ut it, one of Herod's friends seeing a seam upon the
inner coat of the slave, and a doubling of the cloth, [for he had two
coats on,] he guessed that the letter might be within that doubling;
which accordingly proved to be true. So they took out the letter, and
its contents were these: "Acme to Antipater. I have written such a
letter to thy father as thou desiredst me. I have also taken a copy and
sent it, as if it came from Salome, to my lady [Livia]; which, when thou
readest, I know that Herod Will punish Salome, as plotting against
him?' Now this pretended letter of Salome to her lady was composed by
Antipater, in the name of Salome, as to its meaning, but in the words of
Acme. The letter was this: 'Acme to king Herod. I have done my endeavor
that nothing that is done against thee should be concealed from thee.
So, upon my finding a letter of Salome written to my lady against thee,
I have written out a copy, and sent it to thee; with hazard to myself,
but for thy advantage.' The reason why she wrote it was this, that she
had a mind to be married to Sylleus. Do thou therefore tear this letter
in pieces, that I may not come into danger of my life." Now Acme had
written to Antipater himself, and informed him, that, in compliance with
his command, she had both herself written to Herod, as if Salome had
laid a sudden plot entirely against him, and had herself sent a copy
of an epistle, as coming from Salome to her lady. Now Acme was a Jew by
birth, and a servant to Julia, Caesar's wife; and did this out of her
friendship for Antipater, as having been corrupted by him with a large
present of money, to assist in his pernicious designs against his father
and his aunt.

8. Hereupon Herod was so amazed at the prodigious wickedness
of Antipater, that he was ready to have ordered him to be slain
immediately, as a turbulent person in the most important concerns, and
as one that had laid a plot not only against himself, but against his
sister also, and even corrupted Caesar's own domestics. Salome also
provoked him to it, beating her breast, and bidding him kill her, if he
could produce any credible testimony that she had acted in that manner.
Herod also sent for his son, and asked him about this matter, and bid
him contradict if he could, and not suppress any thing he had to say for
himself; and when he had not one word to say, he asked him, since he was
every way caught in his villainy, that he would make no further delay,
but d