|
1. However, when he came into his kingdom again, he found his
house all in disorder, and his wife Mariamne and her mother
Alexandra very uneasy; for as they supposed (what was easy to be
supposed) that they were not put into that fortress [Alexandrium]
for the security of their persons, but as into a garrison for
their imprisonment, and that they had no power over any thing,
either of others or of their own affairs, they were very uneasy;
and Mariamne supposing that the king's love to her was but
hypocritical, and rather pretended (as advantageous to himself)
than real, she looked upon it as fallacious. She also was grieved
that he would not allow her any hopes of surviving him, if he
should come to any harm himself. She also recollected what
commands he had formerly given to Joseph, insomuch that she
endeavored to please her keepers, and especially Sohemus, as well
apprized how all was in his power. And at the first Sohemus was
faithful to Herod, and neglected none of the things he had given
him in charge; but when the women, by kind words and liberal
presents, had gained his affections over to them, he was by
degrees overcome, and at length discovered to them all the king's
injunctions, and this on that account principally, that he did
not so much as hope he would come back with the same authority he
had before; so that he thought he should both escape any danger
from him, mid supposed that he did hereby much gratify the women,
who were likely not to be overlooked in the settling of the
government; nay, that they would be able to make him abundant
recompense, since they must either reign themselves, or be very
near to him that should reign. He had a further ground of hope
also, that though Herod should have all the success he could wish
for, and should return again, he could not contradict his wife in
what she desired, for he knew that the king's fondness for his
wife was inexpressible. These were the motives that drew Sohemus
to discover what injunctions had been given him. So Mariamne was
greatly displeased to hear that there was no end of the dangers
she was under from Herod, and was greatly uneasy at it, and
wished that he might obtain no favors [from Caesar], and esteemed
it almost an insupportable task to live with him any longer; and
this she afterward openly declared, without concealing her
resentment.
2. And now Herod sailed home with joy, at the unexpected good
success he had had; and went first of all, as was proper, to this
his wife, and told her, and her only, the good news, as
preferring her before the rest, on account of his fondness for
her, and the intimacy there had been between them, and saluted
her; but so it happened, that as he told her of the good success
he had had, she was so far from rejoicing at it, that she rather
was sorry for it; nor was she able to conceal her resentments,
but, depending on her dignity, and the nobility of her birth, in
return for his salutations, she gave a groan, and declared
evidently that she rather grieved than rejoiced at his success,
and this till Herod was disturbed at her, as affording him, not
only marks of her suspicion, but evident signs of her
dissatisfaction. This much troubled him, to see that this
surprising hatred of his wife to him was not concealed, but open;
and he took this so ill, and yet was so unable to bear it, on
account of the fondness he had for her, that he could not
continue long in any one mind, but sometimes was angry at her,
and sometimes reconciled himself to her; but by always changing
one passion for another, he was still in great uncertainty, and
thus was he entangled between hatred and love, and was frequently
disposed to inflict punishment on her for her insolence towards
him; but being deeply in love with her in his soul, he was not
able to get quit of this woman. In short, as he would gladly have
her punished, so was he afraid lest, ere he were aware, he
should, by putting her to death, bring a heavier punishment upon
himself at the same time.
3. When Herod's sister and mother perceived that he was in this
temper with regard to Mariamne they thought they had now got an
excellent opportunity to exercise their hatred against her and
provoked Herod to wrath by telling him, such long stories and
calumnies about her, as might at once excite his hatred and his
jealousy. Now, though he willingly enough heard their words, yet
had not he courage enough to do any thing to her as if he
believed them; but still he became worse and worse disposed to
her, and these ill passions were more and more inflamed on both
sides, while she did not hide her disposition towards him, and he
turned his love to her into wrath against her. But when he was
just going to put this matter past all remedy, he heard the news
that Caesar was the victor in the war, and that Antony and
Cleopatra were both dead, and that he had conquered Egypt;
whereupon he made haste to go to meet Caesar, and left the
affairs of his family in their present state. However, Mariamne
recommended Sohemus to him, as he was setting out on his journey,
and professed that she owed him thanks for the care he had taken
of her, and asked of the king for him a place in the government;
upon which an honorable employment was bestowed upon him
accordingly. Now when Herod was come into Egypt, he was
introduced to Caesar with great freedom, as already a friend of
his, and received very great favors from him; for he made him a
present of those four hundred Galatians who had been Cleopatra's
guards, and restored that country to him again, which, by her
means, had been taken away from him. He also added to his kingdom
Gadara, Hippos, and Samaria; and, besides those, the maritime
cities, Gaza, and Anthedon, and Joppa, and Strato's Tower.
4. Upon these new acquisitions, he grew more magnificent, and
conducted Caesar as far as Antioch; but upon his return, as much
as his prosperity was augmented by the foreign additions that had
been made him, so much the greater were the distresses that came
upon him in his own family, and chiefly in the affair of his
wife, wherein he formerly appeared to have been most of all
fortunate; for the affection he had for Mariamne was no way
inferior to the affections of such as are on that account
celebrated in history, and this very justly. As for her, she was
in other respects a chaste woman, and faithful to him; yet had
she somewhat of a woman rough by nature, and treated her husband
imperiously enough, because she saw he was so fond of her as to
be enslaved to her. She did not also consider seasonably with
herself that she lived under a monarchy, and that she was at
another's disposal, and accordingly would behave herself after a
saucy manner to him, which yet he usually put off in a jesting
way, and bore with moderation and good temper. She would also
expose his mother and his sister openly, on account of the
meanness of their birth, and would speak unkindly of them,
insomuch that there was before this a disagreement and
unpardonable hatred among the women, and it was now come to
greater reproaches of one another than formerly, which suspicions
increased, and lasted a whole year after Herod returned from
Caesar. However, these misfortunes, which had been kept under
some decency for a great while, burst out all at once upon such
an occasion as was now offered; for as the king was one day about
noon lain down on his bed to rest him, he called for Mariamne,
out of the great affection he had always for her. She came in
accordingly, but would not lie down by him; and when he was very
desirous of her company, she showed her contempt of him; and
added, by way of reproach, that he had caused her father and her
brother to be slain. And when he took this injury very
unkindly, and was ready to use violence to her, in a precipitate
manner, the king's sister Salome, observing that he was more than
ordinarily disturbed, sent in to the king his cup-bearer, who had
been prepared long beforehand for such a design, and bid him tell
the king how Mariamne had persuaded him to give his assistance in
preparing a love potion for him; and if he appeared to be greatly
concerned, and to ask what that love potion was, to tell him that
she had the potion, and that he was desired only to give it him;
but that in case he did not appear to be much concerned at this
potion, to let the thing drop; and that if he did so, no harm
should thereby come to him. When she had given him these
instructions, she sent him in at this time to make such a speech.
So he went in, after a composed manner, to gain credit to what he
should say, and yet somewhat hastily, and said that Mariamne had
given him presents, and persuaded him to give him a love potion.
And when this moved the king, he said that this love potion was a
composition that she had given him, whose effects he did not
know, which was the reason of his resolving to give him this
information, as the safest course he could take, both for himself
and for the king. When Herod heard what he said, and was in an
ill disposition before, his indignation grew more violent; and he
ordered that eunuch of Mariamne, who was most faithful to her, to
be brought to torture about this potion, as well knowing it was
not possible that any thing small or great could be done without
him. And when the man was under the utmost agonies, he could say
nothing concerning the thing he was tortured about, but so far he
knew, that Mariamne's hatred against him was occasioned by
somewhat that Sohemus had said to her. Now as he was saying this,
Herod cried out aloud, and said that Sohemus, who had been at all
other times most faithful to him, and to his government, would
not have betrayed what injunctions he had given him, unless he
had had a nearer conversation than ordinary with Mariamne. So he
gave order that Sohemus should be seized on and slain
immediately; but he allowed his wife to take her trial; and got
together those that were most faithful to him, and laid an
elaborate accusation against her for this love potion and
composition, which had been charged upon her by way of calumny
only. However, he kept no temper in what he said, and was in too
great a passion for judging well about this matter. Accordingly,
when the court was at length satisfied that he was so resolved,
they passed the sentence of death upon her; but when the sentence
was passed upon her, this temper was suggested by himself, and by
some others of the court, that she should not be thus hastily put
to death, but be laid in prison in one of the fortresses
belonging to the kingdom: but Salome and her party labored hard
to have the woman put to death; and they prevailed with the king
to do so, and advised this out of caution, lest the multitude
should be tumultuous if she were suffered to live; and thus was
Mariamne led to execution.
5. When Alexandra observed how things went, and that there were
small hopes that she herself should escape the like treatment
from Herod, she changed her behavior to quite the reverse of what
might have been expected from her former boldness, and this after
a very indecent manner; for out of her desire to show how
entirely ignorant she was of the crimes laid against Mariamne,
she leaped out of her place, and reproached her daughter in the
hearing of all the people; and cried out that she had been an ill
woman, and ungrateful to her husband, and that her punishment
came justly upon her for such her insolent behavior, for that she
had not made proper returns to him who had been their common
benefactor. And when she had for some time acted after this
hypocritical manner, and been so outrageous as to tear her hair,
this indecent and dissembling behavior, as was to be expected,
was greatly condemned by the rest of the spectators, as it was
principally by the poor woman who was to suffer; for at the first
she gave her not a word, nor was discomposed at her peevishness,
and only looked at her, yet did she out of a greatness of soul
discover her concern for her mother's offense, and especially for
her exposing herself in a manner so unbecoming her; but as for
herself, she went to her death with an unshaken firmness of mind,
and without changing the color of her face, and thereby evidently
discovered the nobility of her descent to the spectators, even in
the last moments of her life.
6. And thus died Mariamne, a woman of an excellent character,
both for chastity and greatness of soul; but she wanted
moderation, and had too much of contention in her nature; yet had
she all that can be said in the beauty of her body, and her
majestic appearance in conversation; and thence arose the
greatest part of the occasions why she did not prove so agreeable
to the king, nor live so pleasantly with him, as she might
otherwise have done; for while she was most indulgently used by
the king, out of his fondness for her, and did not expect that he
could do any hard thing to her, she took too unbounded a liberty.
Moreover, that which most afflicted her was, what he had done to
her relations, and she ventured to speak of all they had suffered
by him, and at last greatly provoked both the king's mother and
sister, till they became enemies to her; and even he himself also
did the same, on whom alone she depended for her expectations of
escaping the last of punishments.
7. But when she was once dead, the king's affections for her were
kindled in a more outrageous manner than before, whose old
passion for her we have already described; for his love to her
was not of a calm nature, nor such as we usually meet with among
other husbands; for at its commencement it was of an enthusiastic
kind, nor was it by their long cohabitation and free conversation
together brought under his power to manage; but at this time his
love to Mariamne seemed to seize him in such a peculiar manner,
as looked like Divine vengeance upon him for the taking away her
life; for he would frequently call for her, and frequently lament
for her in a most indecent manner. Moreover, he bethought him of
every thing he could make use of to divert his mind from thinking
of her, and contrived feasts and assemblies for that purpose, but
nothing would suffice; he therefore laid aside the administration
of public affairs, and was so far conquered by his passion, that
he would order his servants to call for Mariamne, as if she were
still alive, and could still hear them. And when he was in this
way, there arose a pestilential disease, and carried off the
greatest part of the multitude, and of his best and most esteemed
friends, and made all men suspect that this was brought upon them
by the anger of God, for the injustice that had been done to
Mariamne. This circumstance affected the king still more, till at
length he forced himself to go into desert places, and there,
under pretense of going a hunting, bitterly afflicted himself;
yet had he not borne his grief there many days before he fell
into a most dangerous distemper himself: he had an inflammation
upon him, and a pain in the hinder part of his head, joined with
madness; and for the remedies that were used, they did him no
good at all, but proved contrary to his case, and so at length
brought him to despair. All the physicians also that were about
him, partly because the medicines they brought for his recovery
could not at all conquer the disease, and partly because his diet
could be no other than what his disease inclined him to, desired
him to eat whatever he had a mind to, and so left the small hopes
they had of his recovery in the power of that diet, and committed
him to fortune. And thus did his distemper go on, while he was at
Samaria, now called Sebaste.
8. Now Alexandra abode at this time at Jerusalem; and being
informed what condition Herod was in, she endeavored to get
possession of the fortified places that were about the city,
which were two, the one belonging to the city itself, the other
belonging to the temple; and those that could get them into their
hands had the whole nation under their power, for without the
command of them it was not possible to offer their sacrifices;
and to think of leaving on those sacrifices is to every Jew
plainly impossible, who are still more ready to lose their lives
than to leave off that Divine worship which they have been wont
to pay unto God. Alexandra, therefore, discoursed with those that
had the keeping of these strong holds, that it was proper for
them to deliver the same to her, and to Herod's sons, lest, upon
his death, any other person should seize upon the government; and
that upon his recovery none could keep them more safely for him
than those of his own family. These words were not by them at all
taken in good part; and as they had been in former times faithful
[to Herod], they resolved to continue so more than ever, both
because they hated Alexandra, and because they thought it a sort
of impiety to despair of Herod's recovery while he was yet alive,
for they had been his old friends; and one of them, whose name
was Achiabus, was his cousin-german. They sent messengers
therefore to acquaint him with Alexandra's design; so he made no
longer delay, but gave orders to have her slain; yet was it still
with difficulty, and after he had endured great pain, that he got
clear of his distemper. He was still sorely afflicted, both in
mind and body, and made very uneasy, and readier than ever upon
all occasions to inflict punishment upon those that fell under
his hand. He also slew the most intimate of his friends,
Costobarus, and Lysimachus, and Cadias, who was also called
Antipater; as also Dositheus, and that upon the following
occasion.
9. Costobarus was an Idumean by birth, and one of principal
dignity among them, and one whose ancestors had been priests to
the Koze, whom the Idumeans had [formerly] esteemed as a god; but
after Hyrcanus had made a change in their political government,
and made them receive the Jewish customs and law, Herod made
Costobarus governor of Idumea and Gaza, and gave him his sister
Salome to wife; and this was upon the slaughter of [his uncle]
Joseph, who had that government before, as we have related
already. When Costobarus had gotten to be so highly advanced, it
pleased him and was more than he hoped for, and he was more and
more puffed up by his good success, and in a little while he
exceeded all bounds, and did not think fit to obey what Herod, as
their ruler, commanded him, or that the Idumeans should make use
of the Jewish customs, or be subject to them. He therefore sent
to Cleopatra, and informed her that the Idumeans had been always
under his progenitors, and that for the same reason it was but
just that she should desire that country for him of Antony, for
that he was ready to transfer his friendship to her; and this he
did, not because he was better pleased to be under Cleopatra's
government, but because he thought that, upon the diminution of
Herod's power, it would not be difficult for him to obtain
himself the entire government over the Idumeans, and somewhat
more also; for he raised his hopes still higher, as having no
small pretenses, both by his birth and by these riches which he
had gotten by his constant attention to filthy lucre; and
accordingly it was not a small matter that he aimed at. So
Cleopatra desired this country of Antony, but failed of her
purpose. An account of this was brought to Herod, who was
thereupon ready to kill Costobarus; yet, upon the entreaties of
his sister and mother, he forgave him, and vouchsafed to pardon
him entirely; though he still had a suspicion of him afterward
for this his attempt.
10. But some time afterward, when Salome happened to quarrel with
Costobarus, she sent him a bill of divorce and dissolved her
marriage with him, though this was not according to the Jewish
laws; for with us it is lawful for a husband to do so; but a
wife; if she departs from her husband, cannot of herself be
married to another, unless her former husband put her away.
However, Salome chose to follow not the law of her country, but
the law of her authority, and so renounced her wedlock; and told
her brother Herod, that she left her husband out of her good-will
to him, because she perceived that he, with Antipater, and
Lysimachus, and Dositheus, were raising a sedition against him;
as an evidence whereof, she alleged the case of the sons of
Babas, that they had been by him preserved alive already for the
interval of twelve years; which proved to be true. But when Herod
thus unexpectedly heard of it, he was greatly surprised at it,
and was the more surprised, because the relation appeared
incredible to him. As for the fact relating to these sons of
Babas, Herod had formerly taken great pains to bring them to
punishment, as being enemies to his government; but they were now
forgotten by him, on account of the length of time [since he had
ordered them to be slain]. Now the cause of his ill-will and
hatred to them arose hence, that while Antigonus was king, Herod,
with his army, besieged the city of Jerusalem, where the distress
and miseries which the besieged endured were so pressing, that
the greater number of them invited Herod into the city, and
already placed their hopes on him. Now the sons of Babas were of
great dignity, and had power among the multitude, and were
faithful to Antigonus, and were always raising calumnies against
Herod, and encouraged the people to preserve the government to
that royal family which held it by inheritance. So these men
acted thus politically, and, as they thought, for their own
advantage; but when the city was taken, and Herod had gotten the
government into his hands, and Costobarus was appointed to hinder
men from passing out at the gates, and to guard the city, that
those citizens that were guilty, and of the party opposite to the
king, might not get out of it, Costobarus, being sensible that
the sons of Babas were had in respect and honor by the whole
multitude, and supposing that their preservation might be of
great advantage to him in the changes of government afterward, he
set them by themselves, and concealed them in his own farms; and
when the thing was suspected, he assured Herod upon oath that he
really knew nothing of that matter, and so overcame the
suspicions that lay upon him; nay, after that, when the king had
publicly proposed a reward for the discovery, and had put in
practice all sorts of methods for searching out this matter, he
would not confess it; but being persuaded that when he had at
first denied it, if the men were found, he should not escape
unpunished, he was forced to keep them secret, not only out of
his good-will to them, but out of a necessary regard to his own
preservation also. But when the king knew the thing, by his
sister's information, he sent men to the places where he had the
intimation they were concealed, and ordered both them, and those
that were accused as guilty with them, to be slain, insomuch that
there were now none at all left of the kindred of Hyrcanus, and
the kingdom was entirely in Herod's own power, and there was
nobody remaining of such dignity as could put a stop to what he
did against the Jewish laws.
|
|