Dramatis Personae
- OTHO THE GREAT, Emperor of Germany
- LUDOLPH, his Son
- CONRAD, Duke of Franconia
- ALBERT, a Knight, favoured by Otho
- SIGIFRED, an Officer, friend of Ludolph
- THEODORE, and GONFRID, Officers
- ETHELBERT, an Abbot
- GERSA, Prince of Hungary
- An Hungarian Captain
- Physician
- Page
- Nobles, Knights, Attendants, and Soldiers
- ERMINIA, Niece of Otho
- AURANTHE, Conrad’s Sister
- Ladies and Attendants
- SCENE. The Castle of Friedburg, its vicinity,
- and the Hungarian Camp
TIME, One Day.
ACT 1.
SCENE 1. An Apartment in the Castle.
-
Conrad So, I am safe emerged from these broils!
- Amid the wreck of thousands I am whole;
- For every crime I have a laurel-wreath,
- For every lie a lordship. Nor yet has
- My ship of fortune furl’d her silken sails, —
- Let her glide on! This danger’d neck is saved,
- By dexterous policy, from the rebel’s axe;
- And of my ducal palace not one stone
- Is bruised by the Hungarian petards.
- Toil hard, ye slaves, and from the miser-earth
- Bring forth once more my bullion, treasured deep,
- With all my jewell’d salvers, silver and gold,
- And precious goblets that make rich the wine.
- But why do I stand babbling to myself?
- Where is Auranthe? I have news for her
- Shall—
-
Auranthe. Conrad! what tidings? Good, if I may guess
- From your alert eyes and high-lifted brows.
- What tidings of the battle? Albert? Ludolph?
- Otho?
-
Conrad. You guess aright. And, sister, slurring o’er
- Our by-gone quarrels, I confess my heart
- Is beating with a child’s anxiety,
- To make our golden fortune known to you.
-
Auranthe. So serious?
-
Conrad. Yes, so serious but before
- I utter even the shadow of a hint
- Concerning what will make that sin-worn cheek
- Blush joyous blood through every lineament,
- You must make here a solemn vow to me.
-
Auranthe. I pr’ythee, Conrad, do not overact
- The hypocrite. What vow would you impose?
-
Conrad. Trust me for once. That you may be assured
- ’Tis not confiding in a broken reed,
- A poor court-bankrupt, outwitted and lost,
- Revolve these facts in your acutest mood,
- In such a mood as now you listen to me:
- A few days since, I was an open rebel,—
- Against the Emperor had suborn’d his son,—
- Drawn off his nobles to revolt,— and shown
- Contented fools causes for discontent,
- Fresh hatch’d in my ambition’s eagle-nest;
- So thrived I as a rebel,— and, behold!
- Now I am Otho’s favorite, his dear friend,
- His right hand, his brave Conrad!
-
Auranthe. I confess
- You have intrigued with these unsteady times
- To admiration. But to be a favorite—
-
Conrad. I saw my moment. The Hungarians,
- Collected silently in holes and corners,
- Appear’d, a sudden host, in the open day.
- I should have perish’d in our empire’s wreck;
- But, calling interest loyalty, swore faith
- To most believing Otho; and so help’d
- His blood-stain’d ensigns to the victory
- In yesterday’s hard fight, that it has turn’d
- The edge of his sharp wrath to eager kindness.
-
Auranthe. So far yourself. But what is this to me
- More than that I am glad? I gratulate you.
-
. Yes, sister, but it does regard you greatly,
- Nearly, momentously,— aye, painfully!
- Make me this vow—
-
Auranthe. Concerning whom or what?
-
Conrad. Albert!
-
Auranthe. I would enquire somewhat of him:
- You had a letter from me touching him?
- No treason ’gainst his head in deed or word!
- Surely you spared him at my earnest prayer?
- Give me the letter— it should not exist!
-
Conrad. At one pernicious charge of the enemy,
- I, for a moment-whiles, was prisoner ta’en
- And rifled,—stuff! the horses’ hoofs have minced it!
-
Auranthe. He is alive?
-
Conrad. He is! but here make oath
- To alienate him from your scheming brain,
- Divorce him from your solitary thoughts,
- And cloud him in such utter banishment,
- That when his person meets again your eye,
- Your vision shall quite lose its memory,
- And wander past him as through vacancy.
-
Auranthe. I’ll not be perjured.
-
Conrad. No, nor great, nor mighty;
- You would not wear a crown, or rule a kingdom,
- To you it is indifferent.
-
Auranthe. What means this?
-
Conrad. You’ll not be perjured! Go to Albert then,
- That camp-mushroom, dishonour of our house;
- Go, page his dusty heels upon a march,
- Furbish his jingling baldric while he sleeps,
- And share his mouldy ratio in a siege.
- Yet stay,—perhaps a charm may call you back,
- And make the widening circlets of your eyes
- Sparkle with healthy fevers,— the Emperor
- Hath given consent that you should marry Ludolph!
-
Auranthe. Can it be, brother? For a golden crown
- With a queen’s awful lips I doubly thank you!
- This is to wake in Paradise! farewell,
- Thou clod of yesterday— ’twas not myself!
- Not till this moment did I ever feel
- My spirit’s faculties! I’ll flatter you
- For this, and be you ever proud of it;
- Thou, Jove-like, struck’dst thy forehead,
- And from the teeming marrow of thy brain
- I spring complete Minerva! But the Prince—
- His Highness Ludolph—where is he?
-
Conrad. I know not:
- When, lackeying my counsel at a beck,
- The rebel-lords, on bended knees, received
- The Emperor’s pardon, Ludolph kept aloof,
- Sole,—in a stiff, fool-hardy, sulky pride:
- Yet, for all this, I never saw a father
- In such a sickly longing for his son.
- We shall soon see him,—for the Emperor,
- He will be here this morning.
-
Auranthe. That I heard
- Among the midnight rumours from the camp.
-
Conrad. You give up Albert to me?
-
Auranthe. Harm him not!
- E’en for his Highness Ludolph’s sceptry hand,
- I would not Albert suffer any wrong.
-
Conrad. Have I not labour’d, plotted—?
-
Auranthe. See you spare him:
- Nor be pathetic, my kind benefactor,
- On all the many bounties of your hand,—
- ’Twas for yourself you labour’d — not for me!
- Do you not count, when I am queen, to take
- Advantage of your chance discoveries
- Of my poor secrets, and so hold a rod
- Over my life?
-
Conrad. Let not this slave— this villain—
- Be cause of feud between us. See! he comes!
- Look, woman, look, your Albert is quite safe!
- In haste it seems. Now shall I be in the way,
- And wish’d with silent curses in my grave,
- Or side by side with whelmed mariners.
-
Albert. Fair on your Graces fall this early morrow!
- So it is like to do, without my prayers,
- For your right noble names, like favorite tunes.
- Have fallen full frequent from our Emperor’s lips,
- High commented with smiles.
-
Auranthe. Noble Albert!
-
Conrad (aside) Noble!
-
Auranthe. Such salutation argues a glad heart
- In our prosperity. We thank you, sir.
-
Albert. Lady! O would to heaven your poor servant
- Could do you better service than mere words!
- But I have other greeting than mine own
- From no less man than Otho, who has sent
- This ring as pledge of dearest amity;
- ’Tis chosen I hear from Hymen’s jewelry,
- And you will prize it, lady. I doubt not,
- Beyond all pleasures past, and all to come:
- To you, great Duke—
-
Conrad. To me! What of me, ha?
- Albert.What pleas’d your Grace to say?
-
Conrad. Your message, sir!
-
Albert. You mean not this to me?
-
Conrad. Sister, this way;
- For there shall be no “gentle Alberts” now, (Aside.)
- No “sweet Auranthes”! (Exeunt CONRAD and AURANTHE.
-
Albert (solus). The Duke is out of temper; if he knows
- More than a brother of a sister ought,
- I should not quarrel with his peevishness,
- Auranthe— heaven preserve her always fair!—
- Is in the heady, proud, ambitious vein;
- I bicker not with her,— bid her farewell!
- She has taken flight from me, then let her soar,—
- He is a fool who stands at pining gaze!
- But for poor Ludolph, he is food for sorrow;
- No leveling bluster of my licensed thoughts,
- No military swagger of my mind,
- Can smother from myself the wrong I’ve done him,—
- Without design indeed,— yet it is so,—
- And opiate for the conscience have I none!
