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[180]
But Joseph took with him two thousand foot soldiers from the king,
for he desired he might have some assistance, in order to force such as
were refractory in the cities to pay. And borrowing of the king's friends
at Alexandria five hundred talents, he made haste back into Syria. And
when he was at Askelon, and demanded the taxes of the people of Askelon,
they refused to pay any thing, and affronted him also; upon which he seized
upon about twenty of the principal men, and slew them, and gathered what
they had together, and sent it all to the king, and informed him what he
had done. Ptolemy admired the prudent conduct of the man, and commended
him for what he had done, and gave him leave to do as he pleased. When
the Syrians heard of this, they were astonished; and having before them
a sad example in the men of Askelon that were slain, they opened their
gates, and willingly admitted Joseph, and paid their taxes. And when the
inhabitants of Scythopolis attempted to affront him, and would not pay
him those taxes which they formerly used to pay, without disputing about
them, he slew also the principal men of that city, and sent their effects
to the king. By this means he gathered great wealth together, and made
vast gains by this farming of the taxes; and he made use of what estate
he had thus gotten, in order to support his authority, as thinking it a
piece of prudence to keep what had been the occasion and foundation of
his present good fortune; and this he did by the assistance of what he
was already possessed of, for he privately sent many presents to the king,
and to Cleopatra, and to their friends, and to all that were powerful about
the court, and thereby purchased their good-will to himself.
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