probabilities, as to the present accusation; they were able to do them mischief; and to make Herod take away that kindness from his sons, which he had before borne to them. For they did not say these things to him openly; but scattered abroad such words among the rest of the multitude. From which words, when carried to Herod, he was induced at last to hate them; and which natural affection itself, even in length of time, was not able to overcome. Yet was the king at that time in a condition to prefer the natural affection of a father before all the suspicions and calumnies his sons lay under. So he respected them as he ought to do; and married them to wives, now they were of an age suitable thereto. To Aristobulus he gave for a wife Bernice, Salome's daughter: and to Alexander, Glaphyra, the daughter of Archelaus, king of Cappadocia.

CHAP. II.

AGRIPPA, AT THE REQUEST OF HEROD, VISITS JUDEA; AND AFTERWARDS, UPON THE COMPLAINT OF THE JEWS IN IONIA, AGAINST THE GREEKS, HE CONFIRMS THEM IN THEIR PRIVILEGES.

WHEN Herod had despatched these affairs, and understood that Marcus Agrippa had sailed again out of Italy, into Asia, he hastened to him; and besought him to come into his kingdom, and to partake of what he might justly expect from one that had been his guest, and was his friend. This request he greatly pressed; and to it Agrippa agreed, and came into Judea. Whereupon Herod omitted nothing that might please him. He entertained him in his new built cities, and showed him the edifices he had built; and provided all sorts of the most costly dainties for him and his friends; and that at Sebaste, and Cæsarea, about that port that he had built; and at the fortresses which he had erected at great expenses, Alexandrium, and Herodium, and Hyrcania. He also conducted him to the city of Jerusalem; where all the people met him in their festival garments, and received him with acclamations. Agrippa also offered a hecatomb of sacrifices to God, and feasted the people;

without omitting any of the greatest dainties that could be purchased. He also took so much pleasure there, that he abode many days with them; and would willingly have staid longer, but that the season of the year made him hasten away. For, as winter was coming on, he thought it not safe to go to sea later; and yet he was of necessity to return to Ionia.

So Agrippa went away,* when Herod had bestowed on him, and on the principal of those that were with him, many presents. But king Herod, when he had passed the winter in his own dominions, made haste to go to him again in the spring; when he knew he designed to go to a campaign at the Bosphorus. So when he had sailed by Rhodes, and by Cos, he touched at Lesbos; as thinking he should have overtaken Agrippa there, but he was impeded by a north wind, which hindered his ship from going to the shore. So he continued many days at Chios; and there he kindly treated a great many that come to him, and obliged them by giving them royal gifts. And when he saw that the portico of the city was fallen down; which, as it was overthrown in the Mithridatic war, and was a very large and fine building, so was it not so easy to rebuild that, as it was the rest; yet did he furnish a sum more than sufficient to finish the building; and ordered them not to overlook that portico, but to rebuild it quickly; that so the city might recover its proper ornaments. And when the high winds were abated, he sailed to Mitylene, and thence to Byzantium: and when he heard that Agrippa was sailed beyond the Cyanean rocks, he made all the haste possible to overtake him; and came up with him about Sinope, in Pontus. He was seen sailing by the mariners most unexpectedly; but appeared to their great joy; and many friendly salutations took place between them. Insomuch that Agrippa thought he had received the greatest possible marks of the king's kindness; since the king had come so long a voyage, and at a very proper season for his assistance; and had left the government of his own dominions, and thought it more worth his while to come to him. Accordingly

* An. 14.

Herod was all in all to Agrippa in the management of the war; and a great assistant in civil affairs, and in giving him council as to particular matters. He was also a pleasant companion for him, when he relaxed himself; and a joint partaker with him in all things: in troubles, because of kindness; and in prosperity, because of the respect Agrippa had for him.

Now as soon as those affairs of Pontus were finished, for whose sake Agrippa was sent thither, they did not think fit to return by sea, but passed through Paphlagonia, and Cappadocia. They then travelled over great Phrygia, and came to Ephesus: and then they sailed from Ephesus to Samos. And indeed the king bestowed a great many benefits on every city that he came to, according as they stood in need of them. For as for those that wanted either money or kind treatment, he was not wanting to them; but supplied the former himself, out of his own expenses: he also became an intercessor with Agrippa for all such as sought after his favour; and he brought things so about, that the petitioners failed in none of their suits: Agrippa being himself of a good disposition, and great generosity, and ready to grant all such requests as might be advantageous to the petitioners; provided they were not to the detriment of others. The inclination of the king was also of great weight, and still excited Agrippa, who was himself ready to do good. For he made a reconciliation between the people of Ilium, at whom he was angry; and payed what money the people of Chios owed to Cæsar's procurators, and discharged them of their tributes; and helped all others, according as their several necessities required.

But when Agrippa and Herod were *in lonia, a great multitude of Jews, who dwelt in their cities, came to them; and embracing the opportunity and the liberty now given them, laid before them the injuries which they suffered: while they were not permitted to use their own laws; but were compelled to prosecute their law-suits, by the ill usage of the judges, upon their holydays; and were deprived of the money they used to lay up at Jerusalem; and were forced into the army, and upon such

*At the island Lesbos,

other offices as obliged them to spend their sacred money; from which burdens they always used to be exempted by the Romans, who had still permitted them to live according to their own laws. When this clamour was made, the king desired Agrippa that he would hear his cause; and assigned Nicolaus, one of his friends, to plead for their privileges. Accordingly, when Agrippa had called the principal of the Romans, and such of the kings and rulers as were there, to be his assessors, Nicolaus stood up, and pleaded for the Jews, as follows:

"It is of necessity incumbent on such as are in distress, to have recourse to those that have it in their power to free them from those injuries they lie under. And for those that now are complainants, they approach you with great assurance. For as they have formerly often obtained your favour, so far as they have even wished to have it; they now only entreat that you, who have been the donors, will take care that those favours you have already granted, may not be taken away from them. We have received these favours from you, who alone have power to grant them; but have them taken from us by such as are no greater than ourselves; and by such as we know are as much subjects as we are. And certainly, if we have been vouchsafed great favours, it is to our commendation, who have obtained them; as having been found deserving. And if those favours be but small ones, it would be barbarous for the donors not to confirm them to us. And for those that are the hinderance of the Jews, and use them reproachfully, it is evident that they affront both the receivers, while they will not allow those to be worthy men to whom their excellent rulers themselves have borne their testimony; and the donors, while they desire those favours already granted may be abrogated. Now if any one should ask these Gentiles, which of the two things they would choose to part with; their lives, or the customs of their forefathers, their solemnities, their sacrifices, and their festivals, which they celebrated in honour of those they supposed to be Gods? I know very well, that they would chose to suffer any thing, rather than a dissolution of the customs of their forefathers: for a great many of them have rather chosen to go to war on that

account, as very solicitous not to transgress in those matters.And indeed, we take an estimate of that happiness which all mankind now enjoy by your means from this very thing; that we are allowed every one to worship as our own institutions require, and yet to live in peace. And although they would not be thus treated themselves, yet do they endeavour to compel others to comply with them; as if it were not as great an instance of impiety, profanely to dissolve the religious solemnities of any others; as to be negligent in the observance of their own toward their gods. And let us now consider the one of these practices. Is there any people, city, or community of men, to whom your government, and the Roman power, does not appear to be the greatest blessing? Is there any one that can desire to make void the favours they have granted? No one is certainly so mad: for there are no men, but such as have been partakers of their favours, both public and private. And indeed those that take away what you have granted, can have no assurance, but every one of their own grants made them by you may be taken from them also. Which grants of yours can yet never be sufficiently valued. For if they consider the old governments under kings, together with your present government; besides the great number of benefits which this government hath bestowed on them, in order to their happiness; this is instead of all the rest, that they appear to be no longer in a state of slavery, but of freedom. Now the privileges we desire, even when we are in the best circumstances, are not such as deserve to be envied. For we are indeed in a prosperous state by your means; but this is only in common with others: and it is no more than this which we desire, to preserve our religion, without any prohibition; which as it appears not in itself a privilege to be envied us, so it is for the advantage of those that grant it to us. For if the Divinity delight in being honoured, it must delight in those that permit it to be honoured. And there are none of our customs which are inhuman; but all tending to piety, and devoted to the preservation of justice. Nor do we conceal those injunctions of ours, by which we govern our lives; they being memorials of piety, and of a friendly conversation among men.

VOL. III.

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