But as they were in the midst of these deliberations, letters were brought from Herod, about all his affairs; and proved contrary to the report, and of what they before expected. For when he was come to Antony, he soon recovered his interest with him, by the presents which he had carried with him from Jerusalem: and he soon induced him, upon discoursing with him, to leave off his indignation at him. So that Cleopatra's persuasions had less force, than the arguments and presents he brought, to regain his friendship. For Antony said, that it was not good to require an account of a king, as to the affairs of his government. For at this rate he could be no king at all: but that those who had given him that authority ought to permit him to make use of it. He also told Cleopatra, that it would be best for her not to meddle with the acts of the king's government. Herod wrote an account of these things; and enlarged upon the other honours which he had received from Antony. How he sat by him at his hearing causes, and took his diet with him every day; and that he enjoyed those favours from him, notwithstanding the reproaches that Cleopatra so severely laid against him, who, having a great desire of his country, and earnestly entreating Antony that the kingdom might be given to her, laboured with her utmost diligence to remove him out of the way. But that he still found Antony just to him; and had no longer any apprehensions of hard treatment from him. And that he was soon to set out upon his return, with a firmer additional assurance of his favour to him, in his reigning and managing public affairs; and that there was no longer any hope for Cleopatra's covetous temper; since Antony had given her Colesyria, instead of what she desired: by which means he at once pacified her, and got clear of the entreaties which she had made him, to have Judea bestowed upon her.

When these letters were brought, the women laid aside their intention of fleeing to the Romans which they had thought of while Herod was supposed to be dead. Yet was not that purpose of theirs a secret. Bt when the king had conducted Antony on his way against the Parthians, and returning to Judea; both his sister Salome, and his mother, informed him of Alexandra's intentions. Salome also added somewhat farther against Joseph, though it were no more than a calumny: that he had often a criminal conversation with Mariamne. The reason of her saying so was, that she had for a long time borne her ill

will: for when they had differences with one another, Mariamne took great freedoms, and reproached the rest with the meanness of their birth. Herod whose affection to Mariamue was always very warm, was presently disturbed at this; and could not bear the torments of jealousy; but was still restrained from doing any rash thing, by the love he had for her. Yet did his vehement affection and jealousy together make him ask Mariamne by herself, about this matter of Joseph. But she denied it upon her oath, and said all that an innocent woman could possibly say in her own defence: so that by little and little the king was prevailed upon to drop the suspicion; and left off his anger at her: and being overcome with his passion for his wife, he made an apology to her for having seemed to believe what he had heard about her; and returned her a great many acknowledgments of her modest behaviour: and professed the extraordinary affection and kindness he had for her. Till at last, as is usual between lovers, they both burst into tears, and embraced each other with a most tender affection. But as the king gave more and more assurances of his belief of her fidelity, and endeavoured to draw her to a like confidence in him, Mariamne said, "Yet was not that command thou gavest, that if any harm came to thee from Antony, I, who had been no occasion of it, should perish with thee, a sign of thy love to me."

When these words were fallen from her, the king was shocked at them; and presently let her go out of his arms, and cried out, and tore his hair with his own hands, and said, that he had now an evident demonstration that Joseph had had criminal conversation with his wife: for that he would never have uttered what he had told him by himself, unless there had been a great familiarity, and such firm confidence, between them. And while he was in this passion, he had like to have killed his wife but being still overcome by his love to her, he restrained his passion: though not without a lasting grief, and disquietness of mind. However, he gave order to slay Joseph, without permitting him to come into his sight. And as for Alexandra, he bound her, and kept her in custody, as the cause of all this mischief.

CHAP. IV.

OF CLEOPATRa's avarice and cruelties; HER ARRIVAL IN JUDEA, AND THe attentionS SHE RECEIVED FROM HEROD.

AT this time the affairs of Syria were in confusion by Cleopatra's constant persuasions to Antony to make an attempt on every body's dominions. For she persuaded him to take those dominions from their several princes, and bestow them upon her. And she had a great influence upon him; by reason of his being enslaved to her by his affections. She was also by nature very covetous, and hesitated not to commit any wickedness. She had already poisoned her brother; because she knew that he was to be king of Egypt: and this when he was but fifteen years old. And she caused her sister Arsinoe to be slain by the means of Antony; when she was a supplicant at Diana's temple at Ephesus. For if there were but any hopes of getting money, she would violate both temples and sepulchres. Nor was there any holy place that was esteemed the most inviolable, from which she would not fetch the ornaments it had in it: nor any place so profane, but was to suffer the most flagitious treatment possible from her covetous humour. Yet did not all this suffice so extravagant a woman, who was a slave to her lusts. But she still imagined that she wanted every thing she could think of; and did her utmost to gain it. For this reason she hurried Antony on perpetually to deprive others of their dominions, and give them to her. And as she went over Syria with him, she contrived to get it into her possession. So he slew Lysanias,† the son of Ptolemy, accusing him of his bringing the Parthians upon those countries. She also petitioned Antony to give her Ju

*This slaughter of Arsinoe by Mark Antony, when she had fled for refuge to this asylum, the temple of Diana, is confirmed by Appian V. page 676. Only he says, that it was at her temple at Miletus; and Josephus here at her temple at Ephesus. Which was the truth cannot, I suppose, be now determined.

This Lysanias was the son of Ptolemy Menneus, and was king of Chalcis and Iturea; and probably the same person that is mentioned by Strabo, XVI. page 756. That he was slain, is confirmed by Dio, XLIX. page 411, as Dean Aldrich observes. Who also adds, that the slaughter of Malichus about the same time, which Josephus joins with this of Lysanias, in his history of the War, I. 22. is not mentioned either by Dio, or in the Antiquities of Josephus himself, or any other author. So that it is highly probable Josephus missed it here voluntarily, as having discovered his former mistake about it.

dea and Arabia; and in order thereto desired him to take these countries away from their present governors. As for Antony, he was so entirely overcome by this woman, that one would not think her conversation only could do it, but that he was some way bewitched to do whatsoever she would have him. Yet did the grossest parts of her injustice make him so ashamed, that he would not always hearken to her, to do those flagrant enormities she would have persuaded him to. That therefore he ́might not totally deny her; nor, by doing every thing that she enjoined him, appear openly to be an ill man; he took some parts of each of those countries away from their former governors, and gave them to her. Thus he gave her the cities that were within the river Eleutherus, as far as Egypt; excepting Tyre and Sidon; which he knew to have been free cities from their ancestors; although she pressed him very often to bestow these on her also.

When Cleopatra had obtained thus much, and had accompanied Antony in his expedition into Armenia, as far as Eupbrates; she returned back, and came to Apamia, and Damascus, and passed on to Judea. There Herod met her, and farmed of her some parts of Arabia, and those revenues that came to her from the region about Jericho. This country bears that balsam, which is the most precious drug that is there, and grows there alone. The place also produces many and excellent palm-trees. When she was there, and was very often with Herod; she endeavoured to have criminal conversation with the king. Nor did she affect secrecy in the indulgence of such sort of pleasures. And perhaps she had, in some measure, a passion of love for him; or rather, what is most probable, she laid a treacherous snare for him, by aiming to obtain such an adulterous conversation from him. However, upon the whole, she seemed overcome with love to him. Now Herod had a great while borne no good will to Cleopatra, as knowing that she was a woman irksome to all; and at that time be thought her particularly worthy of his hatred, if this attempt proceeded out of lust: he had also thought of preventing her intrigues, by putting her to death, if such were her endeavours. However, he refused to comply with her proposals; and called a counsel of his friends to consult with them, whether he should not kill her, now he had her in his power? For that he should thereby deliver all those from a multitude of evils to whom she

was already become irksome, and was expected to be still so for the time to come; and that this very thing would be much for the advantage of Antony himself: since she would certainly not be faithful to him, in case any such necessity should come upon him as that he should stand in need of her fidelity. But when he thought to follow this advice, his friends told him that it was not right to attempt so great a thing, and run himself thereby into the utmost danger. And they begged of him to undertake nothing rashly: for that Antony would never bear it, though any one should evidently lay before his eyes that it was for his own advantage. And that the appearance of depriving him of her conversation by this violent and treacherous method, would probably set his affections more on a flame than before. Nor did it appear that he could offer any thing of tolerable weight in his defence; this attempt being against such a woman as was of the highest dignity of any of her sex at that time in the world. And as to any advantage to be expected from such an undertaking, if any such could be supposed in this case, it would appear to deserve condemnation, on account of the insolence he must take upon him in doing it. These considerations made it very plain, that in so doing he would find his government filled with mischiefs, both great and lasting, both to himself and his posterity: whereas it was still in his power to reject that wickedness she would persuade him to, and to come off honourably at the same time. So by thus representing to Herod the hazard he must, in all probability, run by this undertaking, they restrained him from it. He therefore treated Cleopatra kindly, and made her presents, and conducted her on her way to Egypt.

But Antony subdued Armenia, and sent Artabazes, the son of Tigranes, in bonds, with his children, and procurators, to Egypt; and made a present of them, and of all the royal ornaments which he had taken out of that kingdom to Cleopatra. And Artaxias the eldest of his sons, who had escaped at that time, took the kingdom of Armenia. He was, indeed, ejected by Archelaus, and Nero Cæsar, when they restored Tigranes his younger brother to that kingdom: but this happened a considerable time afterward.

But as to the tributes which Herod was to pay Cleopatra for that country which Antony had given her, he acted fairly with her, as deeming it not safe for him to afford any cause of Cleo