raised upon us.

10. Nay, this miracle or piety derides us further, and adds the
following pretended facts to his former fable; for be says that
this man related how, "while the Jews were once in a long
war with the Idumeans, there came a man out of one of the
cities of the Idumeans, who there had worshipped Apollo.
This man, whose name is said to have been Zabidus, came to
the Jews, and promised that he would deliver Apollo, the god
of Dora, into their hands, and that he would come to our
temple, if they would all come up with him, and bring the
whole multitude of the Jews with them; that Zabidus made
him a certain wooden instrument, and put it round about
him, and set three rows of lamps therein, and walked after
such a manner, that he appeared to those that stood a great
way off him to be a kind of star, walking upon the earth; that
the Jews were terribly affrighted at so surprising an
appearance, and stood very quiet at a distance; and that
Zabidus, while they continued so very quiet, went into the
holy house, and carried off that golden head of an ass, (for so
facetiously does he write,) and then went his way back again
to Dora in great haste." And say you so, sir! as I may reply;
then does Apion load the ass, that is, himself, and lays on
him a burden of fooleries and lies; for he writes of places
that have no being, and not knowing the cities he speaks of,
he changes their situation; for Idumea borders upon our
country, and is near to Gaza, in which there is no such city as
Dora; although there be, it is true, a city named Dora in
Phoenicia, near Mount Carmel, but it is four days' journey
from Idumea. (12) Now, then, why does this man accuse us,