when he was going away, there had fallen a great deal of rain, infomuch that his refervoirs were full of water, and fo he was under no neceflity of running away. After which, therefore, they made an irruption upon Antigonus's party, and flew a great many of them, fome in open battles, and fome in private ambuth; nor had they always fuccefs in their attempts, for fometimes they were beaten and ran away.

2. In the mean time Ventidius the Roman general, was fent out of Syria, to reftrain the incurfions of the Parthians, and after he had done that, he came into Judea, in pretence indeed to affift Jofeph and his party, but in reality to get money of Antigonus; and when he had pitched his camp very near to Jerufalem, as foon as he had got money enough, he went away with the greatest part of his forces; yet ftill did he leave Silo with fome part of them, left if he had taken them all away his taking of bribes might have been too openly difcov, éred. Now Antigonus hoped that the Parthians would come again to his affiftance, and therefore cultivated a good underftanding with Silo in the mean time, left any interruption fhould be given to his hopes.

3. Now by this time Herod had failed out of Italy, and was come to Ptolemais; and as foon as he had gotten together no fmall army of foreigners, and of his own countrymen, he marched through Galilee again Antigonus, wherein he was affifted by Ventidius and Silo, both whom * Dellius, a perfon fent by Antony, perfuaded to bring Herod [into his kingdom.] Now Ventidius was at this time among the cities, and compofing the difturbances which had happened by means of the Parthians, as was Silo in Judea corrupted by the bribes that Antigonus had given him; yet was not Herod himleif deftitute of power, but the number of his forces increased every day as he went along, and all Galilee with few exceptions joined themfelves to him. So he proposed to himfelt to fet about his moft neceffarý enterprise, and that was Masada, in order to deliver his relations from the fiege they endured. But Hill Joppa flood in his way, and hindered his going thither; for it was neceffary to take that city firft, which was in the ènemies hands, that when he thould go to Jerufalem, no fortrefs might be left in the enemies power behind him. Silo alfo willingly joined him, as having now a plausible occafion of drawing off his forces [from Jerufalem ;] and when the Jews purfued him and prefed upon him, [in his retreat,] Herod made an excurfion upon them with a Imall body of his men, and foon put them to flight, and faved Silo when he was in diftrels. 4. Alter this Herod took Joppa, and then made hafte to Mafada to free his relations. Now as he was marching, many came in to him, induced fome by their friendship to his father,

* This Deilius is fautons, or rather infamous, in the history of Mark Antony, as Spanheim and Aldrich here note, from the coins from Plutarch and Dio. G

fome by the reputation he had already gained himself, and fome in order to repay the benefits they had received from them both; but ftill what engaged the greateft number on his fide, was the hopes from him, when he fhould be established in his kingdom; fo that he had gotten together already an army hard to be conquered. But Antigonus laid an ambush for him as he marched out, in which he did little or no harm to his enemies. However, he eafily recovered his relations again that were in Mafada, as well as the fortrefs Reffa, and then marched to Jerufalem, where the foldiers that were with Silo joined themfelves to his own, as did many out of the city, from a dread of his power.

5. Now when he had pitched his camp on the weft fide of the city the guards that were there fhot their arrows, and threw their darts at them, while others ran out in companies, and attacked thofe in the forefront; but Herod commanded proclamation to be made at the wall, that " he was come for the good of the people and the prefervation of the city, without any defign to be revenged on his open enemies, but to grant oblivion to them, though they had been the most obftinate against him." Now the foldiers that were for Antigonus made a contrary clamour, and did neither permit any body to hear that proclamation, nor to change their party; fo Antigonus gave order to his forces to beat the enemy from the walls; accordingly they foon threw their darts at them from the towers, and put them to flight.

6. And here it was that Silo difcovered he had taken bribes; for he fet many of the foldiers to clamour about their want of neceffaries, and to require their pay, in order to buy themfelves food, and to demand that he would lead them into plac es convenient for their winter quarters; because all the parts about the city were laid wafte by the means of Antigonus's army, which had taken all things away. By this he moved the army, and attempted to get them off the fiege; but Herod went to the captains that were under Silo, and to a great many of the foldiers, and begged of them not to leave him who was fent thither by Cælar, and Antony, and the fenate; for that he would take care to have their wants fupplied that very day. After the making of which entreaty, he went haftily into the country, and brought thither so great an abundance of neceffaries, that he cut off all Silo's pretences; and in order to provide that for the following days they fhould not want fupplies, he fent to the people that were about Samaria (which city had joined itfell to him.) to bring corn, and wine, and oil and cattle to Jericho. When Antigonus heard of this, he fent fome of his party with orders to hinder, and lay ambushes for thefe collectors of corn. This command was obeyed, and a great multitude of armed men were gathered together about Jericho, and lay upon the mountains, to watch thofe that brought the provifions. Yet was Herod not idle, but

took with him ten cohorts, five of them were Romans, and fiye were Jewish cohorts, together with fome mercenary troops intermixed among them, and befides those a few horsemen, and came to Jericho; and when he came he found the city deferted, but that there were five hundred men, with their wives and children, who had taken poffeffion of the tops of the mountains, thefe he took and difmifled them, while the Romans fell upon the reft of the city, and plundered it, having found the houfes full of all forts of good things. So the king left a garrifon at Jericho, and came back, and fent the Roman army into thofe cities which were come over to him, to take their winter quarters there, viz. into Judea, for Idumea,] and Galilee and Samaria. Antigonus alfo by bribes obtained of Silo to let a part of his army be received at Lydda, as a compliment to Antonius.

CHAP. XVI.

Herod takes Sepphoris, and fubdues the Robbers that were in the Caves: He after that Avenges himself upon Macheras, as upon an Enemy of his, and goes to Antony, as he was befieging Samofata.

§1. So the Romans lived in plenty of all things, and refted

feized upon Idumea and kept it, with two thoufand footmen, and four hundred horfemen; and this he did by fending his brother Jofeph thither, that no innovation might be made by Antigonus. He alfo removed his mother, and all his relations, who had been in Mafada, to Samaria, and when he had fettled them fecurely, he marched to take the remaining parts of Galilee, and to drive away the garrifons placed there by Antigo

nus.

2. But when Herod had reached * Sepphoris, in a very great fnow, he took the city without any difficulty; the guards that should have kept it, flying away before it was affaulted; where he gave an opportunity to his followers that had been in diftrefs to refresh themfelves, there being in that city a great abundance of neceffaries. After which he hafted away to the robbers that were in the caves, who over-ran a great part of the country, and did as great mifchief to its inhabitants as a war itfelt could have done. Accordingly he fent before hand three cohorts of footmen, and one troop of horfemen to the village Arbela, and came himself + forty days afterwards with

* This Sepphoris, the metropolis of Galilee, so often mentioned by Jofephus, has coins ftill remaining, σQ@phy, as Spanheim bere informs us.

+ This way of speaking, after 40 days, is interpreted by Jofephus himself, on the 40th day Antiq. B. XIV. ch. xv. fect. 4 Vol. II. In like manner, when Jofephus fays, ch. xxxiü. fe&. 8. that Herod lived after he had ordered Antipater to

the rest of his forces. Yet were not the enemy affrighted at his affault, but met him in arms; for their kill was that of warriors, but their boldness was the boldnets of robbers: when, therefore, it came to a pitched battle, they put to flight Herod's left wing with their right one; but Herod, wheeling about on the fudden from his own right wing, come to their affiftance, and both made his own left wing return back from its flight, and fell upon the purfuers, and cooled their courage, till they could not bear the attempts that were made directly upon them, and fo turned back and ran away.

3. But Herod followed them, and flew them as he followed them, and deftroyed a great part of them, till thofe that remained were fcattered beyond the river [Jordan,] and Galilee was freed from the terrors they had been under, excepting from thofe that remained, and lay concealed in caves, which required longer time ere they could be conquered. In order to which Herod, in the first place, diftributed the fruits of their former labours to the foldiers, and gave every one of them an hundred and filty drachmæ of filver, and a great deal more to their commanders, and fent them into their winter quarters. He alfo fent to his youngest brother Pheroras to take care of a good market for them. where they might buy themfelves provifions, and to build a wall about Alexandrium, who took care of both thofe injunctions accordingly.

4. In the mean time Antony abode at Athens, while Ventidius called for Silo and Herod to come to the war againit the Parthians, but ordered them firft to fettle the affairs of Judea: So Herod willingly difmiffed Silo to go to Ventidius, but he made an expedition himfelt againft thofe that lay in the caves. Now thefe caves were in the precipices of craggy mountains, and could not be come at from any fide fince they had only fome winding path-ways, very narrow, by which they got up to them; but the rock that lay on their front had beneath it valleys of a vaft depth, and of an almost perpendicular declivity; infomuch that the king was doubtful for a long time what to do, by reafon of a kind of impoffibility there was of attacking the place. Yet did he at length make ufe of a contrivance that was fubject to the utmost hazard; for he let down the moft hardy of his men in chefts, and fet them at the mouths of the dens. Now thefe men flew the robbers and their families, and when they made refiftance.) they fent in fire upon them, [and burnt them; and as Herod was defirous of faving fome of them, he had proclamation made, that they fhould come and deliver themfelves up to

be flain 5 days; this is by himself interpreted, Antiq. B. XVII. ch. viii. fe&t 1. Vol. II. that he died on the 5th day afterward So alfo what is in this book, chap xiii. fect. 1. after two years, is, Antiq. B. XIV. ch. xiii. fect. 3. Vol. II. on the fecond year. And Dean Aldrich here notes that this way of speaking is familiar to Jofephus.

him; but not one of them came willingly to him, and of those that were compelled to come, many preferred death to captivity. And here a certain old man, the father of leven children, whofe children, together with their mother, defired him to give them leave to go out, upon the affurance and right hand that was offered them, flew them after the following manner: He ordered every one of them to go out, while he ftood himself at the cave's mouth, and flew that fon of his perpetually who went out. Herod was near enough to fee this fight, and his bowels of compaffion were moved at it, and he ftretched out his right hand to the old man, and befought him to fpare his children; yet did not he relent at all upon what he said, but over and above reproached Herod on the lownefs of his defcent, and flew his wife as well as his children; and when he had thrown their dead bodies down the precipice, he at last threw himself down after them.

5. By this means Herod fubdued these caves, and the robbers that were in them. He then left there a part of his army, as many as he thought fufficient to prevent any fedition, and made Ptolemy their general, and returned to Samaria: He led alfo with him three thousand armed footmen, and fix hundred horfemen against Antigonus. Now here thole that used to raife tumults in Galilee, having liberty fo to do upon his departure, fell unexpectedly upon Ptolemy, the general of his forces, and flew him: They alfo laid the country wafte, and then retired to the bogs, and to places not easily to be found." But when Herod was informed of this infurrection, he came to the affiftance of the country immediately, and deftroyed a great number of the feditious, and raised the fiages of all those fortreffes they had befieged: He alfo exacted the tribute of an hundred talents of his enemies, as a penalty for the mutations they had made in the country.

6. By this time the Parthians being already driven out of the country, and Pacorus flain, Ventidius, by Antony's command, fent a thoufand horfemen, and two legions, as auxiliaries to Herod, against Antigonus. Now Antigonus befought Macheras, who was their general, by letter, to come to his affiftance, and made a great many mournful complaints about Herod's violence, and about the injuries he did to the kingdom; and promised to give him money for fuch his affiftance: But he complied not with his invitation to betray bis truft, for he did not contemn him that fent him especially while Herod gave him more money [than the other offered]. So he pretended friendship to Antigonus, but came as a ipy to difcover his affairs; although he did not herein comply with Herod, who diffuaded him from fo doing. But Antigonus perceived what his intentions were beforehand, and excluded him out of the city, and defended himself against him, as against an enemy from the walls; till Macheras was afhamed of what he had done, and retired to Emmaus to Herod; and,