A Man once saw a ship go down with all its crew, and commented severely on the injustice of the gods. “They care nothing for a man's character,” said he, “but let the good and the bad go to their deaths together.” There was an ant-heap close by where he was standing, and, just as he spoke, he was bitten in the foot by an Ant. Turning in a temper to the ant-heap he stamped upon it and crushed hundreds of unoffending ants. Suddenly Mercury appeared, and belaboured him with his staff, saying as he did so, “You villain, where's your nice sense of justice now?”
有一回，有一个人看到一条船整个儿沉没了，船上的水手无一幸免，于是便严肃地批评起神灵的不公来。“他们完全都不在乎人的品格，就这么让好人和坏人死在了一处。”他站的地方附近有一个蚁丘，他夸夸其谈的时候，一只蚂蚁咬了他的脚一口。于是他把气撒向了蚁丘，用力地跺了很多脚，几百只无辜的蚂蚁死于他的脚下。突然间，手持权杖的墨丘利出现了，对这个人说：“你这个恶棍，你的正义感现在跑哪儿去了？”