Fragment XL: The gods send Insolence to lead astray

The gods send Insolence to lead astray
The man whom Fortune and the Fates betray ;
Predestin’d to precipitate decay.
Wealth nurses Insolence, and wealth, we find, \
When coupled with a poor and paltry mind,
Is evermore with insolence combin’d.
Never in anger with the meaner sort
Be mov’d to a contemptuous harsh retort,
Deriding their distresses ; nor despise
In hasty speech their wants and miseries.
Jove holds the balance, and the gods dispense
For all mankind riches and indigence.