for that Antipater had charged him to take his father off while he was at Rome, and so free from the suspicion of doing it himself: that Pheroras also committed this potion to his wife. Then did the king send for her, and bid her bring to him what she had received immediately. So she came out of her house as if she would bring it with her, but threw herself down from the top of her house, in order to prevent any examination and torture from the king. However it came to pass, as it seems by the providence of God, when he intended to bring Antipater to punishment, that she fell not upon her head, but upon other parts of her body, and escaped. The king, when she was brought to him, took care of her (for she was at first quite senseless upon her fall) and asked her why she had thrown herself down? and gave her his oath, that if she would speak the real truth, he would excuse her from punishment; but that if she concealed any thing, he would have her body torn to pieces by torments, and leave no part of it to be buried.

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6. Upon this the woman paused a little, and then said, "Why do I spare to speak of these grand secrets, now Pheroras is dead, that would only tend to save Antipater, who is all our destruction. Hear then, O king, and be thou " and God himself who cannot be deceived, witnesses to the "the truth of what I am going to say. When thou didst sit weeping by Pheroras as he was dying, then it was that he "called me to him and said, My dear wife, I have been greatly mistaken as to the disposition of my brother to"wards me, and have hated him that is so affectionate to me, "and have contrived to kill him who is in such disorder for me before I am dead. As for myself, I receive the re"compense of my impiety; but do thou bring what poison "was left with us by Antipater, and which thou keepest in "order to destroy him, and consume it immediately in the "fire in my sight, that I may not be liable to the avenger " in the invisible world." This I brought as he bade me, and emptied the greatest part of it into the fire, but reserved a little of it for my own use against uncertain futurity, and out of my fear of thee.

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7. When she had said this, she brought the box, which had a small quantity of this potion in it but the king let her alone, and transferred the tortures to Antiphilus's mother and brother; who both confessed that Antiphilus brought that box out of Egypt, and that they had received the potion from a brother of his, who was a physician at Alexandria. Then did the ghosts of Alexander and Aristobulus go round all the palace, and, became the inquisitors and discoverers of what could not otherwise have been found out, and brought

such as were the freest from suspicion to be examined; whereby it was discovered, that Mariamne, the high-priest's daughter, was conscious of this plot; and her very brothers, when they were tortured, declared it so to be. Whereupon the king avenged this insolent attempt of the mother upon her son, and blotted Herod, whom he had by her, out of his testament, who had been before named therein as successor to Antipater.

CHAP. XXXI.

Antipater is convicted by Bathyllus: but he still returns from Rome, without knowing it. Herod brings him to his trial.

§ 1. AFTER these things were over, Bathyllus came under examination, in order to convict Antipater, who proved the concluding attestation to Antipater's desigus; for indeed he was no other than his freed man. This man came and brought another deadly potion, the poison of asps, and the juices of other serpents, that if the first potion did not do the business, Pheroras and his wife might be armed with this also to destroy the king. He brought also an addition to Antipater's insolent attempts against his father, which was the letters which he wrote against his brethren, Archelaus and Philip, which were the king's sons, and educated at Rome, being yet youths, but of generous dispositions. Antipater set himself to get rid of these as soon as he could, that they might not be prejudicial to his hopes, and to that end he forged letters against them in the name of his friends at Rome. Some of these he corrupted by bribes to write how they grossly reproached their father, and did openly bewail Alexander and Aristobulus, and were uneasy at their being recalled; for their father had already sent for them, which was the very thing that troubled Antipater.

2. Nay, indeed, while Antipater was in Judea, and before he was upon his journey to Rome, he gave money to have the like letters sent against them from Rome, and then came to his father, who had as yet no suspicion of him, and apologized for his brethren, and alledged on their behalf, that some of the things contained in those letters were false, and others of them were only youthful errors. Yet at the same time that he expended a great deal of his money, by making presents to such as wrote against his brethren, did he aim to bring his accounts into confusion, by buying costly garments, and carpets of various contextures, with silver and gold cups, and a great many more curious things, that so among the

very great expences laid out upon such furniture, he might conceal the money he had used in hiring men [to write the letters] for he brought in an account of bis expences amounting to two hundred talents, his main pretence for which was the law-suit he had been in with Sylleus. So while all his rogueries, even those of a lesser sort also, were covered by his greater villainy, while all the examinations by torture proclaimed his attempt to murder his father, and the letters proclaimed his second attempt to murder his brethren; yet did no one of those that came to Rome inform him of his misfortunes in Judea, although seven months had intervened between his conviction and his return, so great was the hatred which they all bore to him. And perhaps they were the ghosts of those brethren of his that had been murdered, that stopped the mouths of those that intended to have told him. He then wrote from Rome, and informed [his friends] that he would soon come to them, and how he was dismissed with honour by Cæsar.

3. Now the king being desirous to get this plotter against him into his hands, and being also afraid lest he should some way come to the knowledge how his affairs stood, and be upon bis guard, he dissembled his anger in his epistle to him, as in other points he wrote kindly to him, and desired him to make haste, because, if he came quickly, he would then lay aside the complaints he had against his mother; for An- . tipater was not ignorant that his mother had been expelled out of the palace. However, he had before received a letter, which contained an account of the death of Pheroras at * Tarentum, and made great lamentations at it, for which some commended him, as being for his own uncle; though probably this confusion arose on account of his having thereby failed in his plot [on his father's life] and his tears were more for the loss of him that was to have been subservient therein, than for [an uncle] Pheroras: moreover, a sort of fear came upon him as to his designs, lest the poison should have been discovered. However, when he was in Cilicia, he received the fore-mentioned epistle from his father, and made great haste accordingly. But when he had sailed to Celenderis, a suspicion came into his mind relating to his mother's misfortunes; as if his soul foreboded some mischief to itself. Those therefore of his friends which were the most considerate, advised him not rashly to go to his father, till he had learned what were the occasions why his mother had been ejected, because they were afraid that he might be involved in the calumnies that had been cast upon his mother: but those that

*This Tarentum has coins, still extant,, as Reland informs us here in his note.

were less considerate, and had more regard to their own desires of seeing their native country, than to Antipater's safety, persuaded him to make haste home, and not, by delaying his journey, afford his father ground for an ill suspicion, and give an handle to those that raise stories against him; for that, in case any thing had been moved to his disadvantage, it was owing to his absence, which durst not have been done, had he been present. And they said, it was absurd to deprive himself of certain happiness, for the sake of an uncertain suspicion, and not rather to return to his father, and take the royal authority upon him, which was in a state of fluctuation on his account only. Antipater complied with this last advice, for Providence hurried him on [to his destruction.] So he passed over the sea, and landed at Sebastus, the haven of Cæsarea.

4. And here he found a perfect and unexpected solitude, while every body avoided him, and nobody durst come at him; for he was equally hated by all men; and now that hatred had liberty to shew itself, and the dread men were in of the king's anger made men keep from him; for the whole city [of Jerusalem] was filled with the rumours about Antipater, and Antipater himself was the only person who was ignorant of them; for as no man was dismissed more magnificently when he began his voyage to Rome, so was no man now received back with greater ignominy. And indeed he began already to suspect what misfortunes there were in Herod's family; yet did he cunningly conceal his suspicion; and while he was inwardly ready to die for fear, he put on a forced boldness of countenance, Nor could he now fly any whither, nor had he any way of emerging out of the difficulties which encompassed him; nor indeed had he even there any certain intelligence of the affairs of the royal family, by reason of the threats the king had given out: yet had he some small hopes of better tidings; for perhaps nothing had been discovered; or, if any discovery had been made, perhaps he should be able to clear himself by impudence, and artful tricks, which were the only things he relied upon for his deliverance.

5. And with these hopes did he screen himself, till he eame to the palace, without any friends with him; for these were affronted, and shut out at the first gate. Now Varus, the president of Syria, happened to be in the palace [at this juncture: so Antipater went in to his father, and, putting on a bold face, he came near to salute him; but Herod stretched out his hands, and turned bis head away from him, and cried out, "Even this is an indication of a parricide, to "be desirous to get me into his arms, when he is under such

"heinous accusations. God confound thee, thou vile wretch; "do not thou touch me, till thou hast cleared thyself of these "crimes that are charged upon thee. I appoint thee a court "where thou art to be judged, and this Varus who is very "seasonably here, to be thy judge; and get thou thy de"fence ready against to-morrow; for I give thee so much "time to prepare subtle excuses for thyself." And as Antipater was so confounded that he was able to make no answer to this charge, he went away; but his mother and wife came to him, and told him of all the evidence he had gotten against him. Hereupon he recollected himself, and considered what defence he should make against the accusations.

CHAP. XXXII.

Antipater is accused before Varus, and is convicted of laying a plot (against his father) by the strongest evidence. Herod puts off his punishment till he should be recovered, and in the mean time alters his testament.

$ 1.

1. Now the day following the king assembled a court of his kinsmen and friends, and called in Antipater's friends also: Herod himself, with Varus, were the presidents; and Herod called for all the witnesses, and ordered them to be brought in; among whom some of the domestic servants of Antipater's mother were brought in also, who had but a little while before been caught as they were carrying the following letter from her to her son; "Since all those things have been "already discovered by thy father, do not thou come to "him, unless thou canst procure some assistance from Cæsar.' When this and the other witnesses were introduced, Antipater came in, and falling on his face before his father's feet, he said, "Father, I beseech thee, do not condemn me be"fore-hand, but let thy ears be unbiassed, and attend to my "defence; for if thou wilt give me leave, I will demonstrate "that I am innocent."

2. Hereupon Herod cried out to him to hold his peace, and spake thus to Varus; "I cannot but think that thou, Varus, and every other upright judge, will determine that Antipa❝ter is a vile wretch. I am also afraid that thou wilt abhor (6 my ill-fortune, and judge me also myself worthy of all sorts "of calamity, for begetting such children; while yet I ought " rather to be pitied, who have been so affectionate a father to "such wretched sons; for when I had settled the kingdom on 66 my former sons, even when they were young; and when, be. "sides the charges of their education at Rome, I had made "them the friends of Cæsar, and made them envied by other