along the road, and a certain augur was observing an augury by a
bird, and requiring them all to stand still, inquired what they
staid for. Hereupon the augur showed him the bird from whence he
took his augury, and told him that if the bird staid where he
was, they ought all to stand still; but that if he got up, and
flew onward, they must go forward; but that if he flew backward,
they must retire again. Mosollam made no reply, but drew his bow,
and shot at the bird, and hit him, and killed him; and as the
augur and some others were very angry, and wished imprecations
upon him, he answered them thus: Why are you so mad as to take
this most unhappy bird into your hands? for how can this bird
give us any true information concerning our march, who could not
foresee how to save himself? for had he been able to foreknow
what was future, he would not have come to this place, but would
have been afraid lest Mosollam the Jew should shoot at him, and
kill him." But of Hecateus's testimonies we have said enough; for
as to such as desire to know more of them, they may easily obtain
them from his book itself. However, I shall not think it too much
for me to name Agatharchides, as having made mention of us Jews,
though in way of derision at our simplicity, as he supposes it to
be; for when he was discoursing of the affairs of Stratonice,
"how she came out of Macedonia into Syria, and left her husband
Demetrius, while yet Seleueus would not marry her as she
expected, but during the time of his raising an army at Babylon,
stirred up a sedition about Antioch; and how, after that, the
king came back, and upon his taking of Antioch, she fled to
Seleucia, and had it in her power to sail away immediately yet
did she comply with a dream which forbade her so to do, and so
was caught and put to death." When Agatharehides had premised
this story, and had jested upon Stratonice for her superstition,