Samuel Coleridge - The Complete Works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge

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. 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 —

Octavio. I have laid open my objections to him, 190

Dissuaded him with pressing earnestness;

But my abhorrence, the full sentiment

Of my whole heart — that I have still kept sacred

To my own consciousness.

Max. And thou hast been

So treacherous? That looks not like my father! 195

I trusted not thy words, when thou didst tell me

Evil of him; much less can I now do it,

That thou calumniatest thy own self.

Octavio. I did not thrust myself into his secrecy.

Max. Uprightness merited his confidence. 200

Octavio. He was no longer worthy of sincerity.

Max. Dissimulation, sure, was still less worthy

Of thee, Octavio!

Octavio. Gave I him a cause

To entertain a scruple of my honour?

Max. That he did not, evinced his confidence. 205

Octavio. Dear son, it is not always possible

Still to preserve that infant purity

Which the voice teaches in our inmost heart.

Still in alarm, for ever on the watch

Against the wiles of wicked men, e’en Virtue 210

Will sometimes bear away her outward robes

Soiled in the wrestle with Iniquity.

This is the curse of every evil deed,

That, propagating still, it brings forth evil.

I do not cheat my better soul with sophisms: 215

I but perform my orders; the Emperor

Prescribes my conduct to me. Dearest boy,

Far better were it, doubtless, if we all

Obeyed the heart at all times; but so doing,

In this our present sojourn with bad men, 220

We must abandon many an honest object.

‘Tis now our call to serve the Emperor,

By what means he can best be served — the heart

May whisper what it will — this is our call!

Max. It seems a thing appointed, that to-day 225

I should not comprehend, not understand thee.

The Duke thou say’st did honestly pour out

His heart to thee, but for an evil purpose;

And thou dishonestly hast cheated him

For a good purpose! Silence, I entreat thee — 230

My friend thou stealest not from me —

Let me not lose my father!

Octavio. As yet thou know’st not all, my son. I have

Yet somewhat to disclose to thee. [After a pause.

Duke Friedland

Hath made his preparations. He relies 235

Upon his stars. He deems us unprovided,

And thinks to fall upon us by surprise.

Yea, in his dream of hope, he grasps already

The golden circle in his hand. He errs.

We too have been in action — he but grasps 240

His evil fate, most evil, most mysterious!

Max. O nothing rash, my sire! By all that’s good

Let me invoke thee — no precipitation!

Octavio. With light tread stole he on his evil way,

With light tread hath Vengeance stole on after him. 245

Unseen she stands already, dark behind him —

But one step more — he shudders in her grasp!

Thou hast seen Questenberg with me. As yet

Thou know’st but his ostensible commission;

He brought with him a private one, my son! 250

And that was for me only.

Max. May I know it?

Octavio (seizes the patent). Max! [A pause.

—— In this disclosure place I in thy hands

The Empire’s welfare and thy father’s life.

Dear to thy inmost heart is Wallenstein:

A powerful tie of love, of veneration, 255

Hath knit thee to him from thy earliest youth.

Thou nourishest the wish. — O let me still

Anticipate thy loitering confidence!

The hope thou nourishest to knit thyself

Yet closer to him ——

Max. Father ——

Octavio. O my son! 260

I trust thy heart undoubtingly. But am I

Equally sure of thy collectedness?

Wilt thou be able, with calm countenance,

To enter this man’s presence, when that I

Have trusted to thee his whole fate?

Max. According 265

As thou dost trust me, father, with his crime.

[OCTAVIO takes a paper out of his escrutoire, and gives

it to him.

Max. What? how? a full Imperial patent!

Octavio. Read it.

Max (just glances on it). Duke Friedland sentenced and condemned!

Octavio. Even so.

Max (throws down the paper). O this is too much! O unhappy

error! 270

Octavio. Read on. Collect thyself.

Max (after he has read further, with a look of affright and

astonishment on his father). How! what! Thou! thou!

Octavio. But for the present moment, till the King

Of Hungary may safely join the army,

Is the command assigned to me.

Max. And think’st thou,

Dost thou believe, that thou wilt tear it from him? 275