t determine."

7. When Hiram had read this epistle, he was pleased with it; and wrote
back this answer to Solomon.

Hiram To King Solomon.

"It is fit to bless God that he hath committed thy father's government
to thee, who art a wise man, and endowed with all virtues. As for
myself, I rejoice at the condition thou art in, and will be subservient
to thee in all that thou sendest to me about; for when by my subjects
I have cut down many and large trees of cedar and cypress wood, I will
send them to sea, and will order my subjects to make floats of them, and
to sail to what place soever of thy country thou shalt desire, and leave
them there, after which thy subjects may carry them to Jerusalem. But
do thou take care to procure us corn for this timber, which we stand in
need of, because we inhabit in an island."

8. The copies of these epistles remain at this day, and are preserved
not only in our books, but among the Tyrians also; insomuch that if any
one would know the certainty about them, he may desire of the keepers
of the public records of Tyre to show him them, and he will find what is
there set down to agree with what we have said. I have said so much
out of a desire that my readers may know that we speak nothing but the
truth, and do not compose a history out of some plausible relations,
which deceive men and please them at the same time, nor attempt to avoid
examination, nor desire men to believe us immediately; nor are we at
liberty to depart from speaking truth, which is the proper commendation
of an historian, and yet be blameless: but we insist upon no
admission of what we say, unless we be able to manifest its truth by
demonstration, and the strongest vouchers.

9. Now king Solomon, as soon as this epistle of the king of Tyre was
brought him, commended the readiness and good-will he declared therein,
and repaid him in what he desired, and sent him yearly twenty thousand
cori of wheat, and as many baths of oil: now the bath is able to contain
seventy-two sextaries. He also sent him the same measure of wine. So the
friendship between Hiram and Solomon hereby increased more and more; and
they swore to continue it for ever. And the king appointed a tribute to
be laid on all the people, of thirty thousand laborers, whose work he
rendered easy to them by prudently dividing it among them; for he made
ten thousand cut timber in Mount Lebanon for one month; and then to come
home, and rest two months, until the t