Under the pitiless strokes my blood flowed red; I looked on thee and wept not. But the King Was angered by my boyish heroism, And for twelve terrible hours emprisoned me In a dark dungeon, to repent thereof. So proud and fierce was my determination By Roderick to be beloved. Thou cam’st, And loudly weeping at my feet did’st fall, “Yes, yes,” did’st cry, “my pride is overcome, One day, when thou art king, I will repay thee.” _Marquis_ (_giving his hand_.) I will so, Karl. My boyish affidavit As man I now renew; I will repay; My hour will also strike, perchance. [Sidenote: _The devotion of Roderick_] (The hour comes, when Roderick takes on himself the blame for an intrigue of Don Karlos with the Queen and William of Orange. He writes a letter to the latter, and allows it purposely to fall into the King’s hands. He is assassinated by order of the King; and the following speech over his body (Act V., Scene iv.) is made to the King by Don Karlos, who thenceforth abjures all love except for the memory of his friend.) _Karlos_ (to the King.) The dead man was my friend. And would you know Wherefore he died? He perished for my sake. Yes, Sire, for we were brothers! brothers by A nobler chain than Nature ever forges. Love was his glorious life-career. And love For me, his great, his glorious death. Mine was he. What time his lowly bearing puffed you up, What time his gay persuasive eloquence Made easy sport of your proud giant-spirit. You thought to dominate him quite—and were The obedient creature of his deeper plans. That I am prisoner, is the schemed result Of his great friendship. To achieve my safety He wrote that letter to the Prince of Orange— O God! the first, last falsehood of his life. To rescue me he went to meet the Fate Which he has suffered. With your gracious favours You loaded him. He died for me. On him You pressed the favours of your heart and friendship. Your sceptre was the plaything of his hands; He threw it from him, and for me he died. [Sidenote: _Fritz of Prussia and Von Katte_] There is little, I believe, in the historical facts relating to Don Karlos to justify this tale of friendship; but there seems great probability that the incidents were transferred by Schiller from the history of Frederick the Great, of Prussia, when a youth at his father’s court. The devotion that existed between the young Frederick and Lieut. Von Katte, the anger and severities of the royal parent, the supposed conspiracy, the emprisonment of Frederick, and the execution of Von Katte, are all reproduced in Schiller’s play. [Sidenote: _Death of Von Katte_]