nts?
If thou art true, thou wilt follow that which is true; if thou art
not true, thou canst not have me, Truth, for thy daughter." Here,
you see, Mercy and Truth are met together. The third sister,
namely, Justice, hearing this strife, contention, quarreling, and
pleading, and summoned by the outcry, began to inquire the cause
from Truth. And Truth, who could only speak that which was true,
said, "This sister of ours, Mercy, if she ought to be called a
sister who does not agree with us, desires that our father should
have pity on that proud transgressor." Then Justice, with an angry
countenance, and meditating on a grief which she had not expected,
said to her father, "Am not I thy daughter Justice? are thou not
called just? If thou art just, thou wilt exercise justice on the
transgressor; if thou dost not exercise that justice, thou canst not
be just; if thou art not just, thou canst not have me, Justice, for
thy daughter." So here were Truth and Justice on the one side, and
Mercy on the other. _Ultima_ _coelicolum_ _terras_ _Astrea_
_reliquit_; this means, that Peace fled into a far distant country.
For where there is strife and contention, there is no peace; and by
how much greater the contention, by so much further peace is driven
away.

Peace, therefore, being lost, and his three daughters in warm
discussion, the King found it an extremely difficult matter to
determine what he should do, or to which side he should lean.
For, if he gave ear to Mercy, he would offend Truth and Justice if
he gave ear to Truth and Justice, he could not have Mercy for his
daughter; and yet it was necessary that he should be both merciful
and just, and peaceful and true. There was great need then of good
advice. The father, therefore, called his wise son, and consulted
him about the affair. Said the son, "Give me my father, this present
business to manage, and I will both punish the transgressor for
thee, and will bring back to thee in peace thy four daughters."
"These are great promises," replied the father, "if the deed only
agrees with the word. If thou canst do that which thou sayest, I
will act as thou shalt exhort me."

Having, therefore, received the royal mandate, the son took his
sister Mercy along with him, and leaping upon the mountains, passing
over the hills, came to the prison, and looking through the windows,
looking through the lattice, he beheld the imprisoned servant, shut
out from the present life, dev