that have been before thee and that shall come after thee for this is the law of God over all flesh.

;

There is no inquisition in the

grave.

Have regard to thy name; for that shall remain with thee beyond a thousand treasures of gold. A good life hath but few days; but a good name endureth for ever.

DCLXIII.

Death.

'See how happy,' he said, Why should not priests,

An Indian prince, Tisso, one day riding in the forest, saw a herd of elk sporting. 'these browsing elk are! lodged and fed comfortably in the temples, also amuse themselves?' Returning home, he imparted this reflection to the king. The king on the next day conferred the sovereignty on him, saying, 'Prince, administer this empire for seven days; at the termination of that period I shall put thee to death.' At the end of the seventh day the king inquired, 'From what cause hast thou become so emaciated?' He answered, 'From the horror of death.' The monarch rejoined, Live, my child, and be wise. Thou hast ceased to take recreation, saying to thyself, In seven days I shall be put to death. These priests in the temple incessantly meditate on death; how can they enter into healthful diversions?'

Virtues Immortal.

DCLXIV.

The brilliant chariots of kings are destroyed; the

body also approaches destruction; but the virtues of good people never approach destruction. Thus do the good say to the good.

Permanence.

DCLXV.

With victorious skill and irresistible arrow I vanquished the world. Strongholds fell where I raised my hand; where I moved, the lines of battle gave All this availed little. Swift death came, sayway. ing, 'Permanence and power belong alone to God.'

The Unknown Future.

DCLXVI.

Death is certain to all things which are subject to birth, and regeneration to all things which are mortal. Wherefore it doth not behove thee to grieve about that which is inevitable. The former state of beings is unknown, the middle state is evident, and their future state is not to be discovered. Why then shouldst thou trouble thyself about such things as these? Some regard the soul as a wonder, while some speak, and others hear of it with astonishment; but no one knoweth it, although he may have heard it described.

Just to thy wish the door of heaven is found open before thee. Be free from duplicity, and stand firm in the path of truth; be free from care and trouble, and turn thy mind to things which are spiritual. Let the motive be in the deed, and not in

the event. Be not one whose motive for action is the hope of reward. Let not thy life be spent in inaction. Depend upon application, perform thy duty, abandon all thought of the consequence, and make the event equal, whether it terminate in good or evil. Seek an asylum then in wisdom alone; for the miserable and unhappy are so on account of the event of things.

Progress.

DCLXVII.

It needs not that I swear by the sunset redness,
And by the night and its gatherings,

And by the moon when at her full,

That from state to state shall ye be surely carried onward!

DCLXVIII.

Life and Death.

On parent knees a naked, new-born child
Weeping thou sat'st, while all around thee smiled:
So live that, sinking in thy long last sleep,

Thou then mayest smile, while all around thee weep.

SANCTIONS.

Thorns.

DCLXIX.

The dragon-toothed thorn in the garden
A sting like a scorpion's shows;
He hath posted it there as a warden
To watch o'er the delicate rose.

The honey, delicious in flavour,
He teacheth the bee to secrete,
And joineth with infinite favour
The sting and the sweet.

DCLXX.

Heaven and Hell.

In mosque and school, in church and synagogue, they have a horror of hell, and a seeking of paradise ; but the seed of this anxiety has never germinated in the heart that has penetrated the secret of the Most High.

If the revolutions of the universe have brought thee no joy, why count whether there be seven heavens or eight?

Each heart that God hath illumined with the light of affection—be it found in mosque or in synagogue-if its name be written in the Book of Love, is set free from anxieties about hell, and from longings for paradise.

Hell is but a spark of the useless troubles which we have given ourselves; paradise only an instant of the repose which we have sometimes enjoyed on earth.

Cause and Effect.

DCLXXI.

As surely as the pebble cast heavenward abides not there, but returns to the earth; so, proportionate to thy deed, good or ill, will the desire of thy heart be meted out to thee in whatever form or world thou shalt enter.

DCLXXII.

Self-judgment.

Take care that your final account shall be settled before death. Undergo here your indictment and your trial; pass on yourself just sentence and punishment; then will you pass into the future without further trial, chastisement, or fear.

DCLXXIII.

A Bad Conscience.

Between two physicians, in consequence of their living together, a few words of altercation took place. It is not right for two to be spoken of as one; both