147

having happened, not to be harmed by Caesar. Therefore, intending to do away with Hyrcanus, he then thought the attempt would be more advantageous to him, so that a man more worthy than he to obtain the kingdom might not be saved. Herod, then, had so planned, but something that happened provoked him still more to the deed. For Alexandra, being a contentious woman, did not cease persuading her father to go over to Malchus, who held Arabia. And at first he rejected her words, but as she persisted, he finally wrote a letter to Malchus about receiving them, and gave it to a certain Dositheus, one of his friends. And he handed the letter over to Herod, who instructed Dositheus to deliver the writing to Malchus and to bring back the letters from him. When Dositheus had carried this out, the Arab wrote back that he would receive both Hyrcanus himself and all those with him. Therefore Herod, having received this letter, sent for Hyrcanus, and questioned him about the agreements with Malchus; and when he denied it, Herod showed the letters to the council and had the man executed. But many say that the affair concerning Hyrcanus was a pretext of Herod's, who wanted to get him out of the way, and they take as proof of this 1.370 the man's gentleness or simplicity and the fact that not even in his youth had he shown any boldness or rashness; and at that time he was one year short of eighty. But Herod, hastening to Caesar, established his mother and his sister and all his family in Masada, but he brought Mariamne his wife, with Alexandra her mother, to Alexandrion, and under the pretext of honor he set guards over them, Joseph the treasurer and Soemus the Ituraean, who were most faithful to him, having commanded them, if they should learn anything unfortunate about him, to kill them both on the spot, and to preserve the kingdom for his children and his brother Pheroras. Having given such orders, he hastened to Rhodes to Caesar. And having sailed in, he took off his diadem, but yielded nothing of his other dignity, but also, in conversing with Caesar, he displayed the greatness of his spirit, neither turning to supplications nor giving an account of his actions with reservation. He therefore won Caesar over in no small measure, and he both restored the diadem to him again and held him in honor. And so, having his kingdom more secure contrary to expectation, he escorted Caesar to Egypt, having most lavishly given gifts both to him and his friends; and he returned to Judea with greater honor and confidence, and found his house in turmoil. For both Mariamne and Alexandra, supposing what was true, that they had been shut up in Alexandrion as if under guard, so that they might not even have authority over themselves, took it hard, and they won over the guards through attention, and especially 1.371 Soemus, attending to him with words and gifts. And he was gradually overcome, and revealed the king's commands to them. And they were grievously disposed toward these commands, and especially Mariamne. For when Herod, as was natural, brought the good news of his affairs first to his wife and embraced her before the others, she on the one hand groaned at his embraces, and on the other seemed vexed at his good fortunes, so that the king was disturbed and distressed on account of the irrationality of her hatred, and though he often rushed to take vengeance for her disdain, he was checked because he was possessed by love. On the whole, he feared lest, in punishing her, he might secretly do more harm to himself, his beloved being no more. But his mother and his sister provoked Herod with slanders, instilling in him jealousy and hatred. And he was ever more ill-disposed toward her, as she did not hide her feelings toward him, while he was always turning his love into anger. And if he had not been hastening to Caesar, who had already conquered Antony and Cleopatra, who had died, into Egypt, perhaps the terrible deed would have been done at once. But now he left matters at home as they were, and having arrived in Egypt was deemed worthy of the greatest things by Caesar, and returned more splendid. He was in love with Mariamne and very passionately; but she, for her part,

147

γενομένης, μὴ κακωθῆναι ὑπὸ τοῦ Καίσαρος. οθεν τὸν ̔Υρκανὸν ἐκ μέσου ποιῆσαι διανοούμενος, τότε μᾶλλον ῳετο συμφέρειν αὐτῷ τὴν ἐγχείρησιν, ινα μὴ ἀνὴρ περισώζοιτο τυχεῖν τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ ἀξιώτερος. ̔Ηρώδης μὲν ουν ουτω διανενόητο, ἠρέθισε δέ τι συμβὰν πρὸς τὴν πρᾶξιν πλέον αὐτόν. ἡ γὰρ ̓Αλεξάνδρα φιλόνεικον τυγχάνουσα γύναιον οὐκ ἀνίει ἀναπείθουσα τὸν πατέρα Μάλχῳ προσχωρῆσαι τῷ τὴν ̓Αραβίαν εχοντι. ὁ δὲ πρῶτον μὲν διωθεῖτο τοὺς λόγους, ἐγκειμένης δ' ἐκείνης τέλος ἐπιστολὴν πρὸς τὸν Μάλχον ἐγχαράττει περὶ τοῦ δέξασθαι σφᾶς, καὶ ∆οσιθέῳ τινὶ τῶν φίλων δίδωσι ταύτην. καὶ ος ̔Ηρώδῃ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἐνεχείρισεν, ὁ δὲ ἀποδοῦναι τῷ Μάλχῳ τὴν γραφὴν ἠξίωσε τὸν ∆οσίθεον καὶ τὰ παρ' ἐκείνου γράμματα ἐνεγκεῖν. ταῦτα δὲ τοῦ ∆οσιθέου πληρώσαντος ἀντεπέστειλεν ὁ Αραψ αὐτόν τε τὸν ̔Υρκανὸν δέξασθαι καὶ πάντας τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ. ταύτην ουν ̔Ηρώδης δεξάμενος τὴν ἐπιστολὴν μεταπέμπεται ̔Υρκανόν, καὶ περὶ τῶν πρὸς τὸν Μάλχον ἀνέκρινε συνθηκῶν· ἀρνουμένου δὲ τὰς ἐπιστολὰς δείξας τῷ συνεδρίῳ τὸν ανδρα διεχειρίσατο. πολλοὶ δὲ σκῆψιν ̔Ηρώδου τὰ κατὰ τὸν ̔Υρκανὸν γενέσθαι φασί, βουλομένου αὐτὸν ποιήσασθαι ἐκποδών, καὶ τούτου ποι1.370 οῦνται τεκμήριον τὴν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἐπιείκειαν η ἀφέλειαν καὶ τὸ μηδὲ ἐν νεότητι θράσους τι η προπετείας ἐνδείξασθαι· τότε δὲ ην ἐτῶν ὀγδοήκοντα πρὸς ἑνί. ̔Ηρώδης δὲ σπεύδων πρὸς Καίσαρα τὴν μὲν μητέρα καὶ τὴν ἀδελφὴν καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γενεὰν ἐν Μασάδοις κατέστησε, Μαριὰμ δὲ τὴν γυναῖκα σὺν ̓Αλεξάνδρᾳ τῇ μητρὶ εἰς ̓Αλεξάνδριον ηγαγε, προφάσει τιμῆς φρουροὺς ἐγκαταστήσας αὐταῖς ̓Ιωσὴφ τὸν ταμίαν καὶ τὸν ̓Ιτουραῖον Σόεμον πιστοτάτους αὐτῷ, ἐντειλάμενος αὐτοῖς, ει τι περὶ αὐτοῦ πύθοιντο δυσχερές, ἐξ αὐτῆς καὶ αμφω διαχειρίσασθαι, τὴν δὲ βασιλείαν τοῖς παισὶν αὐτοῦ καὶ τῷ ἀδελφῷ Φερώρᾳ διατηρεῖν. τοιαύτας δοὺς ἐντολὰς εἰς ̔Ρόδον ἠπείγετο πρὸς τὸν Καίσαρα. καταπλεύσας δὲ περιεῖλε μὲν τὸ διάδημα, τοῦ αλλου δ' ἀξιώματος οὐδὲν ὑφῆκεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ κοινωνήσας λόγου τῷ Καίσαρι τὸ μεγαλεῖον ἐνέφηνε τοῦ φρονήματος, ουτε πρὸς ἱκεσίας τραπόμενος καὶ τὸν λογισμὸν τῶν πεπραγμένων οὐ μεθ' ὑποστολῆς ἀποδούς. οὐ μετρίως ουν ἐπεσπάσατο τὸν Καίσαρα, καὶ τό τε διάδημα πάλιν ἀποκατέστησεν αὐτῷ καὶ ηγε διὰ τιμῆς. ουτω δὲ παρ' ἐλπίδα ἐσχηκὼς βεβαιοτέραν τὴν βασιλείαν παρέπεμψεν ἐπ' Αιγυπτον Καίσαρα, δωρησάμενος αὐτόν τε καὶ τοὺς φίλους φιλοτιμότατα· ἐπανῄει δὲ πρὸς τὴν ̓Ιουδαίαν πλείονι τιμῇ καὶ παρρησίᾳ, καὶ τεταραγμένην αὐτῷ τὴν οἰκίαν κατέλαβεν. οἰηθεῖσαι γὰρ η τε Μαριὰμ καὶ ἡ ̓Αλεξάνδρα, οπερ ην, οτι ὡς ἐν φρουρᾷ κατεκλείσθησαν εἰς τὸ ̓Αλεξάνδριον, ινα μηδ' ἑαυτῶν ἐξουσίαν εχοιεν, χαλεπῶς εφερον, καὶ διὰ θεραπείας τοὺς φρουροὺς ἐπεποίηντο, καὶ μᾶλλον 1.371 τὸν Σόεμον, λόγοις αὐτὸν καὶ δωρεαῖς θεραπεύουσαι. ὁ δ' ἡττᾶτο κατὰ μικρόν, καὶ τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ βασιλέως ταύταις ἐξέφηνεν. αἱ δὲ χαλεπῶς πρὸς ταύτας διέκειντο, καὶ μᾶλλον ἡ Μαριάμ. ̔Ηρώδου γὰρ πρώτῃ τῇ γυναικὶ περὶ τῶν κατ' αὐτὸν ὡς εἰκὸς εὐαγγελιζομένου καὶ πρὸ τῶν αλλων ἀσπαζομένου, ἡ δὲ πρὸς μὲν τοὺς ἀσπασμοὺς εστενε, πρὸς δὲ τὰς εὐτυχίας ἀχθομένῃ ἐῴκει, ὡς ἐκταράττεσθαι τὸν βασιλέα καὶ ἀδημονεῖν διὰ τὸ τοῦ μίσους παράλογον, καὶ ὁρμῆσαι μὲν πολλάκις πρὸς αμυναν τῆς ὑπεροψίας αὐτῆς, ἀνακόπτεσθαι δὲ οτι προκατείληπτο ὑπὸ ερωτος. τὸ δὲ σύμπαν ἐδεδοίκει μὴ λάθῃ κολάσας ἐκείνην μᾶλλον ἑαυτὸν κακῶς διαθέμενος, τῆς ἐρωμένης οὐκ ουσης. ἡ δέ γε μήτηρ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡ ἀδελφὴ παρώξυνον τὸν ̔Ηρώδην διαβολαῖς ζηλοτυπίαν αὐτῷ καὶ μῖσος ἐνιείσαις. καὶ ος χεῖρον ειχεν ἀεὶ πρὸς αὐτήν, τῆς μὲν οὐκ ἀποκρυπτούσης τὴν πρὸς ἐκεῖνον διάθεσιν, τοῦ δὲ τὸν ερωτα πρὸς ὀργὴν ἀεὶ μεταβάλλοντος. καὶ εἰ μὴ πρὸς Καίσαρα εσπευδεν ηδη κεκρατηκότα, ̓Αντωνίου καὶ Κλεοπάτρας θανόντων, εἰς Αιγυπτον, τάχα εὐθὺς αν ἐπράχθη τὸ δεινόν. νῦν δὲ τὰ περὶ τὴν οἰκίαν ὡς ειχε κατέλιπε, καὶ εἰς Αιγυπτον ἀφικόμενος μεγίστων ἠξιώθη παρὰ τοῦ Καίσαρος, καὶ ἐπανῄει λαμπρότερος. ηρα δὲ τῆς Μαριὰμ καὶ σφόδρα διακαῶς· ἡ δὲ τὰ μὲν αλλα