THE KING'S MIRROR 337 



inordinate vanity in wishing to make away with a man 

 whom God Himself had chosen to rule after him. For 

 these reasons God passed a severe judgment in Saul's 

 case; for He saw in Saul's heart what men could not 

 perceive, though subsequently God made this fact evi- 

 dent to the sight of men. But in David's case God was 

 more lenient, for the reason that He found him always 

 humble and faithful in everything, as He made clear to 

 men later on. There is further evidence of this in the 

 fact, that as soon as David learned that Saul and his 

 son Jonathan had fallen, he and all his host lamented 

 in great sorrow, and David spoke these words: "Be ye 

 cursed, ye mountains of Gilboa! May God nevermore 

 send rain or dew or growing grass upon you, for you 

 led King Saul and his son Jonathan along treacherous 

 paths in their flight across your summits and refused 

 to show them serviceable highways, whereby they could 

 save their lives from the hands of the foeman; nor did 

 you provide them with sheltering ramparts upon your 

 heights. It is a bitter sorrow for all the people of Israel, 

 that splendid chieftains like Saul and Jonathan should 

 pass away from council and government./ferreat strength 

 and power have perished this day, when such excellent 

 princes are fallen as Saul and Jonathan were, and the 

 many good knights with many good weapons and much 

 good armor who have perished with them.JLet the lesser 

 men beware of God's wrath, since He has allowed the 

 heathen to lay hands on His anointed. Let the multi- 

 tude bewail a loss like this, that such excellent rulers 

 should fall before the heathen." * Such words and many 



* Cf. David's lament in II Samuel, i: 17-27. The author has made but slight 

 use of David's own language. 



