and to those whom he had not power to punifh actually, he fpake harfhly; but for Antipater, he infulted Alexander, now he was under his misfortunes, and got a flout company of his kindred together, and raised all forts of calumny against him: And for the king, he was brought to fuch a degree of terror by those prodigious flanders and contrivances, that he fancied he faw Alexander coming to him with a drawn fword in his hand; fo he caufed him to be feized upon immediately and bound, and fell to examining his friends by torture, many of whom died [under the torture], but would difcover nothing, nor fay any thing againft their confciences; but fome of them, being forced to fpeak falfely by the pains they endured, faid that Alexander, and his brother Ariftobulus, plotted against him and waited for an opportunity to kill him as he was hunting, and then fly away to Rome. These accufations though they were of an incredible nature, and only framed upon the great diftrefs they were in, were readily believed by the king. who thought it fome comfort to him, after he had bound his fon, that it might appear he had not done it unjustly.

CHA P. XXV.

Archelaus procures a reconciliation between Alexander, Pheroras, and Herod.

§ 1. NOW as to father that he was innocent].

JOW as to Alexander, fince he perceived it impof

he refolved to meet his calamities how fevere loever they were; fo he compofed four books against his enemies, and confeffed that he had been in a plot; but declared withal that the greatest part [of the countries] were in a plot with him, and chiefly Pheroras, and Salome; nay that Salome once came and forced him to lie with her in the night time, whether he would or no. These books were put into Herod's hands, and made a great clamour againft the men in power. And now it was that Archelaus came haftily into Judea, as being affrighted for his fon-in-law, and his daughter; and he came as a proper affiftant, and in a very prudent manner, and by a ftratagem he obliged the king not to execute what he had threatened; for when he was come to him he cried out, "Where in the world is this wretched fon in-law of mine? Where fhall I fee the head of his which contrived to murder his father, which I will tear to pieces with my own hands. I will do the fame alfo to my daughter, who hath fuch a fine hufband: For although the be not a partner in the plot yet, by being the wife of fuch a creature, the is polluted. And I cannot but admire at thy patience, against whom this plot is Jaid, if Alexander be ftill alive; for as I came with what hafte I could from Cappadocia, I expected to find him put to death

for his crimes long ago; but ftill in order to make an examination with thee about my daughter, whom, out of regard to thee, and thy dignity, I had efpoufed to him in marriage; but now we must take counfel about them both; and if thy paternal affection be fo great, that thou canst not punish thy fon, who hath plotted against thee, let us change our right hands, and let us fucceed one to the other in expreffing our rage upon this occafion."

2. When he had made this pompous declaration, he got Herod to remit of his anger, though he were in diforder, who thereupon gave him the books which Alexander had compofed to be read by him, and as he came to every head, he confidered of it, together with Herod. So Archelaus_took hence the occafion for that ftratagem which he made ufe of, and by degrees he had the blame on thofe men whofe names were intuele books and efpecially upon Pheroras; and when he faw that the king believed him [to be in earneft], he faid, "We must confider whether the young man be not himself plotted against by fuch a number of wicked wretches, and not thou plotted against by the young man ; for I cannot fee any occafion for his falling into fo horrid a crime, fince he enjoys the advantages of royalty already, and has the expectation of being one of thy lacceffors; I mean this unless there were fome perfons that perfuade him to it, and fuch perfons as make an ill use of the facility they know there is to perfuade young men; for by fuch perfons, not only young men are lometimes impofed upon, but old men alfo, and by them fometimes are the most illustrious families and kingdoms overturned.

3. Herod affented to what he had faid, and, by degrees, abated of his anger against Alexander; but was more angry at Pheroras; for the principal fubject of the four books was Pheroras who perceiving that the king's inclinations changed on a fudden, and that Archelaus's friendship.could do every thing with him, and that he had no honourable method of preferving himself, he procured his fafety by his impudence. So he left Alexander, and had recourfe to Archelaus, who told him, That "he did not fee how he could get him ex. cufed, now he was directly caught in fo many crimes, whereby it was evidently demonftrated, that he had plotted again ft the king, and had been the caule of thofe misfortunes which the young man was now under, unless he would moreover leave off his cunning knavery, and his denials of what he was charged withal, and confefs the charge, and implore pardon of his brother, who still had a kindness for him; but that if he would do so, he would afford him all the affiftance he was able."

4. With this advice Pheroras complied, and, putting himfell into fuch a habit as might moft move compaffion, he came with black cloth upon his body, and tears in his eyes, and

84

WARS OF THE JEWS.

threw himself down at Herod's feet, and begged his pardon for what he had done, and confeffed that he had acted very wickedly, and was guilty of every thing that he had been ac cused of, and lamented that disorder of his mind, and diftraction which his love to a woman, he faid had brought him to. So when Archelaus had brought Pheroras to accufe and bear witness against himfelt he then made an excufe for him, and mitigated Herod's anger towards him, and this by using certain domeftical examples; "For that when he had fuffered much greater mischiefs from a brother of his own he preferred the obligations of nature, before the paffion of revenge; because it is in kingdoms, as it is in grofs bodies, where fome member or other is ever fwelled by the body's weight, in which cafe it is not proper to cut off fuch member, but to heal it by a gentle method of cure."

5. Upon Archelaus's faying this, and much more to the fame purpose, Herod's dilpleafure againft Pheroras was molified; yet did he perfevere in his own indignation against Alexander, and laid, he would have his daughter divorced, and taken away from him, and this till he had brought Herod to that pafs. that contrary to his former behaviour to him, he petitioned Archelaus for the young man, and that he would let his daughter continue efpouted to him: But Archelaus made him ftrongly believe that he would permit her to be married to any one elfe, but not to Alexander, because he looked upon it as a very valuable advantage that the relation they had contracted by that affinity, and the privileges that went along with it might be preferved. And when the king Taid that his fon would take it for a great favour to him, if he would not diffolve that marriage, especially fince they had already chil dren between the young man and her, and fince that wife of his was fo well beloved by him, and that as while the remain's his wife fhe would be a great prefervative to him, and keep him from offending, as he had formerly done; fo if the thould be once torn away from him, he would be the caule of his falling into defpair; becaufe fuch young mens attempts are best mollified, when they are diverted from them by fettling their affections at home. So Archelaus complied with what Herod defired, but not without difficulty, and was both himfelf reconciled to the young man, and reconciled his father to him alfo. However, he faid he muft, by all means be fent to Rome to difcourfe with Cæfar, because he had already writ ten a full account to him of this whole matter.

4

6. Thus a period was put to Archelaus's ftratagem, whereby he delivered his fon-in-law out of the dangers he was in: But when these reconciliations were over, they spent their time in feastings and agreeable entertainments. And when Archelaus was going away, Herod made him a present of feventy talents, with a golden throne fet with precious ftones, and fome eunuchs, and a concubine who was called Panny

chis. He alfo paid due honours to every one of his friends according to their dignity. In like manner did all the king's kindred, by his command, make glorious prefents to Archelaus; and fo he was conducted on his way by Herod and his nobility as far as Antioch.

CHAP. XXVI.

How * Eurycles calumniated the Sons of Mariamne: And how Euaratus of Cos's Apology for them had no Effect.

§ 1. NOW wlis me ac fuperior to Archelaus's ftratagems, a little afterward there came into Judea a man

that who did not only overturn that reconciliation that had been fo wifely made with Alexander, but proved the occafion of his ruin. He was a Lacedemonian, and his name was Eurycles. He was fo corrupt a man, that out of the defire of getting money, he chofe to live under a king, for Greece could not fuffice his luxury. He prefented Herod with fplendid gifts, as a bait which he laid in order to compaís his ends, and quickly receiving them back again manifold; yet did he ef teem bare gifts as nothing, unless he imbrued the kingdom in blood by his purchases. Accordingly he impofed upon the king by flattering him, and by talking fubtily to him, as alfo by the lying encomiums which he made upon him; for as he foon perceived Herod's blind fide, fo he faid and did every thing that might pleafe him, and thereby became one of his moft intimate friends; for both the king and all that were about him, had a great regard for this + Spartan on account of his country.

2. Now as foon as this fellow perceived the rotten parts of the family, and what quarrels the brothers had one with another, and in what difpofition the father was towards each of them, he chofe to take his lodging at the first in the house of Antipater, but deluded Alexander with a pretence of friendfhip to him, and falfely claimed to be an old acquaintance of Archelaus; for which reafon he was prefently admitted into Alexander's familiarity as a faithful friend. He also soon re

This vile fellow, Eurycles the Lacedemonian, feems to have been the fame who is mentioned by Plutarch, as 25 years before a companion to Mark Antony, and as living with Herod; whence he might easily infinuate himself into the ac quaintance of Herod's fons, Antipater and Alexander, as Ufher, Hudson, and Spanheim justly fuppofe. The reafon why his being a Spartan rendered him acceptable to the Jews, as we here fee he was, is vifible from the public records of the Jews and Spartans, owning thofe Sparians to be of kin to the Jews, and derived from their common ancestor Abraham, the first patriarch of the Jewish nation. Antiq. B. XII. ch. iv, fect. 10. B. XIII, ch. v. fect. 8 Vol. II. and i Macc. B. XII. ch. vii.

+ See the preceeding note.

er.

commended himfelf to his brother Ariftobulus. And when he had thus made trial of these feveral perfons, he impofed upon one of them by one method, and upon another by anothBut he was principally hired by Antipater, and fo betrayed Alexander, and this by reproaching Antipater, because while he was the eldest fon, he overlooked the intrigues of those who flood in the way of his expectations; and by reproaching Alexander, becaufe he who was born of a queen, and was married to a king's daughter permitted one that was born of a mean woman to lay claim to the fucceffion, and this when he had Archelaus to fupport him in the most complete manner. Nor was his advice thought to be other than faithful by the young man, because of his pretended friendship with Archelaus: On which account it was that Alexander lamented to him Antipater's behaviour with regard to himself, and this without concealing any thing from him; and how it was no wonder if Herod, after he had killed their mother, fhould deprive them of her kingdom. Upon this Eurycles pretended to commiferate his condition, and to grieve with him. He alfo, by a bait that he laid for him, procured Ariftobulus to fay the fame things. Thus did he inveigle both the brothers to make complaints of their father and then went to Antipater, and carried thefe grand fecrets to him. He also added a fiction of his own, as if his brothers had laid a plot against him, and were almost ready to come upon him with their drawn fwords. For this intelligence he received a great fum of money, and on that account he commended Antipater be fore his father, and at length undertook the work of bringing Alexander and Ariftobulus to their graves, and accufed them before their father. So he came to Herod and told him, That "he would fave his life as a requital for the favours he had received from him, and would preferve his light [of life by way of retribution for his kind entertainment: For that a sword had been long whetted, and Alexander's right hand had been long stretched out against him; but that he had laid impedi ments in his way, prevented his fpeed, and that by pretending to affift him in his defign: How Alexander faid, that Herod was not contented to reign in a kingdom that belonged to others, and to make delapidations in their mother's gov ernment, after he had killed her; but befides all this, that he introduced a fpurious fucceffor, and propofed to give the kingdom of their ancestors to that peftilent fellow Antipater: That he would now appeafe the ghofts of Hyrcanus and Mariamne, by taking vengeance on him; for that it was not fit for him to take the iucceffion to the government from such a father without blood fhed: That many things happen every day to provoke him fo to do, infomuch, that he can fay nothing at all, but it affords occafion for calumny against him; for that, if any mention be made of nobility of birth, even in other cafes, he is abused unjustly, while his father would lay,