lf　in　the　first　place；　as　either　having　been　concerned　in　them　himself；　or　been　informed　of　them　by　such　as　knew　them。　Now　both　these　methods　of　knowledge　I　may　very　properly　pretend　to　in　the　composition　of　both　my　works；　for；　as　I　said；　I　have　translated　the　Antiquities　out　of　our　sacred　books；　which　I　easily　could　do；　since　I　was　a　priest　by　my　birth；　and　have　studied　that　philosophy　which　is　contained　in　those　writings：　and　for　the　History　of　the　War；　I　wrote　it　as　having　been　an　actor　myself　in　many　of　its　transactions；　an　eye…witness　in　the　greatest　part　of　the　rest；　and　was　not　unacquainted　with　any　thing　whatsoever　that　was　either　said　or　done　in　it。　How　impudent　then　must　those　deserve　to　be　esteemed　that　undertake　to　contradict　me　about　the　true　state　of　those　affairs！　who；　although　they　pretend　to　have　made　use　of　both　the　emperors'　own　memoirs；　yet　could　not　they　he　acquainted　with　our　affairs　who　fought　against　them。
  11。　This　digression　I　have　been　obliged　to　make　out　of　necessity；　as　being　desirous　to　expose　the　vanity　of　those　that　profess　to　write　histories；　and　I　suppose　I　have　sufficiently　declared　that　this　custom　of　transmitting　down　the　histories　of　ancient　times　hath　been　better　preserved　by　those　nations　which　are　called　Barbarians；　than　by　the　Greeks　themselves。　I　am　now　willing；　in　the　next　place；　to　say　a　few　things　to　those　that　endeavor　to　prove　that　our　constitution　is　but　of　late　time；　for　this　reason；　as　they　pretend；　that　the　Greek　writers　have　said　nothing　about　us；　after　which　I　shall　produce　testimonies　for　our　antiquity　out　of　the　writings　of　foreigners；　I　shall　also　demonstrate　that　such　as　cast　reproaches　upon　our　nation　do　it　very　unjustly。
  12。　As　for　ourselves；　therefore；　we　neither　inhabit　a　maritime　country；　nor　do　we　delight　in　merchandise；　nor　in　such　a　mixture　with　other　men　as　arises　from　it；　but　the　cities　we　dwell　in　are　remote　from　the　sea；　and　having　a　fruitful　country　for　our　habitation；　we　take　pains　in　cultivating　that　only。　Our　principal　care　of　all　is　this；　to　educate　our　children　well；　and　we　think　it　to　be　the　most　necessary　business　of　our　whole　life　to　observe　the　laws　that　have　been　given　us；　and　to　keep　those　rules　of　piety　that　have　been　delivered　down　to　us。　Since；　therefore；　besides　what　we　have　already　taken　notice　of；　we　have　had　a　peculiar　way　of　living　of　our　own；　there　was　no　occasion　offered　us　in　ancient　ages　for　intermixing　among　the　Greeks；　as　they　had　for　mixing　among　the　Egyptians；　by　their　intercourse　of　exporting　and　importing　their　several　goods；　as　they　also　mixed　with　the　Phoenicians；　who　lived　by　the　sea…side；　by　means　of　their　love　of　lucre　in　trade　and　merchandise。　Nor　did　our　forefathers　betake　themselves；　as　did　some　others；　to　robbery；　nor　did　they；　in　order　to　gain　more　wealth；　fall　into　foreign　wars；　although　our　country　contained　many　ten　thousands　of　men　of　courage　sufficient　for　that　purpose。　For　this　reason　it　was　that　the　Phoenicians　themselves　came　soon　by　trading　and　navigation　to　be　known　to　the　Grecians；　and　by　their　means　the　Egyptians　became　known　to　the　Grecians　also；　as　did　all　those　people　whence　the　Phoenicians　in　long　voyages　over　the　seas　carried　wares　to　the　Grecians。　The　Medes　also　and　the　Persians；　when　they　were　lords　of　Asia；　became　well　known　to　them；　and　this　was　especially　true　of　the　Persians；　who　led　their　armies　as　far　as　the　other　continent　＇Europe＇。　The　Thracians　were　also　known　to　them　by　the　nearness　of　their　countries；　and　the　Scythians　by　the　means　of　those　that　sailed　to　Pontus；　for　it　was　so　in　general　that　all　maritime　nations；　and　those　that　inhabited　near　the　eastern　or　western　seas；　became　most　known　to　those　that　were　desirous　to　be　writers；　but　such　as　had　their　habitations　further　from　the　sea　were　for　the　most　part　unknown　to　them　which　things　appear　to　have　happened　as　to　Europe　also；　where　the　city　of　Rome；　that　hath　this　long　time　been　possessed　of　so　much　power；　and　hath　performed　such　great　actions　in　war；　is　yet　never　mentioned　by　Herodotus；　nor　by　Thucydides；　nor　by　any　one　of　their　contemporaries；　and　it　was　very　late；　and　with　great　difficulty；　that　the　Romans　became　known　to　the　Greeks。　Nay；　those　that　were　reckoned　the　most　exact　historians　（and　Ephorus　for　one）　were　so　very　ignorant　of　the　Gauls　and　the　Spaniards；　that　he　supposed　the　Spaniards；　who　inhabit　so　great　a　part　of　the　western　regions　of　the　earth；　to　be　no　more　than　one　city。　Those　historians　also　have　ventured　to　describe　such　customs　as　were　made　use　of　by　them；　which　they　never　had　either　done　or　said；　and　the　reason　why　these　writers　did　not　know　the　truth　of　their　affairs　was　this；　that　they　had　not　any　commerce　together；　but　the　reason　why　they　wrote　such　falsities　was　this；　that　they　had　a　mind　to　appear　to　know　things　which　others　had　not　known。　How　can　it　then　be　any　wonder；　if　our　nation　was　no　more　known　to　many　of　the　Greeks；　nor　had　given　them　any　occasion　to　mention　them　in　their　writings；　while　they　were　so　remote　from　the　sea；　and　had　a　conduct　of　life　so　peculiar　to　themselves？
  13。　Let　us　now　put　the　case；　therefore；　that　we　made　use　of　this　argument　concerning　the　Grecians；　in　order　to　prove　that　their　nation　was　not　ancient；　because　nothing　is　said　of　them　in　our　records：　would　not　they　laugh　at　us　all；　and　probably　give　the　same　reasons　for　our　silence　that　I　have　now　alleged；　and　would　produce　their　neighbor　nations　as　witnesses　to　their　own　antiquity？　Now　the　very　same　thing　will　I　endeavor　to　do；　for　I　will　bring　the　Egyptians　and　the　Phoenicians　as　my　principal　witnesses；　because　nobody　can　complain　Of　their　testimony　as　false；　on　account　that　they　are　known　to　have　borne　the　greatest　ill…will　towards　us；　I　mean　this　as　to　the　Egyptians　in　general　all　of　them；　while　of　the　Phoenicians　it　is　known　the　Tyrians　have　been　most　of　all　in　the　same　ill　disposition　towards　us：　yet　do　I　confess　that　I　cannot　say　the　same　of　the　Chaldeans；　since　our　first　leaders　and　ancestors　were　derived　from　them；　and　they　do　make　mention　of　us　Jews　in　their　records；　on　account　of　the　kindred　there　is　between　us。　Now　when　I　shall　have　made　my　assertions　good；　so　far　as　concerns　the　others；　I　will　demonstrate　that　some　of　the　Greek　writers　have　made　mention　of　us　Jews　also；　that　those　who　envy　us　may　not　have　even　this　pretense　for　contradicting　what　I　have　said　about　our　nation。
  14。　I　shall　begin　with　the　writings　of　the　Egyptians；　not　indeed　of　those　that　have　written　in　the　Egyptian　language；　which　it　is　impossible　for　me　to　do。　But　Manetho　was　a　man　who　was　by　birth　an　Egyptian；　yet　had　he　made　himself　master　of　the　Greek　learning；　as　is　very　evident；　for　he　wrote　the　history　of　his　own　country　in　the　Greek　tongue；　by　translating　it；　as　he　saith　himself；　out　of　their　sacred　records；　he　also　finds　great　fault　with　Herodotus　for　his　ignorance　and　false　relations　of　Egyptian　affairs。　Now　this　Manetho；　in　the　second　book　of　his　Egyptian　History；　writes　concerning　us　in　the　following　manner。　I　will　set　down　his　very　words；　as　if　I　were　to　bring　the　very　man　himself　into　a　court　for　a　witness：　〃There　was　a　king　of　ours　whose　name　was　Timaus。　Under　him　it　came　to　pass；　I　know　not　how；　that　God　was　averse　to　us；　and　there　came；　after　a　surprising　manner；　men　of　ignoble　birth　out　of　the　eastern　parts；　and　had　boldness　enough　to　make　an　expedition　into　our　country；　and　with　ease　subdued　it　by　force；　yet　without　our　hazarding　a　battle　with　them。　So　when　they　had　gotten　those　that　governed　us　under　their　power；　they　afterwards　burnt　down　our　cities；　and　demolished　the　temples　of　the　gods；　and　used　all　the　inhabitants　after　a　most　barbarous　manner；　nay；　some　they　slew；　and　led　their　children　and　their　wives　into　slavery。　At　length　they　made　one　of　themselves　king；　whose　name　was　Salatis；　he　also　lived　at　Memphis；　and　made　both　the　upper　and　lower　regions　pay　tribute；　and　left　garrisons　in　places　that　were　the　most　proper　for　them。　He　chiefly　aimed　to　secure　the　eastern　parts；　as　fore…seeing　that　the　Assyrians；　who　had　then　the　greatest　power；　would　be　desirous　of　that　kingdom；　and　invade　them；　and　as　he　found　in　the　Saite　Nomos；　＇Sethroite；＇　a　city　very　proper　for　this　purpose；　and　which　lay　upon　the　Bubastic　channel；　but　with　regard　to　a　certain　theologic　notion　was　called　Avaris；　this　he　rebuilt；　and　made　very　strong　by　the　walls　he　built　about　it；　and　by　a　most　numerous　garrison　of　two　hundred　and　forty　thousand　armed　men　whom　he　put　into　it　to　keep　it。　Thither　Salatis　came　in　summer　time；　partly　to　gather　his　corn；　and　pay　his　soldiers　their　wages；　and　partly　to　exercise　his　armed　men；　and　thereby　to　terrify　foreigners。　When　this　man　had　reigned　thirteen　years；　after　him　reigned　another；　whose　name　was　Beon；　for　forty…four　years；　after　him　reigned　another；　called　Apachnas；　thirty…six　years　and　seven　months；　after　him　Apophis　reigned　sixty…one　years；　and　then　Janins　fifty　years　and　one　month；　after　all　these　reigned　Assis　forty…nine　years　and　two　months。　And　these　six　were　the　first　rulers　among　them；　who　were　all　along　making　war　with　the　Egyptians；　and　were　very　desirous　gradually　to　destroy　them　to　the　very　roots。　This　whole　nation　was　styled　Hycsos；　that　is；　Shepherd…kings：　for　the　first　syllable　Hyc；　according　to　the　sacred　d