great courtesy; and discharging him from his irons, permitted him to reside at Babylon, where a great number of Jews dwelt, who paid him not only the reverence due to him as High-priest, but the honour due to a king. Hir canus had been happy if he had contented himself with his present condition, and to which the Jews endeavoured to incline him, assuring him they would always acknow ledge him for their High-priest and king. But Hircanus hearing that Herod was established in the kingdom of Judea by the Romans, and desirous of returning to his native country, began to entertain great hopes of Herod's friendship, whose interest he had formerly favoured, and saved his life. The Jews, to obviate these hopes, urged his incapacity of the pontifical dignity by reason of the loss of his ears, which Antigonus had cut off; and as for his expectation of a recompence for former benefits heaped on Herod, they advised him to consider that kings were apt to forget favours conferred on them in a private state, and that their affection was as mutable as their for

tune.

Hircanus could not more studiously push his return than Herod desired it, who earnestly wished to have him in his power. For Herod's jealousy continually suggested apprehensions of danger to him, and particularly from the Asmonean family, the chief of which now was the captive pontiff Hircanus. He therefore sent a splendid embassy with rich presents to Phraates, king of Parthia, desiring him, and the Jews that lived in his dominions, not to deny him the satisfaction of paying his gratitude to Hircanus, his benefactor and preserver. Upon these solicitations, Phraates dismissed Hircanus; and Herod, the better to colour his treachery, received him with all external formality and respect, giving him the preference in all public assemblies, and calling him father. canus, according to the law, being incapable of continuing in the office of High-priest, by reason of the mutilation of his body, Herod began to consider how to avoid all occasion of sedition in the choice of a successor to Hircanus, which he concluded he could not do if he should confer that honour upon any one of an illustrious

Hir

family, and therefore he bestowed it on Hananel, a Jewish priest, whom he brought from Babylon. This gave great offence to Alexandra, Hircanus's daughter, and mother to Aristobulus and Mariamne, Herod's wife, who resenting the contempt put on her family, by setting aside her son, and obtruding a foreigner into the pontificate, she wrote to Cleopatra, queen of Egypt, to incline Antony to bestow that honour on her son. Herod soon obtained notice of these transactions, and calling a council, charged Alexandra with stirring up sedition, and attempting an alteration in the government: but she easily cleared herself, declaring the truth, and that she had no other design in writing to Cleopatra but to prcserve the honour of the priesthood in her family, which was their right. Upon this they were reconciled, and Herod deposing Hananel, created Aristobulus, Alexandra's son, and brother to his wife, High-priest. This reconciliation did not last long; for Herod's jealousy made him keep a watchful eye over his mother-in-law, of whom at last he grew so suspicious, that he confined her to the court, and forbad her to interfere in any part of the administration. This exasperated Alexandra, who was a woman of a haughty spirit, and could not with any temper bear the loss of her liberty; therefore she again sent to Cleopatra, deploring her present condition, and desiring relief. Cleopatra ordered her to repair to Egypt with her son, and assured her of protection. This advice pleased Alexandra, and she prepared immediately for their departure, concealing her design from Herod. In order to their escape, she had privately prepared two biers, in which their servants were to carry them to the sea-side, where a vessel lay ready to convey them to Egypt. But this stratagem miscarried by the treachery of a servant, who communicated it to one Sabbion, who had formerly been suspected of having a hand in the poisoning of Antipater, Herod's father. Sabbion hoped, by discovering this to Herod, to make his peace with him. Herod suffered them to pass a little way, and then seized and brought them back. But fearing Cleopatra's power, who had espoused their interest, he was forced

4

to suspend his resentment, and seeming to pardon them, he carried himself with a great deal of kindness; but at the same time meditated a revenge, especially on Aristobulus, whom he was resolved to remove, but at present wanted an opportunity, which soon after occurred.

At the feast of tabernacles, Aristobulus was to officiate as High-priest: he was a beautiful youth, tall and well shaped, and in the eighteenth year of his age. Being dressed in the pontifical robes, he with great majesty and state ascended to the altar, where he performed the sacred rites with a grace and becoming reverence, which so attracted the eyes of the whole assembly, that it brought to their minds the noble acts of his royal grand. father Aristobulus, whose family they thought deserved a better condition than at present they enjoyed. These and such like speeches they murmured so loudly, that Herod heard them all which did but hasten the fate of the royal youth, though for the present Herod sup pressed his malice; but soon after the feast of tabernacles, Herod perpetrated his wicked design on Aristobulus, causing him to be drowned as he was bathing; and upon his death restored Hananel to the High-priesthood.

Alexandra, hearing of the untimely fate of her son, was inconsolable, and hardly prevented from laying hands on herself. She suspected the cause of his death, but durst not mention it, wanting means to revenge it. Herod, to wipe off all suspicion from himself, visited Alexandra, and professed his innocence; and to incline her to think him sincere, he put on such a counterfeit sorrow, that any one else would have believed him but the injured Alexandra, whose resentment checked her belief, and would not suffer her to be imposed upon by his hypocritical tears.

Alexandra's grief finding no abatement, she at last projected a way to do herself justice on the author of her son's murder. She acquainted Cleopatra with Herod's treachery, and the untimely death of her son, aggravat ing her loss in all its circumstances. Cleopatra made the case her own, and resolved to have her righted, conti

nually soliciting Antony to revenge the death of Aristobulus, urging, how unjust it was in Herod, after he had usurped the kingdom, thus inhumanly to persecute that unhappy family. Antony, at the importunity of Cleopatra, came to Laodicea, and sends for Herod to clear himself of this accusation concerning the death of Aristobulus. Herod not daring to trust to the merits of his cause, and dreading Cleopatra, who made it her business to incense Antony against him, was in great perplexity what to do but the necessity of the thing soon dictated to him, and it was to no purpose to dispute the will of the Roman general. Therefore, constituting his uncle Joseph, governor of the kingdom in his absence, he charged him, if things should go amiss with him before Antony, to dispatch his wife Mariamne, which he pretended he did out of excess of love to her, not being able to bear the thought of her being married to another person after his death.

Herod fearing the worst, knew that gold, if any thing, must secure his head; and therefore taking a great sum with him, he confidently went to Antony, who received his presents, and him for their sake. Insomuch, that instead of hearing and enquiring into the case, he defended Herod, and told Cleopatra, that it was below a king to give account of his actions to any, which if he did, he deserved no longer to be king. Cleopatra's hatred (as it proved afterwards) to Herod, did not proceed so much from the abhorrence of his cruel actions, as the desire she had of procuring his condemnation, that she might possess his kingdom, and of which Antony was apprised; therefore, before he proceeded on his expedition against the Parthians, he gave Cælo-Syria to Cleopatra in lieu of her expectations from Judea. Herod having made his peace, and secured his interest in Antony, takes his leave, and returns home; where he no sooner arrives, but he is accosted by his sister Salome, with an accusation of indecent conversation between his uncle Joseph and his wife Mariamne. This was grounded on a pique Salome had contracted against the queen, who valuing herself on her high birth, despised the obscure extraction of

Herod's family. The queen cleared herself of these malignant aspersions; and Herod not only accepted her reasons, but asked pardon for entertaining ill thoughts of her virtue. However, not knowing how viciously inclined his uncle Joseph might be, he dispatched him, and shut up his mother-in-law in close confinement..

After this, he discovered Cleopatra's sordid temper, which he appeased with many and rich presents. And now having quieted his enemies at home, and secured his interest abroad, he made war with good success against the Arabians, whom he brought to terms, and obliged them to court his friendship. Then returning home, he was received with great esteem and respect by his people for his courage and conduct. But just as this sun-shine of prosperity broke out upon him, a disaster happened which had like to have ruined all his hopes; for Antony, being worsted at the battle of Actium by Augustus Cæsar, he had cause to fear lest Augustus should take away his kingdom for having been so firm a friend to Antony. This misfortune roused his jealousy, and wherever he looked he thought he perceived an enemy; but when he considered that Hircanus was yet living, and that he was the only one of the blood royal, he resolved to put a pe riod to his life, and his own fears. To effect which, an occasion soon presented: Alexandra, Hircanus's daughter, seeing her father supinely careless and unconcerned at the miseries of his family, earnestly pressed him not so tamely to suffer Herod to be their scourge and ruin, but to demand aid of Malchus, king of Arabia, who would not fail to assist him; adding, that if Cæsar should call Herod to account for his former friendship to Antony, which might reasonably be expected, the crown would no doubt return to him. Hircanus at first refused to meddle in so dangerous an affair; but his daughter's ambition and importunity at last prevailed, and he wrote letters to Malchus, which he sent by Dositheus,* whom

* Dositheus. This Dositheus had little reason, if any, to betray Hircanus to Herod; for Herod was a declared enemy of Dositheus, who was a near kinsman of Joseph, whom Herod caused to be murdered; and a little before his brethren were slain at Tyre by Antony.