This page has been fully proofread once and needs a second look.

25. "When the tree of egotism puts forth its
shoots, it dries up the springs of mercy. The dawning
of youthhood is really the vanishing of light from the
intellect; and how can one have anything like proper
perception at such a dark hour?
 
26. "Youth deprived of discretion, and rulers
blinded by prosperity, going their own way, soon became
the favourites of danger which overtakes them as a
night of eclipse does in the case of full moon.
 
27. Which wise man would trust women who are
the abode of all foibles and who are like nets ensnaring
the mind resembling the frolic-blind deer?
 
28. "All that a gambler has--fruitful earth, valu-
able ornaments, riches, and even his own body, his
strength, his wives and his sons--does not belong to
him, but belongs to others.
 
29. "Which wise man will indulge in hunting wild
beasts risking in vain his own life? Those that know
characterise it as a bottomless pit into which kings, like
rut-elephants, fall in their unguarded state.
 
30. "When the intoxication of youthhood is on,
and when wealth is making one falter at every step,
who could think of getting into the habit of drinking?
It would be like getting a bad complication in typhoid
fever.
 
31. "However much you may be wedded to doing
good, popularity could never be gained if you are in the
habit of bursting into harsh words. A cloud may give
welcome showers; but, at the same time, no one will
cease dreading its lightning and thunder.