BABYLON AND PERSIA

70 MEDIA, BABYLON, AND PERSIA.sure to light on the foolish evil-doer, whom he routsand.paralyzes: *"On whatever side there is one who has lied to Mithra, on thatside Mithra stands forth, angry and offended, and his wrath is slowto relent. Those who lie unto Mithra, however swift they may berunning, cannot outrun him ; riding, cannot outride him ; driving,cannot outdrive him. The spear that the foe of Mithra flings dartsbackward ; . . . and even though it be flung well, even thoughit reach the body, it makes no woundthe wind drives away thespear that the foe of Mithra flings. . . . He takes away thestrength from their arms, the swiftness from their feet, the eye-sightfrom their eyes, the hearing from their ears. . . . He givesherds of oxen and male children to that house wherein he has beensatisfied ; he breaks to pieces those in which he has been offended.Sad is the abode, unpeopled with children, where dwellmen who have lied unto Mithra. . . . The grazing cow goes asad, straying way, driven along the vales of the Mithra-deceivers ;they stand on the road, letting tears run over their chins. ..."This is why Mithra is said to be " both good andbad to men, to keep in his hands both peace andtrouble for nations." He stands a watchful guardianof the covenant, spoken or unspoken, which rulesthe relations between friends and kindred, betweenpartners, between husband and wife, master andpupil, father and son, between nations." The man without glory, led astray from the right way, thinks thusin his heart : ' That careless Mithra does not see all the evil that isdone, nor all the lies that are told.' But I think thus in my heart :' Should the earthly man hear a hundred times better, he would nothear so well as the heavenly Mithra, who has a thousand senses andsees every one that tells a lie.' "Nor is the faithful observance of contracts, or" Story of Chaldea." p. 171.