THE WARS OF THE JEWS
OR
THE HISTORY OF THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM
Book I: Chapter 25
ARCHELAUS PROCURES A RECONCILIATION BETWEEN
ALEXANDER PHERORAS, AND HEROD.
1. NOW as to Alexander,
since he perceived it impossible to persuade his
father [that he was innocent], he resolved to meet his
calamities, how severe soever they were; so he
composed four books against his enemies, and confessed
that he had been in a plot; but declared withal that
the greatest part [of the courtiers] were in a plot
with him, and chiefly Pheroras and Salome; nay, that
Salome once came and forced him to lie with her in the
night time, whether he would or no. These books were
put into Herod’s hands, and made a great clamor
against the men in power. And now it was that
Archelaus came hastily into Judea, as being affrighted
for his son-in-law and his daughter; and he came as a
proper assistant, and in a very prudent manner, and by
a stratagem he obliged the king not to execute what he
had threatened; for when he was come to him, he cried
out, “Where in the world is this wretched son-in-law
of mine? Where shall I see the head of him which
contrived to murder his father, which I will tear to
pieces with my own hands? I will do the same also to
my daughter, who hath such a fine husband; for
although she be not a partner in the plot, yet, by
being the wife of such a creature, she is polluted.
And I cannot but admire at thy patience, against whom
this plot is laid, if Alexander be still alive; for as
I came with what haste I could from Cappadocia, I
expected to find him put to death for his crimes long
ago; but still, in order to make an examination with
thee about my daughter, whom, out of regard to thee
and by dignity, I had espoused to him in marriage; but
now we must take counsel about them both; and if thy
paternal affection be so great, that thou canst not
punish thy son, who hath plotted against thee, let us
change our right hands, and let us succeed one to the
other in expressing our rage upon this occasion.”
2. When he had made this pompous declaration, he
got Herod to remit ofhis anger, though he were in
disorder, who thereupon gave him the books which
Alexander had composed to be read by him; and as he
came to every
head, he considered of it, together with Herod. So
Archclaus took hence the occasion for that stratagem
which he made use of, and by degrees he laid the blame
on those men whose names were in these books, and
especially upon Pheroras; and when he saw that the
king believed him [to he in earnest], he said, “We
must consider whether the young man be not himself
plotted against by such a number of wicked wretches,
and not thou plotted against by the young man; for I
cannot see any occasion for his falling into so horrid
a crime, since he enjoys the advantages of royalty
already, and has the expectation of being one of thy
successors; I mean this, unless there were some
persons that persuade him to it, and such persons as
make an ill use of the facility they know there is to
persuade young men; for by such persons, not only
young men are sometimes imposed upon, but old men
also, and by them sometimes are the most illustrious
families and kingdoms overturned.”
3. Herod assented to what he had said, and, by
degrees, abated of his angeragainst Alexander, but was
more angry at Pheroras; for the principal subject of
the four books was Pheroras; who perceiving that the
king’s inclinations changed on a sudden, and that
Archelaus’s friendship could do every thing with him,
and that he had no honorable method of preserving
himself, he procured his safety by his impudence. So
he left Alexander, and had recourse to Archelaus, who
told him that he did not see how he could get him
excused, now he was directly caught in so many crimes,
whereby it was evidently demonstrated that he had
plotted against the king, and had been the cause of
those misfortunes which the young man was now under,
unless he would moreover leave off his cunning
knavery, and his denials of what he was charged
withal, and confess the charge, and implore pardon of
his brother, who still had a kindness for him; but
that if he would do so, he would afford him all the
assistance he was able.
4. With this advice Pheroras complied, and putting
himself into such ahabit as might most move
compassion, he came with black cloth upon his body,
and tears in his eyes, and threw himself down at
Herod’s feet, and begged his pardon for what he had
done, and confessed that he had acted very wickedly,
and was guilty of every thing that he had been accused
of, and lamented that disorder of his mind, and
distraction which his love to a woman, he said, had
brought him to. So when Archelaus had brought Pheroras
to accuse and bear witness against himself, he then
made an
excuse for him, and mitigated Herod’s anger towards
him, and this by using certain domestical examples;
for that when he had suffered much greater mischiefs
from a brother of his own, he prefered the obligations
of nature before the passion of revenge; because it is
in kingdoms as it is in gross bodies, where some
member or other is ever swelled by the body’s weight,
in which case it is not proper to cut off such member,
but to heal it by a gentle method of cure.
5. Upon Arehelaus’s saying this, and much more to
the same purpose,Herod’s displeasure against Pheroras
was mollified; yet did he persevere in his own
indignation against Alexander, and said he would have
his daughter divorced, and taken away from him, and
this till he had brought Herod to that pass, that,
contrary to his former behavior to him, he petitioned
Archelaus for the young man, and that he would let his
daughter continue espoused to him: but Archelaus made
him strongly believe that he would permit her to be
married to any one else, but not to Alexander, because
he looked upon it as a very valuable advantage, that
the relation they had contracted by that affinity, and
the privileges that went along with it, might be
preserved. And when the king said that his son would
take it for a great favor to him, if he would not
dissolve that marriage, especially since they had
already children between the young man and her, and
since that wife of his was so well beloved by him, and
that as while she remains his wife she would be a
great preservative to him, and keep him from
offending, as he had formerly done; so if she should
be once torn away from him, she would be the cause of
his falling into despair, because such young men’s
attempts are best mollified when they are diverted
from them by settling their affections at home. So
Arehelaus complied with what Herod desired, but not
without difficulty, and was both himself reconciled to
the young man, and reconciled his father to him also.
However, he said he must, by all means, be sent to
Rome to discourse with Caesar, because he had already
written a full account to him of this whole matter.
6. Thus a period was put to Archelaus’s stratagem,
whereby he deliveredhis son-in-law out of the dangers
he was in; but when these reconciliations were over,
they spent their time in feastings and agreeable
entertainments. And when Archelaus was going away,
Herod made him a present of seventy talents, with a
golden throne set with precious stones, and some
eunuchs, and a concubine who was called Pannychis. He
also paid due
1372 honors to every one of his friends according
to their dignity. In like manner did all the king’s
kindred, by his command, make glorious presents to
Archelaus; and so he was conducted on his way by Herod
and his nobility as far as Antioch.
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