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she was temperate and faithful to him, but delighting in her husband being enslaved by love, she often insulted him, and she mocked his mother and his sister for their low birth. But the hatred broke out into the open from such a pretext. It being midday, the king went into the chamber to rest and called for Mariam, but she, coming in, reviled 1.372 him as having killed her grandfather and her brother. 1.372 The king was angry at these things. And Salome, seizing the opportunity, having previously bribed the cupbearer to accuse Mariam, persuades him then to approach the king and to say to him what he had been instructed by her. He said he had been won over with gifts by Mariam, persuading him to give him a love-potion; but it was some drug whose power he claimed not to know. Having heard these things, the king was even more moved to anger, and he tortured his wife's cupbearer, who was most faithful to her. But he neither knew nor said anything about the things for which he was tortured, but he said that the wife's hatred had arisen because of the words which Soemus had told her. He had not yet brought his account to an end when Herod, shouting loudly, said, "Soemus would not have betrayed my commands, unless there had been some intimacy between him and my wife." He therefore ordered Soemus to be killed immediately, and having gathered his closest friends, he accused his wife concerning love-potions and drugs, and was angrily disposed against her. Seeing him in this state, those present voted for her death. And she was led to her death, but Alexandra her mother, already fearing for herself, and demonstrating her ignorance of the things of which Mariam was accused, leaped out and called her daughter wicked and ungrateful to her husband, and said she was suffering justly. But she, neither disturbed by these things nor giving an answer, went to her death with a tranquil disposition and a noble spirit, showing her high birth even in her last moments. And so she died, Salome having urged on 1.373 her death, but Herod was then all the more inflamed with love for her, and there were frequent callings of her name and unseemly lamentations. And his passion so overcame him that he even ordered his servants to call for Mariam. And finally, giving himself over to desolate places, and being distressed in them, he fell into a terrible disease; it was an inflammation and a decay of the back of the neck and a derangement of the mind. And while he was thus sick, Alexandra, living in Jerusalem and having learned of the king's diseases, attempted to seize the two fortresses around the city. When Herod learned this, he immediately ordered her to be killed, and he, having barely escaped the danger from his illness, was harsh and hard to please and ready for punishments and murders; and murders were committed not only of the many, but also of his most necessary friends. He also transgressed the ancestral customs and corrupted the ancient order with foreign practices. At which the multitude was both disturbed and angry. But ten men of the citizens, having conspired together and putting daggers under their cloaks, went into the theater by agreement, either to kill Herod himself or at least many of those around him. But having been discovered, and not even denying the plot, but even showing their swords, they were destroyed after enduring every torment. But the one who informed on them, a little later some people, having seized and cut him limb from limb, threw him to the dogs. Herod, having found these people, punished them with their entire households. But the wrath of the multitude remained. And then the most terrible calamities occurred throughout the land, 1.374 both famine and diseases of the body arising from an unaccustomed diet due to lack of food, and in addition to all these things, a plague. But Herod, being eager to help in this crisis, had no supply of money, having spent it beforehand for show on the repair of cities, nor did the neighboring lands have grain, since the same scarcity prevailed in them also. But for the time being, having decided to help as he was able, he broke up the existing adornment in the palace into

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σώφρων ην αὐτῷ καὶ πιστή, κατατρυφῶσα δὲ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς δεδουλωμένου διὰ τὸν ερωτα πολλάκις μὲν ἐξύβριζεν εἰς αὐτόν, καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ δὲ μητέρα καὶ τὴν ἀδελφὴν ἐπὶ δυσγενείᾳ ἐχλεύαζεν. ἐξερράγη δὲ τὸ μῖσος εἰς τοὐμφανὲς ἐκ τοιαύτης λαβῆς. μεσημβρίας ουσης ὁ βασιλεὺς εἰς τὸν θάλαμον εἰσῄει ἀναπαυσόμενος καὶ ἐκάλει τὴν Μαριάμ, ἡ δὲ εἰσελθοῦσα ἐλοιδορεῖτο 1.372 αὐτῷ ὡς τὸν πάππον αὐτῆς καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἀπο1.372 κτείναντι. ἐχαλέπαινε δὲ ἐπὶ τούτοις ὁ βασιλεύς. καὶ ἡ Σαλώμη τοῦ καιροῦ δραξαμένη, τὸν οἰνοχόον προδιαφθείρασα κατηγορῆσαι τῆς Μαριάμ, πείθει τοῦτον τότε τῷ βασιλεῖ προσελθεῖν καὶ α παρ' ἐκείνης ἐδιδάχθη αὐτῷ διαλέξασθαι. ὁ δὲ δώροις ελεγε παρὰ τῆς Μαριὰμ δεξιωθῆναι, ἀναπειθούσης φίλτρον αὐτῷ δοῦναι· τὸ δ' ειναί τι φάρμακον ου τὴν δύναμιν ἰσχυρίζετο ἀγνοεῖν. τούτων ἀκούσας ὁ βασιλεὺς ετι μᾶλλον κεκίνητο εἰς ὀργήν, καὶ τὸν τῆς γυναικὸς οἰνοχόον, πιστότατον οντα αὐτῇ, ἐβασάνιζεν. ὁ δὲ οὐδὲν περὶ ων ἐβασανίζετο ουτ' ῃδει ουτ' ελεγεν, ἀλλὰ τὸ μῖσος τῆς γυναικὸς εφασκε γενέσθαι διὰ τοὺς λόγους ους ὁ Σόεμος αὐτῇ φράσειεν. ουπω τὸν λόγον εἰς τέλος ἐκεῖνος ηνεγκε καὶ μέγα βοήσας ̔Ηρώδης "οὐκ αν' εφη "Σόεμος τὰς ἐντολὰς ἐξεφαύλισεν, εἰ μή τις αὐτῷ πρὸς τὴν γυναῖκα κοινωνία ἐγένετο." τὸν μὲν ουν Σόεμον εὐθὺς κτανθῆναι ἐκέλευσε, τῆς δὲ γυναικὸς κατηγόρει τοὺς οἰκειοτάτους συναγαγὼν περὶ φίλτρων καὶ φαρμάκων, καὶ ὀργίλως κατ' αὐτῆς διέκειτο. ουτω δ' εχοντα ὁρῶντες αὐτὸν οἱ παρόντες θάνατον ἐκείνης κατεψηφίσαντο. καὶ ἡ μὲν ηγετο τὴν ἐπὶ θανάτῳ, ̓Αλεξάνδρα δ' ἡ μήτηρ αὐτῆς ηδη καὶ περὶ ἑαυτῇ δεδοικυῖα, καὶ τὴν αγνοιαν ων ἡ Μαριὰμ κατηγορήθη ἐμφαίνουσα, ἐκπηδήσασα κακὴν καὶ ἀχάριστον πρὸς τὸν ανδρα τὴν θυγατέρα ἐκάλει, καὶ δίκαια πάσχειν ελεγεν. ἡ δὲ ουτε ταραχθεῖσα πρὸς ταῦτα ουτε λόγον δοῦσα ἀπῄει πρὸς τὸν θάνατον ἀτρεμαίῳ τῷ καταστήματι καὶ γενναίῳ φρονήματι καὶ τὴν εὐγένειαν κἀν τοῖς ἐσχάτοις ἐμφαίνουσα. Καὶ ἡ μὲν ουτως ἀπέθανε τῆς Σαλώμης αὐτῇ 1.373 κατεπειξάσης τὸν θάνατον, ̔Ηρώδης δὲ τότε μᾶλλον ἐξῆπτο πρὸς τὸν ἐκείνης ερωτα, καὶ πολλάκις ἀνακλήσεις ησαν αὐτῆς καὶ θρῆνοι ἀσχήμονες. καὶ ουτως αὐτοῦ τὸ πάθος ἐκράτησεν ὡς καὶ καλεῖν τὴν Μαριὰμ κελεύειν τοῖς ὑπηρέταις. καὶ τέλος ταῖς ἐρήμοις ἐκδοὺς ἑαυτόν, καὶ ταύταις ἐναδημονῶν, δεινῇ περιπίπτει νόσῳ· ἡ δὲ φλόγωσις ην καὶ πεῖσις ἰνίου καὶ τῆς διανοίας παραλλαγή. καὶ ὁ μὲν ουτως ἐνοσηλεύετο, ἡ ̓Αλεξάνδρα δὲ ἐν ̔Ιεροσολύμοις διάγουσα καὶ τὰ τῶν νόσων πυθομένη τοῦ βασιλέως, τῶν περὶ τὴν πόλιν δύο φρουρίων ἐπειρᾶτο κρατῆσαι. ο μαθὼν ὁ ̔Ηρώδης αὐτίκα αὐτὴν ἀποκτεῖναι προσέταξεν, αὐτὸς δὲ μόλις διαφυγὼν τὸν ἐκ τοῦ νοσεῖν κίνδυνον χαλεπὸς ην καὶ δυσάρεστος καὶ πρὸς τιμωρίας καὶ φόνους ετοιμος· καὶ οὐ τῶν πολλῶν μόνον ἐγίνοντο φόνοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἀναγκαιοτάτων φίλων αὐτοῦ. παρέβαινε δὲ καὶ τὰ εθη τὰ πάτρια καὶ ξενικοῖς ἐπιτηδεύμασι διέφθειρε τὴν πάλαι κατάστασιν. πρὸς α τὸ πλῆθος τετάρακτό τε καὶ ἐχαλέπαινε. δέκα δὲ ανδρες τῶν πολιτῶν συνομοσάμενοι καὶ ξιφίδια τοῖς ἱματίοις ὑποβαλόντες εἰς τὸ θέατρον ἐχώρουν ἀπὸ συνθήματος η καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν ̔Ηρώδην διαχρησόμενοι η τέως τῶν περὶ ἐκεῖνον πολλούς. φωραθέντες δέ, καὶ μηδ' ἀρνησάμενοι τὸ βούλευμα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ ξίφη ἀναδείξαντες, πᾶσαν αἰκίαν ὑπομείναντες διεφθάρησαν. τὸν δὲ τούτους καταμηνύσαντα μετὰ μικρόν τινες διαρπάσαντες καὶ μελιστὶ διελόντες κυσὶν ἐπέρριψαν. ους εὑρηκὼς ̔Ηρώδης ἐτιμωρήσατο πανοικί. ἡ δὲ τοῦ πλήθους μῆνις ἐπέμενε. Συνέβη δὲ τότε κατὰ τὴν χώραν πάθη δεινότατα, 1.374 λιμός τε καὶ νόσοι σωμάτων ἐξ ἀσυνήθους διαίτης δι' ενδειαν σιτίων γινομένης, καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις πᾶσι λοιμός. ̔Ηρώδης δὲ τῷ καιρῷ βοηθεῖν προθυμούμενος ουτε χρημάτων ηὐπόρει, προκαταναλώσας αὐτὰ δι' ἐπίδειξιν εἰς πόλεων ἐπισκευάς, ουτε αἱ πλησιάζουσαι χῶραι σῖτον ειχον, τῆς αὐτῆς ἐνδείας καὶ ἐν ἐκείναις ἐπικρατούσης. τέως δὲ ὡς αν δύναιτο βοηθεῖν ἐγνωκώς, τὸν οντα κατὰ τὰ βασίλεια κόσμον συγκόψας εἰς