Prus. Your majesty,
’T would be a folly for a clown, not king.
Car. America? Easier to stop her now
Than it will be when she wears Mexico
Like sword at her right side. Austria, Prussia,
Strike you no more at neighbor throats, but come
And win a fight for God. Napoleon, come!
There lies a world that’s worth the price of war.
Whose swelling breasts pour milk of paradise,
Whose marble mountains wait the carver’s hand,
Whose valley arms ne’er tire with Ceres’ load,
Whose crownless head awaits the diadem
That but divine, ancestral dignity
May fix imperishably upon it! A bride
For blessed Rome! And will you give her up
To ravishers? To enemies of the Church?
To unclean hands ne’er dipped in holy chrism?
Aus. The time ’s not ripe for our united swords
To ransom her.
Car. The time is always ripe
For a good deed. Napoleon, you will come!
And though you fail, failure will be majestic.
Withdraw like frightened schoolboy and you make
Your throne a penance stool whereon you sit
For laughter of the nations. But come, and though
You fail, when time has brought America
To her full, greedy strength, these scornful kings
Will then unite in desperate endeavor
To give your great conception form and face,
And at your tomb they ’ll lift their shaken crowns
And beg a pardon from your heart of dust!
Prus. (Aside) He ’ll yield to her!... Most noble lady, we—
Car. I speak, sir, to Napoleon.
Lou. What help
Can Austria give?
Aus. Sire, she has many troubles.
The clouds of war threat her with scarlet flood,
And little strength has she to spare abroad
When foes besiege at home.
Car. And Austria’s chief
Is Maximilian’s brother! It was not so
That day at Miramar when three proud crowns
Took oath to serve him in an hour like this.
Austria powerless! And Belgium—dead.
But France—Ah, France, she will prove noble, loyal
To God and honor!
Lou. My honor, dearest lady,
Permits me not to risk my country’s life
That you may wear a crown in Mexico.
I can not save your empire.