The Rivan Codex: Ancient Texts of The Belgariad and The Malloreon

EEEE-AAAAY!

EEEE-AAAAY!

Sorrow

and

Sorrow

The people of Mara are no more. Cursed then is the land.

Betrayed am I by my brothers.

Betrayed land of the Marags shall be forever

Accursed. My hand shall be raised against it. No fruit shall it bear to outlanders.

No rest or sleep shall they find there.

Madness only shall they reap

among my empty cities.

And I will raise an army of the dead

against all who come into this land. Blood and death to all who profane my sacred altars.

EEEE – AAAAY!

EEEE – AAAAY! Sorrow!

Sorrow!

Sorrow! O, weep for Mara, whose people are no more.

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THE PROVERBS OF NEDRA (#ulink_de867039-08a7-58ed-a874-42cab2a38120)

NOTE There are some 1800 proverbs of Nedra. The few presented here are a random sampling containing the general spirit of the advice of Nedra to his people. The fact that Tolnedra is the dominant power in the west is silent testimony to the efficacy of Nedra’s advice.

1. Kill not. Dead men cannot buy from thee.

2. Steal not. Give full measure, and thy customer shall return.

3. Covet not. Keep thy mind unto thine own business and thou shalt prosper.

4. Store up thy goods against thine old age. Prepare for adversity, and be prudent in thine expenditures.

5. Be bountiful unto thy children and unto thy brother’s children so that they will be bountiful unto thee when thy vigor is diminished.

6. Bribe not the tax-collector. If he will betray the throne, will he not betray thee also?

7. Adulterate not the coinage nor shave away fragments therefrom. The coin thou sendest away today shall return unto thee tomorrow, and then whom hast thou robbed?

8. Dabble not. Select thy wares and become conversant with them. Who can know both shoes and jewels at the same time?

9. Deal in the very best thou canst afford. Who will buy from one who hath no faith in his own goods?

10. Be patient in thy dealings. Courtesy and wit are gold. Anger and spite are brass.

11. Cheat not. Thy customer will remember thee and shall never return.

12. Revenge thyself not on him who hath dealt falsely with thee. No profit is to be found in revenge.

13. Be ever watchful of the servant with ambition. If he is stupid, he will steal from thee. If he is clever, he will supplant thee.

14. Traffic only in tangible things. Who can weigh the wind or measure a promise?

15. Store up gold. Time cannot tarnish it, nor fashion cheapen. Trade thy gold only in the certainty of bringing in more.

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THE SERMON OF ALDUR (#ulink_3d459ac1-ee2d-5580-ba21-5cfbb8e5c1fc)

Unto his Disciples

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TRULY

I say unto thee that the world was made with a word. For the Seven joined together and spake the one word – Be –

And the world was.

I say again, in the speaking of the word was the world made, and all that is in the world was made thus. And Truly, I say unto thee also, thus may the world be unmade.

(#litres_trial_promo) For in the day that my brothers and I join again and speak the words – Be Not – in that day shall the world perish.

Infinite is the power of the word, for the word is the breath and soul of the mind, and as I have taught thee it is in the mind that all power lies. If thy mind have power, put that power into the word, and that which thou dost desire shall come to pass. But if thy mind be untutored or if it should be that thou falter or fear or doubt, the greatest words of power shall avail thee not – for with thy mind and with the word must be joined the will. And thus has it ever been.

It has come to pass that I must now go from thee and our paths must part. There is discontent and turmoil abroad in the land, and if it should come to pass that my brothers and I were drawn in to this conflict, our contention would destroy the world. Thus, that we might preserve the world and that we never again be forced to raise our hands against our beloved brother who has been maddened by his afflictions must we go from this world.

In sorrow I go from thee, but know that my spirit will be with thee always to aid thee and to comfort thee.

As I leave thee, I charge thee with a duty and lay upon thee a heavy burden. Verily, my beloved Disciples, thou art not as other men. Together have we sought out wisdom that we might more perfectly understand the meaning of the power of the word. That power is with thee, and thy minds have been bent to its use. Upon thee therefore falls the duty of preserving the world now that I and my brothers must depart. Some will remain here in this Vale to seek out further the meaning of the power of the word; others must go forth into the lands of strangers and use the power of the word to preserve the world and to stand as a barrier against my brother until the appointed one shall appear who will do that which must be done.

It will come to pass that some among thee will sicken of this endless burden, and with will and mind and the power of the word will they cause themselves to no longer be – for it is a simple thing to say ‘be not’ and to perish. For them I grieve, knowing that which is to come to pass.