General—Beware lest thy tongue cut thy throat.
Hafiz—I shall give it fair chance.
General—Thou art too wise to throw thy life away. A man of thy cunning could be of value to the King.
Hafiz—The King! A weakling whose brain's befogged with the ignorance and bigotry of women and priests. Hafiz has not fallen so low he can serve such a one.
General—The King will give thee freedom and safe passage to Africa if thou wilt but place in his hands the plans of those Moriscoes who head this uprising.
Hafiz—Yea, turn traitor to serve a traitor, and after I betray my people, be traitorously killed.
General—Philip does not forget those who work for the welfare of the crown.
Hafiz—Am I a miserable animal that experience has not taught me how short is the memory of Kings? Have I not heard of that Italian who found land beyond the farthest seas, and gave Spain a greater glory than she had ever known? Unhappy voyager, he sailed to a death of obscurity and neglect! Thy Kings are destroyers, and we who build, fear the jackals who tear down.
General—I warn thee, Hafiz, tolerance will not stretch much further.
Hafiz—Tolerance! Spain does not know the word. Thou hast banished the Jews, thou hast given the rack, the gibbet and the stake to the Christian heretics, thou wilt kill and exile the Moors. But beware, we are the growers of rice and sugar, of cotton and silk, how will Spain live when these fail?