to use every faculty of his soul, every
member of his body, and all the wealth he hath, for him, in which I
confess I have been too deficient. However, I am conscious to myself,
that so far I have done right, that I have not deserted him upon his
defeat at Actium; nor upon the evident change of his fortune have I
transferred my hopes from him to another, but have preserved myself,
though not as a valuable fellow soldier, yet certainly as a faithful
counselor, to Antony, when I demonstrated to him that the only way that
he had to save himself, and not to lose all his authority, was to slay
Cleopatra; for when she was once dead, there would be room for him to
retain his authority, and rather to bring thee to make a composition
with him, than to continue at enmity any longer. None of which advises
would he attend to, but preferred his own rash resolution before them,
which have happened unprofitably for him, but profitably for thee. Now,
therefore, in case thou determinest about me, and my alacrity in serving
Antony, according to thy anger at him, I own there is no room for me to
deny what I have done, nor will I be ashamed to own, and that publicly
too, that I had a great kindness for him. But if thou wilt put him out
of the case, and only examine how I behave myself to my benefactors in
general, and what sort of friend I am, thou wilt find by experience
that we shall do and be the same to thyself, for it is but changing the
names, and the firmness of friendship that we shall bear to thee will
not be disapproved by thee."

7. By this speech, and by his behavior, which showed Caesar the
frankness of his mind, he greatly gained upon him, who was himself of a
generous and magnificent temper, insomuch that those very actions, which
were the foundation of the accusation against him, procured him Caesar's
good-will. Accordingly, he restored him his diadem again; and encouraged
him to exhibit himself as great a friend to himself as he had been to
Antony, and then had him in great esteem. Moreover, he added this, that
Quintus Didius had written to him that Herod had very readily assisted
him in the affair of the gladiators. So when he had obtained such a kind
reception, and had, beyond all his hopes, procured his crown to be more
entirely and firmly settled upon him than ever by Caesar's donation, as
well as by that decree of the Romans, which Caesar took care to procure
for his greater security, he conducted Caesar on his way to