176
THE PICCOLOMINI, OR THE
Must I remind thee, how at Regenspurg
This man repaid thy faithful services?
All ranks and all conditions in the empire
Thou hadst wrong'd, 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 th' Emperor. To th' Emperor alone
Clung Friedland in that storm which gather'd round him
At Regenspurg in the Diet—and he dropp'd thee!
He let thee fall! He let thee fall a victim
To the Bavarian, to that insolent!
Depos'd, stript bare of all thy dignity
And power, amid the taunting of thy foes,
Thou wert let drop into obscurity—
Say not, the restoration of thy honour
Has made atonement for that first injustice.
No honest good-will was it that replac'd thee,
The law of hard necessity replac'd thee,
Which they had fain oppos'd, but that they could not.
This man repaid thy faithful services?
All ranks and all conditions in the empire
Thou hadst wrong'd, 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 th' Emperor. To th' Emperor alone
Clung Friedland in that storm which gather'd round him
At Regenspurg in the Diet—and he dropp'd thee!
He let thee fall! He let thee fall a victim
To the Bavarian, to that insolent!
Depos'd, stript bare of all thy dignity
And power, amid the taunting of thy foes,
Thou wert let drop into obscurity—
Say not, the restoration of thy honour
Has made atonement for that first injustice.
No honest good-will was it that replac'd thee,
The law of hard necessity replac'd thee,
Which they had fain oppos'd, 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,
I shall therein abuse no confidence.
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,
I shall therein abuse no confidence.
COUNTESS.
Affection! confidence!—They needed thee.
Necessity, impetuous remonstrant!
Affection! confidence!—They needed thee.
Necessity, impetuous remonstrant!
Who
