English Original
A man once saw a ship sink with all its crew and commented severely on the injustice of the gods. "They care nothing for a man's character," he said, "but let the good and the bad perish together."
There was an anthill close by where he stood, and just as he spoke, he was bitten on the foot by an ant. In a fit of temper, he turned to the anthill and stamped upon it, crushing hundreds of unoffending ants.
Suddenly, Mercury appeared and beat him with his staff, saying, "You villain, where is your fine sense of justice now?"
中文翻译
一个人曾目睹一艘船连同所有船员沉没，于是严厉地指责众神不公。他说：“他们根本不在乎一个人的品格好坏，竟让好人与坏人一同丧命。”
他站立之处旁边恰好有一个蚁丘。就在他说话时，一只蚂蚁咬了他的脚。他勃然大怒，转身踩向蚁丘，碾死了数百只无辜的蚂蚁。
突然，墨丘利出现，用他的棍杖痛打此人，并说道：“你这恶棍，你那份高尚的正义感现在去哪儿了？”