CHAPTER XVII.
Take heed, my son, and hearken unto the words of Artemas, for there are many that will give thee counsel, yet wisdom cometh only from the few.
2 Put not thy trust in princes, for their bond is of paper that teareth easily. And their plighted word melteth like butter, before the heat of their necessity.
3 Beware of the king whose pledge runneth away like water, for the skins of such shall paper the walls of hell.
4 A man devoured of ambition, he lieth easily; nevertheless, there cometh a time when even fools believe him not.
5 Beware of the woman that followeth thee about, for she is after thy regimental buttons.
6 And if she is safe, then is she a fool; but if she is otherwise, then is she the devil.
7 A woman hunteth thee. She lieth in wait to surprise thee, and will out upon thee when the time cometh.
8 Flee unto the mountains; pitch thou thy tent afar in the wilderness; take thou sail across the waters until thou comest unto a strange coast. Nevertheless, because she has marked thee down, therefore will she have thee.
9 When thou goest forth for to fight, take care that thou smitest thine enemy in the back, for it is the mark of a good fighter so to do.
10 Also, he that shooteth his enemy through the head sheddeth light upon his understanding.
11 When the foe doth stand two in a line, shoot thou thy bolt, for then will thine execution be twofold. Verily I say unto thee, Await thine opportunity, for a shell in time is as good as a mine.
12 Remember, my son, that the sum of two and two maketh four; yet in the reports of thine enemy thou shalt find it otherwise.
13 And because the pen is mightier than the sword, therefore believe it not, else shalt thou surely be deceived.
14 Verily I say unto thee, Blessed is the man that hath imagination, for his country shall win many battles.
15 Take ye heed of the lone voice, for in a multitude of counsellors thou shalt find confusion.
16 And an arsenal that is full of munitions is better than an hundred rulers full of words.
17 Hearken not unto the boasting of thine enemy and regard him not, for no man knoweth what the day may bring forth.
18 And in the time of its adversity the soul of a country revealeth itself.
19 Get thee about it and do things, for the voice of the sluggard dieth in his throat, but the worker is heard from afar off.
20 Make thou thy task according to thy strength, for no man that weareth costly teeth doth gnaw at the bones of an elephant.
21 Make thy life wisely, O my son, lest thy neighbours speak ill concerning thee. And if thou shouldst stray from the narrow path, remember the other, that it is of sand.
22 Wherefore, tread lightly. For he that leaveth his footprint behind, his foolishness condemns him. But the prudent sinner is exalted unto heaven, and his name, it exhaleth a very sweet perfume.
23 For whosoever sups with the devil in a place where men pass by, shall he not, therefore, turn out the light?
24 Woe unto the peacemongers that entice thee with words, for these do seek thine undoing.
25 Thy way leadeth over stony ground, and to go back, it is the manner of a coward.
26 For whosoever setteth his hand to the plow, he shall not turn back; and he that finisheth a furrow, he hath not plowed the field.
27 What man gathereth him the blossom of the apple tree? Rather doth he wait until the fruit cometh, big and full of juice; then doth he eat of it.
28 Avoid thou them that seek to divide the people, one against the other, for they are traitors in the land.
29 Turn not away from instruction, O my son, but open thine ears full wide, for wisdom maketh a fair mistress and she is youthful for all time.
30 And he that followeth after her, his life shall be well ordered and his affairs shall fall out just so.
31 Thou shalt rule thy comings in and thy goings out according to circumstance, so that nothing ariseth amiss; for a thirst that is born at a proper time, it maketh the publican smile; but a thirst that cometh late is an affliction unto him that hath it.
32 Take heed, my son, and hearken unto the words of Artemas, for there are many that will give thee counsel, yet wisdom cometh only from the few.