We'll join the Swedes-right gallant fellows are they, And our good friends.
(He stops himself, expecting Piccolomini's answer,) I have ta'en thee by surprise. Answer me not. I grant thee time to recollect thyself.
(He rises, and retires at the back of the stage. Max. remains for a long time motionless, in a trance of excessive anguish. At his first motion Wallenstein returns, and places himself before him.)
Max. My General, this day thou makest me Of age to speak in my own right and person, For till this day I have been spared the trouble To find out my own road. Thee have I follow'd With most implicit, unconditional faith, Sure of the right path if I follow'd thee. To day, for the first time, dost thou refer Me to myself, and forcest me to make Election between thee and my own heart.
Wal. Soft cradled thee thy fortune till to-day : Thy duties thou couldst exercise in sport, Indulge all lovely instincts, act for ever With undivided heart. It can remain No longer thus. Like enemies, the roads
Start from each other. Duties strive with duties. Thou must needs choose thy party in the war Which is now kindling 'twixt thy friend and him Who is thy Emperor.
War! is that the name?
War is as frightful as heaven's pestilence, Yet it is good, is it heaven's will as that is. Is that a good war, which against the Emperor Thou wagest with the Emperor's own army? O God of Heaven! what a change is this.
Beseems it me to offer such persuasion To thee, who, like the fix'd star of the pole Wert all I gaz'd at on life's trackless ocean? O! what a rent thou makest in my heart! The ingrained instinct of old reverence, The holy habit of obediency,
Must I pluck live asunder from thy name? Nay, do not turn thy countenance upon me- It always was a god looking at me!
Duke Wallenstein, its power is not departed: The senses still are in thy bonds; although Bleeding, the soul hath freed itself.
Max. O! do it not, I pray thee, do it not! There is a pure and noble soul within thee, Knows not of this unblest, unlucky doing. Thy will is chaste, it is thy fancy only Which hath polluted thee-and innocence, It will not let itself be driv'n away
From that world-awing aspect. Thou wilt not, Thou canst not end in this. It would reduce All human creatures to disloyalty
Against the nobleness of their own nature.
"Twill justify the vulgar misbelief,
Which holdeth nothing noble in free will,
And trusts itself to impotence alone,
Made powerful only in an unknown power.
Wal. The world will judge me sternly; I expect it. Already have I said to my own self
All thou canst say to me. Who but avoids
Th' extreme-can he by going round avoid it? But here there is no choice. Yes I must use
Or suffer violence-so stands the case,
There remains nothing possible but that.
Max. O that is never possible for thee! 'Tis the last desperate resource of those
Cheap souls, to whom their honour, their good name Is their poor saving, their last worthless keep, Which having stak'd and lost, they stake themselves In the mad rage of gaming. Thou art rich,
And glorious; with an unpolluted heart
Thou canst make conquest of whate'er seems highest! But he, who once hath acted infamy,
Does nothing more in this world.
Much that is great and excellent will we Perform together yet. And if we only Stand on the height with dignity, 'tis soon Forgotten, Max, by what road we ascended. Believe me, many a crown shines spotless now, That yet was deeply sullied in the winning. To the evil spirit doth the earth belong, Not to the good. All that the powers divine Send from above, are universal blessings : Their light rejoices us, their air refreshes, But never yet was man enrich'd by them: In their eternal realm no property
Is to be struggled for-all there is general. The jewel, the all-valued gold we win From the deceiving powers, deprav'd in nature, That dwell beneath the day and blessed sun-light. Not without sacrifices are they render'd Propitious, and there lives no soul on earth That e'er retir'd unsullied from their service. Max. Whate'er is human, to the human being Do I allow-and to the vehement
And striving spirit readily I pardon
Th' excess of action; but to thee, my general!
Above all others make I large concession.
For thou must move a world, and be the master
He kills thee, who condemns thee to inaction.
So be it then! maintain thee in thy post By violence. Resist the Emperor, And if it must be, force with force repel : I will not praise it, yet I can forgive it. But not-not to the traitor-yes!-the word Is spoken out-
Not to the traitor can I yield a pardon. That is no mere excess! that is no error Of human nature—that is wholly diff'rent, O that is black, black as the pit of hell!
(Wallenstein betrays a sudden agitation.) Thou canst not hear it nam'd, and wilt thou do it? O turn back to thy duty. That thou canst
I hold it certain. Send me to Vienna.
I'll make thy peace for thee with th' Emperor. He knows thee not. But I do know thee.
Shall see thee, Duke! with my unclouded eye,
And I bring back his confidence to thee.
Wal. It is too late. Thou know'st not what has
Max. Were it too late, and were gone so far,
That a crime only could prevent thy fall,
Then-fall! fall honourably, even as thou stood'st. Lose the command. Go from the stage of war. Thou canst with splendour do it-do it too With innocence. Thou hast liv'd much for others. At length live thou for thy own self. I follow thee.
My destiny, I never part from thine.
Wal. It is too late! Even now, while thou art losing Thy words, one after the other are the mile-stones Left fast behind by my post couriers,
Who bear the order on to Prague and Egra,
(Max. stands as convulsed, with a gesture and countenance expressing the most intense anguish.)
Yield thyself to it. We act as we are forc'd.
I cannot give assent to my own shame
And ruin. Thou-no-thou canst not forsake me! So let us do, what must be done, with dignity, With a firm step. What am I doing worse Than did fam'd Cæsar at the Rubicon, When he the legions led against his country, The which his country had deliver'd to him? Had he thrown down the sword, he had been lost, As I were, if I but disarm'd myself.
I trace out something in me of his spirit. Give me his luck, that other thing I'll bear.
(Max. quits him abruptly. Wallenstein, startled and overpowered, continues looking after him, and is still in this posture when Tertsky enters.)
Ter. It is as if the earth had swallow'd him. He had scarce left thee, when I went to seek him I wish'd some words with him-but he was gone.
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