out of the number of these doctors were chosen all such as were members of those courts, that is, either of the great sanhedrim of seventy-two, which was for the whole nation, or of the sanhedrim of twenty-three, which was in every city in Judah. And such were Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea, and Gamaliel; and in respect hereof is it that they are called elders, counsellors, and rulers, because, being of the number of those who were chosen into these councils, they did there declare and execute those laws, by which they ruled and governed the people.

The Jews tell us great things of this Simon the Just, and speak of great alterations that happened on his death in some parts of their divine worship, and the signs of the divine acceptance, that had till then appeared in the performance of them. Ford it is said in the Jerusalem Talmud, that "All the time of Simon the Just, the scape-goat had scarce come to the middle of the precipice of the mountain, from whence he was cast down, but he was broken into pieces: but, when Simon the Just was dead, he fled away alive into the desert, and was eaten of the Saracens. While Simon the Just lived, the lot of God in the day of expiation went forth always to the right hand; but Simon the Just being dead, it went forth sometimes to the right hand, and sometimes to the left. All the days of Simon the Just, the little scarlet tongue looked always white; but when Simon the Just was dead, it looked sometimes white, and sometimes red. All the days of Simon the Just, the west light always burnt; but, when he was dead, it sometimes burnt, and sometimes went out. All the days of Simon the Just, the fire upon the altar burnt clear and bright, and, after two pieces of wood laid on in the morning, they laid on nothing else the whole day after; but, when he was dead, the force of the fire languished in such a manner, that they were forced to supply it all the day. All the days of Simon the Just, a blessing was sent upon

d Mishna & Gemara Hierosol. in Yoma.

e That is, the most western of the seven lamps of the golden candlesticks which stood in the holy place in the temple.

thef two loaves, and the shew-bread; so that a portion came to every priest, to the quantity of an olive at least; and there were some who did eat, and there were others to whom something remained after they had eaten their fill; but when Simon the Just was dead, that blessing was withdrawn, and so little remained to each priest, that those who were modest withdrew their hands, and those who were greedy still stretched them out." For the explication hereof, it is to be observed, that, on the great day of expiation, which was a most solemn fast among the Jews, kept by them every year on the tenth day of their month Tizri (which answers to our September,) two goats were brought into the inner court of the house of the Lord, and there, on the north side of the altar, presented before the high priest, the one to be the scapegoat, and the other to be sacrificed to the Lord. And in order to determine, which of them should be for each purpose, lots were cast to decide the matter; the manner of which was as followeth. The goats being put one before the right hand of the high priest, and the other before the left hand, an urn was brought, and placed in the middle between them, and two lots were cast into it, (they might be of wood, silver, or gold, but under the second temple they were always of gold.) On the one of these was written For the Lord, and on the other For the scape-goat; which being well shaken together, the high priest put both his hands into the urn, and with his right hand took out one lot, and with his left hand the other, and according to the writing on them were the goats appointed, as they stood on each hand of the high priest, either for the Lord, to be sacrificed to him, or to be the scape-goat, to be let escape into the wilderness; that is, if the

f That is, the two wave-loaves offered in the feast of Pentecost, of which see Lev. xxiii, 15-21.

g That is, the twelve loaves of shew-bread, which were placed upon the shew-bread table in the holy place every Sabbath, and taken away the next Sabbath after, and divided among the priests that then officiated. See Lev. xxiv, 5-10.

h Mishna in Yoma. Maimonides in Yom. Haccipurum.

i Lev. xvi, 8.

Mishna & Maimonides, ibid.

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right hand lot were For the Lord, then the goat that stood before him at the right hand was to be sacrificed, and the other to be the scape-goat; but if the left hand lot were For the Lord, then the goat that stood at the left hand was to be sacrificed, and the other to be the scape-goat. And therefore, whereas it is said, that the lot of God, till the death of Simon the Just, went forth always to the right hand, the meaning is, that till then the high priest always drew out with his right hand, the lot For the Lord, and with his left that For the scape-goat; but afterwards with each hand sometimes one lot, and sometimes the other. As soon as the goats were thus appointed each to their proper use, the high priest bound upon the head of the scape-goat a long piece (they call it a tongue) of scarlet. And this is that scarlet tongue, which, the Talmud saith, looked always white till the death of Simon the Just, but afterwards sometimes white, and sometimes red. And the change of red into white being here spoken of as a sign of God's accepting of the expiation of that day, hither may be referred what is said in Isaiah i, 18, Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool; or rather to this text may be referred the foundation of all that they say of this matter. After the goat for the Lord was offered up in sacrifice to him, the scape-goat was brought before the high priest, who, laying both his hands upon his head, confessed over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, and all their sins; by that ceremony putting them all upon the head of that goat; and then sent him away by a fit person into the wilderness. The place where they led him was a rock or precipice at the distanne of twelve miles from Jerusalem, where he was to be let escape, to carry away the sins of the children of Israel with him far out of sight. Till the time of Simon the Just, the Talmud saith, this goat was always dashed in pieces in the fall, on his being let loose over the precipice; but that afterwards he always escaped, and, flying into Arabia, was there taken and eaten by the Saracens.

An. 288. Ptolemy Soter 17.

Demetrius having, as he thought, thoroughly settled his affairs in Greece and Macedon, made great preparations to recover his father's empire in Asia; for which purpose he got together an army of one hundred thousand men, and a fleet of five hundred sail of ships, which was a greater force, both by sea and land, than had been gotten together by any prince since the time of Alexander the Great.

An. 287. Ptolemy Soter 18.

This alarming Ptolemy, Lysimachus, and Seleucus, m they all three entered into a confederacy together for their mutual defence against his designs, and also drew in Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, to join with them herein. And therefore, while Lysimachus invaded Macedonia on the one side, Pyrrhus did the same on the other. This drew Demetrius out of Greece (where he was then attending his preparations for the Asian expedition) back into Macedonia for the defence of that country. But before he could arrive thither, Pyrrhus having taken Beroa, a great city in Macedonia, where many of Demetrius' soldiers had their families, friends, and effects, the news hereof no sooner got into the army, but iù put all into disorder and mutiny, many declaring,' that they would follow him no farther, but return home to defend their friends, families, and fortunes, in their own country; whereon Demetrius, seeing his interest absolutely lost among them, fled in the disguise of a private soldier into Greece; and all his army revolted to Pyrrhus, and made him their king. Demetrius, on his return into Greece, having there ordered his affairs in the best manner his present circumstances would admit, committed the care of all he had in those parts to Antigonus his son, and, with all the remainder of his forces that could be spared from thence (which amounted to about eleven thousand men,) went on board his fleet, and sailed into Asia, there in a desperate manner to seek his fortunes. On his arrival at Miletus, he took that city, and there married Ptolemaida, the daughter of Ptolemy. She was brought to him thither

1 Plutarch. in Demetrio & Pyrrho. Justin. lib. 16, c. 2. m Plutarch. & Justin. ibid.

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by Eurydice her mother, the wife of Ptolemy, and sister of Phila, Demetrius' former wife, who died a little before of a dose of poison, which she desperately took on her husband's flight out of Macedonia, to avoid the calamity which she thought would follow that declension of his fortune. However, this did not hinder Ptolemy from marrying his daughter to him, and of this marriage was born Demetrius, who afterward reigned in Cyrene.

From Miletus, Demetrius" invaded Caria and Lydia, and having taken many cities from Lysimachus in those provinces, and there much augmented his forces with new recruits, at length made himself master of Sardis. But on the coming of Agathocles, the son of Lysimachus, with an army against him, he was forced again to quit all that he had taken, and marched eastward. His intentions in taking this route were to pass into Armenia, and Media, and seize these provinces. But Agathocles, having coasted him all the way in his march, reduced him to great distress for want of provisions and forage, which brought a sickness into his army, that destroyed a great number of them, and, when he attempted to pass Mount Taurus with the remainder, he found all the passes over it seized by Agathocles; whereby being obstructed from proceeding any further that way, he marched backward to Tarsus in Cilicia, a town belonging to Seleucus, and from thence signifying to that prince the calamitous condition he was reduced to, earnestly prayed relief and assistance from him for the subsisting of himself and the forces that followed him. Seleucus, being moved with this representation of his doleful case, at first took compassion on him, and ordered his lieutenants in those parts to furnish him and his forces with all things necessary. But afterwards being put in mind of the valour and enterprising genius of this prince, and of his great abilities in all the arts and stratagems of war, and his undaunted boldness for the attempting of any design he should have an opportunity for, he began to think, that the setting up of such

n Plutarch. in Demetrio.