Where the last Louis pour'd his guilty blood,
Fell Brissot's head, the womb of darksome treasons,
And Orleans, villain kinsman of the Capet,
And Hébert's atheist crew, whose maddening hand
Hurl'd down the altars of the living God,
With all the infidel's intolerance.

The last worst traitor triumphed-triumph'd long,
Secur'd by matchless villany. By turns
Defending and deserting each accomplice
As interest prompted. In the goodly soil
Of Freedom, the foul tree of treason struck
Its deep-fix'd roots, and dropt the dews of death
On all who slumbered in its specious shade.
He wove the web of treachery. He caught
The listening crowd by his wild eloquence,
His cool ferocity that persuaded murder,
Even whilst it spake of mercy! never, never
Shall this regenerated country wear

The despot yoke. Though myriads round assail,
And with worse fury urge this new crusade

Than savages have known; though the leagued despots
Depopulate all Europe, so to pour

The accumulated mass upon our coasts,
Sublime amid the storm shall France arise,
And like the rock amid surrounding waves
Repel the rushing ocean.-She shall wield
The thunderbolt of vengeance-she shall blast
The despot's pride, and liberate the world!

THE PICCOLOMINI,

OR

THE FIRST PART OF WALLENSTEIN.

A DRAMA.

TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN OF SCHILLER.

PREFACE OF THE TRANSLATOR.

It was my intention to have prefixed a Life of Wallenstein to this translation; but I found that it must either have occupied a space wholly disproportionate to the nature of the publication, or have been merely a meagre catalogue of events narrated not more fully than they already are in the Play itself. The recent translation, likewise, of Schiller's HISTORY of the THIRTY YEARS' WAR diminished the motives thereto. In the translation I endeavoured 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 meaning have weakened the force. In the metre I have ava led myself of no other liberties than those which Schiller had permitted to himself, except the occasional breaking-up of the line by the substitution of a trochee for an iambic; of which liberty, so frequent in our tragedies, I find no instance in these dramas.

ACT I.

S. T. COLERIDGE.

SCENE I.-An old Gothic Chamber in the Council House at Pilsen, decorated with Colours 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.

Iso. 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 waggons.

This my Croats

Plunged down upon and seized, this weighty prize!

We bring it hither

Illo.

Just in time to banquet

The illustrious company assembled here.

But. 'Tis all alive! a stirring scene here!
Iso.

Ay !

The very churches are all full of soldiers.

[Casts his eye round.

*A town about twelve German miles N.E. of Ulm.

And in the Council-house too, I observe,

You're settled, quite at home! Well, well! we soldiers
Must shift and suit us in what way we can.

Illo. We have the Colonels here of thirty regiments.
You'll find Count Tertsky here, and Tiefenbach,
Kolatto, Goetz, Maradas, Hinnersam,

The Piccolomini, both son and father

You'll meet with many an unexpected greeting

From many an old friend and acquaintance. Only
Galas is wanting still, and Altringer.

But. Expect not Galas.

Illo. (hesitating.)

How so? Do you know

Iso. (interrupting him.) Max. Piccolomini here?—- O bring me

to him.

I see him yet, ('tis now ten years ago,

We were engaged with Mansfeld hard by Dessau)

I see the youth, in my mind's eye I see him,
Leap his black war-horse from the bridge adown,
And t'ward his father, then in extreme peril,
Beat up against the strong tide of the Elbe.
The down was scarce upon his chin!
He has made good the promise of his youth,
And the full tero now is finished in him.

Illo. You'll see him yet ere evening

I hear

He conducts

The Duchess Friedland hither, and the Princess*

From Carnthen. We expect them here at noon.

But. Both wife and daughter does the Duke call hither?

He crowds in visitants from all sides.

Iso.

Hm !

So much the better! I had framed my mind

To hear of naught but warlike circumstance,

Of marches, and attacks, and batteries :

And lo! the Duke provides, that something too

Of gentler sort, and lovely, should be present

To feast our eyes.

Illo._(who has been standing in the attitude of meditation, to BUTLER, whom he leads a little on one side.)

And how came you to know

That the Count Galas joins us not?

But.

He importuned me to remain behind.

Because

Illo. (with warmth.) And you ?—You hold out firmly?

*The Dukes in Germany being always reigning powers, their sons and daughters are entitled Princes and Princesses,

Iso.

What, you mean, of his regiment ?

I hear, too, that, to make the gift still sweeter,
The Duke has given him the very same

In which he first saw service, and since then,

Worked himself, step by step, through each preferment,
From the ranks upwards. And verily, it gives
A precedent of hope, a spur of action

To the whole corps, if once in their remembrance
An old deserving soldier makes his way.

But. I am perplexed and doubtful, whether or no

I dare accept this your congratulation.

The Emperor has not yet confirmed the appointment.

Iso. Seize it, friend! Seize it! The hand which in that post Placed you, is strong enough to keep you there,

Spite of the Emperor and his Ministers!

Illo. Ay, if we would but so consider it !—

If we would all of us consider it so!

The Emperor gives us nothing; from the Duke
Comes all-whate'er we hope, whate'er we have.

Iso. (to ILLO.) My noble brother! Did I tell you how
The Duke will satisfy my creditors?

Will be himself my banker for the future,

Make me once more a creditable man!—

And this is now the third time, think of that!

This kingly-minded man has rescued me

From absolute ruin, and restored my honour.

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 !—
What politic schemes do they not lay to shorten
His arm, and, where they can, to clip his pinions.
Then these new dainty requisitions! these,
Which this same Questenberg brings hither !—
But.

These requisitions of the Emperor,

I too have heard about them; but I hope

The Duke will not draw back a single inch!

Illo. Not from his right most surely, unless first

-From office!

Ay !

But. (shocked and confused.) Know you aught then? You alarm

me.

Iso. (at the same time with BUTLER, and in a hurrying voice.) We should be ruined, every one of us!

No more!

Illo.
Yonder I see our worthy friend* approaching
With the Lieutenant-General, Piccolomini.

But. (shaking his head significantly.) I fear we shall not go hence as we came.

*Spoken with a sneer.

SCENE II.-Enter OCTAVIO PICCOLOMINI, and QUESTENBERG.

Oct. (still in the distance.) Ay, ay! more still! Still more new visitors!

Acknowledge, friend! that never was a camp,

Which held at once so many heads of heroes. [Approaching nearer. Welcome, Count Isolani!

Iso.

My noble brother,

Even now I am arrived; it had been else my duty

Oct. And Colonel Butler-trust me, I rejoice

Thus to renew acquaintance with a man

Whose worth and services I know and honour.
See, see, my friend!

There might we place at once before our eyes
The sum of war's whole trade and mystery-

[To QUESTENBERG, presenting BUTLER and ISOLANI at
the same time to him.

These two the total sum-Strength and Dispatch.

Ques. (to OCTAVIO.) And lo! betwixt them both experienced Prudence!

Oct. (presenting QUESTENBERG to BUTLER and ISOLANI.) The Chamberlain and War-commissioner Questenberg,

The bearer of the Emperor's behests,

The long-tried friend and patron of all soldiers,

We honour in this noble visitor.

[Universal silence.

Illo. (moving towards QUESTENBERG.) 'Tis not the first time,

noble Minister,

You have shown our camp this honour.

Ques.

I stood before these colours.

Once before

Illo. Perchance too you remember where that was. It was at Znäim* in Moravia, where

You did present yourself upon the part

Of the Emperor, to supplicate our Duke

That he would straight assume the chief command.
Ques. To supplicate? Nay, noble General!

So far extended neither my commission
(At least to my own knowledge) nor my zeal.
Illo. Well, well, then-to compel him, if you
I can remember me right well, Count Tilly
Had suffered total rout upon the Lech.
Bavaria lay all open to the enemy,

Whom there was nothing to delay from pressing
Onwards into the very heart of Austria.
At that time you and Werdenberg appeared
Before our General, storming him with prayers,
And menacing the Emperor's displeasure,

Unless he took compassion on this wretchedness.

chuse.

Iso. (Steps up to them.) Yes, yes, 'tis comprehensible enough,

* A town not far from the Mine-mountains, on the high road from Vienna to Prague.

S