, made of stones, beautiful in their kind,
and of four fingers' depth, filled up the middle parts. About the top
of the basin were wreathed the leaves of lilies, and of the convolvulus,
and the tendrils of vines in a circular manner. And this was the
construction of the two cisterns of gold, each containing two firkins.
But those which were of silver were much more bright and splendid than
looking-glasses, and you might in them see the images that fell upon
them more plainly than in the other. The king also ordered thirty vials;
those of which the parts that were of gold, and filled up with precious
stones, were shadowed over with the leaves of ivy and of vines,
artificially engraven. And these were the vessels that were after an
extraordinary manner brought to this perfection, partly by the skill of
the workmen, who were admirable in such fine work, but much more by
the diligence and generosity of the king, who not only supplied the
artificers abundantly, and with great generosity, with what they wanted,
but he forbade public audiences for the time, and came and stood by the
workmen, and saw the whole operation. And this was the cause why the
workmen were so accurate in their performance, because they had regard
to the king, and to his great concern about the vessels, and so the more
indefatigably kept close to the work.

11. And these were what gifts were sent by Ptolemy to Jerusalem, and
dedicated to God there. But when Eleazar the high priest had devoted
them to God, and had paid due respect to those that brought them, and
had given them presents to be carried to the king, he dismissed them.
And when they were come to Alexandria, and Ptolemy heard that they were
come, and that the seventy elders were come also, he presently sent for
Andreas and Aristens, his ambassadors, who came to him, and delivered
him the epistle which they brought him from the high priest, and made
answer to all the questions he put to them by word of mouth. He
then made haste to meet the elders that came from Jerusalem for the
interpretation of the laws; and he gave command, that every body
who came on other occasions should be sent away, which was a thing
surprising, and what he did not use to do; for those that were drawn
thither upon such occasions used to come to him on the fifth day, but
ambassadors at the month's end. But when he had sent those away, he
waited for these that were sent by Eleazar; but as the old men came in
with the prese