heard of the ancient men of Egypt, that Moses was of
Heliopolis, and that he thought himself obliged to follow the
customs of his forefathers, and offered his prayers in the
open air, towards the city walls; but that he reduced them all
to be directed towards sun-rising, which was agreeable to the
situation of Heliopolis; that he also set up pillars instead of
gnomons, (3) under which was represented a cavity like that
of a boat, and the shadow that fell from their tops fell down
upon that cavity, that it might go round about the like course
as the sun itself goes round in the other." This is that
wonderful relation which we have given us by this
grammarian. But that it is a false one is so plain, that it
stands in need of few words to prove it, but is manifest from
the works of Moses; for when he erected the first tabernacle
to God, he did himself neither give order for any such kind
of representation to be made at it, nor ordain that those that
came after him should make such a one. Moreover, when in
a future age Solomon built his temple in Jerusalem, he
avoided all such needless decorations as Apion hath here
devised. He says further, how he had "heard of the ancient
men, that Moses was of Hellopolis." To be sure that was,
because being a younger man himself, he believed those that
by their elder age were acquainted and conversed with him.
Now this grammarian, as he was, could not certainly tell
which was the poet Homer's country, no more than he could
which was the country of Pythagoras, who lived comparatively
but a little while ago; yet does he thus easily determine the
age of Moses, who preceded them such a vast number of
years, as depending on his ancient men's relation, which
shows how notorious a liar he was. But then as to this