to them, "I solemnly adjure you by God Almighty, who brought those
excellent brethren, I mean Moses and Aaron, into the world, and
delivered our fathers from the Egyptians, and from the slavery they
endured under them, that you will not speak what you say to gratify me,
nor suppress any thing out of fear of me, nor be overborne by any other
passion, but say, What have I ever done that was cruel or unjust? or
what have I done out of lucre or covetousness, or to gratify others?
Bear witness against me, if I have taken an ox or a sheep, or any such
thing, which yet when they are taken to support men, it is esteemed
blameless; or have I taken an ass for mine own use of any one to his
grief?--lay some one such crime to my charge, now we are in your king's
presence." But they cried out, that no such thing had been done by him,
but that he had presided over the nation after a holy and righteous
manner.

6. Hereupon Samuel, when such a testimony had been given him by them
all, said, "Since you grant that you are not able to lay any ill thing
to my charge hitherto, come on now, and do you hearken while I speak
with great freedom to you. You have been guilty of great impiety
against God, in asking you a king. It behoves you to remember that our
grandfather Jacob came down into Egypt, by reason of a famine, with
seventy souls only of our family, and that their posterity multiplied
there to many ten thousands, whom the Egyptians brought into slavery and
hard oppression; that God himself, upon the prayers of our fathers, sent
Moses and Aaron, who were brethren, and gave them power to deliver the
multitude out of their distress, and this without a king. These brought
us into this very land which you now possess: and when you enjoyed
these advantages from God, you betrayed his worship and religion; nay,
moreover, when you were brought under the hands of your enemies, he
delivered you, first by rendering you superior to the Assyrians and
their forces, he then made you to overcome the Ammonites and the
Moabites, and last of all the Philistines; and these things have been
achieved under the conduct of Jephtha and Gideon. What madness therefore
possessed you to fly from God, and to desire to be under a king?--yet
have I ordained him for king whom he chose for you. However, that I may
make it plain to you that God is angry and displeased at your choice of
kingly government, I will so dispose him that he shall declare this very
plainly to