The King said to the Bráhman, ‘I have heard the narrative of mutually-agreeing friends, and companions fitted for each other and sincere, and I have learned the result of their concord and unanimity, and have become acquainted with the fact that,

Now if you would be pleased to recount the story of an enemy, and how one ought not to be deceived by him, nor to rely on his pretended courtesy and submission. For the purport of the fourth precept is this, that it behoves a wise man, from motives of prudence, not to place any confidence in a foe; since friendship will never spring from an enemy.

Bídpáí said, ‘Of course a wise man will give no heed to the speech of a foe, nor will purchase the hypocritical wares of his deceit and imposture; for a sagacious enemy, for his own purposes, displays the utmost gentleness, and gives his outward conduct a specious appearance at variance with his inward feelings; and employs all the refinements of dissimulation and the arts of deceit, and under cover of them, disposes deep plans and surprising devices. Wherefore it behoves a man of sense and prudence, the more he observes a fawning and obliging demeanor on the part of his foe, to maintain the greater suspicion and watchfulness; and the more his enemy advances the foot of suavity, the closer to draw in the skirt of acceptance; for if he choose to be supine and leave a crevice open, his adversary, who is always on the watch for this state of things, will suddenly open his ambuscade and shoot the shaft of machination at the target of his wish. And in this case, the opportunity for applying a remedy being lost, his regret and repentance will be unavailing; and ‘if’ and ‘would that,’ will be in vain; and that will befall him which happened to the Owl from the Crow.’ Dábishlím inquired, ‘How was that?’