Читать книгу The Short Stories - Frederick Schiller - Страница 8

A true story

Aloysius G. was the son of a citizen of some standing in the service of X.; and the seeds of his happy genius would be developed early in his life through a liberal education. Still very young, however already endowed with fundamental knowledge, he entered the military services of his country, where he, as a young man of great merit and even greater hopes, did not remain long unnoticed. G. was in the full bloom of his youth, and so was the Prince; G. was a quick, enterprising mind; and so was also the Prince who, besides, liked such characters. Through a rich vein of wit and an abundance of science, G. knew to enthuse his surrounding; in every circle where he found himself, he knew to attract people through an ever equal joviality and above all, to dispense to whoever was around him, affability and liveliness; and the Prince knew to appreciate these virtues which he himself possessed in a high degree. Everything that he undertook, even his games, had the character of greatness: difficulties did not frighten him, and no setback could undermine his perseverance.

The value of these qualities were raised by a strong physical constitution, this perfect image of a blooming health and an herculean strength was controlled by a subtle, enthusiastic spirit; in his demeanour, walk and attitude, he possessed a natural majesty which was softened by a noble humility. If the Prince, above all, was attracted by the spirit of his young fellow; yet, his enjoyable external appearance irresistibly overcame his sensibility.

Their same age, the harmony of their inclinations and characters founded in a short time between both a relationship which possessed all the strengths of friendship and all the ardour and violence of passionate love. G. flew from one endeavour to another; however, these external assignments translated very deceitfully what he represented, in fact, to the Prince.

With surprising rapidity, his luck raised significantly, because the creator of the same luck was his adorer, his passionate friend. Not yet twenty years old, he saw himself at a height where the most fortunate court members would otherwise conclude their career.

However, his active soul could not either rest for long in the midst of an idle vanity, or content itself with the splendid retinue of a Grand to whom he filled enough fundamental duty with courage and energy.

While the Prince lost himself in the circle of pleasures, the young favourite buried himself into books and theatre plays and devoted himself with the diligence of someone carrying a burden, to his functions in which he finally became so skilled and so perfectly exercised, that any business which only somehow demanded any attention, went through his hands. He would soon, thanks to the Prince's favours, become First Counsellor, then Minister and finally, ruler of his Prince. Soon, there was not any more access to this last one than through him. He would appoint all the offices and dignities; all kinds of rewards would only be received from his hands.

G. ascended too young and with too rapid steps to this greatness to enjoy them with restraint. The height upon which he was looking at the court propelled his ambition; humility abandoned him as soon as his ultimate goal of becoming a minister was achieved.

The humble submission which the prominent people in the country, who were all superior to him by birth, respectability and fortune; as well as the deference which even the old people themselves, observed against him, a young man, dizzied his pride; and the unlimited power which he has taken possession of, made soon visible in his demeanour a certain hardness which would, from now on, become a trait of his character and which would remain in him through all his turns of luck.

For his friends, there was not any difficult or great enough service that could not be obtained from him; however, his enemies might only

tremble before him: for so much his benevolence was exaggerated on one side; on the other, he showed so little measure in executing his revenge. He used his authority lesser to enrich himself, than to make happy all the many people who paid homage to him as the creator of their prosperity; however, it was always his mood, not sense of justice which decided over the matter.

Through a highly experienced, commanding attitude, he estranged himself from the hearts of the ones who were mostly his obliged, while at the same time, he transformed all his rivals and all the secretly jealous people into equally irreconcilable enemies.

Among the ones who watched every of his steps with the eyes of jealousy and covetousness and already prepared calmly the tools directed at his downfall, was a Count from Piedmont, Joseph Martinengo; a person who was also from the Prince's retinue, whom G. himself has judged as a creature inoffensive and devoted to him, since he has put him at this position to let him fill his place in the enjoyments of his master of whom he started to have enough and with whom he would exchange very much his status of a favourite for a more fundamental occupation.

As he considered this man as his creation whom he could be returning into a state of nothingness from where he has pulled him, whenever he only wanted to; hence, he kept himself assured of Martinengo's fidelity through fear as well as through gratitude, and made precisely through this move, the same mistake which Richelieu fell into when he allowed Le Grand to appear on Louis the Thirteenth's chess play.

However, without having Richelieu’s spirit to improve this mistake, he also has to do with a more astute enemy than the French Minister had to fight against. Instead of taking advantage of his good luck and making his benefactor feel that he does not need his favours any more, Martinengo has rather more strived most carefully to entertain the semblance of his dependence and with a false submission, linked himself ever more and more to the creator of his luck.

At the same time, however, he did not miss to use any occasion which his position allowed him, to be more often around the Prince, to its full scope and to make himself, little by little, necessary and indispensable to this one.

In a short period, he knew by heart the state of mind in which his Prince was, watched carefully over to all those who received his confidence, and in an unnoticed manner, made himself into a position of acquiring his favour.

All these artifices which the Minister's nobler pride and naturally sublime soul has learned to despise, would be used by the Italian who did not disdain to use the lowest means to reach his goals.

As he was very well aware that the human being needed nowhere else a guide and help than on the way to vice, and that unsavoury confidences justified absolute secrecy; hence, he awoke in the Prince passions which until now has slumbered in him, and then pressed him into making him his confident and his necessary help with his other assistants.

He dragged him into making such excesses which tolerated the least witnesses; and through this way, he used him, in an unnoticed manner, to confide to him secrets from which any third party was excluded. Hence, he finally succeeded to set his plan through, and precisely because secret was an essential means to his plan; hence, was the Prince's heart his, even before G. could even allow himself to think that the Prince could share his heart with another person than him.

People may be wondering how such an important change in the Prince's favours could have been left unnoticed; but G. was too certain of his own value to think of a man like Martinengo as a potential rival, and this one was also so very much comfortably established under his protection to commit some imprudence which would declare him as an enemy.

G. would also be brought into fall by what has made thousands favourites before him stumbled upon on the slippery way to a Prince's favours: he had too much confidence in himself. The secret connivances between Martinengo and his master did not in any way worry him.

Very voluntarily, he granted a favour to a newcomer whom he despised at heart and whom never represented a goal in any of his strivings. Only because the Prince's friendship could pave the way to the highest power, did he bear with such friendship; it has never genuinely had an attraction for him, and he let very easily this friendship down, as soon as it has helped him reached the desired height. Martinengo, however, was not a man to settle himself with a subordinated role.

With every step which he did forward in the favour of his Prince, would his demands become bolder, and his ambition started also to strive after a more fundamental satisfaction. The artificial role of subordination which he, until now, has ever observed against his benefactor, would ever become more pressing to him, the more the growth of his authority raised his pride.

As the Minister's conduct towards him did not refine after the rapid steps which he made in the Prince's favour; as, to the contrary, G. gave him often a salutary reminding, visibly aimed at pulling down his now raised pride; hence, would this coerced and contradictory relationship, finally became so burdening to Martinengo that he projected a serious plan to end it at once through the downfall of his arch-rival.

Under the most impenetrable veil of deceit, he prepared his plan into maturation; for he did not dare to measure himself with his rival in an open fight; because even if G.'s Golden Age as favourite was gone, yet has this passion started very early in the life and still has deep roots in the soul of the young Prince, that it still could resurface very easily. The smallest circumstance could bring back such memories into their former strength: for that reason, Martinengo knew well that the blow which he would be giving to G., must be a deadly one.

Maybe what G. gave up in the Prince's love, he won in his respect; for the more the last one has removed himself from the occupation of governing, the lesser he could get rid of the man who cared with the most certain devotion and faith to the homeland affairs, and no matter how dear G. has been to him before as friend, he was very important to him, now, as minister.

What kind of means did the Italian specifically use to reach his goal, has remained a secret among the few ones who prepared and executed the blow. People suspected that he presented to the Prince the originals of a secret and very suspicious correspondence which G. has maintained with a neighbouring palace; the opinions were divided whether such correspondence was authentic or forged. However, it did surely produce its intentioned effect in a princely degree. G. appeared in the Prince's eyes as the most ungrateful and darkest betrayer whose crimes have been ascertained above any doubt, that people believed they have to punish him immediately without any further inquiry. The whole punitive scheme would be dealt under the greatest secrecy between Martinengo and his master, that G. did never notice from afar the storm which was gathering over his head. He was kept in a corrupting security until the terrible moment where he should sink down from being an object of the general adoration and jealousy into that of commiseration arrived.

This decisive day came as G. was trooping the colours according to his habit. From the status of a flag holder, he has ascended in a period of a few years into the rank of the highest commander, and yet, this position was only a humble name for the dignity of minister which he actually performed and which put him above the most prominent persons in the country.

The trooping of the colours was the usual place where his pride would receive homage from everyone, where he enjoyed for a short time the honour of a Grand for whom he has carried the burdens. The most prominent people in ranking would approach him at this occasion not otherwise than with deferential timidity; and those who were not completely assured of his benevolence, would salute him trembling.

The Prince himself, when he was sometimes present, saw himself neglected near his Vizier, because it was more dangerous to displease the Vizier than to be the friend of the Grand. And precisely this occasion where he allowed himself to be paid homage not otherwise than like a God, was now determined to be the terrible scene of his humiliation.

Without any worry, he entered as usual into the well known circle which was as ignorant as himself about what was going to happen, which was now, more than ever, deferentially behaving before him, awaiting his orders. Not long afterwards, Martinengo appeared in the company of some adjutants, he was not any more the diplomatic, deeply subservient person, but a laughing courtesan, insolent and too proud like a servant who has become a master; with defiant and resolved step, he advanced towards him, and keeping his hat, he stood before G., demanding his sword in the Prince's name. People gave G.'s sword to him in a silent embarrassment, he then leaned the bare sword to the floor, broke it into two pieces with his boot and left the pieces at G.'s feet. At this given signal, two Adjutants appeared around him, the first one was busy removing from his chest the cross, sign of his membership to an order; the other one, depriving his shoulders of the two bands near his uniform collar and pulling cordon and feathers from his hat.

While that this whole dreadful operation went on with an unbelievable rapidity, people did hear neither a sound nor a breathing from the more than five hundred men who were standing around in compact circle.

With livid expressions, with their heart beating wildly and standing in a dead like stiffness, the terrified crowd formed a circle around G.; this peculiar assembly watched a rare sight of ridicule and abomination! A moment went by which for its gravity resembled the solemn moment of a verdict in a high court. Thousand other people in his place would have fallen unconscious by the violence of the first terror; however, his robust nervous disposition and his strong soul endured this fearsome condition unabated, and allowed him to go through all the atrocity of the mistreatment.

Hardly has the operation ended, that people led him through the ranks of innumerable spectators to the other end of the parade tribune where a covered carriage awaited him. A silent blink ordered him to climb into it, and an escort of hussars accompanied him. The rumour about this process has, in the meantime, broadened into the whole residence, all the windows would be opened, all the streets would be filled with curious people who followed the carriage with shouts, and among various callings of disdain, of malicious joy and even of more vexing blames, they repeated his name. Finally, he saw himself outside the official premises; however, a new terror awaited him there. The carriage was taking on the side of the street a little known, empty way, the way to the main tribunal toward which people, on the Prince's express order, were conducting him slowly.

There, after people made him feel all the torments of a deadly fear, they turned again onto a street where passers-by would be seen. Under the heat of a burning sun, without any refreshment, without any human presence, he spent seven terrible hours in this carriage, a journey which ended finally at sundown at its place of destination, the fortification. Deprived of his consciousness, left between life and death (a twelve hour fasting and a burning thirst have finally overcome his huge natural forces), people pulled him outside the carriage, and he finally recovered himself, in an abominable hole dug undergound.

The first thing he saw when he opened again his eyes, is the wall of a dark prison cell, lighted dimly through some moon rays which fell upon him through narrow interstices from high above. On his side, he finds a meagre bread close to a jug of water and below a stack of hay as a bed.

He stayed in this condition until the following midday when finally from the middle of the tower a panel was opened, and two hands became visible, from which in a hanging basket the same meal which he has found there the day before, will be lifted down to him. Now, since this whole fearsome turn of fortune, for the first time, pain and sadness made him asked the following question: “How did I came here? And what crime have I done?” But no answer came from above; the hands have disappeared, and the panel was closed again.

Without seeing the face of a man, without even only hearing the voice of a man, without knowing the decision about this terrible destiny, about his future, or about his past, left in equally fearsome doubts, not even comforted by any warm ray of light, not even refreshed by any healthy breeze, deprived of any help and forgotten by the general compassion; he counted in this place of damnation four hundred and ninety abominable days with the sorrowful bread which would be given to him one midday after another in sad monotony.

But a discovery which he already made in the first days of his presence there, completed the measure of his misery. He knew this place, it was himself who, motivated by a lower desire for revenge, has ordered its construction, a few months before in order to leave there a despised officer who deserved this fate, who has had the misfortune of attracting his temperament upon himself. With inquisitive terror, he realized that it was him who has given the means to make the stay in this prison so excruciating. He has even made in person, not long ago, a trip in this prison to supervise its construction and to speed its completion. To put his martyrdom to the extreme, it must be remarked that the same officer to whom this cell was originally intended, was an old, dignified high commander who replaced precisely the deceased former commander of the fortification in this office, and after being a victim of his revenge, is now the master of his destiny.

Hence came to him also the last, sad consolation of complaining about his own fate, and no matter how hard it has already treated him, to accuse destiny of unfairness. To the sensible feeling of his misery was still associated a raging self despise and a pain which is the bitterest for proud hearts; that is, to depend on the generosity of the enemy to whom he has showed none.

But this fair Commandant was too noble for a lower revenge. The severity which he instructed against the prisoner hurt his human friendly heart a lot more now; but as an old soldier is used to follow his orders with blind faithfulness, he could nothing else but regret having received and followed such orders.

He found a more active help in the garrison preacher of the prison, who was moved by the imprisoned man's misery, who only received late information and only through dark, incoherent rumours about the prisoner, and took immediately the firm resolution to do something to ease his detention conditions. This remarkable member of the spiritual authority, whose name I do not reveal voluntarily, believed in his duty of a shepherd and would strive to do the best to fulfil it, now, by making it prevail by the unfortunate man to whom no more help was any more to be expected.

As he did not obtain from the prison's Commandant the permission to visit the prisoner; hence, he took upon himself to go to the capital to plead his enterprise immediately with the Prince; he did bow before the same Prince, and poured his compassion for the unfortunate prisoner who, without the good deeds of a Christian, from whom the most terrible crimes could also be expected, will be left helpless and who, maybe, is already close to despair. With all the boldness and dignity which only the conscience of fulfilled duty can confer, he demanded a free access to the prisoner whom as a child, he used to have in confession, and for whose soul he felt responsible before heaven. The good cause for which he spoke, made him eloquent, but the Prince's first unwillingness was already broken by time, anyway. He granted his request, and the preacher could now indulge the prisoner with a spiritual visit.

The first human face which the unfortunate G. saw after a period of sixteen months, was the face of this helper. He owed to his misery the first visit of the unique person who lived in the world and cared for him; his good fortune has not acquired him any real friend. The preacher's visit was for him like the apparition of an angel. I will not describe here his sentiments. However, from this day on, his tears flew more softly, because he saw himself wept by a human creature.

The preacher was seized with horror, as he was lifted down the deadly hole.

His eyes sought a human being, and only a grey man inspiring terror crept from an angle to meet him, a hole which resembled more the den of a wild animal than the living place of a human creature.

The prisoner was just a bleak, dead like skeleton, all the colours of life have disappeared from his face in which sorrow and doubt have imprinted deep wrinkles, his beard and nails have grown through such a long neglect into abomination, his clothing was half torn from a very long use and from total lack of cleaning; the air around him was pestilential; hence he found him, this favourite of luck, and even more surprising to the preacher, he found that the prisoner's iron health has resisted all this ordeal! Still outraged by this sight, the preacher rushed to the commandant's office, to obtain yet a second good deed for the poor, unfortunate person, without which the first one would be accounted for none.

As this one, however, excused himself invoking the express orders he received, he resolved himself generously to a second trip to the capital, to make pretence once again to the Prince's grace. He declared that he could never more, without offending the dignity of the sacrament, undertake any sacred action with his prisoner, if his prisoner would not be given previously the semblance of a human being. This last favour will also be granted, and only from this day on, could the prisoner live again.

G. spent still many years in this fortification; however, in a widely more acceptable condition, as the short summer of the new favourite, Martinengo, has bloomed and faded, and as other favourites who were more human, or simply did not have any revenge to fulfil against him, have replaced Martinengo in his post. Finally, after a ten year imprisonment, the day of liberation came, however without any tribunal proceedings, or formal acquittance. He received his freedom as a gift from the hands of grace; at the same time, it was ordered to him to move outside the country forever. At this point, sufficient information is lacking to me to continue my story as I gathered it completely from oral account; and I see myself forced to skip a period of twenty years in my own account.

G. started anew his career during the same period at the service of a foreign army, which led him, finally, onto the same glowing summit from which he has fallen down so terribly in his fatherland. Time, the friend of the unfortunate man, which exercises a slow, but irrevocable justice, finally took care of the legal matter preventing him for returning to his homeland.

The Prince was over with his years of passion, and humanity started progressively to have a value for him, as his hair became white. As he was closer to death, a nostalgia for the favourite of his youth resurfaced in him. To spare the grey man, wherever possible, of all the vexations which he himself has accumulated upon him, he invited the expelled former favourite friendly back in his country where G.’s heart, already for long, has craved to return.

G.'s homecoming was moving, the Prince's welcoming warm and yet deceiving, they looked as if they have just separated the day before. The Prince looked thoughtfully at the face which was so well known to him and yet, again, so foreign; he noticed the wrinkles which he himself has chiselled onto his former favourite's face. He sought inquisitively in the grey man's face, again, the beloved traits of the young favourite, but what he was looking for, he did not find any more.

They coerced themselves to observe a frosty relatedness to each other. Shame and fear have separated for always and eternally their two hearts. A sight which recalled to the Prince his former, consequential haste into his soul, could not possibly do him well! G. could not any more show love to the author of his misfortune. Yet, he now saw the past with comfort and calm, the same way people rejoice awakening after a nightmare.

Not long after, G. saw himself again in the full possession of all his previous dignities, and the Prince, overcoming his inner antipathy, gave him a glowing compensation for his past ordeal. But by doing so, he could still not give back to G. the heart which he prevented for always to enjoy life fully! Could he give him back the years of hope, or could he make the greying old man think again about a happiness which only by far could compensate him for the rob which the Prince has done to the younger man?

G. enjoyed still this ardent evening of his life for nineteen years. Neither the destinies he received, nor the long years of ban have dampened in him the fire of passion, or could totally darken the joviality of his spirit. In his seventies, he would still try to run after the shadow of a good which he has possessed really in his twenties.

He died, finally, as commander of the fortress of *** where state prisoners would be kept. People would expect that he would show to these prisoners a humanity which value he must have learned to appreciate; but he acted brutally and arbitrarily with them, and an outburst of rage against one of them hit him to the coffin in his eightieth year.