good purpose! Silence, I entreat thee--
My friend, thou stealest not from me--
Let me not lose my father!

OCTAVIO (suppressing resentment).
As yet thou knowest not all, my son. I have
Yet somewhat to disclose to thee.
[After a pause.
Duke Friedland
Hath made his preparations. He relies
Upon the stars. He deems us unprovided,
And thinks to fall upon us by surprise.
Yea, in his dream of hope, he grasps already
The golden circle in his hand. He errs,
We, too, have been in action--he but grasps
His evil fate, most evil, most mysterious!

MAX.
Oh, nothing rash, my sire! By all that's good,
Let me invoke thee--no precipitation!

OCTAVIO.
With light tread stole he on his evil way,
And light of tread hath vengeance stole on after him.
Unseen she stands already, dark behind him
But one step more--he shudders in her grasp!
Thou hast seen Questenberg with me. As yet
Thou knowest but his ostensible commission:
He brought with him a private one, my son!
And that was for me only.

MAX.
May I know it?

OCTAVIO (seizes the patent).
Max!
In this disclosure place I in thy hands
[A pause.
The empire's welfare and thy father's life.
Dear to thy inmost heart is Wallenstein
A powerful tie of love, of veneration,
Hath knit thee to him from thy earliest youth.
Thou nourishest the wish,--O let me still
Anticipate thy loitering confidence!
The hope thou nourishest to knit thyself
Yet closer to him----

MAX.
Father----

OCTAVIO.
Oh, my son!
I trust thy heart undoubtingly. But am I
Equally sure of thy collectedness?
Wilt thou be able, with calm countenance,
To enter this man's presence, when that I
Have trusted to thee his whole fate?

MAX.
According
As thou dost trust me, father, with his crime.

[OCTAVIO takes a paper out of his escritoire and gives it to him.

MAX.
What! how! a full imperial patent!

OCTAVIO.
Read it.

MAX. (just glances on it).
Duke Friedland sentenced and condemned!

OCTAVIO.
Even so.

MAX. (throws down the paper).
Oh, this is too much! O unhappy error!

OCTAVIO.
Read on. Collect thyself.

MAX. (after he has read further, with a look of affright and astonishment
on his father).
How! what! Thou! thou!

OCTAVIO.
But for the present moment, till the King
Of Hungary may safely join the army