. 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.

_Cal_. I, that will be the end of all,
Then I am fairly paid for all my care and service.

_Mel_. That old man who calls me enemy, and of whom I
(Though I will never match my hate so low)
Have no good thought, would yet I think excuse me,
And swear he thought me wrong'd in t