"Your majesty, it is a hymn of joy and triumph which, ever since that day, is sung by all Tyrolese, not only by the men, but also by the women and children, and which resounds now as the spring-hymn of the new era both in the valleys and on the summits of the mountains. I am sorry that I do not know the words by hearts, but I shall have the honor of sending them to your majesty. I remember only the refrain of every verse, which is as follows:"
"'Ueberall lebt'st seh treu und bieder, Wo der Adler uns angeschaut, Und nu' haben wir unsern Franzel wieder, Weil wir halt auf Gott and ihn vertraut.'" [Footnote: "Far reaching as the eagle's view, Are beating loyal hearts and true; Once more our Francis can we claim, Because we trust in God's great name!">[
"That is quite pretty," said the emperor, smiling. "And is that the song they are singing now in the Tyrol?"
"Your majesty, they not only sing it, but they believe in it too. Yes, the Tyrolese confide in your majesty; they believe implicitly in the promises which your majesty has made to them, and they would punish as a traitor any one who should dare to tell them that these promises would not be fulfilled."
"And who asserts that they will not be fulfilled?" asked the emperor.
"Your majesty, the facts will unfortunately soon convince the Tyrolese that they must not look for the fulfilment of these promises," said the archduke, sighing. "At the very moment when the Tyrol is being threatened by two hostile armies, those of the Viceroy of Italy and the Duke of Dantzic, and when the Tyrol, therefore, if it is not to succumb again to such enormous odds, urgently needs assistance and succor, I receive orders to leave the Tyrol and march to Hungary. That is to say, I am to give up Salzburg, which is occupied by the French; I am not to succor Innspruck, which is menaced by Baraguay d'Hilliers. Not only am I not to lend any assistance to the Tyrolese, but I am to break their moral courage and paralyze their energy, by showing to them by my retreat that the emperor's promises will not be fulfilled, and that the army of Upper Austria abandons the Tyrol to succor Hungary."
"Well, the Tyrol is not yet abandoned, even though the Archduke John is no longer there," said the emperor, shrugging his shoulders. "We have two generals with corps there, have we not? Are not the Marquis of Chasteler and Count Buol there?"
"They are, your majesty; but the Marquis of Chasteler is morally paralyzed by the sentence of outlawry which Napoleon has issued against him, and Count Buol has too few troops to oppose the enemy's operations, which are not checked by any corps outside the Tyrol."
"Ah, you wish to give me another proof of the fraternal love reigning between you and the Archduke Charles?" asked the emperor sarcastically. "You wish to oppose the orders of your generalissimo?"
"I wish to ask the emperor, my sovereign, whether I am to give up the Tyrol or not; I wish to ask him if he orders me to march my army to Presburg, unite with the insurgent forces, and operate there against the enemy."