espass to condone;
Each must by violent or by treasonous ways,
On him condemned fulfil the spoken doom;
Dagger in hand, and rapier at their side.

One of the maskers now approached the throne,
And standing with drawn sword before the book,
Spoke thus: "Tremendous judges!
Proof now our long suspicion has confirmed.
That man who calls him Konrad Wallenrod,
He is not Wallenrod.
Who is he? 'Tis unknown. Twelve years ago,
From unknown parts he to the Rhine-land came.
When passed Count Wallenrod to Palestine,
He in the count's train wore an esquire's dress.
But soon Count Wallenrod, unknown, did perish.
And then his squire, suspected of his death,
Departed secretly from Palestine;
Then did he land upon the Spanish shore;
In battles with the Moors gave proof of valour,
And in the tourneys prizes rich obtained,
And everywhere gained fame as Wallenrod.
He took on him at length the Order's vows,
Was chosen Master, to the Order's loss.
How ruled he, all ye know. This latter winter
When we with frost, famine, and Litwa fought,
Konrad in woods and oak-groves rode alone;
And there in secret held discourse with Witold.
Long time my spies have traced his every deed;
Hidden at evening by the corner tower,
They understood not the discourse which Konrad
Did hold with the recluse;--but, dreadful judges,
He spoke, they said, in the Litvanian tongue.
And weighing duly what the messengers
Of our tribunal of this man reported,
And that intelligence my spy late brought,
And fame reporteth, scarcely secretly;
Tremendous judges! I accuse the Master
Of falsehood, murder, heresy, and treason."

Here the accuser knelt before the book,
And laid his hand upon the crucifix;
And with an oath confirmed his story's truth,
By God, and by the Saviour's agony.
He ceased. The judges arbitrate the cause,
But not by open voice or still discourse;
Scarce by a glance of eye, or sign of hand,
Their deep and dreadful thought communicate.
Each in his turn approached him to the throne,
And with the dagger's point o'erturned the leaves,
Of the Order's book, and silent read the law,
Inquiring sentence of his conscience only.
And having judged, his hand lays on his heart,
And all in concord raised the cry of "Woe!"
With threefold echo then the walls repeated,
"Woe!"--In that word alone, that single word,
A sentence lies! The arraigners understood.
Twelve swords were raised aloft; one aim was theirs--
Destined to Konrad's hear