s friends,
went up to Jerusalem to offer sacrifice to God, an ancient festival of
the Jews being then just approaching; and when he had been there, and
been honorably entertained by the multitude of the Jews, he made a stay
there for three days, within which time he deprived Jonathan of the
high priesthood, and gave it to his brother Theophilus. But when on
the fourth day letters came to him, which informed him of the death of
Tiberius, he obliged the multitude to take an oath of fidelity to Caius;
he also recalled his army, and made them every one go home, and take
their winter quarters there, since, upon the devolution of the empire
upon Caius, he had not the like authority of making this war which he
had before. It was also reported, that when Aretas heard of the coming
of Vitellius to fight him, he said, upon his consulting the diviners,
that it was impossible that this army of Vitellius's could enter Petra;
for that one of the rulers would die, either he that gave orders for
the war, or he that was marching at the other's desire, in order to be
subservient to his will, or else he against whom this army is prepared.
So Vitellius truly retired to Antioch; but Agrippa, the son of
Aristobulus, went up to Rome, a year before the death of Tiberius,
in order to treat of some affairs with the emperor, if he might be
permitted so to do. I have now a mind to describe Herod and his family,
how it fared with them, partly because it is suitable to this history to
speak of that matter, and partly because this thing is a demonstration
of the interposition of Providence, how a multitude of children is of no
advantage, no more than any other strength that mankind set their hearts
upon, besides those acts of piety which are done towards God; for it
happened, that, within the revolution of a hundred years, the posterity
of Herod, which were a great many in number, were, excepting a few,
utterly destroyed. [16] One may well apply this for the instruction of
mankind, and learn thence how unhappy they were: it will also show
us the history of Agrippa, who, as he was a person most worthy of
admiration, so was he from a private man, beyond all the expectation of
those that knew him, advanced to great power and authority. I have said
something of them formerly, but I shall now also speak accurately about
them.

4. Herod the Great had two daughters by Mariamne, the [grand] daughter
of Hyrcanus; the one was Salampsio, who was married to Phas