476 POPULAR APHORISMS
X. To attempt to change the character of a wicked man by being kind to him is like trying to make a hog
clean. It is no use to mix water with milk and offer the same to an eagle, for the eagle knows the secret of separating the milk from the water *. This is symbolical of the wicked. XI. The venom of a scorpion is to be found in its tail, that of a fly in its head, that of a serpent in its fangs; but the venom of a wicked man is to be found in all parts of
his body. XII. A wise man preserves an equal mind both in adversity and in prosperity. He allows himself neither to be crushed by the former, nor elated by the latter.
XIII. An intelligent man is he who knows when to speak and when to be silent, whose friendship is natural and sincere, and who never undertakes anything beyond
his powers. XIV. Virtue is the best of friends, vice is the worst of
enemies, disappointment is the most cruel of illnesses,
courage is the support of all.
XV. Just as the crow is the Pariah among birds, and
the ass the Pariah among quadrupeds, so is an angry sannyasi the Pariah among penitents; but the vilest of
Pariahs is the man who despises his fellows.
XVI. Just as the moon is the light of the night and the
sun the light of the day, so are good children the light of their family.
XVII. Flies look for ulcers, kings for war, wicked men for quarrels; but good men look only for peace. XVIII. The virtuous man may be compared to a large
leafy tree which, while it is itself exposed to the heat of the sun, gives coolness and comfort to others by covering
them with its shade. XIX. When we die the money and jewels which we have
taken such trouble to amass during our life remain in the house. Our relatives and friends accompany us only to
the funeral pyre where our bodies are burnt; but our virtues and our vices follow us beyond the grave. XX. Temporal blessings pass like a dream, beauty fades
1
In the Hindu proverb it is the swan which is credited with this power, and not the eagle, as Dubois states it. Ed.