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1. And now it was that Herod, being desirous of securing himself
on the side of the Trachonites, resolved to build a village as
large as a city for the Jews, in the middle of that country,
which might make his own country difficult to be assaulted, and
whence he might be at hand to make sallies upon them, and do them
a mischief. Accordingly, when he understood that there was a man
that was a Jew come out of Babylon, with five hundred horsemen,
all of whom could shoot their arrows as they rode on horde-back,
and, with a hundred of his relations, had passed over Euphrates,
and now abode at Antioch by Daphne of Syria, where Saturninus,
who was then president, had given them a place for habitation,
called Valatha, he sent for this man, with the multitude that
followed him, and promised to give him land in the toparchy
called Batanea, which country is bounded with Trachonitis, as
desirous to make that his habitation a guard to himself. He also
engaged to let him hold the country free from tribute, and that
they should dwell entirely without paying such customs as used to
be paid, and gave it him tax-free.
2. The Babylonian was reduced by these offers to come hither; so
he took possession of the land, and built in it fortresses and a
village, and named it Bathyra. Whereby this man became a
safeguard to the inhabitants against the Trachonites, and
preserved those Jews who came out of Babylon, to offer their
sacrifices at Jerusalem, from being hurt by the Trachonite
robbers; so that a great number came to him from all those parts
where the ancient Jewish laws were observed, and the country
became full of people, by reason of their universal freedom from
taxes. This continued during the life of Herod; but when Philip,
who was [tetrarch] after him, took the government, he made them
pay some small taxes, and that for a little while only; and
Agrippa the Great, and his son of the same name, although they
harassed them greatly, yet would they not take their liberty
away. From whom, when the Romans have now taken the government
into their own hands, they still gave them the privilege of their
freedom, but oppress them entirely with the imposition of taxes.
Of which matter I shall treat more accurately in the progress of
this history.
3. At length Zamaris the Babylonian, to whom Herod had given that
country for a possession, died, having lived virtuously, and left
children of a good character behind him; one of whom was Jacim,
who was famous for his valor, and taught his Babylonians how to
ride their horses; and a troop of them were guards to the
forementioned kings. And when Jacim was dead in his old age, he
left a son, whose name was Philip, one of great strength in his
hands, and in other respects also more eminent for his valor than
any of his contemporaries; on which account there was a
confidence and firm friendship between him and king Agrippa. He
had also an army which he maintained as great as that of a king,
which he exercised and led wheresoever lie had occasion to march.
4. When the affairs of Herod were in the condition I have
described, all the public affairs depended upon Antipater; and
his power was such, that he could do good turns to as many as he
pleased, and this by his father's concession, in hopes of his
good-will and fidelity to him; and this till he ventured to use
his power still further, because his wicked designs were
concealed from his father, and he made him believe every thing he
said. He was also formidable to all, not so much on account of
the power and authority he had, as for the shrewdness of his vile
attempts beforehand; but he who principally cultivated a
friendship with him was Pheroras, who received the like marks of
his friendship; while Antipater had cunningly encompassed him
about by a company of women, whom he placed as guards about him;
for Pheroras was greatly enslaved to his wife, and to her mother,
and to her sister; and this notwithstanding the hatred he bare
them for the indignities they had offered to his virgin
daughters. Yet did he bear them, and nothing was to he done
without the women, who had got this man into their circle, and
continued still to assist each other in all things, insomuch that
Antipater was entirely addicted to them, both by himself and by
his mother; for these four women, said all one and the same
thing; but the opinions of Pheroras and Antipater were different
in some points of no consequence. But the king's sister [Salome]
was their antagonist, who for a good while had looked about all
their affairs, and was apprized that this their friendship was
made in order to do Herod some mischief, and was disposed to
inform the king of it. And since these people knew that their
friendship was very disagreeable to Herod, as tending to do him a
mischief, they contrived that their meetings should not be
discovered; so they pretended to hate one another, and to abuse
one another when time served, and especially when Herod was
present, or when any one was there that would tell him: but still
their intimacy was firmer than ever, when they were private. And
this was the course they took. But they could not conceal from
Salome neither their first contrivance, when they set about these
their intentions, nor when they had made some progress in them;
but she searched out every thing; and, aggravating the relations
to her brother, declared to him, as well their secret assemblies
and compotations, as their counsels taken in a clandestine
manner, which if they were not in order to destroy him, they
might well enough have been open and public. But to appearance
they are at variance, and speak about one another as if they
intended one another a mischief, but agree so well together when
they are out of the sight of the multitude; for when they are
alone by themselves, they act in concert, and profess that they
will never leave off their friendship, but will fight against
those from whom they conceal their designs. And thus did she
search out these things, and get a perfect knowledge of them, and
then told her brother of them, who understood also of himself a
great deal of what she said, but still durst not depend upon it,
because of the suspicions he had of his sister's calumnies. For
there was a certain sect of men that were Jews, who valued
themselves highly upon the exact skill they had in the law of
their fathers, and made men believe they were highly favored by
God, by whom this set of women were inveigled. These are those
that are called the sect of the Pharisees, who were in a capacity
of greatly opposing kings. A cunning sect they were, and soon
elevated to a pitch of open fighting and doing mischief.
Accordingly, when all the people of the Jews gave assurance of
their good-will to Caesar, and to the king's government, these
very men did not swear, being above six thousand; and when the
king imposed a fine upon them, Pheroras's wife paid their fine
for them. In order to requite which kindness of hers, since they
were believed to have the foreknowledge of things to come by
Divine inspiration, they foretold how God had decreed that
Herod's government should cease, and his posterity should be
deprived of it; but that the kingdom should come to her and
Pheroras, and to their children. These predictions were not
concealed from Salome, but were told the king; as also how they
had perverted some persons about the palace itself; so the king
slew such of the Pharisees as were principally accused, and
Bagoas the eunuch, and one Carus, who exceeded all men of that
time in comeliness, and one that was his catamite. He slew also
all those of his own family who had consented to what the
Pharisees foretold; and for Bagoas, he had been puffed up by
them, as though he should be named the father and the benefactor
of him who, by the prediction, was foretold to be their appointed
king; for that this king would have all things in his power, and
would enable Bagoas to marry, and to have children of his own
body begotten.
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