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The Eloquent Peasant & the Plea for Justice
A robbed peasant pleads so eloquently for justice that the magistrate keeps him talking.
In this classic Middle Kingdom tale, a peasant who has been robbed pleads his case before a high official in nine eloquent speeches, insisting that those in power do ma'at — that they judge fairly and defend the powerless against the strong. The official, impressed by his eloquence, deliberately prolongs the case to hear more. The work is a sustained meditation on justice and the moral obligations of authority.
Key passages(1)
Very high