hem freely offers to the
Deity on account of piety, and to carry them in a company together to
Jerusalem without disturbance. They also petitioned me that I also
would confirm what had been granted by Augustus and Agrippa by my own
sanction. I would therefore have you take notice, that according to the
will of Augustus and Agrippa, I permit them to use and do according to
the customs of their forefathers without disturbance."

8. I have been obliged to set down these decree because the present
history of our own acts will go generally among the Greeks; and I have
hereby demonstrated to them that we have formerly been in great esteem,
and have not been prohibited by those governors we were under from
keeping any of the laws of our forefathers; nay, that we have been
supported by them, while we followed our own religion, and the worship
we paid to God; and I frequently make mention of these decrees, in order
to reconcile other people to us, and to take away the causes of that
hatred which unreasonable men bear to us. As for our customs [9] there
is no nation which always makes use of the same, and in every city
almost we meet with them different from one another; but natural justice
is most agreeable to the advantage of all men equally, both Greeks and
barbarians, to which our laws have the greatest regard, and thereby
render us, if we abide in them after a pure manner, benevolent and
friendly to all men; on which account we have reason to expect the like
return from others, and to inform them that they ought not to esteem
difference of positive institutions a sufficient cause of alienation,
but [join with us in] the pursuit of virtue and probity, for this
belongs to all men in common, and of itself alone is sufficient for the
preservation of human life. I now return to the thread of my history.

CHAPTER 7. How, Upon Herod's Going Down Into David's Sepulcher, The
Sedition In His Family Greatly Increased.

1. As for Herod, he had spent vast sums about the cities, both without
and within his own kingdom; and as he had before heard that Hyrcanus,
who had been king before him, had opened David's sepulcher, and taken
out of it three thousand talents of silver, and that there was a much
greater number left behind, and indeed enough to suffice all his wants,
he had a great while an intention to make the attempt; and at this time
he opened that sepulcher by night, and went into it, and endeavored
that it should not be a