of Egypt be an
Alexandrian, if this way of accepting such a privilege, of which he
would have us deprived, be once abrogated? although indeed these
Romans, who are now the lords of the habitable earth, have forbidden the
Egyptians to have the privileges of any city whatsoever; while this fine
fellow, who is willing to partake of such a privilege himself as he is
forbidden to make use of, endeavors by calumnies to deprive those of it
that have justly received it; for Alexander did not therefore get some
of our nation to Alexandria, because he wanted inhabitants for this
his city, on whose building he had bestowed so much pains; but this was
given to our people as a reward, because he had, upon a careful trial,
found them all to have been men of virtue and fidelity to him; for, as
Hecateus says concerning us, "Alexander honored our nation to such a
degree, that, for the equity and the fidelity which the Jews exhibited
to him, he permitted them to hold the country of Samaria free from
tribute. Of the same mind also was Ptolemy the son of Lagus, as to those
Jews who dwelt at Alexandria." For he intrusted the fortresses of Egypt
into their hands, as believing they would keep them faithfully and
valiantly for him; and when he was desirous to secure the government of
Cyrene, and the other cities of Libya, to himself, he sent a party of
Jews to inhabit in them. And for his successor Ptolemy, who was called
Philadelphus, he did not only set all those of our nation free who were
captives under him, but did frequently give money [for their ransom];
and, what was his greatest work of all, he had a great desire of
knowing our laws, and of obtaining the books of our sacred Scriptures;
accordingly, he desired that such men might be sent him as might
interpret our law to him; and, in order to have them well compiled, he
committed that care to no ordinary persons, but ordained that Demetrius
Phalereus, and Andreas, and Aristeas; the first, Demetrius, the most
learned person of his age, and the others, such as were intrusted with
the guard of his body; should take care of this matter: nor would he
certainly have been so desirous of learning our law, and the philosophy
of our nation, had he despised the men that made use of it, or had he
not indeed had them in great admiration.

5. Now this Apion was unacquainted with almost all the kings of those
Macedonians whom he pretends to have been his progenitors, who were yet
very well affected t