The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Complete Poetical Works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, (1 and 2), by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

Octavio. Well—and what now, son? All will soon be clear;
For all, I'm certain, went through that Sesina.

Max. I will procure me light a shorter way.
Farewell.

Octavio. What——

Max. If thou hast believed that I shall act
A part in this thy play——
Thou hast miscalculated on me grievously.
My way must be straight on. True with the tongue, 10
False with the heart—I may not, cannot be:
Nor can I suffer that a man should trust me—
As his friend trust me—and then lull my conscience
With such low pleas as these:—'I ask'd him not—
He did it all at his own hazard—and 15
My mouth has never lied to him.'—No, no!
What a friend takes me for, that I must be.
—I'll to the Duke; ere yet this day is ended
Will I demand of him that he do save
His good name from the world, and with one stride 20
Break through and rend this fine-spun web of yours.
He can, he will!—I still am his believer.
Yet I'll not pledge myself, but that those letters
May furnish you, perchance, with proofs against him.
How far may not this Tertsky have proceeded— 25
What may not he himself too have permitted
Himself to do, to snare the enemy,
The laws of war excusing? Nothing, save
His own mouth shall convict him—nothing less!
And face to face will I go question him. 30

[684]Octavio. Thou wilt?

Max. I will, as sure as this heart beats.

Octavio. I have, indeed, miscalculated on thee.
I calculated on a prudent son,
Who would have blest the hand beneficent
That plucked him back from the abyss—and lo! 35
A fascinated being I discover,
Whom his two eyes befool, whom passion wilders,
Whom not the broadest light of noon can heal.
Go, question him!—Be mad enough, I pray thee.
The purpose of thy father, of thy Emperor, 40
Go, give it up free booty:—Force me, drive me
To an open breach before the time. And now,
Now that a miracle of heaven had guarded
My secret purpose even to this hour,
And laid to sleep Suspicion's piercing eyes, 45
Let me have lived to see that mine own son,
With frantic enterprise, annihilates
My toilsome labours and state-policy.

Max. Aye—this state-policy! O how I curse it!
You will some time, with your state-policy, 50
Compel him to the measure: it may happen,
Because ye are determined that he is guilty,
Guilty ye'll make him. All retreat cut off,
You close up every outlet, hem him in
Narrower and narrower, till at length ye force him— 55
Yes, ye,—ye force him, in his desperation,
To set fire to his prison. Father! Father!
That never can end well—it cannot—will not!
And let it be decided as it may,
I see with boding heart the near approach 60
Of an ill-starred unblest catastrophe.
For this great Monarch-spirit, if he fall,
Will drag a world into the ruin with him.
And as a ship (that midway on the ocean
Takes fire) at once, and with a thunder-burst 65
Explodes, and with itself shoots out its crew
In smoke and ruin betwixt sea and heaven;
So will he, falling, draw down in his fall
All us, who're fixed and mortised to his fortune.
Deem of it what thou wilt; but pardon me, 70
[685] That I must bear me on in my own way.
All must remain pure betwixt him and me;
And, ere the day-light dawns, it must be known
Which I must lose—my father, or my friend. [During his exit the curtain drops.

LINENOTES:

ACT IV

Scene I

Scene—A Room fitted up for astrological Labours, and provided with celestial Charts, with Globes, Telescopes, Quadrants, and other mathematical Instruments.—Seven Colossal Figures, representing the Planets, each with a transparent Star of a different Colour on its Head, stand in a Semi-circle in the Back-ground, so that Mars and Saturn are nearest the Eye.—The remainder of the Scene, and its Disposition, is given in the Fourth Scene of the Second Act.—There must be a Curtain over the Figures, which may be dropped, and conceal them on Occasions.

[In the Fifth Scene of this Act it must be dropped; but in the Seventh Scene, it must be again drawn up wholly or in part.]

Wallenstein at a black Table, on which a Speculum Astrologicum is described with Chalk. Seni is taking Observations through a window.

Wallenstein. 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.

Seni. Your Highness must permit me
Just to contemplate Venus. She's now rising: 5
Like as a sun, so shines she in the east.

Wallenstein. She is at present in her perigee,
And shoots down now her strongest influences. [Contemplating the figure on the table.
Auspicious aspect! fateful in conjunction,
At length the mighty three corradiate; 10
And the two stars of blessing, Jupiter
And Venus, take between them the malignant
Slily-malicious Mars, and thus compel
Into my service that old mischief-founder;
For long he viewed me hostilely, and ever 15
[686] 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, 20
And bring him in the heavens a prisoner to me.

Seni (who has come down from the window). And in a corner house, your Highness—think of that!
That makes each influence of double strength.

Wallenstein. And sun and moon, too, in the Sextile aspect,
The soft light with the vehement—so I love it. 25
Sol is the heart, Luna the head of heaven,
Bold be the plan, fiery the execution.

Seni. And both the mighty Lumina by no
Maleficus affronted. Lo! Saturnus,
Innocuous, powerless, in cadente Domo. 30

Wallenstein. 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. 35
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 40
The scheme, and most auspicious positure
Parts o'er my head, and takes once more its flight;
For the heavens journey still, and sojourn not. [There are knocks at the door.
There's some one knocking there. See who it is.

Tertsky (from without). Open, and let me in.

Wallenstein. Aye—'tis Tertsky. 45
What is there of such urgence? We are busy.

Tertsky (from without). Lay all aside at present, I entreat you.
It suffers no delaying.

Wallenstein. Open, Seni!

[While Seni opens the doors for Tertsky, Wallenstein draws the curtain over the figures.

Tertsky (enters). Hast thou already heard it? He is taken.
Galas has given him up to the Emperor. 50

LINENOTES:

Scene II

Wallenstein (to Tertsky). Who has been taken?—Who is given up?

Tertsky. The man who knows our secrets, who knows every
Negotiation with the Swede and Saxon,
Through whose hands all and every thing has passed—

Wallenstein (drawing back). Nay, not Sesina?—Say, No! I entreat thee. 5

Tertsky. All on his road for Regenspurg to the Swede
He was plunged down upon by Galas' agent,
Who had been long in ambush, lurking for him.
There must have been found on him my whole packet
To Thur, to Kinsky, to Oxenstirn, to Arnheim: 10
All this is in their hands; they have now an insight
Into the whole—our measures, and our motives.

Scene III

Illo (to Tertsky). Has he heard it?

Tertsky. He has heard it.

Illo (to Wallenstein). Thinkest thou still
To make thy peace with the Emperor, to regain
His confidence?—E'en were it now thy wish
To abandon all thy plans, yet still they know
What thou hast wished; then forwards thou must press; 5
Retreat is now no longer in thy power.

Tertsky. They have documents against us, and in hands,
Which shew beyond all power of contradiction—

Wallenstein. Of my hand-writing—no iota. Thee
I punish for thy lies.

Illo. And thou believest, 10
That what this man, that what thy sister's husband,
Did in thy name, will not stand on thy reck'ning?
His word must pass for thy word with the Swede,
And not with those that hate thee at Vienna.

Tertsky. In writing thou gav'st nothing—But bethink thee, 15
How far thou ventured'st by word of mouth
[688] With this Sesina? And will he be silent?
If he can save himself by yielding up
Thy secret purposes, will he retain them?

Illo. Thyself dost not conceive it possible; 20
And since they now have evidence authentic
How far thou hast already gone, speak!—tell us,
What art thou waiting for? thou canst no longer
Keep thy command; and beyond hope of rescue
Thou'rt lost, if thou resign'st it.

Wallenstein. In the army 25
Lies my security. The army will not
Abandon me. Whatever they may know,
The power is mine, and they must gulp it down—
And substitute I caution for my fealty,
They must be satisfied, at least appear so. 30

Illo. The army, Duke, is thine now—for this moment—
'Tis thine: but think with terror on the slow,
The quiet power of time. From open violence
The attachment of thy soldiery secures thee
To-day—to-morrow; but grant'st thou them a respite, 35
Unheard, unseen, they'll undermine that love
On which thou now dost feel so firm a footing,
With wily theft will draw away from thee
One after the other——

Wallenstein. 'Tis a curséd accident!

Illo. O, I will call it a most blessed one, 40
If it work on thee as it ought to do,
Hurry thee on to action—to decision.
The Swedish General——

Wallenstein. He's arrived! Know'st thou
What his commission is——

Illo. To thee alone
Will he entrust the purpose of his coming. 45

Wallenstein. A curséd, curséd accident! Yes, yes,
Sesina knows too much, and won't be silent.

Tertsky. He's a Bohemian fugitive and rebel,
His neck is forfeit. Can he save himself
At thy cost, think you he will scruple it? 50
And if they put him to the torture, will he,
Will he, that dastardling, have strength enough——

Wallenstein. Their confidence is lost—irreparably!
[689] And I may act what way I will, I shall
Be and remain for ever in their thought 55
A traitor to my country. How sincerely
Soever I return back to my duty,
It will no longer help me——

Illo. Ruin thee,
That it will do! Not thy fidelity,
Thy weakness will be deemed the sole occasion—— 60

Wallenstein. What! I must realize it now in earnest,
Because I toy'd too freely with the thought?
Accurséd he who dallies with a devil!
And must I—I must realize it now—
Now, while I have the power, it must take place? 65

Illo. Now—now—ere they can ward and parry it!

Wallenstein (looking at the paper of signatures). I have the Generals' word—a written promise!
Max Piccolomini stands not here—how's that?

Tertsky. It was——he fancied——

Illo. Mere self-willedness.
There needed no such thing 'twixt him and you. 70

Wallenstein. He is quite right—there needeth no such thing.
The regiments, too, deny to march for Flanders—
Have sent me in a paper of remonstrance,
And openly resist the Imperial orders.
The first step to revolt's already taken. 75

Illo. Believe me, thou wilt find it far more easy
To lead them over to the enemy
Than to the Spaniard.

Wallenstein. I will hear, however,
What the Swede has to say to me.

Illo (to Tertsky). Go, call him!
He stands without the door in waiting.

Wallenstein. Stay! 80
Stay yet a little. It hath taken me
All by surprise,—it came too quick upon me;
'Tis wholly novel, that an accident,
With its dark lordship, and blind agency,
Should force me on with it.

Illo. First hear him only, 85
And after weigh it. [Exeunt Tertsky and Illo.

LINENOTES:

Scene IV

Wallenstein. Is it possible?
Is't so? I can no longer what I would?
No longer draw back at my liking? I
Must do the deed, because I thought of it,
And fed this heart here with a dream? Because 5
I did not scowl temptation from my presence,
Dallied with thoughts of possible fulfilment,
Commenced no movement, left all time uncertain,
And only kept the road, the access open?
By the great God of Heaven! it was not 10
My serious meaning, it was ne'er resolve.
I but amused myself with thinking of it.
The free-will tempted me, the power to do
Or not to do it.—Was it criminal
To make the fancy minister to hope, 15
To fill the air with pretty toys of air,
And clutch fantastic sceptres moving t'ward me?
Was not the will kept free? Beheld I not
The road of duty close beside me—but
One little step, and once more I was in it! 20
Where am I? Whither have I been transported?
No road, no track behind me, but a wall,
Impenetrable, insurmountable,
Rises obedient to the spells I muttered
And meant not—my own doings tower behind me. 25
A punishable man I seem, the guilt,
Try what I will, I cannot roll off from me;
The equivocal demeanour of my life
Bears witness on my prosecutor's party;
And even my purest acts from purest motives 30
Suspicion poisons with malicious gloss.
Were I that thing, for which I pass, that traitor,
A goodly outside I had sure reserved,
Had drawn the coverings thick and double round me,
Been calm and chary of my utterance. 35
But being conscious of the innocence
Of my intent, my uncorrupted will,
I gave way to my humours, to my passion:
Bold were my words, because my deeds were not.
[691] Now every planless measure, chance event, 40
The threat of rage, the vaunt of joy and triumph,
And all the May-games of a heart o'erflowing,
Will they connect, and weave them all together
Into one web of treason; all will be plan,
My eye ne'er absent from the far-off mark, 45
Step tracing step, each step a politic progress;
And out of all they'll fabricate a charge
So specious, that I must myself stand dumb.
I am caught in my own net, and only force,
Naught but a sudden rent can liberate me. 50
How else! since that the heart's unbiass'd instinct
Impelled me to the daring deed, which now
Necessity, self-preservation, orders.
Stern is the On-look of Necessity,
Not without shudder many a human hand 55
Grasps the mysterious urn of destiny.
My deed was mine, remaining in my bosom,
Once suffered to escape from its safe corner
Within the heart, its nursery and birthplace,
Sent forth into the Foreign, it belongs 60
For ever to those sly malicious powers
Whom never art of man conciliated.
What is thy enterprize? thy aim? thy object?
Hast honestly confessed it to thyself?
Power seated on a quiet throne thou'dst shake, 65
Power on an ancient consecrated throne,
Strong in possession, founded in old custom;
Power by a thousand tough and stringy roots
Fixed to the people's pious nursery-faith.
This, this will be no strife of strength with strength. 70
That feared I not. I brave each combatant,
Whom I can look on, fixing eye to eye,
Who full himself of courage kindles courage
In me too. 'Tis a foe invisible,
The which I fear—a fearful enemy, 75
Which in the human heart opposes me,
By its coward fear alone made fearful to me.
Not that, which full of life, instinct with power,
[692] Makes known its present being, that is not
The true, the perilously formidable. 80
O no! it is the common, the quite common,
The thing of an eternal yesterday,
What ever was, and evermore returns,
Sterling to-morrow, for to-day 'twas sterling!
For of the wholly common is man made, 85
And custom is his nurse! Woe then to them,
Who lay irreverent hands upon his old
House furniture, the dear inheritance
From his forefathers. For time consecrates;
And what is grey with age becomes religion. 90
Be in possession, and thou hast the right,
And sacred will the many guard it for thee! [To the Page, who here enters.
The Swedish officer?—Well, let him enter.
[The Page exit, Wallenstein fixes his eye in deep thought on the door. Yet is it pure—as yet!—the crime has come
Not o'er this threshold yet—so slender is 95
The boundary that divideth life's two paths.

LINENOTES:

Scene V

Wallenstein. Your name is Wrangel?

Wrangel. Gustave Wrangel, General
Of the Sudermanian Blues.

Wallenstein. It was a Wrangel
Who injured me materially at Stralsund,
And by his brave resistance was the cause
Of the opposition which that sea-port made. 5

Wrangel. It was the doing of the element
With which you fought, my Lord! and not my merit.
The Baltic Neptune did assert his freedom,
The sea and land, it seemed, were not to serve
One and the same.

Wallenstein (makes a motion for him to take a seat, and seats himself).
And where are your credentials? 10
Come you provided with full powers, Sir General?

Wrangel. There are so many scruples yet to solve——

[693]Wallenstein (having read the credentials). An able letter!—Ay—he is a prudent,
Intelligent master, whom you serve, Sir General!
The Chancellor writes me, that he but fulfils 15
His late departed Sovereign's own idea
In helping me to the Bohemian crown.

Wrangel. He says the truth. Our great King, now in heaven,
Did ever deem most highly of your Grace's
Pre-eminent sense and military genius; 20
And always the commanding Intellect,
He said, should have command, and be the King.

Wallenstein. Yes, he might say it safely.—General Wrangel, [Taking his hand.
Come, fair and open—Trust me, I was always
A Swede at heart. Ey! that did you experience 25
Both in Silesia and at Nuremburg;
I had you often in my power, and let you
Always slip out by some back door or other.
'Tis this for which the Court can ne'er forgive me,
Which drives me to this present step: and since 30
Our interests so run in one direction,
E'en let us have a thorough confidence
Each in the other.

Wrangel. Confidence will come
Has each but only first security.

Wallenstein. The Chancellor still, I see, does not quite trust me; 35
And, I confess—the gain does not wholly lie
To my advantage—Without doubt he thinks
If I can play false with the Emperor,
Who is my Sov'reign, I can do the like
With the enemy, and that the one too were 40
Sooner to be forgiven me than the other.
Is not this your opinion too, Sir General?

Wrangel. I have here an office merely, no opinion.

Wallenstein. The Emperor hath urged me to the uttermost.
I can no longer honourably serve him. 45
For my security, in self-defence,
I take this hard step, which my conscience blames.

Wrangel. That I believe. So far would no one go
Who was not forced to it. [After a pause.
What may have impelled
[694] Your princely Highness in this wise to act 50
Toward your Sovereign Lord and Emperor,
Beseems not us to expound or criticize.
The Swede is fighting for his good old cause.
With his good sword and conscience. This concurrence,
This opportunity, is in our favour, 55
And all advantages in war are lawful.
We take what offers without questioning;
And if all have its due and just proportions——

Wallenstein. Of what then are ye doubting? Of my will?
Or of my power? I pledged me to the Chancellor, 60
Would he trust me with sixteen thousand men,
That I would instantly go over to them
With eighteen thousand of the Emperor's troops.

Wrangel. Your Grace is known to be a mighty war-chief,
To be a second Attila and Pyrrhus. 65
'Tis talked of still with fresh astonishment,
How some years past, beyond all human faith,
You called an army forth, like a creation:
But yet——

Wallenstein. But yet?

Wrangel. But still the Chancellor thinks,
It might yet be an easier thing from nothing 70
To call forth sixty thousand men of battle,
Than to persuade one sixtieth part of them—

Wallenstein. What now? Out with it, friend!

Wrangel. To break their oaths.

Wallenstein. And he thinks so?—He judges like a Swede,
And like a Protestant. You Lutherans 75
Fight for your Bible. You are interested
About the cause; and with your hearts you follow
Your banners.—Among you, whoe'er deserts
To the enemy, hath broken covenant
With two Lords at one time.—We've no such fancies. 80

Wrangel. Great God in Heaven! Have then the people here
No house and home, no fire-side, no altar?

Wallenstein. I will explain that to you, how it stands—
The Austrian has a country, ay, and loves it,
And has good cause to love it—but this army, 85
That calls itself the Imperial, this that houses
Here in Bohemia, this has none—no country;
[695] This is an outcast of all foreign lands,
Unclaimed by town or tribe, to whom belongs
Nothing, except the universal sun. 90

Wrangel. But then the Nobles and the Officers?
Such a desertion, such a felony,
It is without example, my Lord Duke,
In the world's history.

Wallenstein. They are all mine—
Mine unconditionally—mine on all terms. 95
Not me, your own eyes you must trust.

[He gives him the paper containing the written oath. Wrangel reads it through, and, having read it, lays it on the table, remaining silent.