THE KING'S MIRROR 353 



penalty of the sacred law shall surely come upon your 

 head." * Abiathar went home and did as the king com- 

 manded and lived many days; but Shimei died three 

 years later, because he failed to keep what had been 

 commanded, as we have already told. 



LXVII 



WHY SOLOMON BROKE HIS PROMISE OF PEACE 

 AND SECURITY TO JOAB 



Son. There are still a few points which, it seems to 

 me, I have not examined sufficiently. How did it occur 

 to Solomon to break peace with Joab, seeing that he 

 had fled into God's protection and into the house, the 

 only one in all the world, that was dedicated to God ? 

 Churches have now^been built^ in almost^ every part of 

 the world, and it is considered an evil deed to slay a man 

 who has sought sanctuary. But I have thought that the 

 honor of God's holy house would be the more zealously 

 guarded the fewer such houses were. Another matter 

 which I wish to ask about is this: how did it occur to 

 Solomon to promise what his mother might request and 

 then to break his promise ? I should have thought that 

 a wise man like Solomon would have ascertained what 

 the request was likely to be before he gave his promise, 

 and thus avoid recalling his promise, if the request were 

 not to his liking. 



Father. I stated in an earlier speech that he who 

 makes a request should be discreet and ask such things 

 only as are proper and may be freely granted; and all 



* Cf. / King,, ii, 26-27. 



