CASIMIR. I kneel, I kneel! Retract thy curse! O, by my mother's ashes, Yet for my country's sake, give my arm strength, KIUPRILI. Son, I forgive thee! Take thy father's sword; When thou shalt lift it in thy country's cause, In that same instant doth thy father bless thee! Thy blessing did indeed descend upon me; Dislodging the dread curse. It flew forth from me And lighted on the tyrant! Enter RUDOLPH, BATHORY, and Attendants. RUDOLPH and BATHORY (entering). Friends! friends to Casimir! CASIMIR. Rejoice, Illyrians! the usurper's fallen. RUDOLPH. [KIUPRILI and CASIMIR embrace; they all retire So perish tyrants! so end usurpation! to the Cavern supporting KIUPRILI. CASIMIR Fools! Cowards! follow-or by Hell I'll make you Then sees the body of PESTALUTZ, covered by Ha! 'tis done then! And is it not well? For though grafted on us, [AS EMERICK moves towards the body, enter from CASIMIR. Bear hence the body, and move slowly on! Devoted to a joy, that bears no witness, I follow you, and we will greet our countrymen [Exeunt CASIMIR into the Cavern. The rest on Scene changes to a splendid Chamber in CASIMIR'S Castle. CONFEDERATES discovered. FIRST CONFEDERATE. It cannot but succeed, friends. From this palace What tidings from Temeswar? SECOND CONFEDERATE. With one voice OLD BATHORY (pointing to where the noise is, and aside Th' assembled chieftains have deposed the tyrant; He is proclaim'd the public enemy, FIRST CONFEDERATE. Just doom for him, who governs without law! Is it known on whom the sov'reignty will fall? SECOND CONFEDERATE. Nothing is yet decided: but report Enter SAROLTA. Hail to Sarolta. SAROLTA. Confederate friends! I bring to you a joy Curses on it, and thee! Think'st thou that petty omen Would mar the wondrous tale. Wait we for him Dare whisper fear to Emerick's destiny? It is! it is! OTHER CONFEDERATES. ZAPOLYA. Heaven's work of grace is full! Kiuprili, thou art safe! RAAB KIUPRILI. Royal Zapolya! To the heavenly powers, pay we our duty first; Of Andreas' royal house. O countrymen, The powerful intercession of thy virtue, ZAPOLYA. Hear that from me, son! CASIMIR. Chef Ragozzi! That the same means which have preserved our O shame upon my head! I would have given her sovereign, Have likewise rear'd him worthier of the throne ALL. Hail, Andreas! Hail, Illyria's rightful king! ANDREAS. Supported thus, O friends! 't were cowardice From the appointed charge. Yet, while we wait A banquet waits!- Who wear the golden chain, with honest pride, Now, and from henceforth, thou shalt not forbid me While mad ambition ever doth caress To call thee father! And dare I forget Its own sure fate, in its own restlessness! The Piccolomini; or, the First Part of Wallenstein. A DRAMA. TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN OF SCHILLER. PREFACE. In the translation I endeavored to render my Author literally wherever I was not prevented by absolute differences of idiom; but I am conscious, that in two or three short passages I have been guilty of dilating the original; and, from anxiety to give the full It was my intention to have prefixed a Life of Wal-meaning, have weakened the force. In the metre I lenstein to this translation; but I found that it must have availed myself of no other liberties than those either have occupied a space wholly disproportionate which Schiller had permitted to himself, except the to the nature of the publication, or have been merely occasional breaking-up of the line by the substitua meagre catalogue of events narrated not more tion of a trochee for an iambic; of which liberty, so fully than they already are in the Play itself. The frequent in our tragedies, I find no instance in these recent translation, likewise, of Schiller's History of dramas. the Thirty Years' War diminished the motives thereto. S. T. COLERIDGE THE PICCOLOMINI, ETC. ACT I. SCENE I. An old Gothic Chamber in the Council-House at Pilsen, decorated with Colors and other War Insignia. ILLO with BUTLER and ISOLANI. ILLO. Ye have come late-but ye are come! The distance, Count Isolan, excuses your delay. ISOLANI. Add this too, that we come not empty-handed. At Donauwert* it was reported to us, A Swedish caravan was on its way Transporting a rich cargo of provision, Almost six hundred wagons. This my Croats BUTLER. Both wife and daughter does the Duke call hither? He crowds in visitants from all sides. ISOLANI. Hm ! So much the better! I had framed my mind ILLO (who has been standing in the attitude of medi tation, to BUTLER, whom he leads a little on one side). And how came you to know That the Count Galas joins us not? BUTLER. He importuned me to remain behind. ILLO (with warmth). Plunged down upon and seized, this weighty prize! And you?-You hold out firmly? We bring it hither ILLO (hesitating). How so? Do you know——— ISOLANI (interrupting him). Max. Piccolomini here ?-O bring me to him. We were engaged with Mansfeld hard by Dessau), ILLO. You'll see him yet ere evening. He conducts The Duchess Friedland hither, and the Princesst From Carnthen. We expect them here at noon. ⚫ A town about 12 German miles N. E. of Ulm. Because Ay, if we would but so consider it!— The Emperor gives us nothing; from the Duke My noble brother! did I tell you how ILLO. O that his power but kept pace with his wishes! Why, friend! he'd give the whole world to his soldiers. But at Vienna, brother!-here's the grievance ! † The dukes in Germany being always reigning powers, their What politic schemes do they not lay to shorten sons and daughters are entitled Princes and Princesses. His arm, and where they can, to clip his pinions. BUTLER. These requisitions of the Emperor,- The Duke will not draw back a single inch! ILLO. Not from his right most surely, unless first BUTLER (shocked and confused). Know you aught then? You alarm me. Ay! You did present yourself upon the part QUESTENBERG. To supplicate? Nay, noble General! So far extended neither my commission ILLO. Well, well, then-to compel him, if you choose. Whom there was nothing to delay from pressing ISOLANI (at the same time with BUTLER, and in a hur- Onwards into the very heart of Austria. rying voice). We should be ruin'd, every one of us! ILLO. No more! Yonder I see our worthy friend* approaching BUTLER (shaking his head significantly). SCENE II. Enter OCTAVIO PICCOLOMINI and QUESTENBERG. Ay, ay! more still! Still more new visitors! ISOLANI. My noble brother, Evel now am I arrived; it had been else my OCTAVIO. And Colonel Butler-trust me, I rejoice At that time you and Werdenberg appear'd Yes, yes, 'tis comprehensible enough, QUESTENBERG. Why not, Count Isolan? ILLO. A worthy office! After with our blood duty-To be swept out of it is all our thanks, There might we place at once before our eyes These two the total sum-Strength and Dispatch. The Chamberlain and War-commissioner Questen- The bearer of the Emperor's behests, The sole reward of all our hard-won victories. QUESTENBERG. Unless that wretched land be doomed to suffer ILLO. What? "Twas a favorable year; the boors QUESTENBERG. Nay, If you discourse of herds and meadow-grounds— ISOLANI. The war maintains the war. Are the boors ruin'd, The Emperor gains so many more new soldiers. QUESTENBERG. And is the poorer by even so many subjects. ISOLANI. [Universal silence. Poh! We are all his subjects. Thank Heaven! that means have been found out to His cares and feelings all ranks share alike, hide Some little from the fingers of the Croats. ILLO. There! The Stawata and the Martinitz, On whom the Emperor heaps his gifts and graces, To the heart-burning of all good BohemiansThose minions of court favor, those court harpies, Who fatten on the wrecks of citizens ISOLANI. And therefore thrusts he us into the deserts As beasts of prey, that so he may preserve His dear sheep fattening in his fields at home. QUESTENBERG (with a sneer). Count! this comparison you make, not I. BUTLER. Driven from their house and home-who reap no Why, were we all the court supposes us, harvests Save in the general calamity Who now, with kingly pomp, insult and mock BUTLER. And those state-parasites, who have their feet ISOLANI. My life long will it anger me to think, How when I went to court seven years ago, QUESTENBERG. "Twere dangerous, sure, to give us liberty QUESTENBERG. You have taken liberty-it was not given you. OCTAVIO (interposing and addressing QUESTENBERG) [Pointing to BUTLER. Which now has but mistaken in its mark, Preserved, when naught but boldness could preserve it, To the Emperor his capital city, Prague, Of the whole garrison. [Military music at a distance ILLO. The sentries are saluting them: this signal Then my son Max. too has returned. "T was he Shall we not go in company to greet them? ILLO. Well, let us go.-Ho! Colonel Butler, come. [TO OCTAVIO. You'll not forget, that yet ere noon we meet Yes, yes! your travelling bills soon found their way The noble Envoy at the General's palace. Then after come what may come. "Tis man's nature You are now acquainted with three-fourths of the |