A wise man who conducts himself in this way,[245] succeeds in
disarming his very foes of their hostility and converting them into
friend. A king that has his soul under restraint, that is possessed of
wisdom, and that is desirous of prosperity, should carefully examine the
merits and demerits of his ministers. A king desirous of prosperity and
of shining in the midst of his contemporaries, should have for ministers
persons connected with his trusted friends, possessed of high birth born
in his own kingdom, incapable of being corrupted, unstained by adultery
and similar vices, well tested, belonging to good families, possessed of
learning, sprung from sires and grandsires that held similar offices, and
adorned with humility. The king should employ five such persons to look
after his affairs as are possessed of intelligence unstained by pride, a
disposition that is good, energy, patience, forgiveness, purity, loyalty,
firmness, and courage, whose merits and faults have been well tested, who
are of mature years, who are capable of bearing burthens, and who are
free from deceit. Men that are wise in speech, that are possessed of
heroism, that are full of resources under difficulties, that are of high
birth, that are truthful, that can read signs, that are free from
cruelty, that are conversant with the requirements of place and time, and
that desire the good of their masters, should be employed by the king as
his ministers in all affairs of the kingdom.
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