6. Finding he still remained firm, they took other grounds, and plausibly argued that the troops and other officials needed aid as well as the poor; and, as by the words of his vow, he had bound himself to distribute the contents of the treasury to those who had claim to relief, the public servants certainly came within the required limits.
7. Bewildered by their false logic, and sincerely desirous of doing right, he appealed to a certain sage who dwelt near the royal palace, and determined to abide by his decision.
8. The sage, after hearing the case, only asked the following simple question: "Of whom were you thinking when you made the vow,—the poor, or the public servants?" The monarch replied, "Of the poor." "Then," answered the sage, "it is to the poor you are bound to distribute these funds; for you are not really fulfilling your vow, unless you do that which you intended to do when it was made." The king was satisfied that this was the right decision, and did as the sage advised.
9. Let the young bear in mind that God is a being of truth, requiring truth in the inward heart; and, if they would have His approval, and that of their own consciences, they must avoid not only the outward appearance of falsehood, but the slightest evasion or deceit; and when promises have been made, fulfill not only the letter, but the spirit of that which they agreed to perform.
10. Beware of the first and slightest departure from truth, of the least endeavor to deceive, and even of the desire to have others believe what is not so. Let your motto be, "The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth."
QUESTIONS.—1. What happened to a certain Persian king? 2. What vow did he then make? 3. What objection did his officers make to this? 4. What did the king then do? 5. What was the sage's decision? 6. What motto ought you to adopt? 7. What rule for spelling the word traveling with one l? See SANDERS & McELLIGOTT'S ANALYSIS, page 13, Rule 10.
[!-- Marker --] LESSON XXV.
EN TIC' ES, allures; leads astray.
PRE TEXT, pretense; false reason.
PRO FANE, pollute; defile,
TEMP TA' TION, allurement.
IN' LY, within; in the heart.
DE CLARES, says; asserts.
CHAFE, vex; provoke.
MAL' ICE, hatred; malevolence.
AV' A RICE, excessive love of money.
FORE GO', give up; renounce.
MAM' MON, god of wealth; riches.
IN DIG' NANT, with anger; disdainfully.
LU' CRE, gain; profit.
EM PRISE', enterprise; undertaking.
SURE' TY, security.
O VER THROW', subvert; destroy.
CON TEMPT', scorn; disdain.
SOR' CER ESS, enchantress.
EX PEL', (EX, out; PEL, to drive) drive out; banish.
RE SIST', (RE, again; SIST, to stand,) stand again; hence, to withstand.
See SANDERS and McELLIGOTT'S ANALYSIS, page 90, Ex. 113; also, page 110, Ex. 142.