The Kural or the Maxims of Tiruvalluvar/Chapter 69
CHAPTER 69
THE AMBASSADOR
681. A kind heart, high birth, and manners that captivate princes, these are the qualifications of the ambassador.
682. A loving nature, a wise understanding, and skill in speech, these three are indispensable to the envoy.
683. Behold the man who undertaketh to speak before princes words that shall profit his master : he shall be a scholar among scholars.
684. Let that man go on embassies who possesseth intelligence and learning and a commanding presence.
685. Conciseness of speech, sweetness of tongue and a careful eschewing of all disagreeable language, these are the means by which the ambassador shall work his master's profit.
686. Learning, sang-froid, persuasive speech, and a just instinct for what is meet for each occasion, all these are necessary qualifications in the envoy.
687. He is the fittest ambassador who hath a just eye for time and place, who knoweth his duty, and who weigheth his words before uttering them.
688. The man that is sent on embassies shall be firm of mind, pure of heart, and engaging in his ways.
689. Behold the firm-minded man that will never let fall from his lips words that are weak and unbecoming: he is the fit man to deliver the messages of princes at foreign courts.
690. Even when threatened with death the perfect ambassador will not fail in his duty but will endeavour to secure his master's profit.