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having received a benefit for his own soul, he brought his benefactor into kinship; this one, having done a good deed, called the one who had received the good deed, master. He called me son, he says, but I love and cherish it, if you have me as a slave, only with the laying aside of anger, only with not suspecting anything evil concerning me and not considering me a plotter and an enemy. And see how great a gain he wrought. For when he said this, the other could no longer bear to hear this voice without tears, but he lamented bitterly, showing through his tears the health in his soul and the philosophy which David had placed in it. Of how many crowns would David not be worthy, for having so overcome Saul with his own meekness and gentleness, as to persuade him to condemn his own cruelty, and to praise his (David's) virtue? For if one should find his enemy, he says, in distress, and send him out on a good way, the Lord also will repay him with good things, as you have done with me today. And behold, I know that reigning you shall reign, and the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand. And now swear to me by the Lord, that you will not destroy my seed after me, and that you will not wipe out my name from my father's house. And from where did you know this, tell me? With you are the armies, with you the money, the weapons, the cities, the horses, the soldiers, all the power of the royal establishment; but this one is desolate and naked, without a city, without a home, without a hearth. From where then do you say these things, 63.784, tell me? From his character itself. For the naked and cityless and desolate man would not have overcome me, who am armed and invested with so much power, unless he had God with him; and he who has God with him is stronger than all. Do you see how Saul philosophizes after the plot? do you see how it is possible to reject all wickedness and change, and return to the better? So of how many crowns would David be worthy for each of these words? For though it was the mouth of Saul that spoke, it was the wisdom of David that planted these things in his soul; for that man says, Swear to me by the Lord, that you will not destroy my seed after me, and that you will not wipe out my name from my father's house. The king now brings a supplication to the private citizen, and he who wears the diadem offers a petition, entreating the fugitive on behalf of his own children; and he demands an oath, not distrusting his character, but considering how many evil things he had done to him. Swear to me, do not wipe out my seed after me. He leaves his enemy as guardian of his own children, and places his descendants into his hands; as if taking them by the right hand through his words, and bringing God in as mediator. What then of David? Did he show even a little irony at these things? Not at all, but he immediately consented, and granted the favor, and when Saul died, he not only did not kill them, but he then provided even more than he had promised. For he brought his grandson, who was lame and maimed in the leg, into his own house, and made him a companion at his table, and deemed him worthy of the greatest honor; and he was not ashamed nor did he hide his face, nor did he think that the royal table was disgraced by the boy's disability, but rather he was adorned and took pride in it. For who of those dining with him, seeing the grandson of Saul, who had done so many evil things to David, enjoying so much honor from him, even if he were wilder than all beasts, would not make peace with all his enemies, being ashamed and blushing? For even if he had ordered nourishment for him elsewhere, and appointed a regular grain allowance, it would have been a very great thing; but to bring him to the table itself, is the height of philosophy. For many men have not only taken revenge on their enemies while they were living, but after they died have let loose their anger against their children. But David was not so, but both preserved his enemy while he was alive, and when he was gone, his good will toward him to his children

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ψυχῆς αὐτῆς εὐεργετηθεὶς εἰς συγγένειαν τὸν εὐεργέτην ἤγαγεν· οὗτος εὐεργετήσας δεσπότην τὸν εὐεργετηθέντα ὠνόμασε. Τέκνον με, φησὶν, ἐκάλεσεν, ἐγὼ δὲ ἀγαπῶ καὶ στέργω, ἐὰν δοῦλόν με ἔχῃς, μόνον μετὰ τοῦ ἀποθέσθαι τὴν ὀργὴν, μόνον μετὰ τοῦ μηδὲν ὑποπτεύειν περὶ ἐμὲ πονηρὸν καὶ μὴ νομίζειν ἐπίβουλον εἶναι καὶ πολέμιον. Καὶ ὅρα ὅσον τὸ κέρδος εἰργάσατο. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶπε τοῦτο, οὐκ ἤνεγκεν ἐκεῖνος ἀδακρυτὶ λοιπὸν ταύτην ἀκούειν τὴν φωνὴν, ἀλλ' ὠλόλυξε πικρὸν, τὴν ὑγίειαν τὴν ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ καὶ τὴν φιλοσοφίαν, ἢν ὁ ∆αυῒδ ἐνέθηκε, διὰ τῶν δακρύων δηλῶν. Πόσων οὐκ ἂν εἴη στεφάνων ἄξιος ὁ ∆αυῒδ, ὅτι οὕτω τῇ ἑαυτοῦ πραότητι καὶ ἐπιεικείᾳ τοῦ Σαοὺλ περιεγένετο, ὡς καὶ τῆς οἰκείας αὐτὸν πεῖσαι καταγνῶναι ὠμότητος, καὶ τὴν ἐκείνου ἀνυμνεῖν ἀρετήν; Εἰ γάρ τις εὕροι τὸν ἐχθρὸν αὐτοῦ, φησὶν, ἐν θλίψει, καὶ ἐκπέμψει αὐτὸν ἐν ὁδῷ ἀγαθῇ, καὶ Κύριος ἀνταποδῷ αὐτῷ ἀγαθὰ, καθὼς πεποίηκας σὺ μετ' ἐμοῦ σήμερον. Καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ γινώσκω, ὅτι βασιλεύων βασιλεύσεις, καὶ στήσεται ἡ βασιλεία Ἰσραὴλ ἐν τῇ χειρί σου. Καὶ νῦν ὄμοσόν μοι κατὰ τοῦ Κυρίου, ἵνα μὴ ἐξολοθρεύσῃς τὸ σπέρμα μου ὀπίσω μου, καὶ μὴ ἀφανίσῃς τὸ ὄνομά μου ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρός μου. Καὶ πόθεν ἔγνως, εἰπέ μοι, τοῦτο; παρὰ σοὶ τὰ στρατόπεδα, παρὰ σοὶ τὰ χρήματα, τὰ ὅπλα, αἱ πόλεις, οἱ ἵπποι, οἱ στρατιῶται, ἅπασα τῆς βασιλικῆς παρασκευῆς ἡ δύναμις· οὗτος δὲ ἔρημος καὶ γυμνὸς, ἄπολις, ἄοικος, ἀνέστιος. Πόθεν οὖν ταῦτα 63.784 λέγεις, εἰπέ μοι; Ἀπ' αὐτοῦ μὲν τοῦ τρόπου. Οὐ γὰρ ἂν ὁ γυμνὸς καὶ ἄπολις καὶ ἔρημος ἐμοῦ τοῦ καθωπλισμένου καὶ τοσαύτην περιβεβλημένου δύναμιν περιεγένετο, εἰ μὴ τὸν Θεὸν εἶχε μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ· ὁ δὲ τὸν Θεὸν ἔχων μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ πάντων ἐστὶν ἰσχυρότερος. Εἶδες οἷα φιλοσοφεῖ μετὰ τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν ὁ Σαούλ; εἶδες πῶς δυνατὸν ἅπασαν ἀποπτύσαι πονηρίαν καὶ μεταβαλέσθαι, καὶ πρὸς τὸ βέλτιον ἐπανελθεῖν; Ἄρα πόσων ἂν εἴη στεφάνων ἄξιος καθ' ἕκαστον τῶν ῥημάτων τούτων ὁ ∆αυΐδ; Εἰ γὰρ καὶ τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ ἐφθέγγετο τοῦ Σαοὺλ, ἀλλ' ἡ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ σοφία εἰς τὴν ἐκείνου ταῦτα ψυχὴν κατεφύτευσεν· φησὶ γοῦν ἐκεῖνος, Ὄμοσόν μοι κατὰ τοῦ Κυρίου, ἵνα μὴ ἐξολοθρεύσῃς τὸ σπέρμα μου ὀπίσω μου, καὶ μὴ ἀφανίσῃς τὸ ὄνομά μου ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρός μου. ∆έησιν ὁ βασιλεὺς τῷ ἰδιώτῃ προσάγει λοιπὸν, καὶ ἱκετηρίαν τίθησιν ὁ τὸ διάδημα περικείμενος, ὑπὲρ τῶν παίδων τῶν ἑαυτοῦ παρακαλῶν τὸν φυγάδα· καὶ ὅρκον ἀπαιτεῖ, οὐκ ἀπιστῶν τῷ τρόπῳ, ἀλλὰ ἐννοῶν ὅσα εἰς αὐτὸν εἰργάσατο κακά. Ὄμοσόν μοι, μὴ ἀφανίσῃς τὸ σπέρμα μου ὀπίσω μου. Ἐπίτροπον τὸν πολέμιον καταλιμπάνει τῶν ἑαυτοῦ παίδων, καὶ ταῖς ἐκείνου χερσὶν ἐντίθησι τὰ ἔγγονα· μονονουχὶ τῆς δεξιᾶς αὐτῶν λαβόμενος διὰ τῶν ῥημάτων αὐτῶν, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν μεσίτην εἰσάγων. Τί οὖν ὁ ∆αυΐδ; ἆρα κἂν μικρὸν εἰρωνεύσατο πρὸς ταῦτα; Οὐδαμῶς, ἀλλ' εὐθέως ἐπένευσε, καὶ τὴν χάριν ἔδωκε, καὶ τελευτήσαντος τοῦ Σαοὺλ, οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἀπέκτεινεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πλέον ὧν ὡμολόγησε, τότε παρέσχεν. Τὸν γὰρ ἔγγονον τὸν τούτου, χωλὸν ὄντα καὶ πεπηρωμένον τὸ σκέλος, εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν εἰσήγαγε τὴν ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ ὁμοτράπεζον ἐποίησε, καὶ τῆς μεγίστης ἠξίωσε τιμῆς· καὶ οὐκ ἠρυθρία οὐδὲ ἐνεκαλύπτετο, οὐδὲ τὴν τράπεζαν ἐνόμιζε καταισχύνειν τὴν βασιλικὴν τῇ πηρώσει τοῦ παιδὸς, ἀλλ' ἐκαλλωπίζετο καὶ ἐνηβρύνετο μᾶλλον. Τίς γὰρ τῶν συνδειπνούντων αὐτῷ ὁρῶν τὸν ἔκγονον τοῦ Σαοὺλ τοῦ τοσαῦτα κακὰ ἐργασαμένου τὸν ∆αυῒδ, τοσαύτης ἀπολαύοντα παρ' αὐτῷ τιμῆς, εἰ καὶ πάντων θηρίων ἀγριώτερος ἦν, οὐχὶ πρὸς πάντας ἐσπένδετο τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αἰσχυνόμενος καὶ ἐρυθριῶν; Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἑτέρωθι αὐτῷ τροφὴν ἐπέταξε, καὶ σιτηρέσιον ὥρισε τεταγμένον, πολὺ μέγα ἦν· τὸ δὲ καὶ εἰς αὐτὴν αὐτὸν ἀγαγεῖν τὴν τράπεζαν, ὑπερβολὴν ἔχει φιλοσοφίας. Καὶ γὰρ οἱ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων οὐ μόνον ζῶντας ἠμύναντο τοὺς ἐχθροὺς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τελευτησάντων εἰς τοὺς ἐκείνων παῖδας τὴν πρὸς ἐκείνους ἀφῆκαν ὀργήν. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁ ∆αυῒδ οὕτως, ἀλλὰ καὶ ζῶντα τὸν πολέμιον διετήρησε, καὶ ἀπελθόντος ἐκείνου τὴν περὶ ἐκεῖνον εὔνοιαν εἰς τοὺς παῖδας