way, and threatened to have Petronius put to death for his being fo tardy in the execution of what he had commanded. But it happened that thofe who brought Caius's epifle were toffed by a form, and were detained on the fea for three months, while others that brought the news of Caius's death had a good voyage. Accordingly Petronius received the epiftle concerning Caius feven and twenty days before he received that which was against himself.

CHAP. XI.

Concerning the Government of Claudius, and the Reign of Agrippa. Concerning the Deaths of Agrippa, and of Herod, and what Children they both left behind them.

1. NOW when Caius had reigned three years and eight months, and had been slain by treachery, Claudius was hurried away by the armies that were at Rome to take the government upon him: But the fenate, upon the relerence of the confuls, Sentius Saturninus, and Pomponius Secundus, gave orders to the three regiments of foldiers that ftayed with them to keep the city quiet, and went up into the capitol, in great numbers, and refolved to oppofe Claudius by force, on account of the barbarous treatment they had met with from Caius; and they determined either to fettle the nation under an aristocracy, as they had of old been governed, or at least to choose by vote fuch an one for emperor as might be worthy of it.

2. Now it happened that at this time Agrippa fojourned at Rome, and that both the fenate called him to confult with them, and at the fame time Claudius fent for him out of the camp, that he might be ferviceable to him as he should have occafion for his fervice. So he perceiving that Claudius was in effect made Cæfar already, went to him, who fent him as an ambaffador to the fenate, to let them know what his intentions were; That " in the first place, it was without his feeking, that he was hurried away by the foldiers; moreover, that he thought it was not just to defert thofe foldiers in fuch their zeal for him, and that if he fhould do fo, his own fortune would be in uncertainty: For that it was a dangerous cafe to have been once called to the empire. He added farther, that he would adminifter the government as a good prince, and not like a tyrant; for that he would be fatisfied with the hono ir of being called emperor, but would, in every one of his actions, permit them all to give him their advice; for that although he had not been by nature for moderation, yet would the death of Caius afford him a fufficient demonftration how foberly he ought to act in that ftation."

3. This mellage was delivered by Agrippa; to which the VOL. III.

S

fenate replied, That" fince they had an army, and the wif eft counfels on their fide, they would not endure a voluntary flavery." And when Claudius heard what answer the fehate had made, he fent Agrippa to them again, with the following meflage, That " he could not bear the thoughts of betraying them that had given their oaths to be true to him; and that he faw he muft fight, though unwillingly, against fuch as he had no mind to fight; that however, [if it muft come to that], it was proper to choose a place without the city for the war; because it was not agreeable to piety to pollute the temples of their own city with the blood of their own countrymen, and this only on occafion of their imprudent conduct." And when Agrippa had heard this meffage, he delivered it to the fenators.

4. In the mean time one of the foldiers belonging to the fenate drew his fword, and cried out, "O my fellow foldiers, what is the meaning of this choice of ours, to kill our brethren, and to use violence to our kindred that are with Claudius? while we may have him for our emperor whom no one can blame, and who hath fo many juft reafons [to lay claim to the government]; and this with regard to those against whom we are going to fight." When he had faid this, he marched through the whole fenate, and carried all the foldiersalong with him. Upon which all the patricians were immediately at a great fright at their being thus deferted. But ftill, because there appeared no other way whither they could turn themfelves for deliverance, they made hafle the fame way with the foldiers, and went to Claudius. But thofe that had the greatest luck in flattering the good fortune of Claudius betimes, met them before the walls with their naked fwords, and there was reafon to fear that thofe that came first might have been in danger, before Claudius could know what vio-lence the foldiers were going to offer them, had not Agrippa ran before, and told him what a dangerous thing they were going about, and that unlefs he reftrained the violence of thefe men, who were in a fit of madness against the patricians, he would lose those on whofe account it was most defirable to rule, and would be emperor over a delart.

5. When Claudius heard this, he reftrained the violence of the foldiery, and received the fenate into the camp, and treat. ed them after an obliging manner, and went out with them prefently to offer their thank offerings to God, which were proper upon his firft coming to the empire. Moreover he beflowed on Agrippa his whole paternal kingdom immediately. and added to it, befides thofe countries that had been given by Auguflus to Herod, Trachonitis and Auranitis, and ftill befides thefe, that kingdom which was called the kingdom of LiJanias. This gift he declared to the people by a decree, but ordered the magiftrates to have the donation engraved on tables of brafs, and to be fet up in the capitol. He beftowed on

his brother Herod, who was alfo his fon-in-law, by marrying his daughter Bernice, the kingdom of Chalcis.

6. So now riches flowed in to Agrippa by his enjoyment of do large a dominion, nor did he abufe the money he had on fmall matters, but he began to encompass Jerufalem with fuch a wall, which, had it been brought to perfection, had made it impracticable for the Romans to take it by fiege; but his death, which happened at Cefarea, before he had raifed the walls to their due height, prevented him. He had then reigned three years, as he had governed his tetrarchies three other years. He left behind him three daughters, born to him by Cy pros, Bernice, Mariamne, and Drufilla, and a fon born of the fame mother, whofe name was Agrippa: He was left a very young child, fo that Claudius made the country a Roman province, and fent Cufpius Fadus to be its procurator, and after him Tiberias Alexander, who making no alterations of the ancient laws, kept the nation in tranquility. Now after this Herod the king of Chalcis died, and left behind him two fons, born to him of his brother's daughter Bernice; their names were Bernicanus, and Hyrcanus. [He alfo lett behind him] Ariftobulus, whom he had by his former wife, Mariamne. There was befides another brother of his that died a private person, his name was also Ariftobulus, who left behind him a daughter, whose name was Jotape: And thefe, as I have formerly faid, were the children of Ariftobulus the fon of Herod which Aritobulus and Alexander were born to Herod by Mariamne, and were flain by him. But as for Alexander's pofterity they reigned in Armenia.

CHAP. XII.

Many Tumults under Cumanus, which were compofed by Quadratus. Felix is Procurator of Judea. Agrippa is advanced from Chalcis to a greater Kingdom.

$1. NOW after the death of Herod, king of Chalcis,

Claudius fer Agrippa, the fon of Agrippa, over his uncle's kingdom, while Cumanus took upon him the office of procurator of the reit, which was a Roman province, and therein he fucceeded Alexander, under which Cumanus began the troubles, and the Jews ruin came on; for when the multitude were come together to Jerufalem, to the feast of unleavened bread, and a Roman cohort flood over the cloifters of the temple, (for they always were armed, and kept guard at the feftivals, to prevent any innovation, which the multitude thus gathered together might make), one of the foldiers pulled back his garment, and couring down after an indecent manner, and turned his breech to the Jews, and spake fuch words as you may expect upon fuch a pofture. At this the

whole multitude had indignation, and made a clamour to Cumanus, that he would punifh the foldier; while the rafher part of the youth, and fuch as were naturally the most tumultuous, fell to fighting, and caught up ftones, and threw them at the foldiers. Upon which Cumanus was afraid left all the people thould make an affault upon him, and sent to call for more armed men, who, when they came in great numbers into the cloifters, the Jews were in a very great confternation, and being beaten out of the temple, they ran into the city, and the violence with which they crowded to get out was fo great that they trode upon each other, and squeezed one another, till ten thousand of them were killed, inlomuch that this feaft became the cause of mourning to the whole nation, and every family lamented [their own relations.]

2. Now there followed after this another calamity, which arofe from a tumult made by 1obbers; for at the public road of Beth-horon, one Stephen, a fervant of Cæfar, carried fome furniture, which the robbers fell upon, and feized; upon this Cumanus fent men to go round about to the neighbouring villages, and to bring their inhabitants to him bound, as laying it to their charge that they had not purfued after the thieves, and caught them. Now here it was that a certain fol dier, finding the facred book of the law, tore it to pieces, and *threw it into the fire. Hereupon the Jews were in great diforder as if their whole country were in a flame, and affembled themfelves fo many of them by their zeal for their religion, as by an engine, and ran together with united clamour to Cefarea, to Cumanus, and made fupplication to him, that he would not overlook this man, who had offered fuch an affront to God, and to his law, but punish him for what he had done. Accordingly he perceiving that the multitude would not be quiet unless they had a comfortable anfwer irom him, gave order that the foldier fhould be brought, and drawn through those that required to have him punished to execution, which being done, the Jews went their ways.

3. After this there happened a fight between the Galileans and the Samaritans; it happened at a village called Geman, which is fituate in the great plain of Samaria, where, as a great number of Jews were going up to Jerufalem to the feaft [of tabernacles], a certain Galilean was flain; and befides a vaft number of people ran together out of Galilee, in order to fight with the Samaritan; but the principal men among them came to Cumanus, and befought him, that before the evil became incurable, he would come into Galilee, and bring the authors of this murder to punishment, for that there was no other way to make the multitude feparate without

Reland notes here, that the Talmud, in recounting ten fad accidents for which the Jews ought to rend their garments, reckons this for one, "When they hear that the law of God is burnt,"

coming to blows.

blows. However Cumanus poftponed their fupplications to the other affairs he was then about, and fent the petitioners away without fuccels.

4. But when the affair of this murder came to be told at Jerufalem, it put the multitude in diforder, and they left the feaft, and without any generals to conduct them, they marched with great violence to Samaria; nor would they be ruled by any of the magiftrates that were fet over them, but they were managed by one Eleazer, the fon of Dineus, and by Alexander, in thefe their thievifh and feditious attempts. Thefe men fell upon thofe that were in the neighbourhood of the Acrabatene toparchy, and flew them, without fparing any age, and fet the villages on fire.

5. But Cumanus took one troop of horsemen, called the troop of Sebafe, out of Cefarea, and came to the affistance of thofe that were spoiled; he alfo feized upon a great number of those that followed Eleazer, and flew more of them. And as for the rest of the multitude of those that went fo zealoully to fight with the Samaritans, the rulers of Jerufalem ran out clothed with fack-cloth aud having afhes on their head, and begged of them to go their ways, left by their attempt to revenge themfelves upon the Samaritans they should provoke the Romans to come againft Jerufalem; to have compaffion upon their country, and temple, their children and their wives, and not bring the utmost dangers of deftruction upon them, in order to avenge themfelves upon one Galilean only. The Jews complied with thefe perfuafions of theirs, and dilperfed themselves; but fill there were a great number who betook themselves to robbing in hopes of impunity, and rapines and infurrections of the bolder fort happened over the whole country; and the men of power among the Samaritans came to Tyre, to * Ummidius Quadratus, the prefident of Syria, and defired that they that had laid waste the country might be punished: The great men alfo of the Jews and Jonathan the fon of Ananus, the high-prieft, came thither and faid, that the Samaritans were the beginners of the disturbance, on account of that murder they had committed, and that Cumanus had given occafion to what had happened, by his unwil lingness to punish the original authors of that murder.

6. But Quadratus put both parties off for that time, and told them, that when he fhould come to thofe places he would make a diligent enquiry after every circumftance. After which he went to Cefarea, and crucified all thofe whom Cumanus had taken alive; and when from thence he was come to the city Lydda, he heard the affair of the Samaritans, and fent for eighteen of the Jews whom he had learned to have

* This Ummidius, or Numidius, or, as Tacitus calls him, Vinidius Quadratus, is mentioned in an ancient infcription, ftill preserved, as Spanheim here informs us, which calls him Ummidíus Quadratus.