"we are all thy peasants, simpletons, without any wisdom, born of peasant parents, all of us children of the same father and the same mother, and all having the same name, simeon. our old father taught us to pray to god, to obey thee, to pay taxes faithfully, and besides to work and toil without rest. he also taught to each of us a trade, for the old saying is, 'a trade is no burden, but a profit.' the old father wished us to keep our trades for a cloudy day, but never to forsake our own fields, and always to be contented, and plow and harrow diligently.