Page:Thus Spake Zarathustra - Alexander Tille - 1896.djvu/426

 39 2 THUS SPAKE ZARATHUSTRA, IV

ing the speaker, "how much harder it is, to give properly than to take properly, and that to give well is an art and the last and cunningest master-art of kindness."

" In particular, nowadays," answered the voluntary beggar, " i.e., to-day, when all that is low hath become rebellious and shy and high-minded in its own way, i.e., in the way of the mob.

For the hour hath come, thou knowest it, for the great, bad, long, slow rebellion of the mob and the slaves. It groweth and groweth !

Now all almsgiving and petty giving make the low rebellious. And the over-rich ought to be on their guard !

Whoever to-day letteth drops fall, as doth a big- bellied bottle, out of an all-too-narrow neck the neck of such a bottle is gladly broken to-day.

Voluptuous greediness, bilious envy, angry revenge, pride of the mob, all these things leaped into my face. It is no longer true that the poor are blessed. But the kingdom of heaven is with the cows."

" And why is it not with the rich ? " asked Zara- thustra tempting, while keeping back the cows which familiarly sniffed at the peaceful one.

" Why dost thou tempt me ? " answered he. "Thou knowest it thyself still better than I do. What drove me unto the poorest, O Zarathustra ? Was it not my loathing of our richest ones ?

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