Then said Hushai unto Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, Thus and thus did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel; and thus and thus have I counselled.
Ver. 15. Thus and thus did Ahithophel counsel Absalom.] Hushai might in this case safely discover Absalom's counsels, for the glory of God and the safety of his sovereign: though by the civil law, it was death to betray the secrets of the state, in military matters especially; and at Venice, consilia et decreta Patrum revelasse quempiam raro auditum est, semper graviter punitum: to reveal the counsels and decrees of the senators, is a fault seldom committed, and ever grievously punished, saith a good author. a
a Zevecat., Obser. Polit., cap. 14.