None is so fearful of the enemy as thou, slave of thine own passions. Thy earthly body is a city, containing both good and evil; thou art the King, and Reason is thy wise minister. In this city, the headstrong men pursue their trades of avarice and greed; Resignation and Temperance are the citizens of fame and virtue; Lust and Wantonness the thieves and pick-pockets. When the king shows favour to the wicked, how can the wise remain in peace? The passions of evil, envy, and hatred are inherent in thee as is the blood of thy veins. If these thine enemies gained in strength they would turn their heads from thy rule and counsel; no resistance do they offer when they see the mailed fist of Reason. Night-thieves and vagabonds wander not in the places where the patrols guard. The chief who punishes not his enemy is bereft of power by the strength of the latter. More on this point I will not speak—a word suffices to him who puts into practice what he reads. DISCOURSE CONCERNING THE EXCELLENCE OF TACITURNITY Be silent, O thou who knowest many things! for he that speaketh little will be free from reproach on the Day of Judgment. The man of many words is deaf; no counsel does he heed like silence. When thou desirest continually to speak thou findest no sweetness in the speech of others. Those who reflect upon right and wrong are better than triflers with ready answers. He that speaks little thou dost never see ashamed; a grain of musk is better than a heap of mud. Beware of the fool whose volume of words is as that of ten men—a hundred arrows shot and each one wide of the target. If thou art wise, shoot one, and that one straight. Utter not slander before a wall—oft may it happen that behind are listening ears. Enclose thy secrets within the city walls of thy mind, and beware that none may find the gates of thy city open. A wise man sews up his mouth: the candle is burned by means of its wick. STORY CONCERNING THE KEEPING OF SECRETS Takash, king of Persia, imparted a secret to his slaves, adding, “Tell it not to any one.” For a year they kept the secret in their hearts; in one day it became diffused throughout the world. The king ordered the slaves to be executed. One among them begged for mercy, saying: “Kill not thy slaves, for the fault was thine. Thou didst not dam up that secret when it was a spring: why seek to arrest its course now that it has become a flood?” Entrust jewels to treasurers, but be the keeper of thine own secrets. Thou hast the power until the word be spoken; then, does it gain mastery over thee. Speech is a demon confined in the well of the mind: leave it not free on thy palate and tongue. When the genii has escaped from the cage, no stratagem will bring him back. STORY ILLUSTRATING THE FACT THAT SILENCE IS BEST FOR FOOLS There was once in Egypt a religious mendicant who never opened his mouth in speech. Wise men assembled around him from far and near, like moths around a candle.