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1. Now it so fell out, that about this very time the affairs of
Syria were in great disorder, and this on the occasion following:
Cecilius Bassus, one of Pompey's party, laid a treacherous design
against Sextus Ceasar, and slew him, and then took his army, and
got the management of public affairs into his own hand; so there
arose a great war about Apamia, while Ceasar's generals came
against him with an army of horsemen and footmen; to these
Antipater also sent succors, and his sons with them, as calling
to mind the kindnesses they had received from Caesar, and on that
account he thought it but just to require punishment for him, and
to take vengeance on the man that had murdered him. And as the
war was drawn out into a great length, Marcus came from Rome
to take Sextus's government upon him. But Caesar was slain by
Cassius and Brutus in the senate-house, after he had retained the
government three years and six months. This fact however, is
related elsewhere.
2. As the war that arose upon the death of Caesar was now begun,
and the principal men were all gone, some one way, and some
another, to raise armies, Cassius came from Rome into Syria, in
order to receive the [army that lay in the] camp at Apamia; and
having raised the siege, he brought over both Bassus and Marcus
to his party. He then went over the cities, and got together
weapons and soldiers, and laid great taxes upon those cities; and
he chiefly oppressed Judea, and exacted of it seven hundred
talents: but Antipater, when he saw the state to be in so great
consternation and disorder, he divided the collection of that
sum, and appointed his two sons to gather it; and so that part of
it was to be exacted by Malichus, who was ill-disposed to him,
and part by others. And because Herod did exact what is required
of him from Galilee before others, he was in the greatest favor
with Cassius; for he thought it a part of prudence to cultivate a
friendship with the Romans, and to gain their goodwill at the
expense of others; whereas the curators of the other cities, with
their citizens, were sold for slaves; and Cassius reduced four
cities into a state of slavery, the two most potent of which were
Gophna and Emmaus; and, besides these, Lydia and Thamna. Nay,
Cassius was so very angry at Malichus, that he had killed him,
(for he assaulted him,) had not Hyrcanus, by the means of
Antipater, sent him a hundred talents of his own, and thereby
pacified his anger against him.
3. But after Cassius was gone out of Judea, Malichus laid snares
for Antipater, as thinking that his death would-be the
preservation of Hyrcanus's government; but his design was not
unknown to Antipater, which when he perceived, he retired beyond
Jordan, and got together an army, partly of Arabs, and partly of
his own countrymen. However, Malichus, being one of great
cunning, denied that he had laid any snares for him, and made his
defense with an oath, both to himself and his sons; and said that
while Phasaelus had a garrison in Jerusalem, and Herod had the
weapons of war in his custody, he could never have a thought of
any such thing. So Antipater, perceiving the distress that
Malichus was in, was reconciled to him, and made an agreement
with him: this was when Marcus was president of Syria; who yet
perceiving that this Malichus was making a disturbance in Judea,
proceeded so far that he had almost killed him; but still, at the
intercession of Antipater, he saved him.
4. However, Antipater little thought that by saving Malichus he
had saved his own murderer; for now Cassius and Marcus had got
together an army, and intrusted the entire care of it with Herod,
and made him general of the forces of Celesyria, and gave him a
fleet of ships, and an army of horsemen and footmen; and promised
him, that after the war was over they would make him king of
Judea; for a war was already begun between Antony and the younger
Caesar: but as Malichus was most afraid of Antipater, he took him
out of the way; and by the offer of money, persuaded the butler
of Hyrcanus, with whom they were both to feast, to kill him by
poison. This being done, and he having armed men with him,
settled the affairs of the city. But when Antipater's sons, Herod
and Phasaelus, were acquainted with this conspiracy against their
father, and had indignation at it, Malichus denied all, and
utterly renounced any knowledge of the murder. And thus died
Antipater, a man that had distinguished himself for piety and
justice, and love to his country. And whereas one of his sons,
Herod, resolved immediately to revenge their father's death, and
was coming upon Malichus with an army for that purpose, the elder
of his sons, Phasaelus, thought it best rather to get this man
into their hands by policy, lest they should appear to begin a
civil war in the country; so he accepted of Malichus's defense
for himself, and pretended to believe him that he had had no hand
in the violent death of Antipater his father, but erected a fine
monument for him. Herod also went to Samaria; and when he found
them in great distress, he revived their spirits, and composed
their differences.
5. However, a little after this, Herod, upon the approach of a
festival, came with his soldiers into the city; whereupon
Malichus was aftrighted, and persuaded Hyrcanus not to permit him
to come into the city. Hyrcanus complied; and, for a pretense of
excluding him, alleged, that a rout of strangers ought not to be
admitted when the multitude were purifying themselves. But Herod
had little regard to the messengers that were sent to him, and
entered the city in the night time, and aftrighted Malichus; yet
did he remit nothing of his former dissimulation, but wept for
Antipater, and bewailed him as a friend of his with a loud voice;
but Herod and his friends though, it proper not openly to
contradict Malichus's hypocrisy, but to give him tokens of mutual
friendship, in order to prevent his suspicion of them.
6. However, Herod sent to Cassius, and informed him of the murder
of his father; who knowing what sort of man Malichus was as to
his morals, sent him back word that he should revenge his
father's death; and also sent privately to the commanders of his
army at Tyre, with orders to assist Herod in the execution of a
very just design of his. Now when Cassius had taken Laodicea,
they all went together to him, and carried him garlands and
money; and Herod thought that Malichus might be punished while he
was there; but he was somewhat apprehensive of the thing, and
designed to make some great attempt, and because his son was then
a hostage at Tyre, he went to that city, and resolved to steal
him away privately, and to march thence into Judea; and as
Cassius was in haste to march against Antony, he thought to bring
the country to revolt, and to procure the government for himself.
But Providence opposed his counsels; and Herod being a shrewd
man, and perceiving what his intention was, he sent thither
beforehand a servant, in appearance indeed to get a supper ready,
for he had said before that he would feast them all there, but in
reality to the commanders of the army, whom he persuaded to go
out against Malichus, with their daggers. So they went out and
met the man near the city, upon the sea-shore, and there stabbed
him. Whereupon Hyrcanus was so astonished at what had happened,
that his speech failed him; and when, after some difficulty, he
had recovered himself, he asked Herod what the matter could be,
and who it was that slew Malichus; and when he said that it was
done by the command of Cassius, he commended the action; for that
Malichus was a very wicked man, and one that conspired against
his own country. And this was the punishment that was inflicted
on Malichus for what he wickedly did to Antipater.
7. But when Cassius was marched out of Syria, disturbances arose
in Judea; for Felix, who was left at Jerusalem with an army, made
a sudden attempt against Phasaelus, and the people themselves
rose in arms; but Herod went to Fabius, the prefect of Damascus,
and was desirous to run to his brother's assistance, but was
hindered by a distemper that seized upon him, till Phasaelus by
himself had been too hard for Felix, and had shut him up in the
tower, and there, on certain conditions, dismissed him. Phasaelus
also complained of Hyrcanus, that although he had received a
great many benefits from them, yet did he support their enemies;
for Malichus's brother had made many places to revolt, and kept
garrisons in them, and particularly Masada, the strongest
fortress of them all. In the mean time, Herod was recovered of
his disease, and came and took from Felix all the places he bad
gotten; and, upon certain conditions, dismissed him also.
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