Tief. Softly, softly! 'Twas but a word or two. Max. (having read the paper gives it back.) Till to-morrow, therefore!

Illo. (stammering with rage and fury, loses all command over himself, and presents the paper to Max with one hand, and his sword in the other.) Subscribe---Judas!

Iso. Out upon you, Illo!

Oct. Ter. But. (all together.) Down with the sword!

Max. (rushes on him suddenly and disarms him, then to Count Tertsky.) Take him off to bed.

[Max. leaves the stage. Illo cursing and raving is held back by some of the officers, and amidst a universal con

fusion the curtain drops.

Oct. Set down the light. We mean not to

undress.

You may retire to sleep.

Exit Valet. Octavio paces, musing across the chamber; Max. Piccolomini enters unobserved, and looks at his father for some moments in silence.

Max. Art thou offended with me? Heaven

knows

That odious business was no fault of mine.

'Tis true, indeed, I saw thy signature.

What thou hadst sanctioned, should not, it might

seem,

Have come amiss to me.

But---'tis my nature--

Thou know'st that in such matters I must follow

My own light, not another's.

Oct. (embraces him.)

Follow it,

O follow it still further, my best son!
To-night, dear boy! it hath more faithfully
Guided thee than the example of thy father.
Max. Declare thyself less darkly.

Oct.
I will do so.
For after what has taken place this night,
There must remain no secrets 'twixt us two.
[Both seat themselves.

Max. Piccolomini! what think'st thou of
The oath that was sent round for signatures?
Max. I hold it for a thing of harmless import,
Although I love not these set declarations.

Oct. And on no other ground hast thou re-
fused

The signature they fain had wrested from thee? Max. It was a serious business

absent--

-I was

The affair itself seemed not so urgent to me.

Oct. Be open, Max. Thou hadst then no suspicion ?

Max Suspicion! what suspicion? Not the

least.

Oct. Thank thy good angel, Piccolomini : He drew thee back unconscious from the abyss. Max. I know not what thou meanest.

I will tell thee.

Oct.
Fain would they have extorted from thee, son,

The sanction of thy name to villany;

Yea, with a single flourish of thy pen,

Made thee renounce thy duty and thy honour!
Max. (rises.) Octavio!

Oct. Patience! Seat yourself. Much yet Hast thou to hear from me, friend !---hast for

years

Lived in incomprehensible illusion.

Before thine eyes is treason drawing out
As black a web as e'er was spun for venom:
A power of hell o'erclouds thy understanding.
I dare no longer stand in silence---dare

No longer see thee wandering on in darkness,
Nor pluck the bandage from thine eyes.

Max.

My father! Yet, ere thou speak'st, a moment's pause of

thought!

If your disclosures should appear to be

Conjectures only---and almost I fear

They will be nothing further---spare them! I
Am not in that collected mood at present,

That I could listen to them quietly.

Oct. The deeper cause thou hast to hate this light,

The more impatient cause have I, my son,

To force it on thee. To the innocence

And wisdom of thy heart I could have trusted thee

With calm assurance---but I see the net
Preparing---and it is thy heart itself

Alarms me for thine innocence---that secret,

Which thou concealest, forces mine from me.

Know, then, they are duping thee !---a most foul game

With thee and with us all---nay, hear me calmly---
The Duke even now is playing. He assumes
The mask, as if he would forsake the army;
And in this moment makes he preparations

That army from the Emperor to steal,
And carry it over to the enemy!

Max. That low priest's legend I know well, but
did not

Expect to hear it from thy mouth.

That mouth,

Oct.
From which thou hearest it at this present moment,
Doth warrant thee that it is no priest's legend.

Max. How mere a maniac they supposed the
Duke;

What, he can meditate ?---the Duke ?---can dream
That he can lure away full thirty thousand
Tried troops and true, all honourable soldiers,
More than a thousand noblemen among them,
From oaths, from duty, from their honour lure

them,

And make them all unanimous to do

A deed that brands them scoundrels?

Such a deed,

Oct.
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.
And so, because the Emperor hates this peace,