ing the actions
of a man that was a Jew. His words are these: "As I was myself going to
the Red Sea, there followed us a man, whose name was Mosollam; he was
one of the Jewish horsemen who conducted us; he was a person of great
courage, of a strong body, and by all allowed to be the most skillful
archer that was either among the Greeks or barbarians. Now this man, as
people were in great numbers passing along the road, and a certain
augur was observing an augury by a bird, and requiring them all to stand
still, inquired what they staid for. Hereupon the augur showed him the
bird from whence he took his augury, and told him that if the bird staid
where he was, they ought all to stand still; but that if he got up, and
flew onward, they must go forward; but that if he flew backward, they
must retire again. Mosollam made no reply, but drew his bow, and shot at
the bird, and hit him, and killed him; and as the augur and some others
were very angry, and wished imprecations upon him, he answered them
thus: Why are you so mad as to take this most unhappy bird into your
hands? for how can this bird give us any true information concerning our
march, who could not foresee how to save himself? for had he been able
to foreknow what was future, he would not have come to this place, but
would have been afraid lest Mosollam the Jew should shoot at him, and
kill him." But of Hecateus's testimonies we have said enough; for as to
such as desire to know more of them, they may easily obtain them from
his book itself. However, I shall not think it too much for me to name
Agatharchides, as having made mention of us Jews, though in way of
derision at our simplicity, as he supposes it to be; for when he was
discoursing of the affairs of Stratonice, "how she came out of Macedonia
into Syria, and left her husband Demetrius, while yet Seleueus would not
marry her as she expected, but during the time of his raising an army at
Babylon, stirred up a sedition about Antioch; and how, after that, the
king came back, and upon his taking of Antioch, she fled to Seleucia,
and had it in her power to sail away immediately yet did she comply with
a dream which forbade her so to do, and so was caught and put to
death." When Agatharehides had premised this story, and had jested upon
Stratonice for her superstition, he gives a like example of what was
reported concerning us, and writes thus: "There are a people called
Jews, and dwell in a city the strongest of all