ce and firm friendship between him and king
Agrippa. He had also an army which he maintained as great as that of a
king, which he exercised and led wheresoever he had occasion to march.

4. When the affairs of Herod were in the condition I have described, all
the public affairs depended upon Antipater; and his power was such,
that he could do good turns to as many as he pleased, and this by his
father's concession, in hopes of his good-will and fidelity to him; and
this till he ventured to use his power still further, because his wicked
designs were concealed from his father, and he made him believe every
thing he said. He was also formidable to all, not so much on account
of the power and authority he had, as for the shrewdness of his vile
attempts beforehand; but he who principally cultivated a friendship with
him was Pheroras, who received the like marks of his friendship; while
Antipater had cunningly encompassed him about by a company of women,
whom he placed as guards about him; for Pheroras was greatly enslaved to
his wife, and to her mother, and to her sister; and this notwithstanding
the hatred he bare them for the indignities they had offered to his
virgin daughters. Yet did he bear them, and nothing was to be done
without the women, who had got this man into their circle, and continued
still to assist each other in all things, insomuch that Antipater was
entirely addicted to them, both by himself and by his mother; for these
four women, [3] said all one and the same thing; but the opinions of
Pheroras and Antipater were different in some points of no consequence.
But the king's sister [Salome] was their antagonist, who for a good
while had looked about all their affairs, and was apprized that this
their friendship was made in order to do Herod some mischief, and was
disposed to inform the king of it. And since these people knew that
their friendship was very disagreeable to Herod, as tending to do him a
mischief, they contrived that their meetings should not be discovered;
so they pretended to hate one another, and to abuse one another when
time served, and especially when Herod was present, or when any one
was there that would tell him: but still their intimacy was firmer than
ever, when they were private. And this was the course they took. But
they could not conceal from Salome neither their first contrivance,
when they set about these their intentions, nor when they had made some
progress in them; but she s