And yet silent, minister? It is fraud, you know it is fraud! What keeps you, man?
– Arthur Miller
The Crucible, Act 2. After Giles Corey’s wife Martha and now Elizabeth are accused of witchcraft, Giles attacks Hale over his silence. He brands the women’s accusers – the group of young girls led by Abigail – as frauds. Hale, according to the stage directions, is said to be "in a fever of guilt and uncertainty" when the marshal arrives to arrest Elizabeth, Martha having been taken away a little earlier.