The sage follows the laws of Nature
and therefore their bodies are free from strange diseases.
They do not lose any of their natural functions
and their spirit of life is never exhausted. i
A wise man holds out he is not too hot-hearted
nor too hasty in speech nor too weak a warrior
he is not wanting in fore-thought
nor too greedy of goods
nor too glad nor too mild
nor ever too eager to speak promises or oaths until his spirited soul sees clearly wither the intent of his heart will turn. ii
To avoid being too hasty in speech the sage often uses a little bit of magic by adding a few secret ingredients to his evening supper.
If you are in need of some magic as well, you should try his special magical dish of Pork with White Beans. Just ask the waiter and, as if by magic, the dish will appear.
This phrase was found in the book 'Healing with whole Foods' by Paul Pitchford (p.268). He took the phrase from 'Inner Classic', an ancient Chinese medical text and classic, more completely translated as 'The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine'.
Small extract from the Old English Poem 'The Wanderer' preserved in the so-called Exeter Book dating from the late 10th century
