Act I.

Scene I.—The Chateau and Grounds of Count Arnheim, on the Danube, near Presburg.

Chorus.
Up with the banner, and down with the slave,
Who shall dare to dispute the right,
Wherever it folds in their glory wave,
Of the Austrian eagle's flight.
Its pinion flies
As free in the skies,
As that of the airy k, g;
And thro' danger fleets,
Like the heart that beats
Beneath the plumed wing.
Now the foemen lie low, and the battle-fields won,
We may honour in peacc what in war we have done
The stirring chase, the festive board,
The varied charms which each afford,
Shall the day and night beguile:
And care shall be drowned in that glass,
Which nothing on earth can sarpass,
But a lovely woman's smile.
Then up with the banner, &c.

Solo.—Count.
A soldier's life
Has scenes of strife,
In all its forms so much
That no gentler theme,
The world will deem,
A soldier's heart can touch.

Chorus.—Retainers.
Hail to the lord of the soil,
His vassals' love is the spoil,
That lord delights to share.

Choras.—Hunters.
Away to the hill and glen
Where the hunter's belted men,
With bugles shake the air,

Enter Thaddeus breathless and exhausted.