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a plan; and having come to Strophius, and his son Pylades, who were relatives of Agamemnon, he goes to the oracle, and receives an oracle, that he must avenge the death of his father, and kill Aegisthus and his own mother, and take up the kingdom of his father. Which he did, seizing the opportunity, and having attacked them in the palace, he slaughters them both. When therefore a movement was made against him both by the father of Clytemnestra and the relatives of Aegisthus, and a trial was held at the Areopagus, Orestes received the vote, that he had justly killed his mother. In this way, therefore, having escaped the accusations, he reigns over Argos. And having fallen into madness after this he left the country, sacrificing in all the temples, and praying to be delivered from the madness, until he came to Mount Silpius, where now great Antioch lies; and having been healed there he returned. And having come into Scythia to his own sister Iphigenia, who was a priestess of Artemis, and who offered strangers as a sacrifice, he says to Pylades: “Behold, having escaped so many dangers, we are about to be offered as a sacrifice; for we see here the scattered bones of many men.” And he said to him: “Let us go into the temple, and let us ask if your sister Iphigenia is alive, and falling at her feet let us be saved.” And having done this, and having been recognized by her, they took her along with the golden statue of Artemis. And having travelled over much land they return to Mycenae, their own fatherland; and he gives his sister Electra in marriage to Pylades. But the king of Scythia, having learned this, sent many soldiers in pursuit of them. But they, having come to Palestine, and being pleased with the places, dwelt in it, renaming the city formerly called Nysa of the Scythians. 26 Exc. De virt.: That Manasseh the king of Jerusalem turned away from the way of God and his mind was led astray toward idols, accepting the doctrines of those called Greeks; and he made war on the chosen of God, having sawn Isaiah with a wooden saw, and having made the other prophets fugitives from Jerusalem. Therefore he was delivered into the hands of his enemies. And having been tortured in iron fetters, he acknowledged the God of heaven and of earth, and having approached he was not overlooked. And having reigned for fifty-five years he departed this life. 27 Exc. De ins.: That Cambyses the king of the Persians took Egyptian Thebes, and razed it to the ground; and Amasis the king of the Egyptians lost his kingdom along with his life, the nation of the Egyptians having agreed to be subject to the Persians. And when he was eager to march further inland, he was prevented by fate, having been assassinated by the magi around him, after reigning for 8 years. For these men, having seized power after the death of Cambyses, lived in luxury for 7 months, until the rulers of the Persians killed them in the court, and appointed Darius as head of the kingdom. 28 ibid.: That at the time of the proclamation of Alexander of Macedon, Nectanebo was king of the Egyptians. -And Danaus the king of the Argives devised the death of the 50 sons of his brother Aegyptus through his own 50 daughters, except for Lynceus. 29 Exc. Salmas.: Oenomaus was the first to invent the colors of the hippodrome, and he held the contest of the land and the sea on March 24. Lots were cast, and he who was chosen to compete for the land wore green, and he who for the sea, blue. And Oenomaus offered his own daughter as a prize, and the one who was defeated was killed by the crowd of spectators. They had an omen then, and if the green won, they hoped for fertility of the land, and so it happened; but if the blue, for a safe voyage on the sea; and the farmers prayed for the green to win, and the sailors for the blue. And while a certain Enyalius was the first to use a two-horse chariot, in this contest Oenomaus was the first to use a four-horse one. 30

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βουλήν· καὶ σὺν τῷ Στροφίῳ γενόμενος, καὶ τῷ υἱῷ αὐτοῦ Πυλάδῃ, συγγενῶν ὄντων τοῦ Ἀγαμέμνονος, παραγίνεται εἰς τὸ μαντεῖον, καὶ λαμβάνει χρησμὸν, ὅτι δεῖ αὐτὸν ἐκδικῆσαι τὸν θάνατον τοῦ πατρὸς, καὶ ἀνελεῖν τὸν Αἴγισθον καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ μητέρα, καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν ἀναλαβεῖν τοῦ πατρός. Ὅπερ πέπραχεν ἐπιλαβόμενος καιροῦ, καὶ ἐπελθὼν αὐτοῖς ἐν τῷ παλλατίῳ, ἀμφοτέρους κατασφάζει. Κινήσεως οὖν κατ' αὐτοῦ γενομένης ὑπό τε τοῦ πατρὸς Κλυταιμνήστρας καὶ τῶν συγγενῶν Αἰγίσθου, καὶ δίκης ἀγωνισθείσης παρὰ τῷ Ἀρείῳ πάγῳ, ψῆφον ἔλαβεν ὁ Ὀρέστης, δικαίως ἀνελεῖν τὴν μητέρα. Τούτῳ τοίνυν τῷ τρόπῳ, διαφυγὼν τὰς κατηγορίας, βασιλεύει τοῦ Ἄργους. Καὶ εἰς μανίαν ἐλθὼν μετὰ ταῦτα ἀπεδήμησε τῆς χώρας, ἐν ὅλοις τοῖς ἱεροῖς θυσιάζων, καὶ δεόμενος ἀπαλλαγῆναι τῆς μανίας, ἄχρις οὗ παραγέγονεν εἰς τὸ Σίλπιον ὄρος, ἐν ᾧ νῦν Ἀντιόχεια ἡ μεγάλη κεῖται· καὶ ἐκεῖ θεραπευθεὶς ἐπανῆλθε. Καὶ παραγενόμενος ἐν Σκυθίᾳ πρὸς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀδελφὴν Ἰφιγένειαν, ἱέρειαν οὖσαν τῆς Ἀρτέμιδος, καὶ προσάγουσαν τοὺς ξένους εἰς θυσίαν, λέγει τῷ Πυλάδῃ· «Ἰδοὺ τοσούτων ἐκφυγόντες κινδύνων, μέλλομεν εἰς θυσίαν προσάγεσθαι· πολλῶν γὰρ ἀνθρώπων ὁρῶμεν ἐνταῦθα ἐρριμένα ὀστέα.» Ὁ δὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔφη· «Ἄγωμεν εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν, καὶ ἐρωτήσωμεν εἰ ζῇ Ἰφιγένεια ἡ σὴ ἀδελφὴ, καὶ προσπίπτοντες αὐτῇ σωζώμεθα.» Καὶ ποιήσαντες τοῦτο, καὶ γνωρισθέντες ὑπ' αὐτῆς, ἔλαβον αὐτὴν σὺν τῷ ἀγάλματι τῷ χρυσῷ τῆς Ἀρτέμιδος. Καὶ περιελθόντες γῆν πολλὴν ἐπανέρχονται εἰς Μυκήνας τὴν ἰδίαν πατρίδα· καὶ δίδωσι τὴν Ἠλέκτραν τὴν ἀδελφὴν πρὸς γάμον τῷ Πυλάδῃ. Μαθὼν δὲ ὁ τῆς Σκυθίας βασιλεὺς ἔπεμψε στρατιώτας πολλοὺς ἐπιδιώκοντας αὐτούς. Οἱ δὲ κατὰ τὴν Παλαιστίνην ἐλθόντες, καὶ ἀρεσθέντες τοῖς τόποις, ᾤκησαν ἐν αὐτῇ, τὴν πρώην λεγομένην Νύσαν Σκυθῶν μετονομάσαντες πόλιν. 26 Exc. De virt.: Ὅτι Μανασσῆς ὁ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ βασιλεὺς ἐξέκλινεν ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ πρὸς τὰ ἀγάλματα τὸν νοῦν ἐπλανήθη, τὰ τῶν καλουμένων Ἑλλήνων ἀποδεχόμενος δόγματα· διεπολέμει δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἐκλεκτοῖς τοῦ θεοῦ, τόν τε Ἡσαΐαν ξυλίνῳ πρίονι διελὼν, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους προφήτας φυγάδας καταστήσας τῆς Ἱερουσαλήμ. ∆ιὸ παρεδόθη εἰς χεῖρας τῶν ἐναντίων αὐτοῦ. Καὶ βασανισθεὶς ἐν πέδαις σιδηραῖς, ἐπέγνωσε τὸν θεὸν οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῆς γῆς, καὶ προσελθὼν οὐ παρώφθη. Βασιλεύσας δὲ ἔτη πέντε καὶ πεντήκοντα μετήλλαξε τὸν βίον. 27 Exc. De ins.: Ὅτι Καμβύσης ὁ Περσῶν βασιλεὺς καθεῖλε τὰς Αἰγυπτίας Θήβας, καὶ ταύτας εἰς ἔδαφος κατέσκαψεν· Ἄμασίς τε ὁ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων βασιλεὺς ἅμα τῷ βίῳ καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν κατέστρεψεν, τοῦ ἔθνους τῶν Αἰγυπτίων τελεῖν ὑπὸ Πέρσας ὁμολογήσαντος. Ἐπὶ δὲ τὴν ἐνδοτέραν ἐλαύνειν προθυμούμενος, ὑπὸ τῆς εἱμαρμένης ἐκωλύθη, δολοφονηθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν περὶ αὐτὸν μάγων, βασιλεύσας ἔτη ηʹ. Οὗτοι γὰρ μετὰ τὸν Καμβύσου θάνατον τῇ ἀρχῇ προσπηδήσαντες, μῆνας ζʹ κατετρύφησαν, ἄχρις οἱ τῶν Περσῶν ἄρχοντες αὐτοὺς μὲν ἐπὶ τῆς αὐλῆς κατεχρήσαντο, τῆς δὲ βασιλείας προστάτην ἀπέδειξαν ∆αρεῖον. 28 ιβιδ.: Ὅτι ἐπὶ τῆς ἀναγορεύσεως Ἀλεξάνδρου τοῦ Μακεδόνος, τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ἐβασίλευε Νεκταναβώ. -Καὶ ὁ τῶν Ἀργείων βασιλεὺς ∆αναὸς διὰ τῶν αὐτοῦ νʹ θυγατέρων τοῖς τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ Αἰγύπτου παισὶ νʹ οὖσιν ἐμηχανήσατο θάνατον, πλὴν Λυγκέως. 29 Exc. Salmas.: Οἰνόμαος πρῶτος ἐφεῦρε τὰ τοῦ ἱπποδρόμου χρώματα, καὶ ἐποίει τὸν ἀγῶνα Μαρτίου κδʹ, γῆς καὶ θαλάσσης. Ἐβάλλοντο κλῆροι, καὶ ὃς ἔλαχεν ὑπὲρ τῆς γῆς ἀγωνίσασθαι, ἐφόρει χλοανὸν, ὃς δὲ ὑπὲρ τῆς θαλάσσης, κυανόν. Ἐτίθει δὲ Οἰνόμαος ἔπαθλον τὴν ἑαυτοῦ θυγατέρα, καὶ ὁ νικηθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ πλήθους τῶν θεωμένων ἀνῃρεῖτο. Εἶχον οὖν σημεῖον οἱ τότε, καὶ εἰ μὲν τὸ χλοανὸν ἐνίκα, τῆς γῆς εὐφορίαν ἤλπιζον, καὶ οὕτως ἐγίνετο· εἰ δὲ τὸ κυανὸν, τῆς θαλάττης εὔπλοιαν· καὶ ηὔχοντο οἱ μὲν γεωργοὶ τὸ χλοανὸν νικᾶν, οἱ δὲ ναυτίλοι τὸ κυανόν. Πρῶτον δὲ Ἐνυαλίου τινὸς διπώλῳ χρησαμένου ἅρματι, ἐν τούτῳ πρῶτος Οἰνόμαος τετραπώλῳ ἐχρήσατο. 30