e 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 XVI

_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.

WALLENST.

But What?

BUTLER.

It is an open proclamation
Of insurrection.

WALLENSTEIN.

Well, well--but what is it?

BUTLER.

Count Terzky's regiments tear the Imperial Eagle
From off the banners, and instead of it
Have rear'd aloft their arms.

ANSPESSADE (_abruptly to the_ Cuirassiers).

Right about! March!

WALLENST.

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--
cruel game is Fortune playing with me.
The zeal of friends it is that razes me,
And not the hate of enemies.

SCENE XVII

_To these enter the_ DUCHESS, _who rushes into the Chamber_
THEKLA _and the_ COUNTESS _follow her_.

DUCHESS.

O Albrecht!
What hast thou done?

WALLENSTEIN.

And now comes this beside.

COUNTESS.

Forgive me, brother! It was not in my power--
They kn