prescribed age, one that secretly slayeth cattle, and one that slayeth him who prayeth for protection,—­these all are reckoned as equal in moral turpitude as the slayers of Brahmanas.  Gold is tested by fire; a well-born person, by his deportment; an honest man, by his conduct.  A brave man is tested during a season of panic; he that is self-controlled, in times of poverty; and friends and foes, in times of calamity and danger.  Decrepitude destroyeth beauty; ambitious hopes, patience; death, life, envy, righteousness, anger, prosperity, companionship with the low, good behaviour; lust, modesty, and pride, everything.  Prosperity taketh its birth in good deeds, groweth in consequence of activity, driveth its roots deep in consequence of skill, and acquireth stability owing to self-control.  Wisdom, good lineage, self-control, acquaintance with the scriptures, prowess, absence of garrulity, gift to the extent of one’s power, and grateful ness,—­these eight qualities shed a lustre upon their possessor.  But, O sire, there is one endowment which alone can cause all these attributes to come together; the fact is, when the king honoureth a particular person, the royal favour can cause all these attributes to shed their lustre (on the favourite).  Those eight, O king, in the world of men, are indications of heaven.  Of the eight (mentioned below) four are inseparably connected, with the good, and four others are always followed by the good.  The first four which are inseparably connected with the good, are sacrifice, gift, study and asceticism, while the other four that are always followed by the good, are self-restraint, truth, simplicity, and abstention from injury to all.

’Sacrifice, study, charity, asceticism, truth, forgiveness, mercy, and contentment constitute the eight different paths of righteousness.  The first four of these may be practised from motives of pride, but the last four can exist only in those that are truly noble.  That is no assembly where there are no old men, and they are not old who do not declare what morality is.  That is not morality which is separated from truth, and that is not truth which is fraught with deceit.  Truth, beauty, acquaintance with the scriptures, knowledge, high birth, good behaviour, strength, wealth, bravery, and capacity for varied talk,—­these ten are of heavenly origin.  A sinful person, by committing sin, is overtaken by evil consequences.  A virtuous man, by practising virtue, reapeth great happiness.  Therefore, a man, rigidly resolved, should abstain from sin.  Sin, repeatedly perpetrated, destroyeth intelligence; and the man who hath lost intelligence, repeatedly committeth sin.  Virtue, repeatedly practised, enhanceth intelligence; and the man whose intelligence hath increased, repeatedly practiseth virtue.  The virtuous man, by practising virtue, goeth to regions of blessedness.  Therefore, a man should, firmly resolved, practise virtue.  He that is envious, he that injureth others deeply, he that is cruel,