between them, that required this affiftance? On the contrary, thefe people were enemies, and greatly differed from them in their cufloms. He fays, indeed, that they complied immediately, upon their promifing them that they fhould conquer Egypt, as if they did not themselves very well know that Country out of which they had been driven by force. Now had these men been in want, or lived miferably, perhaps they might have undertaken fo hazardous an enterprize, but as they dwelt in an happy city, and had a large country, and one better than Egypt itfelt, how came it about, that for the fake of thofe that had of old been their enemies, of thofe that were maimed in their bodies, and of those whom none of their own relations would endure, they fhould run fuch hazards in affifting them? For they could not forefee that the king would run away from them: On the contrary he faith himfelf that "Amenophis's fon had three hundred thousand men with him, and met them at Pelufium." Now, to be lure thofe that came could not be ignorant of this; but for the king's repentance and. flight, how could they poffibly guefs at it? He then lays, that thofe who came from Jerufalem, and made this invafion, got the granaries of Egypt into their poffeffion, and perpetrated many of the most horrid actions there." And thence he reproaches them, as though he had not himfelf introduced them as enemies, or as though he might accufe fuch as were invit ed from another place for fo doing, when the natural Egyptians themfelves had done the fame things before their coming and had taken oaths fo to do. However, "Amenophis, fome time afterward came upon them, and conquered them in battle, and flew his enemies, and drove them before him as far as Syria:" As if Egypt were fo easily taken by people that came from any place whatfoever, and as if thofe that had conquered it by war, when they were informed that Amenophis was alive, did neither fortify the avenues out of Ethiopia into it, although they had great advantages for doing it, nor did get their other forces ready for their defence; but that "he followed them over the fandy defert, and flew them as far as Syria;" while yet it is not an caly thing for an army to pass over that country, even without fighting.

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30. Our nation, therefore, according to Manetho, was not derived from Egypt, nor were any of the Egyptians mingled with us. For it is to be fuppofed, that many of the leprous and diftempered people were dead in the mines. fince they had been there a long time, and in fo ill a condition; many others must be dead in the battles that happened afterward, and more fill in the last battle and flight after it.

31. It now remains that I debate with Manetho about Mofes. Now the Egyptians acknowledge him to have been a wonderful and a divine perfon: Nay, they would willingly lay claim to him themfelves, though after a molt abufive and incredible manner, and pretend that he was of Heliopolis, and VOL. III.

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one of the priefs of that place, and was ejected out of it among the reft, on account of his leprofy; although it had been demonftrated out of their records, that he lived five hundred and eighteen years earlier, and then brought our forefathers out of Egypt into the country that is now inhabited by us. But now that he was not subject in his body to any fuch calamity, is evident from what he himfelt tells us: For he forbade thofe that had the leprofy either to continue in a city, or to inhabit in a village, but commanded that they should go about by themselves with their clothes rent; and declares that fuch as either touch them, or live under the fame root with them, fhould be efteemed unclean: Nay more, if any one of their disease be healed, and he recover his natural conftitution again, he appointed them certain purifications, and washings with fpring water, and the fhaving of all their hair, and enjoins that they fhall offer many facrifices, and those of several kinds, and then at length, to be admitted into the holy city; although it were to be expected that, on the contrary, if he had been under the fame calamity; he fhould have taken care of fuch perfons beforehand, and have had them treated after a kinder manner, as affected with a concern for those that were to be under the like misfortunes with himfelt. Nor was it only thofe leprous people for whofe fake he made these laws, but alfo for fuch as fhould be maimed in the smallest part of their body, who yet are not permitted by him to officiate as priefts: Nay, although any priest; already initiated, fhould have fuch a calamity fall upon him afterward, he ordered him to be deprived of his honour of officiating. Now can it then be fuppofed that Mofes fhould ordain fuch laws against himfelt, to his own reproach and damage who fo ordained them? Nor indeed is that other notion of Manetho's at all probable-wherein he relates the change of his name, and fays, that "he warformerly called Ofarfiph;" and this a name no way agreeable to the other, while his true name was Moufes, and fignifies a perfon who is preferved out of the water, for the Egyptianscall water Muo. I think, therefore, I have made it fufficient ly evident that Manetho, while he followed his ancient records, did not much mistake the truth of hiftory, but that when he had recourse to fabulous ftories, without any certain author, he either forged them himfelf, without any probability, or elfe gave credit to fome men who fpake fo out of their ill will to us.

32. And now I have done with Manetho, I will enquire into what Cheremon fays. For he alfo, when he pretended to write the Egyptian hiftory; fets down the fame name for this kink that Manetho did, Amenophis, as alfo of his fon Ramelfes, and then goes on thus: "The goddefs Ifis appeared to Amenophis in his fleep, and blamed him that her temple had been demolished in the war. But that Phritiphantes, the la cred fcribe, faid to him, that in cafe he would purge Egypt of the men that had pollutions upon them, he fhould be no lon

#ger troubled with fuch frightful apparitions. That Amenophis accordingly chofe out two hundred and fifty thoufand of thofe that were thus diseased, and caft them out of the country : That Mofes and Jofeph were scribes, and Jofeph was a facred Tcribe: That their names were Egyptian originally, that of Mofes had been Tifithen, and that of Jofeph Petefeph: That these two came to Pelufium, and lighted upon three hundred and eighty thousand that had been left there by Amenophis, he not being willing to carry them into Egypt: That thefe fcribes .made a league of friendship with them, and made with them an expedition against Egypt: That Amenophis could not sustain their attacks, but fled into Ethiopia, and left his wife with child behind him, who lay concealed in certain caverns, and there brought forth a fon, whose name was Meffene, and who, when he was grown up to man's eftate, purfued the Jews into Syria, being about two hundred thoufand, and then received his father Amenophis out of Ethiopia."

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33. This is the account Cheremon gives us. Now I take it for granted, that what I have faid already hath plainly proved the falfity of both these narrations; for had there been any real truth at the bottom, it was impoffible that they fhould fo greatly dilagree about the particulars. But for those that invent lies, what they write will easily give us very different accounts, while they forge what they please out of their own heads. Now Manetho fays, that the king's defire of feeing the gods, was the origin of the ejection of the polluted people; but Cheremon feigns that it was a dream of his own, fent upon him by Ifis that was the occafion of it. Manetho fays, that the perfon who forefhewed this purgation of Egypt to the king, was Amenophis, but this man fays it was Phritiphantes. As to the numbers of the multitude that were expelled, they agree exceedingly well, the former reckoning them eighty thousand, and the latter about two hundred and fifty thoufand. Now, for Manetho, he defcribes thefe polluted perfons as fent firft to work in the quarries, and fays, that after that the city Avaris was given them for their habitation. he relates, that it was not till after they had made war with the As alfo reft of the Egyptians, that they invited the people of Jerufalem to come to their affiftance; while Cheremon fays only, that they were gone out of Egypt, and lighted upon three hundred and eighty thousand men about Pelufium, who had been left there by Amenophis, and fo they invaded Egypt with them again; that thereupon Amenophis fled into Ethiopia. But then, this Cheremon commits a moft ridiculous blunder in not informing us who this army of fo many ten thousands were, or whence they came; whether they were native Egyp tians, or whether they came from a foreign country. Nor indeed has this man, who forged a dream from Ifis, about the leprous people affigned the reason why the king would not

By way of irony, I suppose.

bring them into Egypt. Moreover, Cheremon fets down Jofeph as driven away at the fame time with Mofes, who yet died four generations before Mofes, which four generations make almoft one hundred and seventy years. Befides all this, Rameffes, the fon of Amenophis, by Manetho's account, was a young man, and affifted his father in his war, and left the country at the fame time with him, and fled into Ethiopia. But Cheremon makes him to have been born in a certain cave, after his father was dead, and that he then overcame the Jews in battle, and drove them into Syria being in number about two hundred thoufand. O the levity of the man! For he had neither told us who thefe three hundred and eighty thouland wete, nor how the four hundred and thirty thousand perifhed; whether they fell in war, of went over to Ramelles. And what is the ftrangeft of all, it is not poffible to learn out of him, who they were whom he calls Jews, or to which of thefe two parties he applies that denomination, whether to the hundred and fifty thoufand leprous people, or to the three hundred and eighty thousand that were about Peluftum. But perhaps it will be looked upon as a filly thing in me to make any larger confutation of fuch writers as fufficiently confule themfelves: For had they been only contuted by other men, it had been more tolerable.

34. I thall now add to these accounts about Manetho and Cheremon, lomewhat about Lyfimachus, who hath taken the fame topic of falfehood with thofe forementioned, but hath gone far beyond them in the incredible nature of his torgeTies; which plainly demonftrates that he contrived them out of his virulent hatred of our nation. His words are thefe: "The people of the Jews being leprous and feabby, and fubject to certain other kinds of distempers, in the days of Bocchoris, king of Egypt, they fled to the temples, and got their food there by begging; and as the numbers were very great that were fallen under thefe difeafes, there arole a fcarcity in Egypt. Hereupon Bocchoris, the king of Egypt, fent fome to confult the oracle of [Jupiter] Hammon about this featcity. The god's anfwer was this, That he muft purge his temples of impure and impious men, by expelling them out of thole temples into defert places; but as to the cabby and leprous people, he mult drown them, and purge his temples, the Jun having an indignation at thefe men's being fuffered to live. And by this means the land will bring forth its fruits. Upon Becchoris's having received thefe oracles, he called for their priefts, and the attendants upon their altars, and ordered them to make a collection of the impure people, and to deliver them to the foldiers, to carry thein away into the defert, but to take

Here we fee that Jofephus effeemed a generation between Joseph and Moles to be about 42 or 43 years; which, if taken between the calier children, weil agrees with the duration of human life in thole ages. See Authent. Rec. Part 11. paga 966, 1019, 1020.

the leprous people and wrap them in fheets of lead, and let them down into the fea. Hereupon the fcabby and leprous people were drowned, and the reft were gotten together and fent into defert places, in order to be expofed to deftruétion. In this cafe they affembled themselves together, and took counfel what they fhould do, and determined that as the night was coming on, they fhould kindle fires and lamps, and keep watch; that they alfo thould faft the next night, and propitiate the gods, in order to obtain deliverance from them: That on the next day there was one Mofes, who adviled them that they fhould venture upon a journey, and go along one road till they thould come to places fit for habitation; that he charged then to have no kind regards for any man, nor give good counsel to any, but always to advife them for the worft, and to overturn all thote temples and altars of the gods they fhould meet with: That the reft commended what he had faid with one confent, and did what they had refolved on, and fo travelled over the defert. But that the difficulties of the journey being over, they came to a country inhabited, and that there they abufed the men, and plundered and burnt their temples, and then came into that land which is called Judea, and there they built a city, and dwelt therein, and that their city was named Hierofyla, from this their robbing of the temples; but that fill, upon the fuccefs they had afterwards, they in time changed its denomination, that it might not be a reproach to them, and called the city Hierofolyma, and themselves Hierofolomites."

35. Now this man did not discover and mention the fame king with the others, but feigned a newer name, and paffing by the dream and the Egyptian prophet, he brings him to [Jupiter] Hammon, in order to gain oracles about the fcabby and leprous people; for he fays, That the multitude of Jews were gathered together at the temples. Now it is uncertain whether he afcribes this name to thefe lepers, or to thofe that were fubject to fuch difeates among the Jews only; for he describes them as a people of the Jews. What people does he mean? foreigners, or thofe of that country? Why then doft thou call them Jews, if they were Egyptians? But if they were foreigners, why doft thou not tell us whence they came? And how could it be that, after the king had drowned many of them in the fea, and ejected the reft into defert places, there should be ftill fo great a multitude remaining? Or after what manner did they pafs over the defert, and get the land which we now dwell in, and build our city, and that temple which hath been fo famous among all mankind? And befides, he ought to have spoken more about our legiflator, than by giving us his bare name; and to have informed us of what nation he was, and what parents he was derived from; and to have affigned the reafons why he undertook tomake fuch laws concerning the gods and concerning matters of injullice with regard to men during