and killed thee not, know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in my hand, and I have not sinned against thee; yet thou huntest my life, to take it.

Then Saul said, Is this thy voice, my son David ? And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I; for thou hast requited me good, whereas I have requited thee evil. For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? And now, behold, I know that thou shalt surely be king.

Bountiful Natures.

DLXVIII.

Large rivers, great trees, wholesome plants, and wealthy persons, are not born for themselves, but to be of service to others.

Advice to a Son.

DLXIX.

Seek science, and learn real greatness, that thou mayest daily improve. Thy noble ancestry ranks but second to thine own merits. Birth and high pedigree are idle and vain, and avail thee nothing in yonder spheres, where true greatness alone is rewarded.

DLXX.

Three Jewels.

The gem of the sky is the sun; the gem of the home is the child in the assembly shines the brow of the wise man.

Fame.

DLXXI.

6

A stately pleasure-house built Mahmoud in the gardens of Ghazneh, and there prepared a banquet for his father. But when he looked for admiration in the father's eye, he saw only sadness. My son,' said the king, any of my wealthy subjects could have built this bauble with gold; 'twere nobler work to erect the *more durable structure of good fame, which shall stand for ever, to be imitated, but never to be equalled!' Mahmoud lived and died. Of all the Of all the gorgeous palaces

he built, not one stone is

now left upon another, but the edifice of his fame triumphs over time.

Destiny.

DLXXII.

More kingdoms wait thy diadem than are known to thee by name. Thee may sovereign Destiny lead to victory day by day!

Good-will.

DLXXIII.

This is what should be done by him who is wise in seeking his own good, and gaining a knowledge of the tranquil lot of Nirvána :

Let him be diligent, upright, and conscientious; not vain-glorious, but gentle and lowly;

Contented and cheerful; not oppressed with cares; not burdened with riches; tranquil, prudent, free from arrogance and avarice.

Let him not do any mean action, nor incur the reproval of wise men.

Let all creatures be prosperous and happy, let them be of joyful mind; all beings that have life, be they feeble or strong, be they minute or vast:

Seen or unseen, near or afar, born or seeking birth, let all beings be joyful.

Let no man deceive another; let none be harsh to any; let none wish ill to his neighbour.

Let the love that fills the mother's heart as she watches over an only child, even such love, animate all.

Let the good-will that is boundless, immeasurable, impartial, unmixed with enmity, prevail throughout the world-above, below, around.

If a man be of this mind, wherever he moves, and in every moment, the saying is come to pass, "This place is the abode of holiness.'

JUSTICE AND GOVERNMENT.

DLXXIV.

Government.

The poem says, 'That is the right imperial domain where the people have repose.'

Make happy those who are near, and those who are far will come.

The great man will cultivate himself with reverential carefulness, that he may give rest to all the people. Where rulers love justice, the people respond readily with service.

The path is not far from men. The ode says, 'As we cut axe-handles, we grasp one handle to hew another.' So the wise governor uses what is in man to reform men.

The acts of a wise ruler are for ages a law to the empire; his words are for ages a lesson to the empire. Chung-Ne handed down the doctrines of the sages He harmonised with

as if they were his ancestors.

heaven above, and beneath with sea and land. In alternating progress he was as the four seasons.

What needs no display is virtue.

The wise man does not use rewards, and the people are stimulated to virtue; he does not show anger, and the people are awed more than by battle-axes.

Heaven and earth are without doubleness.

The superior man being sincere and reverential, the whole world is conducted to a state of happy tranquillity.

Great energies are traced in great transformations.

DLXXV.

Justice.

The Arabs say, 'There is no better ruler than judgment, no safer guardian than justice, no stronger sword than right, no ally surer than truth.'

Justice is an unassailable fortress, built on the brow of a mountain which cannot be overthrown by the violence of torrents, nor demolished by the force of armies.

'Do you desire,' said Abdallah, 'to bring the praise of mankind upon your action? Then desire not unjustly, or even by your right, to grasp that which belongs to another.'

in

Tamerlane said, 'If you would preserve the state repose, let the sword of justice repose not.'

DLXXVI.

Equity.

To every period its men ; and the rise of every one