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victory, the crown. For that cave was a stadium, and a certain marvelous and strange wrestling match was taking place. For David was wrestling, and his anger was boxing, and Saul lay as the prize, and God was the judge of the contest; or rather, his war was not only against himself and his own desire, but also against the soldiers who were present. For even if he wished to be wise and to spare the one who had wronged him, it was likely that he also feared them, lest they might cut him to pieces in the cave, as he was a destroyer and a traitor of their salvation, and was saving their common enemy. For it was likely that each of them, being vexed, was saying these things in his mind: We have become wanderers and fugitives, and we have been cast out from our homes and our country and all other things, and we have shared in all your hardships; and you, having taken the cause of these evils into your hands, intend to let him go, so that we may never get a breath of relief from these evils, and while you are eager to save the enemy, you betray your friends? And where is the justice in this? For if you despise your own salvation, at least spare our lives. Do not the past events grieve you? Do you not even remember the evils you have suffered from him? For the sake of the 54.683 future, kill him, lest we suffer greater and more grievous evils. For even if they did not say these things with their words, nevertheless in their mind they were thinking these things, and other things more than these. 5. But that just man took none of these things into account, but looked to one thing only, how he might be able to bind on the crown of forbearance, and to practice a certain newer and strange philosophy. For it would not have been so marvelous if, being alone and by himself, he had spared the one who had wronged him, as it is now strange that he did this with others present with him. For the presence of those soldiers became a twofold hindrance to his philosophy. For often, indeed, when we ourselves have decided to let go of our anger and to forgive someone's offenses, whenever we see others provoking and stirring us up, we overturn our own judgment, being persuaded by their words. But that blessed man did not suffer this, but even after their exhortation and counsel, he remained, maintaining his own decision. And this is not the only marvelous thing, that he was neither turned aside by the counsels from others, nor that he did not fear them, but that he also prepared them to practice the same philosophy as himself. For it is a great thing for someone to overcome his own passions; but it is much greater to be able to persuade others also, to acquire the same mind as himself; and others, not gentle and moderate men, but soldiers who had learned to make war, and who were worn out by many toils, and who desired to get a little breath, and who knew that the entire solution to their troubles then lay in the slaughter of the enemy; not only a solution to their troubles, but also the acquisition of countless good things; for nothing prevented the kingdom from passing immediately to him, once the other was slain. But nevertheless, though there were so many things provoking the soldiers, that noble man was strong enough to overcome all of them, and to persuade them to spare the enemy. And it is worthwhile to hear the counsel of the soldiers itself; for the malice of their exhortation shows the firm and unswerving mind of the just man. For they did not say: Behold the one who has done you countless evils, who desired your slaughter, who has surrounded us with incurable terrors; but since they perceived that he overlooked all these things, and made little account of the sins committed against him, they bring him their verdict from above, saying, "God has delivered him up," so that, revering the judgment from there, he might more readily come to the slaughter. For are you not avenging yourself? he says. You are ministering to God and

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νίκην, τὸν στέφανον. Καὶ γὰρ στάδιον ἦν τὸ σπήλαιον ἐκεῖνο, καὶ πάλη θαυμαστή τις ἐγίνετο καὶ παράδοξος. Ἐπάλαιε μὲν γὰρ ὁ ∆αυῒδ, ἐπύκτευε δὲ ὁ θυμὸς, καὶ ἔπαθλον ὁ Σαοὺλ ἔκειτο, καὶ ἀγωνοθέτης ἦν ὁ Θεός· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐ πρὸς ἑαυτὸν μόνον καὶ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἦν αὐτῷ ὁ πόλεμος, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς παρόντας στρατιώτας. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ φιλοσοφεῖν ἤθελε καὶ φείδεσθαι τοῦ λελυπηκότος, εἰκὸς ἦν καὶ δεδοικέναι αὐτὸν ἐκείνους, μήποτε καὶ συγκόψωσιν αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ σπηλαίῳ, ἅτε λυμεῶνα καὶ προδότην αὐτὸν ὄντα τῆς αὐτῶν σωτηρίας, καὶ τὸν κοινὸν ἐχθρὸν αὐτῶν διασώζοντα. Καὶ γὰρ εἰκὸς ἦν ταῦτα κατὰ διάνοιαν ἕκαστον αὐτῶν δυσχεραίνοντα λέγειν· Πλανῆται καὶ φυγάδες ἐγενόμεθα ἡμεῖς, καὶ οἰκίας καὶ πατρίδος καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων ἐξεπέσομεν, καὶ τῶν δυσχερῶν σοι πάντων ἐκοινωνήσαμεν· καὶ σὺ τῶν κακῶν τούτων τὸν αἴτιον εἰς χεῖρας λαβὼν, ἀφεῖναι διανοῇ, ἵνα μηδέποτε τῶν κακῶν τούτων ἡμεῖς ἀναπνεύσωμεν, καὶ σπουδάζων τὸν ἐχθρὸν διασῶσαι, προδίδως τοὺς φίλους; Καὶ ποῦ ταῦτα δίκαια; Εἰ γὰρ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ καταφρονεῖς σωτηρίας, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἡμετέρας φεῖσαι ψυχῆς. Οὐ λυπεῖ σε τὰ παρελθόντα; οὐδὲ μέμνησαι τῶν κακῶν ὧν ἔπαθες παρ' αὐτοῦ; ∆ιὰ τὰ 54.683 μέλλοντα ἄνελε, ἵνα μὴ μείζονα καὶ χαλεπώτερα ὑποστῶμεν κακά. Ταῦτα γὰρ εἰ καὶ μὴ τοῖς ῥήμασιν ἔλεγον, ἀλλ' ὅμως κατὰ διάνοιαν ἐλογίζοντο καὶ ταῦτα, καὶ τούτων πλείονα ἕτερα. εʹ. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τούτων ὁ δίκαιος ἐκεῖνος ὑπελογίζετο, ἀλλ' εἰς ἓν ἔβλεπε μόνον, ὅπως τὸν τῆς ἀνεξικακίας ἀναδήσασθαι δυνηθῇ στέφανον, καὶ φιλοσοφῆσαι φιλοσοφίαν τινὰ καινοτέραν καὶ παράδοξον. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἦν οὕτω θαυμαστὸν, εἰ μόνος ὢν καὶ καθ' ἑαυτὸν ἐφείσατο τοῦ λελυπηκότος, ὡς νῦν παράδοξόν ἐστιν, ὅτι παρόντων ἑτέρων αὐτῷ τοῦτο ἐποίησεν. Ἡ γὰρ τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἐκείνων παρουσία διπλοῦν ἐγίνετο τῇ φιλοσοφίᾳ τὸ κώλυμα. Πολλάκις γοῦν αὐτοὶ κρίναντες ὀργὴν ἀφεῖναι, καὶ συγχωρῆσαι τὰ πεπλημμελημένα τινὶ, ἐπειδὰν ἴδωμέν τινας παροξύνοντας καὶ διεγείροντας, τὴν ἡμετέραν καταλύομεν κρίσιν, τοῖς ἐκείνων παραπειθόμενοι λόγοις. Ἀλλ' ὁ μακάριος ἐκεῖνος τοῦτο οὐκ ἔπαθεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ τὴν παραίνεσιν καὶ τὴν συμβουλὴν ἔμενε τὴν οἰκείαν διατηρῶν ψῆφον. Καὶ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον ἐστὶ τὸ θαυμαστὸν, ὅτι οὔτε ταῖς παρ' ἑτέρων παρετράπη συμβουλαῖς, οὐδ' ὅτι αὐτοὺς οὐκ ἔδεισεν, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ ἐκείνους τὰ αὐτὰ αὐτῷ φιλοσοφεῖν παρεσκεύασε. Μέγα μὲν γὰρ τὸ καὶ αὐτόν τινα τῶν οἰκείων περιγενέσθαι παθῶν· πολὺ δὲ μεῖζον τὸ καὶ ἑτέρους δυνηθῆναι πεῖσαι, τὴν αὐτὴν αὐτῷ κτήσασθαι γνώμην· καὶ ἑτέρους, οὐκ ἐπιεικεῖς ἀνθρώπους καὶ μετρίους, ἀλλὰ στρατιώτας καὶ πολεμεῖν μεμαθηκότας, καὶ τοῖς πολλοῖς ἀπεγνωκότας πόνοις, καὶ μικρὸν ἀναπνεῦσαι ἐπιθυμοῦντας, καὶ εἰδότας ὅτι τῶν κακῶν ἡ λύσις πᾶσα ἐν τῇ τοῦ πολεμίου σφαγῇ τότε ἔκειτο· οὐ μόνον δὲ λύσις κακῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ μυρίων κτῆσις ἀγαθῶν· οὐδὲν γὰρ ἐκώλυεν, ἐκείνου σφαγέντος, ἐπὶ τοῦτον εὐθέως διαβῆναι τὴν βασιλείαν. Ἀλλ' ὅμως τοσούτων ὄντων τῶν παροξυνόντων τοὺς στρατιώτας, ἴσχυσεν ὁ γενναῖος ἐκεῖνος πάντων περιγενέσθαι τούτων, καὶ πεῖσαι φείσασθαι τοῦ πολεμίου. Ἄξιον δὲ καὶ αὐτῆς ἀκοῦσαι τῶν στρατιωτῶν τῆς συμβουλῆς· ἡ γὰρ κακουργία τῆς παραινέσεως τὸ στεῤῥὸν καὶ ἀπερίτρεπτον τῆς τοῦ δικαίου δείκνυσι γνώμης. Οὐδὲ γὰρ εἶπον· Ἰδοὺ ὁ μυρία σε διαθεὶς κακὰ, ὁ τῆς σφαγῆς ἐπιθυμήσας τῆς σῆς, ὁ περιβαλὼν ἡμᾶς τοῖς ἀνηκέστοις δεινοῖς· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ συνεῖδον ὅτι πάντων τούτων ὑπερεώρα, καὶ τῶν εἰς αὐτὸν ἡμαρτημένων οὐ πολὺν ἐποιεῖτο τὸν λόγον, ἄνωθεν αὐτῷ τὴν ψῆφον φέρουσιν, Ὁ Θεὸς αὐτὸν παρέδωκε, λέγοντες, ἵνα τὴν ἐκεῖθεν αἰδεσθεὶς κρίσιν ἑτοιμότερον ἐπὶ τὴν σφαγὴν ἔλθῃ. Μὴ γὰρ σαυτὸν ἐκδικεῖς; φησί. Τῷ Θεῷ διακονῇ καὶ