And use them for your profit, till we both
Carry the fate of Europe in our hands,

And from our camp to the glad jubilant world
Lead Peace forth with the garland on her head!
ANSPESSADE.

"Tis then but mere appearances which thou
Dost put on with the Swede? Thou❜lt not betray
The Emperor? Wilt not turn us into Swedes?
This is the only thing which we desire

To learn from thee.

WALLENSTEIN.

What care I for the Swedes?

I hate them as I hate the pit of hell,

And under Providence I trust right soon

To chase them to their homes across their Baltic.
My cares are only for the whole: I have

A heart-it bleeds within me for the miseries
And piteous groaning of my fellow Germans.
Ye are but common men, but yet ye think
With minds not common; ye appear to me
Worthy before all others, that I whisper ye
A little word or two in confidence!

See now! already for full fifteen years
The war-torch has continued burning, yet
No rest, no pause of conflict. Swede and German
Papist and Lutheran! neither will give way

To the other, every hand's against the other.

Each one is party and no one a judge.

Where shall this end? Where's he that will unravel

This tangle, ever tangling more and more.

It must be cut asunder.

I feel that I am the man of destiny,

And trust, with your assistance, to accomplish it.

SCENE IV.

To these enter BUTLER.

BUTLER (passionately).

General! This is not right!

WALLENSTEIN.

What is not right?

BUTLER.

It must needs injure us with all honest men.

BUTLER.

Count Tertsky's regiments tear the Imperial Eagle
From off the banners, and instead of it,

Have reared aloft thy arms.

ANSPESSADE (abruptly to the Cuirassiers).

Right about! March!

WALLENSTEIN.

Cursed be this counsel, and accursed who gave

it!

[to the Cuirassiers, who are retiring.

Halt, children, halt! There's some mistake in this; Hark! I will punish it severely. Stop!

They do not hear. (to Illo.) Go after them, assure

them,

And bring them back to me, cost what it may.

(Illo hurries out.)

This hurls us headlong. Butler! Butler!
You are my evil genius, wherefore must you
Announce it in their presence? It was all
In a fair way.
They were half won, those madmen
With their improvident over-readiness—
A cruel game is Fortune playing with me.
The zeal of friends it is that razes me,
And not the hate of enemies.

SCENE V.

To these enter the DUCHESS, who rushes into the

Forgive me, brother! It was not in my power.

They know all.

DUCHESS.

What hast thou done?

COUNTESS (to Tertsky).

Is there no hope? Is all lost utterly?

TERTSKY.

All lost. No hope. Prague in the Emperor's hands, The soldiery have ta'en their oaths anew.

COUNTESS.

That lurking hypocrite, Octavio!

Count Max. is off too?

TERTSKY.

Where can he be? He's

Gone over to the Emperor with his father.

(Thekla rushes out into the arms of her mother, hiding her face in her bosom.)

DUCHESS (enfolding her in her arms).
Unhappy child! and more unhappy mother!
WALLENSTEIN (aside to Tertsky).

Quick! Let a carriage stand in readiness
In the court behind the palace. Scherfenberg
Be their attendant; he is faithful to us;
To Egra he'll conduct them, and we follow.
(to Illo who returns.)

Thou hast not brought them back?

ILLO.

Hear'st thou the uproar?

The whole corps of the Pappenheimers is
Drawn out: the younger Piccolomini,
Their colonel, they require; for they affirm,
That he is in the palace here, a prisoner;
And if thou dost not instantly deliver him,
They will find means to free him with the sword.
(all stand amazed.)

TERTSKY.

What shall we make of this?

WALLENSTEIN.

Said I not so?

O my prophetic heart! he is still here.