BOOK XV.
CONTAINING THE INTERVAL OF EIGHTEEN YEARS.
FROM THE DEATH OF ANTIGONUS TO THE FINISHING OF THE TEMPLE
BY HEROD.
CHAPTER 1.
CONCERNING POLLIO AND SAMEAS. HEROD SLAYS THE PRINCIPAL OF
ANTIGONUS'S FRIENDS, AND SPOILS THE CITY OF ITS WEALTH. ANTONY
BEHEADS ANTIGONUS.
1. HOW Sosius and Herod took Jerusalem by force; and besides that,
how they took Antigonus captive, has been related by us in the
foregoing book. We will now proceed in the narration. And since
Herod had now the government of all Judea put into his hands,
he promoted such of the private men in the city as had been of
his party, but never left off avenging and punishing every day
those that had chosen to be of the party of his enemies. But Pollio
the Pharisee, and Sameas, a disciple of his, were honored by him
above all the rest; for when Jerusalem was besieged, they advised
the citizens to receive Herod, for which advice they were well
requited. But this Pollio, at the time when Herod was once upon
his trial of life and death, foretold, in way of reproach, to
Hyrcanus and the other judges, how this Herod, whom they suffered
now to escape, would afterward inflict punishment on them all;
which had its completion in time, while God fulfilled the words
he had spoken.
2. At this time Herod, now he had got Jerusalem under his power,
carried off all the royal ornaments, and spoiled the wealthy men
of what they had gotten; and when, by these means, he had heaped
together a great quantity of silver and gold, he gave it all to
Antony, and his friends that were about him. He also slew forty-five
of the principal men of Antigonus's party, and set guards at the
gates of the city, that nothing might be carried out together
with their dead bodies. They also searched the dead, and whatsoever
was found, either of silver or gold, or other treasure, it was
carried to the king; nor was there any end of the miseries he
brought upon them; and this distress was in part occasioned by
the covetousness of the prince regent, who was still in want of
more, and in part by the Sabbatic year, which was still going
on, and forced the country to lie still uncultivated, since we
are forbidden to sow our land in that year. Now when Antony had
received Antigonus as his captive, he determined to keep him against
his triumph; but when he heard that the nation grew seditious,
and that, out of their hatred to Herod, they continued to bear
good-will to Antigonus, he resolved to behead him at Antioch,
for otherwise the Jews could no way be brought to be quiet. And
Strabo of Cappadocia attests to what I have said, when he thus
speaks: "Antony ordered Antigonus the Jew to be brought to
Antioch, and there to be beheaded. And this Antony seems to me
to have been the very first man who beheaded a king, as supposing
he could no other way bend the minds of the Jews so as to receive
Herod, whom he had made king in his stead; for by no torments
could they he forced to call him king, so great a fondness they
had for their former king; so he thought that this dishonorable
death would diminish the value they had for Antigonus's memory,
and at the same time would diminish the hatred they bare to Herod."
Thus far Strabo.
CHAPTER 2.
HOW HYRCANUS WAS SET AT LIBERTY BY THE PARTHIANS, AND RETURNED
TO HEROD; AND WHAT ALEXANDRA DID WHEN SHE HEARD THAT ANANELUS
WAS MADE HIGH PRIEST.
1. NOW after Herod was in possession of the kingdom, Hyrcanus
the high priest, who was then a captive among the Parthians, came
to him again, and was set free from his captivity, in the manner
following: Barzapharnes and Pacorus, the generals of the Parthians,
took Hyreanus, who was first made high priest and afterward king,
and Herod's brother, Phasaelus captives, and were them away into
Parthis. Phasaelus indeed could not bear the reproach of being
in bonds; and thinking that death with glory was better than any
life whatsoever, he became his own executioner, as I have formerly
related.
2. But when Hyrcanus was brought into Parthia the king Phraates
treated him after a very gentle manner, as having already learned
of what an illustrious family he was; on which account he set
him free from his bonds, and gave him a habitation at Babylon,
(1) where there were Jews in great numbers. These Jews honored
Hyrcanus as their high priest and king, as did all the Jewish
nation that dwelt as far as Euphrates; which respect was very
much to his satisfaction. But when he was informed that Herod
had received the kingdom, new hopes came upon him, as having been
himself still of a kind disposition towards him, and expecting
that Herod would bear in mind what favor be had received from
him; and when he was upon his trial, and when he was in danger
that a capital sentence would be pronounced against him, he delivered
him from that danger, and from all punishment. Accordingly, he
talked of that matter with the Jew that came often to him with
great affection; but they endeavored to retain him among them,
and desired that he would stay with them, putting him in mind
of the kind offices and honors they did him, and that those honors
they paid him were not at all inferior to what they could pay
to either their high priests or their kings; and what was a greater
motive to determine him, they said, was this, that he could not
have those dignities [in Judea] because of that maim in his body,
which had been inflicted on him by Antigonus; and that kings do
not use to requite men for those kindnesses which they received
when they were private persons, the height of their fortune making
usually no small changes in them.
3. Now although they suggested these arguments to him for his
own advantage, yet did Hyrcanus still desire to depart. Herod
also wrote to him, and persuaded him to desire of Phraates, and
the Jews that were there, that they should not grudge him the
royal authority, which he should have jointly with himself, for
that now was the proper time for himself to make him amends for
the favors he had received from him, as having been brought up
by him, and saved by him also, as well as for Hyrcanus to receive
it. And as he wrote thus to Hyrcanus, so did he send also Saramallas,
his ambassador, to Phraates, and many presents with him, and desired
him in the most obliging way that he would be no hinderance to
his gratitude towards his benefactor. But this zeal of Herod's
did not flow from that principle, but because he had been made
governor of that country without having any just claim to it,
he was afraid, and that upon reasons good enough, of a change
in his condition, and so made what haste he could to get Hyrcanus
into his power, or indeed to put him quite out of the way; which
last thing he compassed afterward.
4. Accordingly, when Hyrcanus came, full of assurance, by the
permission of the king of Parthia, and at the expense of the Jews,
who supplied him with money, Herod received him with all possible
respect, and gave him the upper place at public meetings, and
set him above all the rest at feasts, and thereby deceived him.
He called him his father, and endeavored, by all the ways possible,
that he might have no suspicion of any treacherous design against
him. He also did other things, in order to secure his government,
which yet occasioned a sedition in his own family; for being cautious
how he made any illustrious person the high priest of God, (2)
he sent for an obscure priest out of Babylon, whose name was Ananelus,
and bestowed the high priesthood upon him.
5. However, Alexandra, the daughter of Hyrcanus, and wife of Alexander,
the son of Aristobulus the king, who had also brought Alexander
[two] children, could not bear this indignity. Now this son was
one of the greatest comeliness, and was called Aristobulus; and
the daughter, Mariamne, was married to Herod, and eminent for
her beauty also. This Alexandra was much disturbed, and took this
indignity offered to her son exceeding ill, that while be was
alive, any one else should be sent for to have the dignity of
the high priesthood conferred upon him. Accordingly, she wrote
to Cleopatra (a musician assisting her in taking care to have
her letters carried) to desire her intercession with Antony, in
order to gain the high priesthood for her son.
6. But as Antony was slow in granting this request, his friend
Dellius (3) came into Judea upon some affairs; and when he saw
Aristobulus, he stood in admiration at the tallness and handsomeness
of the child, and no less at Mariarune, the king's wife, and was
open in his commendations of Alexandra, as the mother of most
beautiful children. And when she came to discourse with him, he
persuaded her to get pictures drawn of them both, and to send
them to Antony, for that when he saw them, he would deny her nothing
that she should ask. Accordingly, Alexandra was elevated with
these words of his, and sent the pictures to Antony. Dellius also
talked extravagantly, and said that these children seemed not
derived from men, but from some god or other. His design in doing
so was to entice Antony into lewd pleasures with them, who was
ashamed to send for the damsel, as being the wife of Herod, and
avoided it, because of the reproaches he should have from Cleopatra
on that account; but he sent, in the most decent manner he could,
for the young man; but added this withal, unless he thought it
hard upon him so to do. When this letter was brought to Herod,
he did not think it safe for him to send one so handsome as was
Aristobulus, in the prime of his life, for he was sixteen years
of age, and of so noble a family, and particularly not to Antony,
the principal man among the Romans, and one that would abuse him
in his amours, and besides, one that openly indulged himself in
such pleasures as his power allowed him without control. He therefore
wrote back to him, that if this boy should only go out of the
country, all would be in a state of war and uproar, because the
Jews were in hopes of a change in the government, and to have
another king over them.
7. When Herod had thus excused himself to Antony, he resolved
that he would not entirely permit the child or Alexandra to be
treated dishonorably; but his wife Mariamne lay vehemently at
him to restore the high priesthood to her brother; and he judged
it was for his advantage so to do, because if he once had that
dignity, he could not go out of the country. So he called his
friends together, and told them that Alexandra privately conspired
against his royal authority, and endeavored, by the means of Cleopatra,
so to bring it about, that he might be deprived of the government,
and that by Antony's means this youth might have the management
of public affairs in his stead; and that this procedure of hers
was unjust, since she would at the same time deprive her daughter
of the dignity she now had, and would bring disturbances upon
the kingdom, for which he had taken a great deal of pains, and
had gotten it with extraordinary hazards; that yet, while he well
remembered her wicked practices, he would not leave off doing
what was right himself, but would even now give the youth the
high priesthood; and that he formerly set up Ananelus, because
Aristobulus was then so very young a child. Now when he had said
this, not at random, but as he thought with the best discretion
he had, in order to deceive the women, and those friends whom
he had taken to consult withal, Alexandra, out of the great joy
she had at this unexpected promise, and out of fear from the suspicions
she lay under, fell a weeping; and made the following apology
for herself; and said, that as to the [high] priesthood, she was
very much concerned for the disgrace her son was under, and so
did her utmost endeavors to procure it for him; but that as to
the kingdom, she had made no attempts, and that if it were offered
her [for her son], she would not accept it; and that now she would
be satisfied with her son's dignity, while he himself held the
civil government, and she had thereby the security that arose
from his peculiar ability in governing to all the remainder of
her family; that she was now overcome by his benefits, and thankfully
accepted of this honor showed by him to her son, and that she
would hereafter be entirely obedient. And she desired him to excuse
her, if the nobility of her family, and that freedom of acting
which she thought that allowed her, had made her act too precipitately
and imprudently in this matter. So when they had spoken thus to
one another, they came to an agreement, and all suspicions, so
far as appeared, were vanished away.
CHAPTER 3.
HOW HEROD UPON HIS MAKING ARISTOBULUS HIGH PRIEST TOOK CARE
THAT HE SHOULD BE MURDERED IN A LITTLE TIME; AND WHAT APOLOGY
HE MADE TO ANTONY ABOUT ARISTOBULUS; AS ALSO CONCERNING JOSEPH
AND MARIAMNE.
1. SO king Herod immediately took the high priesthood away from
Ananelus, who, as we said before, was not of this country, but
one of those Jews that had been carried captive beyond Euphrates;
for there were not a few ten thousands of this people that had
been carried captives, and dwelt about Babylonia, whence Ananelus
came. He was one of the stock of the high priests (4) and had
been of old a particular friend of Herod; and when he was first
made king, he conferred that dignity upon him, and now put him
out of it again, in order to quiet the troubles in his family,
though what he did was plainly unlawful, for at no other time
[of old] was any one that had once been in that dignity deprived
of it. It was Antiochus Epiphanes who first brake that law, and
deprived Jesus, and made his brother Onias high priest in his
stead. Aristobulus was the second that did so, and took that dignity
from his brother [Hyrcanus]; and this Herod was the third, who
took that high office away [from Arianflus], and gave it to this
young man, Aristobulus, in his stead.
2. And now Herod seemed to have healed the divisions in his family;
yet was he not without suspicion, as is frequently the case, of
people seeming to be reconciled to one another, but thought that,
as Alexandra had already made attempts tending to innovations,
so did he fear that she would go on therein, if she found a fit
opportunity for so doing; so he gave a command that she should
dwell in the palace, and meddle with no public affairs. Her guards
also were so careful, that nothing she did in private life every
day was concealed. All these hardships put her out of patience,
by little and little and she began to hate Herod; for as she had
the pride of a woman to the utmost degree, she had great indignation
at this suspicious guard that was about her, as desirous rather
to undergo any thing that could befall her, than to be deprived
of her liberty of speech, and, under the notion of an honorary
guard, to live in a state of slavery and terror. She therefore
sent to Cleopatra, and made a long complaint of the circumstances
she was in, and entreated her to do her utmost for her assistance.
Cleopatra hereupon advised her to take her son with her, and come
away immediately to her into Egypt. This advice pleased her; and
she had this contrivance for getting away: She got two coffins
made, as if they were to carry away two dead bodies and put herself
into one, and her son into the other and gave orders to such of
her servants as knew of her intentions to carry them away in the
night time. Now their road was to be thence to the sea-side and
there was a ship ready to carry them into Egypt. Now Aesop, one
of her servants, happened to fall upon Sabion, one of her friends,
and spake of this matter to him, as thinking he had known of it
before. When Sabion knew this, (who had formerly been an enemy
of Herod, and been esteemed one of those that laid snares for
and gave the poison to [his father] Antipater,) he expected that
this discovery would change Herod's hatred into kindness; so he
told the king of this private stratagem of Alexandra: whereupon
be suffered her to proceed to the execution of her project, and
caught her in the very fact; but still he passed by her offense;
and though he had a great mind to do it, he durst not inflict
any thing that was severe upon her, for he knew that Cleopatra
would not bear that he should have her accused, on account of
her hatred to him; but made a show as if it were rather the generosity
of his soul, and his great moderation, that made him forgive them.
However, he fully proposed to himself to put this young man out
of the way, by one means or other; but he thought he might in
probability be better concealed in doing it, if he did it not
presently, nor immediately after what had lately happened.
3. And now, upon the approach of the feast of tabernacles, which
is a festival very much observed among us, he let those days pass
over, and both he and the rest of the people were therein very
merry; yet did the envy which at this time arose in him cause
him to make haste to do what lie was about, and provoke him to
it; for when this youth Aristobulus, who was now in the seventeenth
year of his age, went up to the altar, according to the law, to
offer the sacrifices, and this with the ornaments of his high
priesthood, and when he performed the sacred offices, (5) he seemed
to be exceedingly comely, and taller than men usually were at
that age, and to exhibit in his countenance a great deal of that
high family he was sprung from, - a warm zeal and affection towards
him appeared among the people, and the memory of the actions of
his grandfather Aristobulus was fresh in their minds; and their
affections got so far the mastery of them, that they could not
forbear to show their inclinations to him. They at once rejoiced
and were confounded, and mingled with good wishes their joyful
acclamations which they made to him, till the good-will of the
multitude was made too evident; and they more rashly proclaimed
the happiness they had received from his family than was fit under
a monarchy to have done. Upon all this, Herod resolved to complete
what he had intended against the young man. When therefore the
festival was over, and he was feasting at Jericho (6) with Alexandra,
who entertained them there, he was then very pleasant with the
young man, and drew him into a lonely place, and at the same time
played with him in a juvenile and ludicrous manner. Now the nature
of that place was hotter than ordinary; so they went out in a
body, and of a sudden, and in a vein of madness; and as they stood
by the fish-ponds, of which there were large ones about the house,
they went to cool themselves [by bathing], because it was in the
midst of a hot day. At first they were only spectators of Herod's
servants and acquaintance as they were swimming; but after a while,
the young man, at the instigation of Herod, went into the water
among them, while such of Herod's acquaintance, as he had appointed
to do it, dipped him as he was swimming, and plunged him under
water, in the dark of the evening, as if it had been done in sport
only; nor did they desist till he was entirely suffocated. And
thus was Aristobulus murdered, having lived no more in all than
eighteen years, (7) and kept the high priesthood one year only;
which high priesthood Ananelus now recovered again.
4. When this sad accident was told the women, their joy was soon
changed to lamentation, at the sight of the dead body that lay
before them, and their sorrow was immoderate. The city also [of
Jerusalem], upon the spreading of this news, were in very great
grief, every family looking on this calamity as if it had not
belonged to another, but that one of themselves was slain. But
Alexandra was more deeply affected, upon her knowledge that he
had been destroyed [on purpose]. Her sorrow was greater than that
of others, by her knowing how the murder was committed; but she
was under the necessity of bearing up under it, out of her prospect
of a greater mischief that might otherwise follow; and she oftentimes
came to an inclination to kill herself with her own hand, but
still she restrained herself, in hopes she might live long enough
to revenge the unjust murder thus privately committed; nay, she
further resolved to endeavor to live longer, and to give no occasion
to think she suspected that her son was slain on purpose, and
supposed that she might thereby be in a capacity of revenging
it at a proper opportunity. Thus did she restrain herself, that
she might not be noted for entertaining any such suspicion. However,
Herod endeavored that none abroad should believe that the child's
death was caused by any design of his; and for this purpose he
did not only use the ordinary signs of sorrow, but fell into tears
also, and exhibited a real confusion of soul; and perhaps his
affections were overcome on this occasion, when he saw the child's
countenance so young and so beautiful, although his death was
supposed to tend to his own security. So far at least this grief
served as to make some apology for him; and as for his funeral,
that he took care should be very magnificent, by making great
preparation for a sepulcher to lay his body in, and providing
a great quantity of spices, and burying many ornaments together
with him, till the very women, who were in such deep sorrow, were
astonished at it, and received in this way some consolation.
5. However, no such things could overcome Alexandra's grief; but
the remembrance of this miserable case made her sorrow, both deep
and obstinate. Accordingly, she wrote an account of this treacherous
scene to Cleopatra, and how her son was murdered; but Cleopatra,
as she had formerly been desirous to give her what satisfaction
she could, and commiserating Alexandra's misfortunes, made the
case her own, and would not let Antony be quiet, but excited him
to punish the child's murder; for that it was an unworthy thing
that Herod, who had been by him made king of a kingdom that no
way belonged to him, should be guilty of such horrid crimes against
those that were of the royal blood in reality. Antony was persuaded
by these arguments; and when he came to Laodicea, he sent and
commanded Herod to come and make his defense, as to what he had
done to Aristobulus, for that such a treacherous design was not
well done, if he had any hand in it. Herod was now in fear, both
of the accusation, and of Cleopatra's ill-will to him, which was
such that she was ever endeavoring to make Antony hate him. He
therefore determined to obey his summons, for he had no possible
way to avoid it. So he left his uncle Joseph procurator for his
government, and for the public affairs, and gave him a private
charge, that if Antony should kill him, he also should kill Mariamne
immediately; for that he had a tender affection for this his wife,
and was afraid of the injury that should be offered him, if, after
his death, she, for her beauty, should be engaged to some other
man: but his intimation was nothing but this at the bottom, that
Antony had fallen in love with her, when he had formerly heard
somewhat of her beauty. So when Herod had given Joseph this charge,
and had indeed no sure hopes of escaping with his life, he went
away to Antony.
6. But as Joseph was administering the public affairs of the kingdom,
and for that reason was very frequently with Mariamne, both because
his business required it, and because of the respects he ought
to pay to the queen, he frequently let himself into discourses
about Herod's kindness, and great affection towards her; and when
the women, especially Alexandra, used to turn his discourses into
feminine raillery, Joseph was so over-desirous to demonstrate
the kings inclinations, that he proceeded so far as to mention
the charge he had received, and thence drew his demonstration,
that Herod was not able to live without her; and that if he should
come to any ill end, he could not endure a separation from her,
even after he was dead. Thus spake Joseph. But the women, as was
natural, did not take this to be an instance of Herod's strong
affection for them, but of his severe usage of them, that they
could not escape destruction, nor a tyrannical death, even when
he was dead himself. And this saying [of Joseph] was a foundation
for the women's severe suspicions about him afterwards.
7. At this time a report went about the city Jerusalem among Herod's
enemies, that Antony had tortured Herod, and put him to death.
This report, as is natural, disturbed those that were about the
palace, but chiefly the women; upon which Alexandra endeavored
to persuade Joseph to go out of the palace, and fly away with
them to the ensigns of the Roman legion, which then lay encamped
about the city, as a guard to the kingdom, under the command of
Julius; for that by this means, if any disturbance should happen
about the palace, they should be in greater security, as having
the Romans favorable to them; and that besides, they hoped to
obtain the highest authority, if Antony did but once see Mariamne,
by whose means they should recover the kingdom, and want nothing
which was reasonable for them to hope for, because of their royal
extraction.
8. But as they were in the midst of these deliberations, letters
were brought from Herod about all his affairs, and proved contrary
to the report, and of what they before expected; for when he was
come to Antony, he soon recovered his interest with him, by the
presents he made him, which he had brought with him from Jerusalem;
and he soon induced him, upon discoursing with him, to leave off
his indignation at him, so that Cleopatra's persuasions had less
force than the arguments and presents he brought to regain his
friendship; for Antony said that it was not good to require an
account of a king, as to the affairs of his government, for at
this rate he could be no king at all, but that those who had given
him that authority ought to permit him to make use of it. He also
said the same things to Cleopatra, that it would be best for her
not busily to meddle with the acts of the king's government. Herod
wrote an account of these things, and enlarged upon the other
honors which he had received from Antony; how he sat by him at
his hearing causes, and took his diet with him every day, and
that he enjoyed those favors from him, notwithstanding the reproaches
that Cleopatra so severely laid against him, who having a great
desire of his country, and earnestly entreating Antony that the
kingdom might be given to her, labored with her utmost diligence
to have him out of the way; but that he still found Antony just
to him, and had no longer any apprehensions of hard treatment
from him; and that he was soon upon his return, with a firmer
additional assurance of his favor to him, in his reigning and
managing public affairs; and that there was no longer any hope
for Cleopatra's covetous temper, since Antony had given her Celesyria
instead of what she had desired; by which means he had at once
pacified her, and got clear of the entreaties which she made him
to have Judea bestowed upon her.
9. When these letters were brought, the women left off their attempt
for flying to the Romans, which they thought of while Herod was
supposed to be dead; yet was not that purpose of theirs a secret;
but when the king had conducted Antony on his way against the
Partnians, he returned to Judea, when both his sister Salome and
his mother informed him of Alexandra's intentions. Salome also
added somewhat further against Joseph, though it was no more than
a calumny, that he had often had criminal conversation with Mariamne.
The reason of her saying so was this, that she for a long time
bare her ill-will; for when they had differences with one another,
Mariamne took great freedoms, and reproached the rest for the
meanness of their birth. But Herod, whose affection to Mariamne
was always very warm, was presently disturbed at this, and could
not bear the torments of jealousy, but was still restrained from
doing any rash thing to her by the love he had for her; yet did
his vehement affection and jealousy together make him ask Mariamne
by herself about this matter of Joseph; but she denied it upon
her oath, and said all that an innocent woman could possibly say
in her own defense; so that by little and little the king was
prevailed upon to drop the suspicion, and left off his anger at
her; and being overcome with his passion for his wife, he made
an apology to her for having seemed to believe what he had heard
about her, and returned her a great many acknowledgments of her
modest behavior, and professed the extraordinary affection and
kindness he had for her, till at last, as is usual between lovers,
they both fell into tears, and embraced one another with a most
tender affection. But as the king gave more and more assurances
of his belief of her fidelity, and endeavored to draw her to a
like confidence in him, Marianme said, Yet was not that command
thou gavest, that if any harm came to thee from Antony, I, who
had been no occasion of it, should perish with thee, a sign of
thy love to me?" When these words were fallen from her, the
king was shocked at them, and presently let her go out of his
arms, and cried out, and tore his hair with his own hands, and
said, that "now he had an evident demonstration that Joseph
had had criminal conversation with his wife; for that he would
never have uttered what he had told him alone by himself, unless
there had been such a great familiarity and firm confidence between
them. And while he was in this passion he had like to have killed
his wife; but being still overborne by his love to her, he restrained
this his passion, though not without a lasting grief and disquietness
of mind. However, he gave order to slay Joseph, without permitting
him to come into his sight; and as for Alexandra, he bound her,
and kept her in custody, as the cause of all this mischief.
CHAPTER 4.
HOW CLEOPATRA, WHEN SHE HAD GOTTEN FROM ANTONY SOME PARTS OF
JUDEA AND ARABIA CAME INTO JUDEA; AND HOW HEROD GAVE HER MANY
PRESENTS AND CONDUCTED HER ON HER WAY BACK TO EGYPT.
1. NOW at this time the affairs of Syria were in confusion by
Cleopatra's constant persuasions to Antony to make an attempt
upon every body's dominions; for she persuaded him to take those
dominions away from their several princes, and bestow them upon
her; and she had a mighty influence upon him, by reason of his
being enslaved to her by his affections. She was also by nature
very covetous, and stuck at no wickedness. She had already poisoned
her brother, because she knew that he was to be king of Egypt,
and this when he was but fifteen years old; and she got her sister
Arsinoe to be slain, by the means of Antony, when she was a supplicant
at Diana's temple at Ephesus; for if there were but any hopes
of getting money, she would violate both temples and sepulchers.
Nor was there any holy place that was esteemed the most inviolable,
from which she would not fetch the ornaments it had in it; nor
any place so profane, but was to suffer the most flagitious treatment
possible from her, if it could but contribute somewhat to the
covetous humor of this wicked creature: yet did not all this suffice
so extravagant a woman, who was a slave to her lusts, but she
still imagined that she wanted every thing she could think of,
and did her utmost to gain it; for which reason she hurried Antony
on perpetually to deprive others of their dominions, and give
them to her. And as she went over Syria with him, she contrived
to get it into her possession; so he slew Lysanias, the son of
Ptolemy, accusing him of his bringing the Parthians upon those
countries. She also petitioned Antony to give her Judea and Arabia;
and, in order thereto, desired him to take these countries away
from their present governors. As for Antony, he was so entirely
overcome by this woman, that one would not think her conversation
only could do it, but that he was some way or other bewitched
to do whatsoever she would have him; yet did the grossest parts
of her injustice make him so ashamed, that he would not always
hearken to her to do those flagrant enormities she would have
persuaded him to. That therefore he might not totally deny her,
nor, by doing every thing which she enjoined him, appear openly
to be an ill man, he took some parts of each of those countries
away from their former governors, and gave them to her. Thus he
gave her the cities that were within the river Eleutherus, as
far as Egypt, excepting Tyre and Sidon, which he knew to have
been free cities from their ancestors, although she pressed him
very often to bestow those on her also.
2. When Cleopatra had obtained thus much, and had accompanied
Antony in his expedition to Armenia as far as Euphrates, she returned
back, and came to Apamia and Damascus, and passed on to Judea,
where Herod met her, and farmed of her parts of Arabia, and those
revenues that came to her from the region about Jericho. This
country bears that balsam, which is the most precious drug that
is there, and grows there alone. The place bears also palm trees,
both many in number, and those excellent in their kind. When she
was there, and was very often with Herod, she endeavored to have
criminal conversation with the king; nor did she affect secrecy
in the indulgence of such sort of pleasures; and perhaps she had
in some measure a passion of love to him; or rather, what is most
probable, she laid a treacherous snare for him, by aiming to obtain
such adulterous conversation from him: however, upon the whole,
she seemed overcome with love to him. Now Herod had a great while
borne no good-will to Cleopatra, as knowing that she was a woman
irksome to all; and at that time he thought her particularly worthy
of his hatred, if this attempt proceeded out of lust; he had also
thought of preventing her intrigues, by putting her to death,
if such were her endeavors. However, he refused to comply with
her proposals, and called a counsel of his friends to consult
with them whether he should not kill her, now he had her in his
power; for that he should thereby deliver all those from a multitude
of evils to whom she was already become irksome, and was expected
to be still so for the time to come; and that this very thing
would be much for the advantage of Antony himself, since she would
certainly not be faithful to him, in case any such season or necessity
should come upon him as that he should stand in need of her fidelity.
But when he thought to follow this advice, his friends would not
let him; and told him that, in the first place, it was not right
to attempt so great a thing, and run himself thereby into the
utmost danger; and they laid hard at him, and begged of him to
undertake nothing rashly, for that Antony would never bear it,
no, not though any one should evidently lay before his eyes that
it was for his own advantage; and that the appearance of depriving
him of her conversation, by this violent and treacherous method,
would probably set his affections more on a flame than before.
Nor did it appear that he could offer any thing of tolerable weight
in his defense, this attempt being against such a woman as was
of the highest dignity of any of her sex at that time in the world;
and as to any advantage to be expected from such an undertaking,
if any such could be supposed in this case, it would appear to
deserve condemnation, on account of the insolence he must take
upon him in doing it: which considerations made it very plain
that in so doing he would find his government filled with mischief,
both great and lasting, both to himself and his posterity, whereas
it was still in his power to reject that wickedness she would
persuade him to, and to come off honorably at the same time. So
by thus affrighting Herod, and representing to him the hazard
he must, in all probability, run by this undertaking, they restrained
him from it. So he treated Cleopatra kindly, and made her presents,
and conducted her on her way to Egypt.
3. But Antony subdued Armenia, and sent Artabazes, the son of
Tigranes, in bonds, with his children and procurators, to Egypt,
and made a present of them, and of all the royal ornaments which
he had taken out of that kingdom, to Cleopatra. And Artaxias,
the eldest of his sons, who had escaped at that time, took the
kingdom of Armenia; who yet was ejected by Archclaus and Nero
Caesar, when they restored Tigranes, his younger brother, to that
kingdom; but this happened a good while afterward.
4. But then, as to the tributes which Herod was to pay Cleopatra
for that country which Antony had given her, he acted fairly with
her, as deeming it not safe for him to afford any cause for Cleopatra
to hate him. As for the king of Arabia, whose tribute Herod had
undertaken to pay her, for some time indeed he paid him as much
as came to two hundred talents; but he afterwards became very
niggardly and slow in his payments, and could hardly be brought
to pay some parts of it, and was not willing to pay even them
without some deductions.
CHAPTER 5.
HOW HEROD MADE WAR WITH THE KING OF ARABIA, AND AFTER THEY
HAD FOUGHT MANY BATTLES, AT LENGTH CONQUERED HIM, AND WAS CHOSEN
BY THE ARABS TO BE GOVERNOR OF THAT NATION; AS ALSO CONCERNING
A GREAT EARTHQUAKE.
1. HEREUPON Herod held himself ready to go against the king of
Arabia, because of his ingratitude to him, and because, after
all, he would do nothing that was just to him, although Herod
made the Roman war an occasion of delaying his own; for the battle
at Actium was now expected, which fell into the hundred eighty
and seventh olympiad, where Caesar and Antony were to fight for
the supreme power of the world; but Herod having enjoyed a country
that was very fruitful, and that now for a long time, and having
received great taxes, and raised great armies therewith, got together
a body of men, and carefully furnished them with all necessaries,
and designed them as auxiliaries for Antony. But Antony said he
had no want of his assistance; but he commanded him to punish
the king of Arabia; for he had heard both from him, and f
