e height, at the beginning of the spring,
the earth was shaken, and destroyed an immense number of cattle, with
thirty thousand men; but the army received no harm, because it lay in
the open air. In the mean time, the fame of this earthquake elevated
the Arabians to greater courage, and this by augmenting it to a
fabulous height, as is constantly the case in melancholy accidents, and
pretending that all Judea was overthrown. Upon this supposal, therefore,
that they should easily get a land that was destitute of inhabitants
into their power, they first sacrificed those ambassadors who were come
to them from the Jews, and then marched into Judea immediately. Now the
Jewish nation were affrighted at this invasion, and quite dispirited at
the greatness of their calamities one after another; whom yet Herod
got together, and endeavored to encourage to defend themselves by the
following speech which he made to them:

4. "The present dread you are under seems to me to have seized upon
you very unreasonably. It is true, you might justly be dismayed at
that providential chastisement which hath befallen you; but to suffer
yourselves to be equally terrified at the invasion of men is unmanly. As
for myself, I am so far from being aftrighted at our enemies after this
earthquake, that I imagine that God hath thereby laid a bait for the
Arabians, that we may be avenged on them; for their present invasion
proceeds more from our accidental misfortunes, than that they have any
great dependence on their weapons, or their own fitness for action.
Now that hope which depends not on men's own power, but on others' ill
success, is a very ticklish thing; for there is no certainty among men,
either in their bad or good fortunes; but we may easily observe that
fortune is mutable, and goes from one side to another; and this you may
readily learn from examples among yourselves; for when you were once
victors in the former fight, your enemies overcame you at last; and very
likely it will now happen so, that these who think themselves sure of
beating you will themselves be beaten. For when men are very confident,
they are not upon their guard, while fear teaches men to act with
caution; insomuch that I venture to prove from your very timorousness
that you ought to take courage; for when you were more bold than you
ought to have been, and than I would have had you, and marched on,
Athenio's treachery took place; but your present slowness and seeming
de