Wallenstein/The Piccolomini/A1S12
SCENE XII.
Wallenstein, Tertsky, Illo.—To them enter
Questenberg, Octavio, and Max. Piccolomini,
Butler, Isolani, Maradas, and three other Generals.
Wallenstein motions Questenberg, who in
consequence takes the chair directly opposite
to him; the others follow, arranging themselves
according to their rank. There reigns
a momentary Silence.
WALLENSTEIN.
Of your instructions, Questenberg, have weigh'd them,
And form'd my final, absolute resolve;
Yet it seems fitting that the Generals
Should hear the will of th' Emperor from your mouth.
May't please you then to open your commission
Before these noble Chieftains.
QUESTENBERG.
To obey you; but will first entreat your Highness,
And all these noble Chieftains, to consider,
Th' Imperial dignity and sov'reign right
Speaks from my mouth, and not my own presumption.
WALLENSTEIN.
QUESTENBERG.
The Emperor to his courageous armies
Presented in the person of Duke Friedland
A most experienc'd and renown'd commander,
He did it in glad hope and confidence
To give thereby to the fortune of the war
A rapid and auspicious change. The onset
Was favourable to his royal wishes.
Bohemia was deliver'd from the Saxons,
The Swede's career of conquest check'd! These lands
Began to draw breath freely, as Duke Friedland
From all the streams of Germany forc'd hither
The scatter'd armies of the enemy,
Hither invok'd as round one magic circle
The Rhinegrave, Bernhard, Banner, Oxenstirn,
Yea, and the never-conquer'd King himself;
Here finally, before the eye of Nürnberg,
The fearful game of battle to decide.
WALLENSTEIN.
QUESTENBERG.
His fame—in Lützen's plains his life. But who
Stood not astounded, when victorious Friedland
After this day of triumph, this proud day,
March'd toward Bohemia with the speed of flight,
And vanish'd from the theatre of war;
While the young Weimar hero forc'd his way
Into Franconia, to the Danube, like
Some delving winter-stream, which, where it rushes,
Makes its own channel; with such sudden speed
He march'd, and now at once 'fore Regenspurg
Stood to th' affright of all good Catholic Christians.
Then did Bavaria's well-deserving Prince
Entreat swift aidance in his extreme need;
The Emperor sends seven horsemen to Duke Friedland,
Seven horsemen couriers sends he with th' entreaty;
He superadds his own, and supplicates
Where as the sovereign lord he can command.
In vain his supplication! At this moment
The Duke hears only his old hate and grudge,
Barters the general good to gratify
Private revenge—and so falls Regenspurg.
WALLENSTEIN.
My recollection fails me here.
MAX.
When we were in Silesia.
WALLENSTEIN.
But what had we to do there?
MAX.
The Swedes and Saxons from the province.
WALLENSTEIN.
In that description which the Minister gave
I seem'd to have forgotten the whole war.
(to Questenberg)
QUESTENBERG.
Beside the river Oder did the Duke
Assert his ancient fame. Upon the fields
Of Steinau did the Swedes lay down their arms,
Subdued without a blow. And here, with others,
The righteousness of Heaven to his avenger
Deliver'd that long-practis'd stirrer-up
Of insurrection, that curse-laden torch
And kindler of this war, Matthias Thur.
But he had fallen into magnanimous hands;
Instead of punishment he found reward,
And with rich presents did the Duke dismiss
The arch-foe of his Emperor.
WALLENSTEIN (laughs).
I know you had already in Vienna
Your windows and your balconies forestall'd
To see him on the executioner's cart.
I might have lost the battle, lost it too
With infamy, and still retain'd your graces—
But, to have cheated them of a spectacle,
Oh! that the good folks of Vienna never,
No, never can forgive me.
QUESTENBERG.
Was freed, and all things loudly call'd the Duke
Into Bavaria, now press'd hard on all sides.
And he did put his troops in motion: slowly,
Quite at his ease, and by the longest road
He traverses Bohemia; but ere ever
He hath once seen the enemy, faces round,
Breaks up the march, and takes to winter quarters.
WALLENSTEIN.
Of every necessary, every comfort.
The winter came. What thinks his Majesty
His troops are made of? An't we men? subjected
Like other men to wet, and cold, and all
The circumstances of necessity?
O miserable lot of the poor soldier!
Wherever he comes in, all flee before him,
And when he goes away, the general curse
Follows him on his rout. All must be seiz'd,
Nothing is given him. And compell'd to seize
From every man, he's every man's abhorrence.
Behold, here stand my Generals. Karaffa!
Count Deodate! Butler! Tell this man
How long the soldiers' pay is in arrears.
BUTLER.
WALLENSTEIN.
That constitutes the hireling's name and duties.
The soldier's pay is the soldier's covenant[1].
QUESTENBERG.
In which the Duke spoke eight, nine years ago.
WALLENSTEIN.
Have spoilt the Emperor by indulging him.
Nine years ago, during the Danish war,
I rais'd him up a force, a mighty force,
Forty or fifty thousand men, that cost him
Of his own purse no doit. Through Saxony
The fury goddess of the war march'd on,
E'en to the surf-rocks of the Baltic, bearing
The terrors of his name. That was a time!
In the whole Imperial realm no name like mine
Honor'd with feftival and celebration—
And Albrecht Wallenstein, it was the title
Of the third jewel in his crown!
But at the Diet, when the Princes met
At Regenspurg, there, there the whole broke out,
There 'twas laid open, there it was made known,
Out of what money-bag I had paid the host.
And what was now my thank, what had I now,
That I, a faithful servant of the Sovereign,
Had loaded on myself the people's curses,
And let the Princes of the empire pay
The expences of this war, that aggrandizes
The Emperor alone—What thanks had I!
What? I was offer'd up to their complaints,
Dismiss'd, degraded!
QUESTENBERG.
What little freedom he possess'd of action
In that disastrous diet.
WALLENSTEIN.
I had that which could have procur'd him freedom.
No! Since 'twas prov'd so inauspicious to me
To serve the Emperor at the empire's cost,
I have been taught far other trains of thinking
Of th' empire, and the diet of the empire.
From th' Emperor, doubtless, I receiv'd this staff,
But now I hold it as the empire's general—
For the common weal, the universal int'rest,
And no more for that one man's aggrandizement!
But to the point. What is it that's desir'd of me?
QUESTENBERG.
That without pretexts of delay the army
Evacuate Bohemia.
WALLENSTEIN.
And to what quarter, wills the Emperor,
That we direct our course?
QUESTENBERG.
His Majesty resolves, that Regenspurg
Be purified from the enemy, ere Easter,
That Luth'ranism may be no longer preach'd
In that cathedral, nor heretical
Defilement desacrate the celebration
Of that pure festival.
WALLENSTEIN.
Can this be realiz'd?
ILLO.
BUTLER.
QUESTENBERG.
Already hath commanded colonel Suys
To advance toward Bavaria?
WALLENSTEIN.
QUESTENBERG.
WALLENSTEIN.
Had given him orders, peremptory orders,
Not to desert his station! Stands it thus
With my authority? Is this th' obedience
Due to my office, which being thrown aside
No war can be conducted? Chieftains, speak!
You be the judges, generals! What deserves
That officer, who of his oath neglectful
Is guilty of contempt of orders?
ILLO.
WALLENSTEIN.
(raising his voice, as all but Illo had remain'd
silent, and seemingly scrupulous)
Max. Piccolomini. (After a long pause)
Death.
ISOLANI.
BUTLER.
(Questenberg rises from his seat, Wallenstein
follows, all the rest rise)
WALLENSTEIN.
And if I shew him favour, 'twill arise
From the rev'rence that I owe my Emperor.
QUESTENBERG.
WALLENSTEIN.
And this the first, that to the diminution
Of my authority no human being,
Not even the Emperor's self, should be entitled
To do aught, or to say aught, with the army.
If I stand warranter of the event,
Placing my honour and my head in pledge,
Needs must I have full mastery in all
The means thereto. What render'd this Gustavus
Resistless, and unconquer'd upon earth?
This: that he was the monarch in his army;
A monarch, one who is indeed a monarch,
Was never yet subdued but by his equal.
But to the point! The best is yet to come.
Attend now, Generals!
QUESTENBERG.
Begins his route at the approach of spring
From the Milanese; and leads a Spanish army
Thro' Germany into the Netherlands.
That he may march secure and unimpeded,
'Tis th' Emperor's will, you grant him a detachment
Of eight horse-regiments from the army here.
WALLENSTEIN.
Right well concerted, father Lamormain!
Eight thousand horse! Yes, yes! 'Tis as it should be!
I see it coming.
QUESTENBERG.
All stands in front: the counsel of state-prudence,
The dictate of necessity!
WALLENSTEIN.
What, my Lord Envoy? May I not be suffer'd
To understand, that folks are tir'd of seeing
The sword's hilt in my grasp: and that your court
Snatch eagerly at this pretence, and use
The Spanish title, to drain off my forces,
To lead into the empire a new army
Unsubjected to my controul. To throw me
Plumply aside,—I am still too powerful for you
To venture that. My stipulation runs,
That all the Imperial forces shall obey me
Where-e'er the German is the native language.
Of Spanish troops and of Prince Cardinals
That take their route, as visitors, thro' the empire,
There stands no syllable in my stipulation.
No syllable! And so the politic court
Steals in a tiptoe, and creeps round behind it:
First makes me weaker, then to be dispens'd with,
Till it dares strike at length a bolder blow
And make short work with me.
What need of all these crooked ways, Lord Envoy?
Straight-forward, man! His compact with me pinches
The Emperor. He would that I mov'd off!—
Well!—I will gratify him!———
(Here there commences an agitation among th
generals which increases continually.)
I see not yet, by what means they will come at
The moneys they have advanced, or how obtain
The recompence their services demand.
Still a new leader brings new claimants forward,
And prior merit superannuates quickly.
There serve here many foreigners in th' army,
And were the man in all else brave and gallant,
I was not wont to make nice scrutiny
After his pedigree or catechism.
This will be otherwise, i'the time to come.
Well—me no longer it concerns.
(He seats himself.)
MAX. PICCOLOMINI.
Our troops will swell in dreadful fermentation—
The Emperor is abus'd—it cannot be.
ISOLANI.
WALLENSTEIN.
What we with toil and foresight have built up,
Will go to wreck—all go to instant wreck.
What then? another chieftain is soon found,
Another army likewise (who dares doubt it?)
Will flock from all sides to the Emperor
At the first beat of his recruiting drum.
(During this speech, Isolani, Tertsky, Illo, and
Maradas, talk confusedly with great agitation.)
MAX. PICCOLOMINI.
(Busily, and passionately going from one to
another, and soothing them).
Let me conjure you, Duke! Determine nothing,
Till we have met and represented to you
Our joint remonstrances.—Nay, calmer! Friends!
I hope all may yet be set right again.
TERTSKY.
Find we the others.[They go.
BUTLER. (to Questenberg.)
Due audience from your wisdom, my Lord Envoy!
You will be cautious how you shew yourself
In public for some hours to come—or hardly
Will that gold key protect you from mal-treatment.
(Commotions heard from without.)
WALLENSTEIN.
Wilt answer for the safety of our guest.
Farewell, Von Questenberg!
(Questenburg is about to speak.)
Nay, not a word.
Not one word more of that detested subject!
You have perform'd your duty.—We know how
To separate the office from the man.
(As Questenberg is going off with Octavio, Goetz,
Tiefenbach, Kollatto, press in, several other
generals following them.)
GOETZ.
TIEFENBACH. (at the same time.)
KOLATTO. (at the same time.)
WALLENSTEIN. (with stateliness, and pointing
to Illo.)
[Exit.
(While all are going off the stage, the
curtain drops.)
END OF ACT I.
- ↑ The original is not translatable into English:
———Und sein sold
Muss dem soldaten werden, darnach heisst er.
It might perhaps have been thus rendered:
"And that for which he sold his services,
"The soldier must receive."
But a false or doubtful etymology is no more than a dull pun.