Moral essays. With an English translation by J.W. Basore

ON MERCY, I. XIII. 5-xiv. 3and reveres. ^Vhat people say of such a man is thesame in secret as in public. They are eager to rearup sons, and the childlessness once imposed by pubUcills is now relaxed ; no one doubts that his childrenwill have cause to thank him for permitting them tosee so happy an age. Such a prince, protected by hisown good deeds, needs no bodyguard ; the arms hewears are for adornment only.What, then, is his duty ? It is that of the goodparent who is wont to reprove his children sometimesgently, sometimes vrith threats, who at times admonishesthem even by stripes. Does any father inhis senses disinherit a son for his first offence ? Onlywhen great and repeated >\Tong-doing has overcomehis patience, only when what he fears outweighs whathe reprimands, does he resort to the decisive pen ";but first he makes many an effort to reclaim a characterthat is still unformed, though inclined now to themore e^il side ; when the case is hopeless, he triesextreme measures. No one resorts to the exactionof punishment until he has exhausted all the meansof correction. This is the dut^' of a father, and it isalso the duty of a prince, whom not in empty flatterv'we have been led to call " the Father of his Country."For other designations have been granted merely byway of honour ; some we have styled " the Great,"" the Fortunate," and " the August," and we haveheaped upon pretentious greatness all possible titlesas a tribute to such men ; but to " the Father of hisCountry " we have given the name in order that hemay know that he has been entrusted with a father'spower, which is most forbearing in its care for theinterests of his children and subordinates his own totheirs.Slow would a father be to sever his own flesh399