grieved at them, and envied him for them: and that when he walked along with his father, he endeavoured to depress and shorten himself, that he might not appear too tall: and that when he shot at any thing, as he was hunting, when his father was by, he missed his mark on purpose; for he knew how ambitious his father was of being superior in such exercises.* So when the man was tortured about his saying, and had ease given his body after it, he added, that he had his brother Aristobulus for his assistance; and contrived to lie in wait for their father, as they were hunting, and kill him; and when they had done so, to flee away to Rome, and desire to have the kingdom given them. There were also letters of the young man found, written to his brother; wherein he complained, that his father did not act justly in giving Antipater a country whose yearly revenues amounted to two hundred talents. Upon these confessions Herod presently thought he had somewhat to depend on, in his own opinion, as to his suspicion about his son. So he took up Alexander and bound him. Yet did he still continue` to be uneasy, and was not quite satisfied of the truth of what he had heard. And when he came to recollect himself, he found that they had only made juvenile complaints, and contentions; and that it was an incredible thing, that when his son should have slain him, he should openly go to Rome to beg the kingdom. So he was desirous to have some surer mark of his son's wickedness; and was very solicitous about it, that he might not appear to have condemned him to be put in prison too rashly. So he tortured the principal of Alexander's friends, and put not a few of them to death, without getting any of those things out of.. them which he suspected. And while Herod was very busy about this matter, and the palace was full of terror and trouble, one of the younger sort, when he was in the utmost agony, confessed, that Alexander had sent to his friends at Rome, and desired that he might be quickly invited thither by Cæsar; and

* Ambition is not more despicable in itself, and in the eyes of others, than it is tormenting to the person in whose breast it reigns; especially if it invade the minds and destroy the peace, of such near relatives. B.

that he could discover a plot against him; that Mithridates, king of Parthia, was joined in friendship with his father against the Romans, and that he had a poisonous potion ready prepared to Ascalon.

To these accusations Herod gave credit; and enjoyed hereby, in his miserable case, some sort of consolation, in excuse of his rashness; as flattering himself with finding things in so bad a condition. But as for the poisonous potion, which he laboured to discover, he could find none. As for Alexander, he was very desirous to aggravate the vast misfortunes he was under. So he pretended not to deny the accusations, but punished the rashness of his father with a greater crime of his own; and perhaps he was willing to make his father ashamed of his easy belief of such calumnies; he aimed especially, if he could gain belief to his story, to plague him, and his whole kingdom. For he wrote four letters, and sent them to him, saying, that he need not torture any more persons, for he had plotted against him; and that he had for his partners Pheroras, and the most faithful of his friends; and that Salome came in to him by night, and that she lay with him whether he would or no; and that all men were come to be of one mind, to make away with him as soon as they could; and so get clear of the continual fear they were in from him. Among these were accused Ptolemy and Sapinnius; who were the most faithful friends to the king. And what more can be said? but that those who before were the most intimate friends, were become wild beasts to one another; as if a certain madness had fallen upon them: while there was no room for defence or refutation, in order to the discovery of the truth; but all were at random doomed to destruction. So that some lamented those that were in prison; some those that were put to death; and others lamented that they were in expectation of the same miseries. And a melancholy solitude rendered the kingdom deformed, and quite the reverse of that happy state it was formerly in. Herod's own life also was entirely disturbed; and because he could trust nobody, he was sorely punished by the expectation of farther misery. For he often fancied in his imagination, that his son had fallen upon him, or stood by him with a sword

in his hand. And thus was his mind night and day intent upon this thing, and he revolved it over and over, no otherwise than if he were under a distraction.

But when Archelaus, king of Cappadocia, heard of the state that Herod was in, he was in great distress about his daughter, and the young man her husband; and grieving with Herod, as with a man that was his friend, on account of so great a disturbance as he was under, he came to Jerusalem, *on purpose to compose their differences. And when he found Herod in such a temper, he thought it wholly unseasonable to reprove him, or to pretend that he had done any thing rashly; for that he should thereby naturally bring him to dispute the point; and by still more and more apologizing for himself, to be the more irritated. He went, therefore, another way to work, in order to correct the former misfortunes; and appeared angry at the young man, and said, that Herod had been so very mild, that he had not acted a rash part at all. He also said he would dissolve his daughter's marriage with Alexander; nor could in justice spare his own daughter, if she were conscious of any thing, and did not inform Herod of it. When Archelaus appeared to be of this temper, and otherwise than Herod expected or imagined; and for the main, took Herod's part, and was angry on his account; the king abated of his harshness, and took occasion from his appearing to have acted justly hitherto, to come by degrees to put on the affection of a father; and was on both sides to be pitied. For when some persons refuted the calumnies that were laid on the young man, he was thrown into a passion; but when Archelaus joined in the accusation, he was dissolved into tears and sorrow, after an affectionate manner. Accordingly, he desired that he would not dissolve his son's marriage; and became not so angry as before for his offences. So when Archelaus had brought him to a more moderate temper, he transferred the calumnies to his friends, and said it must be owing to them, that so young a man, and one unacquainted with malice, was corrupted; and he supposed that there was more reason to suspect the brother, than the son. Upon which

* An. 8.

Herod was very much displeased at Pheroras: who, indeed, had now no one that could make a reconciliation between him and his brother. So when he saw that Archelaus had the greatest power with Herod, he betook himself to him, in the habit of a mourner, and like one that had all the signs upon him of an undone man. Upon this Archelaus did not overlook the intercession he made to him, nor yet did he undertake to change the king's disposition towards him immediately. And he said, that it was better for him to come himself to the king, and confess himself the occasion of all; that this would make the king's anger not to be so extravagant towards him : and that then he would be present and assist him. When he had persuaded him to this, he gained his point with both of them and the calumnies raised against the young man were, beyond all expectation, wiped off. And Archelaus, as soon as he had made the reconciliation, went away to Cappadocia having proved, at this juncture of time, the most acceptable person to Herod in the world. On which account he gave him the richest presents, as tokens of his respect and being on other occasions magnanimous, he esteemed him one of his dearest friends. He also made an agreement with him, that he would go to Rome, because he had written to Cæsar about these affairs. So they went together as far as Antioch: and there Herod made a reconciliation between Archelaus, and *Titius, the president of Syria, who had been greatly at variance and so returned back to Judea.

CHAP. IX.

OF THE REVOLT OF THE TRACHONITES AND THE ACCUSATION
LAID AGAINST HEROD AT ROME.

WHEN Herod had been at Rome, and was come back again, a war arose between him and the Arabians,† on the

* This Titius is mentioned by Strabo, XVI. page 515. whence Dr. Hudson corrected the common reading of Titus. Which reading of Strabo is so fully confirmed by one Greek, and the greatest part of the Latin copies of Josephus, that it may justly be preferred before the other.

† An. 7.

following occasion.

The inhabitants of Trachon tis, *after Cæsar had taken the country from Zenodorus, and added it to Herod, had not now power to rob; but were forced to plough the land, and to live quietly, which was a thing they did not like. And when they did take that pains, the ground did not produce much fruit. However, at the first the king would not permit them to rob; and so they abstained from that unjust way of living upon their neighbours; which procured Herod a great reputation for his care. But when he was sailing to Rome, in order to accuse his son Alexander, and to commit Antipater to Cæsar's protection; the Trachonites spread a report as if he were dead, and revolted from his dominion, and betook themselves again to their accustomed way of robbing their neighbours. At which time the king's commanders subdued them during his absence. But about forty of the principal robbers, being terrified by those that had been taken, left the country, and retired into Arabia : Sylleus entertaining them after he had missed of marrying Salome, and giving them a place of strength, in which they dwelt. So they overran not only Judea, but all Cœlesyria also, and carried off the prey; while Sylleus afforded them places of protection and quietness during their wicked practices. But when Herod came back from Rome, he perceived that his dominions had greatly suffered from them; and since he could not reach the robbers themselves, because of the secure retreat they had in that country, and which the Arabian government afforded them: and yet being very uneasy at the injuries they had done him, he went over all Trachonitis, and slew their relations. Hereupon these robbers were more angry than before:

*This country, which is so called by the Greeks from its rough and craggy mountains, together with Ituræa, made in our Saviour's time one tetrarchy, i. e. one fourth part, or rather division, (for they were not equal parts,) of the kingdom of Herod the Great, when he died. It was anciently called Argob, Deut iii. 13, and, according to the best account, is bounded to the east by Arabia Deserta; to the west by Batanæa; to the south, by Ituræa; and to the north, by the country of Damascus : and as it was a province full of rocky hills, which served for a harbour to a great number of thieves and robbers, it often found employment for Herod the Great, (as we may see in the history of Josephus,) to expel them. Well's Geography of the New Testament; and Whitby's Table. B.