gins] they need only marry them*: As allo what excufes they may have in denying the facts, if any one attempts to enquire into them; for amongst moft other nations it is a ftudied art, how men may tranfgrefs their laws. But no fuch thing is permitted amongst us; for though we be deprived of our wealth, of our cities, or of the other advantages we have, our law continues immortal: Nor can any Jew go fo far from his own country, nor be fo affrighted at the fevereft lord, as not to be more affrighted at the law than at him. if, therefore, this be the difpofition we are under, with regard to the excellency of our laws let our enemies make us this conceffion, that our laws are moft excellent; and it ftill they imagine, that though we lo firmly adhere to them, yet are they bad laws notwithstanding, what penalties then do they deferve to undergo, who do not obferve their own laws, which they efteemed fo far fuperior to them! Whereas, therefore, length of time is esteemed to be the truest touchstone in all cafes. I would make that a teftimonial of the excellency of our laws, and of that belief thereby delivered to us concerning God. For as there hath been a very long time for this comparison. it any one will but compare its duration with the duration of the laws made by other legiflators, he will find our legiflator to have been the ancienteft of them all.

40. We have already demonftrated that our laws have been fuch as have always infpired admiration and imitation into all other men; nay, the earliest Grecian philofophers, though in appearance they obferved the laws of their own countries, yet did they, in their actions, and their philofophic doctrines, follow our legislator, and inftructed men to live sparingly, and to have friendly communication one with another. Nay, farther the multitude of mankind itfelf have had a great inclination of a long time to follow our religious obfervances; for there is not any city of the Grecians, nor any of the barbarians nor any nation whatfoever, whither our custom of refting on the feventh day hath not come, and by which our tafts and lighting up lamps, and many of our prohibitions as to our food are not obferved; they alfo endeavour to imitate our mutual concord with one another, and the charitable diftribution of our goods, and our diligence in our trades and our fortitude in undergoing the diftreffes we are in, on account of our laws; and what is here matter of the greatest admiration, our law hath no bait of pleafure to allure men to it, but it preVails by its own force; and as God himself pervades all the world. fo hath our law paffed through all the world alfo. So that if any one will but reflect on his own country, and his wn family, he will have reafon to give credit to what I fay,

• Or for corrupting other men's wives the same allowance, VOL. III. $ 3

It is therefore but juft, either to condemn all mankind of indulging a wicked difpofition, when they have been fo defitous of imitating laws that are to them foreign and evil in themfelves, rather than following laws of their own that are of a better character, or elfe our accufers must leave off their fpite against us. Nor are we guilty of any envious behaviour towards them, when we honour our legiflator, and believe what' he by his prophetic authority, have taught us concerning God. For though we should not be able ourselves to understand the excellency of our own laws, yet would the great multitude of thofe that defire to imitate them juflify us, in greatly valuing ourfelves upon them.

41. But as for the [diftinct] political laws by which we are governed, I have delivered them accurately in my books of Antiquities And have only mentioned them now so far as was neceffary to my prefent purpose; without propofing to my felf, either to blame the laws of other nations, or to make an encomium upon our own; but in order to convict those that have written about us unjustly, and in an impudent affectation of difguifing the truth. And now I think I have fuffi. eiently completed what I propofed in writing these books. For whereas our accufers have pretended, that our nation are a people of very late original, I have demonftrated that they are exceeding ancient; for I have produced as witneffes thereto many ancient writers, who have made mention of us in their books, while they faid no such writer had to done. Moreover they had faid, that we were fprung from the Egyptians, while I have proved that we came from another country into Egypt; while they had told lies of us, as if we were expelled thence on account of diseases on our bodies, it has appeared on the contrary, that we returned to our country by our own choice, and with found and frong bodies. Those accufers reproached our legiflàtor, as a vile fellow: Whereas God in old time bare witnefs to his virtuous condu&t; and fince that teflimony of God, time itfelf hath been difcovered to have: borne witness to the fame thing.

42. As to the laws themselves, more words are unnecessary, for they are visible in their own nature, and appear to teach not impiety but the trueft piety in the world. They do not make men hate one another, but encourage people to commudicate what they have to one another freely; they are enemies to injuftice, they take care of righteoufnefs, they banilh idlenefs and expenfive living, and infirut men to be content with what they have, and to be laborious in their callings: They forbid men to make war from a defire of getting more, but make men courageous in defending the laws: They are inexorable in punifhing malefactors: They admit no fophif ay of words, but are always cftablished by actions themselves,

which actions we ever propofe as furer demonftrations than €523 what is contained in writing only; on which account I am fo bold as to fay, that we are become the teachers of other men, in the greatest number of things, and those of the most excellent nature only: For what is more excellent than inviolable piety? what is more just than fubmiflion to laws? and what is more advantageous than mutual love and concord? And this fo far that we are to be neither divided by calamities, nor to become injurious and feditious in profperity, but to contemn death when we are in war, and in peace to apply ourfelves to our mechanical occupations, or to our tillage of the ground; while we in all things and all ways are fatisfied that God is the infpector and governor of our actions. precepts had either been written at firft, or more exactly kept It thefe by any others before us, we thould have owed them thanks as difciples owe to their masters: But if it be visible that we have made ufe of them more than any other men, and if we have demonftrated, that the original invention of them is our own, let the Apions, and the Molons, with all the reft of thofe that delight in lies and reproaches, fland confuted; but let this and the foregoing book be dedicated to thee, Epaphroditus, who art fo great a lover of truth, and by thy means to thofe that have been in like manner defirous to be acquainted with the affairs of our nation.

AN

EXTRACT

OUT OF

JOSEPHUS's DISCOURSE

TO THE GREEKS

CONCERNING HADES.

§ 1. NOW as tightedus are detained, it is neceffary to fpeak of it. Hades is a place in the world not regularly finished; a fubterraneous region, wherein the light of this world does not thine; from which circumflance, that in this region the light does not fhine, it cannot be but there must be in it perpetual darkness. This region is allotted as a place of cuftody for fouls, in which angels are appointed as guardians to them, who diftribute to them temporary punishments, agreeable to every 'one's behaviour and manners.

OW as to Hades, wherein the fouls of the righteous

2. In this region there is a certain place fet apart, as a lake of unquenchable fire; whereinto we fuppofe no one hath hitherto been caft but it is prepared for a day aforedetermined by God, in which one righteous fentence fhall defervedly be paffed upon all men; when the unjuft and those that have been difobedient to God, and have given honour to fuch idols as have been the vain operations of the hands of men as to God himself, fhall be adjudged to this everlafling punishment, as having been the caufes of defilement; while the juft fhall obtain an incorruptible and never-fading kingdom. Thefe are now indeed confined in Hades, but not in the fame place wherein the unjuft are confined.

3. For there is one defcent into this region, at whofe gate we believe there ftands an archangel with an hoft; which gate when those pass through that are conducted down by the angels appointed over fouls, they do not go the fame way, but the juft are guided to the right hand, and are led with hymns, fung by the angels appointed over that place, unto a region of light, in which the just have dwelt from the beginning of the world; not conftrained by neceffity, but ever enjoying the profpect of the good things they fee, and rejoicing in the expectation of thefe new enjoyments which will be peculiar to every one of them, and efteeming thofe things beyond what we have here; with whom there is no place of toil, no burning heat, no piercing cold, nor any briers there; but the coun

tenance of the fathers and of the juft, which they fee always fmiles upon them, while they wait for that reft and eternal new life in heaven which is to fucceed this region. This place we call the bofom of Abraham.

4. But as to the unjust, they are dragged by force to the left hand by the angels allotted for punishment, no longer going with a good-will, but as prifoners driven by violence; o whom are fent the angels appointed over them to reproach them and threaten them with their terrible looks, and to thrust them ftill downwards Now thole angels that are fet over thefe fouls drag them into the neighbourhood of hell itlelt; who when they are hard by it, continually hear the noife of it, and do not stand clear of the bot vapour itfelt; but when they have a nearer view of this fpectacle, as of a terrible and exceeding great profpect of fire, they are flruck with a fearful expectation of a future judgement, and in effect punifhed thereby And not only fo, but where they fee the place for choir of the fathers and of the juft, even hereby are they punifhed; for a chaos deep and large is fixed between them ; infomuch that a juít man that hath compaffion upon them cannot be admitted, nor can one that is unjutt, if he were bold enough to attempt it, pals over it.

5. This is the difcourfe concerning Hades, wherein the fouls of all men are confined until a proper ieafon, which God hath determined when he will make a returrection of all men from the dead; not procuring a tranfmigration of fouls from one body to another, but raifing again thote very bodies, which you Greeks feeing to be diffolved, do not believe their refurrection.] But learn not to difbelieve it; for while you believe that the foul is created, and yet is made immortal by 'God, according to the doctrine of Plato and this in time, be not incredulous but believe that God is able, when he hath raised to life that body which was made as a compound of the fame elements to make it immortal; for it must never be said of God, that he is able to do fome things, and unable to do others. We have therefore believed, that the body will be raised again; for although it be diffolved, it is not perished for the earth receives its remains, and preferves them; and while they are like feed, and are mixed among the more fruitful foil, they flourish, and what is Jown is indeed fown bare grain, but at the mighty found of God the Creator, it will prout up, and be raised in a clothed and glorious condition, though not before it has been diffolved, and mixed [with the earth. So that we have not rafhly believed the refurrection of the body; for although it be diffolved for a time on account of the original tranfgreffion, it exifts ftill, and is caft into the earth as into a potter's furnace, in order to be formed again, not in order to rise again fuch as it was before, but in a