Chapter 25

Orgon, Cleante

Cleante. Where are you rushing? Orgon. Who knows? Cleante. It might make sense To begin by having a conference About everything that has happened lately. Orgon. That box of papers troubles me greatly; More than all the rest, it's cause for distress. Cleante. Why are those papers important to possess? Orgon. My unfortunate friend Argus, when he Put them into my hands, swore me to secrecy. He chose to rely on me as he fled, And these papers, according to what he said, Are crucial to both his life and his wealth. Cleante. Then why didn't you keep them to yourself? Orgon. It was a matter of conscience, you see, So I consulted Tartuffe in secrecy, And his arguments came to persuade me That he should keep the box for security, So I could deny having it on hand. And thus I'd have a subterfuge on demand With which my conscience might muddle through In swearing to things that I knew weren't true. Cleante. You're in trouble, judging by appearances; Both the deed of gift and these confidences Are, to tell you my thoughts quite honestly, Measures that you took very thoughtlessly. They might put you in jail with such evidence, And since that man has it, it makes no sense To drive him away through your imprudence, You need to regain his full confidence. Orgon. With what a fair appearance and touching zeal He hides a wicked soul and a heart of steel! And I, who received him begging and broke . . . That's it, I renounce all such pious folk. Henceforth, I will hold them as wholly evil And do my best to send them to the devil. Cleante. It's just like you to get carried away! You can never stick to the middle way. To reason rightly is too much bother; You always rush from one excess to another. You can see your error and now you know That by a false zeal you were brought low. But to redeem yourself does logic demand That you embrace an error that's even more grand? And must you confuse the heart of a shill With the hearts of all the men of good will? Because a rascal had the luck or grace To dupe you with his austere and shining face, Must you believe everyone acts that way And no true church-man can be found today? Leave to libertines these foolish deductions. Seek true virtue, not a false deconstruction. Never rush into hasty admiration, And strive instead for moderation. If possible, don't admire false pretense, But also don't give true zeal cause for offense, And if you must fall to one extreme, Err in being too free with your esteem.