“’Then take that man into the centre of the whirl, place him at a table with a woman on either side, a glass in his hand, a handful of gold every morning and say to him:  ’This is your life.  While you sleep near your mistress, your horses neigh in the stables; while you drive your horses along the boulevards, your wines are ripening in your vaults; while you pass away the night drinking, the bankers are increasing your wealth.  You have but to express a wish and your desires are gratified.  You are the happiest of men.  But take care lest some night of carousal you drink too much and destroy the capacity of your body for enjoyment.  That would be a serious misfortune, for all the ills that afflict human flesh can be cured, except that.  You ride some night through the woods with joyous companions; your horse falls and you are thrown into a ditch filled with mud, and it may be that your companions, in the midst of their happy shoutings will not hear your cry of anguish; it may be that the sound of their trumpets will die away in the distance while you drag your broken limbs through the deserted forest.

“’Some night you will lose at the gaming-table; fortune has its bad days.  When you return home and are seated before the fire, do not strike your forehead with your hands, and allow sorrow to moisten your cheeks with tears; do not anxiously cast your eyes about here and there as if searching for a friend; do not, under any circumstances, think of those who, under some thatched roof, enjoy a tranquil life and who sleep holding each other by the hand; for before you on your luxurious bed reclines a pale creature who loves—­your money.  From her you will seek consolation for your grief, and she will remark that you are very sad and ask if your loss was considerable; the tears from your eyes will concern her deeply, for they may be the cause of allowing her dress to grow old or the rings to drop from her fingers.  Do not name him who won your money that night, for she may meet him on the morrow, and may make sweet eyes at him that would destroy your remaining happiness.

“’That is what is to be expected of human frailty; have you the strength to endure it?  Are you a man?  Beware of disgust, it is an incurable evil; death is more to be desired than a living distaste for life.  Have you a heart?  Beware of love, for it is worse than disease for a debauchee, and it is ridiculous.  Debauchees pay their mistresses, and the woman who sells herself has no right but that of contempt for the purchaser.  Are you passionate?  Take care of your face.  It is shameful for a soldier to throw down his arms and for a debauchee to appear to hold to anything; his glory consists in touching nothing except with hands of marble that have been bathed in oil in order that nothing may stick to them.

“’Are you hot-headed?  If you desire to live, learn how to kill, for wine is a wrangler.  Have you a conscience?  Take care of your slumber, for a debauchee who repents too late is like a ship that leaks:  it can neither return to land nor continue on its course; the winds can with difficulty move it, the ocean yawns for it, it careens and disappears.  If you have a body, look out for suffering; if you have a soul, despair awaits you.