Indeed we mean this true and well,
For always we the good befriend,
Yet to the day the gold we bring,
Only that men may pimp and steal.
Iron will never fail the man

Who universal murder planned.

And he who the three commandments scorns,
Will never much respect the rest.
But all this is not our fault,

Therefore be patient you, as we.

Giants. The wild men are we named and called,
On the Harz mountains well we're known.
By nature bare in ancient strength,
We come together giant-like,

With pine stem in the right hand borne,
And round the waist a padded band,
With thickest apron of leaves and twigs,
Body guards as no pope e'er had.

Chorus of Nymphs (surrounding the great Pan).

He comes! he comes!

The all of the world
Is shown to us

In mighty Pan.

Surround him now, ye cheerfullest!
In sportive dance fly round him now!
For since he good and earnest is,
He wishes every body glad.
Whilst under the blue-vaulted roof
In constant watch he keeps himself,
To him the streamlets ripple low,
And zephyrs cradle him mild to rest.
And if at mid-day hour he sleeps,
Moves not the leaf upon the branch,
With balsam odour of sweet sweet plants
The still and silent air is filled;
The nymph no longer dare be gay,
But where she stands she falls asleep.
But if with unexpected force

All suddenly his cry resounds

Like thunder-roll or ocean-roar,

None know then whither they may flee;
The army 's scattered far and wide,
And in the tumult heroes quail.

So honour to him to whom honour is due,
And health to him who led us here.

Deputation of Gnomes (to the great Pan).
When the shining rich possession
Stretches through the clefts in veins,

The cunning rod of treasure-seekers
Can its labyrinths display.

In the dark cells, troglodytish,
We o'ervault our gloomy house;
Whilst amid pure daylight breezes
Kindly treasures thou divid'st.
Now near here we can discover
A strange fountain, wonderful,
Easy promising to give us
What could scarcely else be got.

Take it, Lord, in thy protection,

This thou mayèst now perfect;

When within thy hands, each treasure
Useful is to all the world.

Plutus. To lofty thoughts we now must raise our spirits,
And quietly allow what will to happen,

Thou wast from olden time with courage filled.-
A thing most dreadful is about occurring,
Stiffly will world and after-world deny it,—

Write thou it truly in thy protocol.

Herald (taking hold of the staff which Plutus keeps in his hand.)

The dwarfs are leading the mighty Pan

Gently to the fount of fire,

Which seething up from lowest depths
Into the depths down sinks again,

And gloomy is its open mouth;

Again in seeth and glow it boils :—
Well pleased stands by the mighty Pan,
Rejoices at the wondrous thing
Which sprinkles pearly spray around.
How can he such an agent trust?
He bows himself to look below,
And now his beard has fallen in.
Who may the smooth-chin be, I pray?
The hand conceals it from our sight.
A great misfortune happens now,
His beard inflames, and, flying back,
Sets fire to wreath, and head, and breast;
The pleasure soon is turned to pain,--
His followers run to put it out,
Yet no one from the flames is free ;-
And as they strive to slap and strike,
Continually new flames arise.
And woven with the element
The clump of masks is in a blaze.

But what is't that I hear declared

From ear to ear, from mouth to mouth?

O wretched, ever ill-starred night,

What woe and suffering hast thou brought?

Next morning will to us announce
What no one will be glad to hear.
From every side I hear them cry,
The emp'ror's suffering this pain.
(O that aught other thing were true),
The emp'ror burns and all his train
Cursed be they who him seduced,
And wrapped themselves in pitchy twigs,
With roaring song to revel here
For universal overthrow.

O youth, O youth, then wilt thou ne'er
Put a fit bound on this rejoicing?
O power, power, wilt thou ne'er
Act reasonably as almighty ?--
Already flames the wood consume,
With tongues of fire they lick on high,
Up to the wood-encompassed roof.
One conflagration threatens all,
The cup of grief is over full.

I know not who can us preserve.
A heap of ashes of one night
This royal pomp at morn will lie.
Plutus. Spread abroad enough is terror,
We may now convey assistance.
Strike the force of the holy staff,
That earth beneath may shake and sound.
And thou, spacious wide-spread air,
Fill thyself with moistures cool,
Draw anear to hover round us,

Fogs and clouds and pregnant vapours,
This flaming tumult cover o'er!
Spatter, rustle, curl, ye cloudlings,
Slip around us, gently moisten,
In all places, quenching, combat.
You, the assuaging ones, the moist ones,
Change into a summer lightning
Such a play of empty flames:
If spirits threaten us to injure,
Magic arts must prove their power.

SCENE

Pleasure Garden.

MORNING SUN.

The Emperor, his Court, gentlemen and ladies, Faust, Mephistopheles (dressed according to the fashion in a usual but not extravagant manner, both kneel).

Faust. Sire, dost thou pardon the sport of flames?

Emperor (motioning him to rise). I should like many of such sports. On a sudden I saw myself in glowing spheres, it seemed to me almost as

if I were Pluto. A rocky chasm of night and embers, glowing with flamelets, was there. Many thousand wild flames curled out of this and that gulf, and together flickered up into one vault. They rise up in tongues to the highest dome, which always was forming and losing itself. Through the far space of spiral fire columns, I saw the long lines of nations in motion. They pressed forward in the wide circle, and did homage as they always have done. I recognised one and the other of my court; I appeared prince of a thousand salamanders.

Mephistopheles. That art thou, Sire! for every element acknowledges majesty as unlimited. Thou hast now experienced fire to be obedient; cast thyself into the sea when it rages at its wildest, and scarcely dost thou touch the pearl-abounding depth, when a noble rotunda waving forms itself. Up and down thou beholdest the light green billowing waves swelling with purple edge for a most beautiful habitation round thee as centre. At every step, where'er thou goest, go the palaces with thee. The walls themselves rejoice in life, in arrow-swift throngings, in the striving to and fro. The monsters of the deep press to the new mild light; they shoot on, and none dare enter. There sport glittering golden-scaled dragons-the shark gapes, thou laughest in his jaws. However much now the court delights itself around thee, thou hast yet never seen such a throng. Yet, dost thou not remain separated from that which is loveliest, for curious Nereids approach the splendid dwelling in the eternal freshness, the youngest, shy and greedy, like the fishes; the elder, prudent already it becomes known to Thetis, who presents hand and lips to the second Peleus. Then the seat in the domains of Olympus!

Emperor. I will forego the realms of air; one ascends that throne quite soon enough.

Mephistopheles. And, noblest sire, earth hast thou already.

Emperor. What good fate has brought thee hither? Thou art direct from the Arabian Nights! If thou art like Scheherazade in fruitfulness, I promise you the highest of all favours. Be always ready, when your day-world, as often happens, most terribly displeases me.

Lord Steward (steps hastily in). Most serene highness, I never thought in my life to have given such an announcement of exceeding good fortune as this, which highly delights me, and enraptures me in thy presence: bill after bill is settled, the usurer's claws are appeased; I am free from such hell-pain! it cannot be more cheerful in heaven.

Commander-in chief (follows hastily). The pay is settled in advance, the whole army bound anew to us, the mercenary feels fresh blood in himself, and host and damsels prosper.

Emperor. How your breast breathes expanded! Your wrinkled face becomes cheerful!-- how quickly you step forward!

Treasurer (entering). Ask those who have done the work. Faust. It behoves the chancellor to lay the matter before you. Chancellor (advancing slowly). Happy sufficiently in my old days! Hear now and see the paper heavy with fate, that has turned all woe into weal (he reads). Let every one who desires know that this bill is worth a thousand crowns. As a certain pledge, buried property in the emperor's land lies assured to him. It has been now provided that the rich treasure, immediately raised, should serve as repayment.

N. S.-VOL. I.

U

Emperor. I suspect crime, terrible deceit ! Who has forged here the emperor's signature? Is such a crime to remain unpunished?

Treasurer. Recollect thyself! Thou hast thyself but last night signed it. Thou wert standing as the great Pan, the chancellor spoke with us to thee. Grant to thyself the high festive pleasure, the weal of the people, by a few pen-strokes. Thou mad'st them clearly; then were they this night by clever fellows multiplied a thousand fold. That the benefit might at once prove advantageous to all, we stamped immediately the whole set,-tens, thirties, fifties, hundreds are ready. You cannot think how much good it did the people. Look at your city, formerly half mouldering in death, how all things live and pleasure-enjoying throng! Although thy name has long since blessed the world, people never beheld it so gladly before. Now, for the first time, the alphabet has become too large, in this sign every body is blessed.

Emperor. And it passes with my people for good gold? Suffices the army and court for full pay? However astonished I am, I must let it

pass.

Lord Steward. It were impossible now to stop the flying ones. With lightning speed are they scattered in their course. The banks are wide open, every paper there (with discount indeed) is honoured with gold and silver. From thence they go to butcher, baker, public house; half the world seems to think of eating, whilst the other half is strutting about in new clothes. The mercer cuts out, the tailor sews with "Long live the Emperor!" It is sparkling in the cellars; there is boiling and roasting and clattering of plates.

Mephistopheles. Whoever promenades the terraces alone, sees the fairest splendidly dressed out, with one eye covered with the proud peacock feather; she simpers to us, and looks after such heads, and the richest favour of love is obtained more quickly than through wit and eloquence. People will no longer plague themselves with purse and bag; a paper is easy to carry in the bosom, and lies comfortably with a love letter. The priest devoutly carries it in his breviary, and the soldier, in order to turn himself more rapidly, lightens quickly the girdle at his loins. Your majesty pardon me, if I seem to lower this high

work into smallness.

Faust. The excess of treasure, that, fixed, waits in thy land deep in the earth, lies unemployed. The most extended thought is but a sorry limit of such wealth. Fancy in her highest flight is continually striving, and can never satisfy herself. Yet spirits worthy to look deep give boundless confidence to that which is boundless.

Mephistopheles. Such a paper, in place of gold and pearls, is convenient, so far that one knows what one has. One is not obliged first to market or barter, but can get intoxicated with love or wine, as one pleases. If we want metal, a money-changer is at hand; and if that fails we may dig for a time. The cups and the chains will be sold, and the paper, at once cancelled, will shame the sceptic who audaciously scoffs at us. People want nothing else, and will be accustomed to it. Thus, from henceforth, jewels, gold and paper will exist abundantly in all the emperor's lands.

Emperor. Our kingdom thanks you for the signal benefit, and the reward shall, if possible, be equal to the service. The inner soil of our