After ostentatiously giving currency to the scandal, “Z” then proceeds to deny the rumor—which had no existence save in the minds of Hunt’s vilifiers—in order to preserve immunity from libel.

But in this treatise, again, Luther shows himself to be anything but the immoral monster his vilifiers have tried to make of him.

Let us watch with jealous care the honor of our country, and scorn the aspersions of its vilifiers.

Though he had been jeered at and insulted for being sober, honest, and pious, he had fought down and lived down all these vilifiers, and won their esteem.

The mayor plunged through the crowd in the direction of the vilifier.