aughed at the proposal, and granted him the farming of the taxes
without any sureties. This procedure was a sore grief to those that
came from the cities into Egypt, who were utterly disappointed; and they
returned every one to their own country with shame.

5. But Joseph took with him two thousand foot soldiers from the king,
for he desired he might have some assistance, in order to force such
as were refractory in the cities to pay. And borrowing of the king's
friends at Alexandria five hundred talents, he made haste back into
Syria. And when he was at Askelon, and demanded the taxes of the people
of Askelon, they refused to pay any thing, and affronted him also; upon
which he seized upon about twenty of the principal men, and slew them,
and gathered what they had together, and sent it all to the king, and
informed him what he had done. Ptolemy admired the prudent conduct of
the man, and commended him for what he had done, and gave him leave to
do as he pleased. When the Syrians heard of this, they were astonished;
and having before them a sad example in the men of Askelon that were
slain, they opened their gates, and willingly admitted Joseph, and
paid their taxes. And when the inhabitants of Scythopolis attempted to
affront him, and would not pay him those taxes which they formerly used
to pay, without disputing about them, he slew also the principal men of
that city, and sent their effects to the king. By this means he gathered
great wealth together, and made vast gains by this farming of the taxes;
and he made use of what estate he had thus gotten, in order to support
his authority, as thinking it a piece of prudence to keep what had been
the occasion and foundation of his present good fortune; and this he did
by the assistance of what he was already possessed of, for he privately
sent many presents to the king, and to Cleopatra, and to their friends,
and to all that were powerful about the court, and thereby purchased
their good-will to himself.

6. This good fortune he enjoyed for twenty-two years, and was become the
father of seven sons by one wife; he had also another son, whose name
was Hyrcanus, by his brother Solymius's daughter, whom he married on the
following occasion. He once came to Alexandria with his brother, who had
along with him a daughter already marriageable, in order to give her in
wedlock to some of the Jews of chief dignity there. He then supped with
the king, and falling in love with an actr