Cal. Impudence may scape, when feeble vertue is accus'd.
King. He must, if he were guilty, feel an alteration At this our whisper, whilst we point at him, You see he does not.
Cal. Let him hang himself,
What care I what he does; this he did say.
King. Melantius, you cannot easily conceive
What I have meant; for men that are in fault
Can subtly apprehend when others aime
At what they do amiss; but I forgive
Freely before this man; heaven do so too:
I will not touch thee so much as with shame
Of telling it, let it be so no more.
Cal. Why this is very fine.
Mel. I cannot tell
What 'tis you mean, but I am apt enough
Rudely to thrust into ignorant fault,
But let me know it; happily 'tis nought
But misconstruction, and where I am clear
I will not take forgiveness of the gods, much less
of you.
King. Nay if you stand so stiff, I shall call back my mercy.
Mel. I want smoothness To thank a man for pardoning of a crime I never knew.
King. Not to instruct your knowledge, but to shew you my ears are every where, you meant to kill me, and get the Fort to scape.
Mel. Pardon me Sir; my bluntness will be pardoned:
You preserve
A race of idle people here about you,
Eaters, and talkers, to defame the worth
Of those that do things worthy; the man that uttered
this
Had perisht without food, be't who it will,
But for this arm that fenc't him from the foe.
And if I thought you gave a faith to this,
The plainness of my nature would speak more;
Give me a pardon (for you ought to do't)
To kill him that spake this.