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1. Now Herod, upon Antipater's writing to him, that having done
all that he was to do, and this in the manner he was to do it, he
would suddenly come to him, concealed his anger against him, and
wrote back to him, and bid him not delay his journey, lest any
harm should befall himself in his absence. At the same time also
he made some little complaint about his mother, but promised that
he would lay those complaints aside when he should return. He
withal expressed his entire affection for him, as fearing lest he
should have some suspicion of him, and defer his journey to him;
and lest, while he lived at Rome, he should lay plots for the
kingdom, and, moreover, do somewhat against himself. This letter
Antipater met with in Cilicia; but had received an account of
Pheroras's death before at Tarentum. This last news affected him
deeply; not out of any affection for Pheroras, but because he was
dead without having murdered his father, which he had promised
him to do. And when he was at Celenderis in Cilicia, he began to
deliberate with himself about his sailing home, as being much
grieved with the ejection of his mother. Now some of his friends
advised him that he should tarry a while some where, in
expectation of further information. But others advised him to
sail home without delay; for that if he were once come thither,
he would soon put an end to all accusations, and that nothing
afforded any weight to his accusers at present but his absence.
He was persuaded by these last, and sailed on, and landed at the
haven called Sebastus, which Herod had built at vast expenses in
honor of Caesar, and called Sebastus. And now was Antipater
evidently in a miserable condition, while nobody came to him nor
saluted him, as they did at his going away, with good wishes of
joyful acclamations; nor was there now any thing to hinder them
from entertaining him, on the contrary, with bitter curses, while
they supposed he was come to receive his punishment for the
murder of his brethren.
2. Now Quintilius Varus was at this time at Jerusalem, being sent
to succeed Saturninus as president of Syria, and was come as an
assessor to Herod, who had desired his advice in his present
affairs; and as they were sitting together, Antipater came upon
them, without knowing any thing of the matter; so he came into
the palace clothed in purple. The porters indeed received him in,
but excluded his friends. And now he was in great disorder, and
presently understood the condition he was in, while, upon his
going to salute his father, he was repulsed by him, who called
him a murderer of his brethren, and a plotter of destruction
against himself, and told him that Varus should be his auditor
and his judge the very next day; so he found that what
misfortunes he now heard of were already upon him, with the
greatness of which he went away in confusion; upon which his
mother and his wife met him, (which wife was the daughter of
Antigonus, who was king of the Jews before Herod,) from whom he
learned all circumstances which concerned him, and then prepared
himself for his trial.
3. On the next day Varus and the king sat together in judgment,
and both their friends were also called in, as also the king's
relations, with his sister Salome, and as many as could discover
any thing, and such as had been tortured; and besides these, some
slaves of Antipater's mother, who were taken up a little before
Antipater's coming, and brought with them a written letter, the
sum of which was this: That he should not come back, because all
was come to his father's knowledge; and that Caesar was the only
refuge he had left to prevent both his and her delivery into his
father's hands. Then did Antipater fall down at his father's
feet, and besought him not to prejudge his cause, but that he
might be first heard by his father, and that his father would
keep himself unprejudiced. So Herod ordered him to be brought
into the midst, and then lamented himself about his children,
from whom he had suffered such great misfortunes; and because
Antipater fell upon him in his old age. He also reckoned up what
maintenance and what education he had given them; and what
seasonable supplies of wealth he had afforded them, according to
their own desires; none of which favors had hindered them from
contriving against him, and from bringing his very life into
danger, in order to gain his kingdom, after an impious manner, by
taking away his life before the course of nature, their father's
wishes, or justice required that that kingdom should come to
them; and that he wondered what hopes could elevate Antipater to
such a pass as to be hardy enough to attempt such things; that he
had by his testament in writing declared him his successor in the
government; and while he was alive, he was in no respect inferior
to him, either in his illustrious dignity, or in power and
authority, he having no less than fifty talents for his yearly
income, and had received for his journey to Rome no fewer than
thirty talents. He also objected to him the case of his brethren
whom he had accused; and if they were guilty, he had imitated
their example; and if not, he had brought him groundless
accusations against his near relations; for that he had been
acquainted with all those things by him, and by nobody else, and
had done what was done by his approbation, and whom he now
absolved from all that was criminal, by becoming the inheritor of
the guilt of such their parricide.
4. When Herod had thus spoken, he fell a weeping, and was not
able to say any more; but at his desire Nicolaus of Damascus,
being the king's friend, and always conversant with him, and
acquainted with whatsoever he did, and with the circumstances of
his affairs, proceeded to what remained, and explained all that
concerned the demonstrations and evidences of the facts. Upon
which Antipater, in order to make his legal defense, turned
himself to his father, and enlarged upon the many indications he
had given of his good-will to him; and instanced in the honors
that had been done him, which yet had not been done, had he not
deserved them by his virtuous concern about him; for that he had
made provision for every thing that was fit to be foreseen
beforehand, as to giving him his wisest advice; and whenever
there was occasion for the labor of his own hands, he had not
grudged any such pains for him. And that it was almost impossible
that he, who had delivered his father from so many treacherous
contrivances laid against him, should be himself in a plot
against him, and so lose all the reputation he had gained for his
virtue, by his wickedness which succeeded it; and this while he
had nothing to prohibit him, who was already appointed his
successor, to enjoy the royal honor with his father also at
present; and that there was no likelihood that a person who had
the one half of that authority without any danger, and with a
good character, should hunt after the whole with infamy and
danger, and this when it was doubtful whether he could obtain it
or not; and when he saw the sad example of his brethren before
him, and was both the informer and the accuser against them, at a
time when they might not otherwise have been discovered; nay, was
the author of the punishment inflicted upon them, when it
appeared evidently that they were guilty of a wicked attempt
against their father; and that even the contentions there were in
the king's family were indications that he had ever managed
affairs out of the sincerest affection to his father. And as to
what he had done at Rome, Caesar was a witness thereto, who yet
was no more to be imposed upon than God himself; of whose
opinions his letters sent hither are sufficient evidence; and
that it was not reasonable to prefer the calumnies of such as
proposed to raise disturbances before those letters; the greatest
part of which calumnies had been raised during his absence, which
gave scope to his enemies to forge them, which they had not been
able to do if he had been there. Moreover he showed the weakness
of the evidence obtained by torture, which was commonly false,
because the distress men are in under such tortures naturally
obliges them to say many things in order to please those that
govern them. He also offered himself to the torture.
5. Hereupon there was a change observed in the assembly, while
they greatly pitied Antipater, who by weeping and putting on a
countenance suitable to his sad case made them commiserate the
same, insomuch that his very enemies were moved to compassion;
and it appeared plainly that Herod himself was affected in his
own mind, although he was not willing it should be taken notice
of. Then did Nicolaus begin to prosecute what the king had begun,
and that with great bitterness; and summed up all the evidence
which arose from the tortures, or from the testimonies. He
principally and largely cried up the king's virtues, which he had
exhibited in the maintenance and education of his sons; while he
never could gain any advantage thereby, but still fell from one
misfortune to another. Although he owned that he was not so much
surprised with that thoughtless behavior of his former sons, who
were but young, and were besides corrupted by wicked counselors,
who were the occasion of their wiping out of their minds the
righteous dictates of nature, and this out of a desire of coming
to the government sooner than they ought to do; yet that he could
not but justly stand amazed at the horrid wickedness of
Antipater, who, although he had not only had great benefits
bestowed on him by his father, enough to tame his reason, yet
could not be more tamed than the most envenomed serpents; whereas
even those creatures admit of some mitigation, and will not bite
their benefactors, while Antipater hath not let the misfortunes
of his brethren be any hinderance to him, but he hath gone on to
imitate their barbarity notwithstanding. "Yet wast thou, O
Antipater! (as thou hast thyself confessed,) the informer as to
what wicked actions they had done, and the searcher out of the
evidence against them, and the author of the punishment they
underwent upon their detection. Nor do we say this as accusing
thee for being so zealous in thy anger against them, but are
astonished at thy endeavors to imitate their profligate behavior;
and we discover thereby that thou didst not act thus for the
safety of thy father, but for the destruction of thy brethren,
that by such outside hatred of their impiety thou mightest be
believed a lover of thy father, and mightest thereby get thee
power enough to do mischief with the greatest impunity; which
design thy actions indeed demonstrate. It is true, thou tookest
thy brethren off, because thou didst convict theft of their
wicked designs; but thou didst not yield up to justice those who
were their partners; and thereby didst make it evident to all men
that thou madest a covenant with them against thy father, when
thou chosest to be the accuser of thy brethren, as desirous to
gain to thyself alone this advantage of laying plots to kill thy
father, and so to enjoy double pleasure, which is truly worthy of
thy evil disposition, which thou has openly showed against thy
brethren; on which account thou didst rejoice, as having done a
most famous exploit, nor was that behavior unworthy of thee. But
if thy intention were otherwise, thou art worse than they: while
thou didst contrive to hide thy treachery against thy father,
thou didst hate them, not as plotters against thy father, for in
that case thou hadst not thyself fallen upon the like crime, but
as successors of his dominions, and more worthy of that
succession than thyself. Thou wouldst kill thy father after thy
brethren, lest thy lies raised against them might be detected;
and lest thou shouldst suffer what punishment thou hadst
deserved, thou hadst a mind to exact that punishment of thy
unhappy father, and didst devise such a sort of uncommon
parricide as the world never yet saw. For thou who art his son
didst not only lay a treacherous design against thy father, and
didst it while he loved thee, and had been thy benefactor, had
made thee in reality his partner in the kingdom, and had openly
declared thee his successor, while thou wast not forbidden to
taste the sweetness of authority already, and hadst the firm hope
of what was future by thy father's determination, and the
security of a written testament; but, for certain, thou didst not
measure these things according to thy father's various
disposition, but according to thy own thoughts and inclinations;
and was desirous to take the part that remained away from thy too
indulgent father, and soughtest to destroy him with thy deeds,
whom thou in words pretendedst to preserve. Nor wast thou content
to be wicked thyself, but thou filledst thy mother's head with
thy devices, and raised disturbances among thy brethren, and
hadst the boldness to call thy father a wild beast; while thou
hadst thyself a mind more cruel than any serpent, whence thou
sentest out that poison among thy nearest kindred and greatest
benefactors, and invitedst them to assist thee and guard thee,
and didst hedge thyself in on all sides, by the artifices of both
men and women, against an old man, as though that mind of thine
was not sufficient of itself to support so great a hatred as thou
baredst to him. And here thou appearest, after the tortures of
free-men, of domestics, of men and women, which have been
examined on thy account, and after the informations of thy fellow
conspirators, as making haste to contradict the truth; and hast
thought on ways not only how to take thy father out of the world,
but to disannul that written law which is against thee, and the
virtue of Varus, and the nature of justice; nay, such is that
impudence of thine on which thou confidest, that thou desirest to
be put to the torture thyself, while thou allegest that the
tortures of those already examined thereby have made them tell
lies; that those that have been the deliverers of thy father may
not be allowed to have spoken the truth; but that thy tortures
may be esteemed the discoverers of truth. Wilt not thou, O Varus!
deliver the king from the injuries of his kindred? Wilt not thou
destroy this wicked wild beast, which hath pretended kindness to
his father, in order to destroy his brethren; while yet he is
himself alone ready to carry off the kingdom immediately, and
appears to be the most bloody butcher to him of them all? for
thou art sensible that parricide is a general injury both to
nature and to common life, and that the intention of parricide is
not inferior to its perpetration; and he who does not punish it
is injurious to nature itself."
6. Nicolaus added further what belonged to Antipater's mother,
and whatsoever she had prattled like a woman; as also about the
predictions and the sacrifices relating to the king; and
whatsoever Antipater had done lasciviously in his cups and his
amours among Pheroras's women; the examination upon torture; and
whatsoever concerned the testimonies of the witnesses, which were
many, and of various kinds; some prepared beforehand, and others
were sudden answers, which further declared and confirmed the
foregoing evidence. For those men who were not acquainted with
Antipater's practices, but had concealed them out of fear, when
they saw that he was exposed to the accusations of the former
witnesses, and that his great good fortune, which had supported
him hitherto, had now evidently betrayed him into the hands of
his enemies, who were now insatiable in their hatred to him, told
all they knew of him. And his ruin was now hastened, not so much
by the enmity of those that were his accusers, as by his gross,
and impudent, and wicked contrivances, and by his ill-will to his
father and his brethren; while he had filled their house with
disturbance, and caused them to murder one another; and was
neither fair in his hatred, nor kind in his friendship, but just
so far as served his own turn. Now there were a great number who
for a long time beforehand had seen all this, and especially such
as were naturally disposed to judge of matters by the rules of
virtue, because they were used to determine about affairs without
passion, but had been restrained from making any open complaints
before; these, upon the leave now given them, produced all that
they knew before the public. The demonstrations also of these
wicked facts could no way be disproved, because the many
witnesses there were did neither speak out of favor to Herod, nor
were they obliged to keep what they had to say silent, out of
suspicion of any danger they were in; but they spake what they
knew, because they thought such actions very wicked, and that
Antipater deserved the greatest punishment; and indeed not so
much for Herod's safety, as on account of the man's own
wickedness. Many things were also said, and those by a great
number of persons, who were no way obliged to say them, insomuch
that Antipater, who used generally to be very shrewd in his lies
and impudence, was not able to say one word to the contrary. When
Nicolaus had left off speaking, and had produced the evidence,
Varus bid Antipater to betake himself to the making his defense,
if he had prepared any thing whereby it might appear that he was
not guilty of the crimes he was accused of; for that, as he was
himself desirous, so did he know that his father was in like
manner desirous also, to have him found entirely innocent. But
Antipater fell down on his face, and appealed to God and to all
men for testimonials of his innocency, desiring that God would
declare, by some evident signals, that he had not laid any plot
against his father. This being the usual method of all men
destitute of virtue, that when they set about any wicked
undertakings, they fall to work according to their own
inclinations, as if they believed that God was unconcerned in
human affairs; but when once they are found out, and are in
danger of undergoing the punishment due to their crimes, they
endeavor to overthrow all the evidence against them by appealing
to God; which was the very thing which Antipater now did; for
whereas he had done everything as if there were no God in the
world, when he was on all sides distressed by justice, and when
he had no other advantage to expect from any legal proofs, by
which he might disprove the accusations laid against him, he
impudently abused the majesty of God, and ascribed it to his
power that he had been preserved hitherto; and produced before
them all what difficulties he had ever undergone in his bold
acting for his father's preservation.
7. So when Varus, upon asking Antipater what he had to say for
himself, found that he had nothing to say besides his appeal to
God, and saw that there was no end of that, he bid them bring the
potion before the court, that he might see what virtue still
remained in it; and when it was brought, and one that was
condemned to die had drank it by Varus's command, he died
presently. Then Varus got up, and departed out of the court, and
went away the day following to Antioch, where his usual residence
was, because that was the palace of the Syrians; upon which Herod
laid his son in bonds. But what were Varus's discourses to Herod
was not known to the generality, and upon what words it was that
he went away; though it was also generally supposed that
whatsoever Herod did afterward about his son was done with his
approbation. But when Herod had bound his son, he sent letters to
Rome to Caesar about him, and such messengers withal as should,
by word of mouth, inform Caesar of Antipater's wickedness. Now at
this very time there was seized a letter of Antiphilus, written
to Antipater out of Egypt (for he lived there); and when it was
opened by the king, it was found to contain what follows: "I have
sent thee Acme's letter, and hazarded my own life; for thou
knowest that I am in danger from two families, if I be
discovered. I wish thee good success in thy affair." These were
the contents of this letter; but the king made inquiry about the
other letter also, for it did not appear; and Antiphilus's slave,
who brought that letter which had been read, denied that he had
received the other. But while the king was in doubt about it, one
of Herod's friends seeing a seam upon the inner coat of the
slave, and a doubling of the cloth, (for he had two coats on,) he
guessed that the letter might be within that doubling; which
accordingly proved to be true. So they took out the letter, and
its contents were these: "Acme to Antipater. I have written such
a letter to thy father as thou desiredst me. I have also taken a
copy and sent it, as if it came from Salome, to my lady [Livia];
which, when thou readest, I know that Herod Will punish Salome,
as plotting against him?' Now this pretended letter of Salome to
her lady was composed by Antipater, in the name of Salome, as to
its meaning, but in the words of Acme. The letter was this: "Acme
to king Herod. I have done my endeavor that nothing that is done
against thee should be concealed from thee. So, upon my finding a
letter of Salome written to my lady against thee, I have written
out a copy, and sent it to thee; with hazard to myself, but for
thy advantage. The reason why she wrote it was this, that she had
a mind to be married to Sylleus. Do thou therefore tear this
letter in pieces, that I may not come into danger of my life."
Now Acme had written to Antipater himself, and informed him,
that, in compliance with his command, she had both herself
written to Herod, as if Salome had laid a sudden plot entirely
against him, and had herself sent a copy of an epistle, as coming
from Salome to her lady. Now Acme was a Jew by birth, and a
servant to Julia, Caesar's wife; and did this out of her
friendship for Antipater, as having been corrupted by him with a
large present of money, to assist in his pernicious designs
against his father and his aunt.
8. Hereupon Herod was so amazed at the prodigious wickedness of
Antipater, that he was ready to have ordered him to be slain
immediately, as a turbulent person in the most important
concerns, and as one that had laid a plot not only against
himself, but against his sister also, and even corrupted Caesar's
own domestics. Salome also provoked him to it, beating her
breast, and bidding him kill her, if he could produce any
credible testimony that she had acted in that manner. Herod also
sent for his son, and asked him about this matter, and bid him
contradict if he could, and not suppress any thing he had to say
for himself; and when he had not one word to say, he asked him,
since he was every way caught in his villainy, that he would make
no further delay, but discover his associates in these his wicked
designs. So he laid all upon Antiphilus, but discovered nobody
else. Hereupon Herod was in such great grief, that he was ready
to send his son to Rome to Caesar, there to give an account of
these his wicked contrivances. But he soon became afraid, lest he
might there, by the assistance of his friends, escape the danger
he was in; so he kept him bound as before, and sent more
ambassadors and letters [to Rome] to accuse his son, and an
account of what assistance Acme had given him in his wicked
designs, with copies of the epistles before mentioned.
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