Decline and Fall 217time as a new commander-in-chief was appointed.^38 Those officers who
had signed the Pilsen oath were, with the exception of two unnamed
individuals, pardoned for any impropriety. This decree, however, was
withheld until such time as the emperor should see fit to publish it.
So secret were these proceedings that beside the three members of the
tribunal and Ferdinand himself they were known only to Lamormaini.
The latter reported to the head of his order the key decision which was
reached, namely that the emperor authorised his loyal officers, Gallas,
Piccolomini, Colloredo and Aldringer, to arrest the conspirators and to
bring them to Vienna for trial, but if necessary ‘to eliminate them from
the numbers of the mortal’. Despite this secrecy, on the very next day
Maximilian’s representative Richel was told by Trauttmansdorff himself
that action against Wallenstein was imminent, although he would give
no more details.^39
A ‘dead or alive’ warrant has always been a licence to kill, but issued
in a form which allows the originators to salvage their consciences by
shuffling off the decision on to those who are to carry it out. The pro-
spective executioners were neither happy with their task nor united
among themselves. Colloredo took little direct part, while for almost
three weeks after 24 January Gallas was at headquarters in Pilsen, rather
perplexed as he saw no sign that Wallenstein was preparing a dramatic
coup d’état. In fact apart from attending to the normal business of
the army, to the limited extent that his health permitted, the general
seemed to be doing nothing other than to wait endlessly for Arnim,
and moreover when the latter did eventually arrive he, Gallas, was to be
invited, indeed required, to take part in the negotiations. Piccolomini,
safely out of Pilsen commanding the forces in Upper Austria, contacted
Aldringer, stationed near him on the Bavarian border, and a steady
stream of coded correspondence but little action followed, while each
eyed the other, trying to ensure for themselves the lion’s share of any
benefits which might follow from this affair.^40
Here Aldringer was at a disadvantage, because whereas Piccolomini
stood high in Wallenstein’s favour the general had always distrusted
him, although respecting his ability, and the relationship had dete-
riorated further in recent times. They had not met since October
1632, when Aldringer had been detached to return to Bavaria with
Maximilian, where he had tarried too long to re-join Wallenstein before
Lützen, while his campaigning with Feria had been against the gener-
alissimo’s wishes even if not against his direct orders. Wallenstein was
anxious to see him, but Aldringer was equally anxious to avoid such a
meeting, and he sent a stream of excuses for his failure to go to Pilsen.