Henrich.  That may happen, like enough; for the council has never had more power than now, ever since the troops were camped in Hamburg.  All the citizens together aren’t powerful enough to take his part.

Antonius.  Nonsense!  Such fellows are only to be laughed at.  What can a tinker, a painter, or a maker of brushes know about statecraft?  The council is more likely to be amused than to be anxious about it.

Geske.  I will see if I can’t surprise them.  Let us go in till they come. [Exeunt.

ACT II

SCENE 1

(A Room in Herman’s house.  Herman and Henrich are making preparations for the meeting.)

Herman.  Henrich, get everything ready:  mugs and pipes on the table.  They will be here in a minute. (Henrich sets everything in order.  One by one the members of the Collegium Politicum enter and sit at the table.  Herman takes the seat at the head of the table.) Welcome to you all, good sirs.  Where did we leave off last time?

Richard.  I think it was the interests of Germany.

Gert.  That is right.  I remember now.  That will all be decided at the next session of the Reichstag.  I wish I might be there for an hour:  I should whisper something into the ear of the Elector of Mainz that he would thank me for.  Those good people do not understand on what the interests of Germany depend.  Where has one ever heard of an imperial capital like Vienna without a fleet or, at the very least, galleys?  They could just as well maintain a war-fleet for the defence of the kingdom.  There are surely war-taxes enough, and imperial subsidies.  See how much more shrewd the Turk is.  We can never learn to make war from any one better than from him.  There are certainly plenty of forests both in Austria and in Prague, if one only will use them, to make ships, or masts, for that matter.  If we had a fleet in Austria, or in Prague, the Turks and the French would give up besieging Vienna, you may be sure, and we could go straight to Constantinople.  But no one thinks of such a thing.

Sivert.  No, never a mother’s soul of them.  Our forefathers had more sense.  It is all a question of preparation.  Germany is no bigger now than it was in the old days when we not only defended ourselves honorably against all our neighbors, but took in large parts of France besides, and besieged Paris by land and sea.

Franz.  But Paris is not a seaport, is it?

Sivert.  Then I must have my map all wrong.  I know well enough where Paris is.  Here is England, clear enough, right where I have my finger; here flows the Channel; here is Bordeaux; and here is Paris.

Franz.  No, brother, here is Germany, and here, right next, is France, which is joined on to Germany; ergo Paris cannot be a seaport.