Mercury and the Woodsman

A woodsman, felling wood by the side of a river, let his axe drop by accident into a deep pool. Being thus deprived of the means of his livelihood, he sat down on the bank and lamented his bad luck.

Mercury appeared and asked him why he was upset. After the woodsman told him his misfortune, Mercury plunged into the stream, and, bringing up a golden axe, inquired if that was the one he had lost.

"No" said the woodsman, "that is not mine"

So Mercury disappeared beneath the water a second time and returned with a silver axe in his hand. Again asked the woodsman if it were his.

"No" said the woodsman, "that is not mine"

When Mercury dived into the pool for the third time and brought up the axe that had been lost.

"Yes!" cried the woodsman, "that is my axe." He thanked Mercury profusely for his help.

Mercury, pleased with his honesty, gave the woodsman the golden and silver axes in addition to his own.

The Workman, on his return to his house, related to his companions all that had happened. One of them resolved to try and secure the same good fortune for himself.

He ran to the river and threw his axe on purpose into the pool at the same place, and sat down on the bank to weep.

Mercury appeared to him, just as he hoped he would, and having learned the cause of his grief, plunged into the stream and brought up a golden axe, inquiring if he had lost it.

The man seized it greedily, and declared that truly it was the very same axe that he had lost.

Mercury, displeased at his deception, not only took away the golden axe, but refused to recover for him the axe he had thrown into the pool.

Wherever possible honesty is the best policy, but also deception will generally be found out and won't achieve your aim.