judge, in secret to avenge, like God! If your hands and hearts are pure, raise your arms to heaven and cry, Woe, woe to the malefactors! Omnes. Woe, woe! Eldest. Cryer, begin. Cryer. I call for accusation against malefactors! Whose heart is pure, whose hand is clean, let him accuse, and call upon cord and sword for vengeance! vengeance! vengeance! Accuser (stepping forward). My heart is pure from misdeed, and my hands are clear from innocent blood. God pardon my sins of ignorance, and frame my steps to His ways. I raise my hand aloft and cry for vengeance! vengeance! vengeance! Eldest. Whom dost thou accuse ? Accuser. I call upon the cord and sword for vengeance upon Adelheid von Weislingen. She has committed adultery and murder. She has poisoned her husband by the hands of his servant: the servant hath slain himself. the husband is dead! Eldest. Swearest thou by the God of Truth that thy accusation is true? Accuser. I swear. Eldest. Dost thou take upon thy head the punishment of adultery and murder, should it be found false ? Accuser. I do. Eldest. Your voices. (Judges converse in low whispers.) Accuser. Judges of the Secret Tribunal, what is your doom upon Adelheid von Weislingen, accused of murder and adultery? Eldest. She shall die! Shall die a bitter death! With cord and with sword shall she doubly expiate a double crime. Raise your hands to heaven and call down upon her Woe! woe! woe! Omnes. Woe! woe! woe! Eldest. Avenger, come forth! (The Avenger advances.) There hast thou cord and sword. Within eight days thou must remove her from before the face of heaven. Judges! ye that in secret judge and in secret avenge, keep your hearts from wickedness and your hands from innocent blood.' The gloom and terror which darken this scene fitly prepare the mind for that more awful scene of execution which follows it (also struck out from the second version). Adelheid is in bed, tossing restlessly and sleeplessly; night is hideous to her, and she pines for the day. 'Is Weislingen dead?' she murmurs to herself. She rings the bell, but no one hears her. 'Sleep closes their ears! .. Is Franz dead? . . . He was a loveable youth. .. Ah! Sickingen! Sickingen! ... Thus murmuring the name now so dear to her, she closes her murderous retrospect in sleep. The ghost of the murdered Franz appears —— calls upon her, and vanishes. The Avenger creeps from under her bed. Adelheid (awakening). I saw him! He was struggling with the agonies of death! - he called upon me ! called upon me.... His eyes were filled with love.... Ha! assassin! assassin! Avenger. Call not-you call Death! The spirits of Vengeance will deafen Help. Adelheid. Do you want gold? —jewels? Take them. Only let me live. Avenger. I am no robber. darkness: thou must die. Darkness has ordained A Adelheid. Woe! woe! - Avenger. On thy head! If the odious phantoms of thy misdeeds draw thee not down to hell, look up look up to heaven, and pray that the sacrifice I now offer it be enough! Adelheid. Let me live! What have I ever done to thee? I clasp thy knees. Avenger (aside). An imperial creature! What a look! What a voice!. In her arms I—dog that I am should be a god. If... If I were to deceive her? She is in my power. ... Adelheid. He seems moved. Avenger. Thou weakenest me. Wilt thou grant me... Adelheid. What? ... Avenger.... That which man can demand of lovely woman in the depth of night. Adelheid (aside). My cup is full! Crimes and shame encircle me with flames of hell. I expiate! I expiate! ... Vain, vain to seek to obliterate crimes with crimes. ignominy with ignominy. Dishonor the most infamous, and death the most ignominious, in one hellish picture rise before me ! Avenger. Decide! Adelheid (aside). A ray of hope! (Goes towards the bed. He follows; she seizes a dagger and stabs him.) Avenger. Betrayer to the last! (Falls on her and strangles her. Ah! the serpent! (Stabs her.). . . I bleed. ... Thus is thy lust punished!... Thou art not the first. . . . God! didst thou make her so lovely, and couldst not thou make her good? (Exit.) In the simple pathos of the closing scene there is a grandeur worthy of the occasion. All is over with Götz, who, mortally wounded, comes out into the garden of the prison to breathe his last. Götz. Almighty God! How sweet it is to be under thy heaven! How free! The trees put forth their buds; all the world hopes. Farewell, my children! my buds are crushed, my hope is in my grave! Elizabeth. Shall I not send Lerse to the cloister for thy son, that thou mayest see and bless him? Götz. Leave him where he is: he needs not my blessing: he is holier than I. Upon our wedding, Elizabeth, could I have thought I should die thus!... Lerse, thy countenance cheers me in the hour of death. As in our most noble fights my spirit encouraged yours; now yours supports mine. Oh, that I could but see George once more, to warm myself in his look! You look down and weep is he dead? George is dead! Then die, Götz! thou hast outlived thyself-outlived the noblest! . . . How died he? Alas! they took him at Millenberg, and he is executed. ... Elizabeth. No, he was slain there! He defended his freedom like a lion. Götz. God be praised! He was the kindest, bravest youth under the sun. Now dismiss my soul. . My poor wife! I leave thee in a wretched world. Lerse, forsake her not. Lock your hearts carefully as your doors. The age of frankness and freedom is past; that of treachery begins. The worthless will gain the upperhand by cunning, and the noble will fall into their nets. Maria, God restore thy husband to thee; may he never fall the deeper for having risen so high! Selbitz is dead... and the good Kaiser . . . and my George. . . . Give me some water.... Heavenly sky!... Freedom! freedom! (Dies.) |