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He was renowned among the Jews for his wisdom, power, and wealth. And judging the people with the wisdom of the greater one, he never ceased. And he practiced all wisdom full of divine grace, and he made very many hearers of his own teaching. And while accomplishing these and such things, being led astray by the weakness of nature concerning the pleasures of the body, he takes wives a thousand in number; and he is persuaded by them to become an idolater. Therefore God commanded that his kingdom be divided, not in his own time, for the memory of David his father, but after his death. 19 Exc. De ins.: That Sennacherib the king of the Assyrians was killed by his own child, while fighting against the Ethiopians. 20 Exc. cod. 1630: In the land of the Greeks, Lapathus the king had two sons, Achaeus and Lacon; and when he died he divided the kingdom between them, and Achaeus called his own portion Achaea, and Lacon, Laconia. And after him certain others ruled the Laconians until the reign of Thestius. And Thestius had 3 daughters, Leda, Clytia, and Melanippe. Leda therefore had a husband Tyndareus, from whom she had a daughter Clytemnestra who was married to Agamemnon. Leda then, having been seduced by a certain distinguished man, Cycnus, gave birth at the same time to three children, Castor and Polydeuces and Helen the wife of Menelaus. 21 Exc. De virt.: That Stheneboea the wife of Proetus, having fallen in love with Bellerophon, and not succeeding because of his self-control, on the contrary slandered him to Proetus, as wanting to commit adultery with her. And Proetus, being indignant, sent him to Iobates, the father of Stheneboea, so that he might kill him. For Proetus did not wish to kill him, since he had raised him in the position of a child. But Iobates, perceiving that the accusation against him was false, spared Bellerophon. And after the reign of Proetus, Acrisius became king. 22 Exc. De insid.: Aegeus, when a lie was announced to him, that his son Theseus had been killed by the Minotaur, threw himself into the sea and the place was called the Aegean. 23 Exc. De virt.: That Priam the king of the Phrygians, having come together with Hecuba, had from her Paris, also called Alexander. Who, being pregnant, seemed to give birth to a torch of fire. And Priam, having inquired at the oracle, received a prophecy, that when he became thirty years old he would destroy Troy. And he sent him away to the place called Parion. And when the thirtieth year had passed, his father summoned him and celebrated a festival in Troy. And having given him gifts, and having sent word to the toparchs, he sent him to sacrifice at the shrines throughout Greece. And having arrived in Sparta, then ruled by Menelaus, he found Menelaus about to sail to Crete, for the sake of an ordinance and a sacrifice customarily offered by him to Europa, from whom he said he had his lineage. Menelaus therefore, when he received Alexander and the letters of Priam and the gifts, both held the man in honor and established him to lodge in the palace; and he asked him to wait for the few days, until he himself, having fulfilled his vow, should return from Crete. Thus therefore, while Alexander was staying in Sparta, it happened that Helen, the wife of Menelaus, being in a garden, was seen by him. And with her were both Aethra and Clymene, descended from the line of Pelops and Europa. When Paris therefore saw the beauty of Helen, being smitten with love for her, through both Aethra and Clymene he seduces her, and flees by means of the ships which he had. Taking her, therefore, with three hundred pounds of valuables and much silver and jewelry, he sailed away to Sidon, and from there to Egypt to king Proteus. And he remained for some time with him, having disregarded the sacrifices he had been commanded to make. When therefore this became known to those guarding the royal court of Menelaus, they immediately sent someone to Gortyna the

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Ἰουδαίων φρονήσει τε καὶ δυνάμει καὶ πλούτῳ περιφανὴς ἦν. ∆ικάζων τε τῷ λαῷ ἐν σοφίᾳ τοῦ κρείττονος οὐ διέλειπεν. Ἤσκει τε πᾶσαν σοφίαν θείας χάριτος γέμουσαν, καὶ τῆς διδασκαλίας ἀκροατὰς πλείστους τῆς ἰδίας ἐποιεῖτο. Ταῦτά τε καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα διαπραττόμενος τῷ τῆς φύσεως εὐαλώτῳ περὶ τὰς τοῦ σώματος ἡδονὰς ὑπαγόμενος, ἄγεται μὲν γυναῖκας χιλίας τὸν ἀριθμόν· πείθεται δ' ὑπ' αὐτῶν εἰδωλολάτρης γίνεσθαι. ∆ιὸ προσέταξεν ὁ Θεὸς μερισθῆναι τὴν αὐτοῦ βασιλείαν, οὐκ ἐπὶ τῶν χρόνων αὐτοῦ, διὰ μνήμην ∆αβὶδ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ τελευτήν. 19 Exc. De ins.: Ὅτι Σεναχειρὶμ ὁ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων βασιλεὺς ὑπὸ τοῦ ἰδίου παιδὸς ἀνῃρέθη, πρὸς Αἰθίοπας ἀγωνιζόμενος. 20 Exc. cod. 1630: Ἐν δὲ τῇ τῶν Ἑλλήνων χώρᾳ Λάπαθος ὁ βασιλεὺς ἔσχεν υἱοὺς δύο, τὸν Ἀχαιὸν καὶ τὸν Λάκωνα· καὶ τελευτῶν ἐμέρισεν αὐτοῖς τὴν βασιλείαν, καὶ ὁ μὲν Ἀχαιὸς τὴν ἰδίαν αὐτοῦ μοῖραν ἐκάλεσεν Ἀχαίαν, ὁ δὲ Λάκων, Λακωνικήν. Καὶ μετ' αὐτὸν ἐβασίλευσαν Λακώνων ἄλλοι τινὲς ἄχρι τῆς βασιλείας Θεστίου. Ὁ δὲ Θέστιος ἔσχε θυγατέρας γʹ, τὴν Λήδαν, τὴν Κλυτίαν καὶ τὴν Μελανίππην. Ἔσχεν οὖν ἡ Λήδα ἄνδρα Τυνδαρέα, ἐξ οὗ ἔσχε θυγατέρα Κλυταιμνήστραν τὴν γαμηθεῖσαν Ἀγαμέμνονι. Ἡ τοίνυν Λήδα μοιχευθεῖσα ὑπό τινος ἀνδρὸς ἐπιφανοῦς Κύκνου, ἐκύησεν ἅμα παῖδας τρεῖς, Κάστορα καὶ Πολυδεύκην καὶ Ἑλένην τὴν Μενελάου γυναῖκα. 21 Exc. De virt.: Ὅτι Σθενέβοια ἡ Προίτου γυνὴ φιλήσασα τὸν Βελλεροφόντην, καὶ μὴ ἐπιτυχοῦσα διὰ τὴν ἐκείνου σωφροσύνην, τοὐναντίον διέβαλεν αὐτὸν τῷ Προίτῳ, ὡς βουλόμενον αὐτὴν μοιχεῦσαι. Καὶ ἀγανακτήσας ὁ Προῖτος ἔπεμψεν αὐτὸν τῷ Ἰοβάτῃ, τῷ πατρὶ τῆς Σθενεβοίας, ἵνα ἐκεῖνος αὐτὸν φονεύσῃ. Ὁ γὰρ Προῖτος ἀνελεῖν αὐτὸν οὐκ ἠβουλήθη, ἐπειδὴ ἐν τάξει τέκνου ἀνεθρέψατο αὐτόν. Αἰσθόμενος δὲ ὁ Ἰοβάτης ὅτι ψευδής ἐστιν ἡ κατ' αὐτοῦ κατηγορία, ἐφείσατο τοῦ Βελλεροφόντου. Μετὰ δὲ τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Προίτου Ἀκρίσιος ἐβασίλευσεν. 22 Exc. De insid.: Αἰγεὺς, ἀγγελθέντος αὐτῷ ψεύδους, ὅτι ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ Θησεὺς ὑπὸ Μινωταύρου ὤλετο, ἔρριψεν ἑαυτὸν εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν καὶ ἐκλήθη ὁ τόπος Αἰγαῖος. 23 Exc. De virt.: Ὅτι Πρίαμος ὁ Φρυγῶν βασιλεὺς συνελθὼν Ἑκάβῃ εἶχεν ἐξ αὐτῆς Πάριν τὸν καὶ Ἀλέξανδρον. Ἥτις ἔγκυος οὖσα ἔδοξε λαμπάδα πυρὸς τίκτειν. Καὶ ἐπερωτήσας εἰς τὸ μαντεῖον ὁ Πρίαμος ἔλαβε χρησμὸν, ὅτι τριακονταέτης γενόμενος ἀπολέσῃ τὴν Τροίαν. Καὶ τοῦτον ἀπέπεμψεν εἰς τὸ Πάριον λεγόμενον. Παρελθόντος δὲ τοῦ τριακοστοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ μεταστειλάμενος τοῦτον ὁ πατὴρ ἐν τῇ Τροίᾳ ἑορτὴν ἐπετέλεσε. Καὶ δεδωκὼς αὐτῷ δῶρα, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς τοπάρχας ἀποστείλας ἀπέστειλεν αὐτὸν θυσιάσαι τοῖς κατὰ τὴν Ἑλλάδα ἱεροῖς. Καὶ παραγενόμενος εἰς Σπάρτην τὴν ὑπὸ Μενελάου τότε βασιλευομένην εὗρε τὸν μὲν Μενέλαον πλεῖν μέλλοντα ἐπὶ τὴν Κρήτην, τάγματος ἕνεκα καὶ θυσίας ἐξ ἔθους προσαγομένης παρ' αὐτοῦ τῇ Εὐρώπῃ, ἐξ ἧς ἔλεγεν ἔχειν τὸ γένος. Ὁ τοίνυν Μενέλαος ὡς ἐδέξατο τὸν Ἀλέξανδρον καὶ τὰ γράμματα τοῦ Πριάμου καὶ τὰ δῶρα, ἐν τιμῇ τε ἐποιήσατο τὸν ἄνδρα καὶ κατέστησεν αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ παλλατίῳ διαιτᾶσθαι· καὶ ᾔτησεν αὐτὸν ἀναμεῖναι τὰς ὀλίγας ἡμέρας, ἄχρις ἂν αὐτὸς τὴν εὐχὴν ἐκτελέσας ἀπὸ τῆς Κρήτης ἐπανέλθῃ. Οὕτω τοίνυν Ἀλεξάνδρου διατρίβοντος ἐν τῇ Σπάρτῃ, συνέβη τὴν Ἑλένην τὴν Μενελάου γυναῖκα οὖσαν ἐν παραδείσῳ θεαθῆναι ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. Συνῆσαν δὲ αὐτῇ Αἴθρα τε καὶ Κλυμένη, ἐκ τοῦ γένους καταγόμεναι Πέλοπος καὶ Εὐρώπης. Ὡς οὖν εἶδεν ὁ Πάρις τὸ κάλλος τῆς Ἑλένης, ἔρωτι βληθεὶς εἰς αὐτὴν διὰ τῆς Αἴθρας τε καὶ Κλυμένης ὑπονοθεύει ταύτην, καὶ φεύγει διὰ τῶν πλοίων ὧν εἶχεν. Λαβὼν οὖν αὐτὴν μετὰ χρημάτων λιτρῶν τριακοσίων καὶ ἀργύρου πολλοῦ καὶ κόσμου ἀπέπλευσεν εἰς Σιδῶνα, ἐκεῖθέν τε εἰς Αἴγυπτον πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα Πρωτέα. Καὶ ἔμεινεν ἄχρι τινὸς παρ' αὐτῷ καταφρονήσας ὧν ἐκελεύσθη θυσιῶν. Ὡς οὖν ἐγνωρίσθη τοῦτο τοῖς τὴν βασιλικὴν φυλάττουσιν αὐλὴν τοῦ Μενελάου, παραχρῆμα ἀπέστειλάν τινα ἐν Γορτύνῃ τῇ