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Cypros perceived his intentions, and tried all sorts of methods to divert him from taking such a course: so she sent a letter to his sister Herodias, who was now the wife of Herod the tetrarch, and let her know Agrippa's present design, and what necessity it was which drove him thereto, and desired her, as a kinswoman of his, to give him her help, and to engage her husband to do the same, since she saw how she alleviated these her husband's troubles all she could, although she had not the like wealth to do it withall. So they sent him, and allotted him Tiberias for his habitation, and appointed him some income of money for his maintenance, and made him a magistrate of that city, by way of honour to him. Yet did not Herod long continue in that resolution of supporting him, though even that support was not sufficient for him; for as they were once at a feast at Tyre, and in their cups, and reproaches were cast upon one another, Agrippa thought that was not to be borne, while Herod hit him in the teeth with his poverty, and with his owing his necessary food to him. So he went to Flaccus, one that had been consul, and had been a very great friend to him at Rome for merly, and was now president of Syria.

3. Hereupon Flaccus received him kindly, and he lived with him. Flaccus had also with him there Aristobulus, who was indeed Agrippa's brother, but was at variance with him; yet did not their enmity to one another hinder the friendship of Flaccus to them both, but still they were honourably treated by him. However, Aristobulus did not abate of his ill-will to Agrippa, till at length he brought him into ill terms with Flaccus; the occasion of bringing on which estrangement was this: the Damascenes were at difference with the Sidonians about their limits, and, when Flaccus was about to hear the cause between them, they understood that Agrippa had a mighty influence upon him; so they desired that he would be of their side, and for that favour promised him a great deal of money; so he was zealous in assisting the Damascenes as far as he was able. Now Aristobulus had gotten intelligence of this promise of money to him, and accused him to Flaccus of the same; and when, upon a thorough examination of the matter, it appeared plainly so to be, he rejected Agrippa out of the number of his friends. So he was reduced to the utmost necessity, and came to Ptolemais; and, because he knew not where else to get a livelihood, he thought to sail to Italy; but as he was re

strained from so doing by want of money, he desired Marsyas, who was his freed-man, to find some method for procuring him so much as he wanted for that purpose, by borrowing such a sum of some person or other. So Marsyas desired of Peter, who was the freed-man of Berenice, Agrippa's mother, and by the right of her testament was bequeathed to Antonia, to lend so much upon Agrippa's own bond and security but he accused Agrippa of having defrauded him of certain sums of money, and so obliged Marsyas, when he made the bond of 20,000 Attic drachmae, to accept of 2,500 drachmae * less than what he desired, which the other allowed of, because he could not help it. Upon the receipt of this money, Agrippa came to Anthedon, and took shipping, and was going to set sail; but Herennius Capito, who was the procurator of Jamnia, sent a band of soldiers to demand of him 300,000 drachmae of silver, which were by him owing to Caesar's treasury while he was at Rome, and so forced him to stay. He then pretended that he would do as he bid him; but, when night came on, he cut his cables, and went off, and sailed to Alexandria, where he desired Alexander, the alabarch, † to lend him 200,000 drachmae: but he said he would not lend it to him, but would not refuse it to Cypros, as greatly astonished at her affection to her husband, and at the other instances of her virtue, so she undertook to repay it. Accordingly, Alexander paid them five talents at Alexandria, and promised to pay him the rest of that sum at Dicearchia [Puteoli ;] and this he did out of the fear he was in that Agrippa would soon spend it. So this Cypros set her husband free, and dismissed him to go on with his navigation to Italy, while she and her children departed for Judea.

4. And now Agrippa was come to Puteoli, whence he wrote a letter to Tiberius Caesar, who then lived at Capreae, and told him, that he was come so far in order to wait on him, and to pay him a visit; and desired that he would give him leave to come over to Capreae: so Tiberias made no difficulty, but wrote to him in an obliging way in other respects and withall told him, he was glad of his safe return, and desired him to come to Capreae: and, when he was

* Spanheim observes, that we have here an instance of the Attic quantity of use-money, which was the eighth part of the original sum, or 12 1-2 per cent; for such is the proportion of 2,500 to 20,000; + The governor of the Jews there.

come, he did not fail to treat him as kindly as he had promised him in his letter to do. But the next day came a letter to Caesar from Herennius Capito, to inform him, that Agrippa had borrowed 300,000 drachmae, and not paid it at the time appointed; but, when it was demanded of him, he ran away, like a fugitive, out of the places under his government, and put it out of his power to get the money of him. When Caesar had read this letter, he was much troubled at it, and gave order that Agrippa should be excluded from his presence, until he had paid that debt: upon which he was no way daunted at Caesar's anger, but entreated Antonia, the mother of Germanicus, and of Claudius, who was afterward Caesar himself, to lend him those 300,000 drachmae, that he might not be deprived of Tiberius's friendship: so, out of a regard to the memory of Berenice, his mother, (for those two women were very familiar with one another,) and out of regard to his and Claudius's education together, she lent him the money; and, upon the payment of this debt, there was nothing to hinder Tiberius's friendship to him. After this, Tiberius Caesar recommended to him his grandson, * and ordered, that he should always accompany him when he went abroad. But, upon Agrippa's kind reception by Antonia, he betook himself to pay his respects to Caius, who was her grandson, and in very high reputation by reason of the good-will they bare his father. Now there was one Thellus, a freed-man of Caesar, of whom he borrowed a million of drachmae, and thence repaid Antonia the debt he owed her; and, by spending the overplus in paying his court to Caius, became a person of great authority with him.

5. Now, as the friendship which Agrippa had for Caius was come to a great height, there happened some words to pass between them, as they once were in a chariot together, concerning Tiberius; Agrippa praying [to God,] (for they two set by themselves,) that "Tiberius might soon go off the stage, and leave the government to Caius, who was in every respect more worthy of it." Now Eutychus, who was Agrippa's freed-man, and drove his chariot, heard these words, and at that time said nothing of them; but when Agrippa accused him of stealing some garments of his, (which was certainly true,) he ran away from him; but when he was caught, and brought before Piso, who was governor of the city, and the man was asked, why he ran away, he + Germanicus.

* Tiberius, junior.

replied, that he had somewhat to say to Caesar, that tended to his security and preservation: so Piso bound him, and sent him to Capreae. But Tiberius, according to his usual custom, kept him still in bonds, being a delayer of affairs, if there ever was any other king or tyrant that was so; for he did not admit of ambassadors quickly, and no successors were despatched away to governors or procurators of the provinces, that had been formerly sent, unless they were dead; whence it was, that he was so negligent in hearing the causes of prisoners; insomuch, that when he was asked by his friends, what was the reason of his delay in such cases, he said, that “he delayed to hear ambassadors, lest, upon their quick dismission, other ambassadors should be appointed, and return upon him; and so he should bring trouble upon himself in their public reception and dismission: that he permitted those governors, who had been sent once to their governments, [to stay there a great while,] out of regard to the subjects that were under them; for that all governors are naturally disposed to get as much as they can, and that those that are not to fix there, but to stay a short time, and that at an uncertainty when they shall be turned out, do the more severely hurry themselves on to fleece the people; but that, if their government be long continued to them, they are at last satiated with the spoils, as having gotten a vast deal, and so become at length less sharp in their pillaging; but that, if successors are sent quickly, the poor subjects, who are exposed to them as a prey, will not be able to bear the new ones, while they shall not have the same time allowed them wherein their predeeessors had filled themselves, and so grow more unconcerned about getting more; and this because they are removed before they have had time [for their oppressions.] He gave them an example to show his meaning: a great number of flies came about the sore places of a man that had been wounded; upon which one of the standers-by pitied the man's misfortune, and, thinking he was not able to drive those flies away himself, was going to drive them away for him; but he prayed him to let them alone: the other, by way of reply, asked him the reason of such a preposterous proceeding, in preventing relief to his present misery; to which he answered, "If thou drivest these flies away, thou wilt hurt me worse; for, as these are already full of my blood, they do not crowd about me, nor pain me so much a☛

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already, will be my destruction. For this caus it is, that I am myself careful not to send such nors perpetually to those my subjects, who are ficiently harassed by many oppressions, as ma flies, farther distress them; and so, besides thei sire of gain, may have this additional inciteme they expect to be suddenly deprived of that ple they take in it." And, as a farther attestatio say of the dilatory nature of Tiberius, I appe practice itself; for, although he was emperor years, he sent in all but two procurators to go tion of the Jews, Gratus, and his successor in ment, Pilate. Nor was he in one way of act spect to the Jews, and in another with respect his subjects. He farther informed them that, hearing of the causes of prisoners, he made s "because immediate death to those that must b ed to die, would be an alleviation of their prese while those wicked wretches have not deserv favour; but I do it, that, by being harassed w sent calamity, they may undergo greater misery

6. On this account it was, that Eutychus co tain an hearing, but was kept still in prison. How time afterward, Tiberius came from Capreae to 1 which is about an hundred furlongs from Rom then desired of Antonia, that she would procure for Eutychus, let the matter whereof he accused what it would. Now Antonia was greatly estee berius on all accounts, from the dignity of her rela who had been his brother Drusus's wife, and fro nent chastity;* for though she were still a young

*This high commendation of Antonia for marrying bu here, and supposed elsewhere, Antiq. B. xvii. ch. xiii. notwithstanding the strongest temptations, shows how single marriages were, both among the Jews and Roman of Josephus and of the apostles, and takes away much prise which the modern Protestants have at those laws tles, where no widows, but those who had been the wive band only, are taken into the church-list, and no bishop deacons, are allowed to marry more than once, withou

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