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but as if supplicating it flees to our houses, he forbade to kill it; nor did he permit taking the parents along with their young; and to spare even in 8.8.48 enemy territory the beasts of burden and not to kill them. Thus from all sides he considered matters pertaining to gentleness, using the aforementioned laws for instruction, and on the other hand enacting punitive laws against transgressors not without cause. For the penalty for most transgressors is death, if one commits adultery, if one rapes a girl, if one dares to make an attempt on a 8.8.49 male, if the one tempted submits to suffer it. And the law is likewise inexorable for slaves. But also if someone should cheat regarding measures or weights, or regarding an unjust sale made with deceit, and if someone steals what is another's, and if one takes up what he did not put down, for all these there are punishments, not such as exist among others, but more severe. For concerning injustice to parents or impiety toward God, even if one is about to do it, 8.8.50 he is immediately put to death. However, for those who do everything according to the laws, the reward is not silver nor gold, nor indeed a crown of wild olive or of celery and some such proclamation, but each person, having his own conscience as witness, has believed, since the lawgiver prophesied and God has provided strong assurance, that to those who have kept the laws, even if it be necessary to die for them, they will die readily, God has granted that they be born again and 8.8.51 receive a better life in the revolution of ages. I would hesitate to write these things now, if it were not clear to all through their deeds that many of our people, many times already, for the sake of not uttering even a single word contrary to the law, have nobly endured to suffer all things. And yet if it did not happen that our nation is known to all men and our voluntary adherence to the laws is plain to see, but someone, writing, said he had read to the Greeks, or said he had chanced to meet somewhere outside the known world men who hold such a reverent opinion about God, and have steadfastly abided by such laws for a long age, I think all would be amazed because of the constant changes among them; Of course, those who have attempted to write something similar on polity and laws they accuse as having composed wondrous things, saying that they have taken up 8.8.52 impossible hypotheses. And I omit the other philosophers, as many as have treated such a topic in their writings; but Plato, admired among the Greeks, as having excelled in seriousness of life and in power of speech and persuasion surpassed all who have been in philosophy, is continually all but mocked and ridiculed by those who claim to be experts in politics. 8.8.53 And yet one examining his works would often find them to be easier and closer to the custom of the many. But Plato himself has acknowledged that the true opinion about 8.8.54 God it was not safe to bring out to the folly of the crowds. But some consider Plato's works to be empty words, finely written with much license. And especially of the lawgivers, they have admired Lycurgus and all sing the praises of Sparta, because they persevered in his laws for a very long time. 8.8.55 Therefore let this be acknowledged as proof of virtue, obedience to the laws. But let those who admire the Lacedaemonians compare their time with the more than two thousand years of our polity; and furthermore let them consider that the Lacedaemonians, on the one hand, for as long a time as they had their freedom, seemed to keep their laws strictly, but when changes of fortune came upon them, they forgot nearly all of the laws; but we, having been in countless fortunes because of the changes of the rulers of Asia, not even in the most extreme dangers have we betrayed our laws.” 8.8.56 So says Josephus also

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δ' ὥσπερ ἱκετεύοντα προσφεύγει ταῖς οἰκίαις, ἀπεῖπεν ἀνελεῖν· οὐδὲ νεοττοῖς τοὺς γονέας αὐτῶν ἐπέτρεψε συνεξαιρεῖν· φείδεσθαι δὲ κἀν τῇ 8.8.48 πολεμίᾳ τῶν ἐργαζομένων ζῴων καὶ μὴ φονεύειν. οὕτω πανταχόθεν τὰ πρὸς ἐπιείκειαν περιεσκέψατο, διδασκαλικοῖς μὲν τοῖς προειρημένοις χρησάμενος νόμοις, τοὺς δ' αὖ κατὰ τῶν παραβαινόντων τιμωρητικοὺς τάξας οὐκ ἄνευ προφάσεως. ζημία γὰρ ἐπὶ τοῖς πλείστοις τῶν παραβαινόντων ἐστὶ θάνατος, ἂν μοιχεύσῃ τις, ἂν βιάσηται κόρην, ἂν ἄρρενι τολμήσῃ πεῖραν προσφέ8.8.49 ρειν, ἂν ὑπομείνῃ παθεῖν ὁ πειρασθείς. ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ δούλοις ὁμοίως ὁ νόμος ἀπαραίτητος. ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ μέτρων ἤν τις κακουργήσειεν ἢ σταθμῶν ἢ περὶ πράσεως ἀδίκου καὶ δόλῳ γενομένης κἂν ὑφέληταί τις ἀλλότριον κἂν ὃ μὴ κατέθηκεν ἀνέληται, πάντων εἰσὶ κολάσεις, οὐχ οἷαι παρ' ἑτέροις, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὸ μεῖζον. περὶ μὲν γὰρ γονέων ἀδικίας ἢ τῆς εἰς θεὸν ἀσεβείας, κἂν μέλλῃ 8.8.50 τις, εὐθὺς ἀπόλλυται. τοῖς μέντοι γε κατὰ τοὺς νόμους πάντα πράττουσι γέρας ἐστὶν οὐκ ἀργύριον οὐδὲ χρυσός, οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ κοτίνου στέφανος ἢ σελίνου καὶ τοιαύτη τις ἀνακήρυξις, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ἕκαστος αὑτῷ τὸ συνειδὸς ἔχων μαρτυροῦν πεπίστευκε τοῦ μὲν νομοθέτου προφητεύσαντος, τοῦ δὲ θεοῦ τὴν πίστιν ἰσχυρὰν παρεσχηκότος ὅτι τοῖς τοὺς νόμους διαφυλάξασι, κἂν εἰ δέοι θνή σκειν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν, προθύμως ἀποθανοῦσιν ἔδωκεν ὁ θεὸς γενέσθαι τε πάλιν καὶ 8.8.51 βίον ἀμείνω λαβεῖν ἐκ περιτροπῆς. ὤκνουν δ' ἂν ἐγὼ νῦν ταῦτα γράφειν, εἰ μὴ διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἦν ἅπασι φανερὸν ὅτι πολλοὶ καὶ πολλάκις ἤδη τῶν ἡμετέρων περὶ τοῦ μηδὲ ῥῆμα μόνον φθέγξασθαι παρὰ τὸν νόμον πάντα παθεῖν γενναίως ὑπέστησαν. καίτοι γε εἰ μὴ συμβεβήκει γνώριμον ἡμῶν τὸ ἔθνος ἅπασιν ἀνθρώποις ὑπάρχειν κἀν φανερῷ κεῖσθαι τὴν ἐθελούσιον ἡμῶν τοῖς νόμοις ἀκολουθίαν, ἀλλά τις ἢ συγγράψαι λέγων αὐτὸς ἀνεγίνωσκε τοῖς Ἕλλησιν ἤ που περιτυχεῖν ἔξω τῆς γινωσκομένης γῆς ἔφασκεν ἀνθρώποις τοιαύτην μὲν ἔχουσι δόξαν οὕτω σεμνὴν περὶ τοῦ θεοῦ, τοιούτοις δὲ νόμοις πολὺν αἰῶνα βεβαίως ἐμμεμενηκόσι, πάντας ἂν οἶμαι θαυμάσαι διὰ τὰς συνεχεῖς παρ' αὐτοῖς μεταβολάς· ἀμέλει τῶν γράψαι τι παραπλήσιον εἰς πολιτείαν καὶ νόμους ἐπιχειρησάντων ὡς θαυμαστὰ συνθέντων κατηγοροῦσι, φάσκοντες αὐτοὺς λαβεῖν 8.8.52 ἀδυνάτους ὑποθέσεις. καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἄλλους παραλείπω φιλοσόφους, ὅσοι τι τοιοῦτον ἐν τοῖς συγγράμμασιν ἐπραγματεύσαντο· Πλάτων δὲ θαυμαζόμενος παρὰ τοῖς Ἕλλησιν, ὡς καὶ σεμνότητι βίου διενεγκὼν καὶ δυνάμει λόγων καὶ πειθοῖ πάντας ὑπεράρας τοὺς ἐν φιλοσοφίᾳ γεγονότας, ὑπὸ τῶν φασκόντων δεινῶν εἶναι τὰ πολιτικὰ μικροῦ δεῖν χλευαζόμενος καὶ κωμῳδούμενος διατελεῖ. 8.8.53 καίτοι τἀκείνου σκοπῶν συχνῶς τις ἂν εὕροι ῥᾴον α ὄντα καὶ τῆς τῶν πολλῶν ἔγγιον συνηθείας. αὐτὸς δὲ Πλάτων ὡμολόγηκεν ὅτι τὴν ἀληθῆ περὶ τοῦ 8.8.54 θεοῦ δόξαν εἰς τὴν τῶν ὄχλων ἄνοιαν οὐκ ἦν ἀσφαλὲς ἐξενεγκεῖν. ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν Πλάτωνος λόγους τινὲς εἶναι κενοὺς νομίζουσι, κατὰ πολλὴν ἐξουσίαν κεκαλλιγραφημένους. μάλιστα δὲ τῶν νομοθετῶν Λυκοῦργον τεθαυμάκασι καὶ τὴν Σπάρτην ἅπαντες ὑμνοῦσιν, ὅτι τοῖς ἐκείνου νόμοις ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἐνεκαρτέρησαν. 8.8.55 οὐκοῦν τοῦτο μὲν ὡμολογήσθω τεκμήριον ἀρετῆς εἶναι, τὸ πείθεσθαι τοῖς νόμοις. οἱ δὲ Λακεδαιμονίους θαυμάζοντες τὸν ἐκείνων χρόνον ἀντιπαραβαλλέτωσαν τοῖς πλείοσιν ἢ δισχιλίοις ἔτεσι τῆς ἡμετέρας πολιτείας· καὶ προσέτι λογιζέσθωσαν ὅτι Λακεδαιμόνιοι μέν, ὅσον ἐφ' ἑαυτῶν χρόνον εἶχον τὴν ἐλευθερίαν, ἀκριβῶς ἔδοξαν τοὺς νόμους διαφυλάττειν, ἐπεὶ μέντοι περὶ αὐτοὺς ἐγένοντο μεταβολαὶ τῆς τύχης, μικροῦ δεῖν ἁπάντων ἐξελάθοντο τῶν νόμων· ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐν τύχαις μυρίαις γεγονότες διὰ τὰς τῶν βασιλευσάντων τῆς Ἀσίας μεταβολάς, οὐδ' ἐν τοῖς ἐσχάτοις τῶν δεινῶν τοὺς νόμους προὔδομεν.» 8.8.56 Ταῦτα μὲν καὶ ὁ Ἰώσηπος