o one of
those that came to Rome inform him of his misfortunes in Judea, although
seven months had intervened between his conviction and his return, so
great was the hatred which they all bore to him. And perhaps they were
the ghosts of those brethren of his that had been murdered that stopped
the mouths of those that intended to have told him. He then wrote from
Rome, and informed his [friends] that he would soon come to them, and
how he was dismissed with honor by Caesar.

3. Now the king, being desirous to get this plotter against him into
his hands, and being also afraid lest he should some way come to the
knowledge how his affairs stood, and be upon his guard, he dissembled
his anger in his epistle to him, as in other points he wrote kindly to
him, and desired him to make haste, because if he came quickly, he would
then lay aside the complaints he had against his mother; for Antipater
was not ignorant that his mother had been expelled out of the palace.
However, he had before received a letter, which contained an account of
the death of Pheroras, at Tarentum, [46] and made great lamentations
at it; for which some commended him, as being for his own uncle; though
probably this confusion arose on account of his having thereby failed in
his plot [on his father's life]; and his tears were more for the loss
of him that was to have been subservient therein, than for [an uncle]
Pheroras: moreover, a sort of fear came upon him as to his designs, lest
the poison should have been discovered. However, when he was in Cilicia,
he received the forementioned epistle from his father, and made great
haste accordingly. But when he had sailed to Celenderis, a suspicion
came into his mind relating to his mother's misfortunes; as if his soul
foreboded some mischief to itself. Those therefore of his friends which
were the most considerate advised him not rashly to go to his father,
till he had learned what were the occasions why his mother had been
ejected, because they were afraid that he might be involved in the
calumnies that had been cast upon his mother: but those that were less
considerate, and had more regard to their own desires of seeing their
native country, than to Antipater's safety, persuaded him to make haste
home, and not, by delaying his journey, afford his father ground for an
ill suspicion, and give a handle to those that raised stories against
him; for that in case any thing had been moved to his disadvantage, it
was