The Only Use

forbearance
in
1984, by Orwell
(Edited)

The guards, too, treated the common criminals with a certain forbearance, even when they had to handle them roughly.
p. 227.1

forbearance = patience or self-control

Definitions:

(1) (forbearance)
patient tolerance or self-control; or holding back from taking action or enforcing a right

Today, the word, forbearance, is most commonly seen in the field of law to indicate that a legal right, claim or privilege is not being enforced.
(2) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)
The form, forbears is typically a verb, but can be an alternate spelling of the noun forebears; i.e., ancestors. Note that these words put the emphasis on different syllables: for-BEARS v. FORE-bears