The Complete Works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge (Illustrated Edition). Samuel Taylor Coleridge

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СКАЧАТЬ That low Priest’s legend I know well, but did not 65

       Expect to hear it from thy mouth.

      Octavio. That mouth,

       From which thou hearest it at this present moment,

       Doth warrant thee that it is no Priest’s legend.

      Max. How mere a maniac they supposed the Duke!

       What, he can meditate? — the Duke? — can dream 70

       That he can lure away full thirty thousand

       Tried troops and true, all honourable soldiers,

       More than a thousand noblemen among them,

       From oaths, from duty, from their honour lure them,

       And make them all unanimous to do 75

       A deed that brands them scoundrels?

      Octavio. Such a deed,

       With such a front of infamy, the Duke

       No wise desires — what he requires of us

       Bears a far gentler appellation. Nothing

       He wishes, but to give the Empire peace. 80

       And so, because the Emperor hates this peace,

       Therefore the Duke — the Duke will force him to it.

       All parts of the Empire will he pacify,

       And for his trouble will retain in payment

       (What he has already in his gripe) — Bohemia! 85

      Max. Has he, Octavio, merited of us,

       That we — that we should think so vilely of him?

      Octavio. What we would think is not the question here.

       The affair speaks for itself — and clearest proofs!

       Hear me, my son—’tis not unknown to thee, 90

       In what ill credit with the Court we stand.

       But little dost thou know, or guess, what tricks,

       What base intrigues, what lying artifices,

       Have been employed — for this sole end — to sow

       Mutiny in the camp! All bands are loosed — 95

       Loosed all the bands, that link the officer

       To his liege Emperor, all that bind the soldier

       Affectionately to the citizen.

       Lawless he stands, and threateningly beleaguers

       The state he’s bound to guard. To such a height 100

       ‘Tis swoln, that at this hour the Emperor

       Before his armies — his own armies — trembles;

       Yea, in his capital, his palace, fears

       The traitor’s poniards, and is meditating

       To hurry off and hide his tender offspring —— 105

       Not from the Swedes, not from the Lutherans —

       No! from his own troops hide and hurry them!

      Max. Cease, cease! thou tortur’st, shatter’st me. I know

       That oft we tremble at an empty terror;

       But the false phantasm brings a real misery. 110

      Octavio. It is no phantasm. An intestine war,

       Of all the most unnatural and cruel,

       Will burst out into flames, if instantly

       We do not fly and stifle it. The Generals

       Are many of them long ago won over; 115

       The subalterns are vacillating — whole

       Regiments and garrisons are vacillating.

       To foreigners our strong holds are entrusted;

       To that suspected Schafgotch is the whole

       Force of Silesia given up: to Tertsky 120

       Five regiments, foot and horse — to Isolani,

       To Illo, Kinsky, Butler, the best troops.

      Max. Likewise to both of us.

      Octavio. Because the Duke

       Believes he has secured us — means to lure us

       Still further on by splendid promises. 125

       To me he portions forth the princedoms, Glatz

       And Sagan; and too plain I see the angle

       With which he doubts not to catch thee.

      Max. No! no!

       I tell thee — no!

      Octavio. O open yet thine eyes!

       And to what purpose think’st thou he has called us 130

       Hither to Pilsen? — to avail himself

       Of our advice? — O when did Friedland ever

       Need our advice? — Be calm, and listen to me.

       To sell ourselves are we called hither, and,

       Decline we that — to be his hostages. 135

       Therefore doth noble Galas stand aloof;

       Thy father, too, thou would’st not have seen here,

       If higher duties had not held him fettered.

      Max. He makes no secret of it — needs make none —

       That we’re called hither for his sake — he owns it. 140

       He needs our aidance to maintain himself —

       He did so much for us; and ‘tis but fair

       That we too should do somewhat now for him.

      Octavio. And know’st thou what it is which we must do?

       That Illo’s drunken mood betrayed it to thee. 145

       Bethink thyself — what hast thou heard, what seen?

       The counterfeited paper — the omission

       Of that particular clause, so full of meaning,

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