,
embroidered with colors and pictures. He, moreover, built other edifices
for pleasure; as also very long cloisters, and those situate in an
agreeable place of the palace; and among them a most glorious dining
room, for feastings and compotations, and full of gold, and such other
furniture as so fine a room ought to have for the conveniency of the
guests, and where all the vessels were made of gold. Now it is very hard
to reckon up the magnitude and the variety of the royal apartments;
how many rooms there were of the largest sort, how many of a bigness
inferior to those, and how many that were subterraneous and invisible;
the curiosity of those that enjoyed the fresh air; and the groves for
the most delightful prospect, for the avoiding the heat, and covering of
their bodies. And, to say all in brief, Solomon made the whole building
entirely of white stone, and cedar wood, and gold, and silver. He also
adorned the roofs and walls with stones set in gold, and beautified them
thereby in the same manner as he had beautified the temple of God with
the like stones. He also made himself a throne of prodigious bigness, of
ivory, constructed as a seat of justice, and having six steps to it; on
every one of which stood, on each end of the step two lions, two other
lions standing above also; but at the sitting place of the throne hands
came out and received the king; and when he sat backward, he rested on
half a bullock, that looked towards his back; but still all was fastened
together with gold.

3. When Solomon had completed all this in twenty years' time, because
Hiram king of Tyre had contributed a great deal of gold, and more silver
to these buildings, as also cedar wood and pine wood, he also rewarded
Hiram with rich presents; corn he sent him also year by year, and wine
and oil, which were the principal things that he stood in need of,
because he inhabited an island, as we have already said. And besides
these, he granted him certain cities of Galilee, twenty in number, that
lay not far from Tyre; which, when Hiram went to, and viewed, and did
not like the gift, he sent word to Solomon that he did not want such
cities as they were; and after that time these cities were called
the land of Cabul; which name, if it be interpreted according to the
language of the Phoenicians, denotes what does not please. Moreover,
the king of Tyre sent sophisms and enigmatical sayings to Solomon, and
desired he would solve them, and free the