form what was agreeable to their laws, in marrying a foreign wile; and one that transgressed the appointments of their sacrifices and religious ceremonies. That he ought to consider, lest by allowing himself in many pleasures of the body, he might lose his principality, on account of the beauty of a wife; and that high authority which, by God's blessing, he had arrived at. But they prevailed not at all upon him, and he even slew one of them for whom he had the greatest respect, because of the liberty he took with him. This man, when he was dying, imprecated a punishment upon his murderer Anileus, and upon Asineus also: and prayed that all their companions might come to a like end from their enemies: upon the two first as the principal actors of this wickedness; and upon the rest as those that would not assist him when he suffered in the defence of their laws. Now these latter were sorely grieved: yet did they tolerate these doings, because they remembered that they arrived at their present happy state by no other means than their fortitude. But when they also heard of the worship of those gods whom the Parthians adore, they thought the injury that Anileus offered to their laws, was to be borne no longer and a greater number of them came to Asineus, and loudly complained of Anileus; and told him, that it had been well that he had of himself seen what was advantageous to them; but that it was now high time to correct what had been done amiss, before the crime that had been committed proved the ruin of himself and of all the rest of them. They added, that the marriage of this woman was made without their consent, and without a regard to their old laws; and that the worship which she paid to her idols was a reproach to the God whom they wor shipped. Now Asineus was sensible of his brother's offence; that it had been already the cause of great mischiefs, and would be so for the time to come. Yet did he tolerate the same, from the good-will he had to so near a relation; and forgave it on account that his brother was quite overborne by his wicked inclinations. But as more and more still came about him every day, and the clamors about it became greater, he at length spake to Anileus: reproving him for his former actions, and desiring him, for the future, to leave them off, and send the woman back to her relations. But nothing was gained by these reproofs. For as the woman perceived what a tumult was made among the people on her account; and was afraid for Anileus, lest he should come to any harm for his love to her, she infused poison into Asineus's food; and thereby took him off: and was now secure of prevailing, when her lover was to be judge of what should be done about her.

* This custom in Syria and Mesopotamia, of setting men upon an ass, by way of disgrace, is still kept up at Damascus in Syria: where, in order to shew their despite VOL. 11-NO. XXXVII.

Anileus now took the government upon himself, and led his army against the villages of Mithridates, who was a man of prin al authority in Parthia, and had married king abanus's daughter. He

also plundered them: and among that prey was found much money and many slaves; as also a great number of sheep, and many other things which, when gained, make mens' condition happy. Now when Mithridates, who was there at this time, heard that his villages were taken, he was much displeased to find that Anileus had first begun to injure him, and to affront him in his present dignity, when he had not offered any injury to him beforehand : and he assembled the greatest body of horsemen he was able; and those out of that number which were of an age fit for war, and came to fight Anileus. And when he was arrived at a certain village of his own, he lay still there; as intending to fight him on the day following: because it was the sabbath, the day on which the Jews rest. And when Anileus was informed of this, by a Syrian stranger of another village, who not only gave him an exact account of other circumstances, but told him where". Mithridates would have a feast; he took his supper at a proper time, and marched by night, with an intent of falling upon the Parthians while they were unapprised what they should do. So he fell upon them about the fourth watch of the night, and some of them he slew, while they were asleep, and others he put to flight; and took Mithridates alive, and * set him naked upon an ass; which among the Parthians is esteemed the greatest reproach possible. And when he had brought him into a wood, with such a resolution, and his friends desired him to kill Mithridates, he told them his own mind to the contrary, and said that it was not fight to kill a man who was one of the principal families among the Parthians, and greatly honored with matching into the royal family: that so far as they had hitherto gone was tolerable: 'for although they had injured Mithridates, yet if they preserved his life, this benefit would be remembered by him to the advantage of those that gave it him. But that if he were once put to death, the king would not be at rest till he had made a great slaughter of the Jews that dwelt at Babylon: to whose safety they ought to have a regard, both on account of their relation to them, and because if any misfortune happened, they should have no other place to retire to; since he had the flower of their youth under him. By this speech made in council, he persuaded them to act accordingly. So Mithridates was set at liberty. But when he was gone away, his wife reproached him, that although he were son-in law to the king, be neg

lected to avenge himself on those that had injured him: while he took no care about it, but was contented to have been made a captive by the Jews, and to have escaped them: and she bade him to go back, like a man of courage; or else she sware by the gods of their royal family, that she would certainly dissolve her marriage with him. Upon this, partly because he could not bear her daily taunts, and partly because he was afraid of her insolence, Jest she should in earnest dissolve their marriage, he unwillingly got together again as large an army as he could, and marched along with them: as thinking it a thing not to be borne any longer, that he, a Parthian, should owe his preservation to the Jews, when they had been too hard for him in the war.

But as soon as Anileus understood that Mithridates was marching with a great army against him, he thought it an ignominious thing to tarry about the lakes, and not to take the first opportunity of meeting his enemies; and he hoped to have the same success, and to beat his enemies as he did before; as also he ventured boldly upon the like attempts. Accordingly he led out his army, and a great many more joined him, in order to betake themselves to plunder other people: and in order to terrify the enemy again by their numbers. But when they had marched ninety furlongs, while the road had been through dry and sandy places, and about the midst of the day, they were become very thirsty: and Mithridates appeared, and fell upon them, as they were in distress for want of water. On which account, and on the account of the time of the day, they were not able to bear their weapons. So Anileus and his men were put to an ignominious route: while men in despair were to attack those that were fresh, and in good condition: so a great slaughter was made, and many thousands fell. Now Anileus, and all that stood firm about him, ran away as fast as they were able, into a wood; and afforded Mithridates the pleasure of having gained a great victory over them. But there now came in to Anileus a conflux of bad men, who heeded their own lives very little if they might but gain some present ease. Insomuch that they, by thus coming to him, compensated the multitude of those which perished in the fight. Yet were not these men like to those that fell, because they were rash and inexperienced in war. However, with these he came upon the villages of the Babylonians, and a mighty devastation of all things was made there, by the injuries that Anileus did them. So the Babylonians, and those that had already been in the war, sent to Neerda, to the Jews there, and demanded Anileus. But although they did not agree to their demands; (for if they had been willing to deliver them up, it was not in their power so to do;) yet did they desire to make peace with them. To which the other replied, that they also

* Take Spanheim's note here: "Ctesiphon was

a

wanted to settle conditions of peace with them, and sent men, together with the Babylonians, who discoursed with Anileus about them. But the Babylonians, upon taking a view of his situation; and having learned where Anileus and his men lay, fell secretly upon them, as they were intoxicated, and fallen asleep, and slew all that they caught of them, without any fear; and killed Anileus himself also.

The Babylonians were now freed from Anileus's heavy incursions, which had been a great restraint to the effects of that hatred they bore to the Jews. For they were almost always at variance, by reason of the contrariety of their laws: and which party soever grew boldest, they assaulted the other. And at this time in particular it was, that, upon the ruin of Anileus's party, the Babylonians attacked the Jews This made those Jews so vehemently to resent the injuries they received from the Babylonians, that being neither able to fight them, nor bearing to live with them, they went to Seleucia, the principal city of those parts, which was built by Seleucus Nicator; and which was inhabited by many of the Macedonians, but by more of the Grecians. Not a few of the Syrians also dwelt there. And hither did the Jews fly, and lived there five years, without any misfortunes. But on the sixth year a pestilence came upon those at Babylon, which occasioned new removals of mens' habitations out of that city; and because they came to Seleucia, it happened that a still heavier calamity came upon them on that account.

Now the way of living of the people of Seleucia, which were Greeks and Syrians, was commonly quarrelsome, and full of discord: though the Greeks were too hard for the Syrians. When therefore the Jews were come thither, and dwelt among them, there arose a sedition, and the Syrians were too hard for the other, by the assistance of the Jews, who are men that despise dangers, and are very ready to fight upon any occasion. Now when the Greeks had the worst in this sedition, and saw that they had but one way of recovering their former authority, and that was if they could prevent the agreement between the Jews and the Syrians; they discoursed with such of the Syrians as were formerly their acquaintance, and promised they would be at peace and friendship with them. Accordingly they gladly agreed so to do. And when this was done by the principal men of both nations, they soon agreed to a reconciliation. And when they were so agreed, they both knew that the great sign of such an union would be their common hatred to the Jews. Accordingly they fell upon them, and slew above fifty thousand of them: nay the Jews were all destroyed, excepting a few who escaped, by the compassion which their friends or neighbors afforded them, in order to let them flee away. These retired to* Ctesiphon, a Grecian city, and situate near to

Grecian city, and near to Seleucia. The king of Persia

5

Seleucia, where the king of Parthia lives in winter every year, and where the greatest part of his riches are deposited. But the Jews had here no certain settlement: those of Seleuca having little concern for the king's honor. Now the whole nation of the Jews were in fear both of the Babylonians, and of the Seleucians; because all the Syrians that live in those places agreed with the Seleucians in the war

against the Jews. So the most of them gathered themselves together, and went to Neerda, and Nisibis; and obtained security there by the strength of those cities: besides which their inhabitants, who were very numerous, were all warlike men. And this was the state of the Jews at this time in Babylonia.

CHAP. I.

Of the Assassination of Caius by Cherea. NOW Caius did not only demonstrate his mad

ness in offering injuries to the Jews at Jerusalem, or to those that dwelt in the neighbourhood, but suffered it to extend itself through all the earth and the sea, so far as was in subjection to the Romans; and filled it with ten thousand mischiefs: so many indeed in number, as no former history relates. But Rome itself felt the most dismal effects of what he did: while he deemed that not to be any way more honorable than the rest of the cities: but he persecuted its citizens, and especially the senate and the nobility, and such as had been dignified by illustrious ancestors. He also had ten thousand devices against such of the equestrian order, as it was stiled, who were esteemed by the citizens equal in dignity and wealth with the senators; because out of them the senators themselves were chosen. These he treated after an ignominious manner, and removed them

always spent his winter there. Amm. Marcellin. XXIII. 6. pag. 286. Ctesiphon, which Varanes settled in old time. King Pacorus brought more inhabitants to it, and built a wall about it: and under its Grecian name made it the best city of Persia. Next to which was Seleucia, &c." See Strabo, XVI. page 743.

*N. B. In this and the three next chapters we have, I think, a larger and more distinct account of the slaughter of Caius, and the succession of Claudius, than we have of any such ancient facts elsewhere. Some of the occasions of which probably were, Josephus's bitter hatred against

out of his way while they were at once slain, and their wealth plundered: because he slew men gene. rally in order to seize on their riches. He also asserted his own divinity; and insisted on greater honors to be paid him by his subjects than are due to mankind. He also frequented that temple of Jupiter, which they style the capitol; which is with them the most holy of all their temples: and had boldness enough to call himself the brother of Jupiter. And other pranks he did like a madman. As when he laid a bridge from the city Dicearchia, to Misenum, another city upon the sea side, from one promontory to another, of the length of thirty furlongs, as measured over the sea. And this was done, because he esteemed it to be a most tedious thing to row over it, in a small ship: aud thought that it became him to make that bridge, since he was lord of the sea, and might oblige it to give marks of obedience as well as the earth. So he enclosed the whole bay within his bridge, and drove his chariot over it; and thought that, as he was a god, it was fit for him to travel over such roads as this was, Nor did he abstain from the plunder of any of the

tyranny; and the pleasure he took in giving the history of the slaughter of such a barbarous tyrant as was this Caius Caligula; as also the deliverance his own nation had by that slaughter.

+ Called Caligula, by the Romans.

This bridge over an arm of the sea, from Puteoli to Misenum, made by Caius Caligula, is, in general, mentioned by Dio LIX. pag. 650, 651. Its length is given us by Suetonius, in Caius, Chap. XIX. of 3600 paces: which is about the same length with these 30 furlongs in Josephus. See Hudson's and Spanheim's Notes here.

Grecian