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1. Now on this very year, which was the thirteenth year of the
reign of Herod, very great calamities came upon the country;
whether they were derived from the anger of God, or whether this
misery returns again naturally in certain periods of time
for, in the first place, there were perpetual droughts, and for
that reason the ground was barren, and did not bring forth the
same quantity of fruits that it used to produce; and after this
barrenness of the soil, that change of food which the want of
corn occasioned produced distempers in the bodies of men, and a
pestilential disease prevailed, one misery following upon the
back of another; and these circumstances, that they were
destitute both of methods of cure and of food, made the
pestilential distemper, which began after a violent manner, the
more lasting. The destruction of men also after such a manner
deprived those that surived of all their courage, because they
had no way to provide remedies sufficient for the distresses they
were in. When therefore the fruits of that year were spoiled, and
whatsoever they had laid up beforehand was spent, there was no
foundation of hope for relief remaining, but the misery, contrary
to what they expected still increased upon them; and this not
only on that year, while they had nothing for themselves left [at
the end of it], but what seed they had sown perished also, by
reason of the ground not yielding its fruits on the second year.
This distress they were in made them also, out of necessity,
to eat many things that did not use to be eaten; nor was the king
himself free from this distress any more than other men, as being
deprived of that tribute he used to have from the fruits of the
ground, and having already expended what money he had, in his
liberality to those whose cities he had built; nor had he any
people that were worthy of his assistance, since this miserable
state of things had procured him the hatred of his subjects: for
it is a constant rule, that misfortunes are still laid to the
account of those that govern.
2. In these circumstances he considered with himself how to
procure some seasonable help; but this was a hard thing to be
done, while their neighbors had no food to sell them; and their
money also was gone, had it been possible to purchase a little
food at a great price. However, he thought it his best way, by
all means, not to leave off his endeavors to assist his people;
so he cut off the rich furniture that was in his palace, both of
silver and gold, insomuch that he did not spare the finest
vessels he had, or those that were made with the most elaborate
skill of the artificers, but sent the money to Petronius, who had
been made prefect of Egypt by Caesar; and as not a few had
already fled to him under their necessities, and as he was
particularly a friend to Herod, and desirous to have his subjects
preserved, he gave leave to them in the first place to export
corn, and assisted them every way, both in purchasing and
exporting the same; so that he was the principal, if not the only
person, who afforded them what help they had. And Herod taking
care the people should understand that this help came from
himself, did thereby not only remove the ill opinion of those
that formerly hated him, but gave them the greatest demonstration
possible of his good-will to them, and care of them; for, in the
first place, as for those who were able to provide their own
food, he distributed to them their proportion of corn in the
exactest manner; but for those many that were not able, either by
reason of their old age, or any other infirmity, to provide food
for themselves, he made this provision for them, the bakers
should make their bread ready for them. He also took care that
they might not be hurt by the dangers of winter, since they were
in great want of clothing also, by reason of the utter
destruction and consumption of their sheep and goats, till they
had no wool to make use of, nor any thing else to cover
themselves withal. And when he had procured these things for his
own subjects, he went further, in order to provide necessaries
for their neighbors, and gave seed to the Syrians, which thing
turned greatly to his own advantage also, this charitable
assistance being afforded most seasonably to their fruitful soil,
so that every one had now a plentiful provision of food. Upon the
whole, when the harvest of the land was approaching, he sent no
fewer than fifty thousand men, whom he had sustained, into the
country; by which means he both repaired the afflicted condition
of his own kingdom with great generosity and diligence, and
lightened the afflictions of his neighbors, who were under the
same calamities; for there was nobody who had been in want that
was left destitute of a suitable assistance by him; nay, further,
there were neither any people, nor any cities, nor any private
men, who were to make provision for the multitudes, and on that
account were in want of support, and had recourse to him, but
received what they stood in need of, insomuch that it appeared,
upon a computation, that the number of cori of wheat, of ten
attic medimni apiece, that were given to foreigners, amounted to
ten thousand, and the number that was given in his own kingdom
was about fourscore thousand. Now it happened that this care of
his, and this seasonable benefaction, had such influence on the
Jews, and was so cried up among other nations, as to wipe off
that old hatred which his violation of some of their customs,
during his reign, had procured him among all the nation, and that
this liberality of his assistance in this their greatest
necessity was full satisfaction for all that he had done of that
nature, as it also procured him great fame among foreigners; and
it looked as if these calamities that afflicted his land, to a
degree plainly incredible, came in order to raise his glory, and
to be to his great advantage; for the greatness of his liberality
in these distresses, which he now demonstrated beyond all
expectation, did so change the disposition of the multitude
towards him, that they were ready to suppose he had been from the
beginning not such a one as they had found him to be by
experience, but such a one as the care he had taken of them in
supplying their necessities proved him now to be.
3. About this time it was that he sent five hundred chosen men
out of the guards of his body as auxiliaries to Caesar, whom
Aelius Gallus led to the Red Sea, and who were of great
service to him there. When therefore his affairs were thus
improved, and were again in a flourishing condition, he built
himself a palace in the upper city, raising the rooms to a very
great height, and adorning them with the most costly furniture of
gold, and marble scats, and beds; and these were so large that
they could contain very many companies of men. These apartments
were also of distinct magnitudes, and had particular names given
them; for one apartment was called Caesar's, another Agrippa's.
He also fell in love again, and married another wife, not
suffering his reason to hinder him from living as he pleased. The
occasion of this his marriage was as follows: There was one
Simon, a citizen of Jerusalem, the son of one Boethus, a citizen
of Alexandria, and a priest of great note there; this man had a
daughter, who was esteemed the most beautiful woman of that time;
and when the people of Jerusalem began to speak much in her
commendation, it happened that Herod was much affected with what
was said of her; and when he saw the damsel, he was smitten with
her beauty, yet did he entirely reject the thoughts of using his
authority to abuse her, as believing, what was the truth, that by
so doing he should be stigmatized for violence and tyranny; so he
thought it best to take the damsel to wife. And while Simon was
of a dignity too inferior to be allied to him, but still too
considerable to be despised, he governed his inclinations after
the most prudent manner, by augmenting the dignity of the family,
and making them more honorable; so he immediately deprived Jesus,
the son of Phabet, of the high priesthood, and conferred that
dignity on Simon, and so joined in affinity with him [by marrying
his daughter].
4. When this wedding was over, he built another citadel in that
place where he had conquered file Jews when he was driven out of
his government, and Antigonus enjoyed it. This citadel is distant
from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. It was strong by
nature, and fit for such a building. It is a sort of a moderate
hill, raised to a further height by the hand of man, till it was
of the shape of a woman's breast. It is encompassed with circular
towers, and hath a strait ascent up to it, which ascent is
composed of steps of polished stones, in number two hundred.
Within it are royal and very rich apartments, of a structure that
provided both for security and for beauty. About the bottom there
are habitations of such a structure as are well worth seeing,
both on other accounts, and also on account of the water which is
brought thither from a great way off, and at vast expenses, for
the place itself is destitute of water. The plain that is about
this citadel is full of edifices, not inferior to any city in
largeness, and having the hill above it in the nature of a
castle.
5. And now, when all Herod's designs had succeeded according to
his hopes, he had not the least suspicion that any troubles could
arise in his kingdom, because he kept his people obedient, as
well by the fear they stood in of him, for he was implacable in
the infliction of his punishments, as by the provident care he
had showed towards them, after the most magnanimous manner, when
they were under their distresses. But still he took care to have
external security for his government as a fortress against his
subjects; for the orations he made to the cities were very fine,
and full of kindness; and he cultivated a seasonable good
understanding with their governors, and bestowed presents on
every one of them, inducing them thereby to be more friendly to
him, and using his magnificent disposition so as his kingdom
might be the better secured to him, and this till all his affairs
were every way more and more augmented. But then this magnificent
temper of his, and that submissive behavior and liberality which
he exercised towards Caesar, and the most powerful men of Rome,
obliged him to transgress the customs of his nation, and to set
aside many of their laws, and by building cities after an
extravagant manner, and erecting temples, - not in Judea indeed,
for that would not have been borne, it being forbidden for us to
pay any honor to images, or representations of animals, after the
manner of the Greeks; but still he did thus in the country
[properly] out of our bounds, and in the cities thereof The
apology which he made to the Jews for these things was this: That
all was done, not out of his own inclinations, but by the
commands and injunctions of others, in order to please Caesar and
the Romans, as though he had not the Jewish customs so much in
his eye as he had the honor of those Romans, while yet he had
himself entirely in view all the while, and indeed was very
ambitious to leave great monuments of his government to
posterity; whence it was that he was so zealous in building such
fine cities, and spent such vast sums of money upon them.
6. Now upon his observation of a place near the sea, which was
very proper for containing a city, and was before called Strato's
Tower, he set about getting a plan for a magnificent city there,
and erected many edifices with great diligence all over it, and
this of white stone. He also adorned it with most sumptuous
palaces and large edifices for containing the people; and what
was the greatest and most laborious work of all, he adorned it
with a haven, that was always free from the waves of the sea. Its
largeness was not less than the Pyrmum [at Athens], and had
towards the city a double station for the ships. It was of
excellent workmanship; and this was the more remarkable for its
being built in a place that of itself was not suitable to such
noble structures, but was to be brought to perfection by
materials from other places, and at very great expenses. This
city is situate in Phoenicia, in the passage by sea to Egypt,
between Joppa and Dora, which are lesser maritime cities, and not
fit for havens, on account of the impetuous south winds that beat
upon them, which rolling the sands that come from the sea against
the shores, do not admit of ships lying in their station; but the
merchants are generally there forced to ride at their anchors in
the sea itself. So Herod endeavored to rectify this
inconvenience, and laid out such a compass towards the land as
might be sufficient for a haven, wherein the great ships might
lie in safety; and this he effected by letting down vast stones
of above fifty feet in length, not less than eighteen in breadth,
and nine in depth, into twenty fathom deep; and as some were
lesser, so were others bigger than those dimensions. This mole
which he built by the sea-side was two hundred feet wide, the
half of which was opposed to the current of the waves, so as to
keep off those waves which were to break upon them, and so was
called Procymatia, or the first breaker of the waves; but the
other half had upon it a wall, with several towers, the largest
of which was named Drusus, and was a work of very great
excellence, and had its name from Drusus, the son-in-law of
Caesar, who died young. There were also a great number of arches
where the mariners dwelt. There was also before them a quay, [or
landing place,] which ran round the entire haven, and was a most
agreeable walk to such as had a mind to that exercise; but the
entrance or mouth of the port was made on the north quarter, on
which side was the stillest of the winds of all in this place:
and the basis of the whole circuit on the left hand, as you enter
the port, supported a round turret, which was made very strong,
in order to resist the greatest waves; while on the right hand,
as you enter, stood two vast stones, and those each of them
larger than the turret, which were over against them; these stood
upright, and were joined together. Now there were edifices all
along the circular haven, made of the politest stone, with a
certain elevation, whereon was erected a temple, that was seen a
great way off by those that were sailing for that haven, and had
in it two statues, the one of Rome, the other of Caesar. The city
itself was called Cesarea, which was also itself built of fine
materials, and was of a fine structure; nay, the very
subterranean vaults and cellars had no less of architecture
bestowed on them than had the buildings above ground. Some of
these vaults carried things at even distances to the haven and to
the sea; but one of them ran obliquely, and bound all the rest
together, that both the rain and the filth of the citizens were
together carried off with ease, and the sea itself, upon the flux
of the tide from without, came into the city, and washed it all
clean. Herod also built therein a theater of stone; and on the
south quarter, behind the port, an amphitheater also, capable of
holding a vast number of men, and conveniently situated for a
prospect to the sea. So this city was thus finished in twelve
years; during which time the king did not fail to go on both
with the work, and to pay the charges that were necessary.
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