All well – and now let it be ended, Seni. Come,

        The dawn commences, and Mars rules the hour;

        We must give o'er the operation. Come,

        We know enough.

                 Your highness must permit me

        Just to contemplate Venus. She is now rising

        Like as a sun so shines she in the east.

        She is at present in her perigee,

        And now shoots down her strongest influences.

        Auspicious aspect! fateful in conjunction,

        At length the mighty three corradiate;

        And the two stars of blessing, Jupiter

        And Venus, take between them the malignant

        Slyly-malicious Mars, and thus compel

        Into my service that old mischief-founder:

        For long he viewed me hostilely, and ever

        With beam oblique, or perpendicular,

        Now in the Quartile, now in the Secundan,

        Shot his red lightnings at my stars, disturbing

        Their blessed influences and sweet aspects:

        Now they have conquered the old enemy,

        And bring him in the heavens a prisoner to me.

        And in a corner-house, your highness – think of that!

        That makes each influence of double strength.

        And sun and moon, too, in the Sextile aspect,

        The soft light with the vehement – so I love it.

        Sol is the heart, Luna the head of heaven,

        Bold be the plan, fiery the execution.

        And both the mighty Lumina by no

        Maleficus affronted. Lo! Saturnus,

        Innocuous, powerless, in cadente Domo.

        The empire of Saturnus is gone by;

        Lord of the secret birth of things is he;

        Within the lap of earth, and in the depths

        Of the imagination dominates;

        And his are all things that eschew the light.

        The time is o'er of brooding and contrivance,

        For Jupiter, the lustrous, lordeth now,

        And the dark work, complete of preparation,

        He draws by force into the realm of light.

        Now must we hasten on to action, ere

        The scheme, and most auspicious positure

        Parts o'er my head, and takes once more its flight,

        For the heaven's journey still, and adjourn not.

        There's some one knocking there. See who it is.

        Open, and let me in.

                   Ay – 'tis Terzky.

        What is there of such urgence? We are busy.

        Lay all aside at present, I entreat you;

        It suffers no delaying.

                     Open, Seni!

        Hast thou already heard it? He is taken.

        Gallas has given him up to the emperor.

        Who has been taken? Who is given up?

        The man who knows our secrets, who knows every

        Negotiation with the Swede and Saxon,

        Through whose hands all and everything has passed —

        Nay, not Sesina? Say, no! I entreat thee.

        All on his road for Regensburg