Assassination Is the Quickest Way 223for which he stood guarantor. Unfortunately funds had not been forth-
coming from the court to enable him to redeem this obligation, and
they should therefore have a further meeting with Ilow at which this
problem and possible remedies could be discussed. He went on to say
that ‘he had been deeply pained to learn that it was being said of him
that he was plotting against His Majesty, and planning to alter his own
religion’. He assured them that ‘at his advanced age he had no thoughts
of changing his religion, nor had it ever been his intention to under-
take anything against his emperor. All he had done was to seek peace,
and although this was not welcome to some at the Imperial court he
intended to continue his efforts, as it was his opinion that His Imperial
Majesty would enjoy no good fortune unless peace were made.’ He
ended by saying that as he feared that some kind of outrage might be
attempted against him he was concentrating forces around Prague,
but this was not, he emphasised, directed against the emperor, and he
hoped that all the officers would stand by him. If not it would have
been better had they allowed him to resign at their previous meeting,
so that he would not have found himself in this danger.
At the subsequent meeting with Ilow the officers affirmed their sup-
port for Wallenstein, although according to a report sent to Maximilian
shortly afterwards they avoided replying to Trcˇka’s tentative enquiry
as to what the position would be ‘should it be a different service’.^6 On
the following day, Monday 20 February, they were received again by
Wallenstein. He was aware, he said, that their earlier oath had been
misunderstood or wilfully misrepresented, so he wished to state explic-
itly that should he ever – and he had no intention of so doing – make
even the slightest move against the emperor then all concerned were
released from their obligations to him. Hence a new oath of loyalty to
the generalissimo containing this provision was circulated and signed.^7
Wallenstein intended this expressly non-rebellious version to be a reas-
surance to the court, while Ilow and Trcˇka hoped that even at this late
stage a new piece of paper might shore up the crumbling loyalty of the
officer corps. Thereafter the colonels dispersed freely to their regiments,
although two who were deemed unreliable, one of them Johan Beck,
were held back, officially in order to act as observers at the anticipated
peace negotiations with Arnim.
Tr c ˇka sent out orders for the assembly of forces at Prague, but Gallas
forestalled him, and the city and surrounding area were quickly secured
by regiments and officers acting under his command. As they were una-
ware of this in Pilsen the plan was for Trcˇka to go to Prague on Tuesday
21 February to make arrangements, and for Wallenstein to follow him