What thou hadst sanctioned, should not, it might seem, Have come amiss to me. But--"tis my nature-- Thou know"st that in such matters I must follow 10 My own light, not another"s.
_Octavio (embraces him)._ Follow it, O follow it still further, my best son!
To-night, dear boy! it hath more faithfully Guided thee than the example of thy father.
_Max._ Declare thyself less darkly.
_Octavio._ I will do so. 15 For after what has taken place this night, There must remain no secrets "twixt us two.
[_Both seat themselves._
Max Piccolomini! what thinkest thou of The oath that was sent round for signatures?
_Max._ I hold it for a thing of harmless import, 20 Although I love not these set declarations.
_Octavio._ And on no other ground hast thou refused The signature they fain had wrested from thee?
_Max._ It was a serious business----I was absent-- The affair itself seemed not so urgent to me. 25
_Octavio._ Be open, Max. Thou hadst then no suspicion?
_Max._ Suspicion! what suspicion? Not the least.
_Octavio._ Thank thy good angel, Piccolomini: He drew thee back unconscious from the abyss.
_Max._ I know not what thou meanest.
_Octavio._ I will tell thee. 30 Fain would they have extorted from thee, son, The sanction of thy name to villainy; Yea, with a single flourish of thy pen, Made thee renounce thy duty and thy honour!
_Max (rises)._ Octavio!
_Octavio._ Patience! Seat yourself. Much yet 35 Hast thou to hear from me, friend!--hast for years Lived in incomprehensible illusion.
Before thine eyes is Treason drawing out As black a web as e"er was spun for venom: A power of h.e.l.l o"erclouds thy understanding. 40 I dare no longer stand in silence--dare No longer see thee wandering on in darkness, Nor pluck the bandage from thine eyes.
_Max._ My father!
Yet, ere thou speak"st, a moment"s pause of thought!
If your disclosures should appear to be 45 Conjectures only--and almost I fear They will be nothing further--spare them! I Am not in that collected mood at present, That I could listen to them quietly.
_Octavio._ The deeper cause thou hast to hate this light, 50 The more impatient cause have I, my son, To force it on thee. To the innocence And wisdom of thy heart I could have trusted thee With calm a.s.surance--but I see the net Preparing--and it is thy heart itself 55 Alarms me for thine innocence--that secret, Which thou concealest, forces mine from me.
Know, then, they are duping thee!--a most foul game With thee and with us all--nay, hear me calmly-- The Duke even now is playing. He a.s.sumes 60 The mask, as if he would forsake the army; And in this moment makes he preparations That army from the Emperor to steal, And carry it over to the enemy!
_Max._ That low Priest"s legend I know well, but did not 65 Expect to hear it from thy mouth.
_Octavio._ That mouth, From which thou hearest it at this present moment, Doth warrant thee that it is no Priest"s legend.
_Max._ How mere a maniac they supposed the Duke!
What, he can meditate?--the Duke?--can dream 70 That he can lure away full thirty thousand Tried troops and true, all honourable soldiers, More than a thousand n.o.blemen 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 n.o.ble 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 pa.s.sionate.
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._ Nay, in cold blood he did confess this to me: And having construed my astonishment Into a scruple of his power, he shewed me 180 His written evidences--shewed me letters, Both from the Saxon and the Swede, that gave Promise of aidance, and defin"d the amount.
_Max._ It cannot be!--can _not_ be! _can_ not be!
Dost thou not see, it cannot! 185 Thou wouldest of necessity have shewn him Such horror, such deep loathing--that or he Had taken thee for his better genius, or Thou stood"st not now a living man before me--