and wealth attends him only for a little time. Alike with him
who does wrong to a suppliant or a guest, or who goes up to his
brother's bed and commits unnatural sin in lying with his wife,
or who infatuately offends against fatherless children, or who
abuses his old father at the cheerless threshold of old age and
attacks him with harsh words, truly Zeus himself is angry, and at
the last lays on him a heavy requittal for his evil doing. But
do you turn your foolish heart altogether away from these things,
and, as far as you are able, sacrifice to the deathless gods
purely and cleanly, and burn rich meats also, and at other times
propitiate them with libations and incense, both when you go to
bed and when the holy light has come back, that they may be
gracious to you in heart and spirit, and so you may buy another's
holding and not another yours.

(ll. 342-351) Call your friend to a feast; but leave your enemy
alone; and especially call him who lives near you: for if any
mischief happen in the place, neighbours come ungirt, but kinsmen
stay to gird themselves (9). A bad neighbour is as great a
plague as a good one is a great blessing; he who enjoys a good
neighbour has a precious possession. Not even an ox would die
but for a bad neighbour. Take fair measure from your neighbour
and pay him back fairly with the same measure, or better, if you
can; so that if you are in need afterwards, you may find him
sure.

(ll. 352-369) Do not get base gain: base gain is as bad as ruin.
Be friends with the friendly, and visit him who visits you. Give
to one who gives, but do not give to one who does not give. A
man gives to the free-handed, but no one gives to the close-