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When Saul's cloak was torn by him, Then, having been deemed worthy, so as to have pardon, He immediately dismissed the charge with a word. What could be gentler than this? Remember David, and the music of his strings, From which he once freed Saul of an evil spirit; 828 then, having met with an ungrateful man, Fleeing, wandering, running for his life, He spared Saul when he was given into his hands (And you know this), and was barely saved himself. The cloak, a token of authority, Was cut, and the flask stolen from his head. What need to say how he bore with his son, The parricide, and unseemly tyrant? When he even weeps for him in death, And with many dirges and laments calls him back, And punishes the messenger of his suffering, As if he had captured some enemy, not a bringer of good news? 829 For nature stood before the crimes, Taking his character as its advocate; So that, being made odious to the army, He almost became a stranger to his own rule. And what? Did he not endure Shimei the insolent, Being slanderous to the glory of his return? And I have indeed marveled at the wise Peter, How with long-suffering and exceeding manliness He bore the noble frankness of Paul (And this in so great a city and with so many Admirers and disciples of the word), That he did not dine rightly with the Gentiles, Even if he thought this would benefit the word. For the sole motive was the fear of God, 830 Or the illumination of the word from preaching. Nor would I pass over the noble act of Stephen, Whom I know as the first-fruits of martyrs and victims. He was being buried under stones; but yet, O wonder! In the midst of the stoning, a voice was heard, He himself granting forgiveness, as to benefactors, To his stoners, and beseeching God. Are these things not a clear type of God, And of His sufferings and doctrines, Who being God and lord of thunderbolts, Was led as a lamb to the slaughter in silence? How many spittings and blows He endured! Malchus knows the kindness Shown to his smitten ear. He did not cry out 831 Anything demonstrative and full of boldness Nor did He restrain anything. The one broken by wickedness, He held unbroken. The light flame of the mind He says He will quench, but as one who is good He spares it, So that its kindred nature might be overcome by meekness. Such and so many are the deeds of your Master. To which, if you suffer anything, you will weigh your own against them, And even if you should endure all things, the greater part will be left undone; If suffering is to be judged according to worth. These noble instructions are sufficient for us, The laws of the tablets and the ways of those from the mountain, If something spurious must be added to these? And nothing is worse; so that even in the worse things We may reap something from what is better and dear. For to overcome these things completely is not very praiseworthy, But to be overcome by them exceedingly, how great an evil! 832 But I will also mention some things, and briefly. The Stagirite was about to strike someone, Having caught him in shameful and evil accusations; But when he felt anger entering in, He stood wrestling with the passion, as with an enemy. And holding back a little, he said (O wise saying!) "You have experienced something new. You have had anger as your protector; For if not for my anger, you would have been flogged and sent away. But now it would have been shameful for me to strike evil with evil, And to rule a slave while being defeated by passion." Thus he. But the story about Alexander, When Parmenion once said to him, After he had taken a certain one of the Greek cities, And then was considering many times what he ought to do, That, if he were Alexander, he would not have spared it; "Nor would I," he said, "if I were you. 833 For cruelty is yours, but gentleness Is mine, and for the city to escape its dangers." And what about that other one, how worthy of praise? Someone was reviling the great Pericles, Assailing him with many evil reproaches (One of the not even honored men), until evening. But he, quietly bearing the insult as an honor, At last, when the man grew tired and was walking home, He escorted him with a lamp, and quenched his anger. And another, to an insolent man, who to rich insults Added a threat: "May I perish most miserably, If I do not have the strength to kill you, an evil man, evilly." To these things he answered with philanthropic words: "And may I perish, if I do not make you a friend." And Constantius (for it is worthy to mention, Lest only the former things be spoken of, 834 And you despise those things of which you yourselves are witnesses), They say once said

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Ῥήξαντος αὐτῷ τὴν διπλοΐδα τοῦ Σαοὺλ, Εἶτ' ἀξιωθεὶς, ὥς γε συγγνώμην ἔχειν, Ἀφῆκεν εὐθὺς τῷ λόγῳ τὴν αἰτίαν. Τούτου τί δ' ἂν γένοιτο ἡμερώτερον; ∆αυὶδ ὑπομνήσθητι, καὶ τῶν κρουμάτων, Ἐξ ὧν πονηροῦ πνεύματος Σαούλ ποτε 828 Ἠλευθέρωσεν· εἶτ' ἀγνώμονος τυχὼν, Φεύγων, ἀλύων τὸν περὶ ψυχῆς δρόμον, ∆οθέντος αὐτῷ τοῦ Σαοὺλ ἐφείσατο (Καὶ τοῦτο δ' ἴστε), καὶ μόγις σεσωσμένος. Ἡ διπλοῒς γνώρισμα τῆς ἐξουσίας Κεκαρμένη, φακός τε τοῦ κράνους κλαπείς. Τί δεῖ λέγειν τὸν υἱὸν ὡς ἠνέσχετο, Τὸν πατροφόντην, καὶ τύραννον ἀπρεπῆ; Ὅπου γ' ἐκεῖνον καὶ κλάει τεθνηκότα, Θρήνοις τε πολλοῖς ἀνακαλεῖ καὶ γόοις, Τὸν μηνυτήν τε τοῦ πάθους ἀμύνεται, Ὥσπερ λαβών τιν' ἐχθρὸν, οὐκ εὐάγγελον; 829 Ἡ γὰρ φύσις ἔμπροσθε τῶν ἐγκλημάτων Ἔστη, λαβοῦσα τὸν τρόπον συνήγορον· Ὡς καὶ προσάντης τῷ στρατῷ κατασταθεὶς, Μικροῦ γενέσθαι τοῦ κράτους ἀλλότριος. Τί δ'; οὐ τὸν ὑβριστὴν Σεμεεὶ ἐκαρτέρει. ∆ύσφημον ὄντα τῷ κλέει τῆς εἰσόδου; Πέτρου δὲ δῆτα τοῦ σοφοῦ τεθαύμακα, Ὡς μακροθύμως καὶ λίαν νεανικῶς Ἤνεγκε Παύλου τὴν καλὴν παῤῥησίαν (Καὶ ταῦτ' ἐν ἄστει τηλικούτῳ καὶ τόσοις Ἐπαινέταις τε καὶ μαθηταῖς τοῦ λόγου), Ὡς συντράπεζος οὐ καλῶς ἦν ἔθνεσιν, Εἰ καὶ τόδ' ᾤετ' ὠφελήσειν τὸν λόγον. Ἦν γὰρ τὸ κινοῦν καὶ μόνον Θεοῦ φόβος, 830 Ἢ τοῦ λόγου τ' ἔλλαμψις ἐκ κηρύγματος. Οὐκ ἂν παρέλθοιμ' οὐδὲ τὸ Στεφάνου καλὸν, Ὃν οἶδ' ἀπαρχὴν μαρτύρων καὶ θυμάτων. Λίθοις ἐχώννυτ'· ἀλλ' ὅμως, τοῦ θαύματος! Μέσος λιθασμοῦ, φθόγγος ἐξηκούετο, Αὐτός τε συγχώρησιν, ὡς εὐεργέταις, ∆ιδοὺς λιθασταῖς, τὸν Θεόν τ' αἰτούμενος. Ταῦτ' οὐ προδήλως τῆς Θεοῦ τυπώσεως, Καὶ τῶν ἐκείνου καὶ παθῶν καὶ δογμάτων, Ὃς ὢν Θεός τε καὶ κεραυνῶν δεσπότης, Ὡς ἀμνὸς ἤγετ' εἰς σφαγὴν ἀφωνίᾳ; Ἐμπτυσμάτων τε καὶ ῥαπισμάτων ὅσων Ἠνέσχετ'! ἄχρις ὠτίου πεπληγότος Τὸ χρηστὸν οἶδε Μάλχος. Οὐκ ἐκραύγασεν 831 Ἐνδεικτικόν τι καὶ γέμον παῤῥησίας Οὐδ' εἴριξέν τι. Τὸν κακίᾳ τεθλασμένον, Ἄκλαστον ἔσχε. Τὴν φρενὸς κουφὴν φλόγα Σβέσειν λέγει μὲν, ὡς δὲ χρηστὸς φείδεται, Ὡς ἂν κρατήσῃ τῷ πράῳ τὸ συγγενές. Τοιαῦτα καὶ τοσαῦτα τοῦ σοῦ ∆εσπότου. Οἷς, ἄν τι πάσχοις, ἀντισηκώσεις τὰ σὰ, Κἂν πάνθ' ὑποστῇς, τὸ πλέον λελείψεται· Εἴπερ τὸ πάσχειν κρίνεται πρὸς ἀξίαν. Ἀρκεῖ τάδ' ἡμῖν εὐγενῆ παιδεύματα, Πλακῶν νόμοι τε καὶ τρόποι τῶν ἐξ ὄρους, Εἰ δεῖ τι τούτοις προστεθῆναι καὶ νόθον; Καὶ χεῖρον οὐδέν· ὥς τι κἂν τοῖς χείροσι Τῶν κρεισσόνων τε καὶ φίλων δρεψώμεθα. Ὧν γὰρ κρατεῖν καὶ σφόδρα, οὐ σφόδρ' αἰνετὸν, Τούτων κρατεῖσθαι καὶ λίαν, πόσον κακόν! 832 Μεμνήσομαι δὲ καί τινων, καὶ συντόμως. Παίειν ἔμελλεν ὁ Σταγειρίτης τινὰ, Λαβὼν ἐπ' αἰσχροῖς καὶ κακοῖς ἐγκλήμασι· Θυμοῦ δ' ἐπεισελθόντος ἡνίκ' ᾔσθετο, Ἔστη παλαίων τῷ πάθει, ὡς δυσμενεῖ. Μικρὸν δ' ἐπισχὼν, εἶπεν (ὢ σοφοῦ λόγου!) «Καινὸν πέπονθας. Προστάτην ἔσχες χόλον· Εἰ μὴ γὰρ ὀργὴ, κἂν δαρεὶς ἀπηλλάγης. Νῦν δ' αἰσχρὸν ἦν μοι τῷ κακῷ πλήττειν κακὸν, Κρατεῖν τε δούλου τοῦ πάθους ἡσσώμενον.» Οὕτως ἐκεῖνος. Τὸν δ' Ἀλέξανδρον λόγος, Εἰπόντος αὐτῷ Παρμενίωνός ποτε, Πόλιν τίν' ἐξελόντι τῶν Ἑλληνίδων, Εἶθ' ὃ δρᾶσαι χρὴ πολλάκις σκοπουμένῳ, Ὡς, εἴπερ ἦν ἐκεῖνος, οὐκ ἐφείσατο· «Ἀλλ' οὐδ' ἔγωγ' ἂν, εἴπερ ἦν, φάναι, σύγε. 833 Σοὶ μὲν γάρ ἐστιν ὠμότης, τὸ δὲ πρᾶον Ἐμὸν, φυγεῖν τε τὴν πόλιν τοὺς κινδύνους.» Κἀκεῖνο δ' οἷον, ὡς ἐπαίνων ἄξιον; Ἐλοιδόρει τις τὸν μέγαν Περικλέα, Πολλοῖς ἐλαύνων καὶ κακοῖς ὀνείδεσι (Τῶν οὐδὲ τιμίων τις), ἄχρις ἑσπέρας. Ὁ δ' ἡσυχῆ τὴν ὕβριν, ὡς τιμὴν, φέρων, Τέλος καμόντα καὶ βαδίζοντ' οἴκαδε Προὔπεμψε λύχνῳ, τὸν χόλον τ' ἀπέσβεσεν. Ἄλλος δ' ὑβριστὴν, πλουσίαις ἐφ' ὕβρεσι Προσθέντ' ἀπειλήν· «Ὡς ὀλοίμην παγκάκως, Εἰ μὴ κακὸν κακῶς σε κτείναιμι σθένων.» Τούτοις ἀμείβεθ' ὡς φιλανθρώποις λόγοις· «Κἀγώ γ' ὀλοίμην, εἴ σε μὴ θείην φίλον.» Κωνστάντιον δὲ (καὶ γὰρ εἰπεῖν ἄξιον, Ὡς μὴ τὰ πρόσθεν τυγχάνῃ λόγου μόνα, 834 Περιφρονῆτέ θ' ὧνπερ αὐτοὶ μάρτυρες), Φασί ποτ' εἰπεῖν