"'Tis hard to do as good men do, to give as they can give,
Bad men can hardly imitate the life that good men live.

"And so, when good and evil go to pass away from earth,
The bad are born in hell below, in heaven the good have birth ."

The rich man, not seeing any way out of it, said to him, "Well, come in and sit down with these brahmins, and you shall have a little." And Matali, after waiting a little while, came up and asked for food; and when he was told there was no food, as soon as the words were spoken, repeated the seventh stanza:

"Some give from little, some give not though they have plenteous store:
Who gives from little, if he gave a thousand, twere no more."

[66] To him also the man said, "Well, come in and sit down." Then after waiting a little while, Pancasikha came up and asked for food. "There's none, go away," was the reply. Said he, "What a number of places I have visited! There must be a free meal for brahmins here, methinks!" And he began to hold forth to him, repeating the eighth stanza:

"Even he who lives on scraps should righteous be,
Giving from little store, though sons have he;
The hundred thousand which the wealthy give,
Are worth not one small gift from such as he."

The rich man pondered, on hearing the speech of Pancasikha. Then he repeated the ninth stanza, to ask an explanation of the little worth of such gifts:

"Why is a rich and generous sacrifice
Not equal to a righteous gift in price,
How is a thousand, which the wealthy gives,
Not worth a poor man's gift, tho' small in size?"

[67] In reply, Pancasikha recited the concluding stanza:

"Some who in evil ways do live
Oppress, and slay, then comfort give:
Their cruel sour-faced gifts are less
Than any given with righteousness.
Thus not a thousand from the wealthy can
Equal the little gift of such a man."

Having listened to the admonition of Pancasikha, he replied, "Well, go indoors and be seated; you shall have a little." And he too entered, and sat with the rest.

Then the rich merchant Bilarikosiya, beckoning to a maidservant, said to her, "Give yonder Brahmins a measure apiece of rice in the husk."