nathan the wise

if each one from his father has his ring, then let each one believe his ring to be the true one -- —possibly the father wished to tolerate no longer in his house the tyrrany of just one ring —and know: that you, all three, he loved; and loved alike; since two of you he’d not humiliate to favor one -- well then! Let each aspire to emulate his father’s unbeguiled, unprejudiced affection! Let each strive to match the rest in bringing to the fore the magic of the opal in his ring! assist that power with all humility, with benefaction, hearty peacefulness, and with profound submission to god’s will

gotthold ephraim lessing
“nathan the wise”: act 3; scene
nathan telling of the judges pronouncement
on which of the rings is the true one


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