On Faithfulness
XC. On Faithfulness
1. O God, Who art so very faithful
in virtue of <Your> power, wisdom and will,
that You have never deceived anyone![1]
2. God is faithful by reason of <His> truth,
<His> justice and <His> compassion
towards both the righteous and the wicked.
3. A man is faithful to his lord
when he loves <that lord’s> honour
and is fearful of sinning.
4. In a faithful man, <neither> goodness,
justice and compassion,
<nor> worth, honour and charity are lacking.
5. He who does not sin for the sake of gold or silver,
or for that of a woman or a relative,
loves very faithfully.
6. The honour attaching to faithfulness is worth much more
than is that which attaches to relatives or to a kingdom,
for on those accounts does one perform many wicked deeds.
7. Faithfulness is such a great virtue,
that nobody has <ever> been defeated,
dishonoured or overcome thereby.
8. Faithfulness is such a great treasure
that, following death, one’s good reputation
survives and in no way perishes.
9. A man who seeks to be faithful
knows how to resist every evil
and in all of his deeds is worthier than anybody else.
10. Poverty accompanied by faithfulness is superior
to great wealth accompanied by falsity
or great honour accompanied by faithlessness.
[1] Cf. n. 4, Ch. IX, § 4.