appeared to have been poifoned on account of his quarrels with Pompey, and to have complained of Scipio's barbarity towards his brother, and not to mix any invidious paffion when he was fuing for mercy; befides those things, he came before Cæfar, and acculed Hyrcanus and Antipater how they had driven him and his brethren entirely out of their native country, and had acted in a great many inftances, unjustly and extravagantly with relation to their nation, and that as to the affiftance they had fent him into Egypt, it was not done out of good will to him, but out of the fear they were in from former quarrels, and in order to gain pardon for their friendship to [his enemy ] Pompey.

2. Hereupon Antipater threw away his garments, and fhewed the multitude of the wounds he had, and faid, that "as to his good will to Cæfar, he had no occafion to fay a word, becaule his body cried aloud, though he faid nothing himself: That he wondered at Antigonus's boldnefs, while he was himfelt no other than the fon of an enemy to the Romans, and of a fugitive, and had it by inheritance from his father to be fond of innovations and feditions, that he should undertake to accuse other men before the Roman governor, and endeavour to gain fome advantages to himself, when he ought to be contented that he was fuffered to live; for that the reason of his efire of governing public affairs, was not fo much becaufe he was in want of it, but because, if he could once obtain the fame, he might ftir up a fedition among the Jews, and ufe what they fhould gain from the Romans, to the differvice of thofe that gave it him."

3. When Cæfar heard this he declared Hyrcanus to be the moft worthy of the high priesthood, and gave leave to Antipater to choose what authority he pleafed; but he left the determination of fuch dignity to him that beflowed the dignity upon him; fo he was conftituted procurator of all Judea, and obtained leave, moreover to rebuild thofe walls of his country that had been thrown down. These honourary grants Cæfar fent orders to have engraved in the capitol, that they might fland there as indications of his own justice, and of the virtue of Antipater.

4. But as foon as Antipater had conducted Cæfar out of Syria, he returned to Judea, and the first thing he did, was to rebuild that wall of his own country, [Jerufalem,] which Pompey had overthrown, and then to go over the country, and to quiet the tumults that were therein; where he partly threaten

What is here noted by Hudson and Spanheim, that this grant of leave to rebuild the walls of the cities of Judea was made by Julius Cæfar, not as here to Antipater, but to Hyrcanus, Antiq. B. XIV. ch. viii. § 5 Vol. II has hardly an appearance of a contradiction; Antipater being now perhaps confidered only as Hyrcanus's deputy and minifter; although he afterwards made a cypher of Hyrcanus, and, under great decency of behaviour to him, took the real authority to - himfelf.

ed, and partly advised every one, and told them, That, "in cafe they would fubmit to Hyrcanus, they would live happily and peaceably, and enjoy what they poffeffed, and that with univerfal peace and quietnefs; but that, in cafe they hearkened to fuch as had fome frigid hopes, by raising new troubles. to get themselves tome gain they fhould then find him to be their lord, inftead of their procurator; and find Hyrcanus to be a tyrant inftead of a king; and both the Romans and Cafar to be their enemies inftead of their rulers; for that they would not fuffer him to be removed from the government, whom they had made their governor." And at the fame time that he faid this, he fettled the affairs of the country by himfelt, because he faw that Hyrcanus was unactive, and not fit to manage the affiairs of the kingdom. So he conftituted his eldeft fon Phalaelus governor of Jerufalem, and of the parts about it; he allo fent his next fon, Herod, who was young, with equal authority into Galilee.

*

very

5. Now Herod was an active man, and foon found proper materials for his active spirit to work upon. As therefore he found that Hezekias, the head of the robbers, ran over the neighbouring parts of Syria with a great band of men, he caught him and flew him, and many more of the robbers with him; which exploit was chiefly grateful to the Syrians, infomuch, that hymns were fung in Herod's commendation, both in the villages and in the cities, as having procured their quietnefs, and having preferved what they poffeffed to them; on which occafion he became acquainted with Sextus Cæfar, a kinfman of the great Cæfar, and prefident of Syria, A juft emulation of his glorious actions excited Phafaelus alfo to imitate him. Accordingly he procured the good-will of the inhabitants of Jerufalem, by his own management of the city atfairs, and did not abuse his power in any disagreeable manner; whence it came to pafs, that the nation paid Antipater the refpects that were due only to a king, and the honours they all yielded him, were equal to the honours due to an abfolute lord; yet did not he abate any part of that good-will or fidelity which he owed to Hyrcanus.

6. However, he found it impoffible to escape envy in such his profperity; for the glory of these young men affected even Hyrcanus himself already privately, though he faid nothing of it to any body; but what he principally was grieved at, was the great actions of Herod, and that fo many metsengers came one before another, and informed him of the great reputation he got in all his undertakings. There were alfo many peo ple in the royal palace itfelf, who inflamed his envy at him; thofe, I mean, who were obftru&ted in their designs by the

3.

Or 25 years of age. See the note on Antiq B. I. ch. xii. § XIV. ch. ix. § 2. and Of the War, B. II. ch. xi. fect 6, and Polyb. B. XVII. p. and on B. 725

prudence either of the young men, or of Antipater. These mén faid, That by committing the public affairs to the management of Antipater and of his fons, he fat down with nothing but the bare name of a king, without any of its authority; and they afked him, how long he would fo far mistake himself, as to breed up kings against his own intereft ? for that they did not now conceal their government of affairs any longer, but were plainly lords of the nation, and had thruit him out of his authority; that this was the cafe when Herod flew fo many men without his giving him any command to do it, either by word of mouth, or by his letter, and this in contradiction to the law of the Jews; who therefore, in cafe he be not a king but a private man, ftill ought to come to his trial, and answer it to him, and to the laws of his country, which do not permit any one to be killed, till he hath been condemned in judgement.

7. Now Hyrcanus was by degrees inflamed with thefe difcourfes, and at length could bear no longer, but he fummone ed Herod to take his trial; accordingly, by his father's advice, and as foon as the affairs of Galilee would give him leave, he came up [to Jerufalem, when he had first placed garrifons in Galilee: However, he came with a fufficient body of foldiers, fo many indeed that he might not appear to have with him an army, able to overthrow Hyrcanus's government, nor yet fo few as to expofe him to the infults of thofe that envied him. However, Sextus Cæfar was in fear for the young man, left he should be taken by his enemies, and brought to punithment; fo he fent fome to denounce exprefsly to Hyrcanus, that he fhould acquit Herod of the capital charge againit him; who acquitted him accordingly, as being otherwife inclined allo fo to do, for he loved Herod.

8. But Herod, fuppofing that he had efcaped punishment, with the confent of the king, retired to Sextus, to Damafcus, and got every thing ready in order not to obey him, if he fhould fummons him again; whereupon thofe that were evil difpofed irritated Hyrcanus, and told him, that Herod was gone away in anger, and was prepared to make war upon hini; and as the king believed what they faid, he knew not what to do fince he faw his antagonist was ftronger than he was himfelf. And now, fince Herod was made general of Celefyria, and Samaria, by Sextus Cæfar, he was formidable, not only from the good will which the nation bore him, but by the power he himself had; infomuch, that Hyrcanus fell into the utmoft degree of terror, and expected he would prefently march against them with his army.

9. Nor was he mistaken in the conjecture he made, for Herod got his army together out of the anger he bare him for his threatning him with the acculation in a public court, and led it to Jerufalem, in order to throw Hyrcanus down from his kingdom; and this he had foon done, unless his father and

brother had gone out together and broken the force of his fury, and this by exhorting him to carry his revenge no farther than to threatening and affrighting, but to fpare the king, under whom he had been advanced to fuch a degree of power; and that he ought not to be fo much provoked at his being tried, as to forget to be thankful that he was acquitted; nor fo long to think upon what was of a melancholy nature, as to be ungreatful for his deliverance; and if we ought to reckon that God is the arbitrator of fuccefs in war, an unjuft caufe is of more difadvantage than an army can be of advantage; and that therefore he ought not to be entirely confident of fuccels in a cafe where he is to fight against his king, his fupporter, and one that had often been his benefactor, and that had never been severe to him, any otherwile than as he had hearkened to evil counsellors, and this no farther than by bringing a fhadow of injuftice upon him. So Herod was prevailed upon by thefe arguments, and fupposed that what he had already done was fufficient for his future hopes, and that he had enough thewn his power to the nation,

to. In the mean time there was a disturbance among the Romans about Apamia, and a civil war occafioned by the treacherous flaughter of Sextus Cæfar, by Cicilius Baffus, which he perpetrated out of his good-will to Pompey; he alfo took the authority over his forces; but as the reft of Cafar's commanders attacked Baffus with their whole army, in order to punish him for his murder of Cæfar, Antipater alfo fent them affiftance by his fons, both on account of him that was murdered, and on account of that Cæfar who was still alive, both of which were their friends; and as this war grew to be of a confiderable length, Marcus came of Italy as fucceffor to Sextus.

CHAP. XI.

Herod is made procurator of all Syria; Malichus is afraid of him, and takes Antipater off by poison: Whereupon the tribunes of the foldiers are prevailed with to kill him.

THERE

$ HERE was at this time a mighty war raised among the Romans, upon the fudden and treacherous Hlaughter of Cæfar by Caffius and Brutus, after he had held the government for three years, and feven months. Upon this murder there were very great agitations, and the great men

Many writers of the Roman hiftory give an account of this murder of Sextus Cefar, and of the war of Apamia upon that occafion. They are cited in Dean Aldrichs's note.

In the Antiquities, B. XIV. ch. xi fect. 1. Vol. II. the duration of the reign of Julius Caefar is 3 years 6 months; but here 3 years 7 months, beginning rightly, fays Dean Aldrich, from his fecond dictatorship. It is probable the real duration might be 3 years and between 6 and 7 months.

were mightily at difference one with another, and every one betook himself to that party where they had the greatest hopes of their own, of advancing themselves. Accordingly Caffius came into Syria in order to receive the forces that were at Apamia, where he procured a reconciliation between Baffus and Marcus, and, the legions which were at difference with him; fo he raised the fiege of Apamia, and took upon him the command of the army, and went about exacting tribute of the cities, and demanding their money to fuch a degree as they were not able to bear.

2. So he gave command that the Jews fhould bring in feven hundred talents: Whereupon Antipater, out of his dread of Caffius's threats, parted the railing of this fum among his fons, and among others of his acquaintance, and to be done immediately; and among them he required one Malichus, who was at enmity with him, to do his part alfo, which neceffity forced him to do. Now Herod, in the firft place, mitigated the paffion of Caffius, by bringing his fhare out of Galilee, which was an hundred talents, on which account he was in the higheft favour with him; and when he reproached the rest for being tardy, he was angry at the cities themselves; fo he made flaves of Gophna and Emmaus, and two others of lefs note; nay, he proceeded as if he thould kill Malichus, because he had not made greater hafte in exacling his tribute; but Antipater prevented the ruin of this man, and of the other cities, and got into Caffius's favour by bringing in an hundred talents immediately.

3. However, when Caffius was gone, Malichus forgot the kindness that Antipater had done him, and laid frequent plots against him that had faved him, as making hafte to get him out of the way, who was an obstacle to his wicked practices; but Antipater was fo much afraid of the power and cunning of the man, that he went beyond Jordan in order to get an army to guard himself against his treacherous defigus; but when Malichus was caught in his plot, he put upon Antipater's fons by his impudence, for he thoroughly deluded Phafaelus, who was the guardian of Jerufalem, and Herod who was intrusted with the weapons of war, and this by a great many excuses and oaths, and perfuaded them to procure his reconciliation to his father. Thus was he preferved again by Antipater, who diffuaded Marcus, the then prefident of Syria, from his refo lution of killing Malichus, on account of his attempts for innovation.

It appears evidently by Jofephus's accounts, both here and in his Antiquities, B. XIV, ch. xì. fect. 2. Vol. 11. that this Caffius, one of Caesar's murderers, was a bitter oppreffor, and exactor of tribute in Judea, these 700 talents amount to about L. 300,000 Sterling, and are about half the yearly revenues of king Herod afterwards. See the note on Antiq. B. XVII. ch xi. fect. 4 Vol. II. It also appears that Galilee then paid no more than 100 talents, or the 7th part of the entire ium to be levied in all the country.