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where　we　live。　Thus　different　from　one　another　are　the　inclinations　of　men；　while　the　one　thought　we　deserved　to　be　carefully　remembered；　as　some　ill…disposed　passion　blinded　the　other's　mind　so　entirely；　that　he　could　not　discern　the　truth。　And　now　certainly　the　foregoing　records　of　the　Egyptians；　and　Chaldeans；　and　Phoenicians；　together　with　so　many　of　the　Greek　writers；　will　be　sufficient　for　the　demonstration　of　our　antiquity。　Moreover；　besides　those　forementioned；　Theophilus；　and　Theodotus；　and　Mnaseas；　and　Aristophanes；　and　Hermogenes；　Euhemerus　also；　and　Conon；　and　Zopyrion；　and　perhaps　many　others；　（for　I　have　not　lighted　upon　all　the　Greek　books；）　have　made　distinct　mention　of　us。　It　is　true；　many　of　the　men　before　mentioned　have　made　great　mistakes　about　the　true　accounts　of　our　nation　in　the　earliest　times；　because　they　had　not　perused　our　sacred　books；　yet　have　they　all　of　them　afforded　their　testimony　to　our　antiquity；　concerning　which　I　am　now　treating。　However；　Demetrius　Phalereus；　and　the　elder　Philo；　with　Eupolemus；　have　not　greatly　missed　the　truth　about　our　affairs；　whose　lesser　mistakes　ought　therefore　to　be　forgiven　them；　for　it　was　not　in　their　power　to　understand　our　writings　with　the　utmost　accuracy。

24。　One　particular　there　is　still　remaining　behind　of　what　I　at　first　proposed　to　speak　to；　and　that　is；　to　demonstrate　that　those　calumnies　and　reproaches　which　some　have　thrown　upon　our　nation；　are　lies；　and　to　make　use　of　those　writers'　own　testimonies　against　themselves；　and　that　in　general　this　self…contradiction　hath　happened　to　many　other　authors　by　reason　of　their　ill…will　to　some　people；　I　conclude；　is　not　unknown　to　such　as　have　read　histories　with　sufficient　care；for　some　of　them　have　endeavored　to　disgrace　the　nobility　of　certain　nations；　and　of　some　of　the　most　glorious　cities；　and　have　cast　reproaches　upon　certain　forms　of　government。　Thus　hath　Theopompus　abused　the　city　of　Athens；　Polycrates　that　of　Lacedemon；　as　hath　he　hat　wrote　the　Tripoliticus　（for　he　is　not　Theopompus；　as　is　supposed　bys　ome）　done　by　the　city　of　Thebes。　Timeils　also　hath　greatly　abused　the　foregoing　people　and　others　also；　and　this　ill…treatment　they　use　chiefly　when　they　have　a　contest　with　men　of　the　greatest　reputation；　some　out　of　envy　and　malice；　and　others　as　supposing　that　by　this　foolish　talking　of　theirs　they　may　be　thought　worthy　of　being　remembered　themselves；　and　indeed　they　do　by　no　means　fail　of　their　hopes；　with　regard　to　the　foolish　part　of　mankind；　but　men　of　sober　judgment　still　condemn　them　of　great　malignity。

25。　Now　the　Egyptians　were　the　first　that　cast　reproaches　upon　us；　in　order　to　please　which　nation；　some　others　undertook　to　pervert　the　truth；　while　they　would　neither　own　that　our　forefathers　came　into　Egypt　from　another　country；　as　the　fact　was；　nor　give　a　true　account　of　our　departure　thence。　And　indeed　the　Egyptians　took　many　occasions　to　hate　us　and　envy　us：　in　the　first　place；　because　our　ancestors　had　had　the　dominion　over　their　country？　and　when　they　were　delivered　from　them；　and　gone　to　their　own　country　again；　they　lived　there　in　prosperity。　In　the　next　place；　the　difference　of　our　religion　from　theirs　hath　occasioned　great　enmity　between　us；　while　our　way　of　Divine　worship　did　as　much　exceed　that　which　their　laws　appointed；　as　does　the　nature　of　God　exceed　that　of　brute　beasts；　for　so　far　they　all　agree　through　the　whole　country；　to　esteem　such　animals　as　gods；　although　they　differ　one　from　another　in　the　peculiar　worship　they　severally　pay　to　them。　And　certainly　men　they　are　entirely　of　vain　and　foolish　minds；　who　have　thus　accustomed　themselves　from　the　beginning　to　have　such　bad　notions　concerning　their　gods；　and　could　not　think　of　imitating　that　decent　form　of　Divine　worship　which　we　made　use　of；　though；　when　they　saw　our　institutions　approved　of　by　many　others；　they　could　not　but　envy　us　on　that　account；　for　some　of　them　have　proceeded　to　that　degree　of　folly　and　meanness　in　their　conduct；　as　not　to　scruple　to　contradict　their　own　ancient　records；　nay；　to　contradict　themselves　also　in　their　writings；　and　yet　were　so　blinded　by　their　passions　as　not　to　discern　it。

26。　And　now　I　will　turn　my　discourse　to　one　of　their　principal　writers；　whom　I　have　a　little　before　made　use　of　as　a　witness　to　our　antiquity；　I　mean　Manetho。　（22）　He　promised　to　interpret　the　Egyptian　history　out　of　their　sacred　writings；　and　premised　this：　that　〃our　people　had　come　into　Egypt；　many　ten　thousands　in　number；　and　subdued　its　inhabitants；〃　and　when　he　had　further　confessed　that　〃we　went　out　of　that　country　afterward；　and　settled　in　that　country　which　is　now　called　Judea；　and　there　built　Jerusalem　and　its　temple。〃　Now　thus　far　he　followed　his　ancient　records；　but　after　this　he　permits　himself；　in　order　to　appear　to　have　written　what　rumors　and　reports　passed　abroad　about　the　Jews；　and　introduces　incredible　narrations；　as　if　he　would　have　the　Egyptian　multitude；　that　had　the　leprosy　and　other　distempers；　to　have　been　mixed　with　us；　as　he　says　they　were；　and　that　they　were　condemned　to　fly　out　of　Egypt　together；　for　he　mentions　Amenophis；　a　fictitious　king's　name；　though　on　that　account　he　durst　not　set　down　the　number　of　years　of　his　reign；　which　yet　he　had　accurately　done　as　to　the　other　kings　he　mentions；　he　then　ascribes　certain　fabulous　stories　to　this　king；　as　having　in　a　manner　forgotten　how　he　had　already　related　that　the　departure　of　the　shepherds　for　Jerusalem　had　been　five　hundred　and　eighteen　years　before；　for　Tethmosis　was　king　when　they　went　away。　Now；　from　his　days；　the　reigns　of　the　intermediate　kings；　according　to　Manethe；　amounted　to　three　hundred　and　ninety…three　years；　as　he　says　himself；　till　the　two　brothers　Sethos　and　Hermeus；　the　one　of　whom；　Sethos；　was　called　by　that　other　name　of　Egyptus；　and　the　other；　Hermeus；　by　that　of　Danaus。　He　also　says　that　Sethos　east　the　other　out　of　Egypt；　and　reigned　fifty…nine　years；　as　did　his　eldest　son　Rhampses　reign　after　him　sixty…six　years。　When　Manethe　therefore　had　acknowledged　that　our　forefathers　were　gone　out　of　Egypt　so　many　years　ago；　he　introduces　his　fictitious　king　Amenophis；　and　says　thus：　〃This　king　was　desirous　to　become　a　spectator　of　the　gods；　as　had　Orus；　one　of　his　predecessors　in　that　kingdom；　desired　the　same　before　him；　he　also　communicated　that　his　desire　to　his　namesake　Amenophis；　who　was　the　son　of　Papis；　and　one　that　seemed　to　partake　of　a　divine　nature；　both　as　to　wisdom　and　the　knowledge　of　futurities。〃　Manethe　adds；　〃how　this　namesake　of　his　told　him　that　he　might　see　the　gods；　if　he　would　clear　the　whole　country　of　the　lepers　and　of　the　other　impure　people；　that　the　king　was　pleased　with　this　injunction；　and　got　together　all　that　had　any　defect　in　their　bodies　out　of　Egypt；　and　that　their　number　was　eighty　thousand；　whom　he　sent　to　those　quarries　which　are　on　the　east　side　of　the　Nile；　that　they　might　work　in　them；　and　might　be　separated　from　the　rest　of　the　Egyptians。〃　He　says　further；　that　〃there　were　some　of　the　learned　priests　that　were　polluted　with　the　leprosy；　but　that　still　this　Amenophis；　the　wise　man　and　the　prophet；　was　afraid　that　the　gods　would　be　angry　at　him　and　at　the　king；　if　there　should　appear　to　have　been　violence　offered　them；　who　also　added　this　further；　＇out　of　his　sagacity　about　futurities；＇　that　certain　people　would　come　to　the　assistance　of　these　polluted　wretches；　and　would　conquer　Egypt；　and　keep　it　in　their　possession　thirteen　years；　that；　however；　he　durst　not　tell　the　king　of　these　things；　but　that　he　left　a　writing　behind　him　about　all　those　matters；　and　then　slew　himself；　which　made　the　king　disconsolate。〃　After　which　he　writes　thus　verbatim：　〃After　those　that　were　sent　to　work　in　the　quarries　had　continued　in　that　miserable　state　for　a　long　while；　the　king　was　desired　that　he　would　set　apart　the　city　Avaris；　which　was　then　left　desolate　of　the　shepherds；　for　their　habitation　and　protection；　which　desire　he　granted　them。　Now　this　city；　according　to　the　ancient　theology；　was　Typho's　city。　But　when　these　men　were　gotten　into　it；　and　found　the　place　fit　for　a　revolt；　they　appointed　themselves　a　ruler　out　of　the　priests　of　Hellopolis；　whose　name　was　Osarsiph；　and　they　took　their　oaths　that　they　would　be　obedient　to　him　in　all　things。　He　then；　in　the　first　place；　made　this　law　for　them；　That　they　should　neither　worship　the　Egyptian　gods；　nor　should　abstain　from　any　one　of　those　sacred　animals　which　they　have　in　the　highest　esteem；　but　kill　and　destroy　them　all；　that　they　should　join　themselves　to　nobody　but　to　those　that　were　of　this　confederacy。　When　he　had　made　such　laws　as　these；　and　many　more　such　as　were　mainly　opposite　to　the　customs　of　the　Egyptians；　（23）　he　gave　order　that　they　should　use　the　multitude　of　the　hands　they　had　in　building　walls　about　their　City；　and　make　themselves　ready　for　a　war　with　king　Amenophis；　while　he　did　himself　take　into　his　friendship　the　other　priests；　and　those　that　were　polluted　with　them；　and　sent　ambassadors　to　those　shepherds　who　had　been　driven　out　of　the　land　by　Tefilmosis　to　the　city　called　Jerusalem；　whereby　he　informed　them　of　his　own　affairs；　and　of　the　state　of　those　others　that　had　been　treated　after　such　an　ignominious　manner；　and　desired　that　they　would　come　with　one　consent　to　his　assistance　in　this　war　against　Egypt。　He　also　promised　that　he　would；　in　the　first　place；　bring　them　back　to　their　ancient　city　and　country　Avaris；　and　provide　a　plentiful　maintenance　for　their　multitude；　that　he　would　protect　them　and　fight　for　them　as　occasion　should　require；　and　would　easily　reduce　the　country　under　their　dominion。　These　shepherds　were　all　very　glad　of　this　message；　and　came　away　with　alacrity　all　together；　being　in　number　two　hundred　thousand　men；　and　in　a　little　time　they　came　to　Avaris。　And　now　Amenophis　the　king　of　Egypt；　upon　his　being　informed　of　their　invasion；　was　in　great　confusion；　as　calling　to　mind　what　Amenophis；　the　son　of　Papis；　had　foretold　him；　and；　in　the　first　place；　he　assembled　the　multitude　of　the　Egyptians；　and　took　counsel　with　their　leaders；　and　sent　for　their　sacred　animals　to　him；　especially　for　those　that　were　principally　worshipped　in　their　temples；　and　gave　a　particular　charge　to　the　priests　distinctly；　that　they　should　hide　the　images　of　their　gods　with　the　utmost　care　he　also　sent　his　son　Sethos；　who　was　also　named　Ramesses；　from　his　father　Rhampses；　being　but　five　years　old；　to　a　friend　of　his。　He　then　passed　on　with　the　rest　of　the　Egyptians；　being　three　hundred　thousand　of　the　most　warlike　of　them；　against　the　enemy；　who　met　them。　Yet　did　he　not　join　battle　with　them；　but　thinking　that　would　be　to　fight　against　the　gods；　he　returned　back　and　came　to　Memphis；　where　he　took　Apis　and　the　other　sacred　animals　which　he　had　sent　for　to　him；　and　presently　marched　into　Ethiopia；　together　with　his　whole　army　and　multitude　of　Egyptians；　for　the　king　of　Ethiopia　was　under　an　obligation　to　him；　on　which　account　he　received　him；　and　took　care　of　all　the　multitude　that　was　with　him；　while　the　country　supplied　all　that　was　necessary　for　the　food　of　the　men。　He　also　allotted　cities　and　villages　for　this　exile；　that　was　to　be　from　its　beginning　during　those　fatally　determined　thirteen　years。　Moreover；　he　pitched　a　camp　for　his　Ethiopian　ar