wings, as do the daring birds of prey. If thou hast got eyes to see, feet to walk, fins to swim, and wings to fly, thou wilt not turn the earth like a mole, or hide in the mire like a craw-fish, or, like the prince of the domestic birds, only crawl upon the dunghill; but thou wilt go forth into the light of day, and run, swim, or fly toward the skies, according to the gifts which Nature has bestowed upon thee. For an active man is not satisfied with what he is, but tries to become all he can be. Therefore try to be what the gods ask of thee, and then thou wilt be able to judge if the country of Bohemia is worthy, or not, to be exchanged for an acre of land.”
This serious speech of the deputy, in which there was no mockery to be perceived, and the sight of the insignia of princely dignity—the purple, the sceptre, and the golden sword—which the deputies showed him as a proof of their mission, overcame at last the distrust of the doubting ploughman. His mind became at once enlightened; the charming thought awoke within him, that Miss Libussa had guessed the sentiments of his heart, that she had by means of her secret power seen his fidelity and constancy, and that she wanted to reward him in a way he had not dared to dream of. He now remembered the gift
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