Gregory the Dialogist : On the contrary, when David despised the power of his kingdom by dancing before the ark of the Lord's covenant, he said: "I will play and become more vile than I have become, and I will be humble in my own eyes." For whom would it not exalt to break the jaws of lions, to tear apart the arms of bears, to be chosen while his elder brothers were passed over, to be anointed to the governance of the kingdom when the previous king was rejected, to strike down Goliath—fearsome to all—with a single stone, to bring back the numerous foreskins proposed by the king after slaying the foreigners, to receive the kingdom by promise, and afterward to possess the entire Israelite people without any opposition? And yet in all these things he despises himself, who confesses that he is humble in his own eyes. If therefore holy men, even when they do mighty deeds, think lowly of themselves, what will those say in their own excuse who swell with pride without any virtuous work? — Forty Gospel Homilies, Homily 7