to what I say. It is therefore but just, either to condemn all
mankind of indulging a wicked disposition, when they have
been so desirous of imitating laws that are to them foreign
and evil in themselves, rather than following laws of their
own that are of a better character, or else our accusers must
leave off their spite against us. Nor are we guilty of any
envious behavior towards them, when we honor our own
legislator, and believe what he, by his prophetic authority,
hath taught us concerning God. For though we should not be
able ourselves to understand the excellency of our own laws,
yet would the great multitude of those that desire to imitate
them, justify us, in greatly valuing ourselves upon them.

41. But as for the [distinct] political laws by which we are
governed, I have delivered them accurately in my books of
Antiquities; and have only mentioned them now, so far as
was necessary to my present purpose, without proposing to
myself either to blame the laws of other nations, or to make
an encomium upon our own; but in order to convict those
that have written about us unjustly, and in an impudent
affectation of disguising the truth. And now I think I have
sufficiently completed what I proposed in writing these books.
For whereas our accusers have pretended that our nation are
a people of very late original, I have demonstrated that they
are exceeding ancient; for I have produced as witnesses
thereto many ancient writers, who have made mention of us
in their books, while they had said that no such writer had so
done. Moreover, they had said that we were sprung from the
Egyptians, while I have proved that we came from another
country into Egypt: while they had told lies of us, as if we