At this the king was in such an extravagant that his commanders and friends should have passion, that he overcame his disease for the great sums of money given them. time; and went out, and made a speech to He then returned back, and came to Jerithe people herein he made a terrible accusa-cho, in such a melancholy state of body, as tion against those men; as being guilty of almost threatened him with present death: sacrilege and as making greater attempts when he proceeded to attempt a horrid wickedunder pretence of their law; and he thoughtness. they deserved to be punished as impious persons. Hereupon the people were afraid lest a great number should be found guilty: and desired, that when he had first punished those that put them upon this work, and then those that were caught in it, he would leave off his anger as to the rest. With this the king complied; though not without reluctance; and ordered those that had let themselves down, together with their Rabbins, to be burnt alive; but delivered the rest that were caught to the proper officers, to be put to death by them.

For he got together the most illustrious men of the whole Jewish nation, out of every village, into the hippodrome: and there shut them in. He then called for his sister Salome, and her husband Alexas, and made this speech to them: "I know well enough that the Jews will keep a festival upon my death. However, it is in my power to be mourned for on other accounts, and to have a splendid funeral, if you will but be subservient to my commands. Do but you take care to send soldiers to encompass these men that are now in custody, and slay them immediately upon my death; and then all Judea, and every family of them, will weep at it, whether they will or no." *

After this the distemper seized upon his whole body, and greatly disordered all its parts with various symptoms. For there was a gentle fever upon him; and an intolerable itching over all the surface of his body; and continual pains in his colon; and dropsical tumors about his feet; and an inflammation of the abdomen. Besides which, he had a difficulty of breathing upon him, and could not breathe but when he sat upright and had a convulsion of all his members insomuch that the diviners said, those diseases were a punishment upon him for what he had done to the Rabbins. Yet did he struggle with his numerous disorders; and still had a desire to live; and hoped for recovery; and considered of several methods of cure. cordingly he went over Jordan, and made use eat them. He then looked round about to see of those hot baths at Callirrhoe which run into that there was nobody to hinder him and the lake Asphaltites, but are themselves sweet lifted up his right hand, as if he would stab enough to be drunk. And here the physicians himself. But Achiabus, his first cousin, came thought proper to bathe his whole body by running to him, and held his hand, and hinletting it down into a large vessel full of oil. dered him from so doing. On which occasion But his eyes failed him; and he came and a very great lamentation was made in the went as if he were dying. And as a tumult palace: as if the king were expiring. As was then made by his servants; at their voice soon as Antipater heard that, he took courage; he revived again. Yet did he after this des- and, with joy in his looks, besought his keeppair of recovery; and gave orders that eachers, for a sum of money, to loose him, and let soldier should have fifty drachmæ apiece; and him go. But the principal keeper of the

When he had given these commands, there came letters from his ambassadors at Rome, whereby information was given that Acme was put to death at Cæsar's command; and that Antipater was condemned to die. However, they wrote withal, that if Herod had a wind rather to banish him, Cæsar permitted him so to do. So he, for a little while, revived, and had a desire to live. But presently after he was overborne by his pains; and was disordered by want of food, and by a convulsive cough, and endeavored to prevent a natural death. So he took an apple, and askAc-ed for a knife; for he used to pare apples, and

* We have a large citation of this, in Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. I. 8. and that as taken out of Josephus's second book of the Jewish War. By which we learn that our present distinction of these two books of the Jewish War, both in

the Greek original, and Ruffinus's old version, is different from that used by Eusebius; and that this first very long book was not, in his copy, so much longer than any of the other six as it now is.

prison did not only obstruct him in that inten-read his testament; wherein Philip was to tion, but ran and told the king what his inherit Trachonitis, and the neighbouring design was. Hereupon the king cried out countries; and Antipas was to be tetrarch, louder than his distemper would well bear; and Archelaus was made king. He had also and immediately sent some of his guards, and been commanded to carry Herod's ring to slew Antipater. He also gave order to have Caesar, and the settlements he had made him buried at Hyrcanium, and altered his sealed up, because Cæsar was to be lord of testament again, and therein made Archelaus, all the settlements he had made; and was to his eldest son, and the brother of Antipater, confirm his testament. And he ordered that his successor, and made Antipas tetrarch.* the other dispositions he had made were to be kept as they were in his former testament. So there was an acclamation made to Archelaus, to congratulate him upon his advancement; and the soldiers, with the multitude, went round about in troops, and promised him their good will; and, besides, prayed God to bless his government. After this, they betook themselves to prepare for the king's funeral. And Archelaus omitted nothing of magnificence therein; but brought out all the

So Herod, having survived the slaughter of his son five days, died; having reigned thirtyfour years, since he had caused Antigonus to be slain, and obtained his kingdom; but thirty-seven years since he had been made king by the Romans. Now, as for his fortune, it was prosperous in all other respects, if ever any other man could be so since from a private man he obtained a kingdom; and kept it so long; and left it to his own sons. But still, in his domestic affairs, he was most un-royal ornaments to augment the pomp of the fortunate. Now before the soldiers knew of his death, Salome and her husband came out, and dismissed those that were in bonds, whom the king had commanded to be slain; and told them, that he had altered his mind; and would have every one of them sent to their own homes. When these men were gone, Salome told the soldiers the king was dead: and got them, and the rest of the multitude, together to an assembly, in the amphitheatre at Jericho. There Ptolemy, who was intrusted by the king with his signet-ring, came before them, and spake of the happiness the king had attained; and comforted the multitude ; and read the epistle which had been left for the soldiers; wherein he earnestly exhorted them to bear good will to his successor. And after he had read the epistle, he opened and Antiq. XVII. 8.

deceased. There was a bier all of gold embroidered with precious stones; and a purple bed of various contexture, with the dead body upon it, covered with purple; and a diadem was put upon his head, and a crown of gold above it, and a sceptre in his right hand. And near to the bier were Herod's sons, and a multitude of his kindred. Next came his guards, and the regiment of Thracians; the Germans also, and Gauls, all accoutred as if they were going to war. But the rest of the army went foremost, armed; and following their captains and officers in a regular inan

ner.

After whom, five hundred of the domestic servants and freed-men followed with † sweet spices in their hands. And the body was carried two hundred furlongs, to Herodium, where he had given orders to be buried.

+ See Mar. xvi. 1. Luke xxiii. 56. John xix. 40.

1

BOOK II.

Containing an Interval of 69 Years.

FROM THE DEATH OF HEROD, TILL VESPASIAN WAS SENT TO SUBDUE THE JEWS
BY NERO.

Now

soldiers would have set the diadem on his head at Jericho, he would not accept of it: bat that he would make abundant requitals, not to the soldiers only, but to the people, for their alacrity and good will to him, when the ‡ superior lords should have given him a complete title to the kingdom; for that it should be his study to appear in all things better than his father.

OW the necessity which Archelaus was under of taking a journey to Rome was the occasion of new disturbances. For when Upon this the multitude were pleased; and he had mourned for his father seven † days, presently made a trial of what he intended, by and had given a very expensive funeral feast asking great things of him. For some made to the multitude: (which custom is the occa- a clamor that he would ease them in their sion of poverty to many of the Jews; because taxes; others that he would take off the duties they are forced to feast the multitude; for if upon commodities; and some, that he would any one omit it, he is not esteemed a holy per-liberate those that were in prison. In all which son:) he put on a white garment, and went up to the temple, where the people accosted him with various acclamations. He also spake kindly to the multitude, from an elevated seat, and a throne of gold; and returned them thanks for the zeal they had shewn about his father's funeral; and the submission they had made to him, as if he were already settled in the kingdom. But he told them withal, that he would not, at present, take upon him either the authority of a king, or the names thereto belonging, until Cæsar, who was made lord of this whole affair by the testament, should confirm the succession. For that when the

cases, he answered readily to their satisfaction, in order to get the good will of the multitude. He then offered the proper sacrifices, and feasted with his friends. And here it was that a great many of those that desired innovations came in crowds towards the evening; and began to mourn on their own account, when the public mourning for the king was over. These lamented those men that were put to death by Herod, because they had cut down the golden eagle that had been over the gate of the temple. Nor was this a mourning of a private nature: but the lamentations were very great, the mourning solemn, and

Gen. I. 10. Funeral feasts are also mentioned as of considerable antiquity. Ezek. xxiv. 17. Jer. xvi. 7. Prov. xxxi. 6. Deut. xxvi. 14. Josephus, Of the War. III. 9.

"The law, or custom of the Jews, says Dean Aldrich, requires seven days mourning for the dead. Antiq. XVII. 8. Whence the author of the book of Ecclesiasticus, xxii. 12. assigns seven days as the proper time of To make a funeral feast was anciently a method of mourning for the dead: and xxxviii. 17. enjoins men to honoring the dead, and is still continued in the east. mourn for the dead, that they may not be evil spoken of. Chardin says, "The Oriental Christians still make banFor, as Josephus says presently, if any one omit thisquets of this kind, by a custom derived from the Jews; mourning (funeral feast) he is not esteemed a holy per- and I have been many times present at them among the Now it is certain, that such a seven-days' mourning Armenians in Persia." See Jer. xvi. 8. B. has been customary from times of the greatest antiquity.

son.

The Romans.

the

the weeping such as was loudly heard all over After which, they betook themselves to their the city; as being for men who had perished sacrifices, as if they had done no mischief. for the laws of their country, and for the Nor did it appear to Archelaus that the multitemple. They cried out, that a punishment tude could be restrained without bloodshed. ought to be inflicted for these men upon those So he sent his whole army upon them; the that were honored by Herod; and that, in the || footmen in great multitudes by the way of the first place, the man whom he had made high-city, and the horsemen by the plain: who priest should be deprived; and that it was fit to choose a person of greater piety and purity than he was.