who was confirmed in the kingdome by his fathers testament yet would he not giue eare thereunto But Antipas no sooner arriued in Rome but all his kinsfolke reuolted from Archelaus vnto him not so much for the loue they bare him as for the hatred they had conceiued against Archelaus and aboue all for the desire they had to recouer their libertie and to draw themselues vnder a Roman gouernour For they thought that if there were any contradiction that Antipas for whom they indeuoured to procure the roialtie should be more profitable vnto them then Archelaus Sabinus also by his letters accused Archelaus to Caesar But Archelaus by Ptolomey exhibited vnto Caesar a supplication containing his right and title to the kingdome his fathers testament and the account of the money which Herode his father had sealed vp togither with his ring and expected the issue But when he had read these letters and those which Varus and Sabinus had sent him and vnderstood what summes of money he had left and what the annuall reuenue was and how Antipas challenged the kingdome and appropriated it to himselfe according as his letters made mention he assembled all his friends to haue their aduise thereupon Amongst them was Caius the sonne of Agrippa and his daughter Iulia adopted by him whom he caused to sit in the chiefest place which done he commanded the assistants to speake what they would touching this matter At that time Antipater Salomes sonne a man verie eloquent and a great aduersarie to Archelaus spake first saying that it was a mockerie for him at that time to speake of the kingdome â—…nsidering that before Caesar had granted it him he had alreadie seazed the forces of the state when as vpon a festiuall day he had slaine so many who although they had deserued that punishment yet ought the iustice thereof to haue been reserued to a lawfull power and not to haue bin vsurped by him either being king with Caesars preiudice whose authoritie he had contempned or by being a priuate man which was a greater ouersight For which cause he vndeseruedly at this time hoped for his approbation whom already as much as in him lay he had depriued of the title and authoritie of his allowance Moreouer he obiected against him that of his owne authoritie he had chaunged certaine chieftaines of the armie and that he had seated himselfe in the royall throne and like a king had determined certaine causes and had granted certaine demaunds of the people finally that he had left nothing vndone which he might haue performed had Caesar confirmed his title He alledged also that they who were inclosed in the Hippodrome were dismissed by him and diuers other acts partly true partly probable in regard of the ambition of young men who desirous to gouerne do ordinarily commit such things besides this his neglect in mourning for his father and withall his reare banquets all night long at that verie time his father died whereat the people began to mutinie seeing the smal regard he had of his fathers death from whom he had receiued so great goods and honours How all the day long he made a shew of his sorrow and teares in his pauilion but all the night tooke pleasures like a king and being such if Caesar should grant him the kingdome he would behaue himselfe no lesse vnkindly towards him then he had done towards his most kind father That it was no lesse then a hainous crime in him to delite himselfe with songs and daunces at his fathers death as if he had beene his enemie That he now came to Caesars presence to the intent to obtaine the kingdome by his consent whereas alreadie he had behaued himselfe no otherwise then if he had alreadie beene established king by his authoritie But most of all he exaggerated the slaughter he had committed in the temple and the impietie perpetrated so neere to the feast of Easter at which time diuers both straungers and citizens had beene slaughtered after the manner of sacrifices and the temple filled with carcasses not by a straunger but by him who vnder the colour of religion desireth the gouernment of the kingdome to the end he might satisfie the vniustice of his nature in exercising each way his tyranny toward all men for which cause his father neuer thought nor euer dreampt to substitute him king in his place For he knew both his life and disposition and by his former testament and that of greatest force had ordained his aduersarie Antipater to be king For he had beene allotted the kingdome by his father not when his mind was dead before his bodie but when both his iudgement was sound and his bodie in health Yea although at that time Archelaus father had such a conceit of him as in his latter testament and bequest he pretendeth yet that he had alreadie declared what kind of king he was likely to be who contemned Caesars authoritie in confirming the kingdome and being as yet a priuate man doubted not to murther the citizens in the temple This said Antipater to giue greater credit to his words bringing diuers of his kindred as witnesses of that he had said ended his Oration Whereupon Nicholas arose and alledged in Archelaus behalfe as touching the slaughter that it was to be imputed to their impietie who could not be restrained from their tumults and vprores before Archelaus was enforced to appease them by force alledging that they were so much the more guiltie for that they had not onely exercised their malice but also had enforced others to attempt so hainous a reuenge against them for their insolencie seemed in appearance to concerne Archelaus yet in a sort their contumacie pertianed to Caesars iniurie For those that had beene sent by him to appease and represse their sedition were against all law and right charged and slaine by them without respect of God or regard of the solemne feast whose defence Antipater was not ashamed of without respect of equitie so that he might satisfie that hatred which he bare vnto Archelaus That therefore it was their fault who first of all abstained not from iniurie but whetted those swords which were drawen in maintenance of the peace against their owne bosomes He enforced all other things also whereof they had accused Archelaus against themselues saying that none of these things were done without their consents and that the offence was not so grieuous as they intended it should be esteemed to the end they might discredit Archelaus So great a desire was in them to hurt their kinsman a man both well respected and affected by his father as also kind and officious towards them in all things that concerned them As for the testament that it was made by the king when he was in perfect estate of minde and bodie and of greater force then the former because the authoritie and confirmation thereof was ascribed to Caesar the soueraigne of the world Further that Caesar would
beware thou neither conceale any thing for feare or speake ought for flatterie or to feed me with falsehoods but tell me all things truely although they shall in a sort breed my discontent to heare them Me seemed that I walked by a riuer side and that I saw seuen wel fed and verie fat kine which retired themselues from the floud into the pasture and againe me thought that seuen others came from the pasture to encounter them who were verie leane and vgly to behold who when they had deuoured the seuen others that were fat and great yet neuer the more increased but were all of them miserably vexed with hunger But after this vision being awaked out of my sleepe and troubled in my minde thinking with my selfe what that vision might signifie being seazed by little and little by a pleasant slumber I fell a sleepe once againe And againe I saw a vision more prodigious then the former which doth likewise trouble and terrifie me the more For I saw seuen eares sprong out of one roote that hung downe and bowed their heads because they were loaden with graine readie to be reapt after which there appeared seuen other weake and languishing for want of dewe who deuouring those other great and full eares left me highly astonished Hereunto Ioseph answered This dreame O king although it hath been seene in two figures yet so it is that it importeth one and the same accident which is to ensue For both those oxen which are creatures borne and bred vp for the plough and labour which you saw deuoured by the leaner and those eares of corne consumed by the weaker foresignifie a famine scarcitie in Egypt for so many yeares as there were Oxen and eares of corne in good plight so that the fertilitie of these good yeares shall be consumed by the sterilitie of so many other yeares according to their number and there shall be such scarcitie of necessarie prouision that it shall be hard to preuent and supply their defects all which is signified by those seuen leane kine who hauing deuoured the good could not be satisfied by the same All these things God foretelleth vnto men not to the end they should be terrified and affrighted but that being forewarned they might prouide for themselues to the end they might more easily preuent the imminent danger If therefore thou shalt lay vp and store the aboundance of the plentifull yeares Egypt shall not feele the penurie that shall follow And when as the king admiring at Iosephs prudence and wisedome demanded after what maner he might prouide in the time of plentie how to preuent and redresse the future sterilitie hee warned and counsailed him that the Egyptians should vse parcimony and that that which remained of those yeares superfluitie might be reserued for future necessities He counselled him also to bind the husbandmen that they should hoard vp their corne in their barnes and only to distribute to the people as much as was sufficient and no more Hereupon the king not onely praising Iosephs counsell but also his interpretation of his dreames made him Lord and commissarie of all the store and commanded him to prouide whatsoeuer he thought necessarie in that behalfe either of his owne or of the peoples assuring him that he thought no man more necessarie to execute this counsell then himselfe who was the author thereof Hauing therefore this authoritie giuen him by the king to vse his owne signet and to be cloathed in purple he was conducted thorow all the countrey vpon a chariot and he assembled the labourers of corne and distributed to euerie one by measure that which they wanted for seede corne and for their nourishment without letting any man vnderstand for what cause he did it About this time had he already attained to thirtie yeares olde being held in great honour by the king and was for his incredible prudence surnamed by him Psontom phanechus which signifieth the discouerer of hidden things he was also honoured with a wife of great dignitie for by the procuratiō of the king he tooke to wife a virgin daughter to Putifar the Heliopolitan priest whose name was Asaneth by whom he begat children also before the famine began in Egypt The elder of whom was called Manasses which signifieth Obliuion because attaining better fortune he grew in obliuion of his former miserie but the yonger was called Ephraim which signifieth returne for that he was restored to the libertie of his auncestors Now when as according to Iosephs interpretation the seuen yeares of plentie and affluence were ouerpassed in Egypt the eight yeare of famine began to infest the land and for that the euill was vnexspected the headlong multitude grieuously trauailed with hunger and miserie began to flocke about the kings gates and garners Hereon the king called for Ioseph who presently distributing graine to those that wanted it became without controuersie the father and conseruer of the cōminaltie Neither did he only make merchandize with those that inhabited that countrey but with strangers also deeming that the whole race of mankind was allied the one with the other and that it was conuenient that such as wanted should be succoured by their meanes who had better fortune And because the same calamitie both oppressed Chanaan and other kingdomes of the world Iacob also sent all his sonnes into Egypt to fetch come as soone as he vnderstood that strangers also had libertie to traffique in that place onely with himselfe he retained Beniamin whom he begat on Rachel and who was brother german vnto Ioseph who as soone as they arriued in Egypt repaired vnto Ioseph beseeching him that they might be permitted to buy come for nothing was done without his expresse command for euen then found each man fit occasion to honour the king when they bethought themselues howe to honour Ioseph He taking knowledge of his brothers who thought on nothing lesse then of him by reason that in his youth he was sold away by them and age had altered the lineaments of his face and besides no one of them might suspect that hee had attained to so great dignitie determined to trie and tempt them to the end he might the better gather how they were affected For he both denied them his licence to buy come cōmanded them also to be apprehended for spies telling them that they were gathered of diuers nations and they fained kinred for how can it be saith he that a priuat man should bring vp so many worthy sonnes which felicitie scarcely and very seldome is granted vnto kings This did he to the end he might gather some intelligence of his father and in what estate he liued during the time of his absence and what was become of Beniamin his brother for he was sore afraid least they had offered the same hard measure to the lad which they had inflicted on him But they were stroken with a mighty feare
God at such time as he slew the Philistine Dauid hauing gotten it fled out of the countrey of the Hebrewes and went vnto Geth a countrey of the Philistines wherein Achis was king There being knowne by the kings seruants hee was discouered and noted to be that Dauid that had slaine many thousand Philistines Dauid fearing to be put to death by him and suspecting least he should fall into the same daunger which hee had escaped by flying from Saul counterfeited himselfe to be foolish and mad so that the some frothed and issued out of his mouth and counterfeited in all things so cunningly that he made the king of Geth beleeue most stedfastly that he was besotted and frenzie in his sicknesse For which cause the king was wroth with his seruants in that they had brought him a madman and commanded them with all expedition that might be to driue him out of his countrey Hauing in this sort escaped out of the countrey of the Geths he transported himselfe into the tribe of Iuda and being in the caue of Adullam he sent vnto his brothers to let them vnderstand that he was there who came vnto him with all their linage and diuers others that either were in need or stood in feare of Saul resorted vnto him saying that they were ready to performe whatsoeuer he should command them all which amounted to the number of foure hundreth or thereabouts Dauid therfore being thus assured by reason of the succours and forces that come vnto him dislodged from thence went to the king of the Moabites beseeching him that he would bee pleased to entertaine his father and mother in that countrey vntill such time as he vnderstood what should be the issue or end of his affaires The king vouchsafed him this fauour and did them great honour all the time they were in his countrey And as touching Dauid he hauing receiued instructions by the commandement of the Prophet to abandon the desart to soiourne in the tribe of Iuda he obeyed him so that comming to Saron he made his aboade in that place But when Saul had vnderstood that Dauid had beene seene with a number of men he fell into an extraordinarie feare and trouble of minde for knowing both the vnderstanding and courage of the man he thought inwardly with himselfe that he would attempt no action that was not great and such a one as might not onely endanger his kingdome or at leastwise breed him much difficultie labor For which cause assembling his friends and captaines and those of his tribe in Gaba where he kept his royall court there sitting in a place called Aror where all his honourable and ciuill magistrates with the rest of his captaines and souldiers enuironed him round about hee spake vnto them after this manner Beloued friends I know that you can beare witnesse of my bountie and how I haue aduanced some of you to honours signiories and possessions and haue preferred you to the chiefest dignities and prerogatiues amongst the people Now would I know of you whether you hope or expect from the sonne of Iesse greater bountie and larger benefits then I haue bestowed vpon you I know that all of you are confederated with him and that my sonne Ionathan likewise is of the same faction and hath perswaded you to follow and fauour him For I am not ignorant both of the othes and couenants that are past twixt him and Dauid and am well assured that he is both a counseller and assister vnto him in whatsoeuer he vndertaketh against me yet are none of you touched with these cares but intending your owne quiet you expect the euent of these matters When the king had spoken thus there were none of the assistants that replied onely Doeg the Syrian master of the kings mulets arose and said That he had seene Dauid in the Citie of Nob who resorted to the high Priest Achimelech to aske counsel of him as touching his assaires that there he had receiued those things that were needfull to furnish him in his voyage and Goliahs sword likewise and how he was safely conducted towards the place whither he pretended to go Hereupon Saul sent for the high Priest and all his kinred and spake thus vnto him What wrong or displeasure haue I done thee that thou hast entertained the sonne of Iesse and hast deliuered him victuals and armes to him I say that seeketh but the meanes to possesse himselfe of my kingdome What answere hast thou made him as touching those demaunds he presented thee in regard of his future fortunes for thou hast not been ignorant that he fled from me and what hatred he beareth against both me my family The high priest denied none of these things but freely confessed that he had deliuered him such things as were reported but not with an intent to gratifie Dauid but the king for I entertained him said he not as thine enemy but as thy faithfull minister and tribune nay which is more as thy sonne in law and such a one as was tied vnto thee by neere alliance For who would haue thought that he who was intitled to so much honour by thee should be thine enemie nay rather who would not esteeme him for thy sauourite and neerest friend And where as he asked counsell of me as touching Gods will this is not the first time I haue answered him but oft many other times haue I aduised him And where as he said that he was sent by thee about some hastie and secret businesse should I haue refused him those supplies which he required at my hands I might haue bin iudged rather to haue done iniurie to thy maiestie then to him For which cause thou art not to suspect or thinke euil of me or if thou hast receiued any aduertisement that Dauid at this time intendeth some trouble innouation against thee oughtst thou to thinke that by reason of the curtesie I haue shewed him that I either fauor him or maintain him against thee for what I bestowed I imployed as on thy friend thy sonne in law and thy tribune and whatsoeuer curtesie he receiued from me it was done vnto thee Notwithstanding all these iust allegations yet could Saul be no waies induced to beleeue them but contrariwise his vehement feare made him suspect the true iustifications of Achimelech so that he commanded certaine armed men that were about him that they should put both him and all his family to the sword But when they held it no lesse then sacriledge to violate by violent death such as were men consecrated vnto God Saul commanded Doeg the Syrian to perpetrate the slaughter who ioyning to himselfe certaine other sacrilegious and impious men he murthered Achimelech and all his race who were in number three hundreth thirtie and fiue men He further sent to Nob the citie of the Priests and put all of them vnto the sword neither sparing woman nor childe nor hauing respect vnto any
thing for him to slay him who was Gods elected for that it was Gods right to take reuenge on him who had giuen the kingdome and thus restrained he the others vnbridled furie Yet to the intent he might certifie the king that hauing the opportunitie to slay him he had spared his life he bare away with him his Iauelin and the pitcher of water that stood by Saul whilst he slept without the witting or knowledge of any of the campe so much were they deuoured and ouerhaled with sleepe He therefore departed thence in all assurance hauing executed all that which either the time or his courage would permit him to doe But after he had passed the riuer and had attained the top of a mountaine from whence he might be easily heard he cried out to Sauls soldiers and their generall Abner so strongly that he awaked them from their sleepe and calling vpon Abner as well as the common sort of souldiers the generall asked who it was that called him to whom Dauid answered It is I the sonne of Iesse your fugitiue but said he how commeth it to passe that thou who art so great and in chiefest authoritie about the king hast so small respect and gard of his person Thy sleep is more pleasant vnto thee then thy watch for his conseruation Assuredly this act of thine deserueth a capitall punishment because thou neither hast discouered me nor any others before we entred the campe or approched the â—…ing Seeke for the kings Iauelin and his pitcher of water and thou shalt perceiue in what great danger he hath been euen in the midst of you without any notice or discouerie of yours Saul perceiuing that it was Dauids voice and conceiued how that being in his hands whom he had surprised in the depth of sleep thorow the negligence of his guard he had not slaine him but pardoned him his life although it iustly lay in his power to take his head from him he said that he gaue him thankes and acknowledged his life from him exhorting him to be assured and without suspect of any euill to returne home vnto his house because he was perswaded that he loued not himselfe so much as he was intirely affected by Dauid notwithstanding that he had pursued him and for a long time past had chased him like a fugitiue constraining him also by diuers afflictions and great torments of spirit to be abandoned from his neerest parents and friends yea from Dauid himselfe who might haue preserued him and who had giuen him diuers demonstrations of his good will towards him and by whom he had been often times preserued whom notwithstanding he ceased not to pursue vnto the death who contrariwise desired nothing more then his life Hereupon Dauid willed him to send some one of his seruants to bring backe his Iauelin and pitcher of water protesting that God should be iudge of both their natures manners actions who knew that that day also he had spared his enemy whom if he had so thought good he might haue extinguished Saul hauing this second time escaped from Dauids hands returned to his royall house But Dauid fearing least if he soiourned in that place he should bee intrapped by Saul thought good to retire himselfe into the countrey of the Philistines and soiourne there So that accompanied with six hundreth men which he had with him he transported himselfe to Achis king of Geth one of their fiue Cities who receiued him with all his people and gaue him a place to dwell in so that he aboad in Geth hauing with him his two wiues Achimaas and Abigal Which when Saul vnderstood he made no more account to send or sallie out against him because that two seuerall times he had been in danger of his life at such time as he pursued him to intrap him Dauid held it not conuenient to remaine in the Citie of Geth and therfore requested the king of the Philistines that since he had courteously entertained him it might please him likewise to do him the fauour to assigne him a certaine place in his countrey where he might make his habitation because he feared to be chargeable to him if so be he remained in the Citie Achis assigned him a village called Siceleg which Dauid after he obtained the kingdome loued and honoured holding that for his owne demaine as his owne children and heires did after him But hereof will we speake in an other place The time that Dauid liued amongst the Philistines and in the towne of Siceleg were foure moneths and twentie daies during which time by seuerall and secret excursions against the bordering Sarrites and Amalechites he spoyled their countrey and returned backe againe with a great bootie of oxen and camels yet brought he thence no bondmen least Achis by their meanes should haue intelligence of his enterprise He sent likewise a part of the pray vnto the king and when he demaunded from whom he had taken the same he answered that he had taken it from the Iewes that dwelt Southward and in the plaine perswading him that he had done no losse so that Achis conceiued an opinion that since Dauid warred against his owne nation all the time of his aboad with him hee would be a faithfull seruant vnto him About the same time the Philistines hauing determined to lead forth their army against the Israelites sent out to their allies requiring them to assist them in that warre and to make their Rendeuous at Renga to the intent that being there assembled they might dislodge and assaile the Israelites Amongst their other auxiliarie companies Achis had requested Dauid to assist him with his six hundreth souldiers which he promised him willingly to performe telling him that the opportunitie was now come wherein he might requite his curtesie and the hospitalitie he had shewed him Achis promised him that after the victory when as all things had succeeded according as he desired he would preferre Dauid to the guard of his person thinking by the promise of this honour and trust he might augment Dauids forwardnes and affection towards him CHAP. XV. The Philistines renew their warre against the Hebrewes and obtaine the victorie and Saul with his sonnes are slaine in the battell BVt Saul about this time had banished all diuiners and inchanters and in generall all such as were tellers of fortunes reseruing none within his countrey but the Prophets When as therefore hee vnderstood that the Palestines were alreadie vp in armes and strongly encamped neere to the city of Sonna sciruate in the plain he marched forward made head against them with all his forces And as soone as he drew neere to the mountain of Gelboa he encamped right ouer against the enemy Now when his army discouered their great forces they were much discomforted no sooner beheld it but were amased Being therfore sore troubled herewith he sought counsel at Gods hands as touching the euent of the battell seeing he returned him no
and incensed the one against the other That their brother Azael was in the fault because that although he had exhorted him to cease from running after him yet could he not perswade him and that for the same cause he had both stroken and slaine him Ioab wisely disgesting these his sayings and accepting of them as of holesome and friendly aduertisements and counsailes he commanded the trumpet to sound retreat and surceased to pursue them any more and encamped for that night in the same place during which time Abner trauelled without ceasing and hauing past ouer Iordan returned to his campe to Isboseth Sauls sonne The next day Ioab suruaied the dead and caused them to be buried Those that were found dead on Abners side were about three hundreth and sixtie men and on Dauids side nineteene ouer and besides Azael whose body Ioab and Abisai tooke with them and carried it vnto Bethleem and after they had enterred it in the toomb of their auncestors they repaired to Hebron vnto Dauid From that time forward there arose a ciuill warre amongst the Hebrewes that endured a long time in which Dauids followers had alwaies the vpper hand and neuer aduentured the hazard of the field without returning with some aduentage whereas the sonne of Saul and his partakers had almost euerie day the worse Dauid at that time had sixe sons by so many wiues the eldest of them was called Ammon the sonne of Achimaas the second was Daniel the sonne of Abigal the third was called Absolon the sonne of Machama the daughter of Ptolomey king of Gessur the fourth was Adomas the sonne of his wife called Aggite the fift and the sixt were called Gerthessa and Gala. But after this ciuill warre was begunne and that the kings on both sides had oftentimes encountred and fought togither Abner generall of the armie for king Sauls sonne a prudentman and one that was beloued by the people endeuored all that in him lay that the whole country might be commanded by Isboseth and in effect they all submitted vnto him for a certaine time but when as it afterwards fell out that Abner was charged and accused to haue kept company with Rispa Sauls concubine the daughter of Sibath and that Isboseth likewise had reproued him for the same cause he conceiued a great griefe and despite supposing that he had great iniury done vnto him considering how carefull he had beene and was of the kings estate for which cause he threatned him to establish the kingdome to Dauid and to make him know that it was neither his vertue nor prudence that made him soueraigne ouer the tribes on that side Iordan but that his faith and warlike conduct was the cause thereof For which cause he sent vnto Hebron to Dauid requiring him by an oth to accept of him as his confederate and friend promising him to perswade the people to forsake Sauls sonne and to proclaime him king of the whole region Dauid sware vnto him according as he had required and was verie glad of that embassage that Abner had sent vnto him and the rather for that vnder assured testimonie of their accords he had preserued Michol Dauids wife whom he had purchased with the price of diuers great daungers and with sixe hundreth heads of the Philistines presented to his father Saul to the end he might enioy her which Michol Abner had sent him backe hauing taken her from Phalti who had since that time espoused her whereunto Isboseth also was assistant to whom Dauid had written that it was reason that he should recouer his wife Abner therfore assembled all the elders and gouernours of the people and told them that at such time as heretofore they were readie to forsake Isboseth to submit themselues to Dauid he had disswaded them from that intent but at this present if they had the will hee vvould condescend vnto them because he was assured that God had chosen Dauid by the mouth of Samuel the Prophet to be king ouer all the Hebrewes and had foretold that he should punish the Philistines and should ouercome them and bring them vnder his subiection Which when the elders and gouernours vnderstood and were assured likewise that Abner would subscribe to their resolution as touching the estate they all of them determined to submit themselues to Dauid Abner seeing them thus resolued did afterwards assemble all the tribe of Beniamin out of which the archers of Isboseths guard were chosen and told them the like and perceiuing that they contradicted him no waies but submitted themselues vnto his pleasure he gathered about twentie of his familiar friends and resorted vnto Dauid to receiue in his owne person Dauids oth Both for that each man in his owne affaires reposeth greatest confidence in himselfe as also to giue him intelligence what speech he had held with the elders and the whole tribe Dauid receiued and entertained him very kindly and magnificently and sumptuously feasted him at his table for many daies praying him that he would depart and returne and bring the people with him to the end that in their presence and sight he might deliuer him the gouernment When Dauid had dismissed Abner some little time after his departure Ioab the generall of Dauids armie came to Hebron and knowing that Abner had beene with Dauid and that but some little time before he was departed from him with accords and promises made vnto him that he should be gouernour he feared least that if Dauid should place him in honour and dignitie and should make Abner who was a man otherwaies exercised in affaires and politique to preuent occasions as it were his companion in the kingdome that the said Ioab should be degraded and depriued of his office he tooke vpon him a cursed and froward resolution For first of all he laboured to detract and make him odious in the kings eare counselling him to stand on his guard and not to giue eare vnto Abners promises who vnder colour subtiltie sought to establish the kingdome vnto Sauls sonne alledging that he came vnto him vnder colour and caâ—…tele intending then to leaue him when his hopes were satisfied and affaires disposed But perceiuing that these his subtilties tooke little effect with Dauid and considering with himselfe likewise that he moued him in no sort he attempted a more perilous exploit then the former For resoluing with himselfe to kill Abner he sent out certaine men after him whom he gaue in commission that as soone as they should ouertake him they should vrge their interparlee in the name of Dauid alledging that they had something to communicate with him as touching the estate which he had forgot to certifie him of When Abner had heard the words of these messengers who ouertooke him in a place called Besira some twentie furlongs off of Hebron he strooke out of the way without suspition of his future desaster Ioab going before him embraced him with great loue and like an
sodainly fell into his enemies hands This when a certaine souldier apperceiued he brought newes thereof vnto Ioab who promised him to giue him fiftie sicles if he would kill him The souldier answered that if hee would giue him two thousand he would not commit such a murther on the sonne of his soueraigne the rather for that in the presence of them all Dauid had requested them to spare him Hereupon Ioab commanded him to shew him the place where he had seene Absalon hang who no sooner discouered him but thrusting a iauelin to his heart he slew him That done Ioabs Esquires arrounding the tree tooke him downe and casting him into a deepe and obscure pit they ouerwhelmed him with stones so that in appearance it seemed to be a toombe or some great high and stately monument After this when Ioab had sounded the retreat he withdrew his soldiers from pursuit supposing it to be an innaturall thing for one countreyman to flesh himselfe vpon another Absalon had erected in the royall valley two furlongs distant from Ierusalem a marble pillar which he had intituled by the name of Absalons Hand saying that when his children should be dead his name should remaine in that pillar Now he had three sonnes and a daughter which was called Thamar as we haue said heretofore who was married vnto Roboam Dauid's Nephew and had by him a sonne called Abia who succeeded his father in the kingdome Of whom we will speake more conueniently in his place CHAP. X. The happy estate of Dauid being restored vnto his kingdome AFter that Absalon was slaine all the people returned priuately to their owne houses but Achimaas the sonne of the hie priest Sadoc drewe neere vnto Ioab requiring his licence to repaire vnto Dauid and to certifie him of the victorie and how by Gods helpe and prouidence he had obtained the victorie This did the generall deny him telling him that it was not conuenient that he who before times was wont to bring ioyfull newes should now certifie the king of his sonnes death He therefore commanded him to stay and calling Chusai to his presence he gaue him commission to certifie the king of that which he had seene Achimaas requested him the second time that he would suffer him to go promising him that he would make no mention but of the victory and that as touching Absalons death he would not vtter any thing whereupon he dismissed him also who choosing the shorter way which he onely knew outstripped Chusai Now as Dauid sate in the gate of the Citie expecting some messenger that might certifie him of the successe of the battell one of the Sentinels perceiuing Achimaas that came running hastily and vnable to discouer who it was told Dauid that he saw a messenger comming towards him who answered that it was some one that brought ioyfull newes Anon after he told him that a certaine other messenger followed To whom Dauid answered likewise that it was one that brought glad tidings And when the watchman perceiued that it was Achimaas Sadoc the high priests sonne and that he was neere at hand he ranne first of all and certified Dauid who was very glad thereof saying that he brought some good and desired newes as touching the euent of the battell and no sooner had the king spoken the word but Achimaas entred and humbled himselfe vpon his face before Dauid to whom he reported that his army had the victorie Being afterwards demanded what was become of Absalon He answered that he incontinently departed from the campe as soone as the enemies were put to flight yet that hee heard a certaine crie of souldiers that pursued Absalon and further then that he knew nothing because by Ioabs commandement he was speedily sent away to bring tydings of the victorie When Chusai was come and had humbled himselfe before the king and had declared vnto him the successe of the battell the question was asked how Absalon did Whereunto he answered The like fortune happen to thine enemies O King as hath hapned to Absalon These words quite extinguished the delight and ioy that Dauid conceiued in the victorie and wholy amated his faithful souldiers for as touching the king he ascending the highest part of the Citie bewailed his sonne beating his breast tearing his haire and afflicting himselfe in all kindes and after such a sort as may not be expressed and crying out in a most mournfull manner My sonne said he would God my sonne that I were dead with thee that I might be with thee For whereas of his owne nature he was a verie louing man yet loued he Absalon aboue all other most tenderly When the army and Ioab were enformed that Dauid lamented his sonne in this sort they had this respect that they would not enter the Citie after a triumphant and victorious manner but they entred hanging their heads and weeping all of them most tenderly as if they had returned from some discomfiture But when as the king hauing his head couered perseuered in his desire to bewaile his sonne Ioab entred in vnto him and said O King you consider not that in this behauiour of yours you dishonor your selfe for it is to be thought that you hate those that loue you and expose themselues to all perils for your loue yea that you hate your selfe and your own succession and that contrariwise you loue your most mortall enemies most intirely since you bewaile them that were no lesse who are iustly depriued of their liues For if Absalon had had the victorie and had possessed the kingdome in assurance there had not any one of vs been left aliue that loue you but had all of vs suffered a most hated death nay and in the first ranke your selfe and your owne children neither would they being our enemies haue lamented but laughed at our deaths yea they would punish them likewise who should haue any compassion of our miseries Yet art thou not ashamed to lament after this manner for such a man as most extremely haâ—…ed thee who notwithstanding he were thine owne sonne was so vngratefull and vngratious towards thee Desist therfore from thy vniust lamentation and offer thy selfe in presence to thy weldeseruing souldiers and giue them thankes that by their vertue haue obtained thee this victorie otherwise if thou continue as thou hast began this day will I translate both the kingdome and the army from thee and giue thee occasion more grieuously and truely to lament thee of thy misfortunes then thou didst before By these words Ioab pacified and alayed the kings lamentations and drew him to the care of his common weale For cloathing himselfe in a royall habit whereby he might seeme more gratious in the sight of his souldiers he sate him downe in the gate so that all the people hearing thereof flocked out to salute him Whilest these things past after this maner they that remained aliue of Absalons army returning home vnto their houses sent
In this estate were the affaires of Asa king of the two Tribes Now will I returne to Basa King of the multitude of Israel who hauing slaine Nadab the son of Ieroboam vsurped the kingdome He made his aboad in the citie of Thersa and raigned foure and twenty yeeres shewing himselfe more wicked impious then either Ieroboam or his son had bin He plagued the people many waies dishonoured God very greatly who sent the Prophet Gimon vnto him to foretell him that his whole race should perish and that his house should be persecuted with as many miseries as himselfe had inflicted on Ieroboams posterity because that hauing receiued the gouernment from God he shewed himselfe vngratefull vnto him for his goodnesse and gouerned his people impiously and vniustly whereas iustice and pietie are both profitable vnto those that practise them and wel-pleasing vnto God Further in that he had conformed himselfe in life to the dissolute course that Ieroboam vsed and was wholy contaminated with all his vices he might assure himselfe that resembling him in wickednesse he should vndoubtedly equall him in punishment When Basa heard all those euils that should shortly fall on him and his posteritie by reason of his wickednesse he redeemed not the time neither indeuoured himselfe to gaine the reputation of a reconciled life or to obtaine pardon at Gods hands by repenting himselfe of his forepassed sinnes but euen as they that haue a recompence proposed vnto them to make them more affectionate in exploiting any thing doe diligently indeuour themselues to performe the same so Basa notwithstanding the prophet had foretold him of that which should happen persisted in his wickednesse as if it had been in vertue and became worse and worse to the vtter ruine and confusion both of him and his houshold and daily addicted himselfe vnto all wickednesse with no lesse greedinesse then if he had enterprised to beare away the honour in such a combate In the end he assembled an army and assailed Ramath once more which was a great Citie some foure leagues distant off of Ierusalem which he tooke and determined to leaue a garrison therein and fortifie the same with a resolution from thence to make his roades into Asaes kingdome But Asa fearing the inuasion of his enemy and considering that the souldiers who were left in Ramath did most grieuously spoile all the dominions that were vnder him sent embassadours to the King of Damasco with gold and siluer to induce him to a societie in warre and to renew that amitie betweene them which was confirmed betwixt both their fathers Who willingly receiued those treasures that were sent him and made a league with him and brake the truce which he had with Basa so that he sent the gouernours of his dominions against those Cities that were vnder Basaes subiection with commandement to destroy them Of these they burned some and ransackt other some amongst which were Elon Dan and Abellane Which when the King of Israell vnderstood he gaue ouer the fortifying of Ramath and with all expedition returned to yeeld those of his subiects his assistance who were vtterly distracted But Asa in the meane while builded two strong townes Gabath and Maspha of that stuffe which Basa had prepared to build withall Basa afterwards preuented by the common debt of death had no more opportunitie to make warre against Asa. He was buried in the Citie of Arsane and his sonne Ela succeeded him in the kingdome who after he had raigned some two yeeres was traiterously slaine by Zamri a captaine of a halfe regiment of horsemen For whilest Ela banquetted with Osa who was the steward of his house Zamri wrought so effectually that he perswaded some of his horsemen to assault Ela who at that time was alone and destitute of men of warre and captaines for that all of them were at the siege of Gabathon a Citie of the Philistines CHAP. VII Basaes ofspring being extinct among the Israelites Zamri raigned in Israel and after him Amri and his sonne Achab. AFter that Ela was slaine Zamri tooke the Kingdome vpon him and wholy rooted out Basaes posteritie according as the prophet Gimon had foretold For after the same maner was his family vtterly ouerthrowne for their impietie as Ieroboams progeny was ex tinguished for their iniquitie as we haue toforetime declated For the army which bâ—…â—…ged Gabathon hearing newes of the Kings death that Zamri had murthered him and seased the kingdome they made Amri generall of the army and annointed him for their king who leuying the siege before Gabathon came before the royall Citie of Thersa which he besieged and tooke perforce Zamri seeing the Citie destitute of defence had retired himselfe into the most secret and retired place of the pallace where setting it on fire he burned both himselfe and it after he had raigned seuen daies Sodainly after this the Israelites fell at controuersie amongst themselues because that some of them sought to preferre Thaman to the kingdome and others were wholy addicted to Amri but they of Amries side had the better and being of the better sort slew Thaman and made Amri soueraigne ouer the people The thirteenth yeare of Asa Amri began his raigne and was King for twelue yeeres space six yeeres gouerned he in Thersa and six in Mareon which the Greekes call Samaria himselfe imposed this name of Samaria calling it by the name of Samar who had giuen him the land on which he builded this Citie He differed in nothing from the other kings his predecessors but in that he was worser then any of them for all of them busied their heads on this thing onely that by daily impieties they might alien the people from God For which cause God being displeased cansed the one of them to cut off the other and finally extinguished both the posteritie and name of one another This Amri died in Samaria and Achab his sonne was his successor Hereby a man may truely and easily perceiue what care the diuine maiestie hath of humane affaires and how he loueth the vertuous and vtterly rooteth out the vicious For the kings of Israel through their impietie in a short and successiue course the one after the other were cut off and confounded with all their families But Asa king of Ierusalem and the two Tribes liuing happily in the fauour of God for his pietie and iustice attained to a reuerend and old age and after he had raigned one and fortie yeeres he died a good death And after his decease Iosaphat his sonne whom he begat on his mother Abida succeeded him who in all things that concerned either pietie or fortitude seemed to emulate and equall his grandfather Dauid according as it shall be declared hereafter But Achab King of Israel made his aboad in Samaria and gouerned the kingdome for the space of twenty two yeeres without any alteration of those ordinances which his progenitors kings of Israel had established but that he exceeded
who respited the execution of the Magitians for that night vntill he might see what would become of Daniels promise who retiring himselfe with his companions into his chamber besought God all the night long to manifest vnto him the dreame and deliuer the Magitians and Chaldees from the kings wrath with whom both he and the rest of his companions were like to die except he might know what the king had dreampt the night past and what was the interpretation thereof Whereupon God hauing compassion of the daunger wherein they were and taking pleasure in Daniels wisedome signified vnto him both the dreame and the signification thereof to the intent the king might be resolued in the meaning thereof Daniel hauing receiued the truth from God arose verie ioyfully and certified his brethren who had alreadie lost all hope of life and thought on no other thing but death and gaue them courage and hope of life Hauing therefore rendred thanks vnto God for that he had had compassion of their young yeeres as soone as it was day he went vnto Arioch requesting him that he might be brought to the kings presence certifying him that he would open vnto him the dreame which he had seene the night past Now when Daniel was brought vnto the kings presence he besought him that he would not esteeme him to be more wise then the other Chaldeans and magicians in that whereas none of them could expound his dreame he did attempt to expresse the same for that came not to passe by reason of his experience or for that he was more industrious then they were but said he God hath had compassion on vs that were in daunger of death and at such time as I requested him to grant me and my countrie men life he hath certified me both of your dreame and the signification thereof I was not so much agrieued for that in our innocency we were adiudged to death by thee as afraid of thine estimation and glory which was hazarded by condemning so many and so innocent and iust men to death whereas that which you haue required of them sauoreth nothing of humane wit but is the onely worke of God Whilest therefore thou thoughtest in thy selfe who it was that should commaund the whole world after thy selfe at such time as thou wert asleepe God intending to let thee know all those that should gouerne after thee presented thee with this dreame It seemed vnto thee that thou sawest a great statue wherof the head was of gold the shoulders and armes of siluer the belly and thighes of brasse and the legs and feete of yron Thou beheldst after that a great stone that was drawen from a mountaine that fell vpon the statue and beat downe and burst the same and left no whole peece thereof so that the gold siluer yron and brasse were poudered as small as dust whereupon a violent wind seemed to blow which by the furie and force thereof was borne away and scattered into diuers countries on the other side the stone grewe so mightie that it seemed to fill the whole earth This was that vision that appeared vnto you the signification whereof is expressed after this manner The head of gold signifieth your selfe and those kings of Babylon that haue been before you The two hands and shoulders signifie that your Empyre shal be destroied by two kings the one part by the king of the east cloathed in brasse whose force shall be abated by an other power resembling that of yron and he shal haue the power ouer the whole earth by reason of the nature of yron which is more strong then gold siluer or brasse he told the king also what that stone signified But for mine owne part I thought it not expedient to expresse it in this place because the onely but and intent of my writings is onely to register such things as are past and not such matters as are to come But if any man haue a desire to know these things and cannot bridle his curiositie but will vnderstand such matters as are hidden let him â—…ead the book of Daniel which he shal find amidst the sacred scriptures When king Nabuchodonosor had heard these things and remembred himself of his dreame he was astonished at Daniels wisedome and casting himselfe prostrate on the earth after the manner of those that adore God he embrased Daniel giuing direction that sacrifice should be offered vnto him as if he were God Moreouer he called him by the name of God and committed the administration of his whole kingdome to him and his companions who by reason of the commotions and conspiracies of their maligners and detractors hapned to fall into most eminent and dreadfull daunger vpon this occasion that ensueth The king built a golden Image sixtie cubits high and sixe in bignesse and erected it in a great plaine neere vnto Babylon and being readie to dedicate the same he assembled all the gouernours and princes of his countries commanding then first of all that as soone as they should heare the trumpet sound they should prostrate themselues on the earth to adore the statue threatning that whosoeuer should do the contrarie he should be cast into a burning furnace whereas therefore all of them adored the statue vpon the sound of the trumpet Daniel and his companions vtterly refused to performe that dutie alledging for their iustification that they would not transgresse the lawes of their countrey for which cause being apprenended they were instantly cast into the furnace of fire and protected therein by Gods prouidence escaped death beyond all mens expectation For the fire touched them not neither could it burne during their aboad in the furnace For God so fortified their bodies that they could not be consumed by fire which accident made them in greater estimation with the king for that he saw they were vertuous and beloued by God and for that cause they were highly honoured by him Not long after this the king saw an other vision in his sleepe which signified vnto him that being cast from his empire he should conuerse with sauage beasts and that hauing liued in that estate in the desart for the space of seuen yeares he should recouer his kingdom again Hauing had this dreame he assembled the Magitians once more demanding their answere and the signification thereof But it was impossible for any one of them eyther to find out or declare the intelligence of this dreame vnto the king onely Daniel discouered the same and the effect was answerable to his prediction For the king passed the forelimited time in the desart so that no man durst intermeddle with the affaires of estate during seuen yeares But after he had called vpon God that it would please him to restore him to his kingdome he repossessed the same again Let no man in this place accuse me for reporting these particularities according as I haue found them written in holy books for in the
entrance of my history I haue answered those obiections so that I haue openly protested that I will onely faithfully translate the Hebrew Histories into the Greeke tongue according to my promise relate that which is contained therin without adding any thing of mine owne or concealing ought of an other mans After that Nabuchodonosor had raigned fortie three yeares he died he was a man of execution and more happie then any of his predecessors Berosus maketh mention of his actes in the third booke of his Chaldaique historie where he speaketh thus His father Nabuchodonosor hauing notice that the gouernour whom he had appointed ouer Aegypt the neighbouring parts of Coelosyria Phaenicia was reuolted from him being at that time in himselfe vnable to endure the troubles of warre committed a part of his forces vnto his son Nabuchodonosor who was in the flower of his age and sent him forth against him who encountring the rebell and fighting with him ouercame him and brought the countrey vnder his subiection Meane while Nabuchodonosor the father died of a sicknes in Babylon after he had raigned one and twentie yâ—…ares Nabuchodonosor the sonne hauing notice of his fathers death gaue order to the affaires of Aegypt and the rest of the countrey and committing the care and transportation of the Iewes Syrians Aegyptians and Phaenicians to his friends to bring them to Babylon with his army and carriage he with a fewe men made hastie iourneies thorow the desaâ—…t And when he had taken the administration of the kingdome vpon him which in his absence was in the hands of the Chaldees and by their chieftaine was reserued vntil his returne vnto his vse he became Lord of all his fathers Empire When his prisoners were arriued he assigned them conuenient dwelling places in the countrey of Babylon and with the spoiles of the warre he magnificently repaired and decked the Temple of Bel other places He enlarged the olde Citie and repaired beautified it with other buildings by meanes wherof they that would besiege the same were hindred from cutting off of the currant of the riuer to the preiudice of the inhabitants He enuironed it inwardly with a treble wall and outwardly with as migâ—…tie and as many enclosures and made all of burnt bricke The wals were magnificently builded the gates brauely adorned in maner of temples He caused a pallace to be builded neere vnto his fathers auncient pallace the magnificenâ—… and ornament wherof I am too weake witted to expresse onely this thing most memorable 〈◊〉 â—…ue thought good to note downe that these huge great and pompous buildings were finished in fifteene daies In this pallace he had vaultes raised so high that in outward appearance they seemed to bee mountaines on which all sorts of trees were planted He deuised and prepared also a goodly garden and called it the hanging garden because his wife hauing beene brought vp in the countrey of Media desired to haue a place conformable to that of her birth Megasthenes in the fourth booke of his Indian Historie maketh mention of this garden in that place where he inforced himselfe to proue that this King surpassed Hercules in valour and execution of worthie actions For he said that Nabuchodonosor ouercame the chiefe Citie of Libya and a great part of Spaine Diocles in the second booke of his Persian Historie and Philostratus in his Phaeâ—…ician and Indian Historie make mention of this King saying that he ouercame the Citie of Tyre at the end of thirteene yeeres at such time as Ithobal raigned ouer the Tyrians This is the summe of all that which the Historiographers write as touching this King CHAP. XI Nabuchodonosors successors the destruction of Babylon by Cyrus King of Persia. AFter Nabuchodonosors death his sonne Euilmerodach obtained the kingdome who incontinently deliuered Iechonias king of Ierusalem out of prison and held him in the number of his most esteemed friends and gaue him presents and committed the gouernment of the pallace of Babylon into his hands For his father had not kept his promise with Iechonias when he surrendred himselfe his wife children and friends into his hands in the behalfe of his countrey and to the intent that the Citie of Ierusalem should not be rased by those that besieged it as we haue heretofore declared Euilmerodach died in the eighteenth yeere of his raigne and Niglisar his sonne obtained the kingdome which hee possessed fortie veeres and afterwards died After him the succession of the kingdome came vnto his sonne called Labosardach which continued in him but for the space of nine moneths and after his death it came vnto Balthasar who by the Babylonians was called Naboandel Against him Cyrus king of Persia and Darius king of Media made warre and at such time as he was besieged in Babylon there hapned a meruailous and prodigious spectacle Balthasar sate vpon a certaine festiuall in a royall chamber where he was serued with great store of vessell fit for his maiestie and royaltie and with him at the banquet there sate his concubines and most intirest friends At which time to shew his magnificence he caused those vessels to be brought out of the temple of his God which Nabuchodonosor his predecessor fearing to employ to his owne vse had stoared vp in his Idols temple But Balthasar was so puffed with pride that he dranke out of them and employed them to his vses Now so came it to passe that whilest he quaffed and blasphemed the name of God he sawe a hand issuing from a wall which wrote in the same certaine syllables by which vision being somewhat terrified he assembled his Magitians and Chaldees and all that sort of people who amongst those barbarous nations made profession to interprete prodigies and dreames to the intent they might signifie vnto him the meaning and vnderstanding of that writing Now when these Magitians had told him that they could in no sort sound or vnderstand the same the king was sore vexed and toubled at this vnexpected vision whereupon he caused it to be proclaimed thorow his countrey that whosoeuer should read that writing and declare the meaning thereof he would giue him a golden chaine and a purple robe such as the king of Chaldees wore and besides all this the third part of his Empire After this proclamation the Magitians assembled togither with greater concourse and were farre more diligent and inquisitiue to finde out the signification of the writing but they were no lesse grounded therein then they were at the first Meane while the kings grandmother seeing him wholy amated in minde began to comfort him and to tell him that there was a certaine man amongst the prisoners of Iuda led thither at such time as Nabuchodonosor destroied Babylon whose name was Daniel a man wise and expert in searching out of things that were impossible and only knowne vnto God who euidently expounded that which Nabuchodonosor required at such time as no other man
and of his sonne Titus who behaued themselues with such moderation after so great a warre and so grieuous battels as they had fought against vs. Now will I returne to my purpose from whence I haue digressed At such time as Antiochus the great raigned in Asia the countrey of Iewry was grieuously spoiled and both the Iewes and the inhabitants of Coelesyria endured many miseries For Antiochus making war against Ptolomey Philopator and his son called Ptolomey the Famous they were pitifully perplexed For whether Antiochus either ouercame or was ouercome they were continually spoiled so that betwixt the prosperitie aduersity of Antiochus they fared like a ship tossed and tormented with a storm Finally after Antiochus had ouercome Ptolomey he conquered Iewry After the death of Philopator his sonne sent a great army into Coelesyria vnder the conduct of Scopas who seazed a great number of those Cities and our nation also was inforced by warre and conquered by him Not long after this Antiochus fought with Scopas neere vnto the floud Iordan and obtained the victorie discomfiting the greater part of his enemies army at which time Antiochus recouered againe those Cities of Coelesyria which were before time surprised by Scopas He tooke Samaria also which when the Iewes perceiued they submitted themselues of their owne accord vnto him and hauing entertained him in the Citie of Ierusalem they gaue both his army and his Elephants abundance of prouision and willingly assisted him with their forces to subdue those garrisons which Scopas had planted in the fortresses of the higher Citie For which cause Antiochus supposing it to be a matter behoouefull for his honor to acknowledge and remunerate the affection and forwardnesse which the Iewes had expressed in his seruice wrote vnto his captaines and friends signifying vnto them how forward the Iewes had been in his warres and to expresse likewise what gifts he intended to bestow vpon them Hereafter I will insert the copy of his letters which he wrote in fauour of them after I haue recited that which Polybius the Megalopolitane writeth answerable to this purpose which I will recite out of the sixteenth booke of his histories Scopas saith he the generall of Ptolomeies army marching towards the midland did in one winter ouercome the whole nation of the Iewes He reciteth also in the same booke that after that Scopas had beene ouercome Antiochus seazed Bathanaea Samaria Abila and Gadara and anon after the Iewes which dwelt at Ierusalem where the temple was ioyned themselues with him and although we are to speake more amply and particularly of that apparition that hapned neere vnto the temple yet notwithstanding we will referre the recitall thereof vntill an other time This is that which Polybius hath written But to returne vnto our purpose I will recite in this place the copy of those letters which were sent by the King King Antiochus to Ptolomey Health Whereas the Iewes haue giuen vs a most apparant testimony of their affection towards vs since the first time of our entrance into their countrey and haue magnificently entertained vs at such time as we were in person before their Citie by presenting themselues before vs with all their Elders and haue also furnished vs largely with all that which was necessarie for our souldiers and our Elephants and haue likewise taken armes with vs against the Aegyptian garrison we haue thought it a matter answerable to our honor to affoord them some satisfaction in repairing their Citie ruinated by humane casualties to the intent it might be inhabited and peopled againe by gathering togither those Iewes that are scattered abroad in diuers places and planting them againe in the same And in especiall to the end that the seruice of God may be renued we haue set downe a certaine summe of money to be imployed in sacrifices and in buying beasts for their offrings wine oyle and incense that is to say twenty thousand sicles of siluer and for fine flower according to the law of the place one thousand four hundreth and sixtie measures of wheate and three hundreth seuentie and fiue measures of salt And my will is that all these things that are abouenamed be deliuered vnto them according to the forme of our ordinance We likewise commaund that the worke of the temple be finished with the galleries and other necessary buildings and that all the stuffe of timber be brought out of Iudaea and other places and especially out of Libanus without any taxe or tallage which exemption also shall take effect in all other necessaries that are requisite towards the reparation of so famous a temple My pleasure likewise is that all they of the same nation gouerne their estate according to their owne lawes Let the ancient Priests and Scribes of the temple also and the singing men be freed from all taxations that are paide by the powle and the tributes of the crowne and all other whatsoeuer And to the end that the city may be the sooner builded I grant vnto all them that inhabite the same at this present or that hereafter shall transport themselues thither within the moneth of October to inhabite the same exemption of all charges for three yeeres space We forgiue them moreouer the third part of their tributes to the intent they may recouer themselues of their losses We will also that those Citizens that haue beene forcibly led from thence into seruitude be set at liberty both they themselues as also those that are of their alliance commanding their goods to be restored vnto them Farewell These were the contents of this letter And to yeeld the more honour vnto the temple he sent an edict thorow all his kingdom to this effect That it should not be lawful for any stranger to enter within the inclosure of the temple without the Iewes permission except those that should be purified according to the law and custome of the place That no man should bring into the Citie any flesh of horse mulet wilde or tame asses leopards foxes or hares or generally of any cattell prohibited to be eaten by the lawes of the Iewes That it should not be lawful likewise for any man to bring their skins into the Citie or to nourish any such beasts in the same but that it might onely be lawfull to vse those beasts which might be sacrificed vnto God according to the law of their ancestors That whosoeuer should contradict those inhibitions he should pay 3000. drachmes of siluer vnto the Priests Furthermore to expresse his pietie and fidelitie towards vs at such time as he heard of the troubles that hapned in Phrygia and Lydia he wrote also vnto Zeuxis gouernour of one of the higher prouinces and his intire friend commaunding him to send certaine of our nation from Babylon to Phrygia writing vnto him to this effect King Antiochus to Zeuxis his father Health If thou art well I am glad of it I likewise am no lesse healthy Vnderstanding that those
without discouering of his deliberation or enterprise against Philip and to tel them that for these reasons he leuied the siege first for the length thereof next for the strength of the place lastly for want of victuals and for many affaires that required some circumspect and carefull foresight in his kingdome Furthermore for that he thought it most expedient to capitulate with the besieged and contract friendship with all the nation of the Iewes promising and permitting them the exercise of their religion because they onely rebelled for that they were depriued of the same and for that he was assured that hauing the grant thereof they would each of them returne into their owne countries When Lysias had expressed and published these reasons all the army and the captaines approoued the same CHAP. XV. Antiochus giueth ouer his siege from before the Citie and entreth a league and alliance with Iudas WHereupon Antiochus sent a herauld to Iudas and those that were besieged with him promising them peace with permission to liue according to their religion Which conditions they willingly entertained and hauing taken an oath and assurance from the king they surrendred vp the temple Wherupon Antiochus entred the same and seeing it to be a place so well fortified he contrarie to his oath commanded his army to leuell the wall that enuironed the same with the ground which done he returned to Antioch leading away with him the high Priest Onias who was called Menelaus For Lysias had counselled the king to murther Menelaus if he intended that the Iewes should line in peace without any commotion and the rather because it was he onely who was the author of all these euils by reason of the counsaile he had giuen to Antiochus his father to inforce the Iewes to forsake their religion The King for that cause sent Menelaus vnto Beroea a Citie of Syria where he commanded him to be put to death after he had enioyed the high priesthood for the terme of ten yeeres He was a wicked and impious man who for his onely ambitious desire of authoritie had inforced our nation to reuolt from their religion As soone therefore as Menelaus was dead Alcimus was made high priest who was called Iacimus Now when Antiochus found that Philip had already conquered a great part of his countrey he fought with him and taking him prisoner slew him But Onias the sonne of the high priest whom as we haue heretofore declared was left an Orphan in his infancie seeing that the king had slaine his vncle Menelaus and giuen the priesthood to Alcimus who was not of the race of the priests and had transferred this honour into another family at the perswasion of Lysias he fled vnto Ptolomey King of Aegypt where being honourably entertained by the King and his Queene Cleopatra he obtained a place in the Heliopolitane signiorie where he builded a temple like vnto that which was at Ierusalem whereof wee shall hereafter haue more fit opportunitie to speake CHAP. XVI Bacchides generall of Demetrius army commeth to make warre against the Iewes and returneth backe againe vnto the king without performance of any thing AT that time Demetrius Seleucus sonne fled to Rome and tooke possession of Tripolis in Syria and after he had set the diademe vpon his head and had leuied and hired certaine souldiers he inuaded the kingdome where he was receiued to the generall content of all men who submitting themselues vnto him laid hold on the king Antiochus and Lysias and brought them aliue vnto him but he incontinently commanded that they should be put to death after that Antiochus had raigned two yeeres as we haue already declared in an other place To this new elected king diuers Iewes banished for their impietie and with them the high priest Alcimus made their resort who in general accused their nation and as principals Iudas and his brethren obiecting against them that they had slaine his friends and all such as were on his side and that among all those that were in the kingdome and expected his comming some of them were slaine and that the rest being driuen from their natiue countrey were banished into other places requiring him that he would send some one of his friends to take knowledge of the outrages committed by Iudas and his brethren Demetrius was much moued by these reports of theirs and for that cause sent Bacchides who was in times past much esteemed by Antiochus Epiphanes for his valour and to whose gouernment at that time all Mesopotamia was committed To whom he gaue an army ioyning with him the high priest Alcimus with commission to kill Iudas and his confederates Bacchides departing from Antioch with his army came into Iudaea and sent a certaine herauld to Iudas and his brethren to intreat with him vpon certaine articles of peace because his intent was to surprise them by some subtiltie and treacherie But Iudas smelling his drift gaue little trust vnto him for in that he came thither with so great an army he easily coniectured that he intended no peace but to make warre notwithstanding some of the people gaue eare vnto the peaceable proclamation of Bacchides and supposing that there was no sinister intent in Alcimus who was their countriman they submitted themselues vnder his gouernment Hauing therefore receiued an oth from them both that neither they nor any of their followers should any waies be endomaged by them they committed themselues to their protection But Bacchides setting light by his oth slue three score of them and by this breach of his faith towards these he caused others who intended to submit themselues to forsake and fly his gouernment As soone as therefore he had remooued his army from Ierusalem he came vnto the village of Bethzeth and there apprehending many of those which had fled and some others among the people he slue them all commaunding all those that liued in the countrey to obey Alcimus to whom he left in that place for the gard of his person a part of his army and that done he returned vnto Antioch to King Demetrius In the meane while Alcimus intending to assure his estate and gouernment and supposing that it should be so much the better confirmed if so be he could obtaine the good wil of the people he vsed all kind of plausible familiar speech vnto thē and deuising with euery man pleasantly graciously he adioyned in short time great forces to those which he had before amongst whom there were many fugitiues and vngodly men by whose helpe and assistance he marched thorow the countrey killing all those whom he found to be of Iudas faction Iudas perceiuing that Alcimus hauing gathered great forces had alreadie slaine diuers of the most vprightest men and such as feared God in all his nation he addressed himselfe also to ouerrunne the countrey and slue as many of Alcimus partakers as he could meet with Who perceiuing in himself that he was
he especially mooued by a certaine prophecie of Esay who more then six hundreth yeeres before had foretold that a temple should be assuredly builded in Aegypt in honour of the almightie God by a Iew. Being therefore incited by this Oracle he wrote a letter to Ptolomey and Cleopatra to this effect During the time that I was emploied in your warres and by Gods fauourable assistance haue done you many seruices I haue visited Coelesvria and Phoenicia and haue been in the Citie of Leontopolis which is in the territories of Heliopolis I haue also visited diuers other places wherein the Iewes haue temples against all right and honestie which is the cause that they agree not among themselues as also the like hath hapned amongst the Aegyptians thorow the multitude of temples and the great diuersitie of religions And hauing found out a very conuenient place neere a Castle called Bubastis in the Plaine where there is store of all sorts of stuffe for building cattell fit for sacrifice I beseech you that it may be lawfull for me to purifie the temple that is leuelled in that place with the ground and dedicated to no sacred power and that in the place thereof it may be lawfull for me to erect and build a temple in honour of the highest God according to the patterne and the same dimensions of that temple which is in Ierusalem for the preseruation and prosperitie both of you your Queene and children and to the intent that those Iewes that dwell in Aegypt may assemble and serue God therein for that by how much the more there is vnitie and concord among themselues by so much the more may they be disposed to your seruice For to this effect is the prophecie of Esay which saith thus There shall be saith he a temple for our Lord God in Aegypt many other things also hath he foretold as touching this place This is the effect of that which Onias wrote vnto K. Ptolomey And by his answere which he made hereunto a man may easily coniecture what pietie was both in him and Cleopatra his sister and wife For they haue returned the sinne and transgression of the law which through this meanes fell vpon Onias head by this answere that ensueth King Ptolomey and Queene Cleopatra to Onias the high Priest Health We haue perused your letters by which you require vs to giue you licence to clense the temple that is defaced at Leontopolis in the seigniorie of Heliopolis in the place called Bubastis in the plaine We maruell very much that a temple builded in a place so vncleane and full of execrable beasts should be agreeable vnto God but since that you informe vs that the prophet Esay did long time sithence prophecie the same we giue you licence if it may be done according to the law and with this condition that we commit not any sin against God Vpon this answere Onias taking possession of the place builded therein a temple and erected an altar vnto God according to the model of the temple of Ierusalem but farre lesse and Iesse rich Yet thinke I it no waies requisite to declare the dimensions thereof neither the vessels in the same because I describe them particularly in my seuenth booke of the warres and captiuitie of the Iewes neither wanted there some Leuites and priests who being answerable to Onias in deuotion and zeale frequented the diuine seruice in that place and renued the ceremonies But let this suffice for the present as touching this temple But it came to passe that the Iewes of Alexandria and the Samaritanes that brought in the seruice and worship of the temple vpon the mount Garizim vnder Alexander the great fell at oddes and debated their differents before Ptolomey For the Iewes said that the temple in Ierusalem builded according to Moses lawes and ordinances was the lawfull temple but the Samaritanes maintained that that which was builded on mount Garizim was the true temple They therefore besought the king that it would please him to sit in iudgement with the assistance of his friends to heare their allegations in this behalfe and to condemne the party vnto death who should be found faultie in his processe Now the aduocates which pleaded for the Samaritanes were Sabbaeus and Theodosius and Andronicus the sonne of Messalam defended the cause of those of Ierusalem and the other Iewes And both of them swore both by God and by the King that they would bring their prooues according to the law beseeching Ptolomey to adiudge him to death whom he should find to haue falsified his oath The king therefore sate downe with his friends both to heare the cause and determine vpon their differents But the Iewes of Alexandria were sore mooued and displeased against them that had drawne the preheminence of the temple in Ierusalem into question and were highly discontent that a temple so auncient and famous and so esteemed and honoured thorow the whole world should in such sort be dilgraced When as therefore the day of audience was come Sabbaeus and Theodosius suffered Andronicus to declaime first who began to approoue the lawfulnesse holinesse and religion of the temple in Ierusalem out of the law and by the successiue gouernment of the high priests who from father to sonne and from hand to hand had receiued this honour therein alleadging that all the kings of Asia had honoured the maiestie of that place with presents and rich oblations whereas neither in record of men nor course of antiquitie the temple of Garizim hath been in any estimation By these and such like words Andronicus perswaded the king that the temple of Ieruusalem was builded according to the ordinance of Moses inuiting him to adiudge Sabbaeus and Theodosius to death This may suffice as touching the differents of the Iewes of Alexandria and such things as befell them during Ptolomey Philometors time CHAP. VII Alexander after Demetrius death honoureth Ionathan greatly AFter that Demetrius was slaine in fight according as we haue heretofore declared Alexander was king of Syria who wrote to Ptolomey Philometor requiring his daughter in marriage telling him that it was a matter answerable to his dignitie to contract affinitie with him first since he had obtained his fathers empire by the fauour of God and next for that he had ouercome Demetrius Ptolomey yeelding a willing eare to these his demaunds and entertaining them with great pleasure wrote backe that he was very glad that he had recouered his fathers kingdome promising him to giue him his daughter in marriage giuing him to vnderstand that he would meete him at Ptolemais and bring his daughter vnto him to that place and there celebrate the nuptials After he had written these letters Ptolomey made his speedy repaire to Ptolemais and led with him his daughter Cleopatra where meeting with Alexander according to their appointment he deliuered him his daughter with such a dowry of gold and siluer as well beseemed his kingly magnificence Vnto
the solemnizing of this marriage Alexander by letters inuited the high Priest Ionathan commanding him to repaire vnto him to Prolemais Where after he was arriued and had both presented his seruice with other magnificent presents to both the kings he was highly honoured by both insomuch as Alexander constrained him to put off his ordinarie garments and to put on a purple to be and after that to sit vpon a royall throne commanding his captaines to march before him thorow the Citie and to commaund by publike edict that no man should dare to speake any thing against him neither offer him any cause of discontent in what sort soeuer All which the captaines performed so that they who purposely and maliciously repaired thither to accuse him seeing the honour that was done vnto him by this publication fled away hastily for feare least some mishap should befal the. This king Alexander loued Ionathan so intirely that he affoorded him the chiefest place amongst the number of his deerest friends CHAP. VIII Demetrius the sonne of Demetrius ouer commeth Alexander obtaineth the kingdome and contracteth friendship with Ionathan IN the hundreth sixtie and fifth yeere of the raigne of the Greekes Demetrius the sonne of Demetrius accompanied with diuers hired soldiers whom Lasthenes Candiot furnished him with departed out of Candia and came into Cilicia Which newes as soone as Alexander heard he was grieuously vexed troubled for which cause he instantly posted from Phaenicia to Antioch with intent to assure the affaires of his kingdome in that place before the arriual of Demetrius He left behind him for his gouernor in Coelesyria Apollonius Dauus who comming vnto Iamnia with a great army sent a messenger vnto the high Priest IonathaÌ„ signifying vnto him that it was not conuenient that he onely should liue in assurance at his owne ease and in authoritie without submitting himselfe vnto a King and that it was a great indignitie for him in all mens eies for that he had not inforced himselfe to stoupe vnder the obedience of a King For which cause said he deceiue not thy selfe neither hope thou by skulking in the mountaines or depending on thy forces to continue thy greatnes but if thou trustest to thy power come down into the field encounter with me my army in the plaine to the end that the issue of the victory may shew which of vs is most valiant Be not thou so ignorant that the noblest of euerie Citie beare armes vnder one who haue alwaies ouercome thy predecessors For which cause I challenge thee to meet me in that place where we may vse our swords and no stones and where the vanquished shall haue no aduantage by his flight Ionathan whetted by this bitter message chose out ten thousand of his best soldiers and departed from Ierusalem accompanied with his brother Simon and came vnto Ioppe and encamped without the Citie because the Citizens had shut the gates against him for they had a garrison planted in that place by Apollonius But as soone as he addressed himselfe to batter the Citie the inhabitants were afraid for feare least he should surprise the same by force and for that cause they opened him the gates Apollonius vnderstanding that Ioppe was taken by Ionathan he tooke three thousand horsemen and eight thousand footmen with him and came into Azot whence he departed leading out his army with a sober march foot by foot arriuing at Ioppe he retired back to draw Ionathan into the field assuring himselfe vpon his horsemen and grounding his hope of victorie vpon them But Ionathan issuing out boldly pursued Apollonius as farre as Azot who finding himselfe in the champion field tumed backe vpon him and charged him Ionathan was in no sort abashed to see the thousand horsmen that Apollonius had laid in ambush neere vnto a certaine streame to the end they might charge the Iewes behind but disposed his army in such sort that his soldiers on euery side turned their faces vpon the enemy commaunding his mento defend themselues on both sides fighting with those that assailed them eyther in the vantgard or the rereward This battell continued vntill euening and Ionathan had giuen his brother Simon a part of his forces charging him to set vpon the enemies battell as for himselfe he drew himselfe and his soldiers into a forme of a battalion resembling a Tortuse to the end that being couered with their bucklers ioyned the oâ—…e with the other they might beare off the horsmens arrowes to which all of them shewed themselues obedient The enemies horsemen shooting all their arrowes against them did them no harme for they pierced not as farre as the flesh but lighting vpon the bucklers enclosed and fastned the one within the other they were easily beaten backe borne off and fell downe being shot all in vaine But when as the enemies were wearied with shooting from betimes in the morning vntill euening and that Simon perceiued they could charge no further he set vpon them with his soldiers so couragiously that he put them all to flight The horsmen of Apollonius perceiuing that the footemen were disarâ—…aid grew heartles likewise and wearied also for that they had fought vntill the euening and hauing lost the hope that they had in the footmen they took their flight in great disorder and confusion so that they brake their rankes of themselues and were scattered thorow all the plaine Ionathan also pursued them as farre as Azot and taking the Citie by assault he slue diuers of them constraining the rest that were in despaire to flie into the temple of Dagon which is in Azot and taking the Citie by assault he burned it with the villages round about and spared not the temple of Dagon but burned it and al 〈◊〉 that were therein The number as well of those that were slaine in the battell as of those that were consumed by fire in the temple was eight thousand men Hauing therefore in this sort discomfited this army he departed from Azot and marched towards Ascalon and as he was encamped without the Citie the Ascalonites came out vnto him and both presented and honoured him He willingly entertaining their good affection departed from thence and iournied towards Ierusalem charged with great spoiles which after his victory against his enemy he droue before him after he had spoiled the countrey As soone as Alexander heard that Apollonius the generall of his army was discomfited and forced to flie he made a shew that he was glad thereof pretending that it was against his will that Ionathan had beene molested by warre who was both his friend and ally Whereupon be sent an Embassadour vnto him to signifie vnto him how much he reioyced at his victory offering him presents and honours with a chaine of gold such as the kings were accustomed to giue to those of their kinred he likewise gaue him Accaron and the countrey thereunto belonging to him and his heires for euer
a certaine friend of his called Ionathan the sonne of Absalom with an army to Ioppe commanding him to expulse the inhabitants of that citie from thence for that he feared least they should submit themselues to Tryphon As for himselfe he remained in Ierusalem to secure the same Tryphon departing from Ptolemais with a great army came into Iudaea leading his prisoner Ionathan with him Whereupon Simon with his army went out against him as farre as Addida a Citie scituate vpon a mountaine at the foote whereof beginneth the champion countrey of Iudaea Tryphon knowing that Simon was made gouernour of the Iewes sent messengers vnto him intending to circumuent him by treason and pollicie giuing him to vnderstand that if he were des◅ous of his brothers enlargement he should send him one hundreth talents of siluer and two of Ionathans children for hostages to assure him that being set at liberty he should not withdraw Iudaea from the obedience of the king For till that present he was held and kept prisoner by reason of the money which he ought the king Simon was no waies ignorant of this cunning intent of Tryphons but knew well enough that he should both lose his money if he should deliuer the same and that his brother should not be enlarged no though his children were deliuered for hostages on the other side he feared least the people should conceiue sinisterly of him as if he had been the cause of his brothers death both by not deliuering the money neither yet the children Hauing therefore assembled the army he declared vnto them what Tryphon demanded telling them that the whole scope of his actions were nought els but traiterous stratagemes and subtilties yet notwithstanding he told them that he had rather send both the mony and the children to Tryphon then by refusing his conditions and demands to be accused to haue neglected the life of his brother Simon therefore sent both the money and children of Ionathan but Tryphon hauing receiued both kept not his promise but detained Ionathan and leading his army thorow the countrey intended to passe by Idumaea to repaire to Ierusalem He came therfore to Dora a Citie in Idumaea and thitherward marched Simon to encounter with him encamping alwaies right ouer against him They that were in the Castle of Ierusalem hearing newes hereof sent Tryphon word that he should hasten and come vnto them and send them munition whereupon he addressed his horsemen pretending that very night to ride vnto Ierusalem but the snow about that time fell in such abundance that it couered the way in such sort and was so thicke as the horses could not trauell which hindred his repaire to Ierusalem For which cause he departed from thence and came into Coelesyria and speedily inuading the countrey of Galaad he put Ionathan to death in that place and after he had buried him there he returned to Antioch But Simon sent vnto Basca and transported his brothers bones and interred them in his countrey Modin in his fathers sepulcher and all the people mourned and lamented for him many daies Simon also builded a great monument of white and polished marble for his father and his brethren and raised it to a great height and garnished it round about with galleries and pillers all of one piece which was an admirable worke to behold Besides that he erected seuen Pyramides for his father mother and brethren for each of them one so great and so faire as they mooued admiration in those that beheld them and are as yet to be seene at this present day So great was Simons care that Ionathan and the rest of his family should be honoured with so magnificent a sepulcher which Ionathan died after he had exercised the place of high priest and possessed the gouernment for foure yeeres Thus much as touching his death As soone as Simon had taken possession of the high priesthood by the election of the people the very first yeere of his gouernment he acquitted the people of the tribute which they were woont to pay to the Macedonians This libertie and exemption from tribute hapned amongst the Iewes one hundreth and seuentie yeeres since the time that Seleucus surnamed Nicanor obtained the kingdome of Syria And in so great honour was Simon amongst the people that in their priuate contracts and publike letters the date began from the first yeere of Simon the benefactor and gouernour of the Iewish nation For they prospered greatly vnder his gouernment and had the victorie of all their neighbouring enemies round about them For he destroied the Cities of Gaza Ioppe and Iamnia he raced also the cittadel of Ierusalem and leuelled it with the ground to the intent the enemies might be neuer seazed thereof any more nor retreat themselues thither to endomage the city as before time they had done Which when he had brought to passe he thought it not amisse but very profitable to leuell the hill whereon the Castle stood to the intent the temple might be the eminentest place All this perswaded he the people to doe in a common assembly laying before their eies how many euils they had suffered by the meanes of the garrisons and how much they were like to suffer hereafter if a stranger should once more be master of the kingdome and build a cittadel in that place By these exhortations he perswaded the people to finish these workes and all of them began to trauell without intermission both day and night so that in the space of three yeers they plained the mountaine and wrought it downe and from that time forward there was nothing but the temple that commanded the Citie See here what Simon performed hitherto CHAP. XII Simon besiegeth Tryphon within Dora and contracteth alliance with Antiochus surnamed the Deuout NOt long after the captiuity of Demetrius Tryphon slew Alexander the sonne of Antiochus surnamed God notwithstanding he had the care and charge of his education for foure yeeres during which time he raigned and spreading abroad a certaine noise and rumour that the yong king in exercising himselfe fortuned to die he sent his friends and familiars vnto the men of warre promising them that if they would elect and choose him king he would giue them a huge summe of money giuing them to vnderstand that Demetrius was prisoner among the Parthians and that if Antiochus his brother should obtaine the kingdome he would punish them diuers waies and reuenge their reuolt and rebellion which they had committed by forsaking him The army hoping that if they bestowed the kingdome on Tryphon it would redound highly to their profit they proclaimed him king But after he had attained the fulnesse of his desites he shewed how malicious and wicked his nature was For at such time as he was a priuate man he flattered the people and made shew of moderation and by such allurements he drew thē to do what him listed but after he had taken possession of
to be erected euerie one three stages hie on which he planted certain companies of armed soldiers who daily fought with the besieged and who by the meanes of a double and deepe trench tooke from them all their commodities They on their side made often sallies and if they chaunced at any time to charge the enemie on the sodaine they made a great slaughter but if they were discouered they retired soldierlike But Hyrcanus considering the great number of people that were in the Citie who rather consumed soldiers victuals then performed any seruice he deuided those that were vnfit for warre and sent them out of the Citie retaining onely those with him who were valiant and warlike But Antiochus permitted them not to haue free liberty to depart so that wandring here and there betweene the walles and the camp they were consumed with famine and died miserably When as therfore the feast of Tabernacles was to be celebrated during these affaires they that were within had compassion of their countrimen and drewe them within the walles and entertained them within the Citie At this time Hyrcanus sent a messenger to beseech Antiochus to grant him truce for seuen daies by reason of the solemnitie of the feast whereunto he accorded for the honour which he bare vnto God Furthermore he sent a magnificent sacrifice into Ierusalem of Buls with guilded hornes and vessels full of diuers odors with other vessels of gold and siluer Those that had the charge of the gates receiued the sacrifice at their hands that brought the same and offered them in the temple Antiochus himselfe also gaue the soldiers certaine meates to grace their festiuall shewing himselfe herein to be of a farre better disposition then Antiochus Epiphanes who after he had taken the Citie caused swines flesh to be sacrificed vpon the Altar and besprinkled the temple with the broth of hogs making a confusion of the ordinances of the law of God which was the cause that this nation rebelled and conceiued a deadly hatred against him but Antiochus of whom we we speake at this present was by all men called Deuout by reason of the incredible affection that he had to the seruice of God Hyrcanus acknowledging the bounty and affection he had towards God and his sacrifices sent embassadours vnto him requiring him that he would permit them to vse the ancient pollicy of their forefathers Whereupon the King sequestring all those farre off from his company who counsailed him to destroy the Iewish nation who liued a part and had no acquaintance with others made no reckning of their words And vnderstanding that all the cōuersation of the Iewes was conformable vnto pietie he aunswered the Embassadours that if the besieged would yeeld vp their armes and pay the tributes of Ioppe and the other Cities that were out of Iudaea and would receiue a garrison such as he should appoint he would discharge them of this warre They accepted all other his conditions but they consented not to receiue a garrison least they should be enforced to entertaine such with whom they could not conuerse but in steede of the garrison they gaue pledges and paid fiue hundreth talents of siluer of which the king receiued three hundreth in hand with the pledges amongst which was Hyrcanus brother and after he had beaten downe the cope and panes of the wall with the other battelments of defence he raised the siege and departed But Hyrcanus opening Dauids monument who surpassed all other kings in riches during his time drewe three thousand talents out of the same whereby he tooke occasion first of all among the Iewes to entertaine a forraine army There was also a friendship confederation betwixt him and Antiochus whom he entertained in the citie with all his army and furnished him largely and magnificently with all that which was necessary for the same And that which more is Antiochus hauing enterprised an exploit against the Parthians Hircanus marched also in his company Nicholas Damascene beareth witnesse hereof writing after this manner in his History Antiochus erected a trophey neere the floud Lycus after he had ouercome Indates generall of the army of the Parthians and aboad there two daies at Hircanus the Iewes request by reason of a solemne feast at that time in which it was not lawfull for the Iewes to trauell wherein he is no waies mistaken For the feast of Penticost was at that present the next day after the Sabboth and it is not lawfull for vs neither in our Sabboths nor feasts to iourney any waies Antiochus fighting against Arsaces king of the Parthians lost the greater part of his army and was himselfe slaine His brother Demetrius succeeded him in the kingdome of Syria whom Arsaces had put in prison at such time as Antiochus came into the kingdome of the Parthians as we haue declared heretofore in an other place CHAP. XVII Hircanus leadeth his army into Syria HIrcanus hearing newes of Antiochus death led forth his army with all expedition against the Cities of Syria hoping to finde them disfurnished both of garrisons and meanes of defence as in effect it came to passe He therefore tooke the Citie of Medaba at the end of six moneths after that his army had suffered many calamities Afterwards he seazed Samega and the Cities thereabouts The Cities of Sichem and Garizim also where the Cutheans dwelt who had a temple there made according to the model of the temple of Ierusalem which Alexander the great permitted Sanaballath to build in fauour of his sonne in law Manasses brother to the high priest Iaddus as we haue heretofore declared which temple was laid desolate two hundreth yeeres after it was builded Hircanus also tooke certaine fortresses and Cities of Idumaea as Adora and Marissa and after he had subdued all the Idumaeans he permitted them to inhabite the countrey vnder this condition that they should consent to be circumcised and to liue according to the lawes and religion of the Iewes They thorow the desire they had to liue in the place where they were borne submitted themselues to be circumcised and to liue according to the customes and ordinances of the Iewes and from that day forward they were comprehended within the number of the Iewes Whilest thus Hircanus was high priest he thought good to renew the amitie betwixt the Iewes and the Romans and to this effect he sent an embassage with letters vnto the Senate As soone as the Senate had receiued his letters they made alliance with him to this effect ensuing Fanius M. F. Pr. assembled the Senate in the field of Mars the eight day of February in the presence of L. Manlius L. F. Mentina and C. Sempronius C. F. Falerna concerning that which Simon the sonne of Dositheus Apollonius the sonne of Alexander Diodorus the sonne of Lison men of good reputation and honour and sent Embassadours by the people of the Iewes haue proposed who haue dealt with vs as
was a man of mightier substance and greater minde and withall more moderate in his demand whereas Hircanus was poore and couetous and notwithstanding he demaunded greater things then his brother did yet was his promise of lesse assurance For it was a harder matter to subdue a Citie that was so defenced and strong then to repulse a troupe of runnagate Nabatheans and they scarcely well animated to prosecute that warre For these causes therefore he receiuing his money leuied the siege commanding Aretas to returne which if he refused he declared him an enemy to Rome This done Scaurus returned to Damasco and Aristobulus led foorth his army against Aretas and Hircanus and fighting with them in a place called Papyron he obtained the victorie and slew about some seuen thousand of his enemies amongst the number of which was Cephalius Antipaters brother CHAP. V. How Aristobulus and Hircanus debate their titles in the presence of Pompey NOt long time after this Pompey came vnto Damasco and as he trauailed thorow Coelesyria diuers Embassadours resorted vnto him from all parts of Syria Aegypt and Iudaea For Aristobulus sent him a present of great valew namely a golden vine of fiue hundreth talents price Hereof Strabo the Cappadocian maketh mention in these words There came an Embassadour out of Aegypt bearing a crowne of foure thousand pieces of gold and an other from Iewry with a vine or garden and the workmanship was called Terpole that is to say recreation And this vine haue we beheld at this day in the Citie of Rome in the temple of Iupiter Capitoline hauing the inscription of Alexander king of the Iewes and it was esteemed and valewed at fiue hundreth talents It is said that Aristobulus prince of the Iewes sent the same Straight after this there came other fresh Embassadors vnto him Antipater from Hircanus and Nicodemus frō Aristobulus who accused those that had taken mony namely Gabinius for that he first of all had receiued three hundreth talents beside other presents and secondly Scaurus who had receiued foure hundreth alleadging that by that meanes they had incensed them against him He therefore gaue direction that they should repaire vnto him about the spring each of them to iustifie and maintaine their seuerall rights as for himselfe he drew his forces from their wintring places and marched towards Damasco destroying in his way a certaine fortresse which Antiochus the Cyzicenian had fortified in Apamea He visited also the countrey of Ptolomey Mennaeus who was a peruerse and wicked man and no waies differed from Dionysius Tripolitane who was punished with the losse of his head and was vnited also with him in friendship and affinitie yet acquitted of the death he deserued by the meanes of a thousand talents raunsome which Ptolomey distributed amongst his souldiers for their pay He raced likewise the Castle of Lysias wherein a Iewe called Silas tyrannized and passing by the Cities of Heliopolis and Chal◅is and hauing likewise ascended the mountaine which is betweene them he came to Coelesyria and from Pella repaired to Damasco In which place he gaue audience to the Iews and their princes Hircanus and Aristobulus who were at oddes the one against the other as touching their particular interests as all the whole nation against them both alleadging that they would not be gouerned by kings because their custome was to obey Gods Priests whom they honored affirming that these two brethren who were descended of the race of priests sought to draw their nation vnder a different forme of gouernmēt to the intent to reduce ◅m vnder seruitude Hircanus complained for that being the elder borne he had bin depriued of his inheritance by Aristobulus and had onely but a small portion of the countrey allotted him because Aristobulus had seazed the rest by force He complained likewise of those incursions that both by land and sea Aristobulus followers had endomaged the frontires with For the people had not reuolted if he had not been a violent and turbulent man To this accusation of his a thousand of the principallest of the Iewes drawne on by Antipaters perswasion subscribed who auerred and iustified the same But Aristobulus answered that Hircanus was dispossessed of the kingdome by reason of his incapacitie and naturall defects alleadging for himselfe that the gouernment was enforced on him by a necessitie for feare it should be transported to others in effect he protested that he challenged no other title then that which his father Alexander had had Hee brought in also for his witnesses certaine arrogant young men who were hated for their pompe purple robes their curiositie in painting and curling their haire and bard horse and other braueries which they presented not like men that intended to expect iudgement but as if their pretence had been to make shew of their pompe After that Pompey had heard them he condemned Aristobulus violence but for that time he dismissed them after some fauourable and gracious conference promising them that he would come into their countrie and determine their differents after he had seene the region of the Nabatheans commanding them in the meane while to liue in peace He vsed Aristobulus likewise very kindly fearing least he should incense the people and shut vp his passage which notwithstanding came to passe For Aristobulus came into the Citie of Delion and from thence went into Iudaea without respect of that which Pompey had commaunded him CHAP. VI. Pompey maketh himselfe Lord of the Castles by a warlike stratageme POmpey hearing this was sore displeased therewith and taking with him his army which he had prepared against the Nabatheans with the supplies he had in Damalco and the rest of Syria besides the other Roman companies that he had he marched forth against Aristobulus when as therefore he had left Pella and Scythopolis behind him he came to Core as which is the entrance into Iudaea drawing toward the heart of the countrey There found he a goodly Castle scituate vpon the top of a mountaine called Alexandrion whither Aristobulus was retired For which cause he sent Embassadours to inuite him to come and parlee with him who perswaded by the counsaile of many of his inward friends in no sort to commence warre against the Romanes came downe vnto him and after he had debated his title with his brother as touching the kingdome Pompey permitted him to returne againe into his Castle And this did he two or three times alwaies flattering Pompey thorow the hope he had of the kingdome and making a shew that he would be obedient vnto him in whatsoeuer he would command him Meane while he retired himselfe and fortified the place and made preparation for the warre for feare least Pompey should transferre the kingdome to Hircanus But when as Pompey commaunded him that he should deliuer vp the fortresses that he held and had written with his owne hand to the captaines of the garrisons who otherwise would not
laid vp there and eight hundreth talents of the Iewes But we haue no publike money but that which is dedicated vnto God It is therefore a thing most manifest that the Iewes that inhabite Asia transported this money into Coos for the feare that they had of Mithridates For it is not likely that they who inhabited Iudaea and had a Citie so strong and a temple so well defenced should send their money to Coos Neither is it credible likewise that the Iewes remaining in Alexandria should do it for that they feared not to fal into danger thorow this warre of Mithridates The same Strabo also saith in an other place that at such time as Sylla passed thorow Greece to make warre against Mithridates and Lucullus he sent men to Cyrene which was troubled by reason of the mutinies of our nation wherewith the whole world was filled and saith thus There were foure sorts of people in the Citie of the Cyrenians One of them were Citizens the second were Labourers the third were Soiourners and the fourth were Iewes who at this present are intermingled thorow all Cities neither is there an inhabited place thorowout the world neither was there any nation that inhabite the same wherein these haue not set foote and fortified For both Aegypt and Cyrene being vnder the subiection of the same princes and diuers other regions conformed themselues to their customes and nourished assemblies of Iewes and aduanced them and more and more vsed the Iewish ordinances It appeareth therefore that there was a colony of Iewes in Aegypt Furthermore in Alexandria a great part of the Citie is assigned to this nation They haue likewise their peculiar magistrate who gouerneth the people endeth and decideth their differents and maintaineth their contracts and ordinances as if he gouerned in his owne common weale By this means this nation hath fortified and established it selfe in Aegypt for that the Iewes had their originall amongst the Aegyptians and for that Iudaea is neere vnto Aegypt from whence the Iewes are descended And as touching Cyrene they haue entred it in that it confineth that countrey which is vnder the obedience of the Aegyptians in like manner as Iudaea doth or rather for that in times past it appertained to the same kingdome Thus farre Strabo After that Crassus had disposed all things according to his owne pleasure he dislodged and marched forward to make warre against the Parthians where both he and all his army were destroied as it is declared in an other place As for Cassius he retired himselfe into Syria and tooke possession thereof to the end he might affront the Parthians who being proud of their victorie lately obtained made excursions so farre and comming to Tyre he finally arriued in Iudaea where vpon his first entrance he tooke the Citie of Taâ—…ichaea and led away from thence thirtie thousand prisoners He put Pitholaâ—…s also to death for that he maintained Aristobulus faction All which he did by Antipaters procurement and instigation who was in great credit with him and who also at that time was highly esteemed amongst the Idumaeans amongst whom he maried his wife who was descended of one of the most famous families of Arabia her name was Cypron by whom he had these foure sonnes Phasaelus and Herode who after was made king Ioseph and Pheroras and one daughter called Salome This Antipater also made alliance with other princes and especially with the Arabian to whose custodie he committed his children during the time he made warre against Aristobulus But Cassius gathered another army and marched towards Euphrates to make head against the Parthians as it is specified and registred by other writers CHAP. XIII Pompey retireth himselfe into Epirús and Scipio commeth into Syria ANon after this Caesar being Lord of Rome after that Pompey and the Senat were fled on the other side of the Ionian sea set Aristobulus at liberty determining to send him into Syria with two legions as being a sufficient man to gouerne the state affaires in that quarter Naitheles Aristobulus failed of his hopes and authoritie he expected at Caesars hands For Pompeies partakers preuented and poisoned him wherethrough he died so that he was buried by those of Caesars faction His bodie was kept embalmed with hony for a long time vntill that Antonius sent it into Iury to be entombed among the kings and princes Scipio by Pompeies commaundement caused Alexander Aristobulus sonnes head to be cut off charging him with some misdemeanors which he had committed against the Romanes and after this manner finished he his daies being executed in Antioch Ptolomey the sonne of Mennaeus who gouerned in Chalcis at the foote of the mount Libanus tooke his brothers and sent his sonne Philippion to Ascalon to Aristobulus wife commaunding her to send her sonne Antigonus and his daughters one of which called Alexandra was beloued by Philippion and maried by him but afterwards he being slaine Ptolomey Philippions father maried her and continued the carefull maintenance of his brethren in law CHAP. XIIII Caesars voyage into Egypt wherein he was assisted by the faithfull seruice of the Iewes AFter Pompeies death and that victory which Caesar had obtained against him Antipater gouernour of Iudaea by the commaundement of Hircanus was verie profitable vnto Caesar. For whereas Mithridates the Pergamenian brought him certaine supplies and could not bring them on by reason of an arme of Nilus passing thorow Pelusium but was constrained to stay at Ascalon Antipater came vnto him and brought with him three thousand soldiers and so dealt with the princes of Arabia to associate them with Caesar that by his meanes all they of Syria gaue him their assistance and neuer altered their affection that they bare vnto Caesar These were Iamblicus a great Lord and Ptolomey his sonne Tholomaeus the sonne of Sohemus dwelling on the mount of Libanus and welny all the Cities Mithridates being departed from Syria came to Pelusium where being repulsed and excluded by the Citizens he besieged the Citie Antipater in this warre behaued himselfe valiantly and after he had beaten downe a pane of the wall he first of all set forward to enter the Citie Whilest Pelusiâ—…m was in this estate the Iewes that inhabited Aegypt in the countrey of Onias would neither grant passage to Antipater nor Mithridates that marched towards Caesar. But Antipater who was of their nation perswaded them to take their parts shewing them the letters of the high Priest Hircanus in which he inuited them to be friends vnto Caesar and exhorted them to furnish his army in whatsoeuer they stood in need of so that seeing that Antipater and the high Priest were accorded togither they submitted themselues They that dwelt round about Memphis hearing that they were thus vnited sent for Mithridates also vnto them who came and receiued them into his fauour CHAP. XV. The noble actions of Antipater and the amitie that hee had with Caesar. WHen he was come
was vpon the point of execution surprised her at such time as she thought to flye and yet notwithstanding he pardoned her that fault in that he durst not decree any punishmēt against hir though he could haue found in his heart to haue vsed seueritie for that Cleopatra vvould not haue contained her selfe had she but had such an occasiō offered her to expresse her hatred against Herod For which cause vnder the colour of a high and magnanimous spirit he made shewe to pardon her of his meere clemencie yet inwardly resolued hee to make young Aristobulus away yet not rashly and vpon the instant least the act should growe apparant and palpable Now the feast of Tabernacles was at hand which was one of those that was ceremoniously and solemnly celebrated among vs for which cause he concealed his intents during the festiuall daies intending both in himselfe and in the presence and companie of the people to follow all kinde of pleasure and delight yet did his enny incite him to hasten the execution of his will Aristobulus was at that time some seuenteene yeere olde who at such time as he approched the altar to offer sacrifices according to the lawe apparelled in the high priests ornaments to performe the ceremonies he who for amiable countenance and goodly stature surpassed the young and tendernesse of his yeeres expressing in his countenance the dignitie and nobilitie of his race drew the eies and good affection of all the people vnto him so that they openly called to remembrance the noble actions of Aristobulus his grandfather All the people therfore being surmounted by those their affections and at that present time being all of them troubled with the ioy they conceiued they brake out by little and little into happy acclamations mixed with wishes and praiers so that the good will the people bare to Aristobulus discouered it selfe openly and they manifestly although too hastily in such a kingdome declared what euils they generally endured For all which causes Herode concluded to execute that which he had heretofore complotted and conceited against Aristobulus As soone therefore as the feast was ouerpassed he soiourned in Iericho where Alexandra entertained him In that place he vsed Aristobulus with all kindnesse to the end to draw him into some place where he feared nothing playing also with him and counterfaiting to sport after the fashion of the young men to gratifie him Now for that the place where they disported themselues was by nature too hoat they quickly wearied left their sport and went out togither to take the fresh aire and recouering a pleasant shade vnder certaine arbors and neere certaine fishpooles which were largely spread round about they beheld certain of their seruants and friends that swomme therein with whom not long after Aristobulus began to swim being perswaded thereunto by Herode Whereupon Herodes confederates who were deputed to execute the murther laid hands of him and thrust him vnder the water pretending to duck him in sport and neuer gaue him ouer vntill such time as they had stifled him in the water This hapned about the euening and after this manner died Aristobulus after he had liued in all for the space of eighteene yeeres and administred the priesthood one whole yeere and after this Ananel presently recouered his former dignitie Now when this accident was reported to the women all of them were sodainly deuoured in teares and transported with strange lamentations which they spent ouer the dead body All the Citie also was marueilously amated neither was there any priuate family that thought not it selfe touched by this inconuenient but imagined the losse in particular to concerne himselfe and no other But aboue all when Alexandra had notice of this wicked deede she was more passionate and perplexed then any other being so much the more discomforted for that she knew how all things had hapned But the feare of a farre greater mischiefe constrained her to represse her passion in such sort that diuers times she was ready to bereaue her of her owne life and dispatch her selfe out of miserie with her owne hands But she contained her selfe to the end that suruiuing and liuing after her sonne who was so traiterously and fraudulently slaine and prolonging her owne life without giuing any suspition or shadow that she supposed her sonne to be thus cursedly murthered she might with more opportunitie expect the occasion to reuenge her selfe For which cause she dissembled all things gouerned her griefe and made shew that she knew nothing of that which was either intended or had hapned As for Herode he laboured by all means to perswade the strangers that this death had befallen Aristobulus without his knowledge and did not onely prepare that which was requisite for the funerall but vext himselfe likewise made shew of a man truely deuoured in his sorrow and it may be that in remembrance of Aristobulus beauty and flourishing young yeeres he was truely touched with compassion notwithstanding that he imagined that this death of his should be a means of his intire securitie demeasning himselfe in all things very circumspectly with intent to purge himselfe of that crime But especially he shewed his great magnificence in the interring of his body both in the furnishing and preparation of the herse as in the perfumes and other things thereunto belonging in such sort as the griefe which the Ladies had conceiued was pacified after this manner of consolation CHAP. IIII. Cleopatra thirsting after the kingdomes of Arabia and Iewry laboureth to beg a part of them at Anthonies hands BVt none of all these things could either mooue or mollifie Alexandra but that daily more and more she increased her sorrow and in the heart of her teares kindled her wrath and heate with a desire of reuenge She therefore certified Cleopatra by her priuate letters of Herodes treasons and her sonnes most miserable and vntimely death Cleopatra long before that time desirous to assist her and hauing compassion of her miserie vndertooke the matter and ceased not to incite Anthony to reuenge Aristobulus death telling him that it was an vnpardonable errour that Herode being created king in such a state whereunto he had no right should be suffered to practise such conspiracies against the true and lawfull kings Anthony perswaded by these her words as soone as he came vnto Laodicea sent for Herode to the end that making his appearance he might answere that which might be obiected against him as touching Aristobulus death for he disliked the act notvvithstanding that Herode himselfe had attempted it But although Herode vvas affraid of this accusation and did not a little suspect Cleopatraes displeasure for that she ceased not continually to prouoke Anthony against him yet obeyed he this commandement and transported himselfe thither the rather for that he durst not otherwise do notwithstanding he left his vncle Ioseph behind him committing the gouernment both of the kingdome his priuate
for that he would not haue discouered those things which had been spoken to him in secret except they had greatly trusted the one the other and in this emotion or rage of iealousie hardly contained he himselfe from killing his wife But the force of loue ouercame him so much that he bridled his rage notwithstanding it were irkesome and grieuous vnto him Yet gaue he order that Ioseph should be slaine without either audience or iustification of his innocencie and as touching Alexandra who was the cause of al these troubles he kept her prisoner About the same time there grew certaine troubles and alterations in Syria for that Cleopatra continually sollicited and importuned Anthony and whetted on his displeasure against all perswading him to remooue all from their gouernments and to bestow the same on her selfe And for that Anthony loued her extremely she was in great estimation and credit with him and being in her owne nature inclined to couetousnesse shee abstained from no kinde of corrupt dealing and wickednesse For knowing that the kingdome should descend vnto her brother she caused him to be poisoned when he was but fifteene yeeres olde as for her sister Arsinoe she caused her to be slaine by Anthonies meanes at such time as she made her prayers in the temple of Diana in Ephesus Moreouer in what place soeuer she vnderstood that there was any hope to get money whether it were in robbing of temples or in breaking open sepulchers she would be possessed thereof neither was there any religious place so sacred from whence she tooke not away the ornaments Furthermore there was not any thing so prophane and interdicted which she laid not hands on to satisfie her vnbridled auarice Neither was the whole world sufficient enough to content this magnificent Ladie who was made slaue to her owne desires and her disordinate appetite was such that all the riches in the world were not able to to saciate and fill the same For this cause she incessantly importuned Antonius to take from others to be liberall towards her and therefore intring into Syria with him she presently bethought her selfe how she might get it into her possession For she caused Lysanias Ptolomeies sonne to be put to death obiecting against him that he had priuate intelligence with the Parthians She begged Iury also at Antonius hands and required him besides that to dispossesse the kings of Arabia He was in such sort possessed by this woman that he seemed not only to be bewitched with her words but also inchāted by her poisons to obey her in whatsoeuer she thought meet yet was he ashamed to cōmit so manifest an iniquity for feare least being so farre ouerruled by her he should happen to offend in matters of more consequence Least therefore either by denying her he should draw her to discontent or by condiscending to her demands he should seeme to be the wickeddest man aliue he deducted a seuerall portion of both their dominions presented her with the same He gaue her likewise those cities that are scituate between the floud Eleutherius Aegypt except Tyre and Sydon which he knew to be free cities of long continuance although by earnest sollicitation she sought to be seazed of these also CHAP. V. Cleopatras progresse into Iudaea AFter that Cleopatra had obtained all these things and had accompanied Antonius as farre as Euphrates who at that time went to make warre in Armenia she returned backe againe and by the way visited Apamea and Damasco and at last tooke her progresse into Iury Where King Herode met with her and assured that portion which had beene giuen vnto her in Arabia with all the reuenewes of Iericho vnto her This countrey bringeth forth that balme which of all other oyntments is the most precious and onely groweth in that place and no other to the bignes of great Dates Being arriued in that place and growen inwardly familiar with Herode she fought to allure and draw him to her lust being of her selfe naturally addicted to such pleasures and intemperance and happily also being somewhat touched with loue or rather as it seemeth most likely she in this sort laid the foundation to intrap him vnder colour to reuenge her selfe of some outrage by that meanes But in effect she generally manifested that she was ouercome by her desire and sensuall lust But Herode was not ouer kindly bent towards Cleopatra knowing of long time how badly she was enclined towards al men and at that time he conceiued the greater hatred against her because by that intemperance of hers she pretended to destroy him and although that from the beginning he had reiected her sollicitations yet determined he to reuenge himselfe on her if so be by these her subtill vnderminings she should prosecute and continue her subtil pollicies to betray him He asked counsaile also of his friends whether hauing her in his possession he should put her to death For in so doing all those should be deliuered from diuers euils whom either in time past she had molested or hereafter s◅d bring in trouble Moreouer that it would be profitable for Antonius also whom without all doubt she would forsake if any occasion or necessitie should enforce him to make triall of her friendship But whilest he debated and discoursed vpon this resolution his friends restrained and disswaded him assuring him that it was a great indignitie for him who was a Prince of high thoughts and hautie resolutions to cast himselfe into manifest perill beseeching him to attempt nothing rashly For that Antonius would not endure the same notwithstanding it might be approued that it stood with his profit nay rather that by this meanes he should increase his desire for that by force subtilty he might seeme to haue lost her Further that no on colour of excuse should be left him in that she was the woman of greatest note nobility of that time that what soeuer profit might redound vnto him by her death should be annexed with Antonius iniurie Wherby it most euidētly appeared how great remediles domages would befall both to the kingdome the kings family also whereas nothing letted him by repulsing her vnlvwfull demand to dispose allthings for the present state with great discretion By these such like reasons and probable coniectures they deterred and disswaded him from aduenturing vpon his apparant daunger and attempting so hainous an act so that contrariwise they induced him to offer Cleopatra many rich presents and to conduct her onward on her way towards Aegypt As soone therefore as Antonius was seazed of Armenia he sent Artabazes Tigranes sonne with all his children who were great princes prisoners into Aegypt and presented them to Cleopatra with all those precious Iewels likewise which were taken by him or found in the kingdome But Artaxias his elder sonne who at that time had saued himselfe by flight raigned in Armenia whom Archelaus and Nero the
he returned to Iericho where a melancholy humour possessed him which made him vnsociable and displeased against all men so that seeing that he must needlie die he bethought him of this facinorous action that followeth For the noblest men among the nation of the Iewes resorting vnto him from all parts vpon his commaundement vnder the expresse penaltie of losse of life to whosoeuer should neglect the same the king shewed himselfe to be displeased as well against those whom he thought guiltie as against them who had giuen him no occasion of discontent For he caused them to be shut vp in a place called the Hippodrome which was the tilt yard to runne horses in and sent for his sister Salome and Alexas her husband telling them that his end was at hand for that his griefes did incessantly tormēt him which as he said he ought to beare patiētly because it was an end that should happen to all men But that which most grieued him was that he saw himselfe depriued of those mournings and lamentations which a king deserued For he was not to seeke of the Iewes affections neither how his death was desired and longed for by them since that in his life time they presumed so farre as to reuolt and dishonour and deface those gifts which he had bestowed vpon the commonweale It therefore behooued them to afford him some solace in that his bitter anguish for that if they refused not to performe that which he had contriued in his mind the lamentation of his death should be magnificent as great as any king euer had and the pleasure and laughter that might accompany his death should be abated by their sorrow who should vnfainedly lament for the whole nation He therefore willed them that at such time as he should giue vp the ghost they should cause the Hippodrome to be inuironed by his soldiers as yet vnaduertised of his death which he would not haue published before this execution were ended and to commaund them to shoot their arrowes at those that were shut vp therein And that when they had slaine them all after this manner they should make him triumph reioice in a double ioy first for that in his death his commaundement should be ratified by effect secondly for that he should be honoured by a memorable lamentation Thus weeping he besought his kinsfolke for the loue they bare vnto him and for the faith they bare vnto God that they should not suffer him to die frustrate of this last honour and they protested that they would not transgresse any point of this his commandement Hereby may a man coniecture what his nature was who tooke pleasure in these aboue named impieties and who through the desire he had of long life hath after this sort delt with those of his bloud and it may be coniectured by these his last commandements that he had nothing in him that fauoured any humanitie for that departing out of the world he had such a mind that all the nation and all such as were most affectioned towards him should be driuen to sorrow and desolation commaunding that in euery house one should be slaine yea such as had not in any sort offended him and were not accused of any misdeed committed against any other whereas they that haue any vertue finding themselues at that state haue beene accustomed to lay aside the hatred which they haue before time borne vnto their enemies CHAP. IX Antipaters death WHilest he deliuered these instructions to his kinred he receiued letters from those Embassadours which he had sent to Rome vnto Caesar the effect whereof was that Acme was put to death by Caesars commaund who was displeased with her for that she had beene of Antipaters conspiracy who was remitted to Herodes pleasure like a king and father to vse him as best pleased him either to exile and banish him or if it so pleased him to put him to death Herode receiuing these newes recouered his spirits a little thorow the pleasure he receiued in the contents of those letters both of the death of Acme as of the power that was granted him to punish his sonne But being assailed afresh with grieuous dolours and vrged with a desire to eate he called for an apple and a knife for before time he was accustomed to pare his apples himselfe and to cut a little and afterwards to eate it when as therefore he had gotten holde of the knife he looked round about him determining to giue himselfe a mortall wound therewith and had surely done it had not Achiabus his nephew hastily stept within him and staied his hand and called for assistance At that time the sorrow and lamentation was renewed in all the pallace as if the king had beene alreadie dead and Antipater certainly beleeuing that his father was departed began to hope and confirmed no lesse in his words that being deliuered out of prison he should obtaine the possession of the kingdome without any difficulty and deuised with the Gaoler as touching his deliuerāce offring him great presents both in hand hereafter as if there had beene no other question but of that But so farre was the Gaoler from obeying that which Antipater demaunded that he presently went and certified the king what his intent was and what offers he had made him Herode who had alreadie conceiued a sinister opinion of his sonne hearing what the Gaoler had said began to exclaime and to beat his head although he was almost at the vttermost gaspe and lifting himselfe vp vpon his elbowes he commaunded that one of his guard should presently haste and kill him and that done that he should be buried in the castle of Hircanion without any honour CHAP. X. Herodes will death and buriall AFter this hauing changed his mind he made a new testament For he appointed Antipas Tetrarch of Galilee and of Peraea whereas before that he had instituted him for his successour in the kingdome He created Archelaus king he gaue the prouinces of Gaulonites Trachonites Batanea and Paneade to Philip his sonne and Archelaus brother by the mothers side to be Tetrarch ouer those places He gaue his sister Salome Iamnia Azot and Phasaelis with fiftie thousand crownes of gold He prouided also for his other kinsmen all whom he left rich in money which he gaue them and reuenues which he assigned them He gaue Caesar ten millions of drachmes in siluer amounting to the summe of eleuen hundreth thousand francs besides a great quantitie of gold and siluer plate and of precious moueables To Iulia Caesars wife and to certaine others he bequeathed fiue millions of drachmes amounting to fiue hundreth and fiftie thousand francs or there abouts After he had in this manner disposed all things some fiue daies after he had caused Antipater to be executed he departed this life hauing raigned after Antigonus death for the space of thirtie and foure yeeres and thirtie and seuen yeeres after he was elected and approued
diuers of them that were in the pallace issued out and submitted themselues vnto them But Rufus and Gratus hauing three thousand of those valiant souldiers vnder their charge who had serued Herode ioyned themselues with the Romans The like did those horsemen which followed Rufus who in like manner submitted themselues to their direction yet for all this the Iewes continued and intended their siege vndermining the wals and exhorting their aduersaries to depart and not to exempt them of their libertie which they had long time enioied vnder their predecessors Sabinus was willing to depart from thence with his souldiers yet durst he not trust them in regard of their former attempt and he suspected ouer much the ouer liberall offer his enemies had made him but neglected the same because he expected Varus At the same time infinite other troubles were raised in diuers other places of Iudaea according as each man either was incensed with a desire of gaine or a wil to reuenge For two thousand men of warre who had sometime serued vnder Herode and being at that time cashierd liued at home assembling themselues togither assailed those of the kings faction who made head against them vnder the conduct of Herodes nephew Achiabus who neuer daring to encounter them in a place of equall aduantage in that they were olde souldiers and well exercised in warre defended himselfe and that he held and kept himselfe as neere as he could in the mountaines and places of aduantage Moreouer Iudas the sonne of Ezechias the Archthiefe whom Herode ouercame with so much difficultie at Sephoris a Citie of Galilee gathering vnto him a band of desperate men made incursions vpon the kings dominions And hauing taken all those armes and weapons which he might recouer in that place he armed from the first to the last all those souldiers that were with him he tooke away all that money which was reserued for the king in that place and affrighting the inhabitants round about him he spoiled all those with whomsoeuer he met aspiring to the kingdome and affecting the same not by lawfull meanes of which he was vnskilfull but by a libertie to do iniurie Whilest these troubles ranged in euerie place Simon also who had been one of Herodes seruants and both for his shape stature and strength was esteemed amongst all men vndertooke the kingdome and being attended by a mightie army and proclaimed king by them who were a wicked and vnbridled multitude and perswading himselfe that he was worthy to be king aboue any other he first of all set fire on the pallace in Iericho and spoiled all that which was therein He burnt also diuers other royall pallaces belonging to the king which were in diuers places of the countrey giuing them free licence who were his followers in the action to beare away the prey that remained and farre more licentious prankes had he plaid had not his practises been speedily and wisely preuented For Gratus who with the kings souldiers had coupled himselfe with the Romans and gathered all the forces that he had went out against this Simon And after a fierce battell they on the other side of Iordan were put to flight and fighting rather vnder courage then militarie discipline they were ouercome And whilest Simon in trauersing a valley sought to saue himselfe by flight Gratus met with him and cut off his head About the same time also the royall pallace of Amatha that was fast by Iordan was burned by men of as bad disposition as Simon was And thus thorow the whole nation raigned this raging rebellion for that the countrey had no king who by his vertue might gouerne and moderate the people for that the strangers who were sent to represse these mutinies did rather incense them thorow their violence and auarice For a certaine obscure and base man neither esteemed for vertue nor worthy regard for his riches but being a shepheard vtterly vnknowne before time and only famous for his huge stature and strength called Athronges was so audacious as to aspire to royall dignitie and tooke pleasure to offer violence setting light by his life exposing himselfe to all hazards for the onely vnbridled affection he bare to soueraigntie He had foure brothers of as goodly stature as himselfe who were esâ—…emed for men of valour and execution whereby they imagined they had the meanes offered them to occupie the kingdome Each one of these had the commaund ouer a companie For a great companie of people resorted daily vnto them the charge of whom was committed vnto his brethren at such time as any occasion of warre was offered and he in the meane while wearing the diademe on his head ordered counsailed and commaunded all things The power of this Gallant endured a long time who was not called king for nought for he disposed all things according to his owne pleasure and both he and his brethren were flesht with the slaughter of the Romans and those of the kings side whom he hated alike these by reason of the insolence they had vsed during Herodes life time the other in regard of those iniuries which lately they supposed themselues to haue receiued by them This hatred of theirs daily increased more and more and there was no man that could escape their hands both in respect of the gaine they sought as for the custome they had to shed bloud They therefore at that time set vpon the Romans and surprised them on the sodaine neere to Emmaus at such time as they carried victuals and munition vnto their campe and hauing enclosed the Centurion Arius with fortie of their most valiant footmen they shotte him thorow with their darts The rest that expected nothing lesse then life were saued by Gratus who came in vpon them with the kings souldiers whereupon leauing the deadbodies they retired Continuing their warre after this maner a long time according as occasion was offered they had done much mischiefe to the Romans and farre more iniurie to the nation of the Iewes Finally they were surprised the one in an encountrie betwixt them and Gratus the other in fighting against Ptolomey The eldest was taken by Archelaus the last being dismaid with these accidents and seeing no meanes to escape for besides his other mishaps his souldiers were afflicted with sicknesse he with the rest vpon Archelaus faith and oath submitted himselfe vnto him But this was done some little while after At this time was all Iudaea full of robberies and as many seditious assemblies as drew togither so many kings were there elected who were raised to the vtter ruine of the common weale Amongst the rest the Romans were they that smarted least but the murthers were executed against those that were of the countrey But Varus vnderstanding by Sabinus letters in what dangers they were and fearing the vtter ouerthrow of his third legion he tooke with him the two other for to the vttermost in Syria there were but
And hauing found these vestments in that place he retained them with him assuring himselfe that the people would attempt nothing against him Archelaus his sonne and successour in the kingdome kept the same course that Herode had done But after that the Romanes had obtayned the souraignty thereof they kept the high Priests ornaments in their hands and reserued them in a place builded for the purpose vnder the seale of the Priests and the prefect of those that kept the sacred treasure lighted the lampe euery day in that place This euery seuenth day before the feast doth the prefect deliuer into the high priests hands and after it was purified he put it on to do diuine seruice and the next day after the feast he returneth it againe to the same place where it was kept before which custome was obserued thrice euery yeere in the time of a fast But Vitellius returned those ornaments into the hands of the Priests according to the auncient orders leauing them to be vsed at such time as need required commaunding the prefect to trouble himselfe no more about the place where they should be kept After hee had done this fauour to the nation of the Iewes hee dispossessed the high Priest Ioseph surnamed Caiaphas and aduanced Ionathan the sonne of Ananus to that dignitie and afterwards returned to Antioch At that time he receiued letters from Tiberius by which he commaunded him to capitulate and conclude a friendshippe with Artabanus the king of the Parthians whose hatred he suspected and feared least being seazed of Armenia he should worke further displeasure to the state of Rome willing him to assure the league by hostages and namely with Artabanus sonne After Tiberius had written these letters aboue mentioned vnto Vitellius he perswaded the kings of Iberia and Alania by great store of money that with all expedition they should make warre against Artabanus But the Iberians would not be drawen thereunto yet suffered they the Alaines to march thorow their countrey and opened them their gates of the mount Caspius to giue them passage to inuade Artabanus Thus once more was Armenia conquered and the countrey of the Parthians was filled with warre whereby the chiefest among them were slaine and all their estate was spoyled and disordered The kings sonne also was slaine in those conflicts with diuers thousands of his men of warre Moreouer Vitellius hauing sent money to a certaine kinsman and friend of Artabanus pretended to corrupt him to make Artabanus away But Artabanus perceiuing the plot that was intended against him and seeing that he could not escape because it was attempted by a great number of the best accompted nobles within his court ceased to passe any further and seeing himselfe most apparantly inuironed and thinking that vnder colour of friendship he was fraudulently betraied he thought it better to retire himselfe into the prouinces of the higher countrey and there to saue himselfe rather then to put himselfe in hazard and resort vnto them who had alreadie betraied and forsaken him Arriuing in in that place hee assembled a great number of soldiers of the countries of Danes and Swethians and hauing fought against them who opposed themselues against him he recouered his estate When Tiberius had tidings hereof he wrought the meanes to draw Artabanus into friendship with him which when Artabanus had notice of he willingly admitted so that Artabanus and Vitellius met togither neere Euphrates and by the means of a bridge that was builded vpon the riuer they debated the matter togither being each of them attended by their guardes After that they had concluded the peace Herode the Tetrarch feasted them in a verie magnificent Pauillion erected in the midst of the floud not without his great cost And not long after Vitellius sent Darius Artabanus sonne in hostage to Rome with diuers presents amongst which there was a man seuen cubits high a Iew borne who was named Eleazar who was called a Giant by reason of his greatnes That done Vitellius returned to Antioch and Artabanus to Babylon But Herode desirous to be the first who should aduertise Caesar of the receit of these hostages sent expresse messengers with letters by which he fully satisfied him of all that which had hapned omitting nothing for the Consul to certifie so that after Vitellius letters were brought vnto him and that Caesar had alreadie certified him of the true information that Herode had giuen him Vitellius was sore troubled and suspecting least he had receiued a greater iniurie then the matter made shewe for hee conceiued in his heart a secrete despight which continued vntill such time as Tiberius was dead and Caius obtayned the Empyre At that time also died Philip Herodes brother in the twentith yeere of Tiberius raigne after hee had raigned himselfe for the space of seuen and thirtie yeeres in Trachonitis Gaulonitis and Bathanaea During all the time of his gouernment hee behaued himselfe verie peaceably and farre from busines For he made his ordinarie abode within his owne dominion He walked being accompanied with a small number of his chosen seruants and had that seate caried after him wherein he was accustomed to sit and doe Iustice and therein sate hee to the end that if any one presented himselfe and required his assistance hee might without delay doe him right For vpon the first motion the seate was placed in that part where the plantiffe met him and being seated therein he examined the cause punishing those that were guiltie and absoluing the innocent Hee died in Iuliade and was buried in the sepulcher vvhich hee himselfe had caused to be built and his obsequies were performed with great solemnitie and maiestie And for that hee left no heires males behind him Tiberius seazed his estate which hee annexed to the gouernment of Syria ordeining that the tributes that were gathered in his Tetrarchy should be kept within the bounds of the same region CHAP. VII The warre of Herode the Tetrarch against king Aretas and his ouerthrow MEane while Aretas king of Arabia Petrae and Herode fell at strife the one with the other for this cause that ensueth Herode the Tetrarch had maried Aretas daughter with whom he had liued maried a verie long time Afterwards taking his iourney towards Rome he lodged with Herode his halfe brother by the fathers side for Herode was the sonne of Simons daughter which Simon was the high Priest and there being surprised with the loue of Herodias his brothers wife which was the daughter of Aristobulus their brother and sister to the great Agrippa he was so bold as to offer her some speech of mariage which when she had accepted the accords were made betweene them that at such time as he should returne from Rome he should displace her and lead her away with him with conditions that he should banish Aretas daughter farre from him After he had ratified those couenants he made his voyage to Rome
by so many exactions he thought it a good pollicy in him and a better prouision for them not to send them new gouernours continually who might after the manner of flies sucke them to the quicke especially if to their innated couetousnes he should annex the feare of their sodaine displacing Now to approue that to be true which I haue declared of Tiberius disposition this action of his may suffice to iustifie me For hauing beene Emperour for the space of twentie and two yeeres all those gouernours which he sent into Iury were two namely Gratus and Pilate his successour neither demeasned hee himselfe otherwise towards the rest of his subiects of the empire And as touching his prisoners the reason why he delaied so much to giue them audience was to the end that they who had beene condemned to death should not speedily be deliuered from those torments wherewith he threatned them and which they had deserued by their wickednes For whilest he kept them in that paine their mishappe increased the more For this cause Eutychus could not obtaine audience at his hands but was long time detained prisoner Afterwards in processe of time Tiberius transported himselfe from Capreas to Tusculanum which was distant from Rome some hundreth furlongs There did Agrippa sollicite Antonia to cause Eutychus to be called to his answere as touching the accusation which he pretended against him Now Antonia was in great fauour with Tiberius both in regard of the affinitie that was betweene them in that she was Drusus wife who was Tiberius brother as in respect of her modestie For she being young continued in her widowhood and would not marie with any other notwithstanding Augustus importuned her to wed but liued alwaies in honour without blame Besides that she had done Tiberius a great pleasure for at such time as Seianus his friend and a man in great account in those daies by reason he had the gouernment of the army practised a conspiracie against him whereunto diuers of the Senate and of his freemen and his men of warre likewise were accessarie yet brought she all their intents to nothing This attempt had taken a great head and Seianus had finished his purpose had not Antonia vsed more aduised courage then Seianus did in executing his treason For hauing discouered the daunger that threatned Tiberius she wrote and sent her expresse letters by Pallas one of her trustie seruants vnto him to Capreas certifying him in particular the whole processe of the conspiracy Caesar hauing true vnderstanding thereof caused Seianus and his consederates to be executed Although therefore that before that time he honoured Antonia greatly yet did he afterwards honour her farre more in such sort as he trusted her in all things When as therefore she intreated him to giue Eutychus audience Tiberius answered if said he Eutychus hath falsely obiected any thing against Agrippa it sufficeth that he endure that punishment which I haue enioyned him But being in the torture he maintaine that which he hath spoken to be true it is to be feared least Agrippa intending to punish his free man do rather heape the punishment vpon his owne head When Antonia had reported this answere of his to Agrippa he did the more instantly solicit her requiring her that the matter might be brought to tryall And for that Agrippa ceased not to importune her Antonia took the occasion which was this Tiberius being after dinner time catied in his litter hauing Caius and Agrippa before him she walking foot by foot by the litter besought him to call Eutychus to his tryall whereunto he replied The Gods said he know that that which I doe I doe it not of mine owne will but for the necessitie I am presied with vpon your request and hauing spoken thus he cōmanded Macron Seianus successor to bring Eutychus before him which was performed with all expedition Whereupon Tiberius asked him what he had to say against him vvho had enfranchised him My soueraign said he Caius that is heere present Agrippa rode one day togither in the same Coach I sate at their feet After diuers discourses held betweene them Agrippa began to speake after this manner vnto Caius O said he would God the day were come wherein the olde man departing out of this world would make you gouernour thereof For his sonne Tiberius would be no hindrance vnto you for him might you make away Then should the world be happy and I likewise haue my share in the felicitie Tiberius esteeming this his accusation to be true and hauing of long time conceiued a grudge against Agrippa for that notwithstanding he had commaunded him to honour Tiberius who was his nephew and Drusus sonne Agrippa had giuen small regard to his commaundement and had not honoured him but was wholy addicted vnto Caius For vvhich cause said he to Macron bind me this fellow He scarcely vnderstanding that vvhich he spake and no vvaies suspecting that he should giue that commandement in respect of Agrippa deferred the performance vntill such time as he might more exactly vnderstand his mind vvhen as therefore Caesar turned into the Hippodrome and by chance met with Agrippa in the teeth This is he said he Macron vvhom I haue commaunded to be bound and demāding of him once more by vvhom he spake It is Agrippa said he Then had Agrippa recourse to submissiue and humble praiers refreshing the memory of his sonne vvith vvhom he had bin brought vp and alledging the education he had vsed towards his nephew Tiberius But he preuailed nothing but vvas led away bound in those purple ornaments vvhich he then wore At that time it was verie hot weather and being in distresse of wine he was extremely thirsty and distressed yea more then became one of his qualitie Whereupon espying Thaumastus one of Caius seruants who caried water in a pitcher he required him to giue him drinke which when he had willingly bestowed on him he dranke and afterwards said vnto him This seruice thou hast done me in giuing me drinke shall do thee good one day For as soone as I shall escape out of these bonds it shall not be long before I obtaine thy liberty at Caius hands for that thou hast not neglected to do me seruice in this my imprisonment as thou hast before time done me whilest I was in my prosperitie and dignitie Neither deceiued he the mans expectation of his promise but rewarded gratified him For afterwards whē he had obtained the kingdom he begged Thaumastus liberty at Caius hands made him superintendēt of his affairs after his decease he gaue order that he should serue in the same place with his son Agrippa his daughter Bernice so that he died very olde and much honoured But this hapned afterwards But at that time Agrippa stood before the pallace bound with other companions who were likewise in bonds and thorow the griefe he cōceiued he leaned against a certain tree on
were taken by him To the performance whereof Ananias perswaded Albinus by manifest reason and by obtaining his demaund encreased and begat a number of miseries For the theeues vsed all the wilie meanes they could deuise in apprehending some one of Ananias house and when they had taken any one of them aliue they would not deliuer him except before they might haue one of their owne deliuered So that increasing both in courage and number they waxed more more insolent to afflict the countrey At the same time king Agrippa enlarged the citie of Caesarea surnamed Philippi and in honour of Nero called it Neronias He builded also to his great charge a Theater in fauour of the Berytians wherein euerie yeere he spent diuers thousands of siluer in sports He distributed oyle and corne to euery one of the people and garnished all the citie with most anticke and goodly counterfaited portraitures vpon the porches Briefely he welny transported into the citie all the ornamnts of the rest of his kingdom for which cause his subiects began to hate him seeing he depriued thē of their rare ornaments to adorn one strange citie Iesus the sonne of Gamaliel succeeded in the priesthood which the king had giuen him and taken away from Iesus the sonne of Damneus who resigned him his place against his will Whereupon there arose a discord betweene them For hauing assembled their resolutest followers they grew from bitter words to fatall blowes and stones But amongst all the rest Ananias was the richest in wealth and by his bountie reconciled the more vnto him Costobarus also and Saul gathered each of them a band of rascall and desperate men These two were of the bloud royall and by reason of their affinitie and alliance with Agrippa they were well beloued ◅or which cause they were outragious and violent in spoiling and rauishing the fortunes of the weaker sort From this time forward the estate of our Citie grewe desperate encrcasing daily more and more in wickednesse When Albinas vnderstood that Gessius Florus came to succeed him desirous that they of Ierusalem should acknowledge some good turne at his hands he called before him all those prisoners that were notoriously guiltie of murther and caused them to be executed As for those that were imprisoned vpon any small or sleight cause vpon paiment of their fines he deliuered them and in so doing the prison was cleansed of malefactors and from that time the countrey remained full of theeues and Robbers The Leuites who were ordained to sing the hymnes vnto God sollicited the king to assemble the councell and thereby to permi◅ them to weare the linnen Robe which the priests were accustomed to vse telling him that such an ordinance would dignifie his estate verie much in that he would be alwaies famous in memory of this new establishment This suit of theirs was easily respected and admitted For the king after he had consulted with those who were his assistants suffered the Leuites that sung the hymnes to lay aside their ordinarie Robe and to apparrell themselues in linnen as best liked them He permitted also that another part of the Leuites who intended the seruice of the temple should learne to sing the hymnes and psalmes according ◅s they had required All which he did contrarie to the ordinances of the countrey which being broken there was nought else to be expected but punishment At that time was the building of the temple finished And the people perceiuing that more then eighteene thousand workmen should be idle and depriued of wages whereupon they were accustomed to liue in trauailing in the building of the temple on the other side being Ioath to reserue their money thorow the feare they had of the Romanes to prouide that these workmen in the intertainment of whom they resolued to employ their treasure for if any one of them trauailed but one howre in the day he was sodainly paide his wages they requested the king that it might please him to repaire the Easterne gate on the outward part of the temple scituate in a descent the wals whereof were in height foure hundreth cubits made of square stones of white marble from the top to the bottome and euery stone twentie foot long and six foot thicke This worke was first builded by king Salomon who was the first that builded our temple But the king to whom Claudius Caesar had giuen the commission of building the temple thinking with himselfe that it was verie easie to breake it downe but very hard to build it vp and that to reedifie the porch it would cost much time and expence he denied their request permitting them neuerthelesse to paue their citie with broad stone Hee tooke the priesthoode from Iesus the sonne of Gamaliel and gaue it to Matthias the sonne of Theophilus In whose time the warre betwixt the Romanes and Iewes grew to the first head But I thinke it not amisse but verie answerable to the course of this present historie to speake of the priests and to shew how they had their beginning and to whom this honour may be lawfully communicated and how many they were in number vntill the end of the warre The first of them was Aaron Moses brother after whose death his children succeeded him and from that time forward the honour hath continued with their successors For it is a law obserued by our auncestors that no man shall be admitted to the priesthood except he be of Aarons posteritie for albeit he were a king if so be that he were of an other line it was impossible for him to obtaine the priesthood All the priests after Aaron who as we haue said was the first vntill Phanasus whom the seditious created priest in the time of the warre haue been in number 83. whereof 13 haue executed the office from the time that Moses erected Gods tabernacle in the desart vntil such time as arriuing in Iudaea king Salomon builded a temple to God For in the beginning the hie priesthood continued with the possessors for terme of life but afterwards although the priests were yet aliue yet were there other successors planted in their roomes These thirteene were of Aarons posteritie and obtained this degree in succession the one after the other Their first gouernment was Aristocratia which is the gouernment of the nobilitie afterwards a monarchy and finally a royall gouernment The number of yeers wherein these thirteene flourished were sixe hundreth and twelue yeeres from the day that our fathers departed out of Aegypt vnder the conduct of Moses vntill the edification of the temple that was builded in Ierusalem by king Salomon After these thirteene high priests there were eighteene others who after Salomons time succeeded one after another vntill the time that Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon hauing encamped before the Citie tooke the same and burned the temple and transported our nation into Babylon and led away the high priest Iosedech prisoner The time of the priesthood
ruler he died leauing his eldest sonne who was called Iudas to succeed him in the gouernment Who fearing least Antiochus would stil continue warres against him gathered togither an armie of his countrimen and was the first amongst the Iewes that made a league with the Romans and droue backe Antiochus Epiphanes at such time as he enforced himselfe once more to inuade the borders of Iudaea repulsing him with a great ouerthrow And whereas the remembrance of this victorie was yet fresh in mens minds and memory he assaulted the garrison of the citie For as yet they were not destroyed in which conflict he forced them to forsake the highest part thereof which is called holy and to betake themselues into the lower part and hauing obtained the temple he made euery place cleane and compassed it with a wall and made new vessels for the seruice of the temple and planted them therein because those that had beene before time consecrated there were prophaned Hee builded likewise an other Altar and began to renue the accustomed sacrifice and obserue the rites of religion Scarcely was the citie brought to the former estate but Antiochus died who left a sonne and heire behind him who was not onely inheritor of his kingdome but also of his hatred against the Iewes who hauing gathered togither fiftie thousand footmen and almost fiue thousand horsemen and fourescore Elephants entred by the mountaines of Iudaea and tooke a towne named Bethsara neere which Iudas met him in a place called Bethzacharie where the passage was something streight and before the armies ioyned battell Eleazar Iudas brother seeing one Elephant higher then the rest bearing a great tower on his backe and adorned with golden furniture thinking Antiochus had beene there ranne from his company and breaking the rankes of the enemies came vnto the Elephant but he could not reach him whom he deemed to be the king he was so highly mounted for which cause wounding the Elephant in the belly the Elephant fell vpon him and pressed him to death which act of his had no other successe but this that by attempting so great a matter he gaue manifest testimonie that he preferred his renowne before his life Now he that gouerned the Elephant was but a priuate person and although by happe Antiochus had beene there Eleazar had atchieued nothing else in this his valiant attempt but yet he aduentured his life vnder hope to performe some valiant exploit And this act of his was a presage vnto his brother of the euent of the whole warre that ensued For the Iewes fought stoutly and a long time but yet Antiochus armie being both more in number and more prosperous obtained the vicâ—…rie so Iudas therefore after the losse of many of his companie fled vnto the Gophonites with those of his side who escaped And Antiochus went to Ierusalem from whence after some stay he departed for want of necessaries leauing a sufficient garrison as for the rest of his armie he led them for the winter time into Syria Yet notwithstanding the kings departure Iudas rested not but encouraged by many of his nation who daily came vnto him and gathering also togither those who escaped out of the former battell at a village named Adaâ—…a he fought with Antiochus captaines where after much and many approbations of his valour in assaulting and slaughtering a great number of his enemies he himselfe at length was slaine and within a few daies after his brother Iohâ—… also was slaine and betrayed by their trecheries who fauoured Antiochus CHAP. II. Of the succession of Princes from Ionathas vntill Aristobulus AFter him succeeded his brother Ionathas who carefully studied for the peace and securitie of his people and fortified himselfe by the friendship of the Romans and was reconciled to Antiochus his sonne yet did none of all these things profit him or acquit him from danger For the tyrant Tryphon who was tutour to Antiochus laying wait for him and seeking to spoile him of his friends took Ionathas at such time as he came with a small company to Antiochus who was at Ptolemais and binding him lead an army against Iudaea from whence being repulsed by Simon Ionathas brother and ouercome by him in displeasure and reuenge thereof he slue Ionathas But Simon valiantly bestirring himselfe in the gouernment and guide of the affaires of the common-wealth tooke Zara Ioppe and Iamnia which were bordering townes and ouercomming the garrison at Accaron he destroyed the citie and assisted Antiochus against Tryphon who besieged Dora before that expedition which he made against the Medes Yet would not the greedie mind of the king be satisfied notwithstanding that Simon had thus faithfully serued and assisted him in the death of Tryphon but that within short time after he sent vnto Cendebeus who was the generall of the army commaunding him to sacke and spoile Iudaea and to take Simon and make him a slaue But Simon though aged in yeeres fought both youthfully and valiantly and sent his sonnes with the most resolute men he had before against Antiochus and himselfe with the residue of his army assaulted another quarter of their enemies campe and hauing laid many ambushes euen in the mountaines he in euery place was victorious and after this his most famous victorie he was proclaimed high priest and deliuered the Iewes from the gouernment of the Macedonians vnder which they had beene 270. yeeres Finally by the trecherie of Ptolemaeus his son in law he was murthered at a banquet who imprisoning his wife and two sonnes sent certaine men to kill the third sonne whose name was Iohn otherwise called Hircanus But the yong man vnderstanding the successe of his fathers voiage hasted vnto the citie accompanied with a great multitude for he greatly hoped that the people would remember his fathers prowes especially because Ptolemaeus iniquitie was hated of all men Ptolemaeus also hasted to enter the citie at another gate but he was speedily repulsed by the people who had alreadie receiued Hircanus For which cause he presently retired himselfe into a Castle named Dagon scituate beyond Iericho After that Hircanus had obtained the office of the high Priest which was left him by his father and had offered sacrifices vnto God he led forth his forces with all speed against Ptolemaeus hoping to helpe and deliuer his mother and brethren that were detained prisoners with him and assaulting the Castle notwithstanding that in all other things he had the better hand yet was he ouercome by iust griefe and compassion For at such time and so often as Ptolemaeus perceiued himselfe to be in daunger he brought Hircanus mother and brethren vpon the walles and beat them where he might behold them in their torments threatning to cast them downe from the wal except Hircanus would presently depart For which cause Hircanus was more moued with compassion and feare then with anger wrath But his mother being no waies dismaid with stripes which she indured
nor with death wherewith she was threatned lifted vp hir hands to her sonne beseeching him that in regard of her miseries he would not be moued to spare so impious a person for she esteemed her death threatned by Ptolemaeus dearer then immortalitie it selfe if so be he might receiue iust punishment for the villany which he had impiously committed against their house But when Iohn had perceiued the resolute mind of his mother and heard her intreatie he was moued to assault the Castle and straight way seeing her beaten and torne he relented with compassion and was euen filled with griefe By which meanes the siege continued long and the Iubilee yeere was come which falleth out euerie seuenth yeere wherein the Iewes cease from all affaires as their wont is euerie seuenth day Ptolemaeus â—…liuered from the siege by this accident and occasion put Iohns mother and his brethren to death and afterwards fled to Zeno the tyrant of Philadelphia who was also surnamed Cotylas In the meane while Antiochus being grieuously vexed at that which Simon had done vnto him sent his army into Iudaea and besieged Hyrcanus in Ierusalem who opening Dauids Sepulchre who had been one of the richest among all the kings of Iudaea tooke more then three thousand talents of money from thence and wrought so much with Antiochus that vpon the paiment of three hundreth talents of money he made him raise his siege and depart the country This Hyrcanus was the first of all the Iewes that with his owne goods maintained outlanders and souldiers But so soone as Antiochus had bent his power and forces against the Medes he tooke handfast of that opportunitie he had offered him to reuenge himselfe and presently assaulted the townes of Syria assuring himselfe he should finde them as indeed they were voide of souldiers to defend them Whereupon he tooke Medaba and Samea with the places thereunto adioyning Sichem and Garizim which border vpon the Chuthaeans who inhabite the places adioining to the temple that is made after the imitation of that which is at Ierusalem Moreouer he tooke many Cities of Idumaea and amongst the rest Doreon and Marisa and comming into Samaria where now Sebaste is scituate which was builded by Herode he besieged it on euerie side and left his two sonnes Aristobulus and Antigonus to continue the siege who diligently besieged the place There was such a famine in the Citie that they were constrained to eate vnaccustomed meates For which cause they required aide of Antiochus surnamed Spondius who willingly assisted them but he was ouercome by Aristobulus and Antigonus and was pursued by the foresaid brethren vnto Scythopolis whither he then retired himselfe but they retiring again vnto Samaria besieged the Citie and at last taking it by force destroied the same and led away the inhabitants captiues Whilest thus fortune fauoured them more and more they ceaâ—…ed not to pursue their good successe but led their armie to Scythopolis and taking it they deuided and spoiled all the countrey CHAP. III. Of Aristobulus Antigonus Iudas Essaeus Alexander Theodorus and Demetrius THis felicitie and good hap of Iohn and his sonnes was accompanied with the enuie of many of his countrimen and this discontent of theirs was the cause of a mutinie For diuers of the Iewes rising vp in armes against them were so much ouerruled by their ambitious passion that they could not containe themselues from the prosecution of an open and bloudy warre wherein notwithstanding they were put to the worst From that day forward Iohn passed the remainder of his life in all felicitie and happines and after he had gouerned the common weale for the space of thirtie three yeeres he departed this life leauing behinde him fiue valiant sonnes He was a man truely happy and so fauoured by fortune that he had no occasion to complaine of her niggardice in bountie Finally he alone might iustly boast himselfe of three excellent endowments First of all that he was the Prince of his countrey secondly that he was high priest thirdly a Prophet to whom God so spake that he was ignorant of no future accidents he foresaw and foretolde that his two eldest sonnes should not continue long in the gouernment whose liues are worth rehearsall although they much declined from their fathers felicitie for the eldest sonne Aristobulus after his fathers death translated the principalitie into a kingdome and was the first that put a crowne on his head foure hundreth eightie and one yeeres and three moneths after the deliuerance of the people from the captiuitie of Babylon As for Antigonus who was his second brother and whom in appearance he seemed to loue most intirely he made him partaker of his dignitie and committed the refidue of them to prison He imprisoned his mother also for that she had contended with him as touching the principalitie which Iohn had soâ—…y committed to her dispose and was so farre giuen ouer to all kinde of crueltie that he not onely kept her prisoner in bonds but also put her to death by famine But the reuenge of this his impietie was this that he slaughtered his owne brother Antigonus whom he intirely beloued and made both a competitor and partner with him in the kingdome For by reason of those scandalous slanders which his enuious and malignant courtiers contriued and inuented against him he commanded him to be put to death Naithelesse vpon their first information Aristobulus ouermastered by brotherly affection gaue them no credit the rather for that he was certainly assured that all things for the most part which were obiected against him were rather enforced vpon enuie then alleadged on good ground But when as Antigonus returned from the warre attended with many testimonies of his valour and prowesse vpon that festiuall time wherein according to the custome of our countrey we celebrate the feast of Tabernacles it hapned at that verie time that Aristobulus fell sicke and was diseased Antigonus therefore about the end of those festiuall daies being attended by his armed men ascended vp into the Temple to offer sacrifice and the rather resorted he thither in greater pompe and maiestie because he intended to honour his brother Hereupon certaine cursed and wicked detractors repaired to the king buzzing in his eares that this great guard of souldiers which accompanied Antigonus and that his hautie resolution and kingly presence was rather for a soueraigne then a subiect inferring hereby that he entred the Citie in this Equipage with an intent to murther him not contenting himselfe to haue the onely honour of the kingdome except he might reduce the power and possession thereof into his owne hands Aristobulus though vnwillingly yet at last being woon to beleeue them desirous in seeming not to suspect to shew himselfe prouident commanded his guard to hide themselues in a certaine obscure place vnder the ground as for himselfe he tooke vp his lodging in a certaine Castle which in times
Messala presented himselfe to returne them answer being assisted by Hycanus by reason of the affinitie that was between him Herod Antonius hauing heard both parties demanded of Hyrcanus whom he thought to be fittest to gouerne their commonwealth who answered Herod his brethren Whereat Antonius was exceoding glad for he had bin their fathers guest and was most courteously entertained by Antipater when he came with Gabinius into Iudaea thereupon he made them both Tetrarchs leauing vnto them the rule of all Iudaea which when the Iewes Embassadors misliked he tooke fifteen of thē and put them in prison where he almost killed them and reiected derided the rest wherupon there arose greater tumults amongst them in Ierusalem At last the Iewes sent another embassage of a thousand men vnto Tyre where Antonius soiorned with an intent to come to Ierusalem with violence Antonius hearing their exclaimes sent out the Magistrates of Tyre against them commanding them to kill all they could catch of the Iewes charging them also to confirme their authoritie whom he himselfe had constituted Tetrarchs But Herod Hyrcanus went before them toward the sea shore admonishing thē earnestly to be contented least they by this their indiscreet proceedings should become not only the cause of their owne deaths but also of war against their country but for that they would not be reclaimed by these admonitiōs Antonius sent out certaine armed men who killed many of them wounded the rest Hyrcanus after this desaster both caused the dead to be buried the wounded to be cured notwithstāding all this they that escaped would not containe themselues in peace but they so troubled the citie that Antonius in his displeasure slue those that he had in hold CHAP. XI Of the warre of the Parthians against the Iewes of the slight of Herode and his fortune TWo yeeres after this Barzapharnes gouernour of the Parthians accompanied with Pacorus the kings sonne seased vpon Syria and Lysanias who succeeded his father Ptolemaeus sonne of Minaeus promising a thousand talents and fiue hundreth women perswaded him to put Antigonus in possession of the kingdome of Iudaea and depose Hyrcanus Pacorus induced by these promises went himselfe along the sea coast giuing commaundement to Barzapharnes to passe through the midst of the countrey but amongst the rest of the places bordering on the sea the Tyrians would not receiue Pacorus notwithstanding that the citizens of Ptolemais and Sidon had giuen him entertainment wherefore he gaue part of his horsemen vnto one who was the kings butler called Pacorus as himselfe was commaunding him to passe into Iudaea and learne what their enemies ment to doe and to helpe Antigonus where neede required Who as they vvasted the countrey about Carmelus many Iewes came of their owne accord and ioyned with Antigonus shewing themselues verie prompt to fight for vvhich cause he sent them before to take a place called Drymos where hauing fought vvith his enemies and put them to flight he pursued them with all speed as farre as Ierusalem and his number being augmented he came vnto the kings house But Hyrcanus and Phasaelus met them with a strong company and fought vvith them in the market place where the enemies were forced to flie and part of them vvere by Herode shut vp in the temple and he appointed sixtie men to keepe them vvhich he placed in the houses next adioyning but the people bearing a grudge to the two brethren burnt them vvith fire vvhereat Herod being angrie for that his men vvere consumed with fire set vpon the people and killed a great many of them and euery houre one laid wait for another so that euery day some was murthered Now the feast of Pentecost drawing nigh all places about the temple and all the vvhole citie vvas filled with people of the countrey whereof the most part was armed and Phasaelus kept the walles and Herode vvith a small company kept the kings pallace who assaulting their enemies vpon a sodaine as they were in the suburbs killed a great many of them and put al the rest to flight part of them he couped vp in the citie others he shut in the temple and the rest betweene the vttermost Rampire Whereupon Antigonus requested that Pacorus might come and conclude a peace betwixt them Phasaelus moued by these his praiers receiued the Parthian into the citie entertained him into his house accompanied with fiue hundreth horsmen vvho came vnder a pretence to make peace but in effect he resorted thither to helpe Antigonus he craftily conspiring against Phasaelus perswaded him to repaire vnto Barzapharnes as an Embassador to treat a peace notwithstanding that Herode altogither disswaded him vvilling him to kill the traitor and not to trust his subtiltie adding that the Parthians were naturally vnfaithfull Pacorus departing out of the citie tooke Hyrcanus with him that he might be the lesse suspected and leauing some horsemen with Herode named Eleutheri he followed Phasaelus with the rest When they came neere vnto Galilee they found the inhabitants at variance and vp in armes and met with Barzapharnes vvho craftily with pretence of courtesie and friendship hid his trecherie who after he had bestowed gifts vpon them and that they were retired laid an ambush for them vvhereof they had intelligence at such time as they came vnto a place of the sea coast named Ecdippon For in this place they vnderstood of the thousand talents that vvere promised and how that Antigonus had giuen the Parthians more then fiue hundreth vvomen of those that were amongst them and that oftentimes they had beene laid wait for and that they had beene lately taken but that delay was made till such time as Herode vvas surprised in Ierusalem for feare least he hearing vvhat vvas become of them might prouide for himselfe Now they might perceiue that these vvere not only vvords for they might behold their keepers not farre off yet vvould not Phasaelus forsake Hyrcanus notwithstanding that Offilius often exhorted him to flie vnto vvhom Saramalla the richest amongst the Syrians had declared all the platforme of their treason but he chose rather to go vnto Barzapharnes to vpbraid him to his face that he had trecherously laid vvait for him but especially for that in regard of mony he had suffered himselfe to be corrupted vvheras he himself vvould haue giuen more for his life and liberty then Antigonus had done for the kingdome At these words the Parthian with oaths protestations craftily freed himselfe from suspition and no sooner repaired he to Pacorus but presently the Parthians who stayed behind and had charge so to doe laid hands on Phasaelus and Hyrcanus who openly exclaimed against their falsehood and periurie In the meane time a butler was sent out for that purpose who sought to surprise Herod and by some stratageme to toul him out of the Citie who wrought by all the meanes hee could according as
The Castle was so rich and sumptuous that it was equall vnto the kings pallace and in the honour of Antonius he named it Antonia He builded himselfe a pallace also in the vpper part of the Citie and in it two houses huge and richly adorned so that the temple was not to be compared vnto them And calling them by his friends names he tearmed one of them Caesarea and another Agrippa vvhose names and memories he did not onely solemnize and write in his priuate houses but also throughout all the vvhole countrey and in euerie part of the Citie For in the countrey of Samaria he compassed a towne with a wal which was about twentie stounds and called it Sebaste and he sent thither six thousand inhabitants giuing them a most fertile soile and demeasnes There also amongst other buildings he erected a verie huge temple and dedicated it to Caesar and gaue the inhabitants of that place especiall priuiledges About the temple was there a piece of ground containing three stounds and a halfe For this monuments sake Caesar added vnto his dominion another countrey for vvhich cause he erected another temple vnto him neere vnto the head of Iordan of vvhite marble in a place called Panium vvhere there is a mountaine rising an infinite height into the ayre at the side whereof there is an obscure valley vvhere there are high rockes that by droppes of water falling on them are made hollow so that the water standing in their concauitie till they run ouer falleth downe with a streame of such a length as is admirable At the foote of this valley on the out side there spring certaine fountains and many thinke this to be the head of the riuer Iordan which whether it be true or no vve will declare hereafter At Iericho also betweene the castle of Cyprus the other auncient kings houses he erected other buildings fairer and more commodious for them that came thither calling them after the names of his friends Finally there was no conuenient place in the vvhole kingdome vvherein he erected not some thing in the honour of Caesar and hauing in euerie place of his owne kingdome deuised and dedicated temples vnto him he in Syria also where he ruled did the like founding in verie many cities temples vvhich he called by the name of Caesar. And perceiuing that amongst the cities of the sea coast there was one called Stratons tower the which being verie old was ruinated and for the scituation thereof deserued reparation and cost he repaired it all with vvhite stone and built a verie roial pallace therin vvherin chiefly he shewed a mightie mind For this citie standing in the middest betweene Dora and Ioppe there was no port nor hauen in that coast so that whosoeuer sailed from Phoenicia into Aegypt vvere in great danger by reason of the violent windes that blew from Africa vvhich blowing but a verie easie gale enforce the water with such a violence against the rocks on the shore that the waues rebounding backe againe a good way vvithin the sea make the whole sea tempestuous But the king vvith his liberalitie and cost ouercomming nature builded a port or hauen in that place far bigger then that of Piraeum and vvithin it made most safe stations for ships And although the nature of that place was altogether contrarie to his intent yet he so ouercame that difficultie that the sea could doe that building no harme and it was so gallant and beautifull to behold as though there had been no let any way to hinder the adorning thereof For hauing measured out such a place as we haue spoken of for the port he laid a foundation in the bottome twentie elles deepe of stone vvhereof most of them were fiftie foote long nine foote thicke and ten foote broade and some bigger and all the bottome of the hauen vvhere the water came was laid with these stones Which done he raised a wall of two hundreth foote vvhereof a hundreth foote was builded to breake the violence of the waues and had a name according to the vse it serued for The other hundreth foote serued for a foundation of the wall vvhereof the hauen was compassed vvhich was replenished with many goodly towers the greatest and fairest whereof he named Drusius after the name of Caesars kinsman There were verie many vautes also to conduct such things into the towne as were brought into the hauen and about them a paued place for them to walke in that came out of the ships The entrance thereunto was on the north side for by reason of the scituation of the place the northwinde there is the calmest Before the entrance were three great colossus held vp on euerie side with pillers they which are on the left hand are propt vp by a tower which is a solid rocke of stone But at the entrance on the right hand were two huge stones ioined togither which make a greater tower then the other There is also a house adioyning vnto the hauen builded of white stone the streetes of the Cities comming to that place are of one bignesse and proportion Vpon a hill opposite vnto the mouth of the hauen was there builded a temple verie beautifull and exceeding great which he dedicated vnto Caesar wherein was placed Caesars colossus fully as great as Iupiters at Olympus for it was made after that example equall to that at Rome and that of Iunoes at Argos The Citie he builded for the inhabitants of that prouince and the port or for hauen to seafaring men The honour and credit he attributed to Caesar and by his name called it Caesarea He also made other buildings as the Market the Theater and the Amphitheater which are worth the memorie And he euerie fift yeere ordained certaine sports called them after the name of Caesar. And himselfe first proposed very ample rewards in the 192. Olympiade insomuch that he not only gaue royall gifts to the victors but also to the second and third after them Hee repaired Anthedon also which was destroyed by the warres and called it Agrippium and louing Agrippa verie dearely he caused her name to be engrauen ouer the portall that he builded in the temple Neither was he vnmindfull of his parents for in the richest soile of the whole kingdome he built a Citie for a monument of his father and by his name called it Antipatris being a verie rich soile both for trees and riuers At Iericho also he built a verie gorgious and strong Castle and called it Cyprus in honour of his mother He likewise builded a tower in memorie of his brother Phasaelus at Ierusalem and called it Phasaelus his tower of the compasse beautie of this tower we wil speake hereafter He also called another citie Phasaelus which is scituate in a valley beyond Iericho toward the north Hauing thus eternized the memorie of his friends and kinsfolke he did not forget to doe the like to himselfe for he built a Castle on
a mountaine neere Arabia hauing on one side a strong place of defence and this Castle he called Herodium after his owne name By the same name also he called a tomb which he builded sixtie stounds from Ierusalem artificially made in maner of a womans dug which he richly adorned for within compasse of the top of it he caused round turrets to be placed and round about it he builded princely houses gallantly adorned both within and without He also brought water from a great way off with great cost and charges and made a paire of staires of pure white marble to go vp which had two hundreth steps For the whole hill was made by arte and it was of an exceeding height at the foote thereof likewise he builded another pallace and houses to receiue his friends and their carriage so that this castle for the abundance of all necessarie places seemed a citie and yet was it all the kings pallace Hauing erected thus many buildings he shewed his braue minde in strange Cities likewise for at Tripolis and Damascus and Ptolemais he builded publike bathes which are called exercises He builded the wall of Biblus and seates porches temples and markets at Berytus and Tyre at Sidon and Damascus he builded a Theater and a water conduit at Laodicea a sea towne At Ascalon he builded fountaines or lakes very sumptuous and baths with pillers that for greatnes and gallant worke were miraculous To other places he gaue woods and ports and vnto many cities he added fields as though they had been fellow cities of his kingdome Also toward the maintenance of the bathes he gaue a yeerely annuitie for euer as namely to those at Cous to the intent he might be an eternall benefactor Moreouer he gaue all poore people corne and he often and in sundry places gaue the Rhodians money to built a nauy of ships At his owne proper cost he repaired Pythium which was burnt with fire What should I say of his liberalitie which he extended vnto them of Lycia and Samia or the magnificent gifts which he vsed toward all the people of Ionia yea all things which their hearts could desire whereby he relieued all their necessities Nay both the Athenians and Lacedemonians and Nicopolites and the Citizens of Pergamus in Mysia receiued very many benefits at his hands He paued also a large streete in Antiochia of Syria which was in length twentie stounds and that with faire marble This streete before that time was so full of durt that no man could goe thorow it and all along it he builded galleries that people might go drie thorow it in rainy weather Some one may say that these benefits that he thus bestowed were done for the proper vse of those people on whom he bestowed them but no man can denie but that which he did for the citizens of Elis was not onely common to those of Achaia but vnto all the world where the games called Olympica Certamina were solemnized For Herode seeing them decay onely for want of maintenance and that this was the only remainder of all the ancient monuments of Greece he not only in his own person at that time became one of the proposers of rewards in that Olympiade which he assisted when he went to Rome but also gaue a yeerely stipend to maintaine the same least for want it should be left off It is not to be told what debts and tributes he remitted for he deliuered the Phasaelites and Balaneotes and other townes of Cilicia from the paiment of a yeerly tribute yet was he not so liberall vnto them as he would haue been fearing least the enuy of some might accuse him of some further meaning if he should be more bountifull vnto the cities then those that were the owners thereof He exercised his body likewise in exercises fit for so valiant a minde for he was a verie skilfull hunter wherein he had alwaies his purpose by reason of his skil in riding so that in one day he killed fortie wilde beasts That countrey hath many bores but it hath most store of Harts and wilde Asses He was such a warriour as no man was able to encounter withall so that many were astonished to see him exercise himselfe who admired him for casting a dart and shooting an arrow Beside the vertue both of his mind and bodie he had also good fortune for very seldome the euent of warre was otherwise then he expected which if it sometime chanced it was not through his fault but through the rashnes of his souldiers or else through treason CHAP. XVII Of the disagreement betweene Herode and his sonnes Alexander and Aristobulus BVt his priuate and domesticall sorrowes seemed to enuie him his publike felicitie and most aduerse fortune befell him through the meanes of a woman whom he loued as himselfe For being now made king he put away his wife which he first maried which was a Ladie borne in Ierusalem whose name was Doris and maried Mariamme the daughter of Alexander who was Aristobulus sonne which caused troubles in his house both before but especially after he returned from Rome For he banished his eldest sonne Antipater whom he had by Doris out of the citie onely for his childrens sake that he had by Mariamme licensing him onely at festiuall times to come vnto the citie in regard of some suspicion of treason intended against him And afterward he slew Hyrcanus his wiues vncle notwithstanding that he returned out of Parthia vnto him because after he suspected that he intended some treason against him whom Barzapharnes after he had taken all Syria tooke away prisoner with him But his own countrimen that dwelt beyond Euphrates in commiseration redeemed him from thraldome had he beene counselled by them and not come vnto Herode he had not beene killed but the mariage of his neece caused his death for for that cause and especially for the loue of his natiue soyle he came thither That which moued Herode to kill him was not for that he sought the kingdome but because he had right vnto the kingdome Herode had fiue children by Mariamme two daughters and three sons The yongest was sent to Rome to studie where he died The other two he brought vp like Princes both for their mothers nobilitie sake for that they were borne after he was king But that which aboue al other was most forcible was the loue he bare to Mariamme which from day to day tormented him more violently in such sort that he felt not any part of those griefes which this his best beloued enforced against him For Mariamme hated him as much as he loued her and hauing a iust cause and colour of discontent moreouer being emboldened by the loue which he bare her she euerie day vpbraided him with that which he had done vnto Hyrcanus her vncle and vnto her brother Aristobulus For Herode spared him not although he was a child
notwithstandinding the holinesse of the day departed But he accompanied with his mother Popla Ptolemaeus and Nicholaus his friends went vnto the sea coast leauing Philip for Gouernour of the kingdome and ouer his houshold with them departed Salome and her children and the kings brethren and kinred vnder pretence to assist Archelaus to the crowne but indeed it was to informe Caesar of that which was done in the Temple against the law When they came to Caesarea they met with Sabinus Gouernour of Syria who was comming toward Iudaea to take into his custodie Herods treasure whom Varus forbad to go anie further being sent for by Archelaus and Ptolemie requesting him thereunto And so Sabinus for the loue of Varus neither entred the Castles nor shut vp Herods treasure from Archelaus but promised that he would let all alone till Caesar vnderstood thereof But so soone as one of them that hindered him was gone to Antiochia and the other to wit Archelaus to Rome he still remaining at Casarea now hasted vnto Ierusalem and tooke the kings pallace where calling for the chiefe of the guard and the Purueyors he exacted of them an account and sought to take into his custodie the Castles and strong holds But the Captaines of the garrison mindfull of the charge which Archelaus gaue them kept vnto themselues the custodie of all affirming that they kept them more for Caesar then Archelaus At this time Antipas made a claime to the crowne alleaging that Herods first testament was of more force then the last and that he in the first was declared king and both Salome and many more of his kinred who sayled with Archelaus promised him their aid He tooke with him his mother and Ptolemaeus brother vnto Nicholaus perswading himselfe that they for their trustinesse and loyaltie vnto Herod would stand him in great steed for this Ptolemaeus was Herods dearest friend He had also great confidence in Irenaeus his orator because he had an excellent grace in pleading in so much as he refused the counsell of them who sought to perswade him to yeeld vnto Archelaus both for his age and for the last testament of his father Now he was well beloued of all his kin◅ed at Rome because they hated Archelaus and especially those that desired to liue at libertie and either to be gouerned by the Romans or else to haue Antipas for their king And to further him the more he vsed Sabinus letters vnto Caesar wherein Archelaus was accused and Antipas commended Therefore Salome and the rest of their accomplices brought the accusations vnto Caesar. And after them Archelaus deliuered all that which he had done in writing withall his fathers ring by Ptolemeus the reasons of that which he had done he sent inclosed vnto Caesar. Caesar pondering with himself what both parties alleaged and the greatnesse of the kingdome and large reuennes and number of Herods children reading also the letters of Varus and Sabinus he called the chiefe of the Romans to councell Wherein Caius the sonne of Agrippa and his daughter Iulia by his assignment sate in the first place this Caius was Caesars adopted sonne and so he licensed the parties to plead their rights Then Antipater Salomes sonne being the most eloquent of all Archelaus aduersaries offered himselfe to be his accuser for that Archelaus seemed now in words to contend for the kingdome which he had alreadie possest himselfe of and that hee did now trouble Caesars eares with vaine cauillations whom he would not wish to iudge of his lawfull succession For after Herods death he suborned some to put a diademe vpon his head and then sitting in a throne of gold in kingly maner he partly changed partly aduaunced the orders of the souldiers and granted vnto the people their requests which could not be effected but by a king He had also set at libertie maniemen who for great crimes were imprisoned by his father and hauing done all this he came now vnto Caesar to craue the shadow of the kingdome the substance and bodie whereof he already occupied so that herein he left nothing vnto Caesar but a bare title Moreouer he alleaged that Archelaus did but counterfeit sorrow for his fathers death faining himselfe to mourne on the day time and in the night he would be drunke and rioted Finally he said that the sedition of the people came by hatred thereof But the force and drift of his speech was altogether bent to declare the multitude slaine about the Temple for he said that they only came against that festiuall day to offer sacrifice and that they themselues were sacrificed as they were offering their sacrifices which they brought and that there were such heapes of dead bodies in the Temple as neuer by anie forraine warres were slaine the like Therefore Herod foreseeing his crueltie neuer iudged him worthy of the kingdome till such time as his memorie fayled him and that now being more sicke in mind then body hee knew not whom he named his successour in his last will especially for that he had nothing wherein he could blame him whom in his former will he appointed his successour when he was in health both of mind and bodie Yet quoth he put case Herod in his extremitie knew what he did yet said he Archelaus hath depriued himselfe of all kingly dignitie hauing committed manie things against the lawes For said he what will he be after he hath receiued authoritie from Caesar who before hee receiued any hath murdered somanie Antipater hauing spoken much to this effect and at euerie accusation taking witnesse of his kinred that stood by ended his speech Then Nicholaus stood vp and first of all he shewed that the slaughter of them in the Temple was necessarie For they for whose death Archelaus was now accused were not only enemies of the kingdome but also of Caesar and for other crimes obiected he shewed how that they were done euen by the counsel and perswasion of the aduersaries He also requested that the second testament might be of force for that therein Herod requested Caesar to be a confirmer of his successour For he who had such remēbrance as to leaue the performance of his will to the discretion of him who was Lord of all did neither mistake himself in appointing his heire nor yet was depriued of his senses seeing he knew by whom he should be established When Nicholaus had ended his speech and declared all that he thought might make for Archelaus Archelaus comming into the middest of the Councell prostrated himselfe at Caesars feet whom Caesar curteously taking from the ground shewed that he was worthie to succeed his father Yet did he not pronounce a definitiue sentence but the same day the Councell being dismissed he deliberated with himselfe according to the euidence he knew whether anie of those nominated in the two wils should succeed their father in the kingdome or that the kingdome should be
any of theâ—…e wilfully leade themselues into open captiuitie What letteth you euerie man with his owne hands to butcher his wife and children and from consuming this goodly Countrie with fire for so you shall gaine this not to abide the shame of a conquest It is good O friends it is good whilest yet the ship is in the Hauen to foresee and prouide for future tempests and not then begin to feare when you are amidst the waues and surges of the sea They who fall into a miserie not foreseene are worthie to receiue compassion but they that runne into wilfull calamitie deserue no pitie but reproch Vnlesse perhaps yee thinke that the Romans will fight with you as you will condition and that if they ouercome you they will not vse you hardly nor fire and destroy this sacred Citie and all the whole nation as they haue done others If yee be ouercome who so escapeth vnkilled can haue no place of refuge for all nations either are alreadie subiect vnto the Romans or feare that they shall bee shortly So that not onely you shall be in danger but also all Cities wherin any Iewes remaine For there is no nation nor people in the whole world amongst whom some of your Countrie are not who all shall be most cruelly put to death if you rebell and for the wicked counsell of a few men all Cities shall flow with bloud of the Iewes and no man shall bee punished for killing Iewes because of your offence And if the Romans doe not execute all this outrage after your rebellion then thinke how impious a thing it is to rebell against so mild gouernours Take compassion if not of your children and wiues yet at the least of this Citie which is the mother Citie of all your nation Spare these holy wals and sacred Temple and keepe vnto your selues the law and sacred things of the Temple assure your selues that if the Romans againe ouercome you they will not spare these things seeing you were no more gratefull vnto them for preseruing them before I protest before God your holy Temple and all the Angels of heauen and our whole Countrie that I haue kept backe no counsell which I thinke profitable for you Now if you consider of those things which are profitable for you yee shall liue with me in peace but if you follow your priuate affections I will not be partaker of the miseries and daungers you thrust your selues into When hee had thus spoken he wept his sister Berenice standing by him and by his teares mitigated a great part of their furie Then they cried that they ment not to beare armes against the Romans and Caesar but against Florus for the iniurie he had done them To this Agrippa answered but your deedes shew that you fight against the Romans for you haue not paied your tribute to Caesar and you haue burned the porches belonging vnto Antonia now if you would hide your rebellion repaire with speed the porches and pay your tribute for this fort belongeth not to Florus nor the money Herewith the people were content and ascending into the temple with Agrippa and Berenice they began to reedifie the porches and the nobilitie and captaines gathered the tribute in euerie village and quickly brought fortie talents for so much money was behinde And thus Agrippa appeased the beginning of these warres After this he began to perswade the people to obey Florus till such time as an other were sent to supply his place Herewith the multitude was so mooued that they contumeliously reuiled the king and threw stones at him and droâ—…e him out of the Citie The king seeing that their sedition would not be quieted complaining of the iniurie done vnto him sent the nobilitie and all the potentates to Florus who was at Caesarea that he might choose whom he would amongst them to gather the tribute through the whole countrey And so he departed into his owne kingdome CHAP. XVII Of the rebellion of the Iewes begun against the Romans AT this time some of the chiefest rebels assembled to gither sodainly assaulted a Castle called Massada which at vnawares they tooke and killed all the Romans and in their places put a guard of their owne companie In the temple also Eleazar sonne of the high priest Ananias a bolde and desperate young man captaine of the souldiers perswaded them who offered sacrifices not to offer any but those that were giuen by the Iewes And this was the ground and cause of the warres that ensued For they reiected Caesars sacrifices that were woont to be offered for the good of the Romans And although the high priests and people of account requested them not to omit that custome of sacrificing for their kings and gouernours yet they refused so to doe trusting greatly to their faction all the strength of the Citie that desired alteration were of their mindes and especially Eleazar who at that time was Generall as is before said Wherefore all the potentates hâ—…gh priests and chiefest of the Pharisees assembled themselues and perceiuing into how great danger those rebels daily brought the Citie they determined to make triall of the courage of the seditious people wherefore they assembled them togither before the brazen gate which was in the inner part of the temple towards the East And first of all they greatly complained of their rash and vnaduised rebellion and that they sought to stirre vp so great warres against their countrey inueighing against the cause that mooued them thereto as being without reason telling them that their auncestors for the most part adorned the temple with the gifts of Gentiles neuer refusing the offerings of strangers and not only not to haue refused their offerings for that were an impious fact but also placed in the temple the gifts that they sent which were yet to be seen And that now only to prouoke the Romans to warre and denounce it against them they began to alter religion and beside other dangers also to make the Citie seeme guiltie of impietie as though it were such a one wherein none might offer sacrifice but Iewes nor any but they might adore God If we should make such a law against any priuate person he had iust cause to accuse vs of inhumanitie But now the Romans were despised and Caesar himselfe accounted prophane and it was to be feared that if the Iewes disdained to accept of Caesars offerings Caesar would hinder them from offering any And that the citie of Ierusalem would presently be accounted as an enemy to the empire vnlesse they presently accepted Caesars sacrifice and before such time as they heard these newes against whom this outrage was attempted And hauing thus spoken they brought foorth the most learned amongst the priests to recount from time to time how their ancestors had alwaies accepted of the sacrifices of strangers But none of the rebels gaue eare to any thing that was said and the Leuites came not to serue
So he commaunded Ioseph to be kept prisoner yet did he giue him apparell and diuers other things in most kind maner and Titus did greatly honour him The fourth day of Iuly Vespasian returned vnto Ptolemais and from thence he came into the Sea coast vnto Caesarea which is the greatest Citie of Iudaea whose Inhabitants are for the most part Greekes so the Inhabitants receiued the armie and the Generall with all friendship possible both for that they loued the Romanes as especially also for that they hated them who were destroyed so that many intreated Vespasian to put Ioseph to death But Vespasian iudging this a rash petition would make no answere vnto it and he left two legions to winter at Caesarea because he saw it was a fit place and sent the tenth and fift vnto Scythopolis because he would not ouercharge Caesarea with the whole armie This place is warme in winter and exceeding hot in sommer by reason it is situate on a plaine by the sea coast CHAP. XV. How Ioppe was taken againe IN the meane time a great multitude being gathered together who either were seditious persons or theeues or such as had escaped out of the ruinated Cities began to reedifie Ioppe for their refuge which Cestius before time had destroyed and seeing that they could not rob nor spoyle the Countrie which was alreadie wasted and left desolate by warres they purposed to become pirates and so building ships for that purpose they robbed the Phaenicians Syrians and Aegyptians not suffering any to passe those seas without danger Vespasian vnderstanding their intent sent horsemen and footmen thither who finding the Citie not guarded got into it in the night time which the Inhabitants perceiuing were so afraid that they durst not make any resistance to expel the Romans but they al retired thēselues vnto their ships there staied all night a flight shot from the shore Ioppe is naturally no road for ships for it is situated vpon a turbulent shore and on either side hath verie high and eminent rockes which trouble the seas and make huge waues in this place if wee may beleeue the fable one may see the signes of Andromedes chaines When the North wind bloweth it striketh the waues against the rockes and so causeth a dangerous sea that it were farre more safe to bee in the middest of the seas then at that shoare when the same wind bloweth The Inhabitants of Ioppe rode there all night and by breake of day the North wind began to blow fiercely and draue some of the ships one against another and others against the rockes and many striuing against wind and weather and seeking to get into the middest of the Sea for feare of the rockie shoare and their enemies there were drowned and they that escaped neither had any place of refuge nor hope of safetie for the tempest did driue them from the sea and the Romanes from the Citie so that the aire was filled with the cries of people expecting to bee drowned and with the noyse and sound of ships beaten one against another So some of the Inhabitants of Ioppe were swallowed by the waues others suffered shipwracke some killed themselues rather then to bee drowned many with the waues were stroken against the rockes so that the sea was bloudie and all the shoare was couered with dead bodies and whosoeuer escaped the sea and got to shoare the Roman souldiers there readie standing killed them There were foure thousand and two hundreth dead bodies cast vpon the shoare So the Romans hauing without any fight taken the Citie they destroyed it and thus was Ioppe taken and twise destroyed by the Romanes in a short time Vespasian builded there a Castle and placed in it some few horsemen and footemen to the end that none of the Iewes should come thither againe to play the Pyrates and that the footemen might keepe the Castle and in the meane time the horsemen might goe foorth and spoyle all the townes and villages and territories belonging to Ioppe which also they did When the newes of the destruction of Iotapata was brought vnto Ierusalem many gaue small credite vnto it partly for the greatnesse of that calamitie partly for that no one man could say that hee had seene the destruction of the Citie for none escaped that mas◅acre to bring newes but onely a report thereof was spread abroad but at last it was verified to bee true by those that dwelt neere vnto that place and then they beleeued it Many things also which were false were reported as true It was likewise bruted that Ioseph was slaine in the destruction of the Citie for whose death all Ierusalem sorrowed euerie one mourned for their lost kinred all bewayled the supposed death of the Generall and some of their sonnes others of their brethren and kinsfolke and others of their acquaintance They all mourned for Ioseph thirtie dayes spa◅ and hired many musicians to sing funerall songs for him At last truth discouered it selfe and the true newes of the destruction of Iotapata with the accidents there also how Ioseph was not slaine but liued with the Romans and that the Romans honored him more then a captiue could expect Then the Iewes began as much to hate him now liuing as before they mourned for him when they supposed him dead And some said he was a coward others that hee was a traytor vnto his Countrie and the whole Citie breathed out reprochfull speeches against him These heauie tidings encreased their rage and this their aduersitie which vnto wise men had beene a warning to prouide least the like befell them made them more outragious so that alwayes the end of one mischiefe was the beginning of another To bee short now they were more incensed against the Romans then before as it were that they might also be reuenged of Ioseph And this was the estate of the Citizens of Ierusalem CHAP. XVI How Tyberias was yeelded VEspasian was desirous to see the kingdome of Agrippa for the King had intreated him to goe thither partly to feast him and his whole army partly to represse some troubles arising in his kingdome in the time of his absence and so departed from Caesarea vpon the Sea coast and went vnto Caesarea Philippi where hee stayed and refreshed his souldiers twentie dayes himselfe also feasted giuing God thanks for his prosperous successe in the wars This done he had intelligence that Tyberias and Tarichea were reuolted both which Cities belonged vnto Agrippa his kingdome and fully determining vtterly to destroy the Iewes which inhabited there abouts he thought it good to lead his armie against these two places especially that he might reward Agrippa for his good entertainement by surrendring these Cities vnto him Wherefore he sent his sonne Titus to Caesarea to bring the souldiers there vnto Scythopolis which was the greatest of all the ten Cities which also is neere vnto Tiberias whither himselfe
most wittie as also hee did in many things else and euen vntill this day many of their Epistles sent one vnto another are kept amongst the Tyrians And that I doe not feare the authoritie amongst the Tyrians I will proue by the testimonie of Dius a man who by common consent hath faithfully written the Phaenician Historie wherein he writeth as followeth After the death of Abibalus Hiramus his sonne reigned in his steade who increased the number of his Easterne Cities and inlarged Ierusalem hee also ioyned the Temple of Iupiter Olimpius situate in an Iland vnto it filling vp the water with earth and adorned it with golden gifts After this ascending into Libanus he cut downe the wood to build Temples and that the king of Ierusalem named Salomon sent vnto him certaine riddles to be expounded and he againe the like vnto him couenanting together that he who could not tel the meaning of one an others riddles should pay vnto the other a some of money and that Hiramus confessing he could not expound Salomons riddles did pay vnto him much money Lastly that one Abdemonus a Tyrian did expound the said riddles and writ more vnto Salomon which if Salomon could not interpret hee should pay vnto Hircanus a sum of mony this testimonie Dius beareth vs concerning the foresaid matter But I will now recount the words of Menander an Ephesian who hath registred the acts of al kings both at home and abroad endeuouring to make a true historie out of the writings of enerie country This man writing of the Tyrian kings and comming to Hiramus he saith thus of him Abibalus dying there succeeded in the kingdome his son Hiramus who liued 34. yeers this king with a rampier conioyned Eurichorus and erected there a pillar of gold in Iupiters temple and went into the woods and cut downe the Cedars of Libanus to make couerings for the temples of which pulling downe the olde he erected new and dedicated the temple of Hercules and Astartus but that to Hercules in the moneth of Peritius and then the other to Astartus when he wâ—…an army went against the Tyrians who did not pay him tribute whom when he had subdued he returned againe At this time also liued Abdemonus a seruant vnto the king who was wont to expound the parables which king Salomon of Ierusalem sent vnto king Hiramus now how long it was from this kings time till the building of Carthage we may thus calculate After the death of Hiramus his sonne Beleastartus succeeded him who liued fortie and three yeeres and raigned â—…en after him his sonne Abdastartus who liued twentie yeeres and raigned nine but this king was treacherously slaine by the foure sonnes of his nurse the eldest of whom raigned twelue yeeres Next whom Astartus the sonne of Beleastartus who liued fortie and foure yeeres and raigned twelue after him ruled his brother Astarimus who liued fiftie and foure yeeres and sate in the kingdome nine then he was slaine of his brother Phelletes who raigned eight moneths and liued fiftie yeeres and was slaine by a priest of Astarta named Ithobalus who liued three score and eight and raigned thirtie two yeeres him succeeded his sonne Badezorus who liued fortie fiue yeeres and raigned six yeeres to him succeeded his sonne Mettinus who liued thirtie two yeeres and raigned nine After him Pigmalion who liued fiftie sixe yeeres and raigned fortie in the seuenth yeere of whose raigne his sister Dido builded a Citie in Africa and named it Carthage so that from the time of king Hiramus vnto the building of Carthage is by this computation a hundreth fiftie fiue yeeres and two moneths and for as much as the temple of Ierusalem was built in the twelfth yeere of Hiramus his raigne the computation of the time since that yeere vntill the building of Carthage is 143. yeeres and 8. moneths What need we alleadge more seeing this testimonie of the Phoenicians The truth is now sufficiently made manifest for our auncestors must needs haue come into this countrey we inhabite before such time as they built a temple in it as I haue also made manifest in my bookes of Antiquitie collected out of our holy Scripture I will now speake of that which the Chaldeis writ of vs in their histories which do much agree in all other matters with those of our nation And first let Berosus be my witnesse who was a Chaldean borne yet a man famous and knowne vnto all that loue learning for he in the Grecian tongue did write Astronomie and the Chaldeis Philosophie Berosus imitating the most auncient histories writeth of the diluge and how mankinde was therein extinguished and he in all things imitateth Moses He also speaketh of the Arke wherein our forefather was preserued and affirmeth that it was carried vnto the tops of the mountaines in Armenia after this he prosecuteth the Genealogie of all that raigned from Noe vntil Nabulassarus king of the Babylonians and Chaldeans He likewise setteth down how long euerie one raigned and in prosecuting the deeds of this king he recounteth how he sent his sonne Nabuchodonosor into Aegypt and to our countrey with great power who finding them rebels subdued them and burnt the temple at Ierusalem and so departed carrying with him all our nation into Babylon whereupon our Citie was desolate seuentie yeeres vntill the raigne of Cyrus king of the Persians Moreouer he affirmeth that the Babylonian kept Aegypt Syria Phoenicia and Arabia exacting more of his subiects then euer any king of Babylon or Chaldea had done before his time And the words of Berosus must needs be to this effect Nabulassarus his father hearing that his substitute in Aegypt Caelesyria and Phoenicia had rebelled he himselfe not being able to take such paines committed these affaires vnto his sonne Nabuchodonosor and gaue vnto him a part of his army for that he was in the â—…ower of his age and sent him against him and Nabuchodonosor fighting with the said Champion ouerthrew him and subdued the countrey which of olde belonged vnto them and at the same time his father Nabulassarus fell sick in Babylon and died hauing raigned twentie nine yeeres But Nabuchodonosor long after vnderstanding his fathers death he disposed of Aegypt and other prouinces as he thought good and taking the captiues of Iudaea Phoenicia and the Syrians that liued in Aegypt he committed them to certaine of his friends to be brouglit with other carriage and his army to Babylon and so he himselfe accompanied with a verie few to his iourney to Babylon through the desart and finding that the Chaldeis ruled all and that their nobilitie reserued the kingdome for him he was made king and commanded houses to be built for the captiues that were comming in the most conuenient places of Babylon and he of the spoile beautified the temple of Belus and other places most richly and built a new citie without the wall of the olde and prouiding least hereafter the
Caius coÌ„mandeth Quintiliana to be tortured who confesseth nothing Popedius is absolued Cheraeas conferreth with Clement and Papinius The yeare of the world 4004. after Christs birth 42. Cornelius Sabinust Annius Minutianus Chaereas with certaine others intend to kill Caius Calisthus Caius freeman certifieth Claudius that Caius commaunded him to poison him The yeare of the world 4005. after Christs birtâ—… 43. Chaereas expeâ—…h the occasion to assaile Caius The finall conclusion of the confederates as touching Caius death The yeare of the world 4005. after Chrisâ—…s Natiuitie 43. Caius sacrificeth to Augustus Caesar. Asprenas The Theater Batibius Cluuitus The yeare of the world 400â—… after Christs birth 43. Caius slaine Aquila gaue Caius his deaths wound but Chaereas was the author and chiefe actor of the tragedie The yeare of the 〈◊〉 4005. after Chrâ—…ts Natiâ—…tie 43. Chaereas with his confederates reâ—…reth into Germanicuâ—… house The Germans Caesars guard Sabinus with his Germaine souldiers seeketh for those that slue Caius Asprenas cut in peeces Norbanus Anteius What sort of people they were that lamented Caius death The yeare of the world 4005. after Christs birth 43. Diuers â—…umors of Caesars death The Germain souldiers resort to the Theater Aruntius entreth the Theater and signifieth the Emperours death The Germainâ—… fury awakned by the death of Caius is pacified The yeare of the world 4005. after Christs Natiuitie 43. Chaereas Minutianus and ClemeÌ„t consult about Caesars death Arcion a certaine Phisition dismisseth some The Senate people enquire after those that flue Caius Valerius Asiaticus wisheth he had beene the author Hedio Ruffinus cap. 2. The souldiers elect Claudius Emperour The yeare of thâ—… world 4005. after the Naâ—…tie of Christ. 43. Cnaius Sentiuâ—… Saturninus declaimeth in the Senate Libertie a prâ—…cious thing Liberty purchased by vertue TyraÌ„nies breed many mischifes in commonweales Iulius Caesar. The yeare of the world 4005. after Christs birth 43. An exhortation to maintaine liberty Chaereas to be honoured for his noble attempt Chaereas requireth a watchword at the Consuls â—…ands Chaereas sendeth Iulius Lupus to kill Caius wife and daughter The yeare of the world 4005. after Christs birth 43. Caesonia accuseth Caius for that he would not giue credit â—…o her counsailâ—… Caius a wicked man Caius giuen ouer to lust Caius builded a hauen Caius an excellent Orator The yeare of the world 4005. after Christs natiuitie 43. Hedio Ruffinus cap. 3. Claudius against his will drawen vnto the Empire The cause that induced the army to make Claudius Emperour The yeare of the world 4005. after the Naâ—…tie of Christ. 4â—… Claudius caried on mens shoulders into the army Defference betwixt the citizens and Senators The Senate perswade Claudius to resigne the dignitie oâ—…ered him Claudius denieth to giue ouer the dignitie that was offered him Hedio Ruffinus cap. 4. al. 3. The yeere of the world 4005. after Christs birth 43. Claudius confirmed in his resolutions by Agrippa Agrippa telleth the Senat his opinion Agrippa with some other is sent to Claudius Claudius aunswere to the Embassadors The souldiers oaths taken The souldiers require a Monarch at the Senats bands The yeare of the world 4005. after Christs birth 43. Some affect the Empire The souldierâ—… with displaied ensignâ—…s repaire to Claudius Sabinus rather choseth death then to allow of Claudius Q. Pompeiuâ—… the Consul with otherâ—… resort to Claudiuâ—… Claudius is perswaded bâ—… Agrippa to vse the senators more mildly Those that murthered Caius are executed The yeâ—…e of the world 4005. after Christs Naâ—…itie 43. Sabinus killeth himselfe Hedio Ruffinus chap. 5. â—…l 4. Claudius giueth Agrippa Iudaea Samaria and Lysanias countrey Antiochus king of Comagena Alexander Lysimachus Alabarcha Herode Agrippas brother created king of Chalcis Sedirion in Alexandria betwixt the Greekes and Iewes Claudius edict in fauour of the Iewes in Alexandria Theâ—… yere of the world 4005. after Christs birth 43. Claudius edict in the behalfe of the Iewes scattered thorow the whole empire Claudius sendeth Agrippa into his kingdome Agrippa hangeth vp his golden chaine ouer the treasury chamber in the temple Simon the son of Boethus placed in Theophilus roome 〈◊〉 â—…finus cap. 6. Agrippa â—…eleaseth the tributes to those of Ierusalem Silas The Doriteâ—… place Caesars statue in the synagogue of the Iewes and thereby vehemently offend both Agrippa and Petronius The yeare of the world 4005. after Christs natiuitâ—… 43. Alias cap. 5. P. Petronius writeth to the Dorites to send them vnto him who haue broken Caesarâ—… edict Ionathan the sonne of Ananus is restored to the priesthood refuseth it and praieth that his brother Matthias may minister therin Marsus prefect of Syria The yeare of the world 4005. after Christs birth 43. Hedio Ruffinus cap. 7. Silas by too much reuiuing the kings miseries and misfortunes and ripping vp his owne deserts groweth into y e kings hatred and is sent prisoner into his countrey Agrippa sendeth for Silas out of prison who dissembling not his displeasure is left still in prison Agrippa fortifieth the wals of Ierusalem Claudius commandeth Agrippa to desist from building the wals Agrippa â—…ored the 〈◊〉 more then Herode The yeare of the world 4005. after Christs Natiuitie 43. Simon the lawyer backbiteth the king who crauing pardon is reconciled vnto him Alias cap. 6. Agrippa honoreth Beryth with good ornaments Hedio Ruffinus chap. 8. Agrippa is displeased with Marsus for sending away the kings Alias cap. 7. Aelioneus the sonne of Cithaeus made high priest Agrippa is salâ—…d in the Theater for a God and spieth the owle which the Germane foretold him of that fiue daies after he should die The yeare of the world 4005. after the Natâ—…itie of Christ 43. The yeare of the world 4009. after Christs birth 47. 1â—…00 Myriades amount to 15 tunnes o gold Herode the prince of Chalcis and Chelcias kill Silas Hedio Ruffinus cap. 9. al. cap. 8. Agrippaâ—… children aliue The Caelerias and SebasteaÌ„s râ—…uile Agrippâ—… being dead Agrippa Agrippas sonne Claudius inteÌ„deth to send yong Agrippa into his fathers kingdom but is disswaded sendeth Cuspius Fadus for president into Iudaea those parts The yeâ—…e of the world 4009. after Christs birth 47. The Iewes themselues were the cause of those wars which began vnder Flotus Hedio Ruffinus cap. 1. Casâ—… Longiâ—… presect of Syria Fadus punisheth the Iewes for their insurrection against the Philadelphians Theâ—… yere of the world 4â—…09 after Christs birth 47. Annibas executed 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 banished Tholomaeus the arch thiese Fadus requiteth the high priests gaâ—…meÌ„t should be deliuered into the power of the Romanes and kept in y e 〈◊〉 of Aâ—…onia Alias cap. 2. The Iewes deliuer pledges to the intent they might be permitted to send letters to Caesar. Claudius vpon the yonger Agrippâ—…s motâ—…on granteth the Iewes liberty to haue the custodie of the hie priests vestment Aliâ—…s cap. 3. Claudius Epistle to the Iewes Alias cap. 9. Herode prince of Chalcis hath authoritie
her husband how Anubis would banquet and lie with her Whereunto he consented knowing how great his wiues chastitie was She therefore repaired to the temple and after she had supt and the time was come wherein she was vsually accustomed to lay her downe to rest and the gates were lockt vp by the priests that were therein and the lights likewise were taken away Mundus who was hidden within failed not to accost her who thinking that it was the God Anubis satisfied his desires all the night long and in the morning betimes before the priests who were priuie to this trecherie were stirring he retired himselfe Paulina also early in the morning repaired to her husband and certified him how Anubis had appeared vnto her and boasting her selfe among her familiars what conference he had vsed with her But some of them beleeued her not in regard of the manner of their entertainment the rest were altogither amazed supposing those things to be no waies incredible at such time as they bethought themselues of the Ladies chastitie Some three daies after this act was committed Mundus meeting with Paulina said vnto her You haue saued me two hundreth thousand drachmes wherewith you might haue augmented your treasure and this notwithstanding you haue not failed to satisfie my request neither am I grieued that you haue contemned me vnder the name of Mundus since that vndertaking Anubis name I haue accomplished my desire and this said he departed But she presently amated with the mans audacious impudence tore her garments and hauing told her husband of all this subtill circumâ—…ention she requested earnestly his assistance and that he would not forsake her in the prosecution of her reuenge who presently certified the Emperour of each particular thereof Now when Tiberius had diligently vnderstood how all things had happened by the inquisition and examination of the Priests he condemned them and Ida who had been the inuentor and complottor of this treason against Paulina to be hanged he pulled downe the temple also and cast Anubis statue into Tyber and banished Mundus supposing that he ought not to be more grieuously punished considering that the fault which was committed by him proceeded from extreme loue Behold here the insolence committed in the temple of Isis by the priest that appertained to that temple Now intend I to declare that which hapned to the Iewes that were at that time in Rome according as heretofore I both purposed and promised CHAP. V. Of that which befell the Iewes that were at Rome in Pilates time THere was a certaine Iewe that hauing been accused for the breach of the lawes of his countrey and fearing to be punished for the same fled from thence being without respect a man of a most mischieuous behauiour He dwelling at that time in Rome professed himselfe to be an expounder of Moses lawe and drawing vnto him three other no lesse reprobates then himselfe he followed his ordinarie profession Fuluia a Ladie of much honour became their scholer and had embraced the religion of the Iewes whom they had perswaded to send certaine purple and gold to the temple of Ierusalem which after they had receiued at her hands they conuerted it to their owne vse as before that time they had determined to doe Tiberius who was informed hereof by Saturnine his familiar friend and Fuluias husband who had discouered the same vnto him commaunded all Iewes whatsoeuer to depart out of Rome Of these the Consuls chose out and enrowled to the number of foure thousand men whom they sent into Sardinia and punished diuers of them that refused to beare arms for feare they should transgresse the ordinances of their countrey So that by reason of the loose behauiour of foure wicked persons all those of our nation were driuen out of the Citie of Rome Neither was the nation of the Samaritanes exempt from this trouble for a certaine subtill companion who sought by all the meanes hee might to encroch vpon the peoples fauour perswaded them to withdraw themselues with him to the mount Garizim which they supposed to be the holiest amongst all their mountaines in which place he auowed that he would shew them the sacred Vessels buried in a certaine place where Moses had laid them and at that time they being gathered togither in armes by his perswasion incamped themselaes in a burrough called Tirathaba where they entertained those that repaired thither to adioyne themselues with them to the end they might ascend the mountaine with the greater companie But Pilate preuented them and got vp before them with his horsemen and footmen who charging those that were assembled in the burrough put them to flight and slaying some and putting the rest to flight led away a great number of them prisoners with him Pilate executed the chiefest ringleaders amongst them and those also of greatest force among the fugitiues The tumult of these Iewes being published abroad and their misfortune made knowne the Senate of Samaria addressed themselues to Vitellius who had bin Consul and who at that time gouerned Syria before whom they accused Pilate for the murther of those whom he had slaine saying that they assembled not in Tirathaba to rebell against the Romans but to warrantize themselues against Pilates tyrannie Whereupon Vitellius sent Marcellus his friend to take charge of Iudaea commaunding Pilate to returne to Rome and to satisfie the Emperor in those things whereof the people had accused him Hereupon Pilate after he had soiourned ten yeeres in Iewrie repaired to Rome hauing no meanes to contradict that commandement that Vitellius had giuen him But before he arriued there Tiberius was departed and dead CHAP. VI. Vitellius commeth to Ierusalem AS soone as Vitellius came into Iudaea he went vp to Ierusalem and celebrated there the feast of the passeouer and after he had been magnificently entertained in that place he forgaue the Citizens the tribute of all those fruits which were solde He deliuered them also the ornaments of the high priests with all the rest of the priestly furniture within the temple committing the charge thereof vnto the priests according as in times past they had the same But at that time they were laid vp in the castle of Antonia for this cause which followeth Hircanus the high priest the first of that name for diuers haue been so called hauing builded a tower neere vnto the temple did for the most part make his residence therein and there kept his vestments that were committed to his charge the rather for that he onely had the authority to put them on and returne them into their place at such time as hee came downe into the Citie and put vpon him his accustomed rayment His sonne and his sonnes sonnes entertayned the same custome till such time as Herode being exalted to the kingdome and seeing this tower to be strongly scited builded the same most magnificently and called it Antonia in honour of Antony who was his great friend