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AND now what happened during Antipater's absence augmented the honor
to which he had been promoted, and his apparent eminence above his brethren;
for he had made a great figure in Rome, because Herod had sent recommendations
of him to all his friends there; only he was grieved that he was not at
home, nor had proper opportunities of perpetually calumniating his brethren;
and his chief fear was, lest his father should alter his mind, and entertain
a more favorable opinion of the sons of Mariamne; and as he had this in
his mind, he did not desist from his purpose, but continually sent from
Rome any such stories as he hoped might grieve and irritate his father
against his brethren, under pretense indeed of a deep concern for his preservation,
but in truth such as his malicious mind dictated, in order to purchase
a greater hope of the succession, which yet was already great in itself:
and thus he did till he had excited such a degree of anger in Herod, that
he was already become very ill-disposed towards the young men; but still
while he delayed to exercise so violent a disgust against them, and that
he might not either be too remiss or too rash, and so offend, he thought
it best to sail to Rome, and there accuse his sons before Caesar, and not
indulge himself in any such crime as might be heinous enough to be suspected
of impiety. But as he was going up to Rome, it happened that he made such
haste as to meet with Caesar at the city Aquilei
1
so when he came to the speech of Caesar, he asked for a time for hearing
this great cause, wherein he thought himself very miserable, and presented
his sons there, and accused them of their mad actions, and of their attempts
against him: That they were enemies to him; and by all the means they were
able, did their endeavors to show their hatred to their own father, and
would take away his life, and so obtain his kingdom, after the most barbarous
manner: that he had power from Caesar to dispose of it, not by necessity,
but by choice, to him who shall exercise the greatest piety towards him;
while these my sons are not so desirous of ruling, as they are, upon a
disappointment thereof, to expose their own life, if so be they may but
deprive their father of his life; so wild and polluted is their mind by
time become, out of their hatred to him: that whereas he had a long time
borne this his misfortune, he was now compelled to lay it before Caesar,
and to pollute his ears with such language, while he himself wants to know
what severity they have ever suffered from him, or what hardships he hath
ever laid upon them to make them complain of him; and how they can think
it just that he should not be lord of that kingdom which he in a long time,
and with great danger, had gained, and not allow him to keep it and dispose
of it to him who should deserve best; and this, with other advantages,
he proposes as a reward for the piety of such a one as will hereafter imitate
the care he hath taken of it, and that such a one may gain so great a requital
as that is: and that it is an impious thing for them to pretend to meddle
with it beforehand; for he who hath ever the kingdom in his view, at the
same time reckons upon procuring the death of his father, because otherwise
he cannot come at the government: that as for himself, he had hitherto
given them all that he was able, and what was agreeable to such as are
subject to the royal authority, and the sons of a king; what ornaments
they wanted, with servants and delicate fare, and had married them into
the most illustrious families, the one [Aristobulus] to his sister's daughter,
but Alexander to the daughter of king Archelaus; and, what was the greatest
favor of all, when their crimes were so very bad, and he had authority
to punish them, yet had he not made use of it against them, but had brought
them before Caesar, their common benefactor, and had not used the severity
which, either as a father who had been impiously abused, or as a king who
had been assaulted treacherously, he might have done, but made them stand
upon a level with him in judgment: that, however, it was necessary that
all this should not be passed over without punishment, nor himself live
in the greatest fears; nay, that it was not for their own advantage to
see the light of the sun after what they have done, although they should
escape at this time, since they had done the vilest things, and would certainly
suffer the greatest punishments that ever were known among mankind.