Samuel Coleridge - The Complete Works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Thou did’st but wish to prove thy fealty; 45

Thy whole intention but to dupe the Swede.

Illo. For that too ‘tis too late. They know too much.

He would but bear his own head to the block.

Countess. I fear not that. They have not evidence

To attaint him legally, and they avoid 50

The avowal of an arbitrary power.

They’ll let the Duke resign without disturbance.

I see how all will end. The King of Hungary

Makes his appearance, and ‘twill of itself

Be understood, that then the Duke retires. 55

There will not want a formal declaration.

The young King will administer the oath

To the whole army; and so all returns

To the old position. On some morrow morning

The Duke departs; and now ‘tis stir and bustle 60

Within his castles. He will hunt, and build,

Superintend his horses’ pedigrees;

Creates himself a court, gives golden keys,

And introduceth strictest ceremony

In fine proportions, and nice etiquette; 65

Keeps open table with high cheer; in brief,

Commenceth mighty King — in miniature.

And while he prudently demeans himself,

And gives himself no actual importance,

He will be let appear whate’er he likes; 70

And who dares doubt, that Friedland will appear

A mighty Prince to his last dying hour?

Well now, what then? Duke Friedland is as others,

A fire-new Noble, whom the war hath raised

To price and currency, a Jonah’s Gourd, 75

An over-night creation of court-favour,

Which with an undistinguishable ease

Makes Baron or makes Prince.

Wallenstein. Take her away.

Let in the young Count Piccolomini.

Countess. Art thou in earnest? I entreat thee! Canst thou 80

Consent to bear thyself to thy own grave,

So ignominiously to be dried up?

Thy life, that arrogated such a height

To end in such a nothing! To be nothing,

When one was always nothing, is an evil 85

That asks no stretch of patience, a light evil,

But to become a nothing, having been ——

Wallenstein (starts up). Shew me a way out of this stifling crowd,

Ye Powers of Aidance! Shew me such a way

As I am capable of going. — I 90

Am no tongue-hero, no fine virtue-prattler;

I cannot warm by thinking; cannot say

To the good luck that turns her back upon me,

Magnanimously: ‘Go! I need thee not.’

Cease I to work, I am annihilated, 95

Dangers nor sacrifices will I shun,

If so I may avoid the last extreme;

But ere I sink down into nothingness,

Leave off so little, who began so great,

Ere that the world confuses me with those 100

Poor wretches, whom a day creates and crumbles,

This age and after-ages speak my name

With hate and dread; and Friedland be redemption

For each accurséd deed!

Countess. What is there here, then,

So against nature? Help me to perceive it! 105

O let not Superstition’s nightly goblins

Subdue thy clear bright spirit! Art thou bid

To murder? — with abhorr’d accurséd poniard,

To violate the breasts that nourished thee?

That were against our nature, that might aptly 110

Make thy flesh shudder, and thy whole heart sicken.

Yet not a few, and for a meaner object,

Have ventured even this, ay, and performed it.

What is there in thy case so black and monstrous?

Thou art accused of treason — whether with 115

Or without justice is not now the question —

Thou art lost if thou dost not avail thee quickly

Of the power which thou possessest — Friedland! Duke!

Tell me, where lives that thing so meek and tame,

That doth not all his living faculties 120

Put forth in preservation of his life?

What deed so daring, which necessity

And desperation will not sanctify?

Wallenstein. Once was this Ferdinand so gracious to me:

He loved me; he esteemed me; I was placed 125

The nearest to his heart. Full many a time

We like familiar friends, both at one table,

Have banquetted together. He and I —

And the young kings themselves held me the bason

Wherewith to wash me — and is’t come to this? 130

Countess. So faithfully preserv’st thou each small favour,

And hast no memory for contumelies?

Must I remind thee, how at Regenspurg

This man repaid thy faithful services?

All ranks and all conditions in the Empire 135

Thou hadst wronged, to make him great, — hadst loaded on thee,

On thee, the hate, the curse of the whole world.

No friend existed for thee in all Germany,

And why? because thou hadst existed only

For the Emperor. To the Emperor alone 140

Clung Friedland in that storm which gathered round him

At Regenspurg in the Diet — and he dropped thee!

He let thee fall! He let thee fall a victim

To the Bavarian, to that insolent!

Deposed, stript bare of all thy dignity 145

And power, amid the taunting of thy foes,

Thou wert let drop into obscurity. —

Say not, the restoration of thy honour

Hath made atonement for that first injustice.

No honest good-will was it that replaced thee, 150

The law of hard necessity replaced thee,

Which they had fain opposed, but that they could not.

Wallenstein. Not to their good wishes, that is certain,

Nor yet to his affection I’m indebted

For this high office; and if I abuse it, 155

I shall therein abuse no confidence.

Countess. Affection! confidence! — They needed thee.

Necessity, impetuous remonstrant!

Who not with empty names, or shews of proxy,

Is served, who’ll have the thing and not the symbol, 160

Ever seeks out the greatest and the best,

And at the rudder places him, e’en though

She had been forced to take him from the rabble —

She, this Necessity, it was that placed thee

In this high office, it was she that gave thee 165

Thy letters patent of inauguration.

For, to the uttermost moment that they can.

This race still help themselves at cheapest rate

With slavish souls, with puppets! At the approach

Of extreme peril, when a hollow image 170

Is found a hollow image and no more,

Then falls the power into the mighty hands

Of Nature, of the spirit giant-born,

Who listens only to himself, knows nothing

Of stipulations, duties, reverences 175

And, like the emancipated force of fire,

Unmastered scorches, ere it reaches them,

Their fine-spun webs, their artificial policy.

Wallenstein. ‘Tis true! they saw me always as I am —

Always! I did not cheat them in the bargain. 180

I never held it worth my pains to hide

The bold all-grasping habit of my soul.

Countess. Nay rather — thou hast ever shewn thyself

A formidable man, without restraint;

Hast exercised the full prerogatives 185

Of thy impetuous nature, which had been

Once granted to thee. Therefore, Duke, not thou,

Who hast still remained consistent with thyself,

But they are in the wrong, who fearing thee,

Entrusted such a power in hands they feared. 190

For, by the laws of Spirit, in the right

Is every individual character

That acts in strict consistence with itself.

Self-contradiction is the only wrong.

Wert thou another being, then, when thou 195

Eight years ago pursuedst thy march with fire

And sword, and desolation, through the Circles

Of Germany, the universal scourge,

Didst mock all ordinances of the empire,

The fearful rights of strength alone exertedst, 200

Trampledst to earth each rank, each magistracy,

All to extend thy Sultan’s domination?