be their right: and one man will sack another's city. There
will be no favour for the man who keeps his oath or for the just or
for the good; but rather men will praise the evil-doer and his violent
dealing. Strength will be right and reverence will cease to be; and the
wicked will hurt the worthy man, speaking false words against him, and
will swear an oath upon them. Envy, foul-mouthed, delighting in evil,
with scowling face, will go along with wretched men one and all. And
then Aidos and Nemesis [1307], with their sweet forms wrapped in white
robes, will go from the wide-pathed earth and forsake mankind to join
the company of the deathless gods: and bitter sorrows will be left for
mortal men, and there will be no help against evil.

(ll. 202-211) And now I will tell a fable for princes who themselves
understand. Thus said the hawk to the nightingale with speckled neck,
while he carried her high up among the clouds, gripped fast in his
talons, and she, pierced by his crooked talons, cried pitifully. To her
he spoke disdainfully: 'Miserable thing, why do you cry out? One far
stronger than you now holds you fast, and you must go wherever I take
you, songstress as you are. And if I please I will make my meal of you,
or let you go. He is a fool who tries to withstand the stronger, for he
does not get the mastery and suffers pain besides his shame.' So said
the swiftly flying hawk, the long-winged bird.

(ll. 212-224) But you, Perses, listen to right and do not foster
violence; for violence is bad for a poor man. Even the prosperous cannot
easily bear its burden, but is weighed down under it when he has fallen
into delusion. The better path is to go by on the other side towards
justice; for Justice beats Outrage when she comes at length to the end
of the race. But only when he has suffered does the fool learn this. For
Oath keeps pace with wrong judgements. There is a noise when Justice is
being dragged in the way where those who devour bribes and give sentence
with crooked judgements, take her. And she, wrapped in mist, follows
to the city and haunts of the people, weeping, and bringing mischief
to men, even to such as have driven her forth in that they did not deal
straightly with her.

(ll. 225-237) But they who give straight judgements to strangers and
to the men of the land, and go not aside from what is just, their city
flourishes, and the people prosper in it: Peace, the nurse of children,
is abroad in their land