364 THE KING'S MIRROR 



bishop from the office that had been assigned to him. 

 namely that of keeper of the hall to which I have just 

 referred, and removed him so completely that he was 

 never afterwards allowed to put forth his hand to the 

 episcopal office, but was to live from that time on as a 

 churl or a plowboy. But I have thought that neither 

 of these two keepers can have authority to remove the 

 other from the office which_hasjbeen [committed to him. 

 Therefore I should like to have you point out a few 

 considerations which will make clear how King Solomon 

 could remove the bishop Abiathar from his office with- 

 out incurring reproof from God. 



Father. I called your attention to these facts to re- 

 mind you that both these halls are God's houses and 

 both king and bishop the servants of God and keepers 

 of these houses; but they ^Q no^^wn^.hem in the sense 

 that they can take anything away from them that was 

 assigned to them in the beginning. Therefore the king 

 must not pluck anything away from the house which 

 the bishop has in his keeping, for neither should rob 

 the other. And there should be no plundering of one by 

 the other, but each ought to support the other for the 

 same One owns both houses, namely God. I have also 

 told you that God has given the rod of punishment into 

 the hands of both the king and the bishop ./The rod of 

 punishment that has been committed to the king is a 

 two-edged sword : with this sword it is his duty to smite 

 to the death everyone who tries to take anything away 

 from the sacred hall of which he is the guardianT/But 



e king's sword is two-edged for the reason that it is 

 also his duty to guard the house which is in the bishop's 



