MÁ[T.]HAVYA.
Say you have come for the sixth part of their grain [38], which they owe you for tribute.
KING.
No, no, foolish man; those hermits pay me a very different kind of tribute, which I value more than heaps of gold or jewels; observe,
The tribute which my other subjects bring
Must moulder into dust, but holy men
Present me with a portion of the fruits
Of penitential services and prayers—
A precious and imperishable gift.
A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES.
We are fortunate; here is the object of our search.
KING. [Listening.
Surely those must be the voices of hermits, to judge by their deep tones.
WARDER. [Entering.