That officer who fully understands the intentions of his royal master and readily performs every duty, who is himself respected and devoted to his lord, who always speaks what is beneficial to his master, and who is fully aware both of the extent of his own power and of the strength of those against whom he may be employed -- such a man the king should regard as his second self. But that servant who disregards his master's instructions, who, when ordered to do something, refuses to obey, though he prides himself on his intelligence and is inclined to argue with his lord -- such a one should be dismissed without the least delay. The learned say that a servant should be endowed with these eight qualities, namely: freedom from pride, capability, freedom from delay, kindness, cleanliness, incorruptibility, birth in a family untouched by disease, and forceful speech. No man should confidently enter an enemy's house after the fall of dusk, even if he has been invited. One should not hide by night in the courtyard of another's estate, nor should one seek to enjoy a woman with whom the king himself might make love.