When the Master heard it, he said “You see, O householder, how the sinful man looks upon sin as pleasant, so long as it bears no fruit; but when its fruit ripens, then he looks upon it as sin. And so the good man looks upon his goodness as sin so long as it bears no fruit; but when its fruit ripens, then he sees its goodness.” And so saying, he uttered the two stanzas in the Scripture Verses: The sinner thinks the sin is good, So long as it hath ripened not; But when the sin has ripened, then The sinner sees that it was sin! The good think goodness is but sin, So long as it hath ripened not; But when the good has ripened, then The good man sees that it was good! And at the conclusion of the verses the Fairy was established in the Fruit of Conversion. And she fell at the wheel-marked feet of the Teacher, and said, “My Lord! lustful, and infidel, and blind as I was, I spake wicked words in my ignorance of your character. Grant me thy pardon!” Then she obtained pardon both from the Teacher and from the Merchant. On that occasion Anātha Piṇḍika, began to extol his own merit in the Teacher’s presence, saying, “My Lord! though this Fairy forbad me to support the Buddha, she could not stop me; and though she forbad me to give gifts, I gave them still. Shall not this be counted to my merit, O my Lord?” But the Teacher said, “You, O householder, are a Converted person, and one of the Elect disciples. Your faith is firm, you have the clear insight of those who are walking in the First Path. It is no wonder that you were not turned back at the bidding of this weak Fairy. But that formerly the wise who lived at a time when a Buddha had not appeared, and when knowledge was not matured, should still have given gifts, though Māra, the Lord of the angels of the Realms of Lust, stood in the sky, and told them to give no gifts; and showing them a pit full of live coals eighty cubits deep, called out to them, ‘If you give the gift, you shall be burnt in this hell’--that was a wonder!” And at the request of Anātha Piṇḍika, he told the tale. * * * * * Long ago, when Brahma-datta was reigning in Benāres, the Bodisat came to life in the family of the Treasurer of Benāres, and was brought up in much luxury, like a prince. And he arrived in due course at years of discretion; and even when he was but sixteen years old he had gained the mastery over all branches of knowledge. At the death of his father he was appointed to the office of Treasurer, and had six Gift-halls built,--four at the four gates, and one in the midst of the city, and one at the entrance to his mansion. And he gave Gifts, and kept the Precepts, and observed the Sabbath-days.