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soldiers,

       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.

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