THE WARS OF THE JEWS
OR
THE HISTORY OF THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM
Book I: Chapter 22
THE MURDER OF ARISTOBULUS AND HYRCANUS, THE HIGH
PRIESTS, AS ALSO OF MARIAMNE THE QUEEN.
1. HOWEVER,
fortune was avenged on Herod in his external great
successes, by raising him up domestical troubles; and
he began to have wild disorders in his family, on
account of his wife, of whom he was so very fond. For
when he came to the government, he sent away her whom
he had before married when he was a private person,
and who was born at Jerusalem, whose name was Doris,
and married Mariamne, the daughter of Alexander, the
son of Aristobulus; on whose account disturbances
arose in his family, and that in part very soon, but
chiefly after his return from Rome. For, first of all,
he expelled Antipater the son of Doris, for the sake
of his sons by Mariamne, out of the city, and
permitted him to come thither at no other times than
at the festivals. After this he slew his wife’s
grandfather, Hyrcanus, when he was returned out of
Parthin to him, under this pretense, that he suspected
him of plotting against him. Now this Hyrcanus had
been carried captive to Barzapharnes, when he overran
Syria; but those of his own country beyond Euphrates
were desirous he would stay with them, and this out of
the commiseration they had for his condition; and had
he complied with their desires, when they exhorted him
not to go over the river to lierod, he had not
perished: but the marriage of his granddaughter [to
Herod] was his temptation; for as he relied upon him,
and was over-fond of his own country, he came back to
it. Herod’s provocation was this, — not that Hyrcanus
made any attempt to gain the kingdom, but that it was
fitter for him to be their king than for Herod.
2. Now of the five children which Herod had by
Mariamne, two of them were daughters, and three were
sons; and the youngest of these sons was educated at
Rome, and there died; but the two eldest he treated as
those of royal blood, on account of the nobility of
their mother, and because they were not born till he
was king. But then what was stronger than all this was
the love that he bare to Mariamne, and which inflamed
him every day to a great degree, and so far conspired
with the other motives, that he felt
no other troubles, on account of her he loved so
entirely. But Mariamne’s hatred to him was not
inferior to his love to her. She had indeed but too
just a cause of indignation from what he had done,
while her boldness proceeded from his affection to
her; so she openly reproached him with what he had
done to her grandfather Hyrcanus, and to her brother
Aristobulus; for he had not spared this Aristobulus,
though he were but a child; for when he had given him
the high priesthood at the age of seventeen, he slew
him quickly after he had conferred that dignity upon
him; but when Aristobulus had put on the holy
vestments, and had approached to the altar at a
festival, the multitude, in great crowds, fell into
tears; whereupon the child was sent by night to
Jericho, and was there dipped by the Galls, at Herod’s
command, in a pool till he was drowned.
3. For these reasons Mariamne reproached Herod, and
his sister and mother, after a most contumelious
manner, while he was dumb on account of his affection
for her; yet had the women great indignation at her,
and raised a calumny against her, that she was false
to his bed; which thing they thought most likely to
move Herod to anger. They also contrived to have many
other circumstances believed, in order to make the
thing more credible, and accused her of having sent
her picture into Egypt to Antony, and that her lust
was so extravagant, as to have thus showed herself,
though she was absent, to a man that ran mad after
women, and to a man that had it in his power to use
violence to her. This charge fell like a thunderbolt
upon Herod, and put him into disorder; and that
especially, because his love to her occasioned him to
be jealous, and because he considered with himself
that Cleopatra was a shrewd woman, and that on her
account Lysanias the king was taken off, as well as
Malichus the Arabian; for his fear did not only extend
to the dissolving of his marriage, but to the danger
of his life.
4. When therefore he was about to take a journey
abroad, he committed his wife to Joseph, his sister
Salome’s husband, as to one who would be faithful to
him, and bare him good-will on account of their
kindred; he also gave him a secret injunction, that if
Antony slew him, he should slay her. But Joseph,
without any ill design, and only in order to
demonstrate the king’s love to his wife, how he could
not bear to think of being separated from her, even by
death itself, discovered this grand secret to her;
upon which, when Herod was come back, and as they
talked together, and he
confirmed his love to her by many oaths, and
assured her that he had never such an affection for
any other woman as he had for her, — “Yes,” says she,
“thou didst, to be sure, demonstrate thy love to me by
the injunctions thou gavest Joseph, when thou
commandedst him to kill me.” 37
5. When he heard that this grand secret was
discovered, he was like a distracted man, and said
that Joseph would never have disclosed that injunction
of his, unless he had debauched her. His passion also
made him stark mad, and leaping out of his bed, he ran
about the palace after a wild manner; at which time
his sister Salome took the opportunity also to blast
her reputation, and confirmed his suspicion about
Joseph; whereupon, out of his ungovernable jealousy
and rage, he commanded both of them to be slain
immediately; but as soon as ever his passion was over,
he repented of what he had done, and as soon as his
anger was worn off, his affections were kindled again.
And indeed the flame of his desires for her was so
ardent, that he could not think she was dead, but
would appear, under his disorders, to speak to her as
if she were still alive, till he were better
instructed by time, when his grief and trouble, now
she was dead, appeared as great as his affection had
been for her while she was living.
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