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2. Since, therefore, he had offered this good sacrifice, and perfected the victory, and left nothing wanting for the trophy, then arose the cause of the contests, Saul, and went out from the cave, knowing nothing of what had happened. And David also went out behind him, looking up to heaven with free eyes, and rejoicing more then, than when he brought down Goliath, and cut off the head of the barbarian. For this victory was more splendid than that one, and the spoils more venerable, and the booty more glorious, and the trophy more renowned. For there he needed a sling and stones and battle-array; but here reason accomplished all, and the victory was achieved without weapons, and the trophy was set up without bloodshed. He returned, therefore, not carrying the head of a barbarian, but a passion put to death and an anger enervated; and these spoils he did not dedicate in Jerusalem, but in heaven and the city above. Now it was not dancing women who met him, receiving him with praises, 54.689 but the choir of angels applauded from above, admiring his wisdom and his forbearance. For he returned having given countless wounds to the enemy, saving Saul, but stabbing the true enemy, the devil, with many blows. For just as he rejoices and is glad when we are angry and fight and clash with one another; so when we are at peace and in concord, and master our anger, he shrinks back again and is humbled, since he is an enemy of peace, and a foe of concord, and the father of envy. David therefore went out, having his right hand, a counterpoise to the world, crowned along with his head. For just as in the case of the best boxers, kings have often crowned the right hand of the boxer or pancratiast before his head; so indeed God crowned that hand, which had the strength to bring out the sword clean, and to show the blade to God unstained by blood, and to withstand so great a rush of anger. He did not go out wearing the diadem of Saul, but he went out wearing a crown of righteousness; he did not go out wearing the royal purple, but he went out clothed in a forbearance surpassing human nature, a garment more splendid than any robe. He came out from the cave with as much splendor, as the three youths from the furnace. For just as the fire did not burn them, so also the pyre of anger did not set him ablaze. And for them, the fire consorting with them from without did nothing; but he, having the burning coals within, and seeing the devil stoking the furnace from without—from the sight of his enemy, from the advice of his soldiers, from the ease of the slaughter, from the absence of anyone to help, from the memory of past things, from the agony of future things (for this raised the flame brighter than brushwood, and pitch, and tow, and all the things that lit the Babylonian furnace)—was not set ablaze, nor did he suffer anything of the sort that was likely, but came out pure, and seeing the face of his enemy, from this he especially philosophized. For seeing him sleeping and remaining motionless, and able to do nothing, he said to himself: "Where now is that anger? And where the wickedness? And where are so many sorceries and plots?" All those things are gone and have perished by a small attack of sleep, and the king lies bound, with us having neither planned nor done anything about these things. He saw him sleeping, and philosophized about the death common to all. For sleep is nothing other, than a temporary death, and a daily demise. One would not unseasonably be reminded of Daniel here. For just as that one came up from the pit, having overcome the beasts; so also this one from

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βʹ. Ἐπεὶ οὖν προσήνεγκε τὴν καλὴν ταύτην θυσίαν, καὶ τὴν νίκην ἀπήρτισε, καὶ οὐδὲν τῷ τροπαίῳ ἐνέλιπεν, ἀνέστη λοιπὸν ἡ τῶν ἀγώνων ὑπόθεσις ὁ Σαοὺλ, καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ἀπὸ τοῦ σπηλαίου, τῶν γεγενημένων οὐδὲν εἰδώς. Ἐξῄει δὲ καὶ ὁ ∆αυῒδ ὄπισθεν, ἐλευθέροις λοιπὸν ὀφθαλμοῖς πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν βλέπων, καὶ μᾶλλον τότε γαννύμενος, ἢ ὅτε τὸν Γολιὰθ κατήνεγκε, καὶ τὴν τοῦ βαρβάρου κεφαλὴν ἀπέτεμε. Καὶ γὰρ αὕτη λαμπροτέρα ἐκείνης ἡ νίκη, καὶ τὰ λάφυρα σεμνότερα, καὶ τὰ σκῦλα περιφανέστερα, καὶ τὸ τρόπαιον ἐνδοξότερον. Ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ καὶ σφενδόνης ἐδεήθη καὶ λίθων καὶ παρατάξεως· ἐνταῦθα δὲ πάντα ὁ λογισμὸς ἐγίνετο, καὶ χωρὶς ὅπλων ἡ νίκη κατωρθοῦτο, καὶ ἀναιμωτὶ τὸ τρόπαιον ἵστατο. Ἐπανῄει τοίνυν οὐχὶ κεφαλὴν βαστάζων βαρβάρου, ἀλλὰ θυμὸν νενεκρωμένον καὶ ὀργὴν ἐκνενευρισμένην· καὶ ταῦτα οὐκ εἰς τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἀνετίθει τὰ λάφυρα, ἀλλ' εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν ἄνω πόλιν. Νῦν οὐχὶ γυναῖκες χορεύουσαι ἀπήντων, ταῖς εὐφημίαις 54.689 αὐτὸν δεχόμεναι, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων ὁ δῆμος ἄνωθεν ἐπεκρότει, ἀγάμενος τὴν φιλοσοφίαν καὶ τὴν ἐπιείκειαν. Ἐπανῄει γὰρ τῷ πολεμίῳ μυρία τραύματα δοὺς, τὸν μὲν Σαοὺλ διασώσας, τὸν δὲ ἀληθῶς ἐχθρὸν τὸν διάβολον πολλαῖς κατακεντήσας πληγαῖς. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὀργιζομένων ἡμῶν καὶ πυκτευόντων, καὶ πρὸς ἀλλήλους συγκρουομένων, χαίρει τε καὶ γέγηθεν ἐκεῖνος· οὕτως εἰρηνευόντων καὶ ὁμονοούντων, καὶ κρατούντων ὀργῆς, συστέλλεται πάλιν καὶ ταπεινοῦται, ἅτε ἐχθρὸς εἰρήνης ὢν, καὶ πολέμιος ὁμονοίας, καὶ βασκανίας πατήρ. Ἐξῄει τοίνυν ὁ ∆αυῒδ, δεξιὰν τῆς οἰκουμένης ἀντίῤῥοπον ἔχων μετὰ τῆς κεφαλῆς ἐστεφανωμένην. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄριστα πυκτευόντων, πρὸ τῆς κεφαλῆς πολλάκις οἱ βασιλεῖς τὴν δεξιὰν τοῦ πυκτεύοντος ἢ παγκρατιάζοντος ἐστεφάνωσαν· οὕτω δὴ καὶ τὴν χεῖρα ἐκείνην ὁ Θεὸς ἐστεφάνου, ἣ τὸ ξίφος ἴσχυσε καθαρὸν ἐξενεγκεῖν, καὶ ἀναίμακτον τῷ Θεῷ δεῖξαι τὴν μάχαιραν, καὶ πρὸς τοσαύτην ἀντιστῆναι θυμοῦ ῥύμην. Οὐκ ἐξῆλθεν ἔχων τὸ διάδημα τοῦ Σαοὺλ, ἀλλ' ἐξῆλθεν ἔχων στέφανον δικαιοσύνης· οὐκ ἐξῆλθεν ἔχων πορφυρίδα βασιλικὴν, ἀλλ' ἐξῆλθε περιβεβλημένος ἐπιείκειαν ὑπερβαίνουσαν ἀνθρωπίνην φύσιν, ἱμάτιον πάσης στολῆς λαμπρότερον. Ἐξῆλθεν ἀπὸ τοῦ σπηλαίου μετὰ τοσαύτης περιφανείας, μεθ' ὅσης οἱ παῖδες οἱ τρεῖς ἀπὸ τῆς καμίνου. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐκείνους οὐ κατέκαυσε τὸ πῦρ, οὕτω καὶ τοῦτον ἡ πυρὰ τῆς ὀργῆς οὐκ ἐνέπρησε. Κἀκείνοις μὲν ἔξωθεν τὸ πῦρ ὁμιλοῦν οὐδὲν ἐποίησεν· οὗτος δὲ ἔνδοθεν ἔχων τοὺς ἄνθρακας καιομένους, καὶ τὸν διάβολον ἔξωθεν ὁρῶν τὴν κάμινον ὑποκαίοντα, ἀπὸ τῆς ὄψεως τοῦ ἐχθροῦ, ἀπὸ τῆς παραινέσεως τῶν στρατιωτῶν, ἀπὸ τῆς εὐκολίας τῆς κατὰ τὴν σφαγὴν, ἀπὸ τῆς ἐρημίας τῶν βοηθησόντων, ἀπὸ τῆς μνήμης τῶν παρελθόντων, ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν μελλόντων ἀγωνίας καὶ γὰρ τοῦτο κληματίδος, καὶ πίσσης, καὶ στυππίου, καὶ πάντων τῶν τὴν Βαβυλωνίαν ἀναπτόντων κάμινον λαμπροτέραν ἀνῆγε τὴν φλόγα οὐκ ἐνεπρήσθη, οὐδὲ ἔπαθέ τι τοιοῦτον, οἷον εἰκὸς ἦν, ἀλλ' ἐξῆλθε καθαρὸς, καὶ ἰδὼν τοῦ πολεμίου τὴν ὄψιν, ἐντεῦθεν μάλιστα ἐφιλοσόφησεν. Ἰδὼν γὰρ αὐτὸν καθεύδοντα καὶ ἀκίνητον μένοντα, καὶ οὐδὲν δυνάμενον ἐργάσασθαι, πρὸς ἑαυτὸν εἶπε· Ποῦ νῦν ὁ θυμὸς ἐκεῖνος; ποῦ δὲ ἡ πονηρία; ποῦ δὲ αἱ τοσαῦται μαγγανεῖαι καὶ ἐπιβουλαί; Οἴχεται πάντα ἐκεῖνα καὶ ἀπόλωλεν ὕπνου μικρᾷ προσβολῇ, καὶ κεῖται δεδεμένος ὁ βασιλεὺς, οὐδὲν ἡμῶν περὶ τούτων βουλευσαμένων, οὐδὲ πραξάντων. Ἑώρα καθεύδοντα, καὶ περὶ τοῦ κοινοῦ πάντων ἐφιλοσόφει θανάτου. Ὕπνος γὰρ οὐδὲν ἕτερόν ἐστιν, ἢ θάνατος πρόσκαιρος, καὶ ἐφήμερος τελευτή. Οὐκ ἄν τις ἀκαίρως καὶ τοῦ ∆ανιὴλ ἐνταῦθα ἀναμνησθείη. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ἀνέβαινεν ἀπὸ τοῦ λάκκου, τῶν θηρίων περιγενόμενος· οὕτω καὶ οὗτος ἀπὸ