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that Alexander had heard from Salome who was saying that Herod was in love with Glaphyra. And Alexander was disturbed at the story out of jealousy, and not bearing the pain, he reported what was said by Pheroras to his father. But Herod, becoming enraged and not enduring the falsity of the slander and being agitated, sent for Pheroras, and said, "You wretch, by speaking such things against us, do you think you have put a word into the soul of my son, or a sword into his right hand?" And Pheroras said that Salome had persuaded him to this, and that the words were hers. But she denied it and tore at her hair and beat her breast, but because of the malice of her character she was not believed. Finally, the king sent away both his brother and his sister, but praised his son for his self-control and for reporting the words to him. And something else happened which again raised disturbances for the king in his house. He had eunuchs who were prized for their beauty, of whom one was appointed to be his cupbearer, another to serve his dinner, and another to put him to bed. It was reported that these had been corrupted with money by Alexander. And when put to the torture, the eunuchs confessed that they had had sexual intercourse with the young man, 1.385 but that they were conscious of nothing else with Alexander against his father. But when the torturers intensified the lashes, they said that there was enmity and hatred in Alexander toward his father, and that he would advise them to despair of Herod on account of his old age, but to pay attention to him, as the kingdom would come around to him, even if his father did not wish it, both on account of his lineage and the disposition of the commanders and his friends. Hearing these things, Herod was terrified and had suspicions and hatred toward everyone, and he forbade many of his friends access to the palace. And Antipater happened to be the cause of all these things. First, therefore, Herod examined under torture as many as he thought were loyal to Alexander, to see if they knew of any bold attempt against him; but they died having nothing to say. But one man, unable to bear the tortures, said that Alexander would say, when praised for the size of his body and his skill in shooting with a bow and other things, that if any good thing was given to him by nature or came to him from practice, it turned into a misfortune; for his father was vexed at his good qualities. And he added that he had planned with Aristobulus to kill his father during a hunt and to flee to Rome to sue for the kingdom. And letters from Alexander to his brother were also found, saying that their father was not acting justly by preferring Antipater. On these grounds, he arrested and bound Alexander. And he was eager to get some greater proof against his son, so that he might not seem to have bound him rashly. Therefore, torturing many of those in high station, he destroyed them, though they said nothing of the sort he expected. But when one of the younger men was under duress, he said that Alexander was writing to his friends in Rome, 1.386 asking to be summoned by Caesar, intending to reveal that Mithridates the king of Parthia had become friendly with his father against the Romans; and that a poison had been prepared for him in Ascalon. Herod considered these things a consolation for his rashness. However, the poison, when searched for immediately, was not found. But because of the excess of his misfortunes, Alexander, becoming contentious and wishing to take revenge on his enemies, so that they might perish with him, sent letters to his father saying that there was no need to use torture; for the plot had been planned, and both Pheroras and his most faithful friends took part in it; and that Salome had come in to him by night and had intercourse with him even against his will; but also that everyone had come to the same conclusion, so that with him out of the way they might be delivered from the constant expectation of being destroyed. But Archelaus, the king of the Cappadocians, learning these things, and being anxious for both his daughter and his son-in-law, arrived, and skillfully undertook the correction of the distressing situation, condemning the young man, but calling Herod reasonable, and he said he would dissolve the marriage. But as Archelaus said such things, was yielding from his severity, the
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̓Αλεξάνδρῳ ἀκηκοέναι Σαλώμης λεγούσης ἐρᾶν τὸν ̔Ηρώδην Γλαφύρας. ̓Αλέξανδρος δὲ πρὸς τὸν λόγον ἐκ ζηλοτυπίας τετάρακτο, καὶ τὴν ὀδύνην οὐκ ἐνεγκὼν τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ Φερώρα λεχθέντα τῷ πατρὶ κατεμήνυσεν. ὁ δ' ̔Ηρώδης περιπαθήσας καὶ τὸ τῆς διαβολῆς ἐψευσμένον οὐ φέρων θορυβηθείς τε μεταπέμπεται τὸν Φερώραν, καί "κάκιστε" ειπε, "τοιαῦτα καθ' ἡμῶν λαλήσας πότερον οιει λόγον εἰς τὴν ψυχὴν τοῦ παιδὸς η ξίφος εἰς τὴν δεξιὰν αὐτοῦ ἐμβαλεῖν;" Φερώρας δὲ Σαλώμην εφη ταῦτα συμπείσειν, κἀκείνης ειναι τοὺς λόγους. ἡ δὲ ἀπηρνεῖτο καὶ τῶν τριχῶν ἐπεδράττετο καὶ ἐστερνοτυπεῖτο, διὰ δὲ τὴν τῶν τρόπων οὐκ ἐπιστεύετο κακοήθειαν. τέλος δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν καὶ τὴν ἀδελφὴν ἀπεπέμπετο, τὸν υἱὸν δὲ τῆς ἐγκρατείας ἐπῄνεσε καὶ τοῦ πρὸς αὐτὸν τοὺς λόγους ἀνενεγκεῖν. Ετερον δέ τι συνέπεσε ταραχὰς αυθις ἐγεῖραν κατὰ τὴν οἰκίαν τῷ βασιλεῖ. ησαν αὐτῷ εὐνοῦχοι σπουδαζόμενοι διὰ κάλλος, ων ὁ μὲν οἰνοχοεῖν, ὁ δὲ δεῖπνον προσφέρειν, ὁ δὲ κατευνάζειν αὐτὸν ἐτέτακτο. τούτους ὑπ' ̓Αλεξάνδρου χρήμασι διαφθαρῆναι μηνύεται. καὶ βασάνοις ἐκδοθέντες οἱ ἐκτομίαι μίξιν μὲν αὐτῶν γενέσθαι πρὸς τὸν νεανίαν ἀνωμολόγουν, 1.385 αλλο δὲ οὐδὲν κατὰ τοῦ πατρὸς συνειδέναι τῷ ̓Αλεξάνδρῳ. ἐπιτεινόντων δὲ τῶν βασανιζόντων τὰς μάστιγας ελεγον ὡς ειη δυσμένεια καὶ μῖσος ̓Αλεξάνδρῳ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα, παραινοίη δὲ ̔Ηρώδην μὲν ἀπεγνωκέναι διὰ τὸ γῆρας, αὐτῷ δὲ προσέχειν, ὡς τῆς βασιλείας αὐτῷ περιελευσομένης, καν μὴ βούληται ὁ πατήρ, καὶ διὰ τὸ γένος καὶ διὰ τὴν τῶν ἡγεμόνων καὶ τῶν φίλων διάθεσιν. τούτων ἀκούσας ̔Ηρώδης περίφοβος ην καὶ πρὸς πάντας ὑποψίας ειχε καὶ μίση, πολλοῖς δὲ τῶν φίλων καὶ τὴν εἰς τὰ βασίλεια πρόσοδον ἀπηγόρευσε. πάντων δ' αιτιος ἐτύγχανεν ὁ ̓Αντίπατρος. πρῶτον μὲν ουν οσους ῳετο πιστοὺς ̓Αλεξάνδρῳ βασάνοις ὁ ̔Ηρώδης ἐξήταζεν, ει τι κατ' αὐτοῦ τολμηθὲν εἰδείησαν· οἱ δὲ ἀπέθνησκον οὐδὲν εχοντες λέγειν. εις δέ τις τὰς βασάνους μὴ φέρων ειπε λέγειν ̓Αλέξανδρον, ἐπαινούμενον διὰ τὸ τοῦ σώματος μέγεθος καὶ τὸ εὐστόχως βάλλειν ἐκ τόξου καὶ ταλλα, οτι ει τι παρὰ τῆς φύσεως αὐτῷ δέδοται καλὸν η ἐξ ἀσκήσεως προσεγένετο, εἰς δυστύχημα περιίσταται· αχθεσθαι γὰρ ἐπὶ τοῖς καλοῖς αὐτοῦ τὸν πατέρα. προσετίθει δὲ ὡς καὶ βουλεύσαιτο σὺν ̓Αριστοβούλῳ ἐν κυνηγεσίῳ ἀνελεῖν τὸν πατέρα καὶ εἰς ̔Ρώμην φυγεῖν τὴν βασιλείαν μετελευσόμενος. εὑρέθη δὲ καὶ γράμματα ̓Αλεξάνδρου πρὸς τὸν ὁμαίμονα μὴ δίκαια λέγοντα ποιεῖν τὸν πατέρα προτιμῶντα τὸν ̓Αντίπατρον. ἐπὶ τούτοις συλλαβὼν εδησε τὸν ̓Αλέξανδρον. εσπευδε δὲ καὶ μεῖζόν τι λαβεῖν τεκμήριον κατὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ, ινα μὴ προπετῶς δόξῃ αὐτὸν δεδεκώς. πολλοὺς ουν καὶ τῶν ἐν τέλει βασανίζων διέφθειρε, μηδὲν εἰπόντας οιον ἐκεῖνος ῳετο. ὡς δέ τις τῶν νεωτέρων ἐν ταῖς ἀνάγκαις ἐγένετο, ἐπιστέλλειν ελεγε τὸν ̓Αλέξανδρον τοῖς ἐν ̔Ρώμῃ 1.386 φίλοις, ἀξιοῦντα κληθῆναι ὑπὸ τοῦ Καίσαρος, μηνύσοντα Μιθριδάτην τὸν βασιλέα Πάρθων τῷ πατρὶ φιλιωθέντα κατὰ ̔Ρωμαίων· ειναι δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ φάρμακον κατεσκευασμένον ἐν ̓Ασκάλωνι. ταῦτα ̔Ηρώδης τῆς προπετείας ἐλογίζετο παραμύθιον. τὸ μέντοι φάρμακον εὐθὺς ζητηθὲν οὐχ εὑρέθη. διὰ δὲ τὴν τῶν κακῶν ὑπερβολὴν ὁ ̓Αλέξανδρος φιλονείκως διατεθείς, καὶ βουληθεὶς ἀμύνασθαι τοὺς ἐχθρούς, ιν' αὐτῷ συναπόλωνται, γράμματα πέπομφε τῷ πατρὶ ὡς οὐδὲν δεῖ βασανίζειν· μελετηθῆναι γὰρ τὴν ἐπιβουλήν, καὶ ταύτης μετέχειν τόν τε Φερώραν καὶ τοὺς πιστοτάτους αὐτῷ τῶν φίλων· Σαλώμην δὲ καὶ νύκτωρ ἐπεισελθοῦσαν αὐτῷ μιγῆναι καὶ ακοντι· ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντας εἰς ταὐτὸν ηκειν, ιν' ἐκ μέσου γεγονότος αὐτοῦ ἀπαλλαγεῖεν τοῦ ἀεὶ φθαρήσεσθαι προσδοκᾶν. ̓Αρχέλαος δὲ ὁ τῶν Καππαδοκῶν βασιλεὺς ταῦτα μαθών, καὶ ἀγωνιῶν ὑπέρ τε τῆς θυγατρὸς καὶ τοῦ κηδεστοῦ, παραγέγονε, καὶ εὐφυῶς μετῄει τῶν λυπούντων τὴν ἐπανόρθωσιν, τοῦ μὲν νεανίσκου καταγινώσκων, ἐπιεικῆ δὲ τὸν ̔Ηρώδην ἀποκαλῶν, τόν τε γάμον διαλύειν ελεγε. τοιαῦτα δὲ λέγοντος τοῦ ̓Αρχελάου ἐνεδίδου τῆς χαλεπότητος ὁ