When Herakles was passing from boyhood to young manhood, he needs must decide which path to follow: that of Vice who is the goddess Kakia, or Virtue, who is the goddess Arete. And so he took himself off and sat in a quite place, and pondered what he should best do. He longed for Virtue that he might well take his place beside the great heroes of old. And yet as a young man, the path of Vice seemed wide and fair.

And as he was pondering, he saw two tall women approach him. The one was fair, and noble as a queen, and dressed modestly all in shining white. The other was soft, and her face was made up with great artifice, and her dress for there was little enough of it displayed all her charms. And as this one came she was admiring herself in a mirror.

And as the two drew near to Herakles, this one ran to meet him, outpacing her noble companion. "Oh Herakles," she cried. "I see you sit in doubt about the path you should take toward life." And she caught up with him while the other lady stopped and waited silently. "Oh dearest, handsomest Herakles, make me your friend; follow me, and I will lead you along the pleasant and easy road." Her perfume smelled strong and sweet, and the nearness of her was like the sound on the sweet flute. "You shall taste all the sweets of life; and hardship you shall never know. Of wars and worries you shall not think, but shall only be considering what choice food or drink you can find, what sight or sound will delight you, what touch or perfume; what tender love can give you most joy, what bed the softest slumbers and how to come by all these pleasures with least trouble. Toil shall be far beneath you. And should you ever, ever be concerned that you lack the gold to afford all this sweet joy, never fear. I will lead you to profit from other's toil, that you may use their gold to pursue your great pleasure, and never risk any anguish of body or soul. For to my friends I give authority to pluck advantage where they will."

Now when Herakles heard this, he asked, "Lady, pray what is your name?"

"My friends call me Happiness," she said, "But among those that hate me I am nicknamed Vice."

Meantime the other lady, great Virtue, had drawn near. She said: "I, too, have come to you, Herakles. I know your parents and I have watched you as you have learned and grown in character. If you take the road that leads to me, you will become a champion and a doer of high and noble deeds. But I will not deceive you: for all things good and fair and worth the having are only won by toil and trial. If you want the favor of the gods, you must worship the gods: if you desire the love of friends, you must do good to your friends: if you covet honour from a city, you must aid that city: if you wish to win the admiration of all Hellas for virtue, you must strive to do good to Hellas: if you want land to yield fruits in abundance, you must cultivate that land: if you are resolved to get wealth from flocks, you must care for those flocks: if you desire to grow great through war and want power to liberate your friends and subdue your foes, you must learn the arts of war from those who know them and must practise their right use."

And Vice answered and said: "Herakles, mark you how hard and long is that road to joy, of which this woman tells? But I will lead you by a short and easy road to happiness."

And Arete who is Virtue turned on Vice and said to her, "What good thing is yours, poor wretch, or what pleasant thing do you even know, if do nothing to win them? You do not even wait for the desire of pleasant things, but fill yourself like a glutton before you even want them! You eat before you are hungry, drink before you are thirsty. You lie in soft beds not because you are tired, for you have no honest work, but because you are heartily bored! And your sleeping is during the day, for by night you play the wanton and use young men, rousing lust by many a trick. Immortal are you, yet you are outcast of the gods, the scorn of good men. You hear no praise, see no good work, for you do nothing. What sane man would dare join your throng? Your worshippers try naught, they toil not, they do not; so idle and weak are they in youth, withered and weary are they in age."

And she dismissed Vice and said to Heracles, "But I keep company with gods and good men. To craftsmen I am a beloved fellow-worker, to masters a faithful guardian of the house, to servants a kindly protector. I am a partner in peace, a staunch ally in war, a good companion in friendship. To my friends, meat and drink bring simple enjoyment, and a sweeter sleep falls on them than on idle folk. The young are glad to win the praise of the old; the elders are glad to be honoured by the young. For through me they are dear to the gods, loved by friends, honored in their native land. And when comes their appointed end, they do not lie forgotten and dishonored, but they live on, sung and remembered forever."