But now that he was
not subject in his body to any such calamity, is evident from what he
himself tells us; for he forbade those that had the leprosy either to
continue in a city, or to inhabit in a village, but commanded that they
should go about by themselves with their clothes rent; and declares that
such as either touch them, or live under the same roof with them, should
be esteemed unclean; nay, more, if any one of their disease be healed,
and he recover his natural constitution again, he appointed them certain
purifications, and washings with spring water, and the shaving off all
their hair, and enjoins that they shall offer many sacrifices, and those
of several kinds, and then at length to be admitted into the holy city;
although it were to be expected that, on the contrary, if he had been
under the same calamity, he should have taken care of such persons
beforehand, and have had them treated after a kinder manner, as affected
with a concern for those that were to be under the like misfortunes with
himself. Nor was it only those leprous people for whose sake he made
these laws, but also for such as should be maimed in the smallest part
of their body, who yet are not permitted by him to officiate as priests;
nay, although any priest, already initiated, should have such a calamity
fall upon him afterward, he ordered him to be deprived of his honor of
officiating. How can it then be supposed that Moses should ordain such
laws against himself, to his own reproach and damage who so ordained
them? Nor indeed is that other notion of Manetho at all probable,
wherein he relates the change of his name, and says that "he was
formerly called Osarsiph;" and this a name no way agreeable to the
other, while his true name was Mosses, and signifies a person who is
preserved out of the water, for the Egyptians call water Moil. I think,
therefore, I have made it sufficiently evident that Manetho, while he
followed his ancient records, did not much mistake the truth of the
history; but that when he had recourse to fabulous stories, without any
certain author, he either forged them himself, without any probability,
or else gave credit to some men who spake so out of their ill-will to
us.

32. And now I have done with Manetho, I will inquire into what Cheremon
says. For he also, when he pretended to write the Egyptian history, sets
down the same name for this king that Manetho did, Amenophis, as also of
his son Ramesses, and then goes