The praise of poetry which Smil puts into the nightingale's mouth is worth quoting; he writes: "Listen gladly to sweet sounds--As it is natural to you--And is a wholesome pastime.--Singers, musicians, on whatever instrument they play--By these shall thy mind be strengthened.--Great is the pleasure afforded to you--By the sound of sweet songs--Particularly at springtime--When all plants begin to revive--When all creatures are merry--When May already with manifold flowers--Preciously refreshes the whole world.--The air everywhere is mild--Everywhere sweet sounds are heard--At day, at night-time, and at dawn--The soft song of birds--(Is heard) in the woods, in the groves, in the fields.--In such things, O king, seek comfort." The swan's song, the last "counsel" in the book, is also one of the most interesting parts of Smil's work. He here strongly exhorts the young king to lead a virtuous life, and vividly describes the terrors of the day of judgment; he writes: "On that day of wrath, that day of darkness--That day of anguish and of rage--Of misery, of evil, and of pain--That sudden day of wrath and woe--The day of the awful trumpet and its roar--Fearful will be the fate of a sinner." The "counsel" of the swan, and with it the whole poem, ends with these lines: "Therefore let every one seek salvation--For this is not our lasting dwelling-place--Let us here with our whole might--Strive for our future happiness--By doing deeds of mercy, remaining constant to the true faith.--Aid us in this, dear Jesus Christ--May we be saved from eternal misery--And rather live in happiness eternally with Thee.--Who faithfully strives for this--Him help, O Lord God--Grant him your grace and eternal life--Which is always certain for those who are with Thee. Amen." Besides the two works mentioned, a collection of proverbs which goes by Smil's name is undoubtedly a genuine work of the author. This is not the case with two satirical poems that were up to recently attributed to Smil. One of these is the _Groom and the Scholar_, a satirical dialogue, which dates from the reign of King Venceslas IV. The two characters of the dialogue meet at a tavern, and interchange ideas as to the happiness of their respective states. The scholar, of course, is one of the mendicant students so frequent in the Middle Ages, and the groom taunts him bitterly with his poverty and misery, and his constant liability to the rod. The student, on the other hand, reminds the groom of the hard and lowly work he is obliged to do, and the scanty wages which he receives. The discussion--not unnaturally, the reader of the dialogue will think--finally degenerates into a free fight!