Chapter XVII

Take heed, my son, and hearken unto the words of Artemas, for there _are_ many that will give thee counsel, yet wisdom _cometh_ only from the few.

2 Put not thy trust in princes, for their bond is of paper that teareth _easily_. And their plighted word melteth like butter, before the heat of their necessity.

3 Beware of the king whose pledge runneth _away_ like water, for the skins of such shall paper the walls of hell.

4 A man devoured of ambition, he lieth easily; nevertheless, _there cometh_ a time when even fools believe him not.

5 Beware of the woman that followeth thee about, for she is _after_ thy regimental buttons.

6 And if she is safe, then is she a fool; but if she is _otherwise_, then is she the devil.

7 A woman hunteth thee. She lieth in wait to surprise thee, and will _out upon thee_ when the time cometh.

8 Flee unto the mountains; pitch thou thy tent _afar_ in the wilderness; take thou sail across the waters until thou comest unto a strange coast. Nevertheless, _because_ she has marked thee down, _therefore_ will she have thee.

9 When thou goest forth for to fight, take care that thou smitest thine enemy in the back, for _it is_ the mark of a good fighter so to do.

10 Also, he that shooteth his enemy _through_ the head sheddeth light upon his understanding.

11 When the foe doth stand two in a line, shoot thou thy bolt, for then will thine execution be twofold. Verily I say unto thee, _Await_ thine opportunity, for a shell in time is as good as a mine.

12 Remember, my son, that the sum of two and two _maketh_ four; yet in the reports of thine enemy thou shalt find it otherwise.

13 And because _the pen_ is mightier than the sword, therefore believe it not, else shalt thou surely be deceived.

14 Verily I say unto thee, Blessed is the man that _hath_ imagination, for his country _shall_ win many battles.

15 Take ye heed _of the_ lone voice, for in a multitude of counsellors thou _shalt_ find confusion.

16 And an arsenal that is full of munitions is better than an hundred rulers full _of_ words.

17 Hearken not unto the boasting of thine enemy and regard him not, for no man knoweth what _the day_ may bring forth.

18 And in the time of its adversity the soul of a country revealeth _itself_.

19 Get thee about it and do things, for the voice of the sluggard dieth in his throat, but the worker is heard from afar off.

20 Make thou thy task according to thy strength, for no man that weareth costly teeth doth gnaw at the bones of an elephant.

21 Make _thy life_ wisely, O my son, lest thy neighbours speak ill concerning thee. And if thou shouldst stray _from_ the narrow path, remember the other, that it is of sand.

22 Wherefore, _tread_ lightly. For he that leaveth his footprint _behind_, his foolishness condemns him. But the _prudent_ sinner is exalted unto heaven, _and_ his name, it exhaleth a very sweet perfume.

23 For whosoever sups with the devil _in a place_ where men pass by, shall he not, _therefore_, turn out the light?

24 Woe unto the peacemongers that entice thee _with_ words, for these do seek thine undoing.

25 Thy way leadeth over stony ground, and to go back, it is _the manner_ of a coward.

26 For whosoever setteth his hand to the plow, he shall not turn back; and he that finisheth a furrow, _he hath_ not plowed the field.

27 What man gathereth him the blossom of the apple tree? Rather doth he wait until the fruit cometh, big and full of juice; then doth he eat of it.

28 Avoid thou them that seek to divide the people, one against the other, for _they are_ traitors in the land.

29 Turn not away from instruction, O my son, but open thine ears full wide, for wisdom maketh a fair mistress _and_ she is youthful for all time.

30 And he that followeth after her, his life shall be well ordered and his affairs shall fall out _just so_.

31 Thou shalt rule _thy_ comings in and _thy_ goings out according to circumstance, so that nothing ariseth amiss; for a thirst _that is_ born at a proper time, it maketh the publican smile; but a thirst that cometh late is an affliction unto him that _hath_ it.

32 Take heed, my son, and hearken unto the words of Artemas, for there _are_ many that will give thee counsel, yet wisdom _cometh_ only from the few.