other Aristobulus. For he had not spared this Aristobulus, though he was
but a lad, for after he had given him the high priesthood at the age of
seventeen, Herod caused him to be slain immediately after he had conferred
that honor upon him; for when Aristobulus had put on the holy garments and
had approached to the altar at a festival, the assembled multitude wept
for joy. Thereupon the lad was sent by night to Jericho, and there in a
swimming-pool at Herod's command was held under water by the Gauls until
he was drowned. For these reasons Mariamne reproached Herod, and railed at
his sister and his mother most abusively. He was dumb on account of his
affection for her, but the women were vexed exceedingly at her and charged
her with being false to him, for they thought that this would be most
likely to arouse Herod's anger. When, therefore, he was about to take a
journey abroad, he intrusted his wife to Joseph, his sister Salome's
husband. He also gave him a secret injunction that, if Antony should slay
him [Herod], Joseph should slay Mariamne. But Joseph without any evil
intention and in order to demonstrate the king's love for his wife
disclosed this secret to her. And when Herod came back, and when they
talked together, he confirmed his love to her by many oaths and assured
her that he had never loved any other woman as he had her. "To be sure,"
said she, "you proved your love to me by the injunctions you gave Joseph
when you commanded him to kill me!" When Herod heard that this secret was
discovered, he was like a distracted man, and said that Joseph would never
have disclosed his injunction unless he had seduced her. Made insane by
his passion and leaping out of bed, he ran about the palace in a wild
manner. Meantime his sister Salome improved the opportunity for false
accusations and to confirm the suspicion about Joseph. So in his
ungovernable jealousy and rage Herod commanded both of them to be slain
immediately. But as soon as his passion was over, he repented for what he
had done; and indeed his passionate desire for Mariamne was so ardent that
he could not think that she was dead, but in his distress he talked to her
as if she were still alive.

[Sidenote: Jos. Jew. War, I, 23:1a, d, 2a, c-3a]
Now Mariamne's sons inherited their mother's hate; and when they
considered the greatness of Herod's crime toward her, they were as
suspicious of their father as of an enemy. This state of theirs increased
as they grew t