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[297]
And here it was that Silo discovered he had taken bribes; for he
set many of the soldiers to clamor about their want of necessaries, and
to require their pay, in order to buy themselves food, and to demand that
he would lead them into places convenient for their winter quarters; because
all the parts about the city were laid waste by the means of Antigonus's
army, which had taken all things away. By this he moved the army, and attempted
to get them off the siege; but Herod went to the captains that were under
Silo, and to a great many of the soldiers, and begged of them not to leave
him, who was sent thither by Caesar, and Antony, and the senate; for that
he would take care to have their wants supplied that very day. After the
making of which entreaty, he went hastily into the country, and brought
thither so great an abundance of necessaries, that he cut off all Silo's
pretenses; and in order to provide that for the following days they should
not want supplies, he sent to the people that were about Samaria (which
city had joined itself to him) to bring corn, and wine, and oil, and cattle
to Jericho. When Antigonus heard of this, be sent some of his party with
orders to hinder, and lay ambushes for these collectors of corn. This command
was obeyed, and a great multitude of armed men were gathered together about
Jericho, and lay upon the mountains, to watch those that brought the provisions.
Yet was Herod not idle, but took with him ten cohorts, five of them were
Romans, and five were Jewish cohorts, together with some mercenary troops
intermixed among them, and besides those a few horsemen, and came to Jericho;
and when he came, he found the city deserted, but that there were five
hundred men, with their wives and children, who had taken possession of
the tops of the mountains; these he took, and dismissed them, while the
Romans fell upon the rest of the city, and plundered it, having found the
houses full of all sorts of good things. So the king left a garrison at
Jericho, and came back, and sent the Roman army into those cities which
were come over to him, to take their winter quarters there, viz. into Judea,
[or Idumea,] and Galilee, and Samaria. Antigonus also by bribes obtained
of Silo to let a part of his army be received at Lydda, as a compliment
to Antonius.
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