Don Carlos (Act 5 Scene 3)

CARLOS and MARQUIS POSA.

CARLOS
(after the departure of the DUKE, full of expectation and
astonishment, to the MARQUIS).
What means all this? Inform me, Roderigo—
Art thou not, then, the minister?

MARQUIS.
I was,
As thou canst well perceive——
[Going to him with great emotion.
O Carlos! Now

I have succeeded—yes—it is accomplished—
'Tis over now—Omnipotence be praised,
To whom I owe success.

CARLOS.
Success! What mean you?
Thy words perplex me.

MARQUIS
(takes his hand).
Carlos! thou art saved—
Art free—but I——
[He stops short.

CARLOS.
But thou——

MARQUIS.
Thus to my breast
I press thee now, with friendship's fullest right,
A right I've bought with all I hold most dear.
How great, how lovely, Carlos, is this moment
Of self-approving joy?

CARLOS.
What sudden change
I mark upon thy features! Proudly now
Thy bosom heaves, thine eyes dart vivid fire!

MARQUIS.
We must say farewell, Carlos! Tremble 'not,
But be a man! And what thou more shalt hear,
Promise me, not by unavailing sorrow,
Unworthy of great souls, to aggravate
The pangs of parting. I am lost to thee,
Carlos, for many years—fools say forever.

[CARLOS withdraws his hand, but makes no reply.

Be thou a man: I've reckoned much on thee—
I have not even shunned to pass with thee
This awful hour—which men, in words of fear,
Have termed the final one. I own it, Carlos,
I joy to pass it thus. Come let us sit—
I feel myself grown weary and exhausted.

[He approaches CARLOS, who is in a lifeless stupor, and
allows himself to be involuntarily drawn down by him.

Where art thou? No reply! I must be brief.
Upon the day that followed our last meeting
At the Carthusian monastery the king
Called me before him. What ensued thou knowest,
And all Madrid. Thou hast not heard, however,
Thy secret even then had reached his ears—
That letters in the queen's possession found
Had testified against thee. This I learned
From his own lips—I was his confidant.

[He pauses for CARLOS' answer, but he still
remains silent.

Yes, Carlos, with my lips I broke my faith—
Guided the plot myself that worked thy ruin.
Thy deed spoke trumpet-tongued; to clear thee fully
'Twas now too late: to frustrate his revenge
Was all that now remained for me; and so
I made myself thy enemy to-serve thee
With fuller power—dost thou not hear me, Carlos,

CARLOS.
Go on! go on! I hear thee.

MARQUIS.
To this point
I'm guiltless. But the unaccustomed beams
Of royal favor dazzled me. The rumor,
As I had well foreseen, soon reached thine ears
But by mistaken delicacy led,
And blinded by my vain desire to end
My enterprise alone, I kept concealed
From friendship's ear my hazardous design.
This was my fatal error! Here I failed!
I know it. My self-confidence was madness.
Pardon that confidence—'twas founded, Carlos,
Upon our friendship's everlasting base.

[He pauses. CARLOS passes from torpid silence to
violent agitation.

That which I feared befell. Unreal dangers
Alarmed your mind. The bleeding queen—the tumult
Within the palace—Lerma's interference—
And, last of all, my own mysterious silence,
Conspired to overwhelm thy heart with wonder.
Thou wavered'st, thought'st me lost; but far too noble
To doubt thy friend's integrity, thy soul
Clothed his defection with a robe of honor,
Nor judged him faithless till it found a motive
To screen and justify his breach of faith.
Forsaken by thy only friend—'twas then
Thou sought'st the arms of Princess Eboli—
A demon's arms! 'Twas she betrayed thee, Carlos!
I saw thee fly to her—a dire foreboding
Struck on my heart—I followed thee too late!
Already wert thou prostrate at her feet,
The dread avowal had escaped thy lips—
No way was left to save thee.

CARLOS.
No! her heart
Was moved, thou dost mistake, her heart was moved.

MARQUIS.
Night overspread my mind. No remedy,
No refuge, no retreat was left to me
In nature's boundless compass. Blind despair
Transformed me to a fury—to a tiger—
I raised my dagger to a woman's breast.
But in that moment—in that dreadful moment—
A radiant sunbeam fell upon my soul.
"Could I mislead the king! Could I succeed
In making him think me the criminal!
However improbable, the very guilt
Will be enough to win the king's belief.
I'll dare the task—a sudden thunderbolt
May make the tyrant start—what want I further?
He stops to think, and Carlos thus gains time
To fly to Brussels."

CARLOS.
And hast thou done this?

MARQUIS.
I have despatched a letter to Prince William,
Saying I loved the queen, and had escaped
The king's mistrust in the unjust suspicion
Which falsely fell on thee—that I had found
Means, through the monarch's favor, to obtain
Free access to the queen. I added, further,
That I was fearful of discovery—
That thou hadst learned my secret, and hadst sped
To Princess Eboli, with hopes through her
To warn the queen—that I had made thee prisoner—
And now that all seemed lost, I had resolved
To fly to Brussels. This same letter I——

CARLOS
(interrupts him, terrified).
Hast surely not intrusted to the post!
Thou knowest that letters to Brabant and Flanders——

MARQUIS.
Are given to the king; and as things go
Taxis would seem to have discharged his duty.

CARLOS.
Heavens! then I'm lost.

MARQUIS.
How lost? What meanest thou?

CARLOS.
And thou, alas! art lost together with me—
This dreadful fraud my father ne'er will pardon.

MARQUIS.
This fraud! Thou'rt mad! Who will disclose it to him?

CARLOS
(regards him with a fixed look).
Who! Dost thou ask? I will myself.

MARQUIS.
Thou ravest!
Stand back——

CARLOS.
Away! For heaven's sake hold me not.
While I stay here, he's hiring the assassins.

MARQUIS.
Then is our time more precious—and we still
Have much to say.

CARLOS.
What! Before all is finished?

[He makes another effort to go. The MARQUIS holds him
by the arm, and looks at him impressively.

MARQUIS.
Carlos! was I so scrupulous—so eager—
When thou, a boy, didst shed thy blood for me?

CARLOS
(with emotion, and full of admiration).
Kind Providence!

MARQUIS.
Reserve thyself for Flanders!
The kingdom is thy destiny—'tis mine
To give my life for thee.

CARLOS
(takes his hand with deep sensibility).
No, no! he will not,
Cannot resist a virtue so sublime.
I will conduct thee to him, and together,
Arm linked in arm, will we appear before him.
Then thus will I address him: "Father, see,
This is the way a friend acts towards his friend."
Trust me, 'twill move him—it will touch his heart.
He's not without humanity,—my father.
Yes, it will move him. With hot tears, his eyes
Will overflow—and he will pardon us.

[A shot is fired through the iron grating. CARLOS leaps up.

Whom was that meant for?

MARQUIS
(sinking down).
I believe—for me.

CARLOS
(falling to the earth with a loud cry of grief).
O God of mercy!

MARQUIS.
He is quick—the king.
I had hoped—a little longer—Carlos—think
Of means of flight—dost hear me?—of thy flight.
Thy mother—knows it all—I can no more.
[Dies.

[CARLOS remains by the corpse, like one bereft of life.
After some time the KING enters, accompanied by many                GRANDEES;
and starts, panic-struck, at the sight. A general and deep
silence. The GRANDEES range themselves in a semi-circle round
them both, and regard the KING and his SON alternately. The
latter continues without any sign of life. The KING regards
him in thoughtful silence.