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Untitled Article
chariot of * our fate ;—we know not whither we are driven , and can only hold the reins tightly , and baldly push our way , avoiding all obstructions to the right and to the left . I feel strong and bold ,, and have not gained the summit yet . I stand firm and will not be anxious . If I am to fall from the precipice by a thunderbolt , or a blast of wind , or a false step , I shall lie with thousands .
I never hesitated drawing the bloody lot with my fellows in the field for a miserable reward , and will not now stand haggling when all the free pleasures of life are at stake / On this arrives Prince William of Orange , the hero of history , as our readers know , and a striking contrast to Egmont . The prudent Dutchman warns the fiery Belgian of his danger , reminds him of their
last interview with the regent , announces the expected arrival of Alva , and his determination to repair to his own province , Holland . Egmont cannot be persuaded to follow his example . The contest is carried on with skill , all the wisdom is on the one side , and all the eloquence , that is the plausible show of wisdom and noble feeling , on the other .
Act III . —The regent informs Machiavel that Duke Alva , the Toledan with the iron forehead , and hollow eye that flashes fire , ' is approaching . She does not conceal her humiliation at beings in effect , superseded , and declares her resolution to resign her government . The scene changes to Clara ' house , where Egmont arrives to smooth his brows from the wrinkles which William ot
Orange had planted there . The scene is in exquisite contrast with the preceding . The child-like delight of Clara , when Egmont , throwing off his cloak , appears in his court dress , and her half-inquiries about the regent , are equally delightful to her lover and to the reader . Act IV . opens again with the citizens of the first act . All , except Vansen the radical , are terrified at the departure of the
regent , and the fierce proclamation of Duke Alva on assuming the government . With the heartless shrewdness of his character , a sneering declaimer , Vansen prophesies the speedy fall of Egmont , who has not been wise enough to flee . The scene changes to the palace : Silva and Gomez , officers in the service of Duke Alva , prepare the spectators for his appearance by a discourse on his character : he enters and announces to them and to
his natural son Ferdinand the immediate execution of his designs against Orange and Egmont . But at that moment a messenger brings a letter from Orange excusing his non-attendance , and , at the same instant , he sees Egmont enter the castle gates , and triumphs in his partial success .. * It is he ! Egmont ! your
steed does not start at the smell of blood , or at the spirit with the naked sword that stands at the portal I Aye , alight ! Oue foot is in your grave—and now both . Aye , aye ! you do well to clap the neck of your horse for his last service . I have now no choice . He would never present himself a second time under such delusion . * The fourth act of a play is said to be the severest trial
Untitled Article
Goethe ' s tV orfa . 5 IB
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Aug. 2, 1832, page 515, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1818/page/11/
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