History of the Parsis : including their manners, customs, religion and present position : with coloured and other illustrations : in two volumes

CHAP, IV.] HUMAN VANITIES. 201

tude would sneer at a man who took more care of his horse than of himself; for this reason a man ought to take more care of his soul than of his body. God, O Arda Viraf! requires only two things of the sons of men: the first, that they should not sin; the second, that they should be grateful for the many blessings He is continually bestowing on them.

“Let the world, O Arda Viraf! be taught not to set their hearts on the pleasures and vanities of life, as nothing can be carried away with them. You have already seen the rewards given to the good and deserving, how they have been repaid for all their trouble ; the poor and the rich, the king and the peasant, here receive honours and distinction according to their good works. You have also seen the condition of the herdsman and shepherd.

“Tn youth and in the prime of manhood, when blessed with health and vigour, men suppose that their strength will never fail; that their riches, their lands, their houses, and their honours will remain for ever; that their gardens will be always green, and their vineyards fruitful; but, O Arda Viraf! teach them not to think so; teach them the danger of such a way of thinking—all, all will pass away as a dream.

“The flowers fade, and give lessons unto man that he is unwilling to profit by. Yea, the world itself will pass away, and nothing will remain but God.”

We have quoted this Pehlevi book of Arda Viraf