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Upon these new acquisitions, he grew more magnificent, and conducted
Caesar as far as Antioch; but upon his return, as much as his prosperity
was augmented by the foreign additions that had been made him, so much
the greater were the distresses that came upon him in his own family, and
chiefly in the affair of his wife, wherein he formerly appeared to have
been most of all fortunate; for the affection he had for Mariamne was no
way inferior to the affections of such as are on that account celebrated
in history, and this very justly. As for her, she was in other respects
a chaste woman, and faithful to him; yet had she somewhat of a woman rough
by nature, and treated her husband imperiously enough, because she saw
he was so fond of her as to be enslaved to her. She did not also consider
seasonably with herself that she lived under a monarchy, and that she was
at another's disposal, and accordingly would behave herself after a saucy
manner to him, which yet he usually put off in a jesting way, and bore
with moderation and good temper. She would also expose his mother and his
sister openly, on account of the meanness of their birth, and would speak
unkindly of them, insomuch that there was before this a disagreement and
unpardonable hatred among the women, and it was now come to greater reproaches
of one another than formerly, which suspicions increased, and lasted a
whole year after Herod returned from Caesar. However, these misfortunes,
which had been kept under some decency for a great while, burst out all
at once upon such an occasion as was now offered; for as the king was one
day about noon lain down on his bed to rest him, he called for Mariamne,
out of the great affection he had always for her. She came in accordingly,
but would not lie down by him; and when he was very desirous of her company,
she showed her contempt of him; and added, by way of reproach, that he
had caused her father and her brother to be slain.
1
And when he took this injury very unkindly, and was ready to use violence
to her, in a precipitate manner, the king's sister Salome, observing that
he was more than ordinarily disturbed, sent in to the king his cup-bearer,
who had been prepared long beforehand for such a design, and bid him tell
the king how Mariamne had persuaded him to give his assistance in preparing
a love potion for him; and if he appeared to be greatly concerned, and
to ask what that love potion was, to tell him that she had the potion,
and that he was desired only to give it him; but that in case he did not
appear to be much concerned at this potion, to let the thing drop; and
that if he did so, no harm should thereby come to him. When she had given
him these instructions, she sent him in at this time to make such a speech.
So he went in, after a composed manner, to gain credit to what he should
say, and yet somewhat hastily, and said that Mariamne had given him presents,
and persuaded him to give him a love potion. And when this moved the king,
he said that this love potion was a composition that she had given him,
whose effects he did not know, which was the reason of his resolving to
give him this information, as the safest course he could take, both for
himself and for the king. When Herod heard what he said, and was in an
ill disposition before, his indignation grew more violent; and he ordered
that eunuch of Mariamne, who was most faithful to her, to be brought to
torture about this potion, as well knowing it was not possible that any
thing small or great could be done without him. And when the man was under
the utmost agonies, he could say nothing concerning the thing he was tortured
about, but so far he knew, that Mariamne's hatred against him was occasioned
by somewhat that Sohemus had said to her. Now as he was saying this, Herod
cried out aloud, and said that Sohemus, who had been at all other times
most faithful to him, and to his government, would not have betrayed what
injunctions he had given him, unless he had had a nearer conversation than
ordinary with Mariamne. So he gave order that Sohemus should be seized
on and slain immediately; but he allowed his wife to take her trial; and
got together those that were most faithful to him, and laid an elaborate
accusation against her for this love potion and composition, which had
been charged upon her by way of calumny only. However, he kept no temper
in what he said, and was in too great a passion for judging well about
this matter. Accordingly, when the court was at length satisfied that he
was so resolved, they passed the sentence of death upon her; but when the
sentence was passed upon her, this temper was suggested by himself, and
by some others of the court, that she should not be thus hastily put to
death, but be laid in prison in one of the fortresses belonging to the
kingdom: but Salome and her party labored hard to have the woman put to
death; and they prevailed with the king to do so, and advised this out
of caution, lest the multitude should be tumultuous if she were suffered
to live; and thus was Mariamne led to execution.