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一位樵夫在河边砍树，不慎将斧头丢落河中。樵夫不知如何才能打捞出自己的斧头,便难过地坐在河边哭泣。 赫尔墨斯正好经过,便问明樵夫哭泣的原因。赫尔墨斯非常可怜他,就钻进河里。他拿出了一把金斧头，问樵夫是不是他丢的那把，樵夫说不是。于是，赫尔墨斯又钻进河里,拿出一把银斧头，樵夫还是说不是。因此，赫尔墨斯第三次潜人水中，拿出了樵夫自己的斧头。樵夫说：“这才是我的斧头!”赫尔墨斯对樵夫的诚实行为感到很高兴，就把另两把斧头作为礼物送给了他。 回去后，樵夫就把这件事讲给其他同伴听，其中有一个人听后便想他可以成功地创造一个类似的意外。于是,他来到河边故意把斧头丢进河里，并坐在河边哭泣。这时，赫尔墨斯又出现了，在了解了他哭泣的原因之后，便潜进水里打捞斧头。跟上次一样，赫尔墨斯拿出一把金斧头，问这是不是他所遗失的那把,那人一见便得意忘形地惊呼：“没错,就是这把!”赫尔墨斯对这人毫不脸红、厚颜无耻的行为感到非常愤怒，不仅没把金斧头给他，甚至连他原来的斧头也没有还给他 Honesty Is the Best Policy A man who was cutting wood on a riverside lost his axe in the water. There was no help for it；so he sat down on the bank and began to cry. Hermes appeared and inquired what the matter was. Feeling sorry for the man，he dived into the river，brought up a gold axe, and asked him if that was the one he had lost. When the woodcutter said that it was not, Hermes dived again and fetched up a silver one. The man said that was not his either. So he went down a third time and came up with the woodcutter’s own axe. “That’s the right one，he said. And Hermes was so delighted with his honesty that he made him a present of the other two axes as well. When the woodman rejoined his mates and told them his experience, one of them thought he would bring off a similar coup. He went to the river, deliberately threw his axe into it, and then sat down and wept. Hermes appeared again ； and on hearing the cause of his tears，he dived in, produced a gold axe as before，and asked if it was the one that had been lost. “Yes，it is indeed，’’the man joyfully exclaimed. The god was so shocked at his unblushing impudence that far from giving him the gold axe，he did not even restore his own to him. |
