Hyrcanus, and questioned him about his league with Malchus. On his denying it, he showed the letter to the sanhedrim, and put him to death instantly. Josephus gives this account from Herod's own Commentaries; but states that other historians tell a different tale. They suppose that Herod did not find, but make this occasion, by laying an insidious snare. According to them, Herod and Hyrcanus were once at an entertainment, when Herod put the question to the latter, without appearing to be displeased, whether he had received any letters from Malchus? The answer was, that he had received letters, but only of common-place civility. The question was again put, whether he had not received presents? On his reply, that he had only received four ridinghorses from Malchus, Herod charged this upon him as corruption and treason, and gave immediate orders for his execution. The historians urge the mildness of his temper as an argument of his innocence. In his youth he had exhibited neither temerity nor boldness. When he came to be king, he committed the management of public business to Antipater. He was now above fourscore years old, and knew Herod's government to be stable. Besides this, he came over the Euphrates, leaving his faithful adherents on the other side of that river, and putting himself entirely in Herod's power. They consider it as incredible that he should so depart from his usual character, or form any enterprise for the purpose of innovation. The inference is, that this was a plot of Herod's own contrivance.

As soon as Hyrcanus was out of the way, Herod hastened to Cæsar. He could not entertain hopes

of kindness from him, on account of his friendship with Antony. He suspected Alexandra of taking this opportunity to produce a revolt among the multitude, and foster sedition. He therefore committed the affairs of the kingdom to his brother Pheroras, and placed his mother Cypras and his sister Salome, and the whole family at Massada, giving him charge to take care of the government, if he should hear any bad tidings of himself. Mutual misunderstanding prevented his wife Mariamne from living with his sister and his mother. He therefore placed her at Alexandrium with her own mother Alexandra, and left his treasurer Joseph, and Sohemus of Iturea, to take care of that fortress. Herod was confirmed in his kingdom by Cæsar, partly in consequence of Quintus Didius having written word, that he was willing to assist in an affair of gladiators.

He

Herod had five children by Mariamne; two daughters and three sons. The youngest of the sons was educated at Rome, and died there. treated the two eldest as of royal blood, on account of their mother's noble rank, and their birth after he was king. His love for Mariamne was very strong, and increased from day to day. He considered all his other anxieties as compensated by the possession of her. But she returned his affection with consummate hatred. In this part of the story, Josephus is inconsistent. In one place he represents her as reproaching Herod with the murder of her father Alexander, as well as her brother Aristobulus: in another, he gives the received story, that he caused her grandfather Hyrcanus to be slain, not her father Alexander. If we may be allowed to read grandfather for father, the name

neither of Alexander nor Hyrcanus being mentioned, Josephus's accuracy and consistency will be vindicated.

The dominions of Herod were now enlarged, and he became more magnificent. He conducted Cæsar as far as Antioch after their interview. In proportion as his prosperity was augmented by foreign acquisitions, his family distresses increased on his return. They arose chiefly from his wife, in whom he had hitherto considered himself as most fortunate; nor could any husband exceed him in affection. But she upbraided his mother and sister openly with the meanness of their birth, and spoke of them with unkindness. These bickerings between the women were of long standing; but their hatred at length broke out into mutual reproaches in public, not unaccompanied with suspicious hints. This lasted a whole year after Herod's return from Cæsar, though for some time decency had been in a great degree preserved. The storm burst all at once. The king was one day resting on his bed at noon, when his fondness induced him to call for MariThe ebullitions of her wayward temper offended him, and he was on the point of using violence to her. His sister Salome, noticing that he was more than ordinarily disturbed, sent the king's cup-bearer in to him precipitately, according to a design long in preparation. She bid him tell the king, how Mariamne had persuaded him to assist her in preparing a love-potion for him. He went in and told his story with a sufficient degree of composure to gain credit, yet with an affectation of hurry. Finding the king moved, he said that the love-potion she had mixed was a composition, whose effects he was not acquainted with: he

amne.

determined therefore to give this information, as the safest course he could adopt both for himself and for the king. Herod was in ill-humour, and his anger grew more violent. He ordered Mariamne's most faithful eunuch to be put to the torture about this potion, because it was not possible for any thing to be done without his knowledge. The most acute agonies could extort nothing from the man on the subject in question : but he said, that Mariamne hated Herod in consequence of some suggestion on the part of Sohemus. Herod cried aloud, that Sohemus, having been at all other times faithful to him and to his government, would not have betrayed his secrets but in more intimate conversation than ordinary with Mariamne. He gave orders that Sohemus should be seized, and slain immediately. He allowed his wife to take her trial: but got together his most attached people, and laid an elaborate information against her for this love-potion and suspicious composition, the charge concerning which was a meré calumny. The court, seeing the bent of his mind, passed sentence of death; but he and some others suggested that she should only be imprisoned in one of the fortresses. Salome and her party laboured hard for immediate execution, using prudential arguments to the king, lest the multitude should be tumultuous if she were suffered to live. The sentence therefore was carried into effect. Alexandra, on seeing this, felt how little hope there was that she herself should escape the like treatment from Herod. She therefore recovered her former boldness. To show her ignorance of the crimes charged against Mariamne, she indecently reproached her daughter in the

hearing of all the people. She accused her of being a bad woman, ungrateful to her husband, and justly punished for her insolent behaviour, and unsuitable returns to their common benefactor. She acted this hypocritical part for some time, and carried her outrage so far as to tear her hair. This occurred at the scaffold. Both the spectators and the victim were shocked at such dissimulation. The daughter looked at her, but uttered not a word, and seemed to feel nothing on her own account. But the nobleness of her mind discovered itself in her manifest concern for her mother's self-exposure. She then proceeded to her death with unshaken firmness of mind, and without changing colour. Her last moments were worthy of her descent. In her life she had been distinguished for chastity and magnanimity. Her fault was want of moderation, and a contentious temper. Her beauty was great, and her appearance majestic. The stern dignity of her character prevented her from proving so agreeable to the king, or living so pleasantly with him, as she might have done. His indulgence and fondness were unbounded; and this sometimes led her to try him beyond bearing, and produced unexpected harshness on his part.

After this time Herod revolted from the laws of his country, and corrupted their ancient constitution, by the introduction of foreign customs. That constitution ought to have been inviolate. When the religious observances which were wont to inspire the multitude with piety were neglected, wickedness generally prevailed. He appointed solemn games to be celebrated every fifth year in honour of Cæsar, built a theatre at Jerusalem, and