2. “Gentlemen,” he began, “nothing in the world is stronger than men, since they rule over land and sea and, in fact, over everything in the world.
3. But the emperor is the strongest of them all; he is their lord and master, and men obey him, no matter what he commands.
4. If he tells them to make war on one another, they do it. If he sends them out against his enemies, they go, even if they have to break down mountains, walls, or towers.
5. They may kill or be killed, but they never disobey the emperor's orders. If they are victorious, they bring him all their loot and everything else they have taken in battle.
6. Farmers do not go out to war, but even they bring to the emperor a part of everything that they harvest, and they compel one another to pay taxes to the emperor.
7. Although the emperor is only one man, if he orders people to kill, they kill; if he orders them to set prisoners free, they do it;
8. if he orders them to attack, they do; if he orders destruction, they destroy; if he orders them to build, they build;
9. if he orders crops to be destroyed or fields to be planted, it is done.
10. Everybody, soldier or civilian, obeys the emperor. And when he sits down to eat or drink and then falls asleep,
11. his servants stand guard round him, without being able to go and take care of their own affairs, for they never disobey him.
12. Gentlemen,” he ended by saying, “since people obey the emperor like this, certainly nothing in the world is stronger than he is.”
13. The bodyguard who had written about women and the truth — it was Zerubbabel — spoke last.
14. “Gentlemen,” he began, “the emperor is certainly powerful, men are numerous, and wine is strong, but who rules and controls them all? It is women!
15. Women gave birth to the emperor and all the men who rule over land and sea.
16. Women brought them into the world. Women brought up the men who planted the vineyards from which wine comes.
17. Women make the clothes that men wear; women bring honour to men; in fact, without women, men couldn't live.
18. “Men may accumulate silver or gold or other beautiful things, but if they see a woman with a pretty face or a good figure,
19. they will leave it all to gape and stare, and they will desire her more than their wealth.
20. A man will leave his own father, who brought him up, and leave his own country to get married.
21. He will forget his father, his mother, and his country to spend the rest of his life with his wife.
22. So you must recognize that women are your masters. Don't you work and sweat and then take all that you have earned and give it to your wives?