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as he was in a rage at his disappointment, he flew all the Jews whom he met with, without fparing thofe that were for Herod, but using them all as if they were for Antigonus.

7. Hereupon Herod was very angry at him, and was going to fight against Macheras as his enemy; but he reftrained his Indignation, and marched to Antony to accufe Macheras of mal-administration. But Macheras was made fenfible of his offences, and followed after the king immediately, and earnestly begged and obtained that he would be reconciled to him. However, Herod did not defift from his refolution of going to Antony; bus when he heard that he was befieging* Samofata with a great army, which is a ftrong city near to Euphrates, he made the greater hafte; as obferving that this was a proper opportunity for fhewing at once his courage, and for doing what would greatly oblige Antony. Indeed when he came, he foon made an end of that fiege, and flew a great number of the barbarians, and took from them a large prey; infomuch that Antony, who admired his courage tormerly, did now admire it ftill more. Accordingly he heaped many more honours upon him, and gave him more affured hopes that he should gain his kingdom: And now king Antiochus was forced to deliver up Samofata,

CHAP. XVII,

The Death of Jofeph, [Herod's brother], which had been figni fied to Herod in dreams. How Herod was preferved twice, after a wonderful manner. He cuts off the head of Pappus, who was the Murderer of his brother, and fends that head to [his other brother Pheroras. And in no long time he befieges Jerufalem, and marries Mariamne.

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I. IN the mean time Herod's affairs in Judea were in an ill ftate. He had left his brother Jofeph with full power, but had charged him to make no attempts against Antigonus, till his return; for that Macheras would not be fuch an affiftant as he could depend on, as it appeared by what he had done already; but as foon as Jofephus heard that his brother was at a very great diftance, he neglected the charge he had received, and marched towards Jericho with five cohorts," which Macheras fent with him. This movement was intended for feizing on the corn, as it was now in the midst of fummer; but when his enemies attacked him in the mountains, and in places which were difficult to pass, he was both killed himself, as he was very bravely fighting in the battle, and the

This Samofata, the metropolis of Commagena, is well known from its coins, as Spanheim here affures us. Dean Aldrich also confirms what Jofephus here notes, that Herod was a great means of taking the city by Antony, and that from Plutarch

and Dio.

entire Roman cohorts were deftroyed; for thefe cohorts were new-raised men, gathered out of Syrta, and there was no mixture of those called veteran foldiers among them, who might have fupported those that were unfkilful in war.

2. This victory was not fufficient for Antigonus, but he proceeded to that degree of rage, as to treat the dead body of Jofeph barbaroufly: For when he had gotten poffeffion of the bodies of thofe that were flain, he cut off his head, although his brother Pheroras would have given fifty talents as a price of redemption for it. And now the affairs of Galilee were put into fuch diforder after this victory of Antigonus's that those of Antigonus's party brought the principal men that were on Herod's fide to the lake, and there drowned them. There was a great change made alfo in Idumea, where Macheras was building a wall about one of the fortreffes, which was called Gittha. But Hefod had not yet been informed of these things; før after the taking of Samofata, and when Antony had fet Sofius over the affairs of Syria, and given him orders to affill Herod against Antigonus, he departed into Egypt; but Solius fent two legions before him into Judea, to aflift Herod, and followed himfelf foon after with the rest of his army.

3. Now when Herod was at Daphne, by Antioch, he had fome dreams which clearly foreboded his brother's death, and as he leaped out of his bed in a disturbed manner, there came meffengers that acquainted him with that calamity. So when he had lamented this misfortune for a while, he put off the main part of his mourning, and made hafte to march against his enemies; and when he had performed a march that was above his ftrength, and was gone as far as Libanus, he got him eight hundred men of those that lived near to that mountain, as his affiftants, and joined with them one Roman legion, with which, before it was day, he made an irruption into Galilee, and met his enemies, and drove them back to the place which they had left. He also made an immediate and continual attack upon the fortrefs. Yet was he forced by a moft terrible ftorm to pitch his camp in the neighbouring villages, before he could take it; but when, after a few days time, the fecond legion, that came from Antony joined themselves to him, the enemy were affrighted at his power, and left their fortifications in the night time.

4. After this he marched through Jericho, as making what hatte he could to be avenged on his brother's murderers: Where happened to him a providential fign, out of which, when he had unexpectedly efcaped, he had the reputation of being very dear to God; for that evening there feafted with him many of the principal men, and after that feaft was over, and all the guests were gone out, the houfe fell down immediately. And as he judged this to be a common fignal of what dangers he fhould undergo, and how he thould efcape them in the war that he was going about, he, in the morning, fet for

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59

e people, nobody could be perfuaded to withhold hind from flaughter, but they flew people of all a imen. Then it was that Antigonus, without any bis former or to his prefent fortune, came down adel and fell down at Sofius's, feet who, without 1 at all, upon the change of his condition, laughed ond meafure, and called him Antigona. Yet did him like a woman, or let him go free, but put him and kept him in cuftody.

lerod's concern at prefent, now he had gotten his nder his power, was to reftrain the zeal of his foreign ; for the multitude of the ftrange people were very e the temple, and what was facred in the holy houfe the king endeavoured to reftrain them, partly by ations, partly by his threatenings, nay, partly by inking the victory worfe than a defeat to him if that ought not to be leen were seen by them. He e, at the fame time the fpoiling of the city, afking he most earnest manner, whether the Romans by ing the city of money and men had a mind to leave f a defert; and told him. That " he judged the dohe habitable earth too fmall a compenfation for the f fo many citizens." And when Sofius faid," That uft to allow the foldiers this plunder as a reward ey fuffered during the fiege," Herod made anfwer, would give every one of the foldiers a reward out of oney," So he purchafed the deliverance of his and performed his promiles to them, and made pref a magnificent manner to each foldier, and proporto their commanders, and with a most royal bounty himfelt, whereby nobody went away but in a weal ion. Hereupon Sofius dedicated a crown of gold nd then went away from Jerufalem, leading Antigoin bonds to Antony; then did the tax bring him to vio ftill had a fond defire of life, and fome frigid to the laft, but by his cowardly behaviour well dedie by it.

upon king Herod diftinguished the multitude that city, and for thofe that were of his fide, he made more his friends by the honours he conferred on for thofe of Antigonus's party he flew them; and y ran low, he turned all the ornaments he had innd fent it to Antony, and to thofe about him. Yet thereby purchase an exemption from all fuffertony was now bewitched by his love to Cleopaentirely conquered by her charms. Now Cleó

That is, A woman, not a man.

f Antigonus is confirmed by Plutarch and Strabo; the latter
rit by Jofephus himself, Autiq. B. XV. ch. i. fe&t. 2.
ere obferves,

ward with his army, when about fix thoufand of his enemies came running down from the mountains, and began to fight with thofe in his forefront; yet durft they not be fo very bold as to engage the Romans hand to hand, but threw stones and darts at them at a distance; by which means they wounded a confiderable number; in which action Herod's own fide was wounded with a dart.

5. Now as Antigonus had a mind to appear to exceed Herod, not only in the courage, but in the number of his men, he fent Pappus, one of his companions with an army against Samaria, whofe fortune it was to oppofe Macheras; but Herod over-ran the enemies country, and demolifhed five little cit ies, and deftroyed two thoufand men that were in them, and burned their houfes, and then returned to his camp; but his head quarters were at the village called Cana.

6. Now a great multitude of Jews reforted to him every day, both out of Jericho, and the other parts of the country. Some were moved fo to do out of their hatred to Antigonus, and fome out of regard to the glorious actions Herod had done; but others were led on by an unreasonable defire of change; fo he fell upon them immediately. As for Pappus and his party, they were not terrified either at their number, or at their zeal but marched out with great alacrity to fight them, and it came to a clofe fight. Now other parts of their army made refiftance for a while; but Herod running the utmoft hazard out of the rage he was in at the murder of his brother, that he might be avenged on thofe that had been the authors of it, foon beat those that oppofed him, and, after he had beaten them, he always turned his force against thofe that flood to it fill, and purfued them all; fo that a great flaughter was made, while fome were forced back into that village whence they came out; he alfo preffed hard upon the hindermoft, and flew a vast number of them; he allo fell into the village with the enemy, where every houfe was filled with armed men, and the upper rooms were crowded above with foldiers for their defence; and when he had beaten those that were on the outfide, he pulled the houles to pieces and plucked out thofe that were within; upon many he had the roofs fhaken down, whereby they perifhed by heaps, and as "for thofe that fled out of the ruins, the foldiers received them with their fwords in their hands, and the multitude of those flain, and lying on heaps was fo great thatthe conquerors could not pafs along the roads. Now the enemy could not bear this blow, fo that when the multitude of them which was gathered together, faw that thofe in the village were flain, they difperf ed themselves and fled away; upon the confidence of which victory, Herod had marched immediately to Jerufalem, unlefs he had been hindered by the depth of winter's coming on.] This was the impediment that lay in the way of this his entire glorious progrefs, and was what hindered Antigonus from be

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