O). Use your influence. Instruct him.

OCTAVIO. My son is at the age of discretion.

ILLO (leaves the service-cup on the sideboard). What's the dispute?

TERZKY. He declines subscribing the paper.

MAX. I say it may as well stay till to-morrow.

ILLO. It cannot stay. We have all subscribed to it--and so must you.
You must subscribe.

MAX. Illo, good-night!

ILLO. No! you come not off so! The duke shall learn who are his
friends. (All collect round ILLO and MAX.)

MAX. What my sentiments are towards the duke, the duke knows, every one
knows--what need of this wild stuff?

ILLO. This is the thanks the duke gets for his partiality to Italians
and foreigners. Us Bohemians he holds for little better than dullards--
nothing pleases him but what's outlandish.

TERZKY (in extreme embarrassment, to the Commanders, who at ILLO's words
give a sudden start as preparing to resent them). It is the wine that
speaks, and not his reason. Attend not to him, I entreat you.

ISOLANI (with a bitter laugh). Wine invents nothing: it only tattles.

ILLO. He who is not with me is against me. Your tender consciences!
Unless they can slip out by a back-door, by a puny proviso----

TERZKY (interrupting him). He is stark mad--don't listen to him!

ILLO (raising his voice to the highest pitch). Unless they can slip out
by a proviso. What of the proviso? The devil take this proviso!

MAX. (has his attention roused, and looks again into the paper). What is
there here then of such perilous import? You make me curious--I must
look closer at it.

TERZKY (in a low voice to ILLO). What are you doing, Illo? You are
ruining us.

TIEFENBACH (to KOLATTO). Ay, ay! I observed, that before we sat down to
supper, it was read differently.

GOETZ. Why, I seemed to think so too.

ISOLANI. What do I care for that? Where there stand other names mine
can stand too.

TIEFENBACH. Before supper there was a certain proviso therein, or short
clause, concerning our duties to the emperor.

BUTLER (to one of the Commanders). For shame, for shame! Bethink you.
What is the main business here? The question now is, whether we shall
keep our general, or let him retire. One must not take these things too
nicely, and over-scrupulously.

ISOLANI (to one of the Generals). Did the duke make any of these
provisos when he gave you your regiment?

TERZKY (to GOETZ). Or when he gave you the office of army-purveyancer,
which brings you in yearly a thousand pistole