Chapter 66

_To these enter ILLO from the inner room. He has in his hand the golden service-cup, and is extremely distempered with drinking: GOETZ and BUTLER follow him, endeavouring to keep him back._

_Illo._ What do you want? Let me go.

_Goetz and Butler._ Drink no more, Illo! For heaven's sake, drink no more.

_Illo (goes up to Octavio, and shakes him cordially by the hand, and then drinks)._ Octavio! I bring this to you! Let all grudge be drowned in this friendly bowl! I know well enough, ye 5 never loved me--Devil take me!--and I never loved you!--I am always even with people in that way!--Let what's past be past--that is, you understand--forgotten! I esteem you infinitely. (_Embracing him repeatedly._) You have not a dearer friend on earth than I--but that you know. The fellow that cries rogue 10 to you calls me villain--and I'll strangle him!--my dear friend!

_Tertsky (whispering to him)._ Art in thy senses? For heaven's sake, Illo! think where you are!

_Illo (aloud)._ What do you mean?--There are none but friends here, are there? Not a sneaker among us, thank heaven! 15

_Tertsky (to Butler)._ Take him off with you, force him off, I entreat you, Butler!

_Butler (to Illo)._ Field Marshal! a word with you.

[_Leads him to the sideboard._

_Illo._ A thousand for one! Fill--Fill it once more up to the brim.--To this gallant man's health! 20

_Isolani (to Max, who all the while has been staring on the paper with fixed but vacant eyes)._ Slow and sure, my noble brother!--Hast parsed it all yet?--Some words yet to go through?--Ha?

_Max._ What am I to do?

_Tertsky (and at the same time Isolani)._ Sign your name.

_Max (returns the paper)._ Let it stay till to-morrow. It is 25 business--to-day I am not sufficiently collected. Send it to me to-morrow.

_Tertsky._ Nay, collect yourself a little.

_Isolani._ Awake, man! awake!--Come, thy signature, and have done with it! What? Thou art the youngest in the 30 whole company, and wouldest be wiser than all of us together? Look there! thy father has signed--we have all signed.

_Tertsky (to Octavio)._ 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? 35

_Tertsky._ 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! 40

_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? 45

_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.

_Tertsky (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. 50

_Isolani._ 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----

_Tertsky._ He is stark mad--don't listen to him! 55

_Illo._ Unless they can slip out by a proviso.--What of the proviso? The devil take this proviso!

_Max._ What is there here then of such perilous import? You make me curious--I must look closer at it.

_Tertsky (in a low voice to Illo)._ What are you doing, Illo? 60 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 65 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 70 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? 75

_Tertsky (to Goetz)._ Or when he gave you the office of army-purveyancer, which brings you in yearly a thousand pistoles!

_Illo._ He is a rascal who makes us out to be rogues. If there be any one that wants satisfaction, let him say so,--I am his man. 80

_Tiefenbach._ Softly, softly! 'Twas but a word or two.

_Max (having read the paper gives it back)._ Till to-morrow, therefore!

_Illo (stammering with rage and fury, loses all command over himself, and presents the paper to Max with one hand, and his sword in the other)._ Subscribe--Judas!

_Isolani._ Out upon you, Illo! 85

_Octavio, Tertsky, Butler (all together)._ Down with the sword!

_Max (rushes on him suddenly and disarms him, then to Count Tertsky)._ Take him off to bed.

[_MAX leaves the stage. ILLO cursing and raving is held back by some of the Officers, and amidst a universal confusion the curtain drops._

LINENOTES:

[11] _dear_ 1800, 1828, 1829.

[15] here, are there? (_looks round the whole circle with a jolly and triumphant air_) 1800, 1828, 1829.

[Before 16] _Tertsky (to Butler, eagerly)._ 1800, 1828, 1829.

[Before 19] _Illo (cordially)._ 1800, 1828, 1829.

[22] _parsed_ 1800, 1828, 1829.

[Before 23] _Max (waking as from a dream)._ 1800, 1828, 1829.

[After 24] [_OCTAVIO directs his eyes on him with intense anxiety._ 1800, 1828, 1829.

[26] _business_ 1800, 1828, 1829.

[Before 49] _Tertsky (in extreme embarrassment, to the, &c._ 1800, 1828, 1829.

[Before 51] _Isolani (with a bitter laugh)._ 1800, 1828, 1829.

[51] _tattles_ 1800, 1828, 1829.

[Before 55] _Tertsky (interrupting him)._ 1800, 1828, 1829.

[Before 56] _Illo (raising his voice to the highest pitch)._ 1800, 1828, 1829.

[57] _proviso_ 1800, 1828, 1829.

[Before 58] _Max (has his attention roused, and looks again into the paper)._ 1800, 1828, 1829.

[67] _was_ 1800, 1828, 1829.