nto the water among them, while such of
Herod's acquaintance, as he had appointed to do it, dipped him as he was
swimming, and plunged him under water, in the dark of the evening, as if
it had been done in sport only; nor did they desist till he was entirely
suffocated. And thus was Aristobulus murdered, having lived no more in
all than eighteen years, [7] and kept the high priesthood one year only;
which high priesthood Ananelus now recovered again.

4. When this sad accident was told the women, their joy was soon changed
to lamentation, at the sight of the dead body that lay before them,
and their sorrow was immoderate. The city also [of Jerusalem], upon the
spreading of this news, were in very great grief, every family looking
on this calamity as if it had not belonged to another, but that one of
themselves was slain. But Alexandra was more deeply affected, upon
her knowledge that he had been destroyed [on purpose]. Her sorrow
was greater than that of others, by her knowing how the murder was
committed; but she was under the necessity of bearing up under it, out
of her prospect of a greater mischief that might otherwise follow; and
she oftentimes came to an inclination to kill herself with her own hand,
but still she restrained herself, in hopes she might live long enough
to revenge the unjust murder thus privately committed; nay, she further
resolved to endeavor to live longer, and to give no occasion to think
she suspected that her son was slain on purpose, and supposed that she
might thereby be in a capacity of revenging it at a proper opportunity.
Thus did she restrain herself, that she might not be noted for
entertaining any such suspicion. However, Herod endeavored that none
abroad should believe that the child's death was caused by any design
of his; and for this purpose he did not only use the ordinary signs
of sorrow, but fell into tears also, and exhibited a real confusion of
soul; and perhaps his affections were overcome on this occasion, when
he saw the child's countenance so young and so beautiful, although his
death was supposed to tend to his own security. So far at least this
grief served as to make some apology for him; and as for his funeral,
that he took care should be very magnificent, by making great
preparation for a sepulcher to lay his body in, and providing a great
quantity of spices, and burying many ornaments together with him, till
the very women, who were in such deep sorrow, were astonish