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let go. So indeed this one also, once seized by anger, would not have easily believed that there is a man so in command of his passion, as to not only do no wrong, but even to save the one wronging him. Since, therefore, the judgment of the one judging had been corrupted, and witnesses, if they had been brought forward, were bound to be under suspicion, it was arranged for a proof to be produced that could silence even the most shameless. What kind of proof was this? The corner of the cloak, which he also held out, saying: Behold the corner of your cloak in my hand, which I cut off, and I did not kill you. The witness is voiceless, but clearer than those who have a voice. For if I had not been near, he says, and had not stood close to your body, I would not have cut off a piece of your garment. Do you see how much good came from David being moved at the beginning? For if he had not been moved to anger, we would not have learned the man's philosophy—for to many his forbearance would have seemed to come not from philosophy, but rather from insensibility—nor would he have cut off the cloak; and not having cut it off, he would have had no other way to convince his enemy. But as it was, being moved and cutting it, he provided irrefutable proof of his own foresight. Since, therefore, he produced such a true and unsuspected testimony, he then calls his enemy himself both judge and witness of his own care for him, speaking thus: Know and see this day that there is no evil in my hand, nor transgression; and you are hunting my soul, to take it. From this, one might especially admire his magnanimity, because he makes his defense only from the events that happened on that day. For he hinted at this by saying: Know and see this day. I say nothing of past things, he says; the present day is sufficient for my proof. And yet he could have enumerated many and great benefits previously rendered, if he had wished; for he could have reminded him of the single combat against the barbarian, and said that when the barbarian war, like some flood, was about to sweep away the whole city, while you were cowering and afraid, and expecting to die each day, I came forward, with no one compelling me, but with you even hindering and restraining me and saying, You are not able to go, for you are a youth, but he is a man of war from his youth; I did not endure it, but I leaped forth before all the others, and I received the enemy, and I cut off his head, and like the rush of some torrent I stopped the assault of those barbarians, and I steadied the city that was being shaken; and because of me, you have your kingdom and your life, and all the rest, along with their lives, have their city and their homes, and their children and their wives. And after that trophy, again, he could have mentioned other wars he had won, no less than that one. And that when you tried to kill him once and twice and many times, and hurled the spear at his head, he did not hold a grudge, and that after these things, when you were about to give him the reward for the first battle, you demanded a bridal price, not of gold and silver, but of slaughter and utter destruction; and not even then did he refuse. For all these things, and many more and greater than these, he could have said; but he said none of these things. For he did not wish to reproach him with his benefits, but only to persuade him that he was one of those who loved and cared for him, not one of those who plotted against and made war on him. For this reason, leaving all those things aside, he brought forward only what happened on that day itself for the sake of his defense. So he was without pride and pure of all vainglory, and looked to one thing only, the verdict of God. Then he says: May the Lord judge between me and you. He said this word, not wanting the man to be punished, nor to exact a penalty from him, but to frighten him with the memory of the coming judgment; and not only to frighten him, but also on behalf of his own affairs

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προέμενοι. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ οὗτος ἅπαξ ὑπὸ τῆς ὀργῆς ἁλοὺς, οὐκ ἂν ῥᾳδίως ἐπίστευσεν, ὅτι ἔστιν ἄνθρωπος οὕτω τοῦ πάθους περιγενόμενος, ὡς μὴ μόνον μηδὲν ἀδικεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ἀδικοῦντα σώζειν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν καὶ ἡ γνώμη τοῦ δικάζοντος διέφθαρτο, καὶ μάρτυρες, εἰ παρήχθησαν, δι' ὑποψίας ἔμελλον εἶναι, ᾠκονομήθη ἀπόδειξίν τινα γενέσθαι δυναμένην καὶ τοὺς σφόδρα ἀναισχυντοῦντας ἐπιστομίσαι. Ποίαν δὴ ταύτην; Τὸ πτερύγιον τῆς διπλοΐδος, ὃ καὶ προβαλλόμενος ἔλεγεν· Ἰδοὺ τὸ πτερύγιον τῆς διπλοΐδος ἐν τῇ χειρί μου, ὃ ἐγὼ ἀφεῖλον, καὶ οὐκ ἀπέκτεινά σε. Ἄφωνος ὁ μάρτυς, ἀλλὰ τῶν φωνὴν ἐχόντων σαφέστερος. Οὐ γὰρ ἂν εἰ μὴ πλησίον ἐγενόμην, φησὶ, καὶ τοῦ σώματος ἐγγὺς εἰστήκειν τοῦ σοῦ, τὸ μέρος ἂν ἔκοψα τοῦ ἱματίου. Ὁρᾷς ὅσον ἀγαθὸν ἐγένετο ἐκ τοῦ κινηθῆναι παρὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν τὸν ∆αυΐδ; Εἰ μὴ γὰρ ἐκινήθη πρὸς τὴν ὀργὴν, οὐκ ἂν οὔτε τὴν φιλοσοφίαν ἐμάθομεν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀπὸ φιλοσοφίας, ἀλλ' ἐξ ἀναισθησίας μᾶλλον ἔδοξεν ἂν πολλοῖς ἡ φειδὼ γενέσθαι, οὐδ' ἂν ἐξέκοψε τὴν διπλοΐδα· μὴ ἐκκόψας δὲ, οὐδαμόθεν ἑτέρωθεν εἶχε πιστώσασθαι τὸν ἐχθρόν. Νυνὶ δὲ κινηθεὶς καὶ τεμὼν, ἀναμφισβήτητον ἀπόδειξιν τῆς αὑτοῦ προνοίας παρέσχετο. Ἐπεὶ οὖν οὕτως ἀληθῆ καὶ ἀνύποπτον μαρτυρίαν παρήγαγεν, αὐτὸν λοιπὸν τὸν ἐχθρὸν καὶ δικαστὴν καὶ μάρτυρα καλεῖ τῆς οἰκείας κηδεμονίας, οὑτωσὶ λέγων· Γνῶθι καὶ ἴδε σήμερον, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν τῇ χειρί μου κακία, οὐδὲ ἀθέτησις· καὶ σὺ δεσμεύεις τὴν ψυχήν μου, τοῦ λαβεῖν αὐτήν. Ἐντεῦθεν μάλιστα ἄν τις αὐτὸν θαυμάσειε τῆς μεγαλοψυχίας, ὅτι ἀπὸ τῶν κατ' ἐκείνην τὴν ἡμέραν συμβάντων τὴν ἀπολογίαν ποιεῖται μόνον. Τοῦτο γὰρ ᾐνίξατο εἰπών· Γνῶθι καὶ ἴδε σήμερον. Οὐδὲν λέγω τῶν παρελθόντων, φησίν· ἀρκεῖ μοι πρὸς ἀπόδειξιν ἡ παροῦσα ἡμέρα. Καίτοι γε πολλὰς καὶ μεγάλας ἔμπροσθεν εὐεργεσίας γεγε54.693 νημένας εἶχεν ἀριθμεῖν, εἴπερ ἠβούλετο· καὶ γὰρ τῆς πρὸς τὸν βάρβαρον μονομαχίας αὐτὸν ἀναμνῆσαι ἐδύνατο, καὶ εἰπεῖν, ὅτι Τοῦ βαρβαρικοῦ πολέμου, καθάπερ κατακλυσμοῦ τινος, ἅπασαν μέλλοντος παρασύρειν τὴν πόλιν, κατεπτηχότων ὑμῶν καὶ δεδοικότων, καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἀποθανεῖσθαι προσδοκώντων, ἐγὼ παρελθὼν, οὐδενὸς ἀναγκάσαντος, ἀλλὰ καὶ σοῦ κωλύοντος καὶ κατέχοντος καὶ λέγοντος, Οὐ δυνήσῃ πορευθῆναι, ὅτι παιδάριον εἶ, αὐτὸς δὲ ἀνὴρ πολεμιστὴς ἐκ νεότητος αὐτοῦ· οὐκ ἠνεσχόμην, ἀλλὰ πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων ἐπήδησα, καὶ τὸν πολέμιον ἐδεξάμην, καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀπέτεμον, καὶ ὥσπερ τινὰ χειμάῤῥου ῥύμην ἀνέστειλα τὴν ἔφοδον τῶν βαρβάρων ἐκείνων, καὶ τὴν πόλιν σειομένην ἔστησα· καὶ δι' ἐμὲ σὺ μὲν τὴν βασιλείαν καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν, οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ πάντες μετὰ τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν πόλιν καὶ τὰς οἰκίας, καὶ τὰ παιδία καὶ τὰ γύναια ἔχουσι. Καὶ μετ' ἐκεῖνο δὲ πάλιν τὸ τρόπαιον, ἑτέρους οὓς κατώρθωσε πολέμους εἰπεῖν εἶχεν οὐκ ἐλάττους ἐκείνου. Καὶ ὅτι καὶ ἅπαξ καὶ δὶς καὶ πολλάκις ἐπιχειρήσαντος ἀνελεῖν, καὶ τὸ δόρυ κατὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ κεφαλῆς ἀφέντος, οὐκ ἐμνησικάκησε, καὶ ὅτι μετὰ ταῦτα μέλλων ἀποδιδόναι τὸν μισθὸν τῆς προτέρας μάχης, ἕδνα ἀπῄτησεν, οὐ χρυσίον καὶ ἀργύριον, ἀλλὰ σφαγὴν καὶ πανωλεθρίαν· καὶ οὐδὲ ἐνταῦθα ἀνένευσε. Ταῦτα γὰρ πάντα, καὶ πολλῷ πλείονα τούτων καὶ μείζονα εἶχεν εἰπεῖν· ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τούτων εἶπεν. Οὐ γὰρ ὀνειδίσαι αὐτῷ τὰς εὐεργεσίας ἐβούλετο, ἀλλὰ πεῖσαι μόνον, ὅτι τῶν φιλούντων αὐτὸν καὶ κηδομένων ἐστὶν, οὐχὶ τῶν ἐπιβουλευόντων καὶ πολεμούντων. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πάντα ἐκεῖνα ἀφεὶς, τὸ ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ συμβὰν μόνον εἰς λόγον ἀπολογίας παρήγαγεν. Οὕτως ἦν ἄτυφος καὶ κενοδοξίας καθαρὸς ἁπάσης, καὶ πρὸς ἓν ἔβλεπε μόνον, τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ ψῆφον. Εἶτά φησι· Κρίναι Κύριος ἀνὰ μέσον ἐμοῦ καὶ σοῦ. Τοῦτο εἶπε τὸ ῥῆμα, οὐχὶ κολασθῆναι βουλόμενος τὸν ἄνδρα, οὐδὲ τιμωρίαν παρ' αὐτοῦ λαβεῖν, ἀλλὰ φοβῆσαι τῇ μνήμῃ τῆς μελλούσης κρίσεως· καὶ οὐ φοβῆσαι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν καθ' ἑαυτὸν