rewarded by the restoration of Jericho and the balsam gardens, besides the additional territories of Gadara, Hippou, and Samaria, and the seaports of Gaza, Anthedon, Joppa, and Straton's tower.*

Mariamne still retained her resentment for Herod's cruelty to her family, and murderous intentions towards herself. Him she upbraided with the murder of her father, her grandfather, and her brother; and his mother Cyprus and his sister Salome she taunted with the meanness of their birth. On Herod's return from his last visit to Octavianus, he found her aversion increased rather than diminished, and endured it under various conflicts of mind for more than a year; sometimes being tempted to punish her, and at others softened by the strength of his attachment to her. Upon one occasion, when she had discovered her angry feelings in no very measured terms, his sister Salome took advantage of it to send his butler to him, with an accusation that Mariamne had offered him a bribe to administer a cup of poison to him. Herod immediately ordered her favourite eunuch to be put to the rack, who confessed that the cause of Mariamne's aversion to Herod was something that Sohemus had told her. The tyrant immediately adopted a suspicion, similar to that which he had entertained respecting her uncle Joseph; viz.-that Sohemus would never have disclosed his secret, unless some improper familiarity existed between him and Mariamne; and therefore ordered him to be put to death instantly. He also selected some of his own creatures for the trial of Mariamne, who passed a sentence of death upon her. It would seem that neither they nor Herod intended that sentence should be executed, but merely that the queen should be confined to one of his castles; but his mother and sister so inflamed and excited his anger, jealousy, and apprehensions,

* Prid. ii. 687.

that Herod ordered her to be executed. Mariamne underwent her sentence with great calmness and fortitude, although the disgraceful conduct of her own mother* was sufficient to have disturbed the tranquillity of a woman of less magnanimity.

As for the tyrant himself, he soon felt all the bitterness of remorse, and the image of his murdered wife was ever present to his imagination. These horrid reflections he attempted to stifle by wine and debauchery, but all in vain; for he became at last in an absolute phrensy, raving out for Mariamne night and day.†

In this state of alienation of mind, it pleased God, as a just judgment for the horrible wickedness of the land and the rulers thereof, to visit both small and great with a grievous pestilence; upon which Herod, as it were giving up all for lost, retired to Samaria, where he fell into a great sickness which had nearly cost him his life.‡

Notwithstanding the dreadful examples which Alexandra had so repeatedly had before her eyes, anticipating that Herod's sickness would end in his death, she began to intrigue, in favour of the sons of Herod by Mariamne, with the governors of some of the castles; but having been betrayed by them to Herod, he gave orders for putting her immediately to death, which was accordingly done.§

Salome had married Costobarus for her second husband, to whom Herod had formerly consigned the sons of Babas, for

Fearing that her turn might come next, in order to save her life, as her daughter was led to execution, Alexandra accosted her with bitter railings, accusing her of being wicked and ungrateful towards a kind and affectionate husband, and telling her that she had what she deserved; and all this she expressed with such a seeming emotion of spirit, as if she would fly in her face all the way as she went. Prid. ii. 691.

+ Prid. ii. 692.

Prid. ii. 692.

§ Prid. ii. 693.

the purpose of putting them privately to death, but whom he had secretly preserved. Salome, quarrelling with her husband, sent him a bill of divorce, contrary to the Jewish law, but backed by the authority of Herod; in order to ingratiate herself with whom, she discovered where her husband had concealed and preserved the sons of Babas; upon which Herod sent and not only slew them, but also Costobarus, Lysimachus, Antipater, Dositheus, and several others whom Salome accused of having entered into a conspiracy against him.†

Hitherto Herod had paid an outward respect to the Jewish polity; but having now cut off the heads of all the Asmonean family, he imagined he might venture by degrees to deviate from the national usages, and introduce practices more conformable to the Roman and other pagan nations. He, therefore, built at Jerusalem a theatre and amphitheatre, and in honour of Augustus, the name which had now been conferred upon Octavianus by the senate, celebrated games and exhibited shows in them, which gave great offence to the Jews.‡

Some of these innovations excited such resentment, that a conspiracy was formed for assassinating him at the theatre; but one of his numerous spies having discovered it just in time to prevent the tyrant from entering, the conspirators were seized and put to death with the greatest cruelty. The informer also met with similar treatment, for being waylaid, he was torn in pieces by the populace; but Herod contrived to discover all the perpetrators, and put them to death.§

With a view to his greater preservation, Herod set about providing other places of strength besides Jerusalem; and for that purpose rebuilt the city of Samaria in great splendour,

Prid, ii. 695.

Jos. ii. 354.

Prid. ii. 695.

§ Prid. ii. 697.

and in honour of Augustus gave it the name of Sebaste.* He also garrisoned Straton's tower, and called it Cæsarea, likewise in honour of Cæsar Augustus, together with Gabala and other fortresses.†

In the thirteenth year of the reign of Herod, a dreadful famine visited Judea, and so great was the distress that Herod melted down all his family and private plate, in order to purchase corn from Egypt; and the flocks having perished through a long drought which preceded and induced the famine, he procured great quantities of foreign wool, against the approach of the cold season; and by these acts of foresight and generosity, in some measure recovered the goodwill of the inhabitants.+

In the fourteenth year of his reign, Herod erected a magnificent palace on the top of mount Sion, which was so large as almost to rival the temple itself; and was famous for two large and sumptuous rooms, one of which he called Cæsareum, in honour of Augustus Cæsar, and the other Agrippeum, in honour of Agrippa, the principal favourite of Augustus. And the Roman emperor having sent Elius Gallus on an expedition against the southern Arabs, Herod supplied that general with five hundred men out of his own guards to accompany him.§

Having fallen in love with a daughter of Simon, one of the priests of Jerusalem, whose name also was Mariamne, he deposed Jesus, the son of Phebes, who was then high priest, and invested Simon with that sacred office, in order that his

*Or the city of Augustus. This place he planted with six thousand inhabitants invited thither from all parts, and divided among them the country about it, which being of a very fertile soil, as soon as it was cultivated, brought forth such plenty, as in a short time rendered the place rich and populous, and made it fully answer all the purposes for which he intended it. Prid. ii. 697.

daughter might be a more suitable match for him, and then married her. And soon afterwards he built another stately palace, on the summit of a hill about seven miles from Jerusalem, and which he called Herodium, which soon became the centre of a considerable town.*

Herod having sent his two sons by his first wife, Mariamne, viz. Alexander and Aristobulus, to Rome for their education, placed them under the care of his friend Pollio; but Augustus taking them under his own patronage, assigned them apartments in his palace, and gave Herod full power to leave the succession of his territories to whichever son he pleased.†

Zenodorus, who farmed Trachonitis, Auranitis, and Batanea, of Varro, the then president of Syria, had formed a disgraceful connexion with various bands of robbers who dwelt in the caves and fastnesses of the mountains, and which occasioned so much mischief to the inhabitants, that Augustus placed all the provinces under the government of Herod, with the title of tetrarch. Herod soon routed out the robbers, but Zenodorus having lost as well his participation in their unjust gain as his tetrarchy, went to Rome to complain against Herod, but met with no encouragement. On his return he excited the Gadarenes to raise disturbances, who thereupon applied to Agrippa, who then governed for Augustus in the east, and resided at Mitylene, in the isle of Lesbos. Arriving, however, just after Herod had paid the Roman governor a complimentary visit, Agrippa not only paid no attention to their complaints, but putting the ambassadors in chains, sent them bound to Herod, who, through clemency and policy, dismissed them without punishment.‡

Prid. ii. 704.

+ At the same time he added to his former dominions Trachonitis, Auranitis, and Batanea, from whence Herod had expelled some formidable bands of banditti. Prid. ii. 705.

Prid. ii. 707.