The Complete Poetical Works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge Volume II Part 74

_Illo._ It lies with you now. Try. For I am silenced, When folks begin to talk to me of conscience, And of fidelity.

_Countess._ How? then, when all 15 Lay in the far-off distance, when the road Stretched out before thine eyes interminably, Then hadst thou courage and resolve; and now, Now that the dream is being realized, The purpose ripe, the issue ascertained, 20 Dost thou begin to play the dastard now?

Planned merely, 'tis a common felony; Accomplished, an immortal undertaking: And with success comes pardon hand in hand; For all event is G.o.d's arbitrement. 25

_Servant (enters)._ The Colonel Piccolomini.

_Countess._ --Must wait.

_Wallenstein._ I cannot see him now. Another time.

_Servant._ But for two minutes he entreats an audience.

Of the most urgent nature is his business.

_Wallenstein._ Who knows what he may bring us? I will hear him. 30

_Countess._ Urgent for him, no doubt; but thou mayest wait.

_Wallenstein._ What is it?

_Countess._ Thou shalt be informed hereafter.

First let the Swede and thee be compromised. [_Exit_ Servant.

_Wallenstein._ If there were yet a choice! if yet some milder Way of escape were possible--I still 35 Will choose it, and avoid the last extreme.

_Countess._ Desir'st thou nothing further? Such a way Lies still before thee. Send this Wrangel off.

Forget thou thy old hopes, cast far away All thy past life; determine to commence 40 A new one. Virtue hath her heroes too, As well as Fame and Fortune.--To Vienna-- Hence--to the Emperor--kneel before the throne; Take a full coffer with thee--say aloud, 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 n.o.ble, 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[701:1] speak my name With hate and dread; and Friedland be redemption For each accursed deed!

_Countess._ What is there here, then, So against nature? Help me to perceive it! 105 O let not Superst.i.tion's nightly goblins Subdue thy clear bright spirit! Art thou bid To murder?--with abhorr'd accursed poniard, To violate the b.r.e.a.s.t.s that nourished thee?

That were against our nature, that might aptly 110 Make thy flesh shudder, and thy whole heart sicken.[701:2]

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 emanc.i.p.ated 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?

Then was the time to break thee in, to curb Thy haughty will, to teach thee ordinance.

But no! the Emperor felt no touch of conscience, 205 What served him pleased him, and without a murmur He stamped his broad seal on these lawless deeds.

What at that time was right, because thou didst it For him, to-day is all at once become Opprobrious, foul, because it is directed 210 Against him.--O most flimsy superst.i.tion!

_Wallenstein (rising)._ I never saw it in this light before.

'Tis even so. The Emperor perpetrated Deeds through my arm, deeds most unorderly.

And even this prince's mantle, which I wear, 215 I owe to what were services to him, But most high misdemeanours 'gainst the empire.

_Countess._ Then betwixt thee and him (confess it, Friedland!) The point can be no more of right and duty, Only of power and opportunity. 220 That opportunity, lo! it comes yonder, Approaching with swift steeds; then with a swing Throw thyself up into the chariot-seat, Seize with firm hand the reins, ere thy opponent Antic.i.p.ate thee, and himself make conquest 225 Of the now empty seat. The moment comes-- It is already here, when thou must write The absolute total of thy life's vast sum.

The constellations stand victorious o'er thee, The planets shoot good fortune in fair junctions, 230 And tell thee, 'Now's the time!' The starry courses Hast thou thy life long measured to no purpose?

The quadrant and the circle, were they playthings?

[_Pointing to the different objects in the room._

The zodiacs, the rolling orbs of heaven, Hast pictured on these walls, and all around thee 235 In dumb, foreboding symbols hast thou placed These seven presiding Lords of Destiny-- For toys? Is all this preparation nothing?

Is there no marrow in this hollow art, That even to thyself it doth avail 240 Nothing, and has no influence over thee In the great moment of decision?----

_Wallenstein (interrupting the Countess)._ Send Wrangel to me--I will instantly Dispatch three couriers----

_Illo (hurrying out)._ G.o.d in heaven be praised!

_Wallenstein._ It is his evil genius and mine. 245 Our evil genius! It chastises him Through me, the instrument of his ambition; And I expect no less, than that Revenge E'en now is whetting for my breast the poniard.