f the ancient prediction of God by Ezekiel 29:14,
15, "that the Egyptians should be a base kingdom, the basest of the
kingdoms," and that, "it should not exalt itself any more above the
nations."

[16] The truth of which still further appears by the present observation
of Josephus, that these Egyptians had never, in all the past ages since
Sesostris, had one day of liberty, no, not so much as to have been free
from despotic power under any of the monarchies to that day. And all
this has been found equally true in the latter ages, under the Romans,
Saracens, Mamelukes, and Turks, from the days of Josephus till the
present ago also.

[17] This language, that Moses, "persuaded himself" that what he did was
according to God's will, can mean no more, by Josephus's own constant
notions elsewhere, than that he was "firmly persuaded," that he had
"fully satisfied himself" that so it was, viz. by the many revelations
he had received from God, and the numerous miracles God had enabled him
to work, as he both in these very two books against Apion, and in his
Antiquities, most clearly and frequently assures us. This is further
evident from several passages lower, where he affirms that Moses was no
impostor nor deceiver, and where he assures that Moses's constitution of
government was no other than a theocracy; and where he says they are to
hope for deliverance out of their distresses by prayer to God, and that
withal it was owing in part to this prophetic spirit of Moses that the
Jews expected a resurrection from the dead. See almost as strange a use
of the like words, "to persuade God," Antiq. B. VI. ch. 5. sect. 6.

[18] That is, Moses really was, what the heathen legislators pretended
to be, under a Divine direction; nor does it yet appear that these
pretensions to a supernatural conduct, either in these legislators or
oracles, were mere delusions of men without any demoniacal impressions,
nor that Josephus took them so to be; as the ancientest and contemporary
authors did still believe them to be supernatural.

[19] This whole very large passage is corrected by Dr. Hudson from
Eusebius's citation of it, Prep. Evangel. viii. 8, which is here not a
little different from the present MSS. of Josephus.

[20] This expression itself, that "Moses ordained the Jewish government
to be a theocracy," may be illustrated by that parallel expression in
the Antiquities, B. III. ch. 8. sect. 9, that "Moses left it to God to
be present at h