The Richest Man In Babylon (George S. Clason) | Full Audiobook - The Richest Man In Babylon

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Hello, dear listener. If you're here, it's probably because you're
as passionate about books and the knowledge and wisdom they
bring as we are. So you might also want to
own this book, or any other from this podcast in
physical form, either to add to your personal library or
to gift it to a friend. That's why we've included
a link in the description where you can get it
at a discount and with shipping to almost anywhere in

(00:25):
the world. Also, if you make your purchase through these links,
the editors of this podcast will receive a small commission
which helps support us in continuing to upload more and
more audiobooks for free. Let's make the world a better
place through books together. Pigeon Publishing House presents The Richest

(00:48):
Man in Babylon author George C. Classen About the book.
This book is full of parables of ancient Babylon and
is a classic of personal finance. It is quite affordable
and quite good inspiration and tips about our relationship with money.
To convey ideas, the author, George Classen, takes us to

(01:09):
ancient Babylon where they lived the richest men of ancient times.
They understood the value of money with excellent economy and
investment practices. The first idea that strikes you was how
Babylon was a region that had no natural resources. All
the riches of the city were created by man. Their
wealth came from the ability of its people to articulate

(01:31):
promote value in their proactivity. About the author, George Samuel Klassen,
was born in Louisiana, Missouri, on November seventh, eighteen seventy four.
He attended the University of Nebraska and served in the
United States Army during the Spanish American War. Beginning a
long career in publishing, he founded the class In Map

(01:53):
Company of Denver, Colorado, and published the first road atlas
of the United States. In Canada. In nineteen seen twenty six,
he issued the first of a famous series of pamphlets
on thrift and financial success, using parables set in ancient
Babylon to make each of his points. These were distributed
in large quantities by banks and insurance companies and became

(02:13):
familiar to millions, the most famous being the Richest Man
in Babylon, the parable from which the present volume takes
its title. These Babylonian parables have become a modern inspirational classic.
The richest man in Babylon forward. Our prosperity as a
nation depends upon the personal financial prosperity of each of

(02:35):
us as individuals. This book deals with the personal successes
of each of us. Success means accomplishments as the result
of our own efforts and abilities. Proper preparation is the
key to our success. Our acts can be no wiser
than our thoughts. Our thinking can be no wiser than
our understanding. This book of Cures for Lean Purses has

(02:58):
been turned to guide to financial understanding. That indeed is
its purpose to offer those who are ambitious for financial
success and insight which will aid them to acquire money,
to keep money, and to make their surpluses earn more money.
In the pages which follow, we are taken back to Babylon,
the cradle in which was nurtured the basic principles of finance,
now recognized and used the world over to new readers.

(03:22):
The author is happy to extend the wish that its
pages may contain for them the same inspiration for growing
bank accounts greater financial successes in the solution of difficult
personal financial problems so enthusiastically reported by readers from coast
to coast to the business executives who have distributed these
tales in such generous quantities to friends, relatives, employees, and associates.

(03:43):
The author takes this opportunity to express his gratitude. No
endorsement could be higher than that of practical men who
appreciate its teachings because they themselves have worked up to
important successes by applying the very principles it advocates. Babylon
became the wealthiest city of thes the ancient world because
its citizens were the richest people of their time. They

(04:04):
appreciated the value of money. They practiced sound financial principles
in acquiring money, keeping money, and making their money earn
more money. They provided for themselves what we all desire
incomes for the future. G SC. Chapter one. The man
who desired gold. Banser, the chariot builder of Babylon, was

(04:28):
thoroughly discouraged. From his seat upon the low wall surrounding
his property. He gazed sadly at his simple home and
the open workshop in which stood a partially completed chariot.
His wife frequently appeared at the open door. Her furtive
glances in his direction reminded him that the meal bag
was almost empty, and he should be at work finishing
the chariot, hammering and hewing, polishing and painting, stretching taut

(04:51):
the leather over the wheel rims, preparing it for delivery
so he could collect from his wealthy customer. Nevertheless, his
fat muscular by he sat stolidly upon the wall. His
slow mind was struggling patiently with a problem for which
he could find no answer. The hot tropical sun, so
typical of this valley of the Euphrates, beat down upon

(05:12):
him mercilessly. Beads of perspiration formed upon his brow and
trickled down unnoticed, to lose themselves in ti hairy jungle
on his chest. Beyond his home towered the high terraced
wall surrounding the King's Palace. Nearby, cleaving the blue heavens,
was the painted tower of the Temple of Bell. In
the shadow of such grandeur was his simple home, and

(05:33):
many others far less, neat and well cared for. Babylon
was like this, a mixture of grandeur and squalor, of
dazzling wealth and dirist poverty, crowded together without plan or system,
within the protecting walls of the city behind him, had
he cared to turn in look the noisy chariots of
the rich, jostled and crowded aside the sandale tradesmen, as
well as the barefooted beggars. Even the rich were forced

(05:56):
to turn into the gutters to clear the way for
the long lines of slave water care on the king's business,
each bearing a heavy goat skin of water to be
poured upon the hanging gardens. Bancer was too engrossed in
his own problem to hear or heed the confused hubbub
of the busy city. It was the unexpected twanging of
the strings from a familiar liar that aroused him from
his reverie. He turned and looked into the sensitive, smiling

(06:20):
face of his best friend, Kaby the musician. May the
Gods bless THEE with great liberality, my good friend, began
Cobby with an elaborate salute. Yet it does appear they
have already been so generous. Thou needest not to labor.
I rejoice with THEE in thy good fortune. More, I
would even share it with THEE. Pray from thy purse,

(06:41):
which must be bulging, else thou wouldst be busy in
your shop. Extract but two humble shekels, and lend them
to me until after the nobleman's feast this night, Thou
wilt not miss the mare they are returned. If I
did have two shekels, Dancer responded gloomily to no one,
could I lend them, not even to you, my best
of friends, For they would be my fortune, my entire fortune.

(07:02):
No one lends his entire fortune, not even to his
best friend. What exclaimed Coby, with genuine surprise, Thou hast
not one shekel in thy purse? Yet sit like a
statue upon a wall? Why not complete that chariot? How
else canst thou provide for thy noble appetite? Tis not
like thee, my friend? Where is thy endless energy? Doth

(07:25):
something distress thee? Have the gods brought to thee? Troubles?
A torment from the gods? It must be bans or agreed.
It began with a dream, a senseless dream, in which
I thought I was a man of means. From my
belt hung a handsome purse heavy with coins. There were
shekels which I cast with careless freedom to the beggars.

(07:46):
There were pieces of silver with which I did by
finery for my wife, and whatever I did desire for myself.
There were pieces of gold which made me feel assured
of the future and unafraid to spend the silver. A
glorious feeling of contentment was within me. You would not
have known me for thy hard working friend, Nor wouldst
have known my wife. So free from wrinkles was her face,

(08:07):
and shining with happiness. She was again the smiling maiden
of our early married days. A pleasant dream, indeed, commented Kaby.
But why should such pleasant feelings as it aroused, turn
thee into a glum statue upon the wall? Why? Indeed,
because when I awoke and remembered how empty was my purse,
a feeling of rebellion swept over me. Let us talk

(08:30):
it over together, For as the sailors do say, we
ride in the same boat. We two. As youngsters, we
went together to the priests to learn wisdom. As young men,
we shared each other's pleasures. As grown men, we have
always been close friends. We have been contented subjects of
our kind. We have been satisfied to work long hours

(08:51):
and spend our earnings freely. We have earned much coin
in the years that have passed. Yet to know the
joys that come from wealth we must dream about them. Bah,
are we more than dumb sheep? We live in the
richest city in all the world, But travelers do say
none equals it in wealth? About us as much display

(09:12):
of wealth, but of it we ourselves have not after
half a lifetime of hard labor. Thou, my best of friends,
hast an empty person says to me, May I borrow
such a trifle as two shekels until after the nobleman's
feast this night? Then? What do I reply? Do I say,
here is my purse its contents? Will I gladly share? No?

(09:32):
I admit that my purse is as empty as thine?
What is the matter? Why cannot we acquire silver and
gold more than enough for food and robes? Consider also
our sons, bancer continued, Are they not seventeen following in
the footsteps of their fathers? Need they and their families,
and their sons and their sons families live all their

(09:52):
lives in the midst of such treasurers of gold? And yet,
like us the content to banquet upon sour goat's milk
and porridge. Never in in all the years of our
friendship didst talk like this before answer Kaby was puzzled.
Never in all those years did I think like this before.
From early dawn until darkness stopped me, I have labored

(10:13):
to build the finest chariots any man could make, softheartedly,
hoping someday the gods would recognize my worthy deeds and
bestow upon me great prosperity. This they have never done.
At last, I realize this they will never do. Therefore
my heart is sad. I wish to be a man
of means. I wish to own lands and cattle, to

(10:34):
have fine robes and coins in my purse. I am
willing to work for these things with all the strength
in my back, with all the skill in my hands,
with all the cunning in my mind. But I wish
my labors to be fairly rewarded. What is the matter
with us? Again? I ask you? Why cannot we have
our just share of the good things so plentiful for
those who have the gold with which to buy them.

(10:56):
Would I knew an answer? Kaby replied, No better than now?
Am I satisfied? My earnings from my lire are quickly gone.
Often must I plan and scheme that my family be
not hungry? Also within my breast is a deep longing
for a liar large enough that it may truly sing
the strains of music that do surge through my mind.

(11:18):
With such an instrument, could I make music finer than
even the King has heard before? Such a liar Thou
shouldst have. No man in all Babylon could make it
sing more sweetly, could make it sing so sweetly, not
only the King but the gods themselves would be delighted.
But how mayest thou secure it? While we both of
us are as poor as the king's slaves. Listen to

(11:39):
the bell? Here they come? He pointed to the long
column of half naked, sweating water bearers plodding laboriously up
the narrow street from the river. Five abreast they marched,
each bent under a heavy goat skin of water. A
fine figure of a man, he who doth lead them,
Cobi indicated, the wearer of the bell, who marched in

(12:00):
front without a load, a prominent man in his own country.
Tis easy to see there are many good figures in
the line. Bansur agreed, as good men as we. Tall
blond men from the north, laughing black men from the south,
little brown men from the nearer countries, all marching together
from the river to the gardens, back and forth, day

(12:21):
after day, year after year, not of happiness to look
forward to beds of straw upon which to sleep, hard
grain porridge to eat. Pity the poor brutes, Caby, pity them,
I do yet dot us make me see how little
better off are we free men, though we call ourselves
that is truth, Kabi. Unpleasant thought though it be, we

(12:45):
do not wish to go on year after year, living
slavish lives, working, working, working, getting nowhere might we not
find out how others acquire gold and do as they do?
Cobby inquired, perhaps there is some secret we might learn
if we but sought from those who knew, replied Banser. Thoughtfully,

(13:06):
this very day, suggested Kaby, I did pass our old
friend Arkid, writing in his golden chariot, this I will say.
He did not look over my humble head, as many
in his station might consider his right. Instead, he did
wave his hand that all onlookers might see him, pay
greetings and bestow his smile of friendship upon Kaby the musician.
He is claimed to be the richest man in all Babylon.

(13:29):
Banser mused, So rich the king is said to seek
his golden aid in affairs of the treasury. Kabi replied,
so rich. Banser interrupted, I fear if I should meet
him in the darkness of the night, I should lay
my hands upon his fat wallet. Nonsense, reproved, Kabi. A
man's wealth is not in the purse he carries. A

(13:49):
fat purse quickly empties if there be no golden stream
to refill it. Arcd has an income that constantly keeps
his purse full, no matter how liberally he spends. Income
that is the thing, ejaculated Banser. I wish an income
that will keep flowing into my purse, whether I sit
upon the wall or travel to far lands. Arcid must

(14:09):
know how a man can make an income for himself.
Dost suppose it is something he could make clear to
a mind as slow as mine. Methinks he did teach
his knowledge to his son No Maser. Kabi responded, did
he not go to Nineveh? And so it is told
at the Inn, become without aid from his father, one
of the richest men in that city. Kabi, thou bringest

(14:31):
to me a rare thought. A new light gleamed in
Bancer's eyes. It costs nothing to ask whyse advice from
a good friend in arct was always that. Never mind,
though our purses be as empty as the falcon's nest
of a year ago, let that not detain us. We
are weary of being without gold in the midst of plenty.

(14:52):
We wish to become men of means. Come, let us
go to Arket and ask how we also may acquire
incomes for ourselves. Thou speakest with true inspiration, Ban sir,
Thou bringest to my mind a new understanding. Thou makest
me to realize the reason why we have never found
any measure of wealth. We never sought it. Thou hast

(15:15):
labored patiently to build the staunchest chariots in Babylon. To
that purpose was devoted your best endeavors. Therefore, at it
thou didst succeed. I strove to become a skillful liar player.
And at it I did succeed. In those things toward
which we exerted our best endeavors, we succeeded. The gods

(15:36):
were content to let us continue. Thus, now at last
we see a light bright like that from the rising sun.
It biddeth us to learn more, that we may prosper
more with a new understanding, we shall find honorable ways
to accomplish our desires. Let us go to Arcid this
very day, banser urged. Also let us ask other friends

(15:57):
of our boyhood days, who have fared no better than ourselves,
to join us, that they too may share in his wisdom.
Thou wert, ever, thus thoughtful of thy friends, ban Sir.
Therefore hast thou many friends. It shall be as thou
sayest we go this day and take them with us.
Chapter two, The richest Man in Babylon. In old Babylon,

(16:21):
there once lived a certain very rich man named Arcid,
far and wide. He was famed for his great wealth.
Also was be famed for his liberality. He was generous
in his charities, he was generous with his family. He
was liberal in his own expenses. But nevertheless, each year
his wealth increased more rapidly than he spent it. And

(16:44):
there were certain friends of younger days who came to
him and said, you, Arcid, are more fortunate than we.
You have become the richest man in all Babylon. While
we struggle for existence. You can wear the finest garments,
and you can enjoy the rarest foods, while we must
be contented if we can clothe our families in raiment
that is presentable, and feed them as best we can. Yet,

(17:05):
once we were equal, we studied under the same master,
we played in the same games, And in neither the
studies nor the games did you outshine us. And in
the years since you have been no more an honorable
citizen than we, nor have you worked harder or more faithfully,
in so far as we can judge, Why then, should

(17:27):
a fickle fate single you out to enjoy all the
good things of life and ignore us, who are equally deserving.
Thereupon arket remonstrated with them, saying, if you have not
acquired more than a bare existence in the years since
we were youths, it is because you either have failed
to learn the laws that govern the building of wealth,
or else you do not observe them. Fickle Fate is
a vicious goddess who brings no permanent good to anyone.

(17:51):
On the contrary, she brings ruin to almost every man
upon whom she showers unearned gold. She makes wanton spenders
who soon dissipate all they receive. In our life, Left
beset by overwhelming appetites and desires, they have not the
ability to gratify. Yet others whom she favors become misers
and hoard their wealth, fearing to spend what they have,
knowing they do not possess the ability to replace it.

(18:13):
They further are beset by fear of robbers, and doom
themselves to lives of emptiness and secret misery. Others there
probably are who can take honor in gold and add
to it and continue to be happy in contented citizens.
But so few are they I know of them. But
by hearsay, think you of the men who have inherited
sudden wealth, and see if these things are not so.

(18:35):
His friends admitted that of the men they knew who
had inherited wealth, these words were true, and they besought
in to explain to them how he had become possessed
of so much prosperity. So he continued, in my youth,
I looked about me and saw all the good things
there were to bring happiness and contentment, And I realized
that wealth increased the potency of all these. Wealth is
a power. With wealth, many things are possible. One may

(18:59):
ornament the home with the richest of furnishings. One may
sail the distant seas. One may feast on the delicacies
of far lands one nay, by the ornaments of the
gold worker and the stone polisher. One may even build
mighty temples for the gods. One may do all these things,
and many others in which there is delight for the

(19:21):
senses and gratification for the soul. And when I realized
all this, I decided to myself that I would claim
my share of the good things of life. I would
not be one of those who stand afar off enviously
watching others enjoy. I would not be content to clothe
myself in the cheapest raiment that looked respectable. I would
not be satisfied with the lot of a poor man.

(19:43):
On the contrary, I would make myself a guest at
this banquet of good things, being, as you know, the
son of a humble merchant, one of a large family,
with no hope of an inheritance, and not being endowed,
as you have so frankly said, with superior powers or wisdom.
I decided that if I was to achieve what I desired,
time and study would be required. As for time, all

(20:04):
men have it in abundance. You each of you have
let slip by sufficient time to have made yourselves wealthy.
Yet you admit you have nothing to show except your
good families, of which you can be justly proud. As
for study, did not our wise teacher teach us that
learning was of two kinds, the one kind being the
things we learned and knew, and the other being the

(20:25):
training that taught us how to find out what we
did not know. Therefore did I decide to find out
how one might accumulate wealth? And when I had found out,
to make this my task and do it well? For
is it not wise that we should enjoy while we
dwell in the brightness of the sunshine, for sorrows enough
shall descend upon us when we depart for the darkness
of the world of spirit. I found employment as ascribe

(20:47):
in the Hall of Records, and long hours each day
I labored upon the clay tablets, week after week, and
month after month I labored. Yet for my earnings I
had not to show food and clothing, and penance to
the gods, and other things which I could remember, not
what absorbed all my earnings. But my determination did not
leave me. And one day Algamish, the money lender, came

(21:09):
to the house of the city Master and ordered a
copy of the nightfe law. And he said to me,
I must have this in two days, and if the
task is done by that time, two coppers will I
give to thee. So I labored hard, but the law
was long, and when Algamish returned the task was unfinished.
He was angry, and had I been his slave, he
would have beaten me. But knowing the city Master would

(21:31):
not permit him to injure me, I was unafraid. So
I said to him, Algamish, you are a very rich man.
Tell me how I may also become rich. And all
night I will carve upon the clay, and when the
sun rises it shall be completed. He smiled at me
and replied, you are a forward knave, but we will
call it a bargain. All that night I carved, though

(21:52):
my back pained, and the smell of the wick made
my head ache until my eyes could hardly see. But
when he returned at sun up, the tablets were complete. Now,
I said, tell me what you promised. You have fulfilled
your part of our bargain. My son, he said to
me kindly, and I am ready to fulfill mine. I
will tell you these things you wish to know, because

(22:13):
I am becoming an old man, and an old ton
loves to wag. And when youth comes to age for advice,
he receives the wisdom of years. But too often does
you think that age knows only the wisdom of days
that are gone, and therefore profits not. But remember this,
The sun that shines today is the sun that shone
when thy father was born, and will still be shining
when thy last grandchild shall pass into the darkness. The

(22:36):
thoughts of youth, he continued, are bright lights that shine forth,
like the meteors that often make brilliant the sky. But
the wisdom of age is like the fixed stars that
shine so unchanged that the sailor may depend upon them
to steer his course. Mark you well my words, for
if you do not, you will fail to grasp the
truth that I will tell you, and you will think
that your night's work has been in vain. Then he

(22:57):
looked at me shrewdly from under his shaggy brows, and said,
in a low, forceful tone, I found the road to
wealth when I decided that a part of all I
earned was mine to keep, and so will you. Then
he continued to look at me with a glance that
I could feel pierce me, but said, no more. Is
that all I asked? That was sufficient to change the

(23:20):
heart of a sheep herder into the heart of a
money lender. He replied, But all I earned is mine
to keep, is it not? I demanded? Far from it,
he replied. Do you not pay the garment maker? Do
you not pay the sandal maker? Do you not pay
for the things you eat? Can you live in Babylon

(23:42):
without spending? What have you to show for your earnings
of the past mouth? What for the past year? Fool?
You pay to everyone but yourself? Dullard, you labor for
others as well. Be a slave and work for what
your master gives you to eat and wear. If you
did keep for yourself one tenth of all you earn,

(24:03):
how much would you have in ten years? My knowledge
of the numbers did not forsake me, and I answered,
as much as I earn in one year. You speak
but half the truth, he retorted. Every gold piece you
save is a slave to work for you. Every copper
it earns is its child that also can earn for you.
If you would become wealthy, then what you save must

(24:25):
earn and its children must earn that all may help
to give to you the abundance you crave. You think
I cheat you for your long night's work, he continued,
But I am paying you a thousand times over. If
you have the intelligence to grasp the truth. I offer you.
A part of all you earn is yours to keep.
It should be not less than a tenth, no matter
how little you earn, it can be as much more

(24:47):
as you can afford. Pay yourself. First, do not buy
from the clothes maker and the sandal maker more than
you can pay out of the rest, and still have
enough for food and charity and penance to the gods. Wealth.
Like an the tree grows from a tiny seed. The
first copper you save is the seed from which your
tree of wealth shall grow. The sooner you plant that seed,

(25:08):
the sooner shall the tree grow. And the more faithfully
you nourish in water that tree with consistent savings, the
sooner may you bask in contentment beneath its shade. So saying,
he took his tablets and went away. I thought much
about what he had said to me, and it seemed reasonable,
So I decided that I would try it each time.

(25:29):
I was paid, I took one from each ten pieces
of copper and hid it away. And strange as it
may seem, I was no shorter of funds than before.
I noticed little difference as I managed to get along
without it. But often I was tempted, as my hoard
began to grow, to spend it for some of the
good things the merchants displayed, brought by camels and ships
from the land of the Phoenicians. But I wisely refrained.

(25:54):
A twelvemonth after Algemish had gone, he again returned and
said to me, son, have you paid to yourself not
less than one tenth of all you have earned for
the past year. I answered proudly, yes, Master, I have.
That is good, he answered, beaming upon me, And what
have you done with it? I have given it to Asthmer,
the brickmaker, who told me he was traveling over the

(26:15):
far seas and entire he would buy for me the
rare jewels of the Phoenicians. When he returns, we shall
sell these at high prices and divide the earnings. Every
fool must learn, he growled, But why trust the knowledge
of a brickmaker about jewels? Would you go to the
bread maker to inquire about the stars. No, by my tunic,
you would go to the astrologer. If you had power

(26:38):
to think your savings are gone, youth, you have jerked
your wealth tree up by the roots. But plant another.
Try again, and next time. If you would have advice
about jewels, go to the jewel merchant. If you would
know the truth about sheep, go to the herdsman. Advice
is one thing that is freely given away. But watch

(26:59):
that you take only one what is worth having. He
who takes advice about his savings from one who was
inexperienced in such matters shall pay with his savings for
proving the falsity of their opinions. Saying this, he went away,
and it was as he said, for the Phoenicians are
scoundrels and sold to Asthmer worthless bits of glass that
looked like gems. But as Algamish had bid me, I

(27:22):
again saved each tenth copper, for I now had formed
the habit, and it was no longer difficult again. Twelve
months later, Algamish came to the room of the scribes
and addressed me, what progress have you made since last
I saw you? I have paid myself faithfully. I replied,
And my savings I have entrusted to adjure the shield
maker to buy bronze. And each fourth month he does

(27:44):
pay me the rental. That is good. And what do
you do with the rental? I do have a great
feast with honey and fine wine and spiced cake. Also,
I have bought me a scarlet tunic, and someday I
shall buy me a hung ass upon which to ride,
to which Algamish laughed. You do eat the children of
your savings, then how do you expect them to work

(28:08):
for you? And how can they have children that will
also work for you? First get thee an army of
golden slaves, and then many a rich banquet, may you
enjoy without regret? So saying, he again went away, Nor
did I again see him for two years. When he
once more returned in his face was full of deep lines,
and his eyes drooped, for he was becoming a very

(28:29):
old man. And he said to me, Arcid, hast thou
yet achieved the wealth thou dreamed of? And I answered,
not yet all that I desire, But some I have,
and it earns more, and its earnings earn more. And
do you still take the advice of brickmakers about brickmaking.
They give good advice, I retorted arcid. He continued, you

(28:50):
have learned your lessons well. You first learned to live
upon less than you could earn. Next you learned to
seek advice from those who were competent through their own
experience to give it. And lastly you have learned to
make gold work for you. You have taught yourself how
to acquire money, how to keep it, and how to
use it. Therefore you are competent for a responsible position.

(29:14):
I am becoming an old man. My sons think only
of spending and give no thought to earning. My interests
are great, and I fear too much for me to
look after. If you will go to Nepoor and look
after my lands there, I shall make you my partner,
and you shall share in my estate. So I went
to Nepour and took charge of his holdings, which were large.

(29:35):
And because I was full of ambition, and because I
had mastered the three laws of successfully handling wealth, I
was enabled to increase greatly the value of his properties.
So I prospered much. And when the spirit of Algamish
departed for the sphere of darkness, I did share in
his estate, as he had arranged under the law. So
spake arked, And when he had finished his tale, one
of his friends said, you were indeed fortunate that Algamish

(29:58):
made of you an air, fortunate only in that I
had the desire to prosper before I first met him.
For four years? Did I not prove my definiteness of
purpose by keeping one tenth of all earned? Would you
call a fisherman lucky, who for years so studied the
habits of the fish, that with each changing wind he
could cast his nets about them. Opportunity is a haughty

(30:18):
goddess who wastes no time with those who are unprepared.
You had strong power to keep on after you lost
your first year's savings. You are unusual in that way,
spoke up another. Will power, retorted Arkid, What nonsense do
you think? Will power gives a man the strength to
lift a burden the camel cannot carry, or to draw

(30:40):
a load the oxen cannot budge. Will Power is but
the unflinching purpose to carry a task you set for
yourself to fulfillment. If I set for myself a task,
be it ever so trifling, I shall see it through.
How else shall I have confidence in myself to do
important things. Should I say to myself, for a hundred days,
as I I walk across the bridge into the city,

(31:01):
I will pick from the road of pebble and cast
it into the stream. I would do it. If on
the seventh day I passed by without remembering, I would
not say to myself tomorrow I will cast two pebbles,
which will do as well. Instead, I would retrace my
steps and cast the pebble. Nor on the twentieth day
would I say to myself arked, this is useless. What

(31:22):
does it avail you to cast a pebble every day,
throw in a handful and be done with it. No,
I would not say that, nor do it. When I
set a task for myself, I complete it. Therefore I
am careful not to start difficult and impractical tasks, because
I love leisure. And then another friend spoke up and said,

(31:43):
if what you tell is true, and it does seem
as you have said reasonable, then being so simple, if
all men did it, there would not be enough wealth
to go around. Wealth grows wherever men exert energy. Arcid replied,
if a rich man builds him a new palace, is
the gold he pays out gone. No, the brickmaker has
part of it, and the laborer has part of it,

(32:04):
and the artist has part of it, and everyone who
labors upon the house as part of it. Yet, when
the palace is completed, is it not worth all it cost?
And is the ground upon which it stands not worth
more because it is there? And is the ground that
adjoins it not worth more because it is there? Wealth
grows in magic ways. No man can prophesy the limit

(32:26):
of it. Have not the Phoenicians built great cities on
barren coasts with the wealth that comes from their ships
of commerce on the seas. What, then, do you advise
us to do that we also may become rich? Ask
still another of his friends. The years have passed, and
we are no longer young men, and we have nothing
put by. I advise that you take the wisdom of
Alghemisis and say to yourselves, a part of all I

(32:48):
earn is mind to keep. Say it in the morning
when you first arise, Say it at noon, say it
at night, Say it each hour of every day. Say
it to yourself until the words stand out like letters
of fire across the sky. Impress yourself with the idea
fill yourself with the thought. Then take whatever portion seems wise.

(33:13):
Let it be not less than one tenth, and lay
it by. Arrange your other expenditures to do this if necessary,
but lay by that portion first. Soon you will realize
what a rich feeling it is to own a treasure
upon which you alone have claim. As it grows, it
will stimulate you. A new joy of life will thrill you.

(33:34):
Greater efforts will come to you to earn more. For
of your increased earnings, will not the same percentage be
also yours to keep. Then learn to make your treasure
work for you. Make it your slave, Make its children
and its children's children work for you. Ensure an income
for thy future. Look thou at the aged, and forget

(33:56):
not that in the days to come now also will
be numbered among them. Therefore invest thy treasure with greatest caution,
that it be not lost. Usurious rates of return are
deceitful sirens that sing but to lure the unwary upon
the rocks of loss and remorse. Provide also that thy
family may not once should the gods call thee to
their realms for such protection. It is always possible to

(34:18):
make provision with small payments. At regular intervals. Therefore, the
provident man delays not in expectation of a large sum
becoming available for such a wise purpose. Counsel with wise men.
Seek the advice of men whose daily work is handling money.
Let them save you from such an error as I
myself made in entrusting my money to the judgment of Asthmer,

(34:39):
the brickmaker. A small return and a safe one is
far more desirable than risk. Enjoy life while you are here.
Do not overstrain or try to save too much. If
one tenth of all you earn is as much as
you can comfortably keep, be content to keep this portion
life otherwise according to your income, and let not yourself

(35:00):
get niggardly and afraid to spend life as good in life,
as rich with things worthwhile in things to enjoy. His
friends thanked him and went away. Some were silent because
they had no imagination and could not understand. Some were
sarcastic because they thought that one so rich should divide
with old friends not so fortunate. But some had in

(35:21):
their eyes a new light. They realized that Algamish had
come back each time to the room of the scribes
because he was watching a man work his way out
of darkness in the light. When that man had found
the light, a place awaited him. No one could fill
that place until he had for himself worked out his
own understanding, until he was ready for opportunity. These latter

(35:42):
were the ones who, in the following years frequently revisited arcd,
who received them gladly. He counseled with them and gave
them freely of his wisdom, as men of broad experience
are always glad to do, and he assisted them in
so investing their savings that it would bring in a
good interest with safety, and would neither be he lost
nor entangled in investments that paid no dividends. The turning

(36:04):
point in these men's lives came upon that day when
they realized the truth that had come from Algamish to
arct and from market to them. A part of all
you earn is yours to keep. Chapter three seven cures
for a lean purse. The glory of Babylon endures down
through the ages. Its reputation comes to us as the

(36:25):
richest of cities, its treasures as fabulous. Yet it was
not always so. The riches of Babylon were the results
of the wisdom of its people, They first had to
learn how to become wealthy. When the good King Sargin
returned to Babylon after defeating his enemies the Elamites, he
was confronted with a serious situation. The royal Chancellor explained

(36:49):
it to the King. Thus, after many years of great
prosperity brought to our people because your Majesty built the
great irrigation canals and the mighty temples of the gods,
now that these works are completed, the people seem unable
to support themselves. The laborers are without employment. The merchants
have few customers. The farmers are unable to sell their produce.

(37:11):
The people have not enough gold to buy food. But
where has all the gold gone that we spent for
these great improvements, demanded the king. It has found its way,
I fear responded the Chancellor, into the possession of a
few very rich men of our city. It filtered through
the fingers of most our people as quickly as the
goat's milt goes through the strainer. Now that the stream

(37:33):
of gold has ceased to flow, most of our people
have nothing to for their earnings. The king was thoughtful
for some time. Then he asked, why should so few
men be able to acquire all the gold because they
know how, replied the Chancellor. One may not condemn a
man for succeeding because he knows how. Neither may one

(37:53):
with justice take away from a man what he has
fairly earned to give to men of less ability. But
why the King should not all the people learn how
to accumulate gold and therefore become themselves rich and prosperous.
Quite possible, your excellency. But who can teach them? Certainly
not the priests, because they know not of money making.

(38:16):
Who knows best in all our city how to become wealthy?
Chancellor asked the King. Thy question answers itself, Your majesty,
who has amassed the greatest wealth in Babylon? Well, said
my able Chancellor, it is Arcad. He is richest man
in Babylon. Bring him before me on the morrow. Upon

(38:39):
the following day, as the King had decreed, Arcad appeared
before him, straight and sprightly, despite his three score years
and ten Arcid spoke the King, Is it true thou
art the richest man in Babylon? So it is reported,
your Majesty, and no man disputes it. How becamest thou
so wealthy by taking advantage of opportunities available to all

(39:02):
citizens of our good city. Thou hadst nothing to start with,
only a great desire for wealth. Besides this nothing, Arcid
continued the King. Our city is in a very unhappy
state because a few men know how to acquire wealth
and therefore monopolize it, while the mass of our citizens
lack the knowledge of how to keep any part of

(39:23):
the gold they receive. It is my desire that Babylon
be the wealthiest city in the world. Therefore it must
be a city of many wealthy men. Therefore we must
teach all the people how to acquire riches. Tell me, Arcid,
is there any secret to acquiring wealth? Can it be taught?

(39:43):
It is practical, your majesty, that which one man knows
can be taught to others. The King's eyes glowed, Arcid,
Thou speakest the words I wish to hear. Wilt thou
lend thyself to this great cause? Wilt thou teach thy
knowledge to a school for teachers, each of whom shall
teach others, until there are enough trained to teach these

(40:04):
truths to every worthy subject in my domain. Ark had
bowed and said, I am my humble servant to command.
Whatever knowledge I possess, will I gladly give for the
betterment of my fellowmen and the glory of my King.
Let your good Chancellor arrange for me a class of
one hundred men, and I will teach to them those
seven curists which did fatten my purse, than which there

(40:24):
was none leaner in all Babylon. A fortnight later, in
compliance with the King's command, the chosen hundred assembled in
the great Hall of the Temple of Learning. Seated upon
colorful rings in a semicircle, Archid sat beside a small taboret,
upon which smoked a sacred lamp, sending forth a strange
and pleasing odor. Behold the richest man in Babylon, whispered

(40:45):
a student, nudging his neighbor. As Arkid arose, he is
but a man even as the rest of us, As
a dutiful subject of our great King, Archid began, I
stand before you in his service, because once I was
a poor youth who did greatly desire gold, and because
I found knowledge that enabled me to acquire it. He
asks that I impart unto you my knowledge. I started my

(41:08):
fortune in the humblest way. I had no advantage not
enjoyed as fully by you and every citizen in Babylon.
The first storehouse of my treasure was a well purse.
I loathed its useless emptiness. I desired it be round
and full, clinking with the sound of gold. Therefore I
sought every remedy for a lean purse. I found seven.

(41:32):
To you, who are assembled before me, shall I explain
the seven cures for a lean purse, which I do
recommend to all men who desire much gold. Each day,
for seven days, will I explain to you one of
the seven remedies. Listen attentively to the knowledge that I
will impart debated with me. Discuss it among yourselves. Learn

(41:53):
these lessons thoroughly that ye may also plant in your
own purse the seat of wealth. First, must each of
you start wisely to build a fortune of his own.
Then wilt thou be competent, and only then to teach
these truths to others. I shall teach to you, in
simple ways how to fatten your purses. This is the
first step leading to the temple of wealth. And no

(42:14):
man may climb who cannot plant his feet firmly upon
the first step. We shall now consider the first cure.
The first cure, start thy purse to fattening. Arc It
addressed a thoughtful man in the second row, my good friend,
at what craft workest thou? I replied? The man am

(42:35):
a scribe, and carve records upon the clay tablets. Even
at such labor did I myself earn my first coppers.
Therefore thou hast the same opportunity to build a fortune.
He spoke to a florid faced man farther back, Pray,
tell also what dost thou to earn thy bread? I responded,
This man am a meat butcher. I do buy the

(42:58):
goats the farmers raise and kill them, and sell the
meat to the housewives, and the hides to the sandal makers.
Because thou dost also labor and urn, thou hast every
advantage to succeed that I did possess. In this way
did Arcud proceed to find out how each man labored
to earn his living. When he had done questioning them,
he said, now, my students, ye can see that there

(43:19):
are many trades and labors at which men may earn coins.
Each of the ways of earning is a stream of
goal from which the worker doth divert by his labour's
apportioned to his own purse. Therefore, into the purse of
each of you flows a stream of coins, large or small,
according to his ability. Is it not so? Thereupon they
agreed that it was so. Then continued Arcud. If each

(43:42):
of you desireth to build for himself a fortune, is
it not wise to start by utilizing that source of
wealth which he already has established. To this they agreed.
Then Arcud turned to a humble man who had declared
himself an egg merchant. If thou select one of thy
baskets and put into it each other which morning ten eggs,
and take out from it each evening nine eggs, what

(44:03):
will eventually happen? It will become in time overflowing. Why
because each day I put in one more egg than
I take out. Ark had turned to the class with
a smile. Does any man here have a lean purse?
First they looked amused, Then they laughed. Lastly they waved

(44:25):
their purses in jest. All right, he continued, Now I
shall tell thee the first remedy I learned to cure
a lean purse. Do exactly as I have suggested, to
the egg merchant. For every ten coins thou placest within
thy purse, take out for use but nine, thy purse
will start to fatten at once, and its increasing weight
will feel good in thy hand and bring satisfaction to

(44:47):
thy soul. De ride not what I say, because of
its simplicity. Truth is always simple. I told thee I
would tell how built my fortune. This was my beginning.
I too carried a lean purse, and cursed it because
there was not within to satisfy my desires. But when
I began to take out from my purse but nine

(45:07):
parts of ten I put in, it began to fatten.
So will thine. Now I will tell a strange truth,
the reason for which I know not. When I cease
to pay out more than nine tenths of my earnings,
I managed to get along just as well. I was
not shorter than before. Also, ere long did coins come
to me more easily than before. Surely it is a

(45:30):
law of the gods that unto him who keepeth and
spendeth not a certain part of all his earnings shall
gold come more easily. Likewise, him whose purse is empty
as gold, avoid which desirest thou the most Is it
the gratification of thy desires of each day a jewel,
a bit of finery, better raiment, more food, things quickly
gone and forgotten? Or is it substantial belongings, gold lands, herds, merchandise, income,

(45:56):
bringing investments. The coins thou takest my purse bring the first.
The coins thou leavest within it will bring the latter. This,
my students, was the first cure I did discover for
my lean purse. For each ten coins I put in
to spend but nine. Debate this amongst yourselves. If any
man proves it untrue, tell me upon the morrow, when

(46:19):
we shall meet again. The second cure controlled by expenditures.
Some of your members, my students, have asked me this.
How can a man keep one tenth of all the
urns in his purse when all the coins he urns
are not enough for his necessary expenses? So did Arked
address his students upon the second day yesterday, How many

(46:40):
of the carried lean purses? All of us? Answered the class.
Yet thou do not all earn the same. Some are
in much more than others, some have much larger families
to support, Yet all purses were equally lean. Now I
will tell thee an unusual truth about men and in
sons of men. It is this that what each of

(47:03):
us calls our necessary expenses, will always grow to equal
our incomes, unless we protest to the contrary. Confuse not
the necessary expenses with thy desires. Each of you, together
with your good families, have more desires than your earnings
can gratify. Therefore are thy earnings spent to gratify these
desires insofar as they will go Still, Thou retainest many

(47:26):
ungratified desires. All men are burdened with more desires than
they can gratify. Because of my wealth, thinkest thou I
may gratify every desire. 'tis a false idea. There are
limits to my time, There are limits to my strength.
There are limits to the distance I may travel. There

(47:47):
are limits to what I may eat. There are limits
to the zest with which I may enjoy. I say
to you that, just as weeds grow in a field
wherever the farmer leaves space for their roots, even so
freely do desires grow in men, when when never there
is a possibility of their being gratified. Thy desires are
a multitude, and knows that thou mayest gratify, are but few.

(48:08):
Study thoughtfully thy accustomed habits of living. Herein may be
most often found certain accepted expenses that may wisely be
reduced or eliminated. Let thy motto be one hundred percent
of appreciated value demanded for each coin spent. Therefore, engrave
upon the clay each thing for which thou desirest to spend.

(48:28):
Select those that are necessary, in others that are possible
through the expenditure of nine tenths of thy income. Cross
out the rest, and consider them but a part of
that great multitude of desires that must go unsatisfied, And
regret them. Not budget, then thy necessary expenses touch not
the one tenth that is fattening thy purse. Let this

(48:49):
be thy great desire that is being fulfilled. Keep working
with thy budget, keep adjusting it to help thee. Make
it thy first assistant in defending thy fattening purse. Here Upon,
one of the students, wearing a robe of red and gold,
arose and said, I am a free man. I believe
that it is my right to enjoy the good things

(49:09):
of life. Therefore, do I rebel against the slavery of
a budget which determines just how much I may spend
and for what I feel, it would take much pleasure
from my life and make me little more than a
pack ass to carry a burden to a market, replied,
who my friend would determine thy budget, I would make
it for myself, responded the protesting one. In that case,

(49:32):
where a pack ass to budget his burden, would he
include their in jewels and rugs and heavy bars of gold.
Not so, he would include hay and grain and a
bag of water for the desert trail. The purpose of
a budget is to help thy purse to fatten. It
is to assist THEE to have thy necessities, and, insofar
as attainable thy other desires, it is to enable THEE

(49:54):
to realize thy most cherished desires by defending them from
thy casual wishes. A bright light in a dark cave,
thy budget shows up the leaks from thy purse and
enables THEE to stop them and control thy expenditures for
definite and gratifying purposes. This, then, is the second cure
for a lean purse budget thy expenses that thou mayst
have coins to pay for thy necessities, to pay for

(50:17):
thy enjoyments, and to gratify thy worthwhile desires without spending
more than nine to tenths of thy earnings. The third
cure make thy gold multiply. Behold thy lean purse is fattening.
Thou hast disciplined thyself to leave therein one tenth of
all thou earnesth Thou hast controlled by expenditures to protect

(50:37):
thy growing treasure. Next we will consider means. To put
thy treasure to labor, and to increase gold in a
purse is gratifying to own and satisfy the miserly soul,
but earns nothing. The gold we may retain from our
earnings is but the start. The earnings it will make
shall build our fortunes. So spoke arct upon the third

(50:58):
day to his class. How therefore may we put our
goal to work. My first investment was unfortunate, for I
lost all its tale I will relate later. My first
profitable investment was a loan I made to a man

(51:18):
named Agger, a shield maker. Once each year did he
buy large shipments of bronze brought from across the sea
to use in his trade. Lacking sufficient capital to pay
the merchants, he would borrow from those who had extra coins.
He was an honorable man. His borrowing he would repay
together with a liberal rental as he sold his shields.

(51:40):
Each time I loaned to him, I loaned back also
the rental he had paid to me. Therefore, not only
did my capital increase, but its earnings likewise increased. Most
gratifying was it to have these sums returned to my purse.
I tell you, my students, a man's wealth is not
in the coins he carries in his purse. It is
the income he build. It, the golden stream that continually

(52:01):
floweth into his purse and keepeth at always bulging. That
is what every man desireth. That is what thou, each
one of thee desireth, an income that continueth to come,
whether thou work or travel. Great income one have acquired,
so great that I am called a very rich man.
My loans to agor were my first training in profitable investment.

(52:24):
Gaining wisdom from this experience, I extended my loans and
investments as my capital increased, from a few sources at first,
from many sources later flowed into my purse. A golden
stream of wealth available for such wise uses as I
should decide, behold from my humble earnings. I had begotten
a horde of golden slaves, each laboring and earning more
gold as they labored for me. So their children also labored,

(52:47):
and their children's children, until great was the income from
their combined efforts. Gold increaseth rapidly when making reasonable earnings,
as thou wilt see from the following, A farmer, when
his first son was born, took ten pieces of silver

(53:08):
to a money lender and asked him to keep it
on rental for his son until he became twenty years
of age. This the money lender did, and agreed the
rental should be one fourth of its value each four years.
The farmer asked, because this sum he had set aside
is belonging to his son, that the rental be add
to the principle. When the boy had reached the age
of twenty years, the farmer again went to the money

(53:30):
lender to inquire about the silver. The money lender explained
that because this sum had been increased by compound interest,
the original ten pieces of silver had now grown to
thirty and one half pieces. The farmer was well pleased,
and because the sun did not need the coins, he
left them with the money lender. When the Sun became
fifty years of age, the father, meantime having passed to

(53:51):
the other world. The money lender paid the Sun in
settlement one hundred and sixty seven pieces of silver. Thus,
in fifty years had the investment multiplied itself at rental
almost seventeen times. This, then, is the third cure for
a lean purse. To put each coin to laboring, that
it may reproduce its kind even as the flocks of
the field, and help bring to the income a stream

(54:12):
of wealth that shall flow constantly into thy purse. The
fourth cure guard thy treasures from loss. Misfortune loves a
shining mark. Gold in a man's purse must be guarded
with firmness, else it be lost. Thus it is wise
that we must first secure small amounts and learn to
protect them, before the gods entrust us with larger So

(54:34):
spoke arct upon the fourth Day to his class. Every
owner of gold is tempted by opportunities whereby it would
seem that he could make large sums by its investment
in most plausible projects. Often friends and relatives are eagerly
entering such investment, and urge him to follow the first
sound principle of investment is security for thy principle. Is

(54:56):
it wise to be intrigued by larger earnings? When thy
principle may be law? I say not. The penalty of
risk is probable loss. Study carefully before parting with thy treasure,
each assurance that it may be safely reclaimed. Be not
misled by thine own romantic desires to make wealth rapidly.

(55:16):
Before thou loan it to any man, assure thyself of
his ability to repay in his reputation for doing so,
that thou mayst not unwittingly be making him a present
of thy hard earned treasure. Before thou entrusted as an
investment in any field, acquaint thyself with the dangers which
may be set it. My own first investment was a
tragedy to me at the time, the guarded savings of

(55:38):
a year I did entrust to a brickmaker named Asthmer,
who was traveling over the far seas, and entire agreed
to buy from me the rare jewels of the Phoenicians.
These we would sell upon his return and divide the profits.
The Phoenicians were scoundrels and sold in bits of blass.
My treasure was lost today, My training would show to

(55:58):
me at once the folly of entrusting a brickmaker to
buy jewels. Therefore, do I advise THEE from the wisdom
of my experiences, be not too confident of thine own
wisdom and entrusting thy treasures to the possible pitfalls of investments.
Better by far to consult the wisdom of those experienced
in handling money for profit. Such advice is freely given

(56:19):
for the asking, and may readily possess a value equal
in gold to the sum thou considerest investing in truth,
such is its actual value if it save THEE from loss.
This then is the fourth cure for a lean purse,
and of great importance if it prevent thy purse from
being emptied once it has become well filled. Guard thy
treasure from loss by investing only where thy principle is safe,

(56:41):
or it may be reclaimed if desirable, and where thou
will not fail to collect a fair rental. Consult with
wise men, secure the advice of those experienced in the
profitable handling of gold. Let their wisdom protect thy treasure
from unsafe investments. The fifth cure may of thy dwelling
a profitable investment if a man setteth aside nine parts

(57:05):
of his earnings upon which to live and enjoy life.
And if any part of this nine parts he can
turn into a profitable investment without detriment to his well being,
then so much faster will his treasures grow, So spake
arked to his class at their fifth lesson, all too
many of our men of Babylon do raise their families
in unseemly quarters. They do pay to exacting landlord's liberal

(57:26):
rentals for rooms where their wives have not a spot
to raise the blooms that gladden a woman's heart, and
their children have no place to play their games except
in the unclean alleys. No man's family can fully enjoy
life unless they do have a plot of ground wherein
children can play in the clean earth, and where the
wife may raise not only blossoms, but good rich herbs
to feed her family. To a man's heart, it brings

(57:46):
gladness to eat the figs from his own trees and
the grapes of his own vines. To own his own domicile,
and to hab it a place he is proud to
care for, putteth confidence in his heart and greater effort
behind all his endeavors. Therefore, do I recommend that every
man owned the roof that sheltereth him and his Nor
is it beyond the ability of any well intentioned man

(58:07):
to own his home. Hath not our great King so
widely extended the walls of Babylon, that within them much
land is now unused, and may be purchased at somes
most reasonable. Also I say to you, my students, that
the money lenders gladly consider the desires of men who
seek homes and land for their families. Readily may thou
borrow to pay the brickmaker and the builder for such

(58:28):
commendable purposes. If thou can show a reasonable portion of
the necessary sum which thou thyself hath provided for the purpose,
then when the house be built, thou canst pay the
money lender with the same regularity as thou didst pay
the landlord. Because each payment will reduce thy indebtedness to
the money lender a few years will satisfy his loan.

(58:48):
Then will thy heart be glad, because thou wilt own
in thy own right a valuable property, and thy only
cost will be the king's taxes. Also wilt thy good
wife go more often too? The river to wash thy robes.
Each time, returning she may bring a goat skin of
water to pour upon the growing things. Thus come many
blessings to the man who owneth his own house, and

(59:09):
greatly will it reduce his cost of living, making available
more of his earnings for pleasures and the gratification of
his desires. This, then, is the fifth cure for a
lean purse, own my own home. The sixth cure insure
a future income. The life of every man proceedeth from
his childhood to his old age. This is the path

(59:31):
of life, and no man may deviate from it unless
the gods call him prematurely to the world beyond. Therefore,
do I say that it behooves a man to make
preparation for a suitable income in the days to come,
when he is no longer young, and to make preparations
for his family, should he be no longer with them,
to comfort and support them. This lesson shall instruct thee
in providing a full purse when time has made thee

(59:52):
less able to learn. So Arked addressed his class upon
the sixth day. The man who, because of his understanding
of the laws of wealth, acquireth a growing surplus, should
give thought to those future days. He should plan certain
investments or provision that may endure safely for many years.
It will be available when the time arrives which he
has so wisely anticipated. There are diverse ways by which

(01:00:16):
a man may provide with safety for his future. He
may provide a hiding place, and their bury a secret treasure.
Yet no matter with what skill it be hidden, it
may nevertheless become the loot of thieves. For this reason
I recommend not this plan. A man may buy houses
or lands for this purpose, if wisely chosen as to

(01:00:37):
their usefulness and value in the future. They are permanent
in their value, and their earnings for their sale will
provide well for his purpose. A man may loan a
small sum to the money lender and increase it at
regular periods. The rental which the money lender adds to
this will largely add to its increase. I do know
a sandal maker named Anson, who explained to me not

(01:00:57):
long ago that each week for eight years he had
deposited wy with his money lender two pieces of silver.
The money lender had but recently given him an accounting
over which he greatly rejoiced the total of his small
deposits with their rental at the customary rate of one fourth.
Their value for each four years had now become one
thousand and forty pieces of silver. I did gladly encourage

(01:01:18):
him further by demonstrating to him, with my knowledge of
the numbers, that in twelve years more, if he would
keep his regular deposits of but two pieces of silver
each week, the money lender would then owe him four
thousand pieces of silver, a worthy competence for the rest
of his life. Surely, when such a small payment made
with regularity doth produce such profitable results, no man can
afford not to ensure a treasure for his old age

(01:01:40):
and the protection of his family, no matter how prosperous
his business and his investments may be. I would that
I might say more about this. In my mind rests
a belief that some day, wise thinking men will devise
a plan to insure against deathwhere by many men pay
in but a trifling some regularly, the aggregate making a
handsome sum for the family of each member who possis
to the beyond. This do I see as something desirable,

(01:02:03):
and which I could highly recommend. But today it is
not possible, because it must reach beyond the life of
any man or any partnership. To operate, it must be
as stable as the king's throne. Someday do I feel
that such a plan shall come to pass and be
a great blessing to many men, because even the first
small payment will make available a snug fortune for the

(01:02:24):
family of a member should he pass on. But because
we live in our own day and not in the
days which are to come, must we take advantage of
those means and ways of accomplishing our purposes. Therefore, do
I recommend to all men that they, by wise and
well thought out methods, do provide against a lean person
their mature years. For a lean purse to a man
no longer able to earn, or to a family without

(01:02:45):
its head, is a sore tragedy. This, then, is the
sixth cure for a lean purse. Provide an advance for
the needs of thy growing age and the protection of
thy family the seventh cure in thy ability to earn.
This day do I speak to thee my students, of
one of the most vital remedies for a lean purse.

(01:03:08):
Yet I will talk not of gold, but of yourselves,
of the men beneath the robes of many colors who
do sit before me. I will talk to you of
those things within the minds and lives of men which
do work for or against their success. So did Arked
address his class. Upon the seventh day. Not long ago,
came to me a young man seeking to borrow. When

(01:03:28):
I questioned him the cause of his necessity, he complained
that his earnings were insufficient to pay his expenses. Thereupon
I explained to him, this being the case, he was
a poor customer for the money lender, as he possessed
no surplus earning capacity to repay the loan. What you need,
young man, I told him, is to earn more coins.
What dost thou to increase thy capacity? To earn? All

(01:03:52):
that I can do? He replied, six times within two
moons have I approached my master to request my pay?
He increased, but without success. No man can go oftener
than that. We may smile at his simplicity. Yet he
did possess. One of the vital requirements to increase his earnings.
Within him was a strong desire to earn more. A

(01:04:13):
proper and commendable desire preceding accomplishment must be desire. Thy
desires must be strong and definite. General desires are but
weak longings. For a man to wish to be rich
is of little purpose. For a man to desire five
pieces of gold is a tangible desire which he can
press to fulfillment. After he has backed his desire for

(01:04:36):
five pieces of gold with strength of purpose to secure it,
next he can find similar ways to obtain ten pieces,
and than twenty pieces, in later a thousand pieces, And
behold he has become wealthy. In learning to secure his
one definite, small desire, he hath trained himself to secure
a larger one. This is the process by which wealth
is accumulated, first in small sums, then in larger ones.

(01:04:58):
As a man learns and becomes more capable. Desires must
be simple and definite. They defeat their own purpose should
they be too many, too confusing, or beyond a man's
training to accomplish. As a man perfect teth himself in
his calling, even so dof his ability to earn increase.
In those days when I was a humble scribe, carving

(01:05:18):
upon the clay for a few coppers each day, I
observed that other workers did more than I and were
paid more. Therefore did I determine that I would be
exceeded by none. Nor did it take long for me
to discover the reason for their greater success. More interest
in my work, more concentration upon my task, more persistence
in my effort, and behold, human could carve more tablets

(01:05:40):
in a day than I with reasonable promptness, my increased
skill was rewarded. Nor was it necessary for me to
go six times to my master to request recognition. The
more of wisdom we know, the more we may earn.
That man who seeks to learn more of his craft
shall be richly rewarded. If he is an artisan, he
may seek to learn the methods and the tools of

(01:06:01):
those most skillful in the same line. If he laboreth
at the law or at healing, he may consult in
exchange knowledge with others of his calling. If he be
a merchant, he may continually seek better goods that can
be purchased at lower prices. Always do the affairs of
man change and improve because keen minded men seek greater skill,
that they may better serve those upon whose patronage they depend. Therefore,

(01:06:24):
I urge all men to be in the front rank
of progress, and not to stand still, lest they be
left behind. Many things come to make a man's life
rich with gainful experiences, Such things as the following a
man must do if he respect himself. He must pay
his debts with all the promptness within his power, not
purchasing that for which he is unable to pay. He

(01:06:46):
must take care of his family that they may think
and speak well of him. He must make a will
of record that, in case the gods call him, proper
and honorable division of his property be accomplished. He must
have compassion upon those who are injured, in smitten by misfortune,
and aid them within reasonable limits. He must do deeds
of thoughtfulness to those dear to him. Thus, the seventh

(01:07:09):
and last remedy for a lean purse is to cultivate
thy own powers, to study and become wiser, to become
more skillful, to so act as to respect thyself. Thereby
shalt thou acquire confidence in thyself to achieve thy carefully
considered desires. These, then, are the seven cures for a
lean purse, which, out of the experience of a long
and successful life, I do urge for all men who

(01:07:30):
desire wealth. There is more gold and babylon, my students,
than thou dreamest of there is abundance for all. Go
thou forth and practice these truths, that thou mayest prosper
and grow wealthy, as is thy right. Go thou forth
and teach these truths that every honorable subject of his
majesty may also share liberally in the ample wealth of

(01:07:50):
our beloved city. Chapter four, Meet the Goddess of good luck.
If a man be lucky, there is no foretell the
possible extent of his good fortune. Pitch him into the Euphrates,
and like as not, he will swim out with a
pearl in his hand. Babylonian proverb. The desire to be

(01:08:13):
lucky is universal. It was just as strong in the
breasts of men four thousand years ago in ancient Babylon
as it is in the hearts of men today. We
all hope to be favored by the whimsical goddess of
good luck. Is there some way we can meet her
and attract not only her favorable attention, but her generous favors?
Is there a way to attract good luck? That is

(01:08:36):
just what the men of ancient Babylon wished to know.
It is exactly what they decided to find out. They
were shrewd men and keen thinkers. That explains why their
city became the richest and most powerful city of their time.
In that distant past, they had no schools or colleges. Nevertheless,
they had a center of learning, and a very practical one.

(01:08:58):
It was. Among the towered buildings in Babylon, was one
that ranked in importance with the Palace of the King,
the Hanging Gardens, and the temples of the gods. You
will find scant mention of it in the history books,
more likely no mention at all. Yet it exerted a
powerful influence upon the thought of that time. This building
was the Temple of Learning, where the wisdom of the

(01:09:18):
past was expounded by voluntary teachers, and where subjects of
popular interest were discussed in open forums. Within its walls,
all men met as equals. The humblest of slaves could
dispute with impunity the opinions of aprons of the royal house.
Among the many who frequented the Temple of Learning was
a wise rich man named Arked, called the richest man

(01:09:39):
in Babylon. He had his own special hall, where almost
any evening, a large group of men, some old, some
very young, but mostly middle aged gathered to discuss and
argue interesting subjects. Suppose we listen in to see whether
they knew how to attract good luck. The sun had
just set, like a great red ball of fires shining
through the haze of desert dust, when an Arcid stroll

(01:10:00):
to his accustomed platform, already full. Four score men were
awaiting his arrival, reclining on their small rugs spread upon
the floor. More were still arriving. What shall we discuss
this night, Arcd inquired. After a brief hesitation, a tall
cloth weaver addressed him, arising, as was the custom, I

(01:10:22):
have a subject I would like to hear discussed, yet
hesitate to offer lest it seem ridiculous to you, Arcid
and my good friends. Here Upon being urged to offer
it both by Arcd and buy calls from the others,
he continued, this day I have been lucky, for I
have found a purse in which there are pieces of gold.
To continue to be lucky is my great desire. Feeling

(01:10:43):
that all men share with me this desire, I do
suggest we debate how to attract good luck, that we
may discover ways it can be enticed to one. A
most interesting subject has been offered, Arc had commented, one
most worthy of our discussion. To some men, good luck bespeaks,
but a chance happening now like an accident, may befall
one without purpose or reason. Others do believe that the

(01:11:05):
instigator of all good fortune is our most bounteous Goddess Ashta,
ever anxious to reward with generous gifts those who please her.
Speak up, my friends, what say you? Shall we seek
to find if there be means by which good luck
may be enticed to visit each and all of us? Yea, yea,
and much of it, responded the growing group of eager listeners. Thereupon,

(01:11:28):
Arc had continued to start our discussion. Let us first
hear from those among us who have enjoyed experiences similar
to that of the cloth weaver in finding or receiving,
without effort upon their part, valuable treasures or jewels. There
was a pause in which all looked about, expecting someone
to reply, But no one did what no one? Arc

(01:11:48):
had said, Then rare, indeed must be this kind of
good luck. Who now will offer a suggestion as to
where we shall continue our search? That I will do,
spoke a well robed young man. A right when a
man speaketh of luck? Is it not natural that his
thoughts turn to the gaming tables? Is it not there
we find many men courting the favor off the Goddess

(01:12:09):
and hope she will bless them with rich winnings. As
he resumed his seat of voice called do not stop
continue thy story? Tell us didst thou find favor with
the Goddess at the gaming tables? Did she turn the
cubes with red side up so thou filled thy purse
at the dealer's expense? Or did she permit the blue
sides to come up so the dealer raked in thy

(01:12:29):
heart earned pieces of silver. The young man joined the
good natured laughter, then replied, I am not averse to
admitting she seemed not to know I was even there.
But how about the rest of you? Have you found
her waiting about such places to roll the cubes in
your favor? We are eager to hear, as well as
to learn a WHI start broken arcid. We need here

(01:12:53):
to consider all sides of each question. To ignore the
gaming table would be to overlook an instinct common to
most men, the love of taking a chance with a
small amount of silver in the hope of winning much gold.
That doth remind me of the races. But yesterday, called
out another listener, If the Goddess frequents the gaming tables,
certainly she dost not overlook the races, where the gilded

(01:13:14):
chariots and the foaming horses offer far more excitement. Tell
us honestly, Arkid, didst she whisper to you to place
your bet upon those gray horses from ninevah? Yesterday? I
was standing just behind thee, and could scarce believe my
ears when I heard thee place thy bet upon the Grays.
Thou knowest as well as any of us, that no
team in all Assyria can beat our beloved bays in

(01:13:35):
a fair race? Didst the Goddess whisper in thy ear
to bet upon the grays? Because if the last turn
the inside black would stumble and so interfere with our Bays,
that the Grays would win the race and score an
unearned victory. Arcid smiled indulgently at the banter. What reason
have we to feel the good Goddess would take that
much interest in any man's bet upon a horse race?

(01:13:56):
To me, she is a goddess of love and dignity,
whose pleasure it is to aid them those who are
in need, and to reward those who are deserving. I
look to find her not at the gaming tables or
the races, where men lose more goal than they win,
but in other places, where the doings of men are
more worthwhile and more worthy of reward. In tilling the soil,
in honest trading. In all of man's occupations, there is

(01:14:17):
opportunity to make a profit upon his efforts and his transactions.
Perhaps not all the time will he be rewarded, because
sometimes his judgment may be faulty, and other times the
wins and the weather may defeat his efforts. Yet if
he persists, he may usually expect to realize his profit.
This is so because the chances of profit are always
in his favor. But when a man playeth the games,

(01:14:40):
the situation is reversed, for the chances of profit are
always against him, and always in favor of the gamekeeper.
The game is so arranged that it will always favor
the keeper. It is his business at which he plans
to make a liberal profit for himself from the coins
bet by the players. Few players realize how certain are
the gamekeeper's profits and how uncertain are their own chances

(01:15:01):
to win. For example, let us consider wagers placed upon
the cube. Each time it is cast, we bet which
side will be uppermost. If it be the red side,
the game master pays to us four times our bet,
but if any other of the five sides come uppermost,
we lose our bet. Thus, the figures show that for
each cast we have five chances to lose, but because

(01:15:23):
the red pays four for one, we have four chances
to win. In a night's play, the game master can
expect to keep for his profit one fifth of all
the coins wagered. Can a man expect to win more
than occasionally against odds so arranged that he should lose
one fifth of all his bets? Yet some men do
win large sums at times, volunteered one of the listeners,

(01:15:44):
Quite so they do, arc It continued. Realizing this, the
question comes to me whether money secured in such ways
brings permanent value to those who are thus lucky. Among
my acquaintances are many of the successful men of Babylon.
Yet among them I am unable to name a single
one who started his success from such a source. You,
who are gathered here tonight, know many more of our

(01:16:06):
substantial citizens. To me, it would be of much interest
to learn how many of our successful citizens can credit
the gaming tables with their start to success. Suppose each
of you tell of those you know what? Say you?
After a prolonged silence, A wag ventured, wouldst thy inquiry
include the gamekeepers? If you think of no one else?

(01:16:28):
Arc had responded. If not one of you can think
of anyone else, then how about yourselves? Are there any
consistent winners with us who hesitate to advise such a
source for their incomes? His challenge was answered by a
series of groans from the rear, taken up and spread
amid much laughter. It would seem we are not seeking
good luck in such places as the Goddess frequents, he continued. Therefore,

(01:16:52):
let us explore other fields. We have not founded in
picking up lost wallets. Neither have we found it hunting
the gaming tables. As to the races, I must confess
to have lost far more coins there than I have
ever won. Now, suppose we consider our trades and businesses.
Is it not natural, if we conclude a profitable transaction,

(01:17:14):
to consider it not good luck, but a just reward
for our efforts. I am inclined to think we may
be overlooking the gifts of the goddess. Perhaps she really
does assist us when we do not appreciate her generosity.
Who can suggest further discussion? Thereupon, an elderly merchant arose,
smoothing his genteel white robe, with thy permission, most honorable

(01:17:37):
arket In my friends, I offer a suggestion, if, as
you have sixty one said, we take credit to our
own industry and ability for our business success, why not
consider the successes we almost enjoyed, but which escaped us,
happenings which would have been most profitable. They would have
been rare examples of good luck if they had actually happened.
Because they were not brought to fulfillment, we cannot consider

(01:17:59):
them as our just reds. Surely many men here have
such experiences to relate. Here is a wise approach. Arc
it approved, who among you have had good luck within
your grasp only to see it escape? Many hands were
raised among them that of the merchant. Arc had motioned
to him to speak, as you suggested this approach, we

(01:18:21):
should like to hear first from you. I will gladly
relate a tale he resumed that doth illustrate, how closely
unto a man good luck may approach, and how blindly
he may permit it to escape, much to his loss
and later regret. Many years ago, when I was a
young man, just married and well started to earning, my
father did come one day and urge most strongly that
I enter in an investment. The son of one of

(01:18:44):
his good friends had taken notice of a barren tract
of land not far beyond the outer walls of our city.
It lay high above the canal, where no water could
reach it. The son of my father's friend devised a
plan to purchase this land, build three large water wheels
that could be operated by oxen, and thereby raise the
life giving waters to the fertile soil. This accomplished, he

(01:19:05):
planned to divide into small tracts and sell to the
residents of the city for herb patches. The son of
my father's friend did not possess sufficient sixty two gold
to complete such an undertaking. Like myself, he was a
young man earning a fair sum. His father, like mine,
was a man of large family and small means. He

(01:19:25):
therefore decided to interest a group of men to enter
the enterprise with him. The group was to comprise twelve
each of whom must be a money earner and agree
to pay one tenth of his earnings into the enterprise
until the land was made ready for sale. All would
then share justly in the profits in proportion to their investment. Thou,
my son, bespoke my father unto me art now in

(01:19:47):
thy young manhood. It is my deep desire that thou
begin the building of a valuable estate for myself, that
thou mayest become respected among men. I desire to see
thou profit from a knowledge of the thoughtless mistakes of
thy father. This do I most ardently desire. My father,
I replied, Then this do I advise. Do what I

(01:20:08):
should have done at thy age. From my earnings, keep
out one tenth to put into favorable investments. With this
one tenth of thy earnings, and what it will also earn,
thou canst before thou art my age, accumulate for thyself
a valuable estate. Thy words are words of wisdom, my
father greatly do I desire riches. Yet there are many

(01:20:30):
uses to which my earnings are called. Therefore do I
hesitate to do as thou dost advise. I am young.
There is plenty of time, so I thought at thy age. Yet. Behold,
many years have passed and I have not yet made
the beginning. We live in a different age, my father,

(01:20:50):
I shall avoid thy mistakes. Opportunity stands before thee. My son.
It is offering a chance that may lead to wealth.
I beg of thee. Do not delay. Go upon the
morrow to the son of my friend, and bargain with
him to pay ten percent of thy earnings into this investment.
Go promptly upon the morrow. Opportunity waits for no man. Today.

(01:21:14):
It is here, soon it is gone. Therefore delay not.
In spite of the advice of my father, I did hesitate.
There were beautiful new robes just brought by the tradesmen
from the east, robes of such richness and beauty. My
good wife and I felt we must each possess one.
Should I agree to pay one tenth of my earnings
into the enterprise, we must deprive ourselves of these and

(01:21:36):
other pleasures we dearly desired. I delayed making a decision
until it was too late, much to my subsequent regret.
The enterprise did prove to be more profitable than any
man had prophesied. This is my tale showing how I
did permit good luck to escape. In this tale we
see how good luck waits to come to that man
who accepts opportunity, commented a swarthy man of the desert.

(01:22:00):
To the building of an estate, there must always be
the beginning. That start may be a few pieces of
gold or silver, which a man diverts from his earnings
to his first investment. I myself am the owner of
many herds. The start of my herds I did begin
when I was a mere boy, and did purchase with
one piece of silver a young calf. This being the

(01:22:21):
beginning of my wealth, was of great importance to me.
To take his first start to building an estate is
as good luck as can come to any man. With
all men, that first step, which changes them from men
who earn from their own labor to men who draw
dividends from the earnings of their gold, is important. Some
fortunately take it when young, and thereby outstrip and financial success.

(01:22:42):
Those who do take it later were those unfortunate men,
like the father of this merchant, who never take it.
Had our friend the merchant taken this step in his
early manhood when this opportunity came to him this day,
he would be blessed with much more of this world's goods.
Should the good luck of our friend the cloth weaver
cause him to take such a step at this time,
it will indeed be but the beginning of much greater

(01:23:04):
good fortune. Thank you. I like to speak also, A
stranger from another country arose, I am a Syrian. Not
so well do I speak your tongue. I wish to
call this friend the merchant a name. Maybe you think
it not polite, this name, yet I wish to call

(01:23:25):
him that, But alas I not know your word for it.
If I do call it in Syrian, you will not understand. Therefore, please,
some good gentlemen, tell me the right name you call
man who puts off doing those things that mighty good
for him. Procrastinator called a voice. That's him, shouted the Syrian,

(01:23:45):
waving his hands excitedly. He accepts not opportunity when she comes,
he waits. He says, I have much business right now by,
and bye, I talk to you. Opportunity she will not
wait for such slow fellow. She thinks if a man
desires to be lucky, he will step quick. Any man
not step quick when opportunity comes. He big procrastinator, like

(01:24:08):
our friend, this merchant. The merchant arose and bowed good
naturedly in response to the laughter. My admiration to thee
stranger within our gates, who hesitates not to speak the truth,
and now let us hear another tale of opportunity, who
has for us another experience demanded arkid I have responded

(01:24:30):
a red robed man of middle age. I am a
buyer of animals, mostly camels and horses. Sometimes I do
also buy the sheep and goats. The tale I am
about to sixty five relate will tell truthfully how opportunity
came one night when I did least expect it. Perhaps
for this reason I did let it escape. Of this
you shall be the judge. Returning to the city one

(01:24:54):
evening after a disheartening ten days journey in search of camels,
I was much angered to find the gates of the
city closed in low. While my slaves spread our tent
for the night, which we look to spend with little
food and know i water. I was approached by an
elderly farmer, who, like ourselves, found himself locked outside. Honored sir,
he addressed me, from my appearance, I do judge thee

(01:25:15):
to be a buyer. If this be so much, would
I like to sell to thee the most excellent flock
of sheep just driven up. Alas my good wife lies
very sick with the fever, I must return with all
haste by thou my sheep, that I and my slaves
may mount our camels and travel back without delay. So
dark it was that I could not see his flock,

(01:25:36):
but from the bleeding I did know it must be large.
Having wasted ten days searching for camels I could not find,
I was glad to bargain with him. In his anxiety,
he did set a most reasonable price. I accepted, while
knowing my slaves could drive the flock through the city
gates in the morning and sell at a substantial profit.

(01:25:56):
The bargain concluded. I called my slaves to bring torches
that we might count the flock, which the farmer declared
to contain nine hundred. I shall not burden you, my friends,
with a description of our difficulty. In attempting to count
so many thirsty, restless, milling sheep. It proved to be
an impossible task. Therefore, I bluntly informed the farmer I

(01:26:16):
would count them at daylight and pay him. Then, Please,
most honorable sir, he pleaded, pay me but two thirds
of the price tonight, that I may be on my way,
I will leave my most intelligent and educated slave to
assist to make the count in the morning. He is
trustworthy into him, thou canst pay the balance. But I
was stubborn and refused to make payment that night. Next morning,

(01:26:39):
before I awoke, the city gates opened, and four buyers
rushed out in search of flocks. They were most eager
and willing to pay high prices, because the city was
threatened with siege and food was not plentiful. Nearly three
times the price at which he had offered the flock
to me did the old farmer receive for it? Thus
was rare good luck allowed to escape. Here is a

(01:27:01):
tale most unusual comment at arked, what wisdom doth it suggest?
The wisdom of making a payment immediately when we are
convinced our bargain is wise, suggested a venerable saddle maker.

(01:27:21):
If the bargain be good, then dost thou need protection
against thy own weaknesses as much as against any other man.
We mortals are changeable, alas I must say, more apt
to change our minds when right than wrong wrong. We
are stubborn, indeed right we are prone to vacillate and
let opportunity escape. My first judgment is my best. Yet

(01:27:44):
always have I found it difficult to compel myself to
proceed with a good bargain when made. Therefore, as a
protection against my own weaknesses, I do make a prompt
deposit thereon. This doth save me from later regrets for
the good luck that should have been mine. Thank you again,
I like to speak. The Syrian was upon his feet

(01:28:06):
once more. These tales much alike. Each time opportunity fly
away for same reason. Each time she come to procrastinator
bringing good plan, Each time they hesitate, not say right now,
best time, I do it quick? How can men succeed
that way? Wise are thy words? My friend responded the buyer.

(01:28:28):
Good luck fled from procrastination in both these tales. Yet
this is not unusual. The spirit of procrastination is within
all men. We desire riches. Yet how often, when opportunity
doth appear before us, that spirit of procrastination from within
doth urge various delays in our acceptance. In listening to it,

(01:28:49):
we do become our own worst enemies. In my younger days,
I did not know it by this long word. Our
friend from Syria doth enjoy. I did think at first
it was my own poor judgment that did cause me
loss of many profitable trades. Later, I did credit it
to my stubborn disposition. At last I did recognize it
for what it was, a habit of needless delaying where

(01:29:10):
action was required, action prompt and decisive. How I did
hate it when its true character stood revealed with the
bitterness of a while less hitched to a chariot. I
did break loose from this enemy to my success. Thank you,
I like ask question from mister merchant. The Syrian was speaking.

(01:29:31):
You wear fine robes, not like those of poor man.
You speak like successful man. Tell us, do you listen
now when procrastination whispers in your ear? Like our friend
the buyer, I also had to recognize and conquer procrastination,
responded the merchant to me. It proved to be an enemy,
ever watching and waiting to thwart my accomplishments. The tale

(01:29:54):
I did relate is but one of many similar instances
I could tell to show how it drove away my opportunities.
Tis not difficult to conquer. Once understood, no man willingly
permits the thief to rob his bins of grain. Nor
does any man willingly permit an enemy to drive away
his customers and rob him of his profits. When once
I did recognize that such acts as these my enemy

(01:30:17):
was committing with determination, I conquered him. So must every
man master his own spirit of procrastination before he can
expect to share in the rich treasures of Babylon? What
sayest Arcid, Because thou art the richest man in Babylon,
many do proclaim thee tobe the luckiest. Dost agree with
me that no man can arrive at a full measure

(01:30:38):
of success until he hath completely crushed the spirit of
procrastination within him. It is, even as thou sayest arc It, admitted,
during my long life I have watched generation following generation
marching forward along those avenues of trade, science, and learning
that lead to success in life. Opportunities came to all
these men. Some grasp theirs and moved steadily to the

(01:31:00):
gratification of their deepest desires, but the majority hesitated, faltered,
and fell behind. Arc had turned to the cloth weaver.
Thou didst suggest that we debate good luck. Let us
hear what thou now thinkest upon the subject I do
see good luck in a different light. I had thought
of it as something most desirable that might happen to

(01:31:22):
a man without effort upon his part. Now I do
realize such happenings are not the sort of thing one
may attract to himself. From our discussion, have I learned
that to attract good luck to oneself it is necessary
to take advantage of opportunities. Therefore, in the future I
shall endeavor to make the best of such opportunities as
do come to me. Thou hast well grasped the truths

(01:31:44):
brought forth in our discussion, Ark had replied, good luck,
we do find often follows opportunity, but seldom comes Otherwise.
Our merchant friend would have found great good luck had
he accepted the opportunity the good goddess did present to him.
Our friend, the buyer, likewise, would have enjoyed good luck
had he completed the purchase of the flock and sold
at such a handsome prophet. We did pursue this discussion

(01:32:08):
to find a means by which good luck could be
enticed to us. I feel that we have found the way.
Both the tales did illustrate how good luck follows opportunity
herein lies a truth that many similar tales of good
luck one are lost could not change. The truth is
this good luck can be enticed by accepting opportunity. Those

(01:32:30):
eager to grasp opportunities for their betterment do attract the
interest of the good Goddess. She is ever anxious to
aid those who please her. Men of action please her
best action will lead thee forward to the successes. Thou
dost desire. Men of action are favored by the Goddess
of good luck. Chapter five, The Five Laws of Gold.

(01:32:54):
A bag heavy with gold, or a clay tablet carved
with words of wisdom, if thou hadst thy choice, which
wouldstut shoes? By the flickering light from the fire of
desert shrubs, the sun tanned faces of the listeners gleamed
with interest the gold the gold chorused the twenty seven
old Kalabab smiled knowingly. Hark he resumed, raising his hand.

(01:33:18):
Hear the wild dogs out there in the night. They
howl and wail because they are lean with hunger. Yet
feed them? And what do they fight? And strut? Then
fight and strut some more, giving no thought to the
morrow that will surely come. Just so it is with
the sons of men. Give them a choice of gold

(01:33:38):
and wisdom. What do they do? Ignore the wisdom and
waste the gold? On the morrow they wail because they
have no more gold. Gold is reserved for those who
know its laws and abide by them. Kalabab drew his
white robe close about his lean legs for a cool night.
Wind was blowing. Because thou hast served faithfully upon our

(01:34:01):
long journey, because thou cared well for my camels, because
thou twilt uncomplainingly across the hot sands of the desert,
because thou fought bravely the robbers that sought to despoil
my merchandise. I will tell thee this night the tale
of the five laws of Gold, such a tale as
thou never hast heard before. Harkye with deep attention to
the words I speak, for if you grasp their meaning
and heed them in the days that come, thou shalt

(01:34:22):
have much gold. He paused impressively above in a canopy
of blue, the stars shone brightly in the crystal clear
skies of Babylonia. Behind the group loomed their faded tents,
tightly staked against possible desert storms. Beside the tents were
neatly stacked bales of merchandise covered with skins. Nearby, the

(01:34:42):
camel herd sprawled in the sand, some chewing their cuds contentedly,
others snoring in horse discord. Thou hast told us many
good tales. Klabab spoke up the Chief Packer. We look
to thy wisdom to guide us upon the morrow, when
our service with THEE shall be at an end. I
have I told THEE of my adventures in strange and
distant lands. But this night I shall tell THEE of

(01:35:04):
the wisdom of Arcid, the wise rich man. Much have
we heard of him, acknowledged the chief Packer, for he
was the richest man that ever lived in Babylon, the
richest man he was, and that because Bee was wise
in the ways of gold, even as no man had
ever been before him. This night shall I tell you
of his great wisdom, as it was told to me
by no Maser, his son, many years ago in Nineveh,

(01:35:26):
when I was but a lad. My master and myself
had tarried long into the night in the palace of
no Meser. I had helped my master bring great bundles
of fine rugs, each one to be tried by no
maser until his choice of colors was satisfied. At last,
he was well pleased, and commanded us to sit with
him and to drink a rare vintage, odorous to the
nostrils and most warming to my stomach, which was unaccustomed

(01:35:48):
to such a drink. Then did he tell us this
tale of the great wisdom of Arcid his father, even
as I shall tell it to you. In Babylon, it
is the custom, as you know, that the sons of
if wealthy fathers live with their parents in expectation of
inheriting the estate. Arkd did not approve of this custom. Therefore,
when Nomasa reached Man's estate, he sent for the young

(01:36:11):
man and addressed him, my son. It is my desire
that thou succeed to my estate. Thou must, however, first
prove that thou art capable of wisely handling it. Therefore,
I wish that thou go out into the world and
show thy ability both to acquire gold and to make
thyself respected among men. To start THEE well, I will

(01:36:31):
give thee two things of which I myself was denied
when I started as a poor youth, to build up
a fortune. First, I give THEE this bag of gold.
If thou use it wisely, it will be the basis
of thy future success. Second, I give THEE this clay tablet,
upon which has carved the five laws of gold. If
thou dost but interpret them in thy own acts, they

(01:36:53):
shall bring THEE competence and security. Ten years from this day,
Come now back to the house of thy father, and
give account of thyself. If thou prove worthy, I will
then make THEE the heir to my estate. Otherwise I
will give it to the priests, that they may barter
for my soul the land consideration of the gods. So
Nomser went forth to make his own way, taking his

(01:37:15):
bag of gold, the clay tablet carefully wrapped in silken cloth,
his slave, and the horses upon which they rode. The
ten years passed, and no Maser, as he had agreed,
returned to the house of his father, who provided a
great feast in his honour, to which he invited many
friends and relatives. After the feast was over, the father
and mother mounted their throne like seats at one side

(01:37:35):
of the great hall, and Nomaeser stood before them to
give an account of himself, as he had promised his father.
It was evening. The room was hazy with smoke from
the wicks of the oil lamps that but dimly lighted it.
Slaves in white woven jackets and tunics spanned the humid
air rhythmically with long stemmed palm leaves. A stately dignity
colored the scene. The wife of Nomser and his two

(01:37:58):
young sons, with friends and other members of the family,
sat upon ruggs behind him, eager listeners. My father, he
began deferentially. I bowed before thy wisdom ten years ago,
when I stood at the gates of manhood, Thou bade
me go forth and become a man among men, instead
of remaining a vassal to thy fortune. Thou gave me
liberally of thy gold. Thou gave me liberally of thy wisdom.

(01:38:23):
Of the gold. Alas I must admit of a disastrous handling.
It fled indeed from my inexperienced hands, even as a
wild hair fleas at the first opportunity from the youth
who captures it. The father smiled, indulgently, continue, my son,
thy tail interests me in all its details. I decided

(01:38:45):
to go to Nineveh as it was a growing city.
Believing that I might find their opportunities, I joined a caravan,
and among its members made numerous friends. Two well spoken
men who had a most beautiful white horse, as fleet
as the wind were among these. As we journeyed, they
told me in confidence that in Nineveh was a wealthy
man who owned a horse so swift that it had

(01:39:06):
never been beaten. Its owner believed that no horse living
could run with greater speed. Therefore, would he wager any
some however large, that his horse could outspeed any horse
in all Babylonia compared to their horse. So my friends
said it was but a lumbering ass that could be
beaten with ease. They offered as a great favor to
permit me to join them in a wager. I was

(01:39:28):
quite carried away with the plan, Our horse was badly beaten,
and I lost much of my gold. The father laughed.
Later I discovered that this was a deceitful plan of
these men, and they constantly journeyed with caravans seeking victims.
You see, the man in Nineveh was their partner and
shared with them the bets he won. This shrewd deceit

(01:39:50):
taught me my first lesson in looking out for myself.
I was soon to learn another equally bitter. In the
caravan was another young man with whom I, Dica came
quite friendly. He was the son of wealthy parents, and,
like myself, journeying to Nineveh to find a suitable location.
Not long after our arrival, he told me that a
merchant had died and his shop, with its rich merchandise

(01:40:13):
and patronage, could be secured at a paltry price, saying
that we would be equal partners, but first he must
return to Babylon to secure his gold. He prevailed upon
me to purchase the stock with my gold, agreeing that
his would be used later to carry on our venture.
He long delayed the trip to Babylon, proving in the
meantime to be an unwise buyer and a foolish spender.

(01:40:33):
I finally put him out, but not before the business
had deteriorated to where we had only unsaleable goods and
no gold to buy other goods. I sacrificed what was
left to an Israelite for a pitiful sum. Soon there followed,
I tell you my father bitter days. I sought employment
and found it, not for I was without trade or
training that would enable me to earn. I sold my horses,

(01:40:57):
I sold my slave, I sold my extra robes that
I might have food in a place to sleep. But
each day grim want crouched closer. But in those bitter
days I remembered thy confidence in me. My father, Thou
hadst sent me forth to become a man, and this
I was determined to accomplish. The mother buried her face
and wept softly. At this time I bethought me of

(01:41:20):
the table thou had given to me, upon which thou
hauld carved the Five Laws of Gold. Thereupon I read
most carefully thy words of wisdom, and realized that had
I but sought wisdom first, my gold would not have
been lost to me. I learned by heart each law,
and determined that when once more the Goddess of good
fortune smiled upon me, I would be guided by the
wisdom of age, and not by the inexperience of youth.

(01:41:43):
For the benefit of you who are seated here this night,
I will read the wisdom of my father, as engraved
upon the clay tablet which he gave to me ten
years ago, the Five Laws of gold. Gold cometh gladly
in an increasing quantity to any man who will put
by not less than one tenth of his erarn to
create an estate for his future and that of his family.

(01:42:03):
Gold labereth diligently and contentedly for the wise owner who
finds for it profitable employment, multiplying even as the flocks
of the field. Gold clingeth to the protection of the
cautious owner, who invests it under the advice of men
wise in its handling. Gold slippeth away from the man
who invests it in businesses or purposes with which he
is not familiar, or which are not approved by those

(01:42:25):
skilled in its keep. Gold flees the man who would
force it to impossible earnings, or who followeth the alluring
advice of tricksters and schemers, or who trusts it to
his own inexperience and romantic desires in investment. These are
the five laws of gold, is written by my father.
I do proclaim them as of greater value than gold itself,
as I will show by the continuance of my tale.

(01:42:48):
He again faced his father. I have told thee of
the depth of poverty and despair to which my inexperience
brought me. However, there is no chain of disasters that
will not come to an end. Mine came when I
secured employment managing a crew of slaves working upon the
new outer wall of the city. Profiting from my knowledge
of the first law of gold, I saved a copper

(01:43:10):
from my first earnings, adding to it at every opportunity
until I had a piece of silver. It was a
slow procedure, for one must live. I did spend grudgingly,
I admit, because I was determined to earn back before
the ten years were over, as much gold as you
my father had given to me. One day, the slave
master with whom I had become quite friendly, said to me,

(01:43:32):
thou art a thrifty youth who spends not wantonly what
he earns. Hast thou gold put by that is not earning? Yes,
I replied, it is my greatest desire to accumulate gold
to replace the which my father gave to me and
which I have lost. Tis a worthy ambition I will grant.
And do you know that the gold which you have
saved can work for you and earn much more gold?

(01:43:54):
Alas my experience has been bitter, for my father's gold
has fled from me and I and much fear lest
my own do the same. If thou hast confidence in me,
I will give thee a lesson in the profitable handling
of gold. He replied. Within a year the outer wall
will be complete and ready for the great gates of
bronze that will be built at each entrance to protect

(01:44:14):
the city from the king's enemies. In all Nineveh, there
is not enough metal to make these gates, and the
king has not thought to provide it. Here is my plan.
A group of us will pool our gold and send
a caravan to the minds of copper and tin, which
are distant, and bring to Nineveh the medal for the gates.
When the King says make the great gates, we alone
can supply the medal and a rich price he will pay.

(01:44:37):
If the King will not buy from us, we will
yet have the medal, which can be sold for a
fair price. In his offer, I recognized an opportunity to
abide by the third Law and invest my savings under
the guidance of wise men. Nor was I disappointed. Our
pool was a success, and my small store of gold
was greatly increased by the transaction. In due time, I

(01:44:59):
was accepted as a member of this same group and
other ventures. They were men wise in the profitable handling
of gold. They talked over each plan presented with great
care before entering upon it. They would take no chance
on losing their principle or tying it up, and improfitable
investments from which their gold could not be recovered. Such
foolish things as the horse race and the partnership into

(01:45:22):
which I had entered with my inexperience would have had
scant consideration with them. They would have immediately pointed out
their weaknesses. Through my association with these men, I learned
to safely invest gold to bring profitable returns. As the
years went on, my treasure increased more and more rapidly.
I not only made back as much as I lost,

(01:45:43):
but much more. Through my misfortunes, my trials, and my
success I have tested time and again the wisdom of
the Five Laws of gold, my father, and have proven
them true in every test. To him who was without
knowledge of the five laws, gold comes not often and
goeth away quickly. But to him who abide by the
five laws, gold comes and works as his dutiful slave.

(01:46:06):
No macer ceased speaking in motion to a slave in
the back of the room. The slave brought forward, one
at a time, three heavy leather bags. One of these
no Macer took and placed upon the floor before his father,
addressing him again, thou didst give to me a bag
of gold, babble on gold, behold in its place. I
do return to THEE a bag of nin of a

(01:46:27):
gold of equal weight, in equal exchange. As all will agree,
thou didst give to me a clay tablet inscribed with wisdom,
Behold in its stead, I do return two bags of gold,
so saying, he took from the slave the other two bags,
and likewise placed them upon the floor before his father.
This I do to prove to THEE, my father, of

(01:46:48):
how much greater value I consider thy wisdom than thy gold.
Yet who can measure in bags of gold the value
of wisdom. Without wisdom, gold is quickly lost by those
who have it. But with wisdom, gold can be secured
by those who have it. Not, as these three bags
of gold do prove it, does indeed give to me
the deepest satisfaction, my father, to stand before THEE and

(01:47:10):
say that because of thy wisdom I have been able
to become rich and respected before men. The father placed
his hand fondly upon the head of no Maser. Thou
hast learned well thy lessons, and I am indeed fortunate
to have a son to whom I may entrust my wealth.
Kalibab seized his tale and looked critically at his listeners.

(01:47:30):
What means this to thee, this tale of no Macer,
He continued, Who amongst thee can go to thy father
or to the father of thy wife and give an
account of wise handling of his earnings? What would these
venerable men think? Were you to say, I have traveled much,
and learned much, and labored much, and earn much. Yet
alas of gold, I have little, some I spend wisely,
some I spend foolishly, and much I lost in unwise ways.

(01:47:54):
Dost still think it but an inconsistency of faith that
some men have much gold and others have not. Then you, err,
men have much gold when they know the five laws
of gold and abide thereby. Because I learned these five
laws in my youth and abided by them, I have
become a wealthy merchant. Not by some strange magic did
I accumulate my wealth. Wealth that comes quickly goeth the

(01:48:18):
same way, wealth that stayeth to give enjoyment and satisfaction
to its owner comes gradually because it is a child
born of knowledge and persistent purpose. To earn wealth is
but a slight burden upon the thoughtful man. Bearing the
burden consistently from year to year accomplishes the final purpose.
The five laws of gold offer to the a rich

(01:48:40):
reward for their observance. Each of these five laws is
rich with meaning. Unless thou overlook this in the briefness
of my tale, I will now repeat them. I do
know them each by heart, because in my youth I
could see their value and would not be content until
I knew them word for word. The first law of gold,
gold cometh gladly and an increasing quantity to any man

(01:49:01):
who will put by not less than one tenth of
his earnings to create an estate for his future and
that of his family. Any man who will put by
one tenth of his earnings consistently and invested wisely, will
surely create a valuable estate that will provide an income
for him in the future, in further guarantee safety for
his family in case the gods call him to the
world of darkness. This law always saith that gold cometh

(01:49:22):
gladly to such a man. I can truly certify this
in my own life. The more gold I accumulate, the
more readily it comes to me, and in increased quantities,
the gold which I save earns more even is yours will,
and its earnings earn more. And this is the working
out of the first law. The second law of gold.

(01:49:43):
Gold labereth diligently and contentedly for the wise owner who
finds for it profitable employment, multiplying even as the flocks
of the field. Gold indeed is a willing worker. It
is ever eager to multiply when opportunity presents itself to
every man who hath a store of gold set by
opportunity comes for its most profitable use. As the years pass,

(01:50:07):
it multiplies itself in surprising fashion. The third law of
gold gold clingeth to the protection of the cautious owner
who invests it under the advice of men wise in
its handling. Gold indeed clingeth to the cautious owner, even
as it flees the careless owner. The man who seeks
the advice of men wise in handling gold soon learneth

(01:50:29):
not to jeopardize his treasure, but to preserve in safety
and to enjoy in contentment its consistent increase. The fourth
law of gold, gold slippeth away from the man who
invests it in businesses or purposes with which he is
not familiar, or which are not approved by those skilled
in its keep to the man who hath gold yet
is not skilled in its handling. Many uses for it

(01:50:50):
appear most profitable. Too often these are fraught with danger
of loss, and, if properly analyzed by wise men, show
small possibility of profit. Therefore, the inexperienced owner of gold,
who trusts to his own judgment and invests it in
business or purposes with which he is not familiar, too
often finds his judgment imperfect, and pays with his treasure

(01:51:10):
for his inexperience. Wise indeed, is he who investeth his
treasures under the advice of men skilled in the ways
of gold. The fifth law of gold. Gold flees the
man who would force it to impossible earnings, or who
followeth the alluring advice of tricksters and schemers, or who
trusts it to his own inexperience and romantic desires. In investment,

(01:51:32):
fanciful propositions that thrill like adventure tales always come to
the new owner of gold. These appear to endow his
treasure with magic powers that will enable it to make
impossible earnings. Yet, Hiji, the wise men, for verily they
know the risks that lurk behind every plan to make
great wealth. Suddenly forget not the rich men of Nineveho

(01:51:52):
would take no chance of losing their principle or tying
it up and improfitable investments. This ends my tale of
the Five Laws of Gold. In telling it to thee,
I have told the secrets of my own success. Yet
they are not secrets, but truths which every man must
first learn and then follow who wishes to step out
of the multitude that, like you, wild dogs, must worry

(01:52:13):
each day for food to eat. Tomorrow we enter Babylon.
Look see the fire that burns eternal above the temple
of Bell. We are already in sight of the golden city.
Tomorrow each of thee shall have gold, the gold boust
so well earned by thy faithful services ten years from

(01:52:33):
this night. What can you tell about this gold? If
there be men among you who, like no macer will
use a portion of their gold to start for themselves
in a state and be thenceforth wisely guided by the
wisdom of Arcid. Ten years from now tis a safe wager.
Like the son of Arcid, they will be rich and
respected among men. Our wise acts accompany us through life,
to please us and to help us, just as surely

(01:52:56):
our unwise acts follow us to plague and torment us,
alas they cannot be forgotten. In the front rank of
the torments that do follow us are the memories of
the things we should have done, of the opportunities which
came to us and we took. Not rich are the
treasures of Babylon so rich no man can count their
value in pieces of gold. Each year they grow richer

(01:53:18):
and more valuable. Like the treasures of every land. They
are a reward, a rich reward awaiting those men of
purpose who determine to secure their just share. In the
strength of thine own desires. Is a magic power. Guide
this power with thy knowledge of the five laws of gold,
and thou shall share the treasures of Babylon. Chapter six.

(01:53:39):
The gold lender of Babylon fifty pieces of gold never
before had rodden. The spear maker of old Babylon carried
so much gold in his leather wallet, happily down the
King's highway from the palace of his most liberal majesty.
He strode cheerfully. The gold clinked as the wallet at
his belt swayed with each step, the sweetest music he

(01:54:02):
had ever heard, fifty pieces of gold all his He
could hardly realize his good fortune. What power in those
clinking discs. They could purchase anything he wanted, a grand house, land, cattle, camels, horses, chariots,

(01:54:29):
whatever he might desire. What use should he make of it?
This evening, as he turned into a side street towards
the home of his sister, he could think of nothing
he would rather possess than those same, glittering, heavy pieces
of gold his to keep. It was upon an evening
some days later that a perplexed Rowden entered the shop
of mathon the lender of golden dealer in jewels and

(01:54:49):
rare fabrics. Glancing neither to the right nor the left
at the colorful articles artfully displayed, he passed through to
the living quarters at the rear. Here he found the
genteel Mathin lounging upon a rug, partaking of a meal
served by a black slave. I would counsel with thee,
for I know not what to do. Rawdon stood stolidly

(01:55:11):
feet apart, hairy breast exposed by the gaping front of
his leather jacket. Mathan's narrow, sallow face smiled a friendly greeting,
What indiscretions hast thou done? That thou shouldst seek the
lender of gold? Hast been unlucky at the gaming table?
Or hath some plump dame entangled thee? For many years

(01:55:31):
have I known thee? Yet never hast thou sought me
to aid thee in thy troubles? No, no, not such
as that. I seek no gold. Instead I crave thy
wise advice. Here here, what this man doth say? No
one comes to the lender of gold for advice? My

(01:55:54):
ears must play me false? They listen true? Can this
be so? Radden? The spearmaker doth display more cunning than
all the rest, For he comes to Mathon not for gold,
but for advice. Many men come to me for gold
to pay for their follies. But as for advice they
wanted not Yet who is more able to advise than

(01:56:15):
the lender of gold, of whom many men come in trouble?
Thou shalt eat with me rowden, He continued, Thou shalt
be my guest for the evening, And all he commanded
of the black slave, draw up a rag for my
friend rodden, the spearmaker, who comes for advice, he shall
be mine honored guest. Bring to him much food, and

(01:56:35):
get for him my largest cup. Choose well of the
best wine, that he may have satisfaction in the drinking.
Now tell me what troubles thee. It is the king's gift,
the king's gift. The King did make thee a gift,
and it gives thee trouble what manner of gift? Because

(01:56:56):
he was much pleased with the design, I did submit
to him for a new point on the spears of
the royal guard. He did present me with fifty pieces
of gold. And now I am much perplexed. I am beseeched.
Each hour the sun doth travel across the sky by
those who would share it with me. That is natural.
More men want gold than have it, and would wish
one who comes by it easily to divide. But can

(01:57:18):
you not say no? Is thou will not as strong
as thy fist? To many I can say no, Yet
sometimes it would be easier to say yes. Can one
refuse to share with one's sister, to whom he is
deeply devoted. Surely, thy own sister would not wish to
deprive THEE of enjoying thy reward. But it is for
the sake of Ariman, her husband, whom she wishes to

(01:57:41):
see a rich merchant. She does feel that he has
never had a chance, since she beseeches me to loan
to him this gold, that he may become a prosperous
merchant and repay me from his profits. My friend resumed,
mathan 'tis a worthy subject. Thou bringest to discuss. Gold
bringeth unto its possessor, responsibility and a change position with
his fellow men. It bringeth fear lest he lose it

(01:58:04):
or it be tricked away from him. It bringeth a
feeling of power and ability to do good. Likewise, it
bringeth opportunities whereby his very good intentions may bring him
into difficulties. Didst ever hear of the farmer of Nineveh
who could understand the language of animals? I what not?
For tis not the kind of tailmen like to tell

(01:58:24):
over the bronze caster's forge. I will tell it to thee,
for thou shouldst know that to borrowing and lending there
is more than the passing of gold from the hands
of one to the hands of another. This farmer, who
could understand what the animals said to each other, did
linger in the farm yard each evening just to listen
to their words. One evening he did hear the ox
bemoaning to the ask the hardness of his lot. I

(01:58:46):
do labor pulling the plow from morning until night, no
matter how eighty seven hot the day, or how tired
my legs, or how the bow doth chafe my neck.
Still must I work. But you are a creature of leisure.
You are trapped with a colorful blanket, and do nothing
more than carry our master about where he wishes to go.
When he goes nowhere, you do rest and eat the

(01:59:06):
green grass all the day. Now, the ass, in spite
of his vicious heels, was a goodly fellow. When sympathized
with the ox, My good friend, he replied, you do
work very hard, and I would help ease your lot. Therefore,
will I tell you how you may have a day
of rest. In the morning, when the slave comes to
fetch you to the plow, lie upon the ground in below,

(01:59:28):
much that he may say you are sick and cannot work.
So the ox took the advice of the ass, and
the next morning the slave returned to the farmer and
told him the ox was sick and could not pull
the plow. Then said the farmer, hitch the ass to
the plow, for the plowing must go on all that day.
The ass, who had only intended to help his friend,
found himself compelled to do the ox's task. When night

(01:59:51):
came and he was released from the plow, his heart
was bitter, and his legs were weary, and his neck
was sore where the bow had chafed it. The farmer
lingered in the barnyard till listen, the ox began. First,
you are my good friend. Because of your wise advice,
I have enjoyed a day of rest. And I retorted
the ass am like many another simple hearted one who

(02:00:13):
starts to help a friend and ends up by doing
his task for him. Here after, you draw your own plow.
For I did hear the master tell the slave to
send for the butcher where you sick? Again? I wish
he would, for you are a lazy fellow. Thereafter they
spoke to each other no more This ended their friendship.
Canst thou tell the moral to this tale. Rowden tis

(02:00:35):
a good tale, responded Rotten. But I see not the moral.
I thought not that you would. But it is there
and simple too. Just this. If you desire to help
thy friend, do so in a way that will not
bring thy friend's burdens upon myself. I had not thought
of that. It is a wise moral. I wish not

(02:00:56):
to assume the burdens of my sister's husband. But tell
me you lend to many, do not the borrowers repay?
Mathan smiled. The smile of one whose soul is rich
with much experience could alone be well made. If the
borrower cannot repay, must not the lender be wise and
judge carefully whether his gold can perform a useful purpose

(02:01:18):
to the borrower and return to him once more, or
whether it will be wasted by one unable to use
it wisely, and leave him without his treasure, and leave
the borrower with a debt he cannot repay. I will
show to thee the tokens in my token chest, and
let them tell thee some of their stories. Into the room,
he brought a chest as long as his arm, covered
with red pigskin and ornamented with bronze designs. He placed

(02:01:40):
it upon the floor and squatted before it, both hands
upon the lid. From each person to whom I lend,
I do exact a token for my token chest to
remain there until the loan is repaid. When they repay,
I give back. But if they never repay, it will
always remind me of one who was not faithful to
my confidence. The safest lafe loans, my token box tells me,

(02:02:01):
are to those whose possessions are of more value than
the one they desire. They own lands, or jewels, or camels,
or other things which could be sold to repay the loan.
Some of the tokens given to me are jewels of
more value than the loan. Others are promises that if
the loan be not repaid as agreed, they will deliver
to me certain property settlement on loans like those, I

(02:02:23):
am assured that my gold will be returned with the
rental thereon, for the loan is based on property. In
another class are those who have the capacity to earn.
They are such as you, who labor or serve and
are paid. They have income, and if they are honest
and suffer no misfortune, I know that They also can
repay the gold I loan them, and the rental to
which I am entitled. Such loans are based on human effort.

(02:02:48):
Others are those who have neither property nor assured earning capacity.
Life is hard, and there will always be some who
cannot adjust themselves to it. Alas for the loans I
make them, even though they be no larger than a pance,
my token box may censure me in the years to come,
unless they be guaranteed by good friends of the borrower
who know him. Honorable Mathan released the clasp and opened

(02:03:09):
the lid. Rawdon leaned forward eagerly. At the top of
the chest, a bronze neck piece lay upon a scarlet cloth.
Mathan picked up the piece and patted it affectionately. This
shall always remain in my token chest, because the owner
has passed on into the great darkness. I treasure it
his token, and I treasure his memory, for he was

(02:03:31):
my good friend. We traded together with much success, until
out of the east he brought a woman to wed,
beautiful but not like our women, a dazzling creature. He
spent his gold lavishly to gratify her desires. He came
to me in ninety distress when his gold was gone.
I counseled with him. I told him I would help

(02:03:52):
him to once more master his own affairs. He swore,
by the sign of the Great Bull that he would,
but it was not to. In a quarrel, she thrust
a knife into the heart. He dared her to pierce,
and she questioned Rowden, Yes, of course this was hers.
He picked up the scarlet cloth. In bitter remorse, she

(02:04:15):
threw herself into the euphrates. These two loans will never
be repaid. The chest tells you, Rawden, that humans in
the throes of great emotions are not safe risks for
the gold lender. Here, now this is different. He reached
for a ring carved a box bone. This belongs to
a farmer. I buy the rugs of his women. The

(02:04:39):
locusts came, and they had not food. I helped him,
and when the new crop came, he repaid me. Later
he came again and told of strange goats in a
distant land, as described by a traveler. They had long hair,
so fine and soft, and would weave into rugs more
beautiful than any ever seen in Babylon. He wanted a herd,
but he had no money, so I did I'd lend

(02:05:00):
him gold to make the journey and bring back goats.
Now his hurd is begun, and next year I shall
surprise the lords of Babylon with the most expensive rugs
it has been their good fortune to buy. Soon I
must return his ring. He doth insist on repaying promptly.
Some borrowers do that, queried Roden. If they borrow for

(02:05:21):
purposes that bring money back to them, I find it so.
But if they borrow because of their indiscretions, I warn
thee to be cautious. If thou wouldst ever have thy
gold back in hand. Again, tell me about this, requested Roden,
picking up a heavy gold bracelet, inset with jewels and
rare designs. The women do appeal to my good friend,
bantered Mathan. I am still much younger than you, retorted Roden.

(02:05:46):
I grant that. But this time thou dost suspicion romance
where it is not the owner of this is fat
and wrinkled, and doth talk so much and say so little.
She drives me mad. Once they had much money and
were good customers, but ill times came upon them. She
has a son of whom she would make a merchant.
So she came to me in borrow gold, that he
might become a partner of a caravan owner who travels

(02:06:08):
with his camel's bartering in one city what he buys
in another. This man proved a rascal, for he left
the poor boy in a distant city without money and
without friends, pulling out early while the youth slept. Perhaps
when this youth has grown to manhood, he will repay.
Until that I get no rental for the loan, only
much talk. But I do admit the jewels are worthy

(02:06:29):
of the loan. Did this lady ask thy advice as
to the wisdom of the loan? Quite otherwise? She had
pictured to herself this son of hers as a wealthy
and powerful man of Babylon. To suggest the contrary was
to infuriate her. A fair rebuke I had. I knew
the risk for this inexperienced boy, but as she offered security,

(02:06:51):
I could not refuse her. This continued Mathan, waving a
bit of pack rope tied into a knot belongs to
Nevader the camel trader. When he would buy a herd
larger than his funds, he brings to me this not,
and I lend to him according to his needs. He
is a wise trader. I have confidence in his good
judgment and can lend him freely. Many other merchants of

(02:07:14):
Babylon have my confidence because of their honorable behavior. Their
ninety two tokens come and go frequently in my token box.
Good merchants are an asset to our city, and it
profits me to aid them to keep trade moving, that
Babylon be prosperous. Mathon picked out a beetle carved in
turquoise and tossed it contemptuously on the floor, a bug

(02:07:35):
from Egypt. The lad who owns this does not care
whether I ever receive back my gold. When I reproach him,
he replies, how can I repay? When il fate pursues me?
You have plenty more? What can I do? The token
is his father's, a worthy man of small means, who
did pledge his land and heard to back his son's enterprises.

(02:07:56):
The youth found success at first, and then was over
zealous to gain great wealth. His knowledge was immature, his
enterprises collapsed. Youth is ambitious. Youth would take shortcuts to
wealth and the desirable things for which it stands to
secure wealth quickly, Youth often borrows unwisely. Youth, never having

(02:08:18):
had experience, cannot realize that hopeless debt is like a
deep pit into which one may descend quickly, and where
one may struggle vainly for many days. It is a
pit of sorrow and regrets, where the brightness of the
sun is overcast in night, is made unhappy by restless sleeping.
Yet I do not discourage borrowing gold. I encourage it,

(02:08:39):
I recommend it if it be for a wise purpose.
I myself made my first real success as a merchant
with borrow gold. Yet what should the lender do in
such a case. The youth is in despair and accomplishes nothing.
He is discouraged, He makes no effort to repay. My
heart turns against the father of his land and cattle.

(02:09:03):
You tell me much that I am interested to hear
ventured rawden, But I hear no answer to my question.
Should I lend my fifty pieces of gold to my
sister's husband? They mean much to me. My sister is
a sterling woman whom I do much esteem. Should her
husband come to me and ask to borrow fifty pieces
of gold, I should ask him for what purpose he

(02:09:24):
would use it. If he answered that he desired to
become a merchant like myself and deal in jewels and
rich furnishings, I would say, what knowledge have you of
the ways of trade? Do you know where you can
buy at lowest cost? Do you know where you can
sell at a fair price? Could he say yes to
these questions? No, he could not. Rawdon admitted he has

(02:09:48):
helped me much in making spears, and he has helped
some in the shops. Then what I say to him
that his purpose was not wise? Merchants must learn their trade,
His ambition the world worthy is not practical, and I
would not lend him any gold. But supposing he could say, yes,
I have helped merchants much. I know how to travel

(02:10:09):
to Smyrna and to buy it low cost, the rugs
the housewives weave. I also know many of the rich
people of Babylon, to whom I can sell these at
a large profit. Then I would say, your purpose is
wise and your ambition honorable. I shall be glad to
lend you the fifty pieces of gold if you can
give me security that they will be returned. But what
he say, I have no security other than that I

(02:10:31):
am an honored man and will pay you well for
the loan. Then would I reply, I treasure much each
piece of gold. Were the robbers to take it from
you as you journey to Smyrna, or take the rugs
from you as you returned, then you would have no
means of repaying me, and my gold would be gone. Gold.
You see, Rowden, is the merchandise of the lender of money.

(02:10:51):
It is easy to lend. If it is lent unwisely,
then it is ninety four difficult to get back. The
wise lender wishes not the risk of the undertaking, but
the guarantee of safe repayment. Tis Well, he continued, to
assist those that are in trouble, tis well, to help
those upon whom fate has laid a heavy hand, tis well,
to help those who are starting, that they may progress

(02:11:13):
and become valuable citizens. But help must be given wisely,
lest like the farmer's ass in our desire to help,
we but take upon ourselves the burden that belongs to another. Again,
I wandered from thy question, Rowden, But hear my answer.
Keep thy fifty pieces of gold, what thy labor earns
for thee, and what has given THEE for reward is
thine own, and no man can put an obligation upon

(02:11:35):
THEE to part with it, unless it do be thy wish.
If THEE wouldst lend it so that it may earn
THEE more gold, then lend with caution. And in many
places I like not idle gold, even less I like
too much of risk. How many years hast thou labored
as a spear maker? Fully? Three? How much besides the
King's gift, has saved three gold pieces each year that

(02:12:00):
thou hast labored, Thou hast denied thyself good things to
save from thine earnings. One piece of gold tis as
you say, then might'st save in fifty years of labor
fifty pieces of gold by thy self denial a lifetime
of labor? It would be thinkest thou thy sister would
wish to jeopardize the savings of fifty years of labor

(02:12:21):
over the bronze melting pot that her husband might experiment
on being a merchant. Not if I spoke in your words,
then go to her and say, three years I have
labored each day except fast days, from morning until night,
and I have denied myself many things that my heart craved.
For each year of labor and self denial, I have
to show one piece of gold. Thou art, my favored sister,

(02:12:43):
And I wish that thy husband may engage in business
in which he will prosper greatly. If he will submit
to me a plan that seems wise and possible to
my friend Mathan, then will I gladly lend to him
my savings of an entire year, that he may have
an opportunity to prove that he can succeed. Do that,
I say, and if he has within him the soul
to succeed, he can prove it. If he fails, he

(02:13:04):
will not owe thee more than he can hope some
day to repay. I am a gold lender because I
own more gold than I can use in my own trade.
I desire my surplus goal to labor for others and
thereby earn more gold. I do not wish to take
risk of losing my gold, for I have labored much
and denied myself much to secure it. Therefore, I will
no longer lend any of it where I am not

(02:13:25):
confident that it is safe and will be returned to me.
Neither will I lend it where I am not convinced
that its earnings will be promptly paid to me. I
have told to thee rodden a few of the secrets
of my token chest. From them you may understand the
weakness of men, and their eagerness to borrow that which
they have no certain means to repay. From this you

(02:13:45):
can see how often the air high hopes of the
great earnings they could make if they but at gold
are but false hopes. They have not the ability are
training to fulfill. Thou rodden now of gold, which thou
shouldst put to earning more gold for thee. Thou art
about to become, even as I a gold lender. If
thou dost safely preserve thy treasure, it will produce liberal
earnings for thee, and be a rich source of pleasure

(02:14:07):
and profit during all thy days. But if thou dost
let it escape from thee, it will be a source
of constant sorrow and regret as long as thy memory
doth last. What desirest thou most of this gold in
thy wallet to keep it safe? Wisely spoken, replied Mathon, approvingly,
Thy first desire is for safety. Thinkest thou that in

(02:14:29):
the custody of thy sister's husband, it would be truly
safe from possible loss. I fear not, for he is
not wise in guarding gold. Then be not swayed by
foolish sentiments of obligation to trust thy treasure to any person.
If thou wouldst help thy family or thy friends, find
other ways than risking the loss of thy treasure. Forget

(02:14:50):
not that gold slippeth away in unexpected ways from those
unskilled in guarding it. As well, waste thy treasure and
extravagance as let others lose it for thee What next
after safety, dost desire of this treasure of thine that
it earn more gold? Again, Thou speakest with wisdom. It
should be made to earn and grow larger gold. Wisely,

(02:15:13):
lent may even double itself with its earnings before a
man like you groweth old. If you risk losing it,
you risk losing all that it would earn as well. Therefore,
be not swayed by the fantastic plans of impractical men
who think they see waste to force thy gold to
make earnings unusually large. Such plans are the creations of
dreamers unskilled in the safe and dependable laws of trade.

(02:15:35):
Be conservative in what thou expected to earn, that thou
mayest keep and enjoy thy treasure. To hire it out
with the promise of usurious returns is to invite loss.
Seek to associate thyself with men and enterprises whose success
is established, that thy treasure may earn liberally under their
skillful use, and be guarded safely by their wisdom and experience.

(02:15:56):
Thus mayest thou avoid the misfortunes that follow most of
the sons of men to whom the gods see fit
to entrust gold. When rodden would thank him for his
wise advice, he would not listen, saying, the King's gift
shall teach THEE much wisdom. If wouldst keep thy fifty
pieces of gold, thou must be discreet. Indeed, many uses
will tempt THEE, much advice will be spoken to THEE.

(02:16:19):
Numerous opportunities to make large profits will be offered THEE.
The stories from my token box should warn THEE before
thou let any piece of gold leave thy pouch, to
be sure that thou hast a safe way to pull
it back again. Should my further advice appeal to THEE
return again, it is gladly given ere thou goest. Read this,
which I have carved beneath the lid of my token box.

(02:16:42):
It applies equally to the borrower and the lender. Better

(02:17:12):
a little caution than a great regret. Chapter seven The
Walls of Babylon. Old Banzer, Grim warrior of another day,
stood guard at the passageway leading to the top of
the ancient Walls of Babylon. Up above, valiant defenders were
battling to hold the walls. Upon them depended the future

(02:17:35):
existence of this great city, with its hundreds of thousands
of citizens. Over the walls came the roar of the
attacking armies, the yelling of many men, the trampling of
thousands of horses, the deafening boom of the battering rams
pounding the bronze gates in the street. Behind the gate
launched the spearmen, waiting to defend the entrance should the
gates give way. They were but few for the task.

(02:17:58):
The main armies of Babylon were or with their king
far away in the east on the great expedition against
the Elamites, no attack upon the city having been anticipated
during their absence, the defending forces were small. Unexpectedly, from
the north bore down the mighty armies of the Assyrians,
and now the walls must hold, or Babylon was doomed.

(02:18:20):
About Banzer were great crowds of citizens, white faced and terrified,
eagerly seeking news of the battle. With hush daw. They
viewed the stream of wounded and dead being carried or
let out of the passageway. Here was the crucial point
of attack. After three days of circling about the city,
the enemy had suddenly thrown his great strength against this
section and this gate. The defenders from the top of

(02:18:44):
the wall fought off the climbing platforms and the scaling
ladders of the attackers with arrows burning oil, and if
any reached the top spears against the defenders. Thousands of
the enemy's archers poured a deadly barrage of arrows. Old
Banzer had the vantage point for new He was closest
to the conflict and first to hear of each fresh
repulse of the frenzied attackers. An elderly merchant crowded close

(02:19:08):
to him, his palsied hands quivering. Tell me, tell me,
he pleaded. They cannot get in. My sons are with
the good King. There is no one to protect my
old wife, my goods. They will steal all my food,
They will leave nothing. We are old, too old to

(02:19:29):
defend ourselves, too old for slaves. We shall starve, we
shall die. Tell me they cannot get in. Calm myself,
good merchant, the guard responded, The walls of Babylon are strong.
Go back to the bazaar and tell your wife that
the walls will protect you and all of your possessions

(02:19:49):
as safely as they protect the rich treasures of the king.
Keep close to the walls lest the arrows flying over
strike you. A woman with a babe in arms took
the old man's place as he withdrew. Sergeant, what news
from the top? Tell me truly that I may reassure
my poor husband. He lies with fever from his terrible wounds,

(02:20:11):
yet insists upon his armor and his spear to protect me,
who am with child. Terrible, he says, will be the
vengeful lust of our enemies should they break in. Be
thou of good heart, thou mother that is and is
again to be. The walls of Babylon will protect you
and your babes. They are high and strong. Hear ye,
not the yells of our valiant defenders, as they emptied

(02:20:32):
the cauldrons of burning oil upon the latter scalers. Yes,
that do I hear in also the roar of the
battering rams, that do hammer at our gates. Back to
thy husband, Tell him the gates are strong and withstand
the rams. Also that the scalers climb the walls. But
to receive the waiting spear, thrust watch thy way and

(02:20:53):
hasten behind you buildings. Vanser stepped aside to clear the
passage for heavily armed reinforcements. As with clanking bronze shields
and heavy tread they tramped by. A small girl plucked
at his girdle. Tell me, please, soldier, are we safe,
she pleaded. I hear the awful noises. I see the

(02:21:14):
men all bleeding. I am so frightened. What will become
of our family, of my mother, little brother and the baby.
The grim old campaigner blinked his eyes and thrust forward
his chin as he beheld the child. Be not afraid,
little one, he reassured her. The walls of Babylon will
protect you and mother, and little brother and the baby.

(02:21:37):
It was for the safety of such as you that
the good Queen Samiramus built them over a hundred years ago,
never have they been broken through. Go back and tell
your mother and little brother and the baby that the
walls of Babylon will protect them, and they need have
no fear. Day after day, old Banzar stood at his
post and watched the reinforcements file up the passageway, there

(02:21:57):
to stay and fight until wounded or dead. They came
down once more around him, unceasingly crowded the thrones of
frightened citizens, eagerly seeking to learn if the walls would
hold to all. He gave his answer with the fine
dignity of an old soldier, the walls of Babylon will
protect you. For three weeks and five days the attack waged,
with scarcely ceasing violence. Harder and grimmer set the jaw

(02:22:20):
of Banzer as the passage behind what with the blood
of the many wounded, was turned into mud by the
never ceasing streams of men passing up and staggering down.
Each day, the slaughtered attackers piled up in heaps before
the wall. Each night they were carried back and buried
by their comrades. Upon the fifth night of the fourth week,
the clamor without diminished. The first streaks of daylight, illuminating

(02:22:43):
the plains, disclosed great clouds of dust raised by the
retreating armies. A mighty shout went up from the defenders.
There was no mistaking its meaning. It was repeated by
the waiting troops behind the walls. It was echoed by
the citizens upon the streets. It swept over the city
with the violence of a storm. People rushed from the houses.

(02:23:07):
The streets were jammed with a throbbing mob. The pent
up fear of weeks found an outlet in the wild
chorus of joy. From the top of the high tower
of the Temple of Bell burst forth the flames of
victory skyward floated the column of blue smoke to carry
the message far and wide. The walls of Babylon had
once again repulsed a mighty and viscous foe, determined to

(02:23:29):
loot her rich treasures and to ravish and enslave her citizens.
Babylon endured century after century because it was fully protected.
It could not afford to be otherwise. The Walls of
Babylon were an outstanding example of man's need and desire
for protection. This desire is inherent in the human race.

(02:23:50):
It is just as strong today as it ever was.
But we have developed broader and better plans to accomplish
the same purpose in this day. Behind the impregnable walls
of an insurance, savings accounts and dependable investments, we can
guard ourselves against the unexpected tragedies that may enter any door,
and seat themselves before any fireside. We cannot afford to

(02:24:11):
be without adequate protection. Chapter eight, The camel Trader of Babylon.
The hungrier one becomes, the clearer one's mind works. Also,
the more sensitive one becomes to the odors of food. Tarkad,
the son of Azure, certainly thought so. For two whole
days he had tasted no food except two small figs

(02:24:32):
per loin from over the wall of a garden. Not
another could he grab before the angry woman rushed forth
and chased him down the street. Her shrill cries were
still ringing in his ears as he walked through the
market place. They helped him to retrain his restless fingers
from snatching the tempting fruits from the baskets of the
market women. Never before had he realized how much food

(02:24:53):
was brought to the markets of Babylon, and how good
it smelled. Leaving the market he walked across to the
inn and paid back and forth in front of the
eating house. Perhaps here he might meet someone he knew,
someone from whom he could borrow a copper that would
gain him a smile from the unfriendly keeper of the inn,
end with it a liberal helping. Without the copper, he
knew all too well how unwelcome he would be in

(02:25:16):
his abstraction. He unexpectedly found himself face to face with
the one man he wished most to avoid, the tall,
bony figure of Dabasir, the camel trader. Of all the
friends and others from whom he had borrowed small sums,
Davasar made him feel the most uncomfortable because of his
failure to keep his promises to repay promptly. Dabasar's face
lighted up at the sight of him. Ha 'tis Tarkad

(02:25:41):
just the one I had been seeking that he might
repay the two pieces of copper which I lent him
a moon ago, also the piece of silver which I
lent to him before. That we are well met, I
can make good use of the coins this very day.
What say, boy? What say? Tarkad stuttered, and his face
flowed ushed. He had not in his empty stomach to

(02:26:02):
nerve him to argue with the outspoken Dabasir. I am sorry,
very sorry, he mumbled weakly. But this day I have
neither the copper nor the silver with which I could repay.
Then get it, Dabasar insisted. Surely thou canst get hold
of a few coppers and a piece of silver to
repay the generosity of an old friend of thy father
who waited thee. Whence thou wast in need? Tis because

(02:26:25):
ill fortune does pursue me that I cannot pay ill
fortune wouldst blame the gods for thine own weakness. Ill
fortune pursues every man who thinks more of borrowing than
of repaying. Come with me, boy, while I eat, I
am hungry, and I would tell thee a tale. Tark
had flinched from the brutal frankness of Dabasir. But here

(02:26:47):
at least was an invitation to enter the coveted doorway
of the eating house. Dabasar pushed him to a far
corner of the room, where they seated themselves upon small rugs.
When Kouskor, the proprietor, appeared, smiling, Dabasar addressed him with
his usual freedom, fat lizard of the desert, bring to
me a leg of the goat, brown with much juice,
and bread and all of the vegetables. For I am

(02:27:09):
hungry and want much food. Do not forget my friend here,
Bring to him a jug of water. Have it cooled,
for the day is hot. Tarkad's heart sank. Must he
sit here and drink water? While he watched this man
devour an entire goat like he said nothing? He thought
of nothing he could say. Dabasir, however, knew no such

(02:27:33):
thing as silence. Smiling and waving his hand good naturedly
to the other customers, all of whom knew him, he continued,
I did hear from a traveler just returned from Morfa,
of a certain rich man who has a piece of
stone cut so thin that one can look through it.
He put it in the window of his house to
keep out the reins. It is yellow, so this traveler

(02:27:54):
does relate, and he was permitted to look through it,
And all the outside world looked strange and not like
it really is. Is what say you to that, Tarkad?
Thinkest all the world could look to a man a
different color from what it is. I dare say, responded
the youth, much more interested in the fat leg of
goat placed before Dabasir. Well, I know it to be true,

(02:28:16):
for I myself have seen the world all of a
different color from what it really is, and the tale
I am about to tell relates how I came to
see it in its right color. Once more, Dabaser will
tell a tale. Whispered a neighboring diner to his neighbor
and dragged his rug clothes. Other diners brought their food
and crowded in a semicircle. They crunched noisily in the
ears of Tarkat and brushed him with their meaty bones.

(02:28:39):
He alone was without food. Dabasar did not offer to
share with him, nor even motion into a small corner
of the hard bread that was broken off and had
fallen from the platter to the floor. The tale that
I am about to tell began, Dabasir, pausing to bite
a goodly chunk from the goat leg. Relates to my
early life and how I came to be a camel trader.
Didst any no one know that I once was a

(02:29:01):
slave in Syria? A murmur of surprise ran through the audience,
to which Dabasar listened with satisfaction. When I was a
young man, continued Dabasir. After another vicious onslaught on the
goat leg, I learned the trade of my father, the
making of saddles. I worked with him in his shop,
and took to myself a wife. Being young and not

(02:29:23):
greatly skilled, I could earn but little, just enough to
support my excellent wife in a modest way. I craved
good things which I could not afford. Soon I found
that the shopkeepers would trust me to pay later, even
though I could not pay at the time. Being young
and without experience, I did not know that he who
spends more than he urns is sowing the winds of
needless self indulgence, from which he is sure to reap

(02:29:44):
the whirlwinds of trouble and humiliation. So I indulged my
whims for fine raiment and bought luxuries for my good
wife and our home beyond our means. I paid as
I could, and for a while all went well. But
in time I discovered I could not use my earnings
both to live upon and to pay my debts. Creditors
began to pursue me to pay for my extravagant purchases,

(02:30:06):
and my life became miserable. I borrowed from my friends,
but could not repay them either. Things went from bad
to worse. My wife returned to her father, and I
decided to leave Babylon and seek another city where a
young man might have better chances. For two years I
had a restless and unsuccessful life working for caravan traders.

(02:30:27):
From this I fell in with a set of likable
robbers who scoured the desert for unarmed caravans. Such deeds
were unworthy of the son of my father, but I
was seeing the world through a colored stone and did
not realize to what degradation I had fallen. We met
with success on our first trip, capturing a rich haul
of gold and silks and valuable merchandise. This loot we

(02:30:48):
took to Jina and squandered. The second time, we were
not so fortunate. Just after we had made our capture,
we were attacked by the spearsmen of a native chief,
to whom the caravans paid for protection. Our two leaders
were killed, and the rest of us were taken to Damascus,
where we were stripped of our clothing and sold as slaves.

(02:31:09):
I was purchased for two pieces of silver by a
Syrian desert chief. With my hair shorn and but a
linecloth to wear. I was not so different from the
other slaves, Being a reckless youth, I thought it merely
an adventure until my master took me before his four
wives and told them they could have me for a eunuch. Then, indeed,
did I realize the hopelessness of my situation. These men

(02:31:31):
of the desert were fierce and warlike. I was subject
to their will, without weapons or means of escape. Fearful,
I stood as those four women looked me over. I
wondered if I could expect pity from them. Sira, the
first wife, was older than the others. Her face was
impassive as she looked upon me. I turned from her

(02:31:53):
with little consolation. The next was a contemptuous beauty who
gazed at me as indifferently as if I had been
a worm of the earth. The two younger ones tittered,
as though it were all an exciting joke. It seemed
an age that I stood waiting sentence. Each woman appeared,
willing for the others to decide. Finally, Sarah spoke up,

(02:32:14):
in a cold voice of eunuchs we have plenty, but
of camel tenders we have few, and they are a
worthless lot. Even this day, I would visit my mother,
who was sick with the fever, and there is no
slave I would trust to lead my camel. Ask the
slave if he can lead a camel. My master thereupon
questioned me, what know you of camels. Striving to conceal

(02:32:37):
my eagerness, I replied, I can make them kneel, I
can load them. I can lead them on long trips
without tiring. If need be, I can repair their trappings.
The slave speaks forward enough, observed my master, if thou
so desire, Sarah, take this man for a camel tender.
So I was turned over to Sirah, and that day

(02:32:57):
I let her camel upon a long journey to her
sick lines. I took the occasion to thank her for
her intercession, and also to tell her that I was
not a slave by birth, but the son of a freeman,
an honorable saddle maker of Babylon. I also told her
much of my story. Her comments were disconcerting to me,
and I pondered much afterwards on what she said, How

(02:33:18):
can you call yourself a free man? When your weakness
has brought you to this. If a man has in
himself the soul of a slave, will he not become one?
No matter what is birth, even as water seeks its level.
If a man has within him the soul of a
free man, will he not become respected and honored in
his own city in spite of his misfortune. For over
a year I was a slave and lived with the slaves,

(02:33:40):
but I could not become as one of them. One
day Sarah asked me, in the even time, when the
other slaves can mingle and enjoy the society of each other,
why dost thou sit in thy tent alone? To which
I responded, I am pondering what you have said to me.
I wonder if I have the soul of a slave.
I cannot join them, so I must sit apart. I too,

(02:34:03):
must sit apart. She confided, my dowry was large, and
my lord married me because of it. Yet he does
not desire me. What every woman longs for is to
be desired. Because of this, and because I am barren
and have neither son nor daughter, must I sit apart?
Or I am man? I would rather die than be
such a slave. But the conventions of our tribe make

(02:34:25):
slaves of women. What think thou of me? By this time?
I asked her, Suddenly, have I the soul of a man,
or have I the soul of a slave? Have you
a desire to repay the just debts you owe in Babylon?
She parried, Yes, I have the desire, But I see
no way. If thou contentedly let the years slip by

(02:34:45):
and make no effort to repay, then thou hast but
the contemptible soul of a slave. No man is otherwise
who cannot respect himself, And no man can respect himself
who does not repay honest debts. But what can I do?
Who am a slave in Syria? Stay a slave in Syria?
Thou weakling? I am not a weakling, I denied hotly.

(02:35:07):
Then prove it. Hal does not thy great king fight
his enemies in every way he can, and with every
force he has. Thy debts are thy enemies. They ran
THEE out of Babylon. You left them alone, and they
grew too strong, For THEE. Hadst fought them as a man,
thou couldst have conquered them and been one honored among

(02:35:28):
the townspeople. But thou had not the soul to fight them.
And behold, thy pride hast gone down? Until howart a
slave in Syria? Much? I thought over her unkind accusations.
In many defensive phrases, I worded to prove myself not
a slave at heart, But I was not to have
the chance to use them. Three days later, the mate
of Syrah took me to her mistress. My mother is

(02:35:50):
again very sick, she said. Saddle the two best camels
in my husband's heard. Tie on water skins and saddle
bags for a long journey. The maid will give thee
food at the kitchen tent. I packed the camels, wondering
much at the quantity of provisions the maid provided for
the mother. Dwelt less than a day's journey away. The

(02:36:10):
maid rode the rear camel, which followed, and I led
the camel of my mistress. When we reached her mother's house,
it was just dark. Sarah dismissed the maid and said
to me, Dabasir, hast thou the soul of a free
man or the soul of a slave? The soul of
a free man? I insisted, now is thy chance to

(02:36:30):
prove it. Thy master hath imbided deeply in his chiefs
are in a stupor. Take then these camels and make
thy escape. Here in this bag is raiment of thy
masters to disguise thee. I will say thou stole the
camels and ran away. While I visited my sick mother,
thou hast the soul of a queen. I told her much,

(02:36:52):
do I wish that I might lead thee to happiness? Happiness?
She responded, awaits not the runaway wife who seeks it
in far lands among strange people. Go thy own way,
and made the gods of the desert protect thee for
the way as far and barren of food or water.
I needed no further urging, but thanked her warmly and
was away into the night. I knew not this strange country,

(02:37:14):
and had only a dim idea of the direction in
which lay Babylon, but struck out bravely across the desert
toward the hills. One camel I rode and the other
I led. All that night I traveled, and all the
next day, urged on by the knowledge of the terrible
fate that was needed out to slaves who stole their
master's property and tried to escape. Late that afternoon I

(02:37:34):
reached a rough country, as uninhabitable as the desert. The
sharp rocks bruised the feet of my faithful camels, and
soon they were picking their way slowly and painfully along.
I met neither man nor beast, and could well understand
why they shunned this inhospitable land. It was such a
journey from then on, as few men lived to tell of.
Day after day we plodded along. Food and water gave out.

(02:37:59):
The heat of the sun was merciless. At the end
of the ninth day, I slid from the back of
my mouth, with the feeling that I was too weak
to ever remount, and I would surely die lost in
this abandoned country. I stretched out upon the ground and slept,
not waking until the first gleam of daylight. I sat
up and looked about me. There was a coolness in

(02:38:20):
the morning air. My camels lay dejected. Not far away
about me was a vast waste of broken country, covered
with rock and sand and thorny things, no sign of water,
not to eat for man or camel. Could it be that,
in this peaceful quiet I faced my end. My mind
was clearer than it had ever been before. My body

(02:38:41):
now seemed of little importance. My parched and bleeding lips,
my dry and swollen tongue, my empty stomach, all had
lost their supreme agonies of the day before. I looked
across into the uninviting distance, and once again came to
me the question, had I the soul of a slave
or the soul of a free man? Then, with clearness
I reeled that if I had the soul of a slave,

(02:39:01):
I should give up, lie down in the desert, and
die a fitting in for a runaway slave. But if
I had the soul of a free man, what then
surely I would force my way back to Babylon, repay
the people who had trusted me, bring happiness to my wife,
who truly loved me, and bring peace and contentment to
my parents. Thy debts are thine enemies who have run

(02:39:22):
thee out of Babylon. Sir, I had said, yes, it
was so. Why had I refused to stand my ground
like a man? Why had I permitted my wife to
go back to her father? Then a strange thing happened.
All the world seemed to be of a different color,
as though I had been looking at it through a
colored stone which had suddenly been removed. At last, I

(02:39:44):
saw the true values in life die in the desert.
Not I with a new vision. I saw the things
that I must do. First, I would go back to
Babylon and face every man to whom I owed an
unpaid debt. I should tell them that after years of
wandering and misfortune, I had come back to pay my
debts as fast as the gods would permit. Next, I

(02:40:06):
should make a home for my wife and become a
citizen of whom my parents should be proud. My debts
were my enemies, but the men I owed were my friends,
for they had trusted me and believed in me. I
staggered weakly to my feet. What mattered hunger, what mattered thirst?
They were but incidents on the road to Babylon. Within

(02:40:27):
me surged the soul of a free man going back
to conquer his enemies and reward his friends. I thrilled
with the great resolve. The glazed eyes of my camels
brightened at the new note in my husky voice. With
great effort, after many attempts, they gained their feet with
pitiful perseverance. They pushed on toward the north, where something

(02:40:48):
within me said we would find Babylon. We found water.
We passed into a more fertile country, where were grass
and fruit. We found the trail to Babylon. Because the
soul of a free mean looks at life as a
series of problems to be solved and solves them, while
the soul of a slave winds. What can I do?
Who am but a slave? How about thee tarkad? Dost

(02:41:10):
thy empty stomach? Make thy head exceedingly clear, art ready
to take the road that leads back to self respect?
Canst thou see the world in its true color? Hast
thou the desire to pay thy honest debts, however many
they may be, and once again be a man respected.
In Babylon, moisture came to the eyes of the youth.

(02:41:31):
He rose eagerly to his knees. Thou has shown me
a vision. Already I feel the soul of a freeman
surge within me. But how fared you? Upon your return?
Questioned an interested listener, Where the determination is the way
can be found? Debasir replied, I now had the determination,
So I set out to find a way. First, I

(02:41:52):
visited every man to whom I was indebted, and begged
his indulgence until I could earn that with which to repay.
Most of them met me gladly. Several reviled me, but
others offered to help me. One indeed did give me
the very help I needed. It was Mathan, the gold lender.
Learning that I had been a camel tender in Syria,
he sent me to Old Nebator, the camel trader, just

(02:42:15):
commissioned by our good king to purchase many herds of
sound camels for the great expedition. With him, my knowledge
of camels I put to good use. Gradually I was
able to repay every copper and every piece of silver.
Then at last I could hold up my head and
feel that I was an honorable man among men. Again,
Dabasar turned to his food. Kowscor thou snail. He called

(02:42:38):
loudly to be heard in the kitchen. The food is cold.
Bring me more meat fresh from the roasting. Bring thou
also a very large portion for Tarkat, the son of
my old friend, who was hungry, and shall eat with me.
So ended the tale of Dabassar, the camel trader of
old Babylon. He found his own soul when he realized
a great truth, a truth that had been known used

(02:43:00):
by wise men long before his time. It has led
men of all ages out of difficulties and into success,
and it will continue to do so for those who
have the wisdom to understand its magic power. It is
for any man to use who reads these lines. Where
the determination is the way can be found. Chapter nine.

(02:43:20):
The Clay Tablets from Babylon, Saint Swithen's College, Nottingham University, Newark, Contrent, Nottingham.
Professor Franklin Caldwell, care of British Scientific Expedition, hille Mesopotamia,
October twenty first, nineteen thirty four. My dear Professor, the

(02:43:41):
five clay tablets from your recent excavation in the ruins
of Babylon arrived on the same boat with your letter.
I have been fascinated no end and have spent many
pleasant hours translating their inscriptions. I should have answered your
letter at once, but delayed until I could complete the
translations which are attached. The tablets arrived without damage, thanks

(02:44:02):
to your careful use of preservatives and excellent packing. You
will be as astonished as we in the laboratory at
the story they relate. One expects the dim and distant
past to speak of romance and adventure, Arabian nights, sort
of things, you know. When instead it discloses the problem
of a person named Dabaser to pay off his debts,

(02:44:22):
one realizes that conditions upon this old world have not
changed as much in five thousand years as one might expect.
It's odd, you know, but these old inscriptions rather rage me,
as the students say. Being a college professor, I am
supposed to be a thinking human being, possessing a working
knowledge of most subjects. Yet here comes this old chap

(02:44:42):
out of the dust covered ruins of Babylon, to offer
a way I had never heard of to pay off
my debts and at the same time acquire gold to
jingle in my wallet. Pleasant thought, I say, and interesting
to prove whether it will work as well nowadays as
it did in old Babylon. Missus Shrewsbury and myself were
planning to try out his place upon our own affairs,
which could be much improved. Wishing you the best of

(02:45:04):
luck in your worthy undertaking, and waiting eagerly another opportunity
to assist. I am yours, sincerely, Alfred H. Shrewsbury, Department
of Archaeology, Tablet no. I now when the moon becometh full,
I dabasser, who am but recently returned from slavery in Syria,

(02:45:26):
with the determination to pay my many just debts and
become a man of means worthy of respect in my
native city of Babylon, to hearing grave upon the clay
a permanent record of my affairs to guide and assist
me in carrying through my high desires. Under the wise
advice of my good friend Mathan the gold lender, I
am determined to follow an exact plan that he doth
say will lead any honorable man out of debt into

(02:45:47):
means in self respect. This plan included three purposes, which
are my hope and desire. First, the plan doth provide
for my future prosperity. Therefore, one tenth of all iron
shall be set aside as my own to keep. For
Mathon speaketh wisely when he seth that man who keepeth
in his purse both gold and silver that he need

(02:46:09):
not spend, is good to his family and loyal to
his king. The man who hath but a few coppers
in his purse is indifferent to his family and indifferent
to his king. But the man who hath not in
his purse is unkind to his family, and is disloyal
to his king, for his own heart is bitter. Therefore,
the man who wisheth to achieve must have coined that
he may keep to jingle in his purse, that he

(02:46:30):
have in his heart love for his family and loyalty
to his king. Second, the Plan doth provide that I
shall support and clothe my good wife, who hath returned
to me with loyalty from the house of her father.
For Mathan doth say that to take good care of
a faithful wife putteth self respect into the heart of
a man, and addeth strength and determination to his purposes. Therefore,

(02:46:51):
seven tenths of all iron shall be used to provide
a home, clothes to wear, and food to eat, with
a bit extra to spend, that our lives be not
lacking in pleasure and enjoyment. But he doth further enjoin
the greatest care that we spend not greater than seven
tenths of what I earn for these worthy purposes. Herein
leath the success of the plan. I must live upon

(02:47:11):
this portion, and never use more, nor by what I
may not pay for out of this portion. Tablet No. Two. Third,
the plan doth provide that out of my earnings, my
debts shall be paid. Therefore, each time the moon is full,
two tenths of all I have earned shall be divided
honorably and fairly among those who have trusted me and
to whom I am indebted. Thus, in due time will

(02:47:34):
all my indebtedness be surely paid. Therefore do I hearing
grave the name of every man to whom I am indebted,
and the honest amount of my debt. Farrow the cloth weaver,
two silver, six copper, Sindjar the couch maker, one silver,
Amar my friend, three silver, one copper. Zanker my friend,

(02:47:56):
for silver, seven copper. Askamir my friend, one silver, three copper.
Harenser the jewel maker, six silver, two copper, dire Beaker,
my father's friend, for silver, one copper. Alcahad the house owner,
fourteen silver, Mathan the gold lender, nine silver, Biergic the farmer,

(02:48:18):
one silver, seven copper. From here on, disintegrated cannot be
deciphered Tablet. No. Three. To these creditors do I owe

(02:48:39):
in total one hundred and nineteen pieces of silver and
one hundred and forty one pieces of copper, because I
did owe these sums and saw no way to repay.
In my folly, I did permit my wife to return
to her father and DIDs leave my native city and
seek easy wealth elsewhere, only to find disaster and to
see myself sold into the degradation of slavery. Now that
Mathan doth show me how I can repay my debts

(02:49:00):
and small sums of my earnings, do I realize the
great extent of my folly in running away from the
results of my extravagances. Therefore, have I visited my creditors
and explained to them that I have no resources with
which to pay, accept my ability to earn, and that
I intend to apply two tenths of all I earn
upon my indebtedness evenly and honestly. This much can I pay,
but no more. Therefore, if they be patient in time,

(02:49:23):
my obligations will be paid in full. An Mar, whom
I thought my best friend, reviled me bitterly, and I
left him in humiliation. Bierjic, the farmer, pleaded that I
pay him first, as he didst badly need help. Alcahad,
the house owner, was indeed disagreeable and insisted that he
would make me trouble unless I did soon settle in
full with him. All the rest willingly accepted my proposal. Therefore,

(02:49:48):
am I more determined than ever to carry through, being
convinced that it is easier to pay ones just debts
than to avoid them. Even though I cannot meet the
needs and demands of a few of my creditors, I
will deal impartially with all tablet No. Four Again, the

(02:50:09):
moon shines full. I have worked hard with a free mind.
My good wife hath supported my intentions to pay my creditors.
Because of our wise determination, I have earned during the
past moon, buying camels of sound wind and good legs
for Nebator, the sum of nineteen pieces of silver. This
I have divided according to the plan. One tenth have

(02:50:31):
I set aside to keep as my own, Seven tints
have I divided with my good wife to pay for
our living. Two tenths have I divided among my creditors
as evenly as could be done In coppers. I did
not see Amar, but left it with his wife. Bargic
was so pleased he would kiss my hand. Old Alcohat
alone was grouchy and said I must pay faster to

(02:50:53):
which I replied that if I were permitted to be
well fed and not worried, that alone would enable me
to pay faster. All the the others thanked me and
spoke well of my efforts. Therefore, at the end of
one moon, my indebtedness is reduced by almost four pieces
of silver, and I possess almost two pieces of silver,
besides upon which no man hath claim. My heart is

(02:51:13):
lighter than it hath been for a long time. Again,
the moon shines full. I have worked hard, but with
poor success. Few camels have I been able to buy.
Only eleven pieces of silver have I earned. Nevertheless, my
good wife and I have stood by the plan, even
though we have bought no new raiment and eaten little

(02:51:34):
but herbs. Again, I paid ourselves one tenth of the
eleven pieces, while we lived upon seven tenths. I was
surprised when Amar commended my payment, even though small so
did bayerjik Alca had flew into a rage, but when
told to give back his portion if he did not
wish it, he became reconciled. The others, as before, were content.

(02:51:56):
Again the moon shines full, and I am greatly rejoiced.
I intercepted a fine herd of camels and bought many
sound ones. Therefore my earnings were forty two pieces of silver.
This moon, my wife and myself have bought much needed
sandals and raiment. Also we have dined well on meat
and fowl. More than eight pieces of silver we have
paid to our creditors. Even Alcohaed did not protest. Great

(02:52:20):
is the plan for it? Letteth us out of debt,
and giveth us wealth which is ours to keep. Three
times the moon had been full since I last carved
upon this clay. Each time I paid to myself one
tenth of all I earned. Each time, my good wife
and I have lived upon seven tenths, even though at
times it was difficult. Each time have I paid to
my creditors two tenths in my purse. I now have

(02:52:44):
twenty one pieces of silver that are mine. It mocketh
my head to stand straight upon my shoulders, and mocketh
me proud to walk among my friends. My wife keepeth
well our home, and is becomingly gowned. We are happy
to live together. The plan is of untold value. Hath
it not made an honorable man of an ex slave tablet? No?

(02:53:07):
The again the moon shines full, and I remember that
it is long since I carved upon the clay. Twelve
moons in truth have come and gone. But this day
I will not neglect my record, because upon this day
I have paid the last of my debts. This is
the day upon which my good wife and my thankful

(02:53:27):
self celebrate with great feasting that our determination hath been achieved.
Many things occurred upon my final visit to my creditors
that I shall long remember. Anmar begged my forgiveness for
his unkind words, and said that I was one of
all others he most desired for a friend. Old alcah
Hat is not so bad after all, For he said,
thou art once a piece of soft clay, to be

(02:53:49):
pressed and molded by any hand that touched thee. But
now thou art a piece of bronze, capable of holding
an edge. If thou need'st silver or gold at any time,
come to me. Nor is he the only one who
holdeth me in high regard. Many others speak deferentially to me.
My good wife luketh upon me with a light in
her eyes that doth make a man have confidence in himself.

(02:54:12):
Yet it is the plan that hath made my success.
It hath enabled me to pay all my debts, and
to jingle both gold and silver in my purse. I
do commend it to all who wish to get ahead.
For truly, if it will enable an ex slave to
pay his debts and have gold in his purse, will
it not aid any man to find independence? Nor am
I myself finished with it? For I am convinced that

(02:54:35):
if I follow it further, it will make me rich
among men. Saint Swithen's College, Nottingham University, Newark, Contrent, Nottingham,
Professor Franklin Caledwell care of British Scientific Expedition Hilla Mesopotamia,
my dear professor, November seventh, nineteen thirty six. If in

(02:55:01):
your further digging into those ruins of Babylon you encounter
the ghost of a former resident, an old camel trader
named Dabasar, do me a favor. Tell him that his
scribbling upon those clay tablets so long ago has earned
for him the life long gratitude of a couple of
college folks back here in England. You will possibly remember
my writing a year ago that Missus Shrewsbury and myself

(02:55:22):
intended to try his plan for getting out of debt
and at the same time having gold to jingle. You
may have guessed, even though we tried to keep it
from our friends, are desperate straits. We were frightfully humiliated
for years by a lot of old debts and worried
sick for fear some of the tradespeople might start a
scandal that would force me out of the college. We
paid and paid every shilling we could squeeze out of income,

(02:55:44):
but it was hardly enough to hold things even. Besides,
we were forced to do all our buying where we
could get further credit, regardless of higher costs. It developed
into one of those vicious circles that grow worse instead
of better. Our struggles were getting hopeless. We could not
move to less costly rooms because we owed the landlord.

(02:56:04):
There did not appear to be anything we could do
to improve our situation. Then here comes your acquaintance, the
old camel trader from Babylon, with a plan to do
just what we wished to accomplish. He jolly well stirred
us up to follow his system. We made a list
of all our debts, and I took it around and
showed it to every one we owed. I explained how

(02:56:26):
it was simply impossible for me to ever pay them
the way things were going along. They could readily see
this themselves from the figures. Then I explained that the
only way I sought to pay in full was to
set aside twenty percent of my income each month, to
be divided pro rada, which would pay them in full
in a little over two years. That in the meantime
we would go on a cash basis and give them

(02:56:47):
the further benefit of our cash purchases. They were really
quite decent. Our greengrocer, a wise old chap, put it
in a way that helped to bring around the rest.
If you pay for all you buy, and then pay
on what you owe, that is better than you have
done for ye ain't paid down the account none in
three years. Finally I secured all their names to an

(02:57:08):
agreement binding them not to molest us as long as
the twenty percent of income was paid regularly. Then we
began scheming on how to live upon seventy percent. We
were determined to keep that extra ten percent to Jingle.
The thought of silver and possibly gold was most alluring.
It was like having an adventure to make the change

(02:57:29):
We enjoyed figuring this way and that to live comfortably
upon that remaining seventy percent, We started with rent and
managed to secure a fair reduction. Next, we put our
favorite brands of tea in such under suspicion, and were
agreeably surprised how often we could purchase superior qualities at
less cost. It is too long a story for a letter,

(02:57:49):
but anyhow it did not prove difficult. We managed and
write cheerfully at that what a relief had proved. To
have our affairs in such a shape, we were no
longer persecuted by passing due accounts. I must not neglect, however,
to tell you about that extra ten percent we were
supposed to jingle. Well, we did jingle it for some time.

(02:58:10):
Now don't laugh too soon. You see, that is the
sporty part. It is the real fun to start accumulating
money that you do not want to spend. There is
more pleasure in running up such a surplus than there
could be in spending it. After we had jingled to
our heart's content, we found a more profitable used for it.

(02:58:31):
We took up an investment upon which we could pay
the ten percent each month. This is proving to be
the most satisfying part of our regeneration. It is the
first thing we pay out of my check. There is
a most gratifying sense of security to know our investment
is growing steadily. By the time my teaching days are over,
it should be a snug sum, large enough so the

(02:58:53):
income will take care of us from then on. All
this out of my same old check. Difficult to believe,
yet absolutely true, all our debts being gradually paid and
at the same time our investment increasing. Besides, we get
along financially even better than before. Who would believe there
could be such a difference in results between following a

(02:59:15):
financial plan and just drifting along. At the end of
the next year, when all our old bill shall have
been paid, we will have more to pay upon our investment,
besides some extra for travel. We are determined never again
to permit our living expenses to exceed seventy percent of
our income. Now you can understand why we would like
to extend our personal thanks to that old chap whose

(02:59:36):
plan saved us from our hell on earth. He knew
he had been through it all. He wanted others to
benefit from his own bitter experiences. That is why he
spent tedious hours carving his message upon the clay. He
had a real message for fellow suffers, a message so
important that, after five thousand years, it has risen out

(02:59:57):
of the ruins of Babylon, just as true and just
as as vital as the day it was buried. Yours, sincerely,
Alfred H. Shrewsbury, Department of Archaeology, Chapter ten. The luckiest
man in Babylon. At the head of his caravan probably
Rode Sharonada, the merchant prince of Babylon. He liked fine

(03:00:20):
cloth and war rich in becoming robes. He liked fine animals,
and sat easily upon his spirited Arabian stallion. To look
at him, one would hardly have guessed his advanced years.
Certainly they would not have suspected that he was inwardly troubled.
The journey from Damascus is long, in the hardships of
the desert. Many these he minded not. The Arab tribes

(03:00:44):
are fierce and eager to loot rich caravans. These he
feared not. For his many fleet mounted guards were a
safe protection. About the youth at his side, whom he
was bringing from Damascus. Was he disturbed? This was Hayden Gula,
the grandson of his partner of other years, Arad Gula,
to whom he felt he owed a debt of gratitude
which could never be repaid. He would like to do

(03:01:06):
something for this grandson, But the more he considered this,
the more difficult it seemed because of the youth himself.
Eyeing the young man's rings and ear rings, he thought
to himself, he thinks jewels are for men. Still he
has his grandfather's strong face, But his grandfather wore no
such gaudy robes. Yet I sought him to come, hoping
I might help him get a start for himself and

(03:01:27):
get away from the wreck his father has made of
their inheritance. Hayden Gula broke in upon his thoughts. Why
dost thou work so hard, riding always with thy caravan
upon its long journeys? Dost thou never take time to
enjoy life? Charu Nadas smiled to enjoy life? He repeated,
what wouldst thou do to enjoy life? If thou wert

(03:01:49):
Sharu Nada? If I had wealth equal to thine, I
would live like a prince. Never across the hot desert
would I ride? I would spend the shekels as fast
as as they came to my purse, I would wear
the richest of robes and the rarest of jewels. That
would be a life to my liking, a life worth living.

(03:02:09):
Both men laughed. Thy grandfather wore no jewels. Sharon Nada
spoke before he thought, then continued jokingly, wouldst thou leave
no time for work? Work was made for slaves, hayden
Gula responded. Sharon Nada bit his lip but made no reply,
riding in silence until the trail led them to the slope.

(03:02:31):
Here he rained his mount and, pointing to the green
valley far away. See there is the valley, Look far down,
and how canst faintly see the walls of Babylon. The
tower is the Temple of Bell. If thine eyes are sharp,
thou mayest even see the smoke from the eternal fire
upon its crest. So that is Babylon. Always have I

(03:02:51):
longed to see the wealthiest city in all the world,
Hayden Gula commented, Babylon where my grandfather started his fortune.
Would if he were still alive, we would not be
so sorely pressed. Why wish his spirit to linger on
earth beyond its allotted time. Thou and thy father can
well carry on his good work, alas of us, neither

(03:03:14):
has his gift. Father and myself know not his secret
for attracting the golden shekels. Cheron Nada did not reply,
but gave rein to his mount and rode thoughtfully down
the trail to the valley. Behind them followed the caravan
in a cloud of reddish dust. Some time later they
reached the King's Highway and turned south through the irrigated farms.

(03:03:36):
Three old men plowing a field caught Cherunda attention. They
seemed strangely familiar. How ridiculous one does not pass a
field after forty years and find the same men plowing there.
Yet something within him said they were the same. One,
with an uncertain grip, held the plow, the others laboriously

(03:03:57):
plotted beside the oxen, ineffectually beating them with their barrel
staves to keep them pulling. Forty years ago he had
envied these men, how gladly he would have exchanged places.
But what a difference now. With pride, he looked back
at his trailing caravan, while chosen camels and donkeys, loaded
high with valuable goods, from Damascus. All this was but

(03:04:20):
one of his possessions. He pointed to the plowers, saying,
still plowing the same field where they were forty years ago.
They look it, But why thinkest thou they are the same?
I saw them there? Sherunada replied. Recollections were racing rapidly
through his mind. Why could he not bury the past

(03:04:41):
and live in the present? Then he saw, as in
a picture, the smiling face of arod Gula. The barrier
between himself and the cynical youth beside him dissolved. But
how could he help such a superior youth with his
spendthrift ideas and bejeweled hands. Work he could offer in
plenty to willing work, but not for men who considered

(03:05:02):
themselves too good for work. Yet he owed it to
a rod Gula to do something, not a half hearted attempt.
He and a rod Gula had never done things that way.
They were not that sort of men. A plan came
almost in a flash. There were objections. He must consider
his own family and his own standing. It would be cruel,

(03:05:24):
it would hurt. Being a man of quick decisions, he
waived objections and decided to act. Wouldst thou be interested
in hearing how thy worthy grandfather and myself joined in
the partnership which proved so profitable. He questioned, why not
just tell me how thou madest the golden shekels. That
is all I need to know. The young man parried

(03:06:05):
Scheronnada ignored the reply and continued, we start with those
men plowing. I was no older than now. As the
column of men in which I marched approached good old
m Giddo, the farmer scoffed at the slipshod way in
which they plowed. Mc giddo was chained next to me.
Look at the lazy fellows, he protested. The plow holder
makes no effort to plow deep, nor do the beaters

(03:06:27):
keep the oxen in the furrow. How can they expect
to raise a good crop with poor plowing? Didst thou say?
Mc giddo was chained to thee hayden Gula asked in surprise. Yes.
With bronze collars about our necks and a length of
heavy chain between us. Next to him was Zabadou, the
sheep thief. I had known him in Heron. At the

(03:06:50):
end was a man we called pirate because he told
us not his name. We judged him as a sailor,
as he had entwined serpents tattooed upon his chest in
sailor fashion. The column was made up thus so the
men could walk in fours. Thou wert chained as a slave.
Hayden Gula asked incredulously. Did not thy grandfather tell thee

(03:07:11):
I was once a slave? He often spoke of thee,
but never hinted of this. He was a man thou
couldst trust with innermost secrets. Thou too art a man
I may trust? Am I not right? Cher Nada looked
him squarely in the eye. Thou mayst rely upon my silence,
but I am amazed. Tell me how didst thou come

(03:07:33):
to be a slave? Cheron Nada shrugged his shoulders. Any
man may find himself a slave. It was a gaming
house in Barley Beer that brought me disaster. I was
the victim of my brother's indiscretions. In a brawl, he
killed his friend. I was bonded to the widow by
my fattier, desperate to keep my brother from being prosecuted

(03:07:55):
under the law. When my father could not raise the
silver to free me, she in anger sold me to
the slave dealer. What a shame and injustice, hayden Gula protested,
But tell me how didst thou regain freedom? We shall
come to that, but not yet, let us continue my tale.

(03:08:15):
As we passed, the plowers jeered at us. One did
doth his ragged hat in bowlow, calling out, welcome to Babylon,
guests of the king. He waits for thee on the
city walls, where the banquet is spread mud, bricks and
onion soup. With that, they laughed uproariously. Pirate flew into
a rage and cursed them roundly. What do those men

(03:08:37):
mean by the king awaiting us on the walls? I
asked him? To the city walls, Ye march to carry
bricks until the back breaks. Maybe they beat thee to
death before it breaks. They won't beat me, I'll kill em.
Then the giddo spoke up. It doesn't make sense to
me to talk of masters beating willing, hard working slaves

(03:08:59):
to death. Masters like good slaves and treat them well.
Who wants to work hard? Comment at Zabadu. Those plowers
are wise fellows. They're not breaking their backs, just letting
on as if they be Thou can't get ahead by shirking.
The Giddo protested, if thou plow a hectare, that's a

(03:09:20):
good day's work, and any master knows it, but would
not plow only a half, that's shirking. I don't shirk.
I like to work, and I like to do good work.
For work is the best friend I've ever known. It
has brought me all the good things I've had, my
farm and cows and crops everything. Yeah, and where be
these things now, scoff Zabadu. I figure it pays better

(03:09:43):
to be smart and get by without working. You watch, Sabadu,
if we're sold to the walls, he'll be carrying the
water bag or some easy jobwhe Now, who like to
work will be breaking thy back carrying bricks. He laughed,
his silly laugh. Terror gripped me that night. I could
not sleep. I crowded close to the guard rope, and

(03:10:04):
when the others slept, I attracted the attention of Godoso,
who was doing the first guard watch. He was one
of those brigan Arabs, the sort of rogu if he
robbed thee of thy purse, would think he must also
cut thy throat. Tell me, Godoso, I whispered, when we
get to Babylon while we be sold to the walls.
Why want to know, he questioned, cautiously. Canst thou not understand?

(03:10:28):
I pleaded, I am young. I want to live. I
don't want to be worked or beaten to death on
the walls. Is there any chance for me to get
a good master? He whispered back. I tell something, thou,
good fellow, give godoso no trouble. Most times we go
first to slave market. Listen now when buyers come, tell

(03:10:53):
him you, good worker, like to work hard for good master.
Make him want to buy you, not make him buy
next day you carry brick mighty hard work. After he
walked away, I lay in the warm sand, looking up
at the stars and thinking about work. What Mgiddo had
said about it being his best friend made me wonder

(03:11:13):
if it would be my best friend. Certainly it would
be if it helped me out of this. When m
Giddo awoke, I whispered my good news to him. It
was our one ray of hope. As we marched toward
Babylon late in the afternoon, we approached the walls and
could see the lines of men like black ants, climbing
up and down the steep diagonal paths. As we drew closer,

(03:11:36):
we were amazed at the thousands of men working. Some
were digging in the moat, others mixed the dirt into
mud bricks. The greatest number were carrying the bricks in
large baskets up those steep trails to the mason's asterisk.
Overseers cursed the laggards and cracked bullock whips over the
backs of those who failed to keep in line. Poor
worn out fellows were seen to stagger and fall beneath

(03:11:57):
their heavy baskets, unable to rise again. If the lash
failed to bring them to their feet, they were pushed
to the side of the paths and left writhing in agony.
Soon they would be dragged down to join other craven
bodies beside the roadway to await unsanctified graves. As I
beheld the ghastly site, I shuddered. So this was what
awaited my father's son if he failed at the slave

(03:12:19):
market asterisk. The famous works of ancient Babylon, its walls, temples,
hanging gardens, and great canals, were built by slave labor,
mainly prisoners of war, which explains the inhuman treatment they received.
This force of workmen also included many citizens of Babylon
and its provinces who had been sold into slavery because
of crimes. For financial troubles, it was a common custom

(03:12:42):
for men to put themselves, their wives, or their children
up as a bond to guarantee payment of loans, legal judgments,
or other obligations in case of default. Though so bonded
were sold into slavery. Guidoso had been right. We were
taken through the gates of the city to the slave prison,
and next morning marched to the pens in the market.

(03:13:03):
Hear the rest of the men huddled in fear, and
only the whips of our guard could keep them moving
so the buyers could examine them. Megiddo and myself eagerly
talked to every man who permitted us to address him.
The slave dealer brought soldiers from the king's guard, who
shackled Pirate and brutally beat him when he protested. As
they led him away, I felt sorry for him. Megiddo

(03:13:25):
felt that we would soon part when no buyers were near.
He talked to me earnestly to impress upon me how
valuable work would be to me in the future. Some
men hate it they make it their enemy. Better to
treat it like a friend. Make thyself like it. Don't
mind because it is hard. If thou thinkest about what
a good house thou build, then who cares if the

(03:13:46):
beams are heavy and it is far from the well
to carry the water for the plaster. Promise me, boy,
if thou get a master work for him as hard
as thou canst. If he does not appreciate all thou do,
never mind. Remember, work well done does good to the
man who does it. It makes him a better man.
He stopped as a burly farmer came to the enclosure

(03:14:09):
and looked at us critically. Mgiddo asked about his farm
and crops, soon convincing him that he would be a
valuable man. After violent bargaining with the slave dealer, the
farmer drew a fat purse from beneath his robe, and
soon Mgiddo had followed his new master out of sight.
A few other men were sold during the morning. At noon,

(03:14:29):
Didoso confided to me that the dealer was disgusted and
would not stay over another night, but would take all
who remained at sundown to the king's buyer. I was
becoming desperate when a fat, good natured man walked up
to the wall and inquired if there was a baker
among us. I approached him, saying, why should a good
baker like thyself seek another baker of inferior ways? Would

(03:14:50):
it not be easier to teach a willing man like
myself thy skilled ways. Look at me, I am young,
strong and like to work. Give me a chance, and
I will do my bes to earn gold and silver
for thy purse. He was impressed by my willingness and
began bargaining with the dealer, who had never noticed me
since he had bought me, but now waxed eloquent on
my abilities, good health, and good disposition. I felt like

(03:15:13):
a fat ox being sold to a butcher. At last,
much to my joy, the deal was closed. I followed
my new master away, thinking I was the luckiest man
in Babylon. My new home was much to my liking. Nanonad.
My master taught me how to grind the barley in
the stone bowl that stood in the courtyard, how to
build the fire in the oven, and then how tobrin

(03:15:35):
very fine the sesame flower for the honeycakes. I had
a couch in the shed where his grain was stored.
The old slave housekeeper Slisthy fed me well and was
pleased at the way I helped her with the heavy tasks.
Here was the chance I had longed for to make
myself valuable to my master, and I hoped to find
a way to earn my freedom. I asked Nanonee to

(03:15:57):
show me how to knead the bread and to bake
this use. He did, much, pleased at my willingness. Later,
when I could do this well, I asked him to
show me how to make the honeycakes, and soon I
was doing all the baking. My master was glad to
be idle, but Slisty shook her head in disapproval. No
work to do is bad for any man, she declared.

(03:16:17):
I felt it was time for me to think of
a way by which I might start to earn coins
to buy my freedom. As the baking was finished at noon,
I thought Nanonad would approve if I found profitable employment
for the afternoons, and might share my earnings with me.
Then the thought came to me, why not think more
of the honeycakes and pedal than to hungry men upon
the streets of the city. I presented my plan to Nanonade.

(03:16:38):
This way, if I can use my afternoons after the
baking is finished, to earn for the coins, would it
be only fair for thee to share my earnings with me,
that I might have money of my own to spend
for those things which every man desires and needs. Fair enough?
Fair enough, he admitted. When I told him of my
plan to pedal our honeycakes, he was well pleased. Here
is what we will do, he suggested. Thou sellest them

(03:17:01):
at two for a penny, Then half of the pennies
will be mine to pay for the flour in the
honey in the wood to bake them. Of the rest,
I shall take half, and na shall keep half. I
was much pleased by his generous offer that I might
keep for myself one fourth of my sails. That night
I worked late to make a tray upon which to
display them. Nanonade gave me one of his worn robes

(03:17:23):
that I might look well, and Spistey helped me patch
it and wash it clean. The next day I baked
an extra supply of honey cakes. They looked brown and
tempting upon the tray as I went along the street,
loudly calling my wares at first, no one seemed interested,
and I became discouraged. I kept on, and later in
the afternoon his men became hungry. The cakes began to sell,

(03:17:45):
and soon my tray was empty. Nanonate was well pleased
with my success and gladly paid me my share. I
was delighted to own pennies. Mgiddo had been right when
he said a master appreciated good work from his slaves.
That night, I was so excited over my success I
could hardly sleep, and tried to figure how much I
could earn in a year, and how many years would

(03:18:07):
be required to buy my freedom. As I went forth
with my tray of cakes every day, I soon found
regular customers. One of these was none other than thy grandfather,
a rod Gula. He was a rug merchant and sold
to the housewives. Going from one end of the city
the other, accompanied by a donkey loaded high with rugs
and a black slave to tend it, he would buy

(03:18:28):
two cakes for himself and two for his slave, always
tarrying to talk with me while they ate them. Thy
grandfather said something to me one day that I shall
always remember. I like thy cakes, boy, but better still,
I like the fine enterprise with which thou offerest them.
Such spirit can carry thee far on the road to success.
But how canst thou understand, Hayden Gula, what such words

(03:18:51):
of encouragement could mean to a slave boy, lonesome in
a great city, struggling with all he had in him
to find a way out of his humiliation. As the
months went by at I continued to add pennies to
my purse. It began to have a comforting weight upon
my belt. Work was proving to be my best friend.
Just as Mgiddo had said. I was happy, but Slisty

(03:19:11):
was worried thy master. I fear to have him spend
so much time at the gaming houses, she protested. I
was overjoyed one day to meet my friend m. Giddo
upon the street. He was leading three donkeys loaded with
vegetables to the market. I am doing mighty well, he said.
My master does appreciate my good work. For now I

(03:19:33):
am a foreman. See he does trust the marketing to me,
and also he is sending for my family. Work is
helping me to recover from my great trouble. Someday it
will help me to buy my freedom and once more
own a farm of my own. Time went on, and
Nanonade became more and more anxious for me to return
from selling. He would be waiting when I returned and

(03:19:54):
would eagerly count and divide our money. He would also
urge me to seek further markets and increase my sales.
Often I went outside the city gates to solicit the
overseers of the slaves building the walls. I hated to
return to the disagreeable sights, but found the overseer's liberal buyers.
One day, I was surprised to see Zabadu waiting in

(03:20:15):
line to fill his basket with bricks. He was gaunt
and bent, and his back was covered with welts and
sores from the whips of the overseers. I was sorry
for him and handed him a cake, which he crushed
into his mouth like a hungry animal. Seeing the greedy
look in his eyes, I ran before he could grab
my tray. Why dost thou work so hard? Arod Gula

(03:20:37):
said to me one day, almost the same question thou
asked of me today. Dost thou remember? I told him
what Megiddo had set about work, and how it was
proving to be my best friend. I showed him with
pride my wallet of pennies and explained how I was
saving them to buy my freedom. When thou art free,
what wilt thou do? He inquired? Then I answered, I

(03:21:01):
intend to become a merchant. At that, he confided in
me something I had never suspected. Thou knowest not that
I also am a slave. I am in partnership with
my master. Stop demanded hayden Gula, I will not listen
to lies to faming my grandfather. He was no slave.

(03:21:24):
His eyes blazed in anger. Sheru Nada remained calm. I
honor him for rising above his misfortune and becoming a
leading citizen of Damascus. Art thou his grandson cast of
the same mold? Art thou man enough to face true facts?
Or dost thou prefer to live under false illusions? Hayden

(03:21:45):
Gula straightened in his saddle. In a voice suppressed with
deep emotion, he replied, my grandfather was beloved by all
Countless were his good deeds when the famine came. Did
not his gold by grain in Egypt? And did not
his caravan bring it to Damascus and distribute it to
the people so none would starve? Now thou sayest he
was but a despised slave in Babylon. Had he remained

(03:22:08):
a slave in Babylon, then he might well have been despised.
But when through his own efforts he became a great
man in Damascus, the gods indeed condoned his misfortunes and
honored him with their respect. Cheronada replied, after telling me
that he was a slave, Cheronada continued. He explained how
anxious he had been to earn his freedom. Now that
he had enough money to buy this, he was much

(03:22:29):
disturbed as to what he should do. He was no
longer making good sales and feared to leave the support
of his master. I protested his indecision, cling no longer
to thy master. Get once again the feeling of being
a free man. Act like a free man and succeed
like one. Decide what thou desirest to accomplish, and then

(03:22:50):
work will aid thee to achieve it. He went on
his way, saying he was glad I had shamed him
for his cowardice. Asterisk. One day I went outside the
gates again, and I was surprised to find a great
crowd gathering there. When I asked a man for an explanation,
he replied, hast thou not heard an escaped slave who
murdered one of the king's guards has been brought to justice,

(03:23:11):
and will this day be flogged to death for his crime.
Even the king himself is to be here. So dense
was the crowd about the flogging post. I feared to
go near, lest my tray of honeycakes be upset. Therefore
I climbed up the unfinished wall to see over the
heads of the people. I was fortunate in having a
view of Nebuchadnezzer himself as he rode by in his

(03:23:32):
golden chariot. Never had I beheld such grandeur, such robes
and hangings of gold, cloth and velvet. I could not
see the flogging, though I could hear the shrieks of
the poor slave. I wondered how one so noble as
our handsome king could endure to see such suffering. Yet
when I saw he was laughing and joking with his nobles,
I knew he was cruel and understood why such inhuman

(03:23:53):
tasks were demanded of the slaves building the walls. After
the slave was dead, his body was hung upon a
pole by a rope attached to his legs, so all
might see. As the crowd began to thin, I went
close on the hairy chest I saw tattooed two and
twine serpents. It was pirate. The next time I met
a rod Gula, he was a changed man of full

(03:24:15):
of enthusiasm. He greeted me. Behold, the slave thou knewest
is now a free man. There was magic in my words.
Already my sales and my profits are increasing. My wife
is overjoyed. She was a free woman, the niece of
my master. She much desires that we moved to a
strange city where no man shall know I was once

(03:24:35):
a slave. Thus our children shall be above reproach for
their father's misfortune. Work has become my best helper. It
has enabled me to recapture my confidence and my skill
to sell. I was overjoyed that I had been able,
even in a small way, to repay him for the
encouragement he had given me. Slave customs in ancient Babylon,

(03:24:57):
though they may seem inconsistent to us, strictly regulated by law.
For example, a slave could own property of any kind,
even other slaves upon which his master had no claim.
Slaves intermarried freely with non slaves. Children of free mothers
were free. Most of the city merchants were slaves. Many

(03:25:18):
of these were in partnership with their masters, and wealthy
in their own right. One evening, spy they came to
me in deep distress. Thy master is in trouble. I
fear for him. Some months ago he lost much at
the gaming tables. He pays not the farmer for his
grain nor his honey. He pays not the money lender.

(03:25:40):
They are angry and threaten him. Why should we worry
over his folly? We are not his keepers, I replied, thoughtlessly,
foolish youth, thou understandest not to the money lender. Didst
he give thy title to secure a loan? Under the law,
he can claim thee and sell thee? I know not

(03:26:00):
what to do. He is a good master, Why, oh
why should such trouble come upon him? Not? Were Smithy's
fears groundless? While I was doing the baking. Next morning,
the money lender returned with a man he called Sussy.
This man looked me over and said I would do.

(03:26:21):
The money lender waited not for my master to return,
but told Swythy to tell him he had taken me
with only the robe on my back, and the purse
of pennies hanging safely from my belt. I was hurried
away from the unfinished baking. I was whirled away from
my dearest hopes as the hurricane snatches the tree from
the forest and casts it into the surging sea. Again

(03:26:41):
a gaming house in Barley Beer had caused me disaster.
Sussy was a blunt, gruff man as he led me
across the city. I told him of the good work
I had been doing for Nanonade, and said I hoped
to do good work for him. His reply offered no encouragement.
I like not this work. My master likes it not.

(03:27:02):
The King has told him to send me to build
a section of the Grand Canal. Master tells Sussy to
buy more slaves, work hard and finish quick. Bah, how
can any man finish a big job quick? Picture a

(03:27:41):
desert with not a tree, just low shrubs, and a
sun burning with such fury the water in our barrels
became so hot we could scarcely drink it. Then picture
rows of men going down into the deep excavation and
lugging heavy baskets of dirt up soft, dusty trails from
daylight until dark. Picture food served in open troughs from
which we helped ourselves. Like swine. We had no tents,

(03:28:02):
no straw for beds. That was the situation in which
I found myself. I buried my wallet in a marked spot,
wondering if I would ever dig it up again. At
first I worked with good will, but as the months
dragged on, I felt my spirit breaking. Then the heat
fever took hold of my weary body. I lost my

(03:28:23):
appetite and could scarcely eat the mutton and vegetables. At night,
I would toss an unhappy wakefulness in my misery. I
wondered if Sabadu had not the best plan to shirk
and keep his back from being broken in work. Then
I recalled my last sight of him and knew his
plan was not good. I thought of Pirate with his bitterness,

(03:28:43):
and wondered if it might be just as well to
fight and kill. The memory of his bleeding body reminded
me that his plan was also useless. Then I remembered
my last sight of Megiddo. His hands were deeply calloused
from hard work, but his heart was light and there
was happiness on his face. His was the best plan,

(03:29:03):
Yet I was just as willing to work as Mgiddo,
he could not have worked harder than I. Why did
not my work bring me happiness and success? Was it
work that brought Mgiddo happiness? Or was happiness and success
merely in the lapse of the gods? Was I to
work the rest of my life without gaining my desires,
without happiness and success. All of these questions were jumbled

(03:29:25):
in my mind, and I had not an answer. Indeed,
I was sorely confused. Several days later, when it seemed
that I was at the end of my endurance and
my questions still unanswered, Sussy sent for me. A messenger
had come from my master to take me back to Babylon.
I dug up my precious wallet, wrapped myself in the
tattered remnants of my robe, and was on my way.

(03:29:48):
As we rode, the same thoughts of a hurricane whirling
me hither and thither kept racing through my feverish brain.
I seemed to be living the weird words of a
chant from my native town of Herun, A man like
a whirlwind, driving him like a storm, whose course no
one can foliate, whose destiny no one can foretell. Was
I destined to be? Ever? Thus punished for I knew

(03:30:09):
not what what new miseries and disappointments awaited me When
we rode to the courtyard of my master's house. Imagine
my surprise when I saw a rod gula awaiting me.
He helped me down and hugged me like a long
lost brother. As we went our way. I would have
followed him, as a slave should follow his master, but
he would not permit me. He put his arm about me,

(03:30:32):
saying I hunted everywhere for THEE. When I had almost
given up hope, I did meet Smysty, who told me
of the money lender, who directed me to thy noble owner.
A hard bargain he did drive and made me pay
an outrageous price. But thou art worth it. Thy philosophy
and thy enterprise have been my inspiration to this new success.

(03:30:52):
Mgiddo's philosophy, not mine. I interrupted Megiddo's and nine thanks
to THEE. Both we are going to Damascus, and I
need THEE for my partner. See, he exclaimed in one moment,
thou wilt be a free man, so saying, he drew
from beneath his robe the clay tablet carrying my title.
This he raised above his head and hurled it to

(03:31:14):
break in a hundred pieces upon the cobble stones. With glee,
he stamped upon the fragments until they were but dust.
Tears of gratitude filled my eyes. I knew I was
the luckiest man in Babylon. Work. Thus see by this,
in the time of my greatest distress, didst prove to
be my best friend. My willingness to work enabled me

(03:31:36):
to escape from being sold to join the slave gangs
upon the walls. It also so impressed thy grandfather he
selected me for his partner. Then hayden Gula questioned, was
work my grandfather's secret key to the golden shekels? It
was the only key he had when I first knew him.
Cher Nada replied, Thy grandfather enjoyed working. The gods appreciated

(03:31:59):
his efforts and rewarded him liberally. I begin to see
hayden Gula was speaking thoughtfully. Work attracted his many friends
who admired his industry, and the success it brought. Work
brought him the honors he enjoyed so much in Damascus.
Work brought him all those things I have approved, And
I thought work was fit only for slaves. Life is

(03:32:22):
rich with many pleasures for men to enjoy. Cheron Nada commented,
each has its place. I am glad that work is
not reserved for slaves. Were that the case, I would
be deprived of my greatest pleasure. Many things do I enjoy,
but nothing takes the place of work. Chernada and hayden
Gula road in the shadows of the towering walls up

(03:32:44):
to the massive bronze gates of Babylon. At their approach,
the gate guards jumped to attention and respectfully saluted an
honored citizen. With head held high, Cheronada led the long
caravan through the gates and up the streets of the city.
I have always hoped to be a man like my grandfather,
hayden Gula confided to him. Never before did I realize

(03:33:05):
just what kind of man he was. This thou hast
shown me. Now that I understand, I do admire him
all the more and feel more determined to be like him.
I fear I can never repay THEE for giving me
the true key to his success. From this day forth
I shall use his key. I shall start humbly as
he started, which befits my true station far better than

(03:33:26):
jewels and fine robes, So saying Hayden Gula pulled the
jeweled bobbles from his ears and the rings from his fingers. Then,
reining his horse, he dropped back and rode with deep
respect behind the leader of the caravan. Chapter eleven and

(03:33:48):
historical sketch of Babylon. In the pages of history, there
lives no city more glamorous than Babylon. Its very name
Kunjur's visions of wealth and splendor, its treasures of gold
and jewels were fabulous. One naturally pictures such a wealthy
city as located in a suitable setting of tropical luxury,
surrounded by rich natural resources of forests and mines. Such

(03:34:12):
was not the case. It was located beside the Euphrates
River in a flat, arid valley. It had no forests,
no mines, not even stone for building. It was not
even located upon a natural trade route. The rainfall was
insufficient to raise crops. Babylon is an outstanding example of
man's ability to achieve great objectives using whatever means or

(03:34:36):
at his disposal. All of the resources supporting this large
city were man developed. All of its riches were man made.
Babylon possessed just two natural resources of fertile soil and
water in the river. With one of the greatest engineering
accomplishments of this or any other day, Babylonian engineers diverted
the waters from the river by means of dams and

(03:34:57):
immense irrigation canals. Far out across that arid valley went
these canals to pour the life giving waters over the
fertile soil. This ranks among the first engineering feats known
to history. Such abundant crops as were the reward of
this irrigation system the world had never seen before. Fortunately,
during its long existence, Babylon was ruled by successive lines

(03:35:20):
of kings, to whom conquest and plunder were but incidental.
While it engaged in many wars, most of these were
local or defensive against ambitious conquerors from other countries who
coveted the fabulous treasures of Babylon. The outstanding rulers of
Babylon live in history because of their wisdom, enterprise, and justice.
Babylon produced no strutting monarchs who sought to conquer the

(03:35:42):
known world that all nations might pay homage to their egotism.
As a city, Babylon exists no more when those energizing.
Human forces that built and maintained the city for thousands
of years were withdrawn. It soon became a deserted ruin.
The site of the city is in Asia, about six
hundred miles east of the Suez Canal, just north of

(03:36:02):
the Persian Gulf. The latitude is about thirty degrees above
the equator, practically the same as that of Yuma, Arizona.
It possessed a climate similar to that of this American city,
hot and dry. Today, this valley of the Euphrates, once
a populous, irrigated farming district, is again a wind swept

(03:36:22):
arid waste. Scant grass and desert shrubs strive for existence
against the wind blown sands. Gone are the fertile fields,
the mammoth cities, and the long caravans of rich merchandise.
Nomadic bands of Arabs, securing a scant living by tending
small herds, are the only inhabitants such. It has been
since about the beginning of the Christian era. Dotting this

(03:36:46):
valley are earthen hills. For centuries they were considered by
travelers to be nothing else. The attention of archaeologists were
finally attracted to them because of broken pieces of pottery
and brickwashed down by the occasional rainstorms. Expeditions financed by
European and American museums were sent here to excavate and
see what could be found. Picks and shovels soon proved

(03:37:09):
these hills to be ancient cities, city graves. They might
well be called. Babylon was one of these. Over it
for something like twenty centuries, the winds had scattered the
desert dust. Built originally of brick, all exposed walls had
disintegrated and gone back to Earth once more. Such as Babylon,

(03:37:30):
the wealthy city today a heap of dirt, so long
abandoned that no living person even knew its name until
it was discovered by carefully removing the refuse of centuries
from the streets and the fallen wreckage of its noble
temples and palaces. Many scientists consider the civilization of Babylon
and other cities in this valley to be the oldest,
of which there is a definite record. Positive dates have

(03:37:52):
been proved reaching back eight thousand years. An interesting fact
in this connection is the means used to determine these dates,
uncovered in the ruins of Babylon were descriptions of an
eclipse of the sun. Modern astronomers readily computed the time
when such an eclipse visible in Babylon occurred, and thus
established a known relationship between their calendar and our own.

(03:38:15):
In this way we have proved that eight thousand years
ago the Summerites who inhabited Babylonia were living in walled cities.
One can only conjecture for how many centuries previous such
cities had existed. Their inhabitants were not mere barbarians living
within protecting walls. They were an educated and enlightened people.

(03:38:36):
So far as written history goes, they were the first engineers,
the first astronomers, the first mathematicians, the first financiers, and
the first people to have a written language. Mention has
already been made of the irrigation systems which transformed the
arid valley into an agricultural paradise. The remains of these
canals can still be traced, although they are mostly filled

(03:38:57):
with accumulated sand. Some of them were of such size that,
when empty of water, a dozen horses could be ridden
abreast along their bottoms. In size, they compare favorably with
the largest canals in Colorado and Utah. In addition to
irrigating the valley lands, Babylonian engineers completed another project of
similar magnitude. By means of an elaborate drainage system, they

(03:39:21):
reclaimed an immense area of swampland at the mouths of
the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, and put this also under cultivation. Herodotus,
the Greek traveler and historian, visited Babylon while it was
in its prime and has given us the only known
description by an outsider. His writings give a graphic description
of the city and some of the unusual customs of
its people. He mentions the remarkable fertility of the soil

(03:39:45):
and the bountiful harvest of wheat and barley which they produced.
The glory of Babylon has faded, but its wisdom has
been preserved for us. For this we are indebted to
their form of records. In that distant day, the use
of paper had not been invented. Instead, they laboriously engraved
their writing upon tablets of moist clay. When completed, these

(03:40:07):
were baked and became hard tile In size, They were
about six by eight inches and an inch in thickness.
These clay tablets, as they are commonly called, were used
much as we use modern forms of writing. Upon them
were engraved legends, poetry, history, transcriptions of royal decrees, the
laws of the land, titles to property, promissory notes, and

(03:40:29):
even letters which were dispatched by messengers to distant cities.
From these clay tablets we are permitted an insight into
the intimate personal affairs of the people. For example, one tablet,
evidently from the records of a country storekeeper, relates that,
upon the given data, certain named customer brought in a
cow and exchanged it for seven sacks of wheat, three
being delivered at the time, and the other four to

(03:40:51):
await the customer's pleasure. Safely buried in the wreck cities,
Archaeologists have recovered entire libraries of these tablets, hundreds of
thousands of them. One of the outstanding wonders of Babylon
was the immense walls surrounding the city. The ancients ranked
them with the Great Pyramid of Egypt as belonging to
the seven wonders of the world. Queen Semiramis is credited

(03:41:13):
with having erected the first walls during the early history
of the city. Modern excavators have been unable to find
any trace of the original walls, nor is their exact
height known. From mention made by early writers, it is
estimated they were about fifty to sixty feet high, faced
on the outer side with burnt brick, and further protected
by a deep mote of water. The later and more

(03:41:36):
famous walls were started about six hundred years before the
time of Christ by King Nebopolassar. Upon such a gigantic
scale did he plan the rebuilding, He did not live
to see the work finished. This was left to his
son Nebuchadnezzar, whose name is familiar in biblical history. The
height and length of these later wall staggers belief. They

(03:41:58):
are reported upon reliable authority to have been about one
hundred and sixty feet high, the equivalent of the height
of a modern fifteen story office building. The total length
is estimated as between nine and eleven miles. So wide
was the top that a six horse chariot could be
driven around them. Of this tremendous structure, little now remains
except portions of the foundations and the moat. In addition

(03:42:21):
to the ravages of the elements the Arabs completed the
destruction by quarrying the brick for building purposes elsewhere against
the walls of Babylon marched in turn the victorious armies
of almost every conqueror of that age of wars of conquest.
A host of kings laid siege to Babylon, but always
in vain. Invading armies of that day were not to

(03:42:42):
be considered lightly. Historians speak of such units as ten
thousand horsemen, twenty five thousand chariots, one thousand, two hundred
regiments of foot soldiers with one thousand men to the regiment.
Often two or three years of preparation would be required
to assemble war materials and depots of food along the
post line of March. The city of Babylon was organized

(03:43:03):
much like a modern city. There were streets and shops.
Peddlers offered their wares through residential districts. Priests officiated in
magnificent temples. Within the city was an inner enclosure for
the royal palaces. The walls about this were said to
have been higher than those about the city. The Babylonians

(03:43:25):
were skilled in the arts. These included sculpture, painting, weaving,
gold working, and the manufacture of metal weapons and agricultural implements.
Their jewelers created most artistic jewelry. Many samples have been
recovered from the graves of its wealthy citizens and are
now on exhibition in the leading museums of the world.

(03:43:47):
At a very early period, when the rest of the
world was still hacking at trees with stone headed axes
or hunting and fighting with flint pointed spears and arrows,
the Babylonians were using axes, spears and arrows with metal heads.
But Babylonians were clever financiers and traders. So far as
we know, they were the original inventors of money as
a means of exchange of promissory notes and written titles

(03:44:09):
to property. Babylon was never entered by hostile armies until
about five hundred and forty years before the birth of Christ.
Even then, the walls were not captured. The story of
the fall of Babylon is most unusual. Cyrus, one of
the great conquerors of that period, intended to attack the
city and hoped to take its impregnable walls. Advisers of Nabonidus,

(03:44:33):
the king of Babylon, persuaded him to go forth to
meet Cyrus and give him battle, without waiting for the
city to be besieged. In the succeeding defeat to the
Babylonian army, it fled away from the city. Cyrus thereupon
entered the open gates and took possession without resistance. Thereafter,
the power and prestige of the city gradually waned, until

(03:44:54):
in the course of a few hundred years, it was
eventually abandoned, deserted, left for the winds and storms to
lebel once again to that desert earth from which its
grandeur had originally been built. Babylon had fallen, never to
rise again, but to its civilization owes much the eons
of time have crumbled to dust the proud walls of
its temples, but the wisdom of Babylon endures. Money is

(03:45:17):
the medium by which earthly success is measured. Money makes
possible the enjoyment of the best the earth affords. Money
is plentiful for those who understand the simple laws which
govern its acquisition. Money is governed today by the same
laws which controlled it when prosperous men from the streets
of Babylon six thousand years ago. Pigeon Publishing House presented

(03:45:42):
the richest man in Babylon, author George C. Classen, thank
you for listening to this audiobook. We hope you've enjoyed it.

All Episodes

The Richest Man In Babylon (George S. Clason) | Full Audiobook

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know

Dateline NBC

New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce

.css-15opob5{left:0;position:absolute;top:0.8rem;} All Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}The Richest Man In Babylon (George S. Clason) | Full Audiobook