ISOLANI.

Seize it, friend! Seize it! The hand which in that poft

Plac'd you, is ftrong enough to keep you there, Spite of the Emperor and his Ministers!

ILLO.

Ay, if we would but fo confider it !—

If we would all of us confider it fo!

The Emperor gives us nothing; from the Duke
Comes all-whate'er we hope, whate'er we have.
ISOLANI. (to Illo)

My noble brother! did I tell you how
The Duke will fatisfy my creditors?

Will be himself my banker for the future,
Make me once more a creditable man!

And this is now the third time, think of that!
This kingly-minded man has refcued me
From abfolute ruin, and reftor'd my honour.

ILLO.

O that his power but kept pace with his wifhes! Why, friend! he'd give the whole world to his foldiers,

But at Vienna, brother!-there's the grievance!What politic schemes do they not lay to shorten His arm, and, where they can, to clip his pinions. Then these new dainty requifitions! thefe, Which this fame Queftenberg brings hither!

BUTLER.

Ay!

I too

These requifitions of the Emperor,

B 3

I too have heard about them; but I hope

The Duke will not draw back a fingle inch!

ILLO.

Not from his right moft furely, unless firft
-From office!

BUTLER. (hocked and confufed)

Know you aught then? You alarm me.

ISOLANI. (at the fame time with Butler, and in a hurrying voice.)

We should be ruin'd, every one of us!

ILLO.

No more!

Yonder I fee our worthy friend* approaching
With the Lieutenant-General, Piccolomini.

BUTLER. (haking his head fignificantly)
I fear we fhall not go hence as we came.

SCENE II.

Enter OCTAVIO PICCOLOMINI, and QUES

TENBERG.

OCTAVIO. (till in the distance)

Ay, ay! more ftill! Still more new visitors!
Acknowledge, friend! that never was a camp,
Which held at once fo many heads of heroes,
(Approaching nearer.)

Welcome, Count Ifolani!

* Spoken with a fneer.

ISOLANI

ISOLANI.

My noble brother,

Even now am I arriv'd; it had been elfe my duty

OCTAVIO.

And Colonel Butler-trust me, I rejoice
Thus to renew acquaintance with a man
Whose worth and fervices I know and honor.
See, fee, my friend!

There might we place at once before our eyes The fum of war's whole trade and mystery(To Queftenberg, prefenting Butler and Ifolani at the fame time to him.)

These two the total fum-STRENGTH and Dis

РАТСН.

QUESTENBERG (to Octavio).

And lo! betwixt them both experienc'd PRUDENCE! OCTAVIO (prefenting Queftenberg to Butler and Ifolani).

The Chamberlain and War-commiffioner Queftenberg,

The bearer of the Emperor's behefts,

The long-tried friend and patron of all foldiers, We honor in this noble vifitor.

(Univerfal filence.)

ILLO. (moving towards Queftenberg.) 'Tis not the first time, noble Minifter,

You have fhewn our camp this honor.

QUESTENBERG.

I ftood before thefe colours,

Once before

B 4

ILLO.

ILLO.

Perchance too you remember where that was.
It was at Znäim* in Moravia, where
You did present yourself upon the part

Of th' Emperor, to fupplicate our Duke

That he would ftraight affume the chief command.

QUESTENBERG.

To fupplicate? Nay, noble General!

So far extended neither my commiffion
(At least to my own knowledge) nor my zeal,

ILLO.

Well, well then-to compel him, if

you chufe, I can remember me right well, Count Tilly Had fuffered total rout upon the Lech, Bavaria lay all open to the enemy,

Whom there was nothing to delay from preffing
Onwards into the very heart of Austria.

At that time you and Werdenberg appear'd
Before our General, ftorming him with

prayers,

And menacing the Emperor's difpleasure,
Unless he took compaffion on this wretchedness,
ISOLANI. (Steps up to them.)

Yes, yes, 'tis comprehenfible enough,
Wherefore with your commiffion of to-day
You were not all too willing to remember
Your former one.

QUESTENBERG,

Why not, Count Ifolan?

No contradiction fure exifts between them.

* A town not far from the Mine-mountains, on the high

road from Vienna to Prague.

It was the urgent business of that time
To fnatch Bavaria from her enemy's hand;
And
my commiffion of to-day instructs me
To free her from her good friends and protectors.

ILLO.

A worthy office! After with our blood

We have wrested this Bohemia from the Saxon,
To be fwept out of it is all our thanks,

The fole reward of all our hard-won victories.

QUESTENBERG.

Unless that wretched land be doom'd to fuffer
Only a change of evils, it must be

Freed from the fcourge alike of friend and foe.

ILLO.

What? 'Twas a favorable year; the Boors
Can answer fresh demands already.

The war maintains the war. Are the Boors ruin'd The Emperor gains fo many more new foldiers.

QUESTENBERG.

And is the poorer by even fo many fubjects.

ISOLANI,

Poh! We are all his fubjects.

QUESTENBERG,

Yet with a difference, General! The one fill
With profitable induftry the purse,

The others are well skill'd to empty it.

The