The Piccolomini. Friedrich von Schiller

Which he appointed you for audience. Come!

         A curse, a threefold curse, upon this journey!

      [He leads QUESTENBERG off.

      ACT II

      SCENE I

      Changes to a spacious chamber in the house of the Duke of Friedland. Servants employed in putting the tables and chairs in order. During this enters SENI, like an old Italian doctor, in black, and clothed somewhat fantastically. He carries a white staff, with which he marks out the quarters of the heavens.

      FIRST SERVANT. Come – to it, lads, to it! Make an end of it. I hear the sentry call out, "Stand to your arms!" They will be here in a minute.

      SECOND SERVANT. Why were we not told before that the audience would be held here? Nothing prepared – no orders – no instructions.

      THIRD SERVANT. Ay, and why was the balcony chamber countermanded, that with the great worked carpet? There one can look about one.

      FIRST SERVANT. Nay, that you must ask the mathematician there. He says it is an unlucky chamber.

      SECOND SERVANT. Poh! stuff and nonsense! that's what I call a hum. A chamber is a chamber; what much can the place signify in the affair?

SENI (with gravity)

         My son, there's nothing insignificant,

         Nothing! But yet in every earthly thing,

         First and most principal is place and time.

      FIRST SERVANT (to the second). Say nothing to him, Nat. The duke

         himself must let him have his own will.

SENI (counts the chairs, half in a loud, half in a low voice, till he comes to eleven, which he repeats)

         Eleven! an evil number! Set twelve chairs.

         Twelve! twelve signs hath the zodiac: five and seven,

         The holy numbers, include themselves in twelve.

      SECOND SERVANT. And what may you have to object against eleven? I should like to know that now.

SENI

         Eleven is transgression; eleven oversteps

         The ten commandments.

      SECOND SERVANT. That's good? and why do you call five a holy number?

SENI

         Five is the soul of man: for even as man

         Is mingled up of good and evil, so

         The five is the first number that's made up

         Of even and odd.

      SECOND SERVANT. The foolish old coxcomb!

      FIRST SERVANT. Ay! let him alone though. I like to hear him; there is

         more in his words than can be seen at first sight.

      THIRD SERVANT. Off, they come.

      SECOND SERVANT. There! Out at the side-door.

      [They hurry off: SENI follows slowly. A page brings the staff of command on a red cushion, and places it on the table, near the duke's chair. They are announced from without, and the wings of the door fly open.

      SCENE II

      WALLENSTEIN, DUCHESS.

WALLENSTEIN

         You went, then, through Vienna, were presented

         To the Queen of Hungary?

DUCHESS

         Yes; and to the empress, too,

         And by both majesties were we admitted

         To kiss the hand.

WALLENSTEIN

                   And how was it received,

         That I had sent for wife and daughter hither

         To the camp, in winter-time?

DUCHESS

                        I did even that

         Which you commissioned me to do. I told them

         You had determined on our daughter's marriage,

         And wished, ere yet you went into the field,

         To show the elected husband his betrothed.

WALLENSTEIN

         And did they guess the choice which I had made?

DUCHESS

         They only hoped and wished it may have fallen

         Upon no foreign nor yet Lutheran noble.

WALLENSTEIN

         And you – what do you wish, Elizabeth?

DUCHESS

         Your will, you know, was always mine.

WALLENSTEIN (after a pause)

                            Well, then, —

         And in all else, of what kind and complexion

         Was your reception at the court?

      [The DUCHESS casts her eyes on the ground, and remains silent.

         Hide nothing from me. How were you received?

DUCHESS

         O! my dear lord, all is not what it was.

         A canker-worm, my lord, a canker-worm

         Has stolen into the bud.

WALLENSTEIN

                      Ay! is it so?

         What, they were lax? they failed of the old respect?

DUCHESS

         Not of respect. No honors were omitted,

         No outward courtesy; but in the place

         Of condescending, confidential kindness,

         Familiar and endearing, there were given me

         Only these honors and that solemn courtesy.

         Ah! and the tenderness which was put on,

         It was the guise of pity, not of favor.

         No! Albrecht's wife, Duke Albrecht's princely wife,

         Count Harrach's noble daughter, should not so —