QUESTENBERG.

Ah! this is a far other tone from that,

In which the Duke spoke eight, nine years ago.
WALLENSTEIN.

Yes! 'tis my fault, I know it: I myself
Have spoilt the Emperor by indulging him.
Nine years ago, during the Danish war,
I raised 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 marched 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
Honoured with festival 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 offered up to their complaints,

Dismissed, degraded !

QUESTENBERG.

But your Highness knows

What little freedom he possessed of action

In that disastrous diet.

WALLENSTEIN.

Death and hell!

I had that which could have procured him freedom.
No! Since 'twas proved so inauspicious to me
To serve the Emperor at the empire's cost,

I have been taught far other trains of thinking

Of the empire, and the diet of the empire.
From the Emperor, doubtless, I received this staff,
But now I hold it as the empire's general-
For the common weal, the universal interest,
And no more for that one man's aggrandizement !
But to the point. What is it that's desired of me?
QUESTENBERG.

First, his imperial Majesty hath willed
That without pretexts of delay the army
Evacuate Bohemia.

WALLENSTEIN.

In this season?

And to what quarter, wills the Emperor,

That we direct our course?

QUESTENBERG.

To the enemy.

His Majesty resolves, that Regenspurg

Be purified from the enemy, ere Easter,
That Lutheranism may be no longer preached
In that cathedral, nor heretical

Defilement desecrate the celebration

Already hath commanded colonel Suys

To advance toward Bavaria ?

WALLENSTEIN.

What did Suys?

QUESTENBERG.

That which his duty prompted. He advanced!

WALLENSTEIN.

What? he advanced? And I, his general,
Had given him orders, peremptory orders,

Not to desert his station! Stands it thus
With my authority? Is this the 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.

Death.

WALLENSTEIN (raising his voice, as all, but Illo, had remained silent, and seemingly scrupu

lous).

Count Piccolomini! what has he deserved ?

MAX. PICCOLOMINI (after a long pause).

According to the letter of the law,

Death, by the laws of war.

[Questenberg rises from his seat, Wallenstein follows; all the rest rise.

WALLENSTEIN.

To this the law condemns him, and not I.

And if I show him favour, 'twill arise

From the reverence that I owe my Emperor.

QUESTENBERG.

If so, I can say nothing further-here !

WALLENSTEIN.

I accepted the command but on conditions!
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 rendered this Gustavus
Resistless, and unconquered 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.

The prince Cardinal

Begins his route at the approach of spring
From the Milanese; and leads a Spanish army
Through Germany into the Netherlands.

That he may march secure and unimpeded,
'Tis the Emperor's will you grant him a detachment
Of eight horse-regiments from the army here.

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