Max. O woe is me! sure I have changed my nature. How comes suspicion here-in the free soul?

Hope, confidence, belief, are gone; for all

Lied to me, all what I e'er loved or honoured.

No! No! Not all! She-she yet lives for me,

And she is true, and open as the heavens!
Deceit is every where, hypocrisy,
Murder, and poisoning, treason, perjury:
The single holy spot is now our love,
The only unprofaned in human nature.

Oct. Max.!-we will go together.

Twill be better.

Max. What? ere I've taken a last parting leave, The very last-no, never!

Oct.

The pang of necessary separation.

Spare thyself

(Attempts to take him with him.)

Come with me! Come, my son!

Max. No! as sure as God lives, no!

Oct. (more urgently). Come with me, I command thee! I thy

father.

Max. Command me what is human. I stay here.
Oct. Max. in the Emperor's name I bid thee come.
Max. No Emperor has power to prescribe

Laws to the heart! and would'st thou wish to rob me
Of the sole blessing which my fate has left me,
Her sympathy? Must then a cruel deed
Be done with crueity? The unalterable
Shall I perform ignobly-steal away,

With stealthy coward flight forsake her? No!
She shall behold my suffering, my sore anguish,
Hear the complaints of the disparted soul,
And weep tears o'er me. Oh! the human race
Have steely souls-but she is an angel.
From the black deadly madness of despair
Will she redeem my soul, and in soft words

Of comfort, plaining, loose this pang of death!

Oct. Thou wilt not tear thyself away; thou canst not.

O, come, my son! I bid thee save thy virtue.

Max. Squander not thou thy words in vain.

The heart I follow, for I dare trust to it.

Oct. (trembling and losing all self-command). Max.! Max.: if that most damned thing could be,

If thou-my son-my own blood-(dare I think it)

Do sell thyself to him, the infamous,

Do stamp this brand upon our noble house,

Then shall the world behold the horrible deed,
And in unnatural combat shall the steel

Of the son trickle with the father's blood.

Max. O hadst thou always better thought of men, Thou hadst then acted better. Curst suspicion

Unholy miserable doubt! To him

Nothing on earth remains unwrenched and firm,
Who has no faith.

Will it be always in thy power to follow it?

Max. The heart's voice thou hast not o'erpower'd-as little Will Wallenstein be able to o'erpower it.

Oct. O, Max.! I see thee never more again!

Max. Unworthy of thee wilt thou never see me.
Oct. I go to Frauenberg-the Pappenheimers
I leave thee here, the Lothrings too; Toskana
And Tiefenbach remain here to protect thee.
They love thee, and are faithful to their oath,
And will far rather fall in gallant contest
Than leave their rightful leader, and their honour.
Max. Rely on this, I either leave my life
In the struggle, or conduct them out of Pilsen.
Oct. Farewell, my son!

Max.

Oct.

Farewell!

How? not one look

Of filial love? No grasp of th' hand at parting?

It is a bloody war, to which we are going,
And the event uncertain and in darkness.
So used we not to part-it was not so!

Is it then true, I have a son no longer?

(MAX. falls into his arms; they hold each other for a long time in a speechless embrace, then go away at different sides.)

The Curtain drops.

L

THE

DEATH OF WALLENSTEIN.

A TRAGEDY IN FIVE ACTS.

DRAMATIS PERSONE

WALLENSTEIN, Duke of Friedland, Generalissimo of the
Imperial Forces in the Thirty Years' War.

DUCHESS OF FRIEDLAND, Wife of Wallenstein.
THEKLA, her Daughter, Princess of Friedland.

THE COUNTESS TERTSKY, Sister of the Duchess.

LADY NEUBRUNN.

OCTAVIO PICCOLOMINI, Lieutenant-General.

MAX. PICCOLOMINI, his Son, Colonel of a Regiment of Cui

rassiers.

COUNT TERTSKY, the Commander of several Regiments, and Brother-in-Law of Wallenstein.

ILLO, Field-Marshal, Wallenstein's Confidant.

BUTLER, an Irishman, Commander of a Regiment of

Dragoons.

GORDON, Governor of Egra.

MAJOR GERALDIN.

CAPTAIN DEVEREUX.

CAPTAIN MACDONALD.

NEUMANN, Captain of Cavalry, Aide-de-Camp to Tertsky. SWEDISH CAPTAIN.

SENI.

BURGOMASTER of Egra.

ANSPESSADE of the Cuirassiers.

GROOM OF THE CHAMBER,} belonging to the Duko.

A PAGE,

Cuirassiers, Dragoons, Servants,

SCENE I-A Chamber in the House of the DUCHESS OF FRIED-
LAND. COUNTESS TERTSKY, THEKLA, LADY NEUBRUNN

(The two latter sit at the same table at work.)

Coun. (watching them from the opposite side). So you have nothing niece, to ask me? Nothing?

I have been waiting for a word from you.

And could you then endure in all this time

Not once to speak his name?

(THEKLA remaining silent, the COUNTESS rises and advances to her.)

Perhaps I am already grown superfluous,

Why comes this?

And other ways exist, besides through me?

Confess it to me, Thekla! have you seen him?

Thek. To-day and yesterday I have not seen him.

Coun. And not heard from him either? Come, be open!
Thek. No syllable.

Coun.

Thek. I am.

And still you are so calm ?

Coun. May't please you, leave us, Lady Neubrunn :

(Exit LADY NEUERUNN

SCENE II.

The COUNTESS, THEKLA.

Coun. It does not please me, Princess! that he holds

Himself so still, exactly at this time,

He now knows all.

Thek. Exactly at this time?

Coun.

"Twere now the moment to declare himself.

Thek. If I'm to understand you, speak less darkly.

Coun. "Twas for that purpose that I bade her leave us. Thekla, you are no more a child. Your heart

Is now no more in nonage: for you love,

And boldness dwells with love-that you have proved.

Your nature moulds itself upon your father's

More than your mother's spirit. Therefore may you
Hear, what were too much for her fortitude.

Thek. Enough! no further preface, I entreat you.
At once out with it! Be it what it may,

It is not possible that it should torture me
More than this introduction. What have you
To say to me? Tell me the whole and briefly!
Coun. You'll not be frightened-

Name it, I entreat you.

Thek.
Coun. It lies within your power to do your father

A weighty service

Coun. Max. Piccolomini loves you. You can link him Indissolubly to your father.

What need of me for that? And is he not

Already linked to him?

Coun.

Thek.

He was.

And wherefore

Should he not be so now-not be so always?
Coun. He cleaves to th' Emperor too.
Thek.

Not more than duty

Proofs of his love, and not proofs of his honour.

Duty and honour!

Those are ambiguous words with many meanings.

You should interpret them for him his love

Should be the sole definer of his honour.
Thek. How?

Coun.
Th' Emperor or you must he renounce
Thek. He will accompany my father gladly
In his retirement. From himself you heard,
How much he wished to lay aside the sword.

Coun. He must not lay the sword aside, we mean ·
He must unsheath it in your father's cause.