The Piccolomini Author:Friedrich Schiller Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: ACT II. Scene a fmall Chamber. SCENE I. Illo and Tertsky. TERTSKV. Now for this evening's bufinefs I How intend you To manage with the generals at t... more »he banquet ? ILLO. Attend ! We frame a formal declaration, Wherein we tox the Duke confign ourfelves Collectively, to be and to remain His both with life and limb, and not to fpare- The laft drop of our blood for him, provided So doing we infringe no oath or duty, We may be under to the Emp'ror.—Mark This refervation we exprefsly make In a particular claufe, and fave the confcience. Now hear ! This formula fo fram'd and worded Will be prefented to them for perufal Before the banquet. No one will find in it Caufe of offence or fcruple. Hear now further ? After the featt, when now the vap'ring wine Opens. Opens the heart, and fhuts the eyes, we let A counterfeited paper, in the which This one particular claufe has been left out, Co round for fignatures. TERTSKY. How ? think you then That they'll believe themfelves bound by an oath, Which we had trick'd them into by a jaggle ? ILLO. We mall have caught and cag'd them! Let them Beat their wings bare againft the wires, and rave Loud as they may againft our treachery, At court their ftgnatures will be believ'd Far more than their moft holy affirmations. Traitors they are, and mxift be; therefore wifely- Will make a virtue of neceffity. TERTSKY. Well, well, it fhall content me ; let but fomething Be done, let only fome decifive blow Set us in motion. ILLO. Befides, 'tis of fubordinate importance How, or how far, we may thereby propel The generals. 'Tis enough that we perfuade The Duke, that they are his—Let him but aŁt In his determin'd mood, as if he had them, And he will have them. Where he pl...« less