ether he were
trustworthy towards himself or not; so he gave him an easy
commandment, and said, "If you do what I tell you, I will exalt you
to further honors; if not, you shall perish miserably."

The servant heard the commandment, and without any delay went and
broke it. Why need I say more? Why need I delay you by my words and
by my tears? This proud servant, stiff-necked, full of contumely,
and puffed up with conceit, sought an excuse for his transgression,
and retorted the whole fault on his Lord. For when he said, "the
woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she deceived me," he threw all
the fault on his Maker. His Lord, more angry for such contumelious
conduct than for the transgression of his command, called four most
cruel executioners, and commanded one of them to cast him into
prison, another to afflict him with grievous torments; the third to
strangle him, and the fourth to behead him. By and by, when occasion
offers, I will give you the right name of these tormentors.

These torturers, then, studying how they might carry out their own
cruelty, took the wretched man and began to afflict him with all
manner of punishments. But one of the daughters of the King, by
name Mercy, when she had heard of this punishment of the servant,
ran hastily to the prison, and looking in and seeing the man given
over to the tormentors, could not help having compassion upon him,
for it is the property of Mercy to have pity. She tore her garments
and struck her hands together, and let her hair fall loose about her
neck, and crying and shrieking, ran to her father, and kneeling
before his feet began to say with an earnest and sorrowful voice:
"My beloved father, am not I thy daughter Mercy? and art not thou
called merciful? If thou art merciful, have mercy upon thy servant;
and if thou wilt not have mercy upon him, thou canst not be called
merciful; and if thou art not merciful, thou canst not have me,
Mercy, for thy daughter." While she was thus arguing with her
father, her sister Truth came up, and demanded why it was that Mercy
was weeping. "Your sister Mercy," replied the father, "wishes me to
have pity upon that proud transgressor whose punishment I have
appointed." Truth, when she heard this, was excessively angry, and
looking sternly at her father, "Am not I," said she, "thy daughter
Truth? art not thou called true? Is it not true that thou didst
fix a punishment for him, and threaten him with death by torme