How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #10
By the charitable that deed was but imputed to sudden transports of esthetic passion, not to any flagitious quality. (6.16)
Bannadonna murders someone, but the charitable say, well, he just did it because he's an artist. "Charity" here means letting the powerful guy get away with murdering the less powerful guy. Which isn't really charity, Melville suggests, so much as a lazy acquiescence to thuggish jerkitude. (Though how is this different than Delano's compassion in "Benito Cereno," which extends only to the slavers, not to the slaves?)