frequent miftakes they make in point of government; for fhe always preferred the prefent to futurity, and preferred the power of an imperious dominion above all things, and in comparison of that had no regard to what was good, or what was right. However, fhe brought the affairs of her house to fuch an unfortunate condition, that he was the occafion of the taking away that authority from it, and that in no long time afterward, which fhe had obtained by a vast number of hazards and misfortunes, and this out of a defire of what does not belong to a woman, and all by a compliance in her fentiments with those that bare ill-will to their family, and by leaving the adminiftration deftitute of a proper fupport of great men ; and indeed, her management during her adminiftration, while fhe was alive, was fuch, as filled the palace after her death with calamities and difturbance. However, although this had been her way of governing, fhe preserved the nation in peace. And this is the conclufion of the affairs of Alexandra.

BOOK XIV.

Containing the interval of thirty-two years.

[From the Death of Queen ALEXANDRA to the Death of ANTIGONUS.]

CHAP. I.

The War between Ariftobulus and Hyrcanus about the Kingdom; and how they made an agreement, that Ariftobulus fhould be King, and Hyrcanus live a private life; as alfo how Hyrcanus a little afterward, was perfuaded by Antipater to fly to Aretas. E have related the affairs of queen Alexandra, and

1.

WE related to foregoing book, and, will now fpeak of what followed, and was connected with thofe histories; declaring before we proceed, that we have nothing fo much at heart as this, that we may * omit no facts either through ignorance or laziness, for we are upon the history and explication of fuch things as the greateft part are unacquainted withal, becaule of their distance from our times; and we aim to do it with a proper beauty of ftile, fo far as that is derived from proper words harmonically difpofed, and from fuch ornaments of fpeech alfo as may contribute to the pleasure of our readers, that they may entertain the knowledge of what we write with fome agreeable fatisfaction and pleasure. But the principal icope that authors ought to aim at above all the reft, is to fpeak accurately, and to fpeak truly, for the fatisfaction of thofe that are otherwife unacquainted with fuch tranfactions, and obliged to believe what thele writers inform them of.

2. Hyrcanus then began his high priesthood on the third year of the hundred feventy-feventh olympiad, when Quintus Hortenfius and Quintus Metellus, who was called Metellus of Crete, were confuls at Rome; when prefently Aristobulus began to make war against him, and as it came to a bat tle with Hyrcanus at Jericho, many of his foldiers deferted him, and went over to his brother: Upon which Hyrcanus fled into the citadel, where Ariftobulus's wife and children were imprifoned by their mother, as we have faid already, and attacked and overcame those his adversaries that had fled thither,

* Reland takes notice here, very justly, how Jofephus's declaration, that it was his great concern not only to write an agreeable, an accurate, and a true history, but allo diftinctly not to omit any thing [of confequence], either through ignorance, or lazinefs, implies, that he could not, confiftently with that refolution, omit the meation of [fo famous a person as] Jesus Christ.

and lay within the walls of the temple. So when he had fent a meffage to his brother about agreeing the matters between them, he laid afide his enmity to him on thefe conditions, that Ariftobulus fhould be king; that he fhould live without intermeddling with public affairs, and quietly enjoy the estate. he had acquired. When they had agreed upon thefe terms in the temple, and had confirmed the agreement with oaths, and the giving one another their right hands, and embracing one another in the fight of the whole multitude, they departed, the one, Ariftobulus, to the palace, and Hyrcanus as a private man to the former houfe of Ariftobulus.

3. But there was a certain friend of Hyrcanus's, an Idumean, called Antipater, who was very rich, and in his nature an active and a feditious man; who was at enmity with Ariftobulus, and bad differences with him on account of his goodwill to Hyrcanus. It is true that Nicolaus of Damafcus fays, that Antipater was of the stock of the principal Jews who came out of Babylon into Judea, but that affertion of his was to gratify Herod, who was his fon, and who, by certain revolutions of fortune, came afterward to be king of the Jews, whofe hiftory we fhall give you in its proper place hereafter. However, this Antipater was at firft called* Antipas, and that was his father's name alfo; of whom they relate this, that king Alexander and his wife made him general of all Idumea, and that he made a league of friendship with thofe Arabians, and Gazites, and Afcalonites, that were of his own party, and had, by many and large prefents, made them his faft friends. But now, this younger Antipater was fufpicious of the power of Ariftobulus, and was afraid of fome mifchief he might do him, because of his hatred to him, to he ftirred up the most powerful of the Jews and talked againft him to them privately; and faid, that it was unjuft to overlook the conduct of Ariftobulus, who had gotten the government unrighteoufly, and ejected his brother out of it, who was the elder, and ought to retain what belonged to him by prerogative of his birth." And the fame fpeeches he perpetually made to Hyrcanus; and told him, that his own life would be in danger, unlefs he guarded himself, and got fhut of Ariftobulus; for he faid, that the friends of Ariftobulus omitted no opportunity of advising him to kill him, as being then, and not before, fure to retain his principality. Hyrcanus gave no credit to these words of his, as being of a gentle difpofition, and one that did not easily admit of calumnies against other men. This temper of his not difpofing him to meddle with public affairs, and want of fpirit occafioned him to appear to spectators to be degenerous and

That the famous Antipater's or Antipas's father was alfo Antipater or Antipas, (which two may juftly be efteemed one and the fame name, the former with a Greek or Gentile, the latter with an Hebrew or Jewish termination,) Jofephus here affures us, though Eufebius indeed fays it was Herod.

unmanly; while Ariftobulus was of a contrary temper, an active man, and one of a great and generous foul.

4. Since therefore Antipater faw that Hyrcanus did not attend to what he faid, he never ceafed, day by day, to charge feigned crimes upon Ariftobulus, and to calumniate him before him, as if he had a mind to kill him; and fo, by urging him perpetually he advised him, and perfuaded him to fly to Aretas, the king of Arabia; and promifed, that if he would comply with his advice, he would also himself affift him, [and go with him]. When Hyrcanus heard this, he faid, that it was for his advantage to fly away to Aretas. Now Arabia is a country that borders upon Judea. However, Hyrcanus fent Antipater first to the king of Arabia, in order to receive affurances from him, that when he thould come in the manner of a fupplicant to him, he will not deliver him up to his enemies. So Antipater having received fuch affurances, returned to Hyrcanus to Jerufalem. A while afterward he took Hyrcanus, and ftole out of the city by night, and went a great journey, and came and brought him to the city called Petra, where the palace of Aretas was; and as he was a very familiar friend of that king's, he perfuaded him to bring back Hyrcanus, into Judea, and this perfuafion he continued every day without any remiflion. He alfo propofed to make him prefents on that account. At length he prevailed with Aretas in his fuit. Moreover Hyrcanus promised him that when he had been brought thither, and had received his kingdom, he would restore that country, and those twelve cities which his father Alexander had taken from the Arabians, which were thefe, Medaba, Naballo, Libias Tharabafa Agala, Athone, Zoar, Orone, Marilla, Rudda, Luffa, and Oruba.

CHA P. II,

How Aretas and Hyrcanus made an Expedition against Ariftobulus, and befieged Jerufalem; and how Scaurus, the Roman General, raifed the fiege. Concerning the Death of Onias.

1. AFTER these promises had been given to Aretas, he

made an expedition againft Ariftobulus, with an army of fifty thoufand horfe and foot, and beat him in the battle. And when after that victory many went over to Hyrcanus as deferters, Ariftobulus was left defolate, and fled to Jerufalem; upon which the king of Arabia took all his army and made an aflault upon the temple, and befieged Ariftobulus therein, the people fill fupporting Hyrcanus, and affifting him in the fiege, while none but the priests continued with Ariftobulus. So Aretas united the forces of the Arabians and of the Jews together, and preffed on the fiege vigorously. As this happened at the time when the feast of unleavened bread was celebrated,

which we call the paflover, the principal men among the Jews left the country, and fled into Egypt. Now there was one, whose name was Onias, a righteous man he was, and beloved of God, who, in a certain drought, had prayed to God to put an end to the intenfe heat, and whofe prayers God had heard, and had fent them rain. This man had hid himfelf, because he faw that this feditoin would laft a great while. However, they brought him to the Jewish camp, and defired, that as by his prayers he had once put an end to the drought, fo he would in like manner make imprecations on Ariftobulus and thofe of his faction. And when, upon his refufal, and the excuses that he made, he was ftill by the multitude compelled to speak, he ftood up in the midst of them, and faid, "O God, the king of the whole world! fince thofe that ftand now with me are thy people, and those that are befieged are alfo thy priests, I befeech thee that thou wilt neither hearken to the prayers of those against these, nor bring to effect what these pray against those." Whereupon fuch wicked Jews as flood about him, as foon as he had made this prayer, Itoned him to death.

2. But God punithed them immediately for this their barbarity, and took vengeance of them for the murder of Onias, in the manner following: While the priests and Ariftobulus were befieged, it happened that the feaft call the Pallover was come, at which it is our custom to offer a great number of facrifices to God; but thofe that were with Ariftobulus wanted facrifices, and defired that their country men without would furnish them with fuch facrifices, and allured them they fhould have as much money for them as they fhould defire; and when they required them to pay a thousand drachmæ for each head of cattle, Ariltobulus and the priests willingly undertook to pay for them ac cordingly and thofe within let down the money over the walls, and gave it them. But when the others had received it, they did not deliver the facrifices, but arrived at that height of wick edness as to break the affurances they had given, and to be guil ty of impiety towards God, by not furnithing thofe that wanted them with facrifices. And when the priests found they had been cheated, and that the agreements they had made were violated, they prayed to God, that he would avenge them on their countrymen. Nor did he delay that their punithment, but ient a ftrong and vehement ftorm of wind that deftroyed the fruits of the whole country, till a modious of wheat was then bought for eleven drachmæ.

3. In the mean time Pompey fent Scaurus into Syria, while he was himself in Armenia, and making war with Tigranes: But when Scaurus was come to Damafcus, and found that Lollius and Metellus had newly taken the city, he came himself haftily into Judea. And when he was come thither, ambaffadors came to him, both from Ariftobulus and Hyrcanus, and both defired he would affift them. And when both of them promised to give him money, Ariftobulus four hundred talents,