; 65
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; 70
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 Noble, whom the war hath raised
To price and currency, a Jonah’s Gourd, 75
An over-night creation of court-favour,
Which with an undistinguishable ease
Makes Baron or makes Prince.
Wallenstein. Take her away.
Let in the young Count Piccolomini.
Countess. Art thou in earnest? I entreat thee! Canst thou 80
Consent to bear thyself to thy own grave,
So ignominiously to be dried up?
Thy life, that arrogated such a height
To end in such a nothing! To be nothing,
When one was always nothing, is an evil 85
That asks no stretch of patience, a light evil,
But to become a nothing, having been ——
Wallenstein (starts up). Shew me a way out of this stifling crowd,
Ye Powers of Aidance! Shew me such a way
As I am capable of going. — I 90
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, 95
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 100
Poor wretches, whom a day creates and crumbles,
This age and after-ages speak my name
With hate and dread; and Friedland be redemption
For each accurséd deed!
Countess. What is there here, then,
So against nature? Help me to perceive it! 105
O let not Superstition’s nightly goblins
Subdue thy clear bright spirit! Art thou bid
To murder? — with abhorr’d accurséd poniard,
To violate the breasts that nourished thee?
That were against our nature, that might aptly 110
Make thy flesh shudder, and thy whole heart sicken.
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 115
Or without justice is not now the question —
Thou art lost if thou dost not avail thee quickly