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[340]
But as their affairs were in so flourishing a state, there sprang
up a calamity among them on the following occasion. When once they had
deviated from that course of virtue whereby they had gained so great power,
they affronted and transgressed the laws of their forefathers, and fell
under the dominion of their lusts and pleasures. A certain Parthian, who
came as general of an army into those parts, had a wife following him,
who had a vast reputation for other accomplishments, and particularly was
admired above all other women for her beauty. Anileus, the brother of Asineus,
either heard of that her beauty from others, or perhaps saw her himself
also, and so became at once her lover and her enemy; partly because he
could not hope to enjoy this woman but by obtaining power over her as a
captive, and partly because he thought he could not conquer his inclinations
for her. As soon therefore as her husband had been declared an enemy to
them, and was fallen in the battle, the widow of the deceased was married
to this her lover. However, this woman did not come into their house without
producing great misfortunes, both to Anileus himself, and to Asineus also;
but brought great mischiefs upon them on the occasion following. Since
she was led away captive, upon the death of her husband, she concealed
the images of those gods which were their country gods, common to her husband
and to herself: now it was the custom
of that country for all to have the idols they worship in their own houses,
and to carry them along with them when they go into a foreign land; agreeable
to which custom of theirs she carried her idols with her. Now at first
she performed her worship to them privately; but when she was become Anileus's
married wife, she worshipped them in her accustomed manner, and with the
same appointed ceremonies which she used in her former husband's days;
upon which their most esteemed friends blamed him at first, that he did
not act after the manner of the Hebrews, nor perform what was agreeable
to their laws, in marrying a foreign wife, and one that transgressed the
accurate appointments of their sacrifices and religious ceremonies; that
he ought to consider, lest, by allowing himself in many pleasures of the
body, he might lose his principality, on account of the beauty of a wife,
and that high authority which, by God's blessing, he had arrived at. But
when they prevailed not at all upon him, he slew one of them for whom he
had the greatest respect, because of the liberty he took with him; who,
when he was dying, out of regard to the laws, imprecated a punishment upon
his murderer Anileus, and upon Asineus also, and that all their companions
might come to a like end from their enemies; upon the two first as the
principal actors of this wickedness, and upon the rest as those that would
not assist him when he suffered in the defense of their laws. Now these
latter were sorely grieved, yet did they tolerate these doings, because
they remembered that they had arrived at their present happy state by no
other means than their fortitude. But when they also heard of the worship
of those gods whom the Parthians adore, they thought the injury that Anileus
offered to their laws was to be borne no longer; and a greater number of
them came to Asineus, and loudly complained of Aniteus, and told him that
it had been well that he had of himself seen what was advantageous to them;
but that however it was now high time to correct what had been done amiss,
before the crime that had been committed proved the ruin of himself and
all the rest of them. They added, that the marriage of this woman was made
without their consent, and without a regard to their old laws; and that
the worship which this woman paid [to her gods] was a reproach to the God
whom they worshipped. Now Asineus was sensible of his brother's offense,
that it had been already the cause of great mischiefs, and would be so
for the time to come; yet did he tolerate the same from the good-will he
had to so near a relation, and forgiving it to him, on account that his
brother was quite overborne by his wicked inclinations. But as more and
more still came about him every day, and the clamors about it became greater,
he at length spake to Anileus about these clamors, reproving him for his
former actions, and desiring him for the future to leave them off, and
send the woman back to her relations. But nothing was gained by these reproofs;
for as the woman perceived what a tumult was made among the people on her
account, and was afraid for Anileus, lest he should come to any harm for
his love to her, she infused poison into Asineus's food, and thereby took
him off, and was now secure of prevailing, when her lover was to be judge
of what should be done about her.
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