ope round my neck, and held a sword in my hand, my idleness is such,
that I should not put forth my hand to cut the rope."

"But I," said the third son, "ought to be preferred to you both; for I
outdo both in sloth. While I lay upon my bed, water dropped from above
upon my eyes; and though, from the nature of the water, I was in danger
of becoming blind, I neither could nor would turn my head ever so little
to the right hand or to the left." The emperor, hearing this, bequeathed
the kingdom to him, thinking him the laziest of the three.

XVI.--THE THREE MAXIMS.

Domitian was a very wise and just prince, and suffered no offender to
escape. It happened that as he once sat at table, a certain merchant
knocked at the gate. The porter opened it, and asked what he pleased to
want.

"I have brought some useful things for sale," answered the merchant. The
porter introduced him, and he very humbly made obeisance to the emperor.

"My friend," said the emperor, "what merchandise have you to dispose
of?"

"Three maxims of especial wisdom and excellence, my lord."

"And how much will you take for your maxims?"

"A thousand florins."

"And so," said the king, "if they are of no use to me I lose my money?"

"My lord," answered the merchant, "if the maxims do not stand you in
stead, I will return the money."

"Very well," said the emperor. "Let us hear your maxims."

"The first, my lord, is this: 'Whatever you do, do wisely; and think of
the consequences.' The second is: 'Never leave the _highway_ for a
_byway_.' And, thirdly: 'Never stay all night as a guest in that house
where you find the master an old man and his wife a young woman.' These
three maxims, if you attend to them, will be extremely serviceable."

The emperor, being of the same opinion, ordered him to be paid a
thousand florins; and so pleased was he with the first, that he
commanded it to be inscribed in his court, in his bed-chamber, and in
every place where he was accustomed to walk, and even upon the
table-cloths from which he ate.

Now the rigid justice of the emperor occasioned a conspiracy among the
vicious and refractory of his subjects; and finding the means of
accomplishing their purposes somewhat difficult, they engaged a barber,
by large promises, to cut his throat as he shaved him.

When the emperor, therefore, was to be shaved, the barber lathered his
beard, and began to operate upon it; but casting his eyes over the towel
which he