THE KING'S MIRROR 343 



your part, that you shall not enjoy such complete free- 

 dom as one who has never fallen into this sin. Now you 

 have large and beautiful dwellings and many houses 

 here in Jerusalem and you may live in peace within the 

 city, enjoying all your possessions according to your 

 desire; but if you ever go outside the city, the punish- 

 ment of the law shall come upon your head, since you 

 did not take thought to repent before I reminded you." 

 When the king had ceased speaking, Shimei expressed 

 himself as thankful for this agreement and said that he 

 should find but little inconvenience in being forbidden 

 to leave the city, if he might remain secure in the king's 

 friendship within the city and enjoy all his possessions. 

 Three years later, however, Shimei forgot this agree- 

 ment and went outside the city to seek diversion,* as if 

 proud of his audacity in violating the covenant. But as 

 soon as these tidings were told to the king, he ordered 

 Shimei to be seized and brought before him, and he said 

 to him: "You have forgotten to be ashamed of having 

 broken the agreement which we two made as a reminder 

 that you owe repentance for having cursed the Lord's 

 anointed. There is, therefore, a double guilt upon your 

 head now; and it will be better for you to suffer a brief 

 punishment here, so that others may be warned by your 

 misfortune, than that this crime should follow you into 

 eternal death, and others become bolder in such evil, if 

 you die unpunished. Then the king ordered him to be 

 killed and buried outside the city as a reminder and 

 warning to others never to break a covenant. 



* According to the Scriptural story Shimei left Jerusalem to bring back two 

 runaway servants. I Kings, ii, 39-10. 



