HINTS
FROM THE
WORKS AND DAYS OF HESIOD.
PART FIRST.–THE ARGUMENT.
The poet begins with an invocation to the Muses, and also a short proœmium in praise of Jove, the immortal Sire as well of the Muses as of the divine goddess Justice, whose praises he is about to sing. Object of the poem to win his brethren and countrymen from strife and dissension, by inculcating an observance of the laws of Justice. The twofold nature of Strife; the one producing violent dissensions, the other virtuous emulation. The folly of litigation, and the squandering of one's hard earnings in needless lawsuits. The strict observance of the laws of Justice, in all our acts and dealings, the best method of preventing them. The thirst for knowledge the first great cause of the origin of evil. The origin of evil, as illustrated in the fable of "Pandora and the Forbidden Jar." The transition from virtue to vice not sudden, but gradual, as illustrated in the history of the Five Ages. The tendency of man, as well as of all other animals, to acquire by force and fraud. The fable of the "Hawk and the Swallow." Wrong in all shapes denounced. The happiness and prosperity of individuals and nations, who observe the laws of Justice, contrasted with the misery and divine punishment of those who disregard them. Virtue, industry, econ-
