1 СНАР. Х. OF THE ORDERS WHICH CAIUS ISSUED RELATIVE TO THE EREC TION OF HIS STATUE IN THE TEMPLE OF JERUSALEM; AND OF NOW Caius Cæsar did so grossly abuse the fortune he had arrived at as to take himself to be a god; and to desire to be so called; and to cut off those of the greatest nobility out of his country. He also extended his impiety as far as the Jews.— Accordingly he sent Petronius with an army to Jerusalem to place his statue in the temple: *and commanded, that in case the Jews would not admit of it, he should slay those that opposed, and carry all the rest of the nation into captivity. But God concerned himself with these commands. However, Pe tronius marched out of Antioch into Judea, with three legions, and many Syrian auxiliaries. Now as to the Jews, some of them could not believe the stories that spake of a war: but those that did believe them were in the utmost distress how to defend themselves. And the terror diffused itself presently through them all. For the army was already come to Ptolemais. This Ptolemais is a maritime city of Galilee built in the great plain. It is encompassed with mountains. That on the east side, sixty furlongs off, belongs to Galilee: but that on the south belongs to Carmel, which is distant from it a hundred and twenty furlongs. And that on the north is the highest of them all, and is called by the people of the country, the ladder of the Tyrians, which is at the distance of a hundred furlongs. The very small river †Belus runs by it, at the distance of two fur * Whatever compliances the Jews might be disposed to make to his will, it was highly improbable they would concede this point, because their law was so express against idolatry, and they were remarkably tenacious of the sanctity of their temple. B. + This account of a place, near the mouth of the river Belus in Phoenicia, whence came that sand out of which the ancients made their glass, is a known thing in history; particularly in Tacitus and Strabo, and more largely in Pliny < as Aldrich and Spanheim here inform us. longs. Near which there is *Memnon's monument; and near it is a place no larger than a hundred cubits, which deserves admiration. For the place is round, and hollow, and affords such sand as glass is made of: which place when it hath been emptied by the many ships there loaded, it is filled again by the winds, which bring into it, as it were on purpose, that sand which lay remote, and was no more than bare common sand: while this mine presently turns it into glassy sand. And what is still more wonderful, that glassy sand which is superfluous, and is once removed out of the place, becomes bare common sand again. And this is the nature of the place we are speaking of. But now the Jews got together in great numbers, with their wives and children, into that plain that was by Ptolemais; and made supplication to Petronius, first for their laws, and in the next place for themselves. So he was prevailed upon by the multitude of the supplicants, and by their supplications; and left his army and the statue at Ptolemais, and then went forward into Galilee; and called together the multitude, and all the men of note to Tiberius, and showed them the power of the Romans, and the threatenings of Cæsar: and besides this, proved that their petition was unreasonable; because while all the nations in subjection to them had placed the images of Cæsar in their several cities, among the rest of their gods, for them alone to oppose it, was almost like the behaviour of revolters, and was injurious to Cæsar. And when they insisted on their law, and the customs of their country; and how it was not only not permitted them to make either an image of God, or, indeed, of a man, and to put it in any despicable part of their country, much less in the temple; Petronius replied, "And am not I also bound to keep the law of my own lord? For if I transgress it, and spare you, it is but just that I perish: while he that sent me, and not I, will commence a war against you: for I am under command as well as you." *This Memnon had several monuments: and one of them appears, both by Strabo and Diodorus, to have been in Syria: and not improbably in this very place. See Dean Aldrich's note here. Hereupon the whole multitude cried out, that they were ready to suffer for their law. Petronius then quieted them, and said : "Will you then make war against Cæsar?" The Jews said, "We offer sacrifice twice every day for Cæsar and for the Roman people but if he will place images among us, he must first sacrifice the whole Jewish nation: and we are ready to expose ourselves, together with our children and wives, to be slain." At this Petronius was astonished, and pitied them on account of the inexpressible sense of religion the men were under, and that courage of theirs which made them ready to die for it. So they were dismissed without success. upon But on the following days he got together the men of power privately, and the multitude publicly, and some times he used persuasions, and sometimes he gave them his advice; but he chiefly made use of threatenings to them, and insisted upon the power of the Romans, and the anger of Caius: and besides, the necessity he was himself under to do as he was enjoined. But as they could be no way prevailed upon, and he saw that the country was in danger of lying without tillage, (for it was about seed-time that the multitude continued for fifty days together idle,) he at last got them together, and told them, that it was best for him to run some hazard himself. "For," said he," either by the divine assistance, I shall prevail with Cæsar, and shall myself escape the danger as well as you, which will be matter of joy to us both or, in case Cæsar continue in his rage, I will be ready to expose my own life for such a great number as you are." Hereupon he dismissed the multitude, who prayed greatly for his prosperity; and he took the army out of Ptolemais, and returned to Antioch: from whence he presently sent an epistle to Cæsar, and informed him of the irruption he had made into Judea, and of the supplications of the nation; and that unless he had a mind to lose both the country, and the men in it, he must permit them to keep their law, and must countermand his former injunction. Caius answered that epistle in a violent way; and threatened to have Petronius put to death for his being so tardy in the execution of what he had commanded. But it happened that those who brought Caius's epis tle were tossed by a storm, and were detained on the sea for three months; while others that brought the news of Caius's death had a good voyage. Accordingly Petronius received the epistle concerning Caius seven and twenty days before he received that which was against himself. CHAP. XI. OF THE GOVERNMENT OF ClaudiuS, AND THE REIGN OF AGRIPPA. ALSO CONCERNING THE DEATHS OF AGRIPPA AND OF HEROD; AND WHAT CHILDREN THEY BOTH LEFT BEHIND THEM. NOW when Caius had reigned three years and eight months, and had been slain by treachery, Claudius was hurried away by the armies that were at Rome to take the government upon him. But the senate, upon the reference of the consuls, Sentius Saturninus, and Pomponius Secundus, gave orders to the three regiments of soldiers that staid with them to keep the city quiet; and went up into the capitol, in great numbers, and resolved to oppose Claudius by force, on account of the barbarous treatment they met with from Caius; and they determined either to settle the nation under an aristocracy, as they had of old been governed; or at least to choose by vote such a one for emperor as might be worthy of it. Now it happened at this time Agrippa sojourned at Rome; and that both the senate called him to consult with them; and at the same time Claudius sent for him out of the camp; that he might be serviceable to him as he should have occasion for his service. So he perceiving that Claudius was in effect made Cæsar already, went to him: who sent him as an ambassador to the senate, to let them know what his intentions were: that, in the first place, it was without his seeking, that he was hurried away by the soldiers: moreover that he thought it was not just to desert those soldiers in such their zeal for him; and that, if he should do so, his own fortune would be in uncertainty: for that it was a dangerous case to have been once called to the empire. He added farther, that he would administer the government as a good prince, and not like a tyrant: for that he would be satisfied with the honour of being called emperor; but would, in every one of his actions, permit them all to give him their advice for that although he had not been by nature for moderation, yet would the death of Caius afford him a sufficient demonstration how soberly he ought to act in that station. : This message was delivered by Agrippa. To which the senate replied, that since they had an army, and the wisest counsels on their side, they would not endure a voluntary slavery. And when Claudius heard what answer the senate had made, he sent Agrippa to them again with the following message, that he could not bear the thoughts of betraying them that had given their oaths to be true to him, and that he saw he must fight, though unwillingly that however, if he must come to that, it was proper to choose a place without the city for the war; because it was not agreeable to piety to pollute the temples of their own city with the blood of their countrymen; and this only on occasion of their imprudent conduct. And when Agrippa had heard this message, he delivered it to the senators. In the mean time one of the soldiers belonging to the senate drew his sword, and cried out, "O my fellow soldiers, what is the meaning of this choice of ours, to kill our brethren, and to use violence to our kindred that are with Claudius? while we may have him for our emperor whom no one can blame; and who hath so many just reasons to lay claim to the government: and this with regard to those against whom we are going to fight." When he had said this, he marched through the whole senate, and carried all the soldiers along with him. Upon which all the patricians were immediately in a great fright at being thus deserted and because there appeared no other way whither they could turn themselves for deliverance, they made haste the same way with the soldiers, and went to Claudius. But those that had the greatest luck in flattering the good fortune of Claudius betimes, met them before the walls with their naked swords: and there was reason to fear that those that came first might have been in danger, before Claudius could know what violence the soldiers were going to offer them, had |