[of Judea and Arabia] she prevailed with Antony to commit the war against the Arabians to Herod; that so, if he got the better, she might become mistress of Arabia, or, if he were worsted, of Judea; and that she might destroy one of these kings by the other.

2. However, this contrivance tended to the advantage of Herod; for at the very first he took hostages from the enemy, and got together a great body of horse, and ordered them to march against them about Diospolis; and he conquered that army, although it fought resolutely against him. After which defeat, the Arabians were in great motion, and assembled themselves together at Kanatha, a city of Celesyria, in vast multitudes, and waited for the Jews. And when Herod was come thither, he tried to manage this war with particular prudence, and gave orders that they should build a wall about their camp; yet did not the multitude comply with those orders, but were so emboldened by their foregoing victory, that they presently attacked the Arabians, and beat them at the first onset, and then pursued them; yet were there snares laid for Herod in that pursuit; while Athenio, who was one of Cleopatra's generals, and always an antagonist to Herod, sent out of Kanatha the men of that country against him; for, upon this fresh onset, the Arabians took courage, and returned back, and both joined their numerous forces about stony places that were hard to be gone over, and there put Herod's men to the rout, and made a great slaughter of them: but those that escaped out of the battle fled to Ormiza, where the Arabians surrounded their camp, and took it, with all the men in it.

3. In a little time after this calamity, Herod came to bring them succours; but he came too late. Now the occasion of that blow was this, that the officers would not obey orders; for had not the fight begun so suddenly, Athenio had not found a proper season for the snares he laid for Herod: however, he was even with the Arabians afterward, and overran their country, and did them more harm than their single victory could compensate. But as he was avenging himself on his enemies, there fell upon him another providential calamity; for, in the seventh year of his reign, when the war about

This seventh year of the reign of Herod [from the conquest, or death of Antigonus] with the great earthquake in the beginning of the same spring, which are here fully implied to be not much before the fight at Actium, between Octavius and Antony, and which is known from the Roman historians to have been in the beginning of September, in the 31st year before the Christian æra, determines the chronology of Josephus as to the reign of Herod, viz. that he began in the year 37, beyond rational contradiction. Nor is it quite unworthy of our notice, that this seventh year of the reign of Herod, or the 31st before the Christian æra, contained the latter part of a sabbatic year; on which sabbatic year, therefore, it is plain, this great earthquake happened in Judea.

Actium was at the height, at the beginning of the spring, the earth was shaken, and destroyed an immense number of cattle, with thirty thousand men; but the army received no harm, because it lay in the open air. In the meantime the fame of this earthquake elevated the Arabians to greater courage, and this by augmenting it to a fabulous height, as is constantly the case in melancholy accidents, and pretending that all Judea was overthrown: upon this supposal, therefore, that they should easily get a land that was destitute of inhabitants into their power, they first sacrificed those ambassadors who were come to them from the Jews, and then marched into Judea immediately. Now the Jewish nation were affrighted at this invasion, and quite dispirited at the greatness of their calamities one after another; whom yet Herod got together, and endeavoured to encourage to defend themselves, by the following speech which he made to them.

4. "The present dread you are under seems to me to have "seized upon you very unreasonably. It is true, you might "justly be dismayed at that providential chastisement which "hath befallen you; but to suffer yourselves to be equally ter"rified at the invasion of men, is unmanly. As for myself, I am so far from being affrighted at our enemies after this "earthquake, that I imagine that God hath thereby laid a bait "for the Arabians, that we may be avenged on them; for their present invasion proceeds more from our accidental misfor"tunes, than that they have any great dependence on their

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weapons, or their own fitness for action. Now that hope "which depends not on men's own power, but on other's ill "success, is a very ticklish thing; for there is no certainty

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among men, either in their bad or good fortunes; but we "may easily observe, that fortune is mutable, and goes from one side to another; and this you may readily learn from 66 examples among yourselves; for, when you were once vic"tors in the former fight, your enemies overcame you at "last; and very likely it will now happen so, that these who "think themselves sure of beating you, will themselves be "beaten. For, when men are very confident, they are not upon their guard, while fear teaches men to act with cau"tion; insomuch, that I venture to prove from your very timorousness, that you ought to take courage; for when 66 you were more bold than you ought to have been, and "than I would have had you, and marched on, Athenio's "treachery took place; but your present slowness and seem"ing dejection of mind, is to me a pledge and assurance of "victory. And indeed it is proper before-hand to be thus provident; but when we come to action, we ought to erect

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66 our minds, and to make our enemics, be they ever so "wicked, believe, that neither any human, no nor any pro"vidential misfortune, can ever depress the courage of Jews "while they are alive; nor will any of them ever overlook an Arabian, or suffer such an one to become lord of his good things, whom he has in a manner taken captive, and that many times also. And do not you disturb yourselves at "the quaking of inanimate creatures, nor do you imagine "that this earthquake is another sign of another calamity; "for such affections of the elements are according to the "course of nature: nor does it import any thing farther to "men, than what mischief it does immediately of itself. "Perhaps there may come some short sign beforehand, in the "case of pestilences, and famines, and earthquakes; but "these calamities themselves have their force limited by "themselves [without forboding any other calamity.] And, "indeed, what greater mischief can the war, though it should "be a violent one do to us, than the earthquake hath done? "Nay, there is a signal of our enemies' destruction visible, "and that a very great one also; and this is not a natural

one, nor derived from the hand of foreigners neither; but "it is this, that they have barbarously murdered our ambas"sadors, contrary to the common law of mankind; and they "have destroyed so many, as if they esteemed them sacri"fices for God, in relation to this war. But they will not "avoid his great eye, nor his invincible right-hand; and we "shall be revenged of them presently, in case we still retain "any of the courage of our forefathers, and rise up boldly to "punish these covenant-breakers. Let every one therefore go on and fight, not so much for his wife or his children, or for the danger his country is in, as for these ambassa"dors of ours: those dead ambassadors will conduct this war "of ours better than we ourselves who are alive. And, if "you will be ruled by me, I will myself go before you into "danger; for you know this well enough, that your cou66 rage is irresistible, unless you hurt yourselves by acting "rashly."

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5. When Herod had encouraged them by this speech, and he saw with what alacrity they went, he offered sacrifice to God; and after that sacrifice he passed over the river Jordan with his army, and pitched his camp about Philadelphia, near the enemy, and about a fortification that lay between them. He then shot at them at a distance, and was desirous

*This speech of Herod is set down twice by Josephus, here, and Antiq. B. XV. ch. v. sect. 3. to the very same purpose, but by no means in the same words; whence it appears, that the sense was Herod's, but the composition Josephus's.

to come to an engagement presently; for some of them had been sent before-hand to seize upon that fortification: but the king sent some, who immediately beat them out of the fortification, while he himself went in the forefront of the army, which he put in battle-array every day, and invited the Arabians to fight. But as none of them came out of their camp, for they were in a terrible fright, and their general El themus was not able to say a word for fear; so Herod came upon them, and pulled their fortification to pieces, by which means they were compelled to come out to fight, which they did in disorder, and so that the horsemen and footmen were mixed together. They were indeed superior to the Jews in number, but inferior in their alacrity, although they were obliged to expose themselves to danger by their very despair of victory.

6. Now while they made opposition, they had not a great number slain; but as soon as they turned their backs, a great many were trodden to pieces by the Jews, and a great many by themselves, and so perished, till five thousand were fallen down dead in their flight, while the rest of the multitude prevented their immediate death, by crowding into the fortification. Herod encompassed these round, and besieged them; and while they were ready to be taken by their enemies in arms, they had another additional distress upon them, which was thirst and want of water; for the king was above bearkening to their ambassadors; and when they offered five hun. dred talents, as the price of their redemption, he pressed still harder upon them. And as they were burnt up by their thirst, they came out, and voluntarily delivered themselves up by multitudes to the Jews, till, in five days time, four thou sand of them were put into bonds; and on the sixth day, the multitude that were left despaired of saving themselves, and came out to fight; with these Herod fought, and slew again about seven thousand, insomuch, that he punished Arabia so severely, and so far extinguished the spirits of the men, that he was chosen by the nation for their ruler.

CHAP. XX.

Herod is confirmed in his kingdom by Cæsar, and cultivates a friendship with the emperor by magnificent presents; while Cæsar returns his kindness, by bestowing on him that part of his kingdom which had been taken away from it by Cleopatra, with the addition of Zenodorus's country also.

§ 1. BUT now Herod was under an immediate concern about a most important affair, on account of his friendship

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with Antony, who was already overcome at Actium by Casar: yet he was more afraid than hurt; for Cæsar did not think he had quite undone Antony, while Herod continued his assistance to him. However, the king resolved to expose himself to dangers: accordingly he sailed to Rhodes, where Cæsar then abode, and came to him without his diadem, and in the habit and appearance of a private person, but in his behaviour as a king. So he concealed nothing of the truth, but spake thus before his face: "O Caesar, as I was made king of the Jews by Antony, so do I profess that I have "used my royal authority in the best manner, and entirely "for his advantage; nor will I conceal this farther, that thou "hadst certainly found me in arms, and an inseparable com"panion of his, had not the Arabians hindered me. How66 ever, I sent him as many auxiliaries as I was able, and many ten thousand [cori] of corn. Nay, indeed, I did not "desert my benefactor after the blow that was given him at "Actium; but I gave him the best advice I was able, when "I was no longer able to assist him in the war; and I told "him, that there was but one way of recovering his affairs, "and that was to kill Cleopatra; and I promised him, that "if she were once dead, I would afford him money and walls "for his security, with an army and myself to assist him in "his war against thee: but his affections for Cleopatra stop"ped his ears, as did God himself also, who hath bestowed "the government on thee. I own myself also to be overcome together with him, and with his last fortune I have "laid aside my diadem, and am come hither to thee, having my hopes of safety in thy virtue; and I desire that thou "wilt first consider how faithful a friend, and not whose "friend I have been."

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2. Cæsar replied to him thus, "Nay thou shalt not only "be in safety, but shalt be a king, and that more firmly than thou wert before; for thou art worthy to reign over a great many subjects, by reason of the fastness of thy friendship and do thou endeavour to be equally constant "in thy friendship to me, upon my good success, which is "what I depend upon from the generosity of thy disposi"tion. However, Antony hath done well in preferring Cleo

patra to thee; for by this means we have gained thee by "her madness, and thus thou hast begun to be my friend, "before I began to be thine; on which account Quintus Di"dius hath written to me, that thou sentest him assistance "against the gladiators. I do therefore assure thee, that I "will confirm the kingdom to thee by a decree: I shall also "endeavour to do thee some farther kindnesses hereafter, "that thou mayest find no loss in the want of Antony."