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Saul, deeply moved, raised his voice and said: Is this your voice, my son David? What then of David? Your servant, my lord the king. Then a contest and rivalry arises, as to who will honor his neighbor more. The one brought him into kinship, the other named him master. And what he says is something like this: I seek one thing only, he says, your salvation, and the advancement of virtue. You called me son, but I love and am content if you have me as a servant, only with your putting away of anger, only with your suspecting nothing evil about me, and not thinking me to be a plotter and an enemy. For he was fulfilling that apostolic law, which commands us to outdo one another in showing honor, esteeming others as superior to themselves; not like many, who are disposed worse than cattle, do not even endure to greet their neighbor first, thinking they are insulted and diminished, if they should offer a mere greeting. What could be more ridiculous than this folly? What is more shameful than this pride and madness? For then, then you are diminished, O man, then you are insulted, then you are dishonored, when you wait for your neighbor to greet you first. For what is worse than madness? And what is more ridiculous than pride and vainglory? For if you greet him first, God will praise you, which is the greatest thing of all, and men will approve, and you will receive the entire reward for his greeting too; but if you wait to be honored first and then to give honor, you will have accomplished nothing great then. For he who initiated the honor toward you, will himself receive the entire reward for the respect shown to him by you. Let us not, therefore, wait to be honored first by others; but let us hasten to honor our neighbor, and let us always be the first to greet, and let us not think this good deed is a mere and trivial thing, to become54.704 affable and ready to greet. For this, when neglected, has broken many friendships, it has created many enmities; just as, when fulfilled with eagerness, it has ended long-standing wars, and has strengthened existing friendships. Do not, therefore, beloved, neglect this diligence; but, if it is possible, those whom we meet, whoever they may be, let us be the first to attend to them, both in greetings and in all other things. But if another should anticipate you, show even greater honor in return. For Paul also exhorted this, saying thus: Consider one another as superior to yourselves. Thus David did, he both honored first, and being honored in return, he honored back more greatly, saying, Your servant, my lord the king. And see how great a gain he achieved. For when David said this, Saul could no longer bear to hear this voice without tears; but he wept bitterly, revealing through his tears the health in his soul, and the wisdom which David had instilled. 7. What could be more blessed than the Prophet, who in a brief moment of time so reformed his enemy, and taking a soul thirsting for blood and slaughter, suddenly cast it into lamentations and wailings? I do not so much admire Moses for bringing forth springs of water from the precipitous rock, as I admire David for bringing forth springs of tears from stony eyes. For the one conquered nature, but the other overcame free will; the one struck the stone with his rod, the other smote the heart with his word, not in order to cause pain, but in order to make it pure and gentle; which indeed he did, displaying a greater good deed than the former one. Worthy of praise, indeed, and of the greatest admiration is also the fact that he did not dip his sword, nor cut off that hostile head; but worthy of far more crowns would be the fact that he also changed his will itself, and made it better, and converted him to his own gentleness. This good deed is greater than that one. For it is not the same thing to grant life, and to

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φωνὴν διαθερμανθεὶς ὁ Σαοὺλ ἔλεγεν· Ἡ φωνή σου αὕτη, τέκνον ∆αυΐδ; Τί γοῦν ὁ ∆αυΐδ; ∆οῦλός σου, κύριέ μου βασιλεῦ. Ἅμιλλα λοιπὸν καὶ φιλονεικία γίνεται, τίς τὸν πλησίον μειζόνως τιμήσει. Ἐκεῖνος εἰς συγγένειαν ἤγαγεν, οὗτος δεσπότην αὐτὸν ὠνόμασεν. Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Ἓν ζητῶ μόνον, φησὶ, σωτηρίαν τὴν σὴν, καὶ τὴν ἐπίδοσιν τῆς ἀρετῆς. Τέκνον με ἐκάλεσας, ἐγὼ δὲ ἀγαπῶ καὶ στέργω, ἐὰν δοῦλόν με ἔχῃς, μόνον μετὰ τοῦ ἀποθέσθαι τὴν ὀργὴν, μόνον μετὰ τοῦ μηδὲν ὑποπτεύειν περὶ ἐμοῦ πονηρὸν, καὶ μὴ νομίζειν ἐπίβουλον εἶναι καὶ πολέμιον. Τὸν γὰρ ἀποστολικὸν ἐκεῖνον ἐπλήρου νόμον, τὸν κελεύοντα τῇ τιμῇ ἀλλήλους προηγεῖσθαι, ὑπερέχοντας ἑαυτῶν· οὐ καθάπερ πολλοὶ, βοσκημάτων διακείμενοι χεῖρον, οὐδὲ προσειπεῖν τὸν πλησίον ἀνέχονται πρότεροι, νομίζοντες ὑβρίζεσθαι καὶ ἐλαττοῦσθαι, εἰ ψιλῆς τινι μεταδοῖεν προσρήσεως. Τί ταύτης τῆς ἀνοίας γένοιτ' ἂν καταγελαστότερον; τί τοῦ τύφου τούτου καὶ τῆς ἀπονοίας αἰσχρότερον; Τότε γὰρ, τότε ἠλαττόνηκας, ὦ ἄνθρωπε, τότε ὑβρίσθης, τότε ἠτιμάσθης, ὅταν ἀναμείνῃς τὸν πλησίον πρότερόν σε προσειπεῖν. Τί γὰρ ἀπονοίας χεῖρον; τί δὲ τύφου καὶ κενοδοξίας καταγελαστότερον; Ἂν μὲν γὰρ πρότερος προσείπῃς, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἐπαινέσεται, ὃ πάντων μεῖζον, καὶ ἄνθρωποι δὲ ἀποδέξονται, καὶ τῆς ἐκείνου προσρήσεως σὺ τὸν μισθὸν ἅπαντα λήψῃ· ἂν δ' ἀναμείνῃς πρότερον τιμηθεὶς οὕτω τιμῆσαι, οὐδὲν μέγα εἰργάσω λοιπόν. Ὁ γὰρ τῆς εἰς σὲ κατάρξας τιμῆς, αὐτὸς καὶ τῆς παρὰ σοῦ γενομένης εἰς αὐτὸν θεραπείας τὸν μισθὸν ἅπαντα λήψεται. Μὴ ἀναμένωμεν τοίνυν τιμᾶσθαι παρ' ἑτέρων πρότεροι· ἀλλ' ἐπιτρέχωμεν ταῖς εἰς τὸν πλησίον τιμαῖς, καὶ τῆς προσρήσεως ἀεὶ κατάρχωμεν, καὶ μὴ νομίζωμεν ψιλὸν εἶναι καὶ εὐτελὲς τὸ κατόρθωμα τοῦτο, τὸ γενέ54.704 σθαι εὐπροσήγορον καὶ φιλοπροσήγορον. Πολλὰς γοῦν φιλίας ἐλλειφθὲν τοῦτο διέκοψε, πολλὰς ἔχθρας εἰργάσατο· ὡσπεροῦν μετὰ σπουδῆς πληρούμενον χρονίους πολέμους κατέλυσε, καὶ τὰς οὔσας φιλίας ἀπέσφιγξε. Μὴ τοίνυν ἀμελῇς, ἀγαπητὲ, τῆς περὶ ταῦτα σπουδῆς· ἀλλ' εἰ μὲν οἷόν τε, τοὺς ἀπαντῶντας, οἷοί τινες ἂν ὦσι, καὶ ἐν ταῖς προσρήσεσι, καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασι πρότεροι θεραπεύωμεν. Ἂν δέ σε ἕτερος φθάσῃ, μείζονα ἐπίδειξαι τὴν τιμὴν πάλιν. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο παρῄνεκεν ὁ Παῦλος, οὕτως εἰπών· Ἀλλήλους ἡγεῖσθε ὑπερέχοντας ἑαυτῶν. Οὕτως ὁ ∆αυῒδ ἐποίησε, καὶ πρότερος ἐτίμησε, καὶ τιμηθεὶς πάλιν μειζόνως ἀντετίμησεν, εἰπών· ∆οῦλός σου, κύριέ μου βασιλεῦ. Καὶ ὅρα ὅσον εἰργάσατο κέρδος. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶπε τοῦθ' ὁ ∆αυῒδ, οὐκ ἤνεγκεν ἀδακρυτὶ λοιπὸν ταύτην ἀκοῦσαι τὴν φωνὴν ὁ Σαούλ· ἀλλ' ὠλόλυξε πικρὸν, τὴν ὑγίειαν τὴν ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ, καὶ τὴν φιλοσοφίαν, ἣν ὁ ∆αυῒδ ἐνέθηκε, διὰ τῶν δακρύων δηλῶν. ζʹ. Τί γένοιτ' ἂν τοῦ Προφήτου μακαριώτερον, ὃς ἐν βραχείᾳ καιροῦ ῥοπῇ οὕτω τὸν ἐχθρὸν μετεῤῥύθμισε, καὶ ψυχὴν αἵματος καὶ σφαγῆς διψῶσαν λαβὼν εἰς θρήνους ἐνέβαλεν ἀθρόον καὶ ὀλολυγμούς; Οὐχ οὕτω θαυμάζω τὸν Μωσέα, ὅτι ἀπὸ πέτρας ἀκροτόμου πηγὰς ἐξήγαγεν ὑδάτων, ὡς θαυμάζω τὸν ∆αυῒδ, ὅτι ἐξ ὀφθαλμῶν λιθίνων πηγὰς ἐξήγαγε δακρύων. Ἐκεῖνος μὲν γὰρ τὴν φύσιν ἐνίκησεν, οὗτος δὲ τῆς προαιρέσεως περιεγένετο· ἐκεῖνος ἐπάταξε τῇ ῥάβδῳ τὸν λίθον, οὗτος ἔκρουσε τῷ λόγῳ τὴν καρδίαν, οὐχ ἵνα λυπήσῃ, ἀλλ' ἵνα καθαρὰν ἐργάσηται καὶ προσηνῆ· ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ἐποίησε, μείζονα τῆς προτέρας εὐεργεσίας ἐπιδειξάμενος. Ἐπαίνου μὲν ἄξιον καὶ μεγίστου θαύματος καὶ τὸ μὴ βαπτίσαι τὸ ξίφος, μηδὲ ἀποτεμεῖν τὴν πολεμίαν ἐκείνην κεφαλήν· πολλῷ δὲ πλειόνων ἂν εἴη στεφάνων τὸ καὶ αὐτὴν αὐτοῦ μεταβαλεῖν τὴν προαίρεσιν, καὶ βελτίω ποιῆσαι, καὶ πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν αὐτὸν ἐπιείκειαν μεταβαλεῖν. Αὕτη μείζων ἐκείνης ἡ εὐεργεσία. Οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἴσον ζωὴν χαρίσασθαι, καὶ εἰς