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this was over, what the king had decreed was quickly brought to a conclusion; and this is no more than seven days time, the number of the talents paid for the captives being above four hundred and sixty, and this, because their masters required the [hundred and] twenty drachmæ for the children also, the king having, in effect, commanded, that these should be paid for, when he said in his decree, that they should receive the fore-mentioned sum for every slave.

4. Now when this had been done after so magnificent a manner, according to the king's inclinations, he gave order to Demetrius to give him in writing his sentiments concerning the transcribing of the Jewish books; for no part of the administration is done rashly by these kings, but all things are managed with great circumspection. On which account I have subjoined a copy of these epistles, and set down the multitude of the vessels sent as gifts [to Jerusalem,] and the construction of every one, that the exactness of the artificers' workmanship, as it appeared to those that saw them, and which workman made every vessel, may be made manifest, and this on account of the excellency of the vessels themselves. Now the copy of the epistle was to this purpose: "Demetrius "to the great king. When thou, O king, gavest me a charge "concerning the collection of books that were wanting to fill "your library, and concerning the care that ought to be "taken about such as are imperfect, I have used the utmost "diligence about those matters. And I let you know, that "we want the books of the Jewish legislation, with some "others; for they are written in the Hebrew characters, and "being in the language of that nation, are to us unknown. "It hath also happened to them, that they have been tran"scribed more carelessly than they ought to have been, because they have not had hitherto royal care taken about "them. Now it is necessary that thou shouldst have accu"rate copies of them. And indeed this legislation is full of "hidden wisdom, and entirely blameless, as being the legis"lation of God: For which cause it is, as Hecateus of Abdera says, that the poets and historians make no mention of it, nor of those men who lead their lives according to it, since "it is an holy law, and ought not to be published by profane "mouths. If then it please thee, O king, thou mayest write "to the high-priest of the Jews, to send six of the elders out "of every tribe, and those such as are most skilful of the "laws, that by their means we may learn the clear and agree"ing sense of these books: and may obtain an accurate in"terpretation of their contents, and so may have such a "collection of these as may be suitable to thy desire."

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4. When this epistle was sent to the king, he commanded that an epistle should be drawn up for Eleazar, the Jewish high-priest, concerning these matters; and that they should in. form him of the release of the Jews that had been in slavery among them. He also sent fifty talents of gold for the making of large basons, and vials and cups, and an immense quantity of precious stones. He also gave order to those who had the custody of the chests that contained those stones, to give the artificers leave to choose out what sorts of them they pleased. He withal appointed, that an hundred talents in money should be sent to the temple for sacrifices, and for other uses. Now I will give a description of these vessels, and the manner of their construction, but not till after I have set down a copy of the epistle which was written to Eleazar the high-priest, who had obtained that dignity on the occasion following: When Onias the high-priest was dead, his son Simon became his successor. He was called* Simon the Just, because of both his piety towards God, and his kind disposition to those of his own nation. When he was dead, and had left a young son, who was called Onias, Simon's brother Eleazar, of whom we are speaking, took the high-priesthood: and he it was to whom Ptolemy wrote, and that in the manner following: "King Ptolemy to Eleazar the high-priest, "sendeth greeting: There were many Jews who now dwell "in my kingdom, whom the Persians, when they were in power, carried captives. These were honoured by my "father; some of them he placed in the army, and gave "them greater pay than ordinary; to others of them, when they came with him into Egypt, he committed his garrisons, and the guarding of them, that they might be a terror to the Egyptians. And when I had taken the govern"ment, I treated all men with humanity, and especially those "that are thy fellow citizens, of whom I have set free above an hundred thousand that were slaves, and paid the price "of their redemption to their masters out of my own revenues; "and those that are of a fit age, I have admitted into the "number of my soldiers. And for such as are capable of being faithful to me, and proper for my court, I have put "them in such a post, as thinking this [kindness done to "them] to be a very great and an acceptable gift, which I "devote to God for his providence over me. And as I am "desirous to do what will be grateful to these, and to all the "other Jews in the habitable earth, I have determined to

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*We have a very great encomium of this Simon the Just, the son of Onia's I. in the fiftieth chapter of the Ecclesiasticus, through the whole chapter. Nor is it improper to consult that chapter itself upon this occasion.

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procure an interpretation of your law, and to have it trans"lated out of Hebrew into Greek, and to be reposited in 66 my library. Thou wilt therefore do well to choose out and "send to me men of a good character, who are now elders in age, and six in number out of every tribe. These, by their 66 age, must be skilful in the laws, and of abilities to make an "accurate interpretation of them: and when this shall be "finished, I shall think that I have done a work glorious to "myself. And I have sent to thee Andreas, the captain of "my guard, and Aristeus, men whom I have in very great "esteem: by whom I have sent those first fruits which I have "dedicated to the temple, and to the sacrifices, and to other uses, to the value of an hundred talents. And if thou wilt "send to us, to let us know what thou wouldst have farther, "thou wilt do a thing acceptable to me."

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5. When this epistle of the king's was brought to Eleazar, he wrote an answer to it with all the respect possible; "Eleazar the high-priest to king Ptolemy, sendeth greeting: If "thou and thy * queen Arsinoe, and thy children, be well, "we are entirely satisfied. When we received thy epistle,

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we greatly rejoiced at thy intentions: And when the multi"tude were gathered together, we read it to them, and "thereby made them sensible of the piety thou hast towards "God. We also shewed them the twenty vials of gold, and "thirty of silver, and the five large basons, and the table for "the shew-bread; as also the hundred talents for the sacri"fices, and for the making what shall be needful at the tem"ple. Which things Andreas and Aristeus, those most ho"noured friends of thine, have brought us: and truly they "are persons of an excellent character, and of great learning, "and worthy of thy virtue. Know then that we will gratify "thee in what is for thy advantage, though we do what we "used not to do before; for we ought to make a return for "the numerous acts of kindness which thou hast done to our "countrymen. We immediately therefore offered sacrifices "for thee and thy sister, with thy children and friends; and "the multitude made prayers, that thy affairs may be to thy "mind; and that thy kingdom may be preserved in peace, "and that the translation of our law may come to the conclu"sion thou desirest, and be for thy advantage. We have

*When we have here and presently mention made of Philadelphus's Queen, and sister Arsinoe, we are to remember, with Spanheim, that Arsinoe was both his sister and his wife, according to the old custom of Persia, and of Egypt at this very time; nay of the Assyrians long afterward. See Antiq. B. XX. ch. ii, § 1. vol III. Whence we have, upon the coins of Philadelphus, this known inscription, the divine brother and sister.

"also chosen six elders out of every tribe, whom we have "sent, and the law with them. It will be thy part, out of "thy piety and justice to send back the law, when it hath "been translated; and to return those to us that bring it in "safety. Farewell."

6. This was the reply which the high-priest made. But it does not seem to me to be necessary to set down the names of the seventy [two] elders who were sent by Eleazar, and carried the law which yet were subjoined at the end of the epistle. However, I thought it not improper to give an account of those very valuable and artificially contrived vessels which the king sent to God, that all may see how great a regard the king had for God; for the king allowed a vast deal of expences for these vessels; and came often to the workmen, and viewed their works, and suffered nothing of carelessness or negligence to be any damage to their operations. And I will relate how rich they were as well as I am able, although perhaps the nature of this history may not require such a description, but I imagine I shall thereby recommend the elegant taste and magnanimity of this king to those that read this history.

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7. And first I will describe what belongs to the table. It was indeed in the king's mind to make this table vastly large in its dimensions; but then he gave orders that they should learn what was the magnitude of the table which was already at Jerusalem, and how large it was, and whether there were a possibility of making one larger than it. And when he was informed how large that was which was already there, and that nothing hindered but a larger might be made, he said, That "he was willing to have one made that should be five "times as large as the present table, but his fear was, that it "might be then useless in their sacred ministrations, by its too great largeness: for he desired that the gifts he presented 66 them, should not only be there for shew, but should be "useful also in their sacred ministrations." According to which reasoning, that the former table was made of so moderate a size for use, and not for want of gold, he resolved that he would not exceed the former table in largeness, but would make it exceed it in the variety and elegancy of its materials. And as he was sagacious in observing the nature of all things, and in having a just notion of what was new and surprising; and where there was no sculptures, he would invent such as were proper, by his own skill, and would shew them to the workmen, he commanded that such sculptures should now be made, and that those which were delineated, should be most accurately formed, by a constant regard to their delineation.

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8. When therefore the workmen had undertaken to make the table, they framed it in length two cubits [and an half,] in breadth one cubit, and in height one cubit and an half; and the entire structure of the work was of gold. They withal made a crown of an hand-breadth round it, with wave work wreathed about it, and with an engraving imitated a cord, and was admirably turned on its three parts; for as they were of a triangular figure, every angle had the same disposition of its sculptures, that when you turned them about, the very same form of them was turned about without any variation. Now that part of the crown work that was inclosed under the table had its sculptures very beautiful, but that part which went round on the outside was more elaborately adorned with most beautiful ornaments, because it was exposed to sight, and to the view of the spectators; for which reason it was that both those sides which were extant above the rest were acute, and none of the angles, which we before told were three, appeared less than another, when the table was turned about. Now into the cord-work thus turned were precious stones inserted, in rows parallel one to the other, inclosed in golden buttons, which had ouches in them; but the parts which were on the side of the crown, and were exposed to the sight, were adorned with a row of oval figures oblique"ly placed, of the most excellent sort of precious stones, which imitated rods laid close, and encompassed the table round about. But under these oval figures, thus engraven, the workmen had put a crown all round it, where the nature of all sorts of fruit was represented, insomuch that the bunches of grapes hung up. And when they had made the stones to represent all the kinds of fruits before mentioned, and that each in its proper colour, they made them fast with gold round the whole table. The like disposition of the oval figures, and of the engraved rods, was framed under the crown, that the table might on each side, shew the same appearance of variety, and elegancy of its ornaments, so that neither the position of the wave-work nor of the crown, might be different, although the table were turned on the other side, but that the prospect of the same artificial contrivances might be extended as far as the feet; for there was made a plate of gold four fingers broad, through the entire breadth of the table, into which they inserted the feet, and then fastened them to the table by buttons, and button-holes, at the place where the crown was situate, that so on what side soever of the table one should stand, it might exhibit the very same view of the exquisite workmanship, and of the vast expences bestowed upon it: but upon the table itself they engraved a meander, inserting

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