as he pleases; no one will be denied access to it. But this permission shall last only during the time that the prince is absent from his palace taking a walk; when he returns the treasury shall be closed again. What do you think of this, my dear brethren? What a commotion it would cause in the town! Poor citizens, what would you think of such a favorable opportunity? Would you fail to profit by this short and uncertain although precious time in which you might become rich! would you sleep or sit it idly out? I imagine I am looking at the whole affair. The approach to the palace is thronged already at midday by people who have forgotten their meals in their eagerness to be in time; every one desires to be the first to enter after the prince leaves, so as to be able to take away as much money as possible. The lame and crippled become on such an occasion smart and active, and work with both hands to fill their pockets, and sacks, and clothes, as far as they will hold it, with money. I imagine the crowd would be so great as to endanger one’s life. Blows and kicks would certainly be interchanged between those who come and those who are hurrying out; but no one would be less eager to advance on that account. It does not matter, the people would think, if I have a broken head, as long as I can bring home plenty of money. But, I cry out to them, why do you crowd together so? Go quietly to work! The treasury is great enough, and contains much more than all of you could carry away. Yes, they answer, that is right enough, if we only knew how long the prince is to remain absent. Perhaps he will return immediately, and then the treasury will be closed in our faces. No, no! this is not a time for delaying; it is likely we shall never have such an opportunity of becoming rich offered us again. Suppose now that one or the other who is really in need of money for his support, and who could be the first at the treasury if he wished, is actually too lazy to stir a step out of his house, because he is with pleasant company engaged at play, what would you think of that man? He laughs at your credulity; he is perfectly certain that all the outcry about the open treasury is nonsense; or otherwise he has no desire to take anything out of it; if he had he would surely give up his talk and card-playing in order not to allow such a good chance to escape him.
God offers us endless
O Christians! what a wretched simile this is to explain what our faith teaches us of the future life of the just! But what a de-