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[96]
When Cleopatra had obtained thus much, and had accompanied Antony
in his expedition to Armenia as far as Euphrates, she returned back, and
came to Apamia and Damascus, and passed on to Judea, where Herod met her,
and farmed of her parts of Arabia, and those revenues that came to her
from the region about Jericho. This country bears that balsam, which is
the most precious drug that is there, and grows there alone. The place
bears also palm trees, both many in number, and those excellent in their
kind. When she was there, and was very often with Herod, she endeavored
to have criminal conversation with the king; nor did she affect secrecy
in the indulgence of such sort of pleasures; and perhaps she had in some
measure a passion of love to him; or rather, what is most probable, she
laid a treacherous snare for him, by aiming to obtain such adulterous conversation
from him: however, upon the whole, she seemed overcome with love to him.
Now Herod had a great while borne no good-will to Cleopatra, as knowing
that she was a woman irksome to all; and at that time he thought her particularly
worthy of his hatred, if this attempt proceeded out of lust; he had also
thought of preventing her intrigues, by putting her to death, if such were
her endeavors. However, he refused to comply with her proposals, and called
a counsel of his friends to consult with them whether he should not kill
her, now he had her in his power; for that he should thereby deliver all
those from a multitude of evils to whom she was already become irksome,
and was expected to be still so for the time to come; and that this very
thing would be much for the advantage of Antony himself, since she would
certainly not be faithful to him, in case any such season or necessity
should come upon him as that he should stand in need of her fidelity. But
when he thought to follow this advice, his friends would not let him; and
told him that, in the first place, it was not right to attempt so great
a thing, and run himself thereby into the utmost danger; and they laid
hard at him, and begged of him to undertake nothing rashly, for that Antony
would never bear it, no, not though any one should evidently lay before
his eyes that it was for his own advantage; and that the appearance of
depriving him of her conversation, by this violent and treacherous method,
would probably set his affections more on a flame than before. Nor did
it appear that he could offer any thing of tolerable weight in his defense,
this attempt being against such a woman as was of the highest dignity of
any of her sex at that time in the world; and as to any advantage to be
expected from such an undertaking, if any such could be supposed in this
case, it would appear to deserve condemnation, on account of the insolence
he must take upon him in doing it: which considerations made it very plain
that in so doing he would find his government filled with mischief, both
great and lasting, both to himself and his posterity, whereas it was still
in his power to reject that wickedness she would persuade him to, and to
come off honorably at the same time. So by thus affrighting Herod, and
representing to him the hazard he must, in all probability, run by this
undertaking, they restrained him from it. So he treated Cleopatra kindly,
and made her presents, and conducted her on her way to Egypt.
Flavius Josephus. The Works of Flavius Josephus. Translated by. William Whiston, A.M. Auburn and Buffalo. John E. Beardsley. 1895.
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References (4 total)
- Cross-references to this page
(1):
- Smith's Bio, Cleopatra
- Cross-references in general dictionaries to this page
(3):
- LSJ, δια-πειράζω
- LSJ, κινδυν-ώδης
- LSJ, ὑποκατα-σκευάζω
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