Didaskalia De nobili dicto Davidis

Therefore, they do not allow themselves to be conquered by adversity, because when they refer all their counsels, words, and deeds to the glory of God and the public good, they are greatly exhilarated by the testimony of a good conscience. They bear the injuries and ingratitude of men with a great soul, prepared to endure everything for the sake of their Lord, and they pursue this one thing: that as far as it is possible, they may benefit all good men and be a hindrance to none of them.

Just as the Sun does not wait for prayers to bring light to human affairs upon rising, but immediately shines forth and benefits all who can see, so the pious Magistrate does not wait for prayers, praises, and applause to do good; rather, he confers the greatest benefits immediately and of his own accord, and for this reason, he is loved just as the Sun is.

However, it seemed good to me, for the sake of illustrating this doctrine which is full of consolation, to treat in this Theological Disputation the famous saying of David: The righteous shall flourish like the Palm tree, so that I might propose an argument for holy joy to all righteous men of every rank. For as many of them as do not allow themselves to be conquered by that which is evil, but overcome malice with goodness—and are mindful of the maxim handed down even by the exoteric Plato: The finest kind of victory is to conquer oneself—it is their endeavor first to conquer themselves, and then, to overcome malice with goodness, so that, as victors of this