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When Aristeus was saying thus, the king looked upon him with a cheerful
and joyful countenance, and said, "How many ten thousands dost thou
suppose there are of such as want to be made free?" To which Andreas
replied, as he stood by, and said," A few more than ten times ten
thousand." The king made answer, "And is this a small gift that
thou askest, Aristeus?" But Sosibius, and the rest that stood by,
said that he ought to offer such a thank-offering as was worthy of his
greatness of soul, to that God who had given him his kingdom. With this
answer he was much pleased; and gave order, that when they paid the soldiers
their wages, they should lay down [a hundred and] twenty drachmas
1
for every one of the slaves? And he promised to publish a magnificent decree,
about what they requested, which should confirm what Aristeus had proposed,
and especially what God willed should be done; whereby he said he would
not only set those free who had been led away captive by his father and
his army, but those who were in this kingdom before, and those also, if
any such there were, who had been brought away since. And when they said
that their redemption money would amount to above four hundred talents,
he granted it. A copy of which decree I have determined to preserve, that
the magnanimity of this king may be made known. Its contents were as follows:
"Let ail those who were soldiers under our father, and who, when they
overran Syria and Phoenicia, and laid waste Judea, took the Jews captives,
and made them slaves, and brought them into our cities, and into this country,
and then sold them; as also all those that were in my kingdom before them,
and if there be any that have been lately brought thither, - be made free
by those that possess them; and let them accept of [a hundred and] twenty
drachmas for every slave. And let the soldiers receive this redemption
money with their pay, but the rest out of the king's treasury: for I suppose
that they were made captives without our father's consent, and against
equity; and that their country was harassed by the insolence of the soldiers,
and that, by removing them into Egypt, the soldiers have made a great profit
by them. Out of regard therefore to justice, and out of pity to those that
have been tyrannized over, contrary to equity, I enjoin those that have
such Jews in their service to set them at liberty, upon the receipt of
the before-mentioned sum; and that no one use any deceit about them, but
obey what is here commanded. And I will that they give in their names within
three days after the publication of this edict, to such as are appointed
to execute the same, and to produce the slaves before them also, for I
think it will be for the advantage of my affairs. And let every one that
will inform against those that do not obey this decree, and I will that
their estates be confiscated into the king's treasury." When this
decree was read to the king, it at first contained the rest that is here
inserted, and omitted only those Jews that had formerly been brought, and
those brought afterwards, which had not been distinctly mentioned; so he
added these clauses out of his humanity, and with great generosity. He
also gave order that the payment, which was likely to be done in a hurry,
should be divided among the king's ministers, and among the officers of
his treasury. When this was over, what the king had decreed was quickly
brought to a conclusion; and this in no more than seven days' time, the
number of the talents paid for the captives being above four hundred and
sixty, and this, because their masters required the [hundred and] twenty
drachmas for the children also, the king having, in effect, commanded that
these should be paid for, when he said in his decree, that they should
receive the forementioned sum for every slave.