Armgart. Justice, Landvogt! thou art judge o' th' land here,
I' th' Kaiser's stead and God's. Perform thy duty!
As thou expectest justice from above,
Show it to us.
Gessler. Off! Take the mutinous rabble
From my sight.
Armgart [catches the bridle of the horse].
No, no! I now have nothing
More to lose. Thou shalt not move a step, Vogt,
Till thou hast done me right. Ay, knit thy brows,
And roll thy eyes as sternly as thou wilt;
We are so wretched, wretched now, we care not
Aught more for thy anger.
Gessler.Woman, make way!
Or else my horse shall crush thee.
Armgart.Let it! there—
[She pulls her children to the ground, and throws herself along with them in his way.
Here am I with my children: let the orphans
Be trodden underneath thy horse's hoofs!
'Tis not the worst that thou hast done.
Rudolph. Woman! Art' mad?
Armgart [with still greater violence].
'Tis long that thou hast trodden.
The Kaiser's people under foot. Too long!
O, I am but a woman; were I a man,
I should find something else to do than lie
Here crying in the dust.
[The music of the Wedding is heard again, at the top of the Pass, but softened by distance.