o be men. And when Herod had been poisoned with calumnies
against them, he recalled Antipater, his son by Doris, from exile as a
defence against his other sons, and began to treat him in every way with
more distinction than them. But these sons were not able to bear this
change, for when they saw Antipater, who was the son of a private woman,
advanced, the nobility of their own birth made them unable to restrain
their indignation. For Antipater was already publicly named in his
father's will as his successor. The two weapons which he employed against
his brothers were flattery and calumny, whereby he brought matters
privately to such a point that the king thought of putting his sons to
death. So Herod dragged Alexander with him as far as Rome and charged him
before Augustus with attempting to poison him, but Alexander very ably
cleared himself of the calumnies laid against him and brought Augustus to
the point of rejecting the accusation and of reconciling Herod to his sons
at once. After this the king returned from Rome and seemed to have
acquitted his sons of these charges, but still he was not without some
suspicion of them, for Antipater, who was the cause of the hatred,
accompanied them. But he did not openly show his enmity toward them, for
he stood in awe of the one who had reconciled them. But the dissensions
between the brothers still accompanied them, and the suspicions they had
of one another grew worse.

[Sidenote: Jos. Jew. War, I, 24:1a, 27:1, 2a, 6b]
Alexander and Aristobulus were much vexed that the privilege of the
first-born was confirmed to Antipater, and Antipater was very angry
because his brothers were to succeed him. Moreover, Salome incited Herod's
cruelty against his sons, for Aristobulus was desirous of bringing her who
was his mother-in-law and aunt into the same dangers as himself. So he
sent to her to advise her to save herself, and told her that the king was
preparing to put her to death. Then Salome came running to the king and
informed him of the warning. Thereupon Herod could restrain himself no
longer, but caused both of his sons to be bound, and kept them apart from
one another, and speedily sent to Augustus written charges against them.
Augustus was greatly troubled in regard to the young men, but he did not
think he ought to take from a father the power over his sons. So he wrote
back to him, and gave him full authority over his sons, and said he would
do well to make an examination o