t turn his eye
From the power of falseness to horrify.
This man here was unable to entrap him;
His defenses are sound when such snares enwrap him.
From the start, he pierced with his perceptive sight
Through the veils that hid this evil from light.
Tartuffe betrayed himself by accusing you,
And, in divine justice, revealed his true
Colors to the Prince as an infamous cad
Whose deeds under another name were so bad
That the record they made was wholly black
And Satan might use them as his almanac.
In short, this king was revolted to see
His ingratitude to you and disloyalty;
To his other crimes, he has joined this one
And has only allowed it so everyone
Could see his audacity's evil ends
And then see him required to make amends.
All your papers, which the wretch has pawed through,
Are here taken away and returned to you.
With his sovereign power he will abrogate
The contract by which you gave away your estate,
And finally he pardons that secret offense
Which you once committed through benevolence.
This is the reward for the courage you showed
In support of his rights in the late episode,
And to demonstrate that, when least expected,
One's past deeds may be recollected,
That he will never forget a good deed,
And that good outweighs evil in time of need.
Dorine. Heaven be praised!
Madame Pernelle. We're no longer distressed.
Elmire. What a happy ending!
Mariane. Who could have guessed?
Orgon [to Tartuffe, who the Officer is leading away]. Good. There you go, traitor . . .
Cleante. Ah! Brother, cease,
And don't degenerate to indignities.
Leave to himself this miserable clown,
And don't add to the remorse that weighs him down.
Hope instead that his heart may one day
Make a happy return to the virtuous way,
That he'll reform his life and lament his past,
And cause our great Prince to temper justice at last.
You should throw yourself on your knees in praise
Of the kindness and lenience shown these days.
Orgon. Yes, that's well said. Let us kneel down with joy
And praise the kind deeds of his envoy.
Then, having acquitted part of our