Tartuffe Or the Hypocrite Part 19

ORGON Be still. You always need to have that told you.

CLEANTE (to Orgon) Come, let us see what course you are to follow.

ELMIRE Go and expose his bold ingrat.i.tude.

Such action must invalidate the contract; His perfidy must now appear too black To bring him the success that he expects.

SCENE VI

VALERE, ORGON, MADAME PERNELLE, ELMIRE, CLEANTE, MARIANE, DAMIS, DORINE

VALERE 'Tis with regret, sir, that I bring bad news; But urgent danger forces me to do so.

A close and intimate friend of mine, who knows The interest I take in what concerns you, Has gone so far, for my sake, as to break The secrecy that's due to state affairs, And sent me word but now, that leaves you only The one expedient of sudden flight.

The villain who so long imposed upon you, Found means, an hour ago, to see the prince, And to accuse you (among other things) By putting in his hands the private strong-box Of a state-criminal, whose guilty secret, You, failing in your duty as a subject, (He says) have kept. I know no more of it Save that a warrant's drawn against you, sir, And for the greater surety, that same rascal Comes with the officer who must arrest you.

CLEANTE His rights are armed; and this is how the scoundrel Seeks to secure the property he claims.

ORGON Man is a wicked animal, I'll own it!

VALERE The least delay may still be fatal, sir.

I have my carriage, and a thousand louis, Provided for your journey, at the door.

Let's lose no time; the bolt is swift to strike, And such as only flight can save you from.

I'll be your guide to seek a place of safety, And stay with you until you reach it, sir.

ORGON How much I owe to your obliging care!

Another time must serve to thank you fitly; And I pray Heaven to grant me so much favour That I may some day recompense your service.

Good-bye; see to it, all of you ...

CLEANTE Come hurry; We'll see to everything that's needful, brother.

SCENE VII

TARTUFFE, AN OFFICER, MADAME PERNELLE, ORGON, ELMIRE, CLEANTE, MARIANE, VALERE, DAMIS, DORINE

TARTUFFE (stopping Orgon) Softly, sir, softly; do not run so fast; You haven't far to go to find your lodging; By order of the prince, we here arrest you.

ORGON Traitor! You saved this worst stroke for the last; This crowns your perfidies, and ruins me.

TARTUFFE I shall not be embittered by your insults, For Heaven has taught me to endure all things.

CLEANTE Your moderation, I must own, is great.

DAMIS How shamelessly the wretch makes bold with Heaven!

TARTUFFE Your ravings cannot move me; all my thought Is but to do my duty.

MARIANE You must claim Great glory from this honourable act.

TARTUFFE The act cannot be aught but honourable, Coming from that high power which sends me here.

ORGON Ungrateful wretch, do you forget 'twas I That rescued you from utter misery?

TARTUFFE I've not forgot some help you may have given; But my first duty now is toward my prince.

The higher power of that most sacred claim Must stifle in my heart all grat.i.tude; And to such puissant ties I'd sacrifice My friend, my wife, my kindred, and myself.

ELMIRE The hypocrite!

DORINE How well he knows the trick Of cloaking him with what we most revere!

CLEANTE But if the motive that you make parade of Is perfect as you say, why should it wait To show itself, until the day he caught you Soliciting his wife? How happens it You have not thought to go inform against him Until his honour forces him to drive you Out of his house? And though I need not mention That he'd just given you his whole estate, Still, if you meant to treat him now as guilty, How could you then consent to take his gift?

TARTUFFE (to the Officer) Pray, sir, deliver me from all this clamour; Be good enough to carry out your order.

THE OFFICER Yes, I've too long delayed its execution; 'Tis very fitting you should urge me to it; So therefore, you must follow me at once To prison, where you'll find your lodging ready.

TARTUFFE Who? I, sir?

THE OFFICER You.

TARTUFFE By why to prison?

THE OFFICER You Are not the one to whom I owe account.

You, sir (to Orgon), recover from your hot alarm.

Our prince is not a friend to double dealing, His eyes can read men's inmost hearts, and all The art of hypocrites cannot deceive him.

His sharp discernment sees things clear and true; His mind cannot too easily be swayed, For reason always holds the balance even.

He honours and exalts true piety, But knows the false, and views it with disgust.

This fellow was by no means apt to fool him, Far subtler snares have failed against his wisdom, And his quick insight pierced immediately The hidden baseness of this tortuous heart.

Accusing you, the knave betrayed himself, And by true recompense of Heaven's justice He stood revealed before our monarch's eyes A scoundrel known before by other names, Whose horrid crimes, detailed at length, might fill A long-drawn history of many volumes.

Our monarch--to resolve you in a word-- Detesting his ingrat.i.tude and baseness, Added this horror to his other crimes, And sent me hither under his direction To see his insolence out-top itself, And force him then to give you satisfaction.

Your papers, which the traitor says are his, I am to take from him, and give you back; The deed of gift transferring your estate Our monarch's sovereign will makes null and void; And for the secret personal offence Your friend involved you in, he pardons you: Thus he rewards your recent zeal, displayed In helping to maintain his rights, and shows How well his heart, when it is least expected, Knows how to recompense a n.o.ble deed, And will not let true merit miss its due, Remembering always rather good than evil.

DORINE Now Heaven be praised!

MADAME PERNELLE At last I breathe again.

ELMIRE A happy outcome!

MARIANE Who'd have dared to hope it?

ORGON (to Tartuffe, who is being led by the officer) There traitor! Now you're ...