his care over you. Your high priest also Eleazar, as well as
Joshua, with the senate, and chief of your tribes, will go before
you, and suggest the best advices to you; by following which
advices you will continue to be happy: to whom do you give ear
without reluctance, as sensible that all such as know well how to
be governed, will also know how to govern, if they be promoted to
that authority themselves. And do not you esteem liberty to
consist in opposing such directions as your governors think fit
to give you for your practice, - as at present indeed you place
your liberty in nothing else but abusing your benefactors; which
error if you can avoid for the time to come, your affairs will be
in a better condition than they have hitherto been. Nor do you
ever indulge such a degree of passion in these matters, as you
have oftentimes done when you have been very angry at me; for you
know that I have been oftener in danger of death from you than
from our enemies. What I now put you in mind of, is not done in
order to reproach you; for I do not think it proper, now I am
going out of the world, to bring this to your remembrance, in
order to leave you offended at me, since, at the time when I
underwent those hardships from you, I was not angry at you; but I
do it in order to make you wiser hereafter, and to teach you that
this will be for your security; I mean, that you never be
injurious to those that preside over you, even when you are
become rich, as you will he to a great degree when you have
passed over Jordan, and are in possession of the land of Canaan.
Since, when you shall have once proceeded so far by your wealth,
as to a contempt and disregard of virtue, you will also forfeit
the favor of God; and when you have made him your enemy, you will
be beaten in war, and will have the land which you possess taken
away again from you by your enemies, and this with great