res. A certain
Parthian, who came as general of an army into those parts, had a wife
following him, who had a vast reputation for other accomplishments, and
particularly was admired above all other women for her beauty. Anileus,
the brother of Asineus, either heard of that her beauty from others, or
perhaps saw her himself also, and so became at once her lover and her
enemy; partly because he could not hope to enjoy this woman but by
obtaining power over her as a captive, and partly because he thought
he could not conquer his inclinations for her. As soon therefore as
her husband had been declared an enemy to them, and was fallen in
the battle, the widow of the deceased was married to this her lover.
However, this woman did not come into their house without producing
great misfortunes, both to Anileus himself, and to Asineus also; but
brought great mischiefs upon them on the occasion following. Since she
was led away captive, upon the death of her husband, she concealed
the images of those gods which were their country gods, common to her
husband and to herself: now it was the custom [36] of that country for
all to have the idols they worship in their own houses, and to carry
them along with them when they go into a foreign land; agreeable to
which custom of theirs she carried her idols with her. Now at first
she performed her worship to them privately; but when she was become
Anileus's married wife, she worshipped them in her accustomed manner,
and with the same appointed ceremonies which she used in her former
husband's days; upon which their most esteemed friends blamed him at
first, that he did not act after the manner of the Hebrews, nor perform
what was agreeable to their laws, in marrying a foreign wife, and one
that transgressed the accurate appointments of their sacrifices and
religious ceremonies; that he ought to consider, lest, by allowing
himself in many pleasures of the body, he might lose his principality,
on account of the beauty of a wife, and that high authority which, by
God's blessing, he had arrived at. But when they prevailed not at all
upon him, he slew one of them for whom he had the greatest respect,
because of the liberty he took with him; who, when he was dying, out of
regard to the laws, imprecated a punishment upon his murderer Anileus,
and upon Asineus also, and that all their companions might come to a
like end from their enemies; upon the two first as the principal actors
of this wickednes