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Herod was also brought to grief and tears, and he begged him not to dissolve the marriage, but to relax his anger for the things in which the young man had erred. But Archelaus, seeing that Herod had already softened, transferred the blame to others, and especially to Pheroras. So he turned to Archelaus, so that he might be a reconciler for him with Herod. And he advised him that it would be better to approach his brother himself and beg him, confessing himself to be the cause of everything; for in this way he would soften the harshness 1.387 of his anger; and he himself promised to be present and to assist. Pheroras was persuaded. And so Alexander was freed from the accusations, and Archelaus reconciled Pheroras with Herod. But after some time matters concerning the sons and the household became much worse for Herod. For Eurycles from Lacedaemon, not undistinguished among those there, but a man most wicked in his disposition, visiting Herod, gives him gifts, and having received more, became one of the king's closest friends. And he had lodging in Antipater's house; and he also approached Alexander, saying that he was also an acquaintance of Archelaus, for which reason he also pretended to honor Glaphyra. When he had become intimate with this man, Alexander made a tragedy of his own affairs, and related what had happened to his mother, and said that it seemed unbearable. And so, being in pain, he made such speeches to Eurycles, but the other reported everything to Antipater. And Antipater welcomed him with gifts and thought it right that he should report these words to his father. And he so disposed the king as to make his hatred irreversible. And he went away, having made a profit, but Herod was so enraged at his sons that he no longer needed slanders, but he himself investigated their affairs and watched everything. For instance, two of the king's bodyguards, having been dismissed because of his anger, were riding with Alexander and his companions and were receiving gifts from him. Therefore, Herod, suspecting them, immediately tortured them. And at first they held out, then they reported that Alexander 1.388 was persuading them to kill Herod while he was hunting. And the commander of the garrison of Alexandrium was also questioned, as having promised to receive the young men in the fortress. And he confessed nothing, but his son testified that these things had happened, and he produced letters about these matters, from the hand of Alexander, as one might guess. Therefore Herod was no longer in doubt about the plot of his sons, but Alexander insisted that the little note had been forged by Antipater. So then the young men were put under guard, and they had the disgrace and fear of condemned men. But Aristobulus, thinking that his mother-in-law Salome shared his grief and hated the one who was persuaded of such things, said, "These things also foretell danger for you, since you have been slandered concerning the hope of marriage with Syllaeus." She immediately reported these words to her brother. And he ordered both his sons to be bound and separated from one another, and for each to write what they had plotted against their father. And they wrote that they had neither conceived of a plot against their father nor indeed contrived one, but had planned an escape, and this out of necessity, since their life was suspicious and full of fear. Then, therefore, when an ambassador had come from Archelaus, he brought out Alexander as a prisoner, and inquired about the escape in the hearing of the ambassador, where and how they had decided to depart; and he said to Archelaus that having agreed, he would send him from there to Rome, but that he had considered nothing else improper or difficult against his father. When these things had been said thus, the king gave letters to Caesar and ordered two of his men, when sailing along Cilicia, to meet Archelaus and to blame him because he had assisted his sons in the plot. Archelaus, however, made the defense that he had agreed to receive the 1.389 young men for the advantage of both them and their father, but not to send them to Caesar. And having been brought to Rome, the bearers of the letters gave them to Caesar. And he wrote back that he was grieved over the sons, but that he gave him full authority. And if they had done anything unholy, he should proceed against them as parricides, but if an escape

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̔Ηρώδης καὶ κατήνεκτο πρὸς λύπην καὶ δάκρυα, ἐδεῖτό τε μὴ λύειν τὸν γάμον, ἀλλὰ χαλᾶν τὴν ὀργὴν ἐφ' οις ὁ νεανίσκος ἡμάρτηκεν. ̓Αρχέλαος δὲ ηδη μαλαχθέντα τὸν ̔Ηρώδην θεώμενος εἰς αλλους τὰς αἰτίας μετέφερε, καὶ μᾶλλον εἰς τὸν Φερώραν. ὁ δὲ πρὸς ̓Αρχέλαον ἐτράπετο, ιν' εσοιτο αὐτῷ πρὸς ̔Ηρώδην διαλλακτής. καὶ ος συνεβούλευεν αὐτῷ βέλτιον ειναι δι' ἑαυτοῦ προσιέναι τῷ ἀδελφῷ καὶ δεῖσθαι, πάντων ὁμολογοῦντα αιτιον ἑαυτόν· μαλάξαι γὰρ ουτω τὸ σκληρὸν 1.387 τῆς ὀργῆς· καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ παρὼν συλλήψεσθαι ἐπηγγέλλετο. πείθεται ὁ Φερώρας. καὶ ̓Αλέξανδρος μὲν τῶν αἰτιῶν ἀπελύετο, ̓Αρχέλαος δὲ τῷ ̔Ηρώδῃ τὸν Φερώραν διήλλαξε. Μετὰ καιρὸν δὲ πολὺ χεῖρον εσχε τὰ κατὰ τοὺς παῖδας καὶ τὴν οἰκίαν ̔Ηρώδῃ. Εὐρυκλῆς γὰρ ἀπὸ Λακεδαίμονος οὐκ ασημος τῶν ἐκεῖ, κάκιστος δὲ τὴν προαίρεσιν ανθρωπος, ἐπιδημήσας πρὸς ̔Ηρώδην δίδωσιν αὐτῷ δῶρα, καὶ πλείω λαβὼν γέγονε φίλος ἐν τοῖς μάλιστα τοῦ βασιλέως. ην δὲ αὐτῷ καταγωγὴ ἐν τοῖς ̓Αντιπάτρου· προσῄει δὲ καὶ ̓Αλεξάνδρῳ, γνωστὸς ειναι λέγων καὶ ̓Αρχελάῳ, οθεν καὶ τὴν Γλαφύραν τιμᾶν ὑπεκρίνετο. τούτῳ συνήθει γεγονότι ̓Αλέξανδρος τὰ καθ' ἑαυτὸν ἐξετραγῴδει, καὶ τὰ κατὰ τὴν μητέρα ἐδίδασκε, καὶ ελεγε μὴ δοκεῖν ἀνεκτά. καὶ ὁ μὲν ἀλγῶν τοιούτους λόγους πεποίητο πρὸς τὸν Εὐρυκλῆν, ὁ δὲ πάντα τῷ ̓Αντιπάτρῳ ἀνέφερεν. ̓Αντίπατρος δὲ δώροις αὐτὸν ἐδεξιοῦτο καὶ ἠξίου πρὸς τὸν πατέρα τοὺς λόγους φράζειν. ὁ δὲ ουτω τὸν βασιλέα διέθηκεν ὡς ἀμετάγνωστον ποιῆσαι τὸ μῖσος. καὶ ὁ μὲν ἀπῄει χρηματισάμενος, ̔Ηρώδης δὲ τοσοῦτον πρὸς τοὺς παῖδας ἐξώργιστο ὡς μηκέτι δεῖσθαι διαβολῶν, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς περιεργάζεσθαι τὰ ἐκείνων καὶ παρατηρεῖν εκαστα. ∆ύο γοῦν τῶν σωματοφυλάκων τοῦ βασιλέως κατ' ὀργὴν αὐτοῦ ἀπεωσμένοι τοῖς περὶ ̓Αλέξανδρον συνιππάζοντο καὶ δῶρα ἐξ ἐκείνου ἐλάμβανον. ὑποπτεύσας ουν τούτους ̔Ηρώδης εὐθὺς ἐβασάνιζεν. οἱ δὲ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον διεκαρτέρουν, ειτ' ἀπήγγελλον ὡς πείθοι αὐτοὺς κτεῖναι θηρῶντα τὸν ̔Ηρώδην ̓Αλέ1.388 ξανδρος. καὶ ὁ φρούραρχος δὲ τοῦ ̓Αλεξανδρίου ἠτάζετο ὡς ἐπαγγειλάμενος δέξασθαι τοὺς νεανίσκους ἐν τῷ φρουρίῳ. κἀκεῖνος μὲν οὐδὲν ὡμολόγει, ὁ δὲ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ ταῦτα γενέσθαι κατέθετο, καὶ γράμματα ἐπέδωκε περὶ τούτων, ὡς εἰκάσαι, τῆς τοῦ ̓Αλεξάνδρου χειρός. ὁ μὲν ουν ̔Ηρώδης οὐκέτι ἐνδοιάσιμος ην περὶ τῆς τῶν παίδων ἐπιβουλῆς, ̓Αλέξανδρος δὲ δι' ̓Αντιπάτρου τὸ γραμματίδιον κακουργηθῆναι ἀπισχυρίζετο. τότε μὲν ουν φυλακὴ τῶν νεανίσκων ἐγίνετο, καὶ καταδίκων ειχον ἀδοξίαν καὶ δέος. ὁ δ' ̓Αριστόβουλος τὴν ἑαυτοῦ πενθερὰν Σαλώμην συναλγεῖν οἰόμενος καὶ μισεῖν τὸν τὰ τοιαῦτα πειθόμενον, "ταῦτα καὶ σοί" εφη "κίνδυνον προμηνύει, διαβεβλημένῃ κατ' ἐλπίδα γάμου Συλαίου." τούτους ἐκείνη τοὺς λόγους εὐθὺς προσφέρει τῷ ἀδελφῷ. ὁ δὲ δεθῆναι κελεύει καὶ αμφω τοὺς υἱοὺς καὶ ἀπ' ἀλλήλων διαστῆναι, γράψαι τε εκαστον οσα κατὰ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐμελέτησαν. οἱ δὲ γράφουσιν ἐπιβουλὴν μὲν ουτ' ἐννοῆσαι κατὰ τοῦ πατρὸς ουτε μὴν συσκευάσασθαι, δρασμὸν δὲ μελετῆσαι, καὶ τοῦτον δι' ἀνάγκην, ὑπόπτου καὶ περιδεοῦς ουσης αὐτοῖς τῆς ζωῆς. τότε τοίνυν ηκοντος ἐξ ̓Αρχελάου πρεσβευτοῦ ἐξῆγε τὸν ̓Αλέξανδρον δεσμώτην, καὶ περὶ τῆς φυγῆς ἐπυνθάνετο ἐπ' ἀκροάσει τοῦ πρεσβευτοῦ, οπου καὶ πῶς ἐγνώκασιν ἀποχωρεῖν· ὁ δὲ πρὸς ̓Αρχέλαον εφη ἐκεῖθεν εἰς ̔Ρώμην συνθέμενον διαπέμψειν, αλλο δὲ οὐδὲν ατοπον η δυσχερὲς λογίσασθαι κατὰ τοῦ πατρός. τούτων ουτω ῥηθέντων ὁ βασιλεὺς γράμματα πρὸς Καίσαρα δοὺς δύο τῶν ὑπ' αὐτὸν ἐκέλευσεν ἐν παράπλῳ τῇ Κιλικίᾳ προσσχόντας ἐντυχεῖν ̓Αρχελάῳ καὶ μέμψασθαι οτι τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς τοῖς παισὶ συνεφάψαιτο. ̓Αρχέλαος μέντοι ἀπελογεῖτο δέξασθαι τοὺς 1.389 νεανίας συνθέσθαι διὰ τὸ συμφέρον κἀκείνοις καὶ τῷ πατρί, οὐ μὴν πρὸς Καίσαρα πέμψειν. εἰς ̔Ρώμην δὲ ἀποκομισθέντες οἱ τῶν ἐπιστολῶν κομισταὶ ταύτας δεδώκασι Καίσαρι. ὁ δὲ ἀντεπέστειλεν αχθεσθαι ἐπὶ τοῖς παισίν, ἐπ' ἐκείνῳ δὲ τὴν πᾶσαν ἐξουσίαν ποιεῖν. καὶ εἰ μέν τι ἀνόσιον πεποιήκασιν, ἐπεξιέναι ὡς πατραλοίας, εἰ δὲ δρασμὸν