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gently; for if any mischief should come to the senate, he would have no others over whom to rule. Claudius complied with him, and called the senate together into the palace, and was carried thither himself through the city, while the soldiery conducted him, though this was to the great vexation of the multitude; for Cherea and Sabinus, two of Caius's murderers, went in the fore-front of them, in an open manner, when Polio, whom Claudius a little before had made captain of his guards, and sent them an epistolary edict, to forbid them to appear in public. Then did Claudius, upon his coming to the palace, get his friends together, and desired their suffrages about Cherea. They said, that the work he had done, was a glorious one; but they accused him that did it of perfidiousness, and thought it just to inflict the punishment [of death] upon him, to discountenance such actions for the time to come. So Cherea was led to his execution, and Lupus, and many other Romans with him. Now it is reported that Cherea bore his calamity courageously, and this not only by the firmness of his own behaviour under it, but by the reproaches he laid upon Lupus, who fell into tears; for when Lupus laid his garment aside, and complained of the cold, he said, that cold was never hurtful to Lupus, [i. e. a wolf.] And as a great many men went along with them to see the sight, when Cherea came to the place, he asked the soldier, who was to be their executioner, whether this office was what he was used to; or whether this was the first time of his using. his sword in that manner; and desired him to bring him that very sword with which he himself slew Caius. So he was happily killed at one stroke. But Lupus did not meet with such good fortune in going out of the world, since he was timorous, and had many blows levelled at his neck, because he did not stretch it out boldly, [as he ought to have done.]

6. Now a few days after this, as the parental solemnities were just at hand, the Roman multitude made their usual oblations to their several ghosts, and put portions into the fire in honour of Cherea, and besought him to be merciful

*This piercing cold, here complained of by Lupus, agrees well to the time of the year when Clandins began his reign; it being for certain, about the months of November, December, or January, and most probably a few days after January 24th, and a few days before the Rouran Parentalia.

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to them, and not continue his anger against ingratitude. And this was the end of the lif came to. But for Sabinus, although Claudi him at liberty, but gave him leave to retain hi mand in the army, yet did he think it wou him to fail of performing his obligations to federates so he fell upon his sword, and kille wound reaching up to the very hilt of the sw

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How Claudius restored to Agrippa his grandfat and augmented his dominions: and how he edict in behalf of the Jews.

1. Now when Claudius had taken out those soldiers whom he suspected, which h ately, he published an edict, and therein c kingdom to Agrippa which Caius had given hi in commended the king very highly. He also

* It is both here and elsewhere very remarkable derers of the vilest tyrants, who yet highly deserve those murderers were under oaths. or other the like fidelity to them, were usually revenged, and the cut off themselves, and that after a remarkable ma sometimes, as in the present case, by those very per not sorry for such murders, but got kingdoms by the ples are very numerous both in sacred and profane seem generally indications of divine vengeance on s Nor is it unworthy of remark, that such murderers usually on such il principles, in such a cruel manner to involve the innocent with the guilty, which was chap. i. § 14. and chap. ii. 4. as justly deserved th geance upon them. Which seems to have been the also, when, besides the house of Ahab, for whose sla a commission from God, without any such commissio or commiseration, he killed Ahab's great men, and and priests, and forty-two of the kindred of Ahazia 11, 13, 14. See Hosea, i. 4. I do not mean here to co or Judith, or the like executioners of God's venge wicked tyrants, who had unjustly oppressed God's of der their theocracy; who, as they appear stil to hav ish designs nor intentions to slay the innocent, so ha

I dition to it, of all that country over which Herod, who was his grandfather, had reigned, that is, Judea, and Samaria; and this he restored to him as due to his family. But for Abila of Lysanias, and all that lay at mount Libanus, he bestowed them upon him as out of his own territories. He also made a league with this Agrippa, confirmed by oaths, in the middle of the forum, in the city of Rome; he also took away from Antiochus that kingdom which he was possessed of, but gave him a certain part of Cilicia, and Commagena: he also set Alexander Lysimachus, the alabarch, at liberty, who had been his old friend, and steward to his mother Antonia, but had been imprisoned by Caius, whose son [Marcus] married Berenice, the daughter of Agrippa. But when Marcus, Alexander's son, was dead, who had married her when she was a virgin, Agrippa gave her in marriage to his brother Herod, and begged for him of Claudius the kingdom of Chalcis.

2. Now about this time there was a sedition between the Jews and the Greeks, at the city of Alexandria: for when Caius was dead, the nation of the Jews which had been very much mortified under the reign of Caius, and reduced to very great distress by the people of Alexandria, recovered itself, and immediately took up their arms to fight for themselves. So Claudius sent an order to the president of Egypt, to quiet that tumult: he also sent an edict, at the request of king Agrippa, and king Herod, both to Alexandria and to Syria, whose contents were as follow: "Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, high-priest, and tribune of the people, ordains thus. Since I am assured that the Jews of Alexandria, called Alexandrians, have been joint inhabitants in the earliest times with the Alexandrians, and have obtained from their kings equal privileges with them, as is evident by the public records that are in their possession, and the edicts themselves; and that after Alexandria had been

* Here St. Luke is in some measure confirmed, when he informs us, chap. iii. 1. that Lysanias was some time before tetrarch of Abilene, whose capital was Abila; as he is farther confirmed by Pto lemy, the great geographer, which Spanheim here observes, when he calls that city Abila of Lysanias. See the note on B. xvii. chap. xi § 4. and Prid. at the years 36 and 22. I esteem this principality to have belonged to the land of Canaan originally, to have been the burying place of Abel, and referred to as such, Matt. xxiii. 35. Luke xi. 51. See Authent. Rec. part ii. page 833-885.

subjected to our empire by Augustus, their rights and privi. leges had been preserved by those presidents who have at divers times been sent thither; and that no dispute had been raised about those rights and privileges, even when Aquila was governor of Alexandria; and that when the Jewish ethnarch was dead, Augustus did not prohibit the making such ethnarchs, as willing that all men should be so subject [to the Romans] as to continue in the observation of their own customs, and not be forced to transgress the ancient rules of their own country religion; but that in the time of Caius, the Alexandrians became insolent towards the Jews that were among them, which Caius, out of his great madness, and want of understanding, reduced the nation of the Jews very low, because they would not transgress the reli gious worship of their country, and call him a god. I will, therefore, that the nation of the Jews be not deprived of their rights and privileges, on account of the madness of Caius; but that those rights and privileges, which they formerly enjoyed, be preserved to them, and that they may continue in their own customs. And I charge both parties to take very great care that no troubles may arise after the promulgation of this edict."

3. And such were the contents of this edict on behalf of the Jews that was sent to Alexandria. But the edict that was sent into the other parts of the habitable earth was this which follows: "Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, high-priest, tribune of the people, chosen consul the second time, ordains thus. Upon the petition of king Agrippa, and king Herod, who are persons very dear to me, that I would grant the same rights and privileges should be preserved to the Jews which are in all the Roman empire, which I have granted to those of Alexandria, I very willingly comply therewith; and this grant I make not only for the sake of the petitioners, but as judging those Jews for whom I have been petitioned worthy of such a favour, on account of their fidelity and friendship to the Romans. I think it also very just that no Grecian city should be deprived of such rights and privileges, since they were preserved to them under the great Augustus. It will therefore be fit to permit the Jews, who are in all the world under us, to keep their ancient custom, without being hindered so to do. And I do now charge them also to use this my kindness to them with moderation, and not to show a contempt of the super.

stitious observances of other nations, but to keep their own laws only. And I will, that this decree of mine bé engraven on the tables by the magistrates of the cities, and colonies, and municipal places, both those within Italy, and those without it, both kings and governors, by the means of the ambassadors, and to have them exposed to the public for full thirty days, in such a place,* whence it may plainly be read from the ground."

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What things were done by Agrippa at Jerusalem, when he was returned back into Judea: and what it was that Petronius wrote to the inhabitants of Doris in behalf of the Jews.

1. Now Claudius Caesar, by these decrees of his, which were sent to Alexandria, and to all the habitable earth, made known what opinion he had of the Jews. So he soon sent Agrippa away, to take his kingdom, now he was advanced to a more illustrious dignity than before, and sent letters to the presidents and procurators of the provinces, that they should treat him very kindly. Accordingly he returned in haste, as was likely he would, now he returned in so much greater prosperity, than he had before. He also came to Jerusalem, and offered all the sacrifices that belonged to him, and emitted nothing which the law required; on which account he ordained that many of the Nazarites should have their heads shorn. And for the golden chain which had been given him by Caius, of equal weight with that iron chain wherewith his royal hands had been bound, he hung it up

* This form was so known and frequent among the Romans, as Dr. Hudson here tells us, from the great Selden, that it is used to be thus represented at the bottom of their edicts, by the initial letters only, U. D. P. R. L. P. Unde De Plano Recte Legi Possit, "Whence it may plainly be read from the ground."

+ Josephus shows both here, and chap. vii. § 3. that he had a much greater opinion of king Agrippa I. than Simon the learned rabbi, than the people of Caesarea and Sebaste, chap. vii. § 4. and chap. 9. § 1. and indeed than his double dealing between the senate and Claudius, chap. iv. 2. than his slaughter of James, the brother of John, and his imprisonment of Peter, or his vain glorious behaviour before he died, both in Acts, xii. 1, 2, 3, and here, chap. iv. § 1. will justify or allow. Josephus's character was probably taken from his son Agrippa, junior.

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