Passage 1 It happened one day that a fisheman putting out to sea in a boat was just about to cast a net,when right in front of him he saw a man on the point of drowning. Being a brave-hearted and at the same time an agile man, he jumped up and, seizing a boathook, thrust it towards the man's fac. It caught him right in the eye and pierced it The fisherman haul;ed thye man into the boat and made for the shore without casting any of his nests. He had the man carried to his house and given the best possible attention and treatment, until he had got over his ordeal. For a long time, the man thought about the loss of his eye, considering it a great misfortune. He went and complained to the magistrate, who fixed a day for the hearing. They both waited till the day came round,and then went to the court. The one who had lost an eay spoke first, as was appropriate."Gentleman," he said, "I'm bringing a complaint against this worthy, who, only the other day, savagely struck me with a boathook and knocked my eye out. Now I'a handicapped. Give me justice, that's all I ask. I've nothing more to say." The other promptly spoke uo and said, "Grentlaman, I cannot deny that I knocked his eye out,but if what I did was wrong, I'd like to explain how it all happened. This man was in mortal danger in the sea, in fact he was on the point of drowning. I went to his aid. I won't deny I struck him with my boathook, but I did id for his owm good: I saved his life on that occasion." The court was quite at a loss when it came to deciding the rights of the case, but a fool who was present at the time said to them, "Why this hesitation? Let the first speaker be thrown back inbto the sea on the spot where the other man hit him in the face, and if he can get out again, the defendant shall compensate him for the loss of his eye. That I think, is a fair judgment." Then they all cried out as one man,"You're absolutely right! That's exactly what we'll do!" Judgment was then pronounced to that effect. When the man heard that he was to be thrown into the sea, just where he had endured all that cold water before,he wouldn't have gone back there for all the world, he relaeased the goodman from any liability, and his earlier attitude came in for much criticism. In the light of this incident, you can take it from me that it's a waste of time to help a scoundrel. Release a guilty theif from the gallows, and he will never like you for it.A wicked man will never be grateful to anyone who does him a good turn: He'll forget all about it; it will mean nothing to him. On the contrary, he would be only too glad to make trouble for his benefactor if he ever saw him at a disadvantage.